I was an avid fan of Prison Break even before the show came out. I had seen the previews, read about the show, and believed all the hype. I can safely say that season 1 of the show surpassed all of my expectations. I liked the show so much that I even recommended it to a few of my friends, who of course got addicted to the show.

After watching 12 episodes of the second season, I’ sorry to say that I’m done with Prison Break. Here’s why:

Episode 11

1. “It’s about corporate interests taking over the government, buying elections, fighting wars, people dying so they can turn a profit.” A little late for a political campaign ad aren’t we? Or are we aiming for 2008? Obama?

2. “NSA”, “Echelon Program”, “Homeland Security”, “9/11″, “White House”, I did not sign up for a political spy drama.

Episode 12

1. “He punished me, locked me up, if you leave someone alone in the dark for that long…you start to see things…” This was a good insight into Michael’s past but reminds me too much of elements from The Pretender. It’s a been there done that approach to character development.

2. Micheal can’t cry. They say that in theater, if you can’t cry, then don’t. The worst thing you can do is attempt to cry in a manner that is completely unbelievable.

3. “The Company”, “I thought I was doing the right thing…”, “The Company had enemies…I left as soon as I found out how corrupt it all was, how they were buying the government.” At this point I think the writers are just running out of ideas. Am I the only one who is watching Alias, when he should be watching Prison Break? Remember how Sydney gets hired by SD-6, thinking that she is working for a secret branch of the CIA? Ultimately she figures out that she is working for the very evil organization that she had sworn to fight.

4. “We can fix this. I came back so that we can fix this.”, “This can never be fixed.” Oh I’m sorry, I was under the impression I was watching Fox, not Lifetime. I’ll try to not act surprised as a drama about convicts escaping from prison turns into a drama about dysfunctional father-son relationships.

5. “There is a tape, gives us everything we need.” Ahh, are you going to give Jack Bauer a call? Because I hear he is good at retrieving tapes that conveniently have all the evidence.

These are just a few reasons why Prison Break is over for me, let me know if you need more. I have listed the ‘cons’ of the show here. Aaron from Watching Prison Break will follow this up by trying to convince me that I jumped ship too early.

If you’ve ever wished that superheroes really existed, or you loved comic books as a kid, NBC has a show for you. Is it believable? Can we relate to the characters? Well…no. But it’s high-action drama - what else are you gonna get from NBC? The show? Heroes - and it focuses on people with extraordinary abilities who must save the world…bor just certain people in it.
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Seven women with a rude ‘tude. One Los Angeles house. And television cameras. Oxygen’s love of “bad girls” (this is the network that gave us Breaking Up With Shannen Doherty, don’t forget) will be raised to the next level on December the 5th. And though the network is remaining tight-lipped about their bad girl cast members, they have promised that there will be some “familiar faces” among them.
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It started out as a little, low-budget cartoon on a monster kids network. Other animated series were getting huge attention - no one thought SpongeBob would become the next phenomenon. Seven years later, the view from the bottom (Bikini Bottom, that is) is looking up. SpongeBob consistently makes into the top ten on the ratings list, and the craze has sweptb the entire world.
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In another intensity-driven, crime-solving drama from CBS (because that never gets old), you can get inside Criminal Minds with a fictional team of FBI profiling experts. With other CBS hits quickly dropping off the top ratings list, Criminal Minds is definitely going to get more exciting - if CBS hopes to draw in viewers.
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You could watch the Thanksgiving parade (which is airing on two networks, if you’re interested) and then collapse on the couch to watch football (which is airing on at least five networks, again if you’re interested). In the evening, you might watch that same old Charlie Brown special you’ve seen twenty times. Or, you might get creative this year and watch something new. This would definitely be the year to do it. This year’s Turkey Day lineup is rife with reality and comedy.
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When it comes to network TV, the game show is a hard sell. Recently, it’s popular to re-create game shows that have been recycled from days of old. Most of the major networks have tried this, and enjoyed a few brief years of success with their re-tried game shows. NBC’s Deal or No Deal is no different…or, is it?
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Though it seems like it’s been for ever since FOX brought us another season of American Idol, the network is actually right on schedule. If you’re on pins and needles waiting for the sixth season of this mega-hit reality show, you’re not the only one. What can fans expect out of American Idol 6?
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Media Bistro does an exceptional job in pictorially showing us everything that is wrong with mainstream news media nowadays. The following is MSNBC’s 5 hour breaking-news coverage from 10:20 am to 3:33 pm:

Just when we were getting ready to see O.J. describe in graphic detail, murders that he didn’t commit, it appears that Fox has decided to commit a double-murder of its own. As a result of the extremely negative reaction that Fox was getting from mainstream media they have decided to kill the book and TV interview with O.J. Simpson.

“I and senior management agree with the American public that this was an ill-considered project,” said Rupert Murdoch, News Corp. chairman. “We are sorry for any pain that this has caused the families of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson.”

Makes me wonder, what made them think that this was a good idea to begin with?

