Amazing Race Asia Season 4 teams finally revealed

Image via WikipediaI was up until 2 something in the morning the other day trying to watch the The Amazing Race Asia: Racers Revealed special on the AXN site (which only requires you to complete a survey before you can continue on).

It's basically an hour long special of host Allan Wu walking through (I think) KL's Chinatown introducing the new batch of 10 teams from all over Asia, as well as some commentary from the show's casting director and producer.

Here's the breakdown of teams by country:

• 2 teams from India
• 2 Malaysian teams
• 2 teams from the Philippines
• 2 Indonesian teams, one being a father-daughter team, a TARA first
• One team from Hong Kong
• One team from Singapore

For once there are no famous (not even by proxy) Malaysian celebrities this season. But I'm hoping that the teams (two guys and a married couple) can cope and are not out in the first leg or something, cos that would be embarassing. There haven't been any Malaysian team out in the first leg yet so far, so here's hoping that would stand.


After all this time, there is also an intergenerational element in the race with its first father-daughter team. If there were a grandparent-grandchild team from where ever, I would root for them big time. Make it happen, TARA team - there are so many mactors one can watch on TV who want their 15 minutes.

White Collar, a great collar

Anyway, the gist of the show as per the official site...
 

“White Collar is about the unlikely partnership of a con artist and an FBI agent who have been playing cat and mouse for years. Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer) a charming criminal mastermind, is finally caught by his nemesis, FBI Agent Peter Burke (Tim DeKay).

 When Neal escapes from a maximum-security prison to find his long-lost love, Peter nabs him once again. Rather than returning to jail, Neal suggests an alternate plan: He’ll provide his criminal expertise to assist the Feds in catching other elusive criminals in exchange for his eventual freedom. Initially wary, Peter quickly finds that Neal provides insight and intuition that can’t be found on the right side of the law.”

• Like most shows nowadays, White Collar also has long-ish cold opens (what's with that?). Sometimes not, but rarely.
• I suppose what this show has in common with other shows on TV is the show's protagonist as a "consultant" to some branch of law enforcement, case in point - Psych, The Mentalist, Monk, Bones... you get the drift.
• The opening credits only finalised in the second season, so you see them working through in the first season. 
• Never seen Matt Bomer elsewhere before White Collar, but anyhow - very easy on the eyes.
• Tim DeKay's the guy you see on other TV shows who always plays the father/husband/whoever for years - I think this is the first time I've seen him as a main cast member of any show.

I'm enjoying the second season so far - even though Tiffani Thiessen has been phoning it in (literally) with the green screen scenes.

Finale shockers

I saw the finales of a couple of the "reality" competition shows this week - Work of Art: The Next Great Artist and Last Comic Standing. Not before I read recaps and spoilers about them both, because I don't really care whether I know or not in advance. 

Work of Art

I never thought Abdi would win, not in a million years. I was thinking maybe it might be Miles because he really knows how to play the game, but really?! Maybe Miles dropped the ball in the final show and Abdi's was more "artsy" than the former. But I can't be the only one who thought Miles had it in the bag.

Did anyone miss executive producer Sarah Jessica Parker, with her hands to her face in awe at all three gallery shows? It's that the best footage they could use of her?

Okay, next show - Last Comic Standing

Just when you thought this kind of finales run too long for a final decision which only takes MINUTES to broadcast... oy. 

It was like they got everyone and their grandma to do their bite sets on stage - reigning LCS winner Iliza Schlesinger (whom I've nothing against), the three judges, Marriage Ref host Tom Pappa, Kathy Griffin... they even got host Craig Robinson's band to perform a couple of times. I didn't understand why the judges also did their bits - I mean, you don't see Randy Jackson and Paula perform in the Idol finale... oh wait, they did :P

What I also didn't expect was to hear that Felipe Esparza to win. Well okay, I didn't expect him to last this far, let alone WIN. I was also a little disappointed when Myq Kaplan came in fifth, which has gotta suck, but he did do a 10 second cameo appearance on Louie.

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Is My Life on the D-List over?

I saw in the YouTube comments recently that season 6 of Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List was its last season.

I've not found news confirming it, and I've not heard of anything to the contrary.

If it indeed was over, I'm sad that it is. It hasn't been a "reality" show per se, with all the celeb appearances in every episode, but it's fun to watch her talk shit about Hollywood and also annoying her mother Maggie in the process.

So, is it true?

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Last Comic Standing

Been watching this latest season of Last Comic Standing and they've definitely changed up the show - new host, judges, etc.

I personally didn't know who Craig Robinson was prior to this show, so I got nothing. But I also didn't know Bill Bellamy when he hosted LCS, so... whatever.

