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We never really thought we wold be rid of Larry King despite his "retirement" and lookie here, he's already back on TV with his appearance on Conan tonight (along with Shaun White and a performance by Iron & Wine). Gleeks will be happy to see Cory Monteith on Kimmel but we're more interested in what Joan Rivers will say to him if she's given the chance.
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Rest in Peace Jack LaLanne, you earned it: In a previous lifetime I was a certified personal trainer and about 12 years ago, as part of our certification "graduation" Jack LaLanne came to speak to us. He was already in his mid-80s but he hardly looked like it, and more importantly, he moved as fluidly and confidently as someone half his age. He gave us an inspiring speech and urged us to inspire others. My experience in the fitness industry as both a provider and a consumer gave me some real awareness of how much LaLanne helped shape fitness in America. There may have been other people on TV going through workout routines when he first started but no one combined fitness, nutrition, and mental attitude the way he did. If we did just 10% of what LaLane urged us, this country wouldn't be facing the obesity and health crisis (plural) that we are today.
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Last week our editor posted a summary of Keith Olbermann's departure from MSNBC. Olbermann's exit was a long time coming - he didn't just leave last week "all of a sudden." Certainly, the last nail in the coffin of his relationship with MSNBC was his suspension for a campaign donation to a democratic candidate last Fall. His suspension was an overreaction from a network that wanted to appease conservative critics. Doubtless Olbermann began planning his departure during this suspension. We look forward to the return of Olbermann to TV, he provided a needed voice and perspective.
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We saw that many readers enjoyed our interview with Fred Armisen regarding his "Portlandia" program on IFC (Fridays at 10:30pm). With perfect timing, MaximumFun.org's Judge John Hodgeman's most recent podcast featured a couple of disputing friends from Portland exhibiting the traits Armisen parodies in his series: dedicated veganism, currency-free economies, flaky compensation arrangements, etc. It's hilarious and worth a listen.
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This weekend while we sampled a variety of Macallan single malt Scotch, we thought about some booze that we saw on TV: On Thursday night, we swear that we could see a bottle of Drambuie on a shelf in Ann Perkins' house on "Parks and Recreation" and Bushmills on "30 Rock" and on "30 Rock," when Ken the Page goes into Pete Hornberger's office, Pete pulls our a bottle of Bushmills to feed himself a few shots. It seems hard to believe that these were examples of product placement since on "Parks&Rec" the Drambuie was never in focus and on "30 Rock" we never even see the Bushmills label, it was just the bottle that was recognizable. We admit we cling to our naivete in the hopes that those bottles were back-story or "inside joke" dependent.
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Wanna get up early tomorrow and watch the 83rd Annual Academy Award nominations announcement? It all starts at 5:30am - you can watch the LiveStream here.
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The TV Junkie Must-Watch Plan: "Chuck," "The Cape," Conan (Larry King, Shaun White, Iron & Wine), Kimmel (Cory Monteith, Joan Rivers, The Script performs)
8:00pm Chuck NBC - Chuck worries about Sarah when she tries to help Mary Bartowski (Linda Hamilton) take down Volkoff (Timothy Dalton)
8:00pm Rupaul's Drag Race: Casting Special Logo - Special Presentation
9:00pm The Cape NBC - Scales goes to a costume party on a train to confront Peter, who has been extorting money; Dana and Trip try to deal with their loss.
9:00pm American Experience PBS/KOCE - Panama Canal The Panama Canal opens Aug. 15, 1914, connecting the world's two largest oceans.
9:00pm Lie to Me Fox - When a woman claims her baby was kidnapped, Lightman suspects she is hiding something.
9:00pm Being Human Syfy - Josh and Aiden learn more about Sally's death; a hungry Rebecca ambushes Josh.
9:00pm Rupaul's Drag Race Logo - Season Premiere
10:00pm My Life is a Zoo National Geographic Wild - Series Premiere
10:30pm Rupaul's Drag Race: Untucked Logo - Season Premiere
11:00pm Conan TBS - Larry King, Shaun White, Iron & Wine perform.
11:35pm The Tonight Show With Jay Leno NBC - Actor Dana Carvey; actress Maggie Q; Lizz Wright performs.
12:05am Jimmy Kimmel Live ABC - Actor Cory Monteith; comic Joan Rivers; The Script performs.
12:35am The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson CBS - Actress Valerie Bertinelli; professional basketball player Pau Gasol.