The History Channel can show you giant structures made with the most modern technology and equipment, marvels that are so amazing only cable TV can do them justice. It’s Modern Marvels, and it’s a show all about grand inventions. The only question is, how can the History Channel be modern?
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We have all heard stories and read research about how television destroys our brains, corrupts our children, and allows people like Castro to retain power, oh and makes people want to club baby seals.

Here is an interesting look at how television (or movies in this case) affect the people on the other side, the actors and actresses. With all the competition in Hollywood, talent can only get you so far.

There’s nothing better in Hollywood than an up and coming leading lady determined to shake her innocence by showing the world she can act while naked. Pig tails are replaced with boob jobs, Sunday dresses are exchanged for high riding thongs, and TV movies are recorded over with hard R-rated sexy fests. Careers may be saved, huge cheques may be cashed, but we all know who the real winners are here.

Do you think someone’s missing for the list? Fire away in the comments!

O.J. Simpson is in the news again, and its still not good. According to the National Enquirer, O.J. has been paid $3.5 million for a book that is tentatively titled “If I Did It”.

According to the article, the book describes “…in gruesome detail the killing of his ex-wife and Goldman; he stipulates that the murder scenes are hypothetical.” The detail in which the murders are described is so chilling that there is little doubt to be left in the minds of the readers as to what actually transpired. Simpson, though, can’t be retried for the murders because of double jeopardy laws.

As if the book wasn’t chilling (read maddening) enough, Fox will be airing a two-part interview in which Simpson will describe the double-murder, which he insists he didn’t commit.

The interview will be conducted by Judith Regan, who is also the editor and publisher of the former football star’s upcomming book, and will air at 9 p.m. November 27 and 29 on Fox.

Interestingly enough, O.J. Simpson has yet to pay the $33 million awarded to the families of the victims in the civil suit judgment. Let’s hope at least some of the $3.5 million will go towards that payment.

Here’s a link to a promo of the interview.

[via Reuters]

The show was an almost instant hit when it premiered on HBO in 1998. During the course of its six-year run, Sex became a household name. The adventures of Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte were witnessed by countless viewers. Then, as suddenly as the Sex & the City phenomenon began, it was over. Six years, and so long to Sex.
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After announcing that it will be launching an English counterpart to its controversial Arabic version over a year ago, Al Jazeera English finally began broadcasting today.

In the United States — where politicians have condemned Al Jazeera as a mouthpiece for terrorists — it failed to secure distribution on any of the major cable groups

A live stream of the channel is available from the Al Jazeera website.

[via Reuters]

Currently enjoying its seventh season and completely at home on the new CW network, America’s Next Top Model is slowly reaching a reality TV pinnacle. After seven seasons, this show is still enjoying tap-ranking ratings. With nothing to slow it down, the reality series (created by top American model Tyra Banks) is one of the highest-rated on the CW network…ever.
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I recently read an article on Retro Crush about a 99-cent store opening in Sacramento. Because this was the store’s grand opening, they decided to entice people to come to the store by sending out fliers advertising that the first 9 people to come to the story would get a 19″ Sharp color TV for just 99 cents. The next 99 people would get a scooter for 99 cents.

Just for reference, A 19″ Sharp color TV can otherwise be purchased for $29.00, and is not worth $100 as the article suggests.

In spite of the incelement weather, more than 30 people had gathered around the storefront more than 9 hours before opening time. If you think 9 hours is early; the two people at the very front of the line had been waiting for 3 days.

So how much is a 99-cent TV really worth? Well the answer depends on the opportunity cost of your time. What would you have been doing otherwise? If you look at the first 9 people in line, you will see that their opportunity cost of standing in line to get the TV is probably less than $29. For example, “[spots] 5-9 were taken by homeless people…in sleeping bags.”

Does waiting 80 hours in line to get a $29 TV for 99 cents make sense? Even if you are making minimum wage, which in California is $6.75, you are foregoing $840 by standing in line to save $28.01 on a TV. I guess there is a reason why the top 9 spots were taken by homeless people.

Scheduled to premiere tonight at 9pm ET on ABC, the new “action-packed, thrilling� drama series Day Break is ready to wow audiences – or break their patience. No, no, it’s not a movie re-make (at least ABC isn’t giving the creators of the idea billing), it’s a new dramatic series. Day Break - just one bad day, after another. Why not? Sounds like hit TV, to me.
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Primed and ready for its third season, Medium will make its return to NBC tomorrow night. After some initial confusion (the show wasn’t immediately put back on the NBC lineup), the third season of Medium is set to air Wednesdays this fall. The show’s declining second season ratings could have put leading actress Patricia Arquette out of a job, but she’ll have one more chance to wow audiences.
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The new tradition of reality TV is that no subject will be left unexposed. Family dysfunction, car repair, home makeovers, body makeovers, career choices, marriage, birth – if none of these things are sacred, your spirituality can’t escape TV crews, either. TLC, the cable station that has long billed themselves as “Life Unscripted,â€? is brigning you a bold new series that opens a window into a long-secret world. Welcome to The Monastery.
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