I should be glad that they're showing proper performance shows and not show the "house" part - the comics live in the same house doing inane comedy related challenges as in past seasons. But it feels empty - I don't find myself rooting for anyone in particular. Perhaps it's just me, but if you have to describe both Myq Kaplan and Tommy Johnagin, it would be pretty close - white guys with dark hair, glasses, average height...

It's sad that there are no more female finalists (which means Iliza Shlesinger would be the only hot winner from the show so far).

Now all three judges sound like Paula Abdul as the competition comes to a close. WTF.

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Project Runway Season 8 premiere

Finally saw the latest season of Project Runway.

You figured something hinky was happening when there wasn't the usual opening credit with the contestants, only to find out later in the show that it was just the final phase of the audition process. Gee, I'd be pissed if I was a contestant.

You know the 17 contestants in the premiere episode wouldn't be 17 for long with the crazy 5 hour challenge which involves incorporating someone else's clothing item and one (or more) of them are going home. It's really not much of a shakeup.

One other change this season is that episodes will be 90 minutes long, which I guess works fine in the beginning, but towards the finale? I don't know. You'd see more stuff granted, but how much is too much?

I figured that the Ivy chick would be in deep shit in the premiere when she had the brag on in her talking head early in the episode. And boy, was she in the shitter - for making pants out of pants. Right.

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Covert Affairs

Checked out the new USA show Covert Affairs after watching Christopher Gorham on The Late Late Show plugging it last week.

It's lazy for everyone to compare it to Alias, so I won't because I never bothered with Alias, let alone watch it.

But based on the uber long pilot, Piper Perabo (someone I feel meh about in general) plays newbie CIA agent Annie Walker
(who barely finished her training) thrown into the field because, unbeknownst to her, her bosses are using her to lure out an ex-boyfriend. Gee, seems simple enough.

Gorham as the blind tech ops guy Auggie Anderson is a little wasted here, but that's because I'm not the only one that thinks he's hot (even if he is married with three kids in real life, sigh). But hey, loving the floppy hair and the cool laser cane his character uses to get around :P

Besides him, there are plenty of familiar TV faces like Peter Gallagher (billed as "Special Guest Star" here) and Sendhil Ramamurthy (formerly of Heroes), so it's not too bad. Anne Dudek (or the Cut-Throat Bitch on House) as the sister - not bad a casting since they could actually pass off as sisters - who's guest house Annie lives in. 

I'm just glad that it's not another FBI show, but it doesn't mean that I'm hating on White Collar, which precedes it on the same network.

Much as I like what I'm watching so far, I just hope that it doesn't get cancelled.

More CSI departure announcements

Image via Wikipedia

More shocking CSI news: Marg Helgenberger is leaving CSI after this coming season.

If I have to take a guess as to how they'll write her out of the show - I'd probably have to go with her inheriting her bio-dad's (Sam Braun) riches and retiring to be there for her kid full time (haha). Maybe. For Catherine Willows to die would be a waste; it'd be like when Warrick died. As quoted by Helgenberger, I also hope that she doesn't get killed off.

If she's leaving, then it means that someone needs to be the lab's new night shift supervisor, which in this case would have to be George Eads's character Nick Stokes as he was her right-hand man for the last few seasons. It would be sad if the guy doesn't get a promotion on the show after all the shit he's been through.

Urgh, now to wait for the season premiere with BIEBER guest starring as "a troubled teen". Ish.

More Imam Muda

Apparently after several weeks of non-elimination in the beginning (cos they wanted to give some of the contestants chances to improve themselves), they have been doing double eliminations so that they would have a final two in time for the finale next week. I can't wait to find out who wins.

The first episode started with them preparing (cleaning and wrapping up) unclaimed bodies for their last rites, which was a little shocking, admittedly. For the odd non-Muslim Malaysian viewer (I would be one such individual) most of the show at this point would be a little boring because there's really little to no in-fighting amongst the contestants, which is a draw for the other reality shows. Everyone is so nice, polite and supportive of each other (they even attended one guy's wedding, which was briefly featured on the show). The Q&A sessions during judging are also a little dull because while their answers might have merit, but the way their answers are presented reminded me of the coaching we got  for the SPM Moral Studies exam, to answer the questions all long-winded and stiff. 

With all the gross stuff was behind them and it's now down to them doing acts of decency like visiting orphanages and old folks' homes. Which is why I find myself skipping three quarters of the show and just watch the ending.

As a Malaysian I COULD watch the show without resorting to the English subtitles, but I leave them on anyway because they're better than most of the bad subtitling I've seen in Malaysia. I think later episodes posted on YouTube have English subtitles now, so it's not too bad.

Random observation: What is with this show and facial hair? Almost everyone has a beard of some sort at the very least on the show. Is it a requirement of religious officials that I was never aware of?

