Hey hipsters, did you catch the "30 Rock" season finale last night? If you didn't, be happy and secure in knowing that NBC has formatted it (along with "The Office") for streaming on your iPhone - they're not waiting for Apple on this one. It looks like a lot is on TV but it's slim pickins - shockingly no decent oldie movie selections on TCM this weekend. Tonight 9:00pm Man vs. Wild DISCOVERY - Bear......

Bye-bye Robert Redford - Sundance Channel is being bought by Cablevision. Why "bye-bye"? Because even though Redford will remain "involved", he will not have an ownership stake and without ownership Redford will essentially be a figurehead. Hey, you thought you could move to a Caribbean island and join a start-up engaging in shady media practices like Valence Media's TorrentSpy and think you could get away with it indefinitely? TorrentSpy was one of those "we don't......

Looks like the SAG and studios have dropped negotiations without reaching a deal so look for a bunch more DVD reviews from me in the next few weeks because it's time to stock up for the summer. It's still springtime and finally my young-man's fancy is turning to love just in time to check out "The Love Boat" reruns on Joost - I can't get enough soft-focus of B and C list celebrities from 25......

Fans of "Project Runway" might want to know more details about its move/death to the Lifetime Networks as reported by the Wall Street Journal. Some fans might say, "Oh no, 'Runway' is going to totally make it on Lifetime - I'm still going to have viewing parties at my house, etc." Be aware that the producers that created the show, Weinstein Co., are not moving with the show to Lifetime - can one safely assume......

The LA Times has a write-up on the demise of local public Channel 36. Somehow the City of LA can't/won't come up with a measly $500k to keep local broadcast of "school sport events, public policy talks, and long-distance for-credit college classes". While it's true that there is another city-funded public channel (#35) that one seems to be a megaphone for whichever politicians are in office. Surely the megalopolis of LA is big enough to......

The New York Times says that the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and the Screen Actors Guild will not be reaching an agreement anytime soon. In less than 60 days the SAG contract is up and all motion picture and TV production will stop on a dime with the exception of game shows, reality TV, and the news. I might actually get outside this summer! 8:00pm Death on the Nile TCM - (1978)......

It looks like Time Warner Inc. will be spinning off Time Warner Cable and announcing that sometime today. No word yet on how that might affect subscribers (like yours truly) of the TV, phone, and web services that the cable entity offers. 9:00pm MI-5 BBCA - This show kicks butt over any similar US show: "CSI", "NUMB3RS", etc. 9:15pm Brief Encounter TCM - (1945) Hey romantics, this tale of unrequited love directed by David Lean......

Late night TV is looking really good this week, with at least one good guest per show per night (with the exception of the deplorable "Last Call With Carson Daly"). Was anyone at the Pacific Design Center in Hollywood last night? There was supposed to be the debut of a new TV series called "Scarlet" but in reality, according to the Wall Street Journal, the whole thing was a ruse to launch a new series......

Advertising Age is reporting on the possible end of the nightly network newscast as another 1.2 million viewers in the US stopped tuning in last year. The article points out that the reason why people aren't tuning in at 6pm is because.... they are still at work. Hey networks, instead of constantly going off on red herrings like Terri Schiavo and WMD in Iraq, how about creating a frenzy over the fact that Americans work......

This weekend it's all about BBC America's programming with new seasons of "Robin Hood", "The Graham Norton Show", and "Wire In The Blood". I've seen previews of "Robin Hood" and it's a more than worthy replacement for "Torchwood" whose season (dramatically) ended last Saturday with the (supposed) deaths of at least two main characters. Of course, you'll have to be able to emotionally handle the incredible switch from science fiction to fantasy in order to......

"Lost" is back! Thursday night is truly the best night on TV, hands down. If you saw yesterday's TV Junkie you might have read that post about Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. taking over NYC media - today there's a story in the New York Times about News Corp. hiring a hacker to break into the DISH satellite network, steal codes and flood the market with pirated smart cards costing the network almost a billion dollars......

It's Earth Day on (some of) TV. Below are some marked programming that is Earth Day-related and of course there's plenty online, including web "TV" properties like Joost who have launched an Earth Day Channel. 8:00pm Nova: Car of the Future PBS/KCET - Tom and Ray Magliozzi of NPR's ``Car Talk'' examine new technologies and ideas for transportation, including alternative fuel sources. Earth Day!......

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Viacom, MGM, and Lion's Gate are teaming up to place (yet) another premium channel in your cable lineup - supposedly there are movies and programming that HBO, Showtime, Starz, Cinemax, etc. are not covering. Is the logo going to be a lion with a Viacom dog collar? 7:00pm High Plains Drifter TCM - (1973) This is Clint Eastwood at his cowboy best in a non-spaghetti Western. It might......

MTV's "The Real World" returns for its 20th season which is scary because I remember the premiere of this show back in 1992. My roommates and I, and our significant others (or not) would get together and watch the show which seemed scarily innovative at the time - _anything_ could happen! From being an innovator in reality programming to just another in a field of crowded participants, another season of "The Real World" seems like......

LAist has had a regular column about television for almost two years now - we're not saying it's a good column, but it's been very regular, which is something to think about as you get older. While Los Angeles has been a mecca of film for the last 75 years or so the migration of TV production to Los Angeles didn't really begin until 50 years ago. For the most part, TV, like radio, started......