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The NPR piece is worth listening to (and there's also a transcript of the audio segment at the link) - I can't believe Robert Siegel got the pronunciation of the show down. Which is not saying much if he has indeed been watching a little of the show.

Watching - The Kilborn File

So I've been watching clips (or full episodes, really) of The Kilborn File on YouTube the last day or two - not every single episode, just the guests that I want to see and whatever's available.

I've never seen the guy when he hosted both The Daily Show and The Late Late Show back in the day because I was too young and there wasn't the technology to watch it from the other side of the planet, so I'm not one to judge.

I also can't say I'm a fan of the guy, but he strikes me (a little) of Dane Cook's character in Good Luck Chuck - where his replacements make a better job of the shows he's left than he did when he was there. Relatively, anyway.

What I like about The Kilborn File so far is that the humour is not as political as the current incarnation of The Daily Show, but I don't get most of the segments, like 5 Questions and the Power Panel. Maybe it's just me.

Much as I am a fan of talk shows, but The Kilborn File? Erm, not really.

He's only getting a six week trial run and in several markets, so I'm not sure whether he'll be picked up for fall.

Imam Muda

It's sad that I have to find out about Imam Muda from the foreign press when I could have tuned into the Astro Oasis (Channel 106; the Muslim channel, or the VERY Muslim-y Hallmark Channel). But there's only so much TV that one can watch in a week. Even then, I keep forgetting to tune in.

When I finally did remember to tune in, it was the episode where they were tested on what is halal and haram in terms of animal slaughtering. I now know the motions of the neck slice (in theory), but not the prayer that goes with it. Somehow knowing that the McDs here is halal is comforting - I don't think I'll find anything unsavoury in my McNuggets anytime soon.

Imam Muda basically a "reality" talent show for to find the ultimate "young religious leader" out of the 10 male contestants of varying backgrounds. They're schooled and tested on both their skills and knowledge on a weekly basis. There's also the 5 minute capsule shows where the lessons and such are broadcasted, but I personally can't be bothered, I just stick to the main show, which is when the eliminations are done. The winner gets a pilgrimage trip, car, etc and a job in one of mosques in KL.

I'm really surprised that no one's come up with this sooner (not the reality show genre, but the idea of Muslim leaders). The one thing I like is that there's NO PUBLIC VOTE (according to the BBC News piece on the show).

As a non-Muslim watching, I thought it's engaging enough. Learnt some things. Some of the racists I know could stand to learn a thing or two. 

I also just found out that you can watch the show on YouTube - just plug in the name of the show in the search bar. I think some of the later episodes come with English subtitles as well, which is handy because the show is in Malay; and I need help with some of the regional dialects and some of the religious terms I was not familiar with.

Will Hugh Laurie finally win an Emmy? Hmm...

Hugh Laurie was again nominated for an Emmy for being Dr House. Yay for him.

Then I saw the other nominees in the same category and I'm like, uh-oh... mostly because the other 4 are on cable and cable shows usually sweep these things up. The only other network show is Lost - ick.

Here's what I think about the other nominees in the same category.

1. Jon Hamm - Won't win, but he'll be nominated again.
2. Kyle Chandler  (Friday Night Lights) - another show I don't give a shit about because it's about American football. There has been precedence of first nomination wins at the Emmys, but poor Hugh's been nominated so many times and still nothing, so maybe not. Are they cancelling Friday Night Lights? Is that why the show's getting mentioned?
3. Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) - he'll be nominated again, unless his character finally dies and the show is over....Hasn't he won before? Not likely to win THIS time.
4. Michael C. Hall (Dexter) - since he's cured of his lymphoma, he probably won't win; he'll be nominated again.
5. Matthew Fox (Lost) - Most likely to win because Lost is over and he's been quoted that he's "done with television" - they might give him the Emmy to lure him back in.

So in sum, Hugh Laurie has about 1/3 chance of winning an Emmy for Best Actor in a Drama Series. Maybe. At the very least, it's between him and Matthew Fox.

If I'm wrong, I'm wrong.

Who's voting for this again? If I'm not wrong I don't think it's the public... so it's up to those voters.

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No more Stella...

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

More CSI franchise departure news - After six years, Melina Kanakaredes is leaving CSI:NY. That one I did not see coming. Really.

Sure, they say she's "moving on", but really, if I had that much shit happen to my character on the show (kill an ex-boyfriend in self-defense in a hostage situation, the AIDS scare, house fire, getting attacked by various people, yada yada)... yeah sure, "moving on". I have to say it, she's like the New York equivalent of Nick Stokes in terms of having shit happen to her in the course of the show.

I'm not a hater, but I never exactly MINDED her presence on the show, either.

Like every other cast member departure, I just want to see how she gets written off the show, or if there's a Stella replacement on the show like Laurence Fishburne on CSI.

Work of Art: The Next Great Artist

Been catching up on the new Bravo reality competition show, Work of Art: The Next Great Artist because I'm a sucker that way. And I've also already seen both Shear Genius and Top Design, so what the hey - I'm about as conversant about art as I am about hair styling or interior design :P

In the Bravo trend of having non-American born hosts, this show is hosted by China Chow, another woman I'm not familiar with and the last time I looked, is not American (born). I don't even want to get started on the name, so I will resist the urge. Her credentials for being both the host and judge was that she "grew up around art". Oh-kay.

At least the rest of the judging panel are FROM the art world - gallery owner, gallerist (whatever that means) and art critic. And also the Tim Gunn-like guru figure, Simon de Pury.

I think the only reason why they bother green lighting the show is because Sarah Jessica Parker's an executive producer. She made an appearance once in the premiere for the slight ratings boost. Let's start a tally of the appearances.

China's "axe phrase": "Your work of art didn't work for us" - ouch. It's a bit cheesy, that's all I got. But it's not like the rest of the elimination spiel was any better.

I'm not sure how they're gonna pick the "best" artist in this beaten-to-death format, but I'll be watching to see how they do it. I'm not even sure if they'll finish the season to get picked up for another. Oh well.

Cibrian no more on CSI: Miami

Word is that Eddie Cibrian's character on CSI: Miami is going to be killed off next season now that Adam Rodriguez is coming back after Ugly Betty got canned.

All I have to say is: Wow, that did not take long.

If Cibrian was brought in to replace Rodriguez, so who is Omar Miller replacing on the show? Or are they trying to diversify?

Not that I was particularly attached to his character anyway, but I do want to see how they write him off the show then.

So many cancellations, but so many new shows too

News of show cancellations have been aplenty for the last few days - most of which I never saw to get emotionally attached to anyway - but otherwise good riddance :P

• Law & Order (the original one - it's been 20 years), 
• Heroes (meh - about time), 
• Mercy (which I never got into), 
• The Wanda Sykes Show
• Ugly Betty (like Heroes, I stopped after the first season)

Anyway, here's to another year of new shows that'll stick around.

QUZ54JTPQ29U 

Worst-Case Scenario with Bear Grylls

Saw the first hour of the Discovery Channel's Worst-Case Scenario with Bear Grylls (yes, that's what they're calling it). LOVE the title screen.

First impression: Very serious, very dramatic - first episode kicked off with what to do in case of a car accident. Woah. It's not that far from Man vs Wild, it's basically him in the urban jungle.

I'm amazed how he can narrate his way through all this; excellent projection :P

I wonder how much is the man's insurance premiums or whether he's insured AT ALL, with all the stuff that he does on screen. I also pity the camera person tailing him in these situations - that guy's insurance premiums can't be that cheap, either.

I don't think half hour episodes are enough, they should make it an hour. 

Shear Genius

Been watching the third season of Shear Genius for no reason but just because I wanted to see for myself the changes in host, mentor and permanent judge has done. 

In continuing the Bravo trend of getting non-American models to host their reality competition shows, they got McConaughey's baby mama Camila Alves as host, which I don't really get but also don't really care. The accent I could live with. Has the "Hair is important" line her thing, or has it been around since the beginning?

They even got a different mentor for the contestants, which I'm okay with because Rene's "hi hi" greeting and speech impediment was annoying.

I've also been wondering when were they gonna get Jonathan Antin on as permanent judge on the show, it was like when Janice Dickinson was on ANTM - fun to watch them give contestants a piece of their minds, as long as it wasn't YOU.

Conan going to TBS in November

So CoCo is moving to cable, which is where his material should be all the while anyway. I would only hope that he won't hold back his shit because he's no longer on network TV. I mean, Bill Maher's doing really well on HBO since he got canned from his network job way back when.

He's George Lopez's lead in come November on TBS. Of course Lopez is happy, he's so happy he's now LoCo for the arrangement. 

As long as I can see clips of both shows on the TBS website with non of the geographic restriction nonsense, I'm okay with anything. Let's see what happens in November.

If I was Conan's guest coordinators (or the job title related with guest bookings), I wouldn't get Will Ferrell anywhere near the show for the first few months.

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Two and a Half Men sans Charlie Sheen? MEH.

If Charlie Sheen doesn't have his contract renewed for Two and a Half Men, then what would the show be called? One and a Half Men? Two Men? Seriously though - how is the show gonna move  without Charlie Sheen?

Even if it does get cancelled because there's no more Charlie Sheen, I wouldn't miss it because I washed my hands of the half-hour sitcoms ages ago.

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