True, the strike has been over for awhile now and things have pretty much returned to normal. But I don't want you writers to think we are taking you for granted just because we're not honking anymore. We are honking with our hearts. New television shows are finally trickling down to the TiVo-ed masses, and they are better than ever! Clearly the writers weren't just sitting around eating free breakfasts at Bob's. They were......

The TV Junkie is in New York City and will be at the above SNL taping! Tonight 9:00pm Miss USA NBC - Donnie and Marie host the event, if only they would make out like in that SNL sketch 10:00pm Battlestar Galactica SCIFI - Nerds and those with inner nerds rejoice! [I count myself in both demographics]......

The above is a clip for tonight's "30 Rock" that hasn't even been posted on NBC.com, check it out. Before the writers' strike, Thursday was comedy night, with "30 Rock" vs. "Ugly Betty", etc., so I'm glad this dry spell is over. In local TV-related news, KCET is gets props from LA County for the production and broadcast of "Bracing for a Quake: A Survival Guide", which, as you might recall, the TV Junkie......

Did anyone see the plastic surgery disaster that is Renee Zellweger on Letterman last night? The skin was stretched so hard over her face I thought her skull was going to pop out. OK so maybe it isn't plastic surgery, Botox anyone? What is wrong with her?? Tracey Ullman has her dead on in "State of the Union". Also, in yesterday's Wall Street Journal, there's an article about NBC's new 52-week, wait, now "65-week" lineup,......

Thursdays have returned to boring-ness what with "Lost" on hiatus. Tonight we have the return of Earl which does look funny. Other than a couple season finales the evening is relatively empty. Supposedly MTV is celebrating the 20th anniversary of "Yo! MTV Raps" with all kind of reruns etc. but I can't find the goddam things in the online schedule in between all the reality programming. If you are looking for more music TV, I......

It's Thursday, is there an option to watching Lost? Especially since it's going on a bit of a hiatus? So this week we find out more about Michael who has returned to the island, or at least to a boat near the island. Business Week continues to bash Apple TV because it has "too little content" and doesn't live up to the benchmark set by iTunes. I don't recall iTunes becoming an overnight success -......

A new development, according to the Wall Street Journal, in the land of Big (advertising) Brother is that Nielsen is teaming up with Charter Communications to get set top box data from 320,000 set top boxes in what city?? Los Angeles! Now while no advertiser would make ad placement decisions based exclusively on the somewhat limited data that would come from set top boxes but this infusion of a large pool of subjects is a......

I dunno what's up but the 10:00pm and late night slots seem to have a lot going on. Lewis Black has a new show with a new format on Comedy Central tonight and he's on Letterman as well, kudos to Lewis! 8:00pm Big Brother: 'Til Death Do You Part CBS - For you Tony. Guess what? A guest is sent home. 10:00pm South Park COMEDYCENTRAL - Season Premiere. 10:00pm Head Case STARZ - Season Finale.......

So can fans really make a difference? Word has it that enough fans got through to NBC for them to keep the high school football-romance-drama "Friday Night Lights" on the air through a partnership with DirecTV. This gives one hope that a group of people can make a difference but then disappointment that truly great shows like "Arrested Development" couldn't make the cut. Speaking of which, Will Arnett is on Jimmy Kimmel tonight - Arnett......

So here we are on Thursday again and 9:00 p.m. ABC is the only logical choice -- Lost. With some exceptions for viewing options during late-night, like celebrity rehab with Dr. Drew and the Late-Late Show with Craig Ferguson (all other late-night options are reruns), we're left with only one choice. The fact that Lost is the only show during prime time worth watching on Thhursday nights while there are literally hundreds of other channels......

KNBC Broadcaster: "Well Ed, is it one of these matters where the Kenyans and Ethiopians, let's be honest here, they see a white guy out front and they don't take him seriously?" Ed: .......................................... Cue circus music. While we're not sure who this particular broadcaster is, here's an earlier press release from the event's owner, Devine Racing: NBC’s Fred Roggin, L.A. Marathon broadcast veteran Toni Reavis (who has broadcast all 23 races in L.A.)......

"...And the ancient empty street's too dead for dreaming" by kpe II via LAist Featured Photos Pool on Flickr Newly elected state speaker, a Democrat named Karen Bass who was raised in Los Angeles, has made friends on both sides of the aisle, the LA Times said. She is the first African-American to assume the top spot and has some pretty lofty goals, including providing healthcare and improving education. Wait, those are things EVERY......

A clear, crisp early spring morning greeted the participants in this year's LA Marathon, and the runners are filling our city's streets. Local NBC affiliate KNBC has full coverage of today's big event, which is comprised of two wheelchair divisions, a bike race, a 5k run, and the full 26 mile marathon. With an 8:15 start, the "elite" groups of men and women lead the way in small sets, and they are hoping to finish......

Talk shows this week are all Natalie Portman all the time if you hadn't noticed - the charming pixie is making the rounds for her new flick The Other Boleyn Girl, a period piece that looks like a yawn to me. In terms of tonight's viewing options check out the 10 o'clock slot - way too many choices and all of them are reality TV, what a shame. 7:15pm Doctor Zhivago TCM - If you......

On Monday the NY Times reported that ABC and Cox Communications are collaborating on a video-on-demand service with disabled fast-forward, meaning, yeah, that you can't skip the commercials. This isn't that new an idea as Time Warner Cable has been doing the equivalent with two features called "Start Over" and "Look Back" (after using them IMHO they stink). This is another example of old media protectionist attitudes that think the strategy is to avoid being......