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TV Junkie: PaleyFest2011 Update; Bear Grylls Is Back; 'Mr. Sunshine' Dims
PaleyFest2011 starts in a couple weeks - tickets are now available.
It's all coming together for the Paley Center for Media's PaleyFest2011 which will run from March 4th through March 17th at the Saban Theatre at 8440 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills. The TV programs that will be featured are: "Community," "Eastbound & Down," "Hot in Cleveland," "Parks and Recreation," "Glee," "Supernatural," "Raising Hope," "True Blood," "The Walking Dead," "White Collar," "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon," "American Idol," plus a "Freaks & Geeks" and "Undeclared" reunion event. You can get tickets either directly from the Paley Center or TicketWeb. The discount code FESTFAN works on some of the events and we suggest you get your tickets for "True Blood," "The Walking Dead," "Parks and Recreation," and Jimmy Fallon sooner than later because those shows are guaranteed to sell out in advance. We'll be posting the lists of all panel members here tomorrow. We attended several of these panels last year, they were a lot of fun and probably the only time fans can see actors and writers from their favorite shows in person and ask them questions.
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Bear Grylls' "Man vs Wild" is coming back tonight (hey, we interviewed him in '09!). See the above video clip and check him out at 9pm on Discovery.
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Last Night on ABC: It's now old news but last night's "Modern Family" had fantastic guest star appearances by Shelley Long and Matt Dillon - Long should definitely be back on TV, a medium that would benefit from more regular appearances by Dillon as well. On a bit of a sour note, as we surmised in yesterday's post, "Mr. Sunshine" dimmed a bit, losing a third of its audience. A drop was expected, but the question remains, is an audience of 7 million (a number basic cable shows would drool over) enough to keep "Mr. Sunshine" on the air. Content-wise, "Mr. Sunshine" seemed to settle into its format a bit, and we got more performances from it's capable cast. Suggestion: lose the background music that is a bit too loud and isn't really jazzing up anything.
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We're still in a funk overthe death of Len Lesser who, among over 500 other roles, played Uncle Leo on "Seinfeld." Please see our 2010 video interview with Len below. He was a very kind man and invited us to his house in Burbank to do the interview - he was the epitome of the working actor who participated in bringing drama to TV in the earliest days of the medium. We're glad to see that he was working to the end, with at least a couple plays in the last year as well as an appearance on "Castle." You will be missed Len.
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The TV Junkie Must-Watch Plan: "Community," "Perfect Couples," "The Office," "Parks and Recreation," "30 Rock," "Conan" (Martin Short), Fallon (William H. Macy, Michael Showalter, comic Dan St. Germain)
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8:00pm The Big Bang Theory CBS - Wolowitz considers taking things with Bernadette to the next level; Leonard and Raj's sister rekindle their relationship.
8:00pm The Vampire Diaries The CW - Stefan tells Elena about a dark time in his past; Jonas tries to express his feelings to Bonnie and Jeremy
8:00pm Road Trip With Huell Howser PBS/KOCE - Mother Lode
8:00pm Laugh Out Loud Comedy Festival Showtime - Comics Ahmed Ahmed and Bill Santiago featured
8:00pm Community NBC - After ingesting mysterious pills, Pierce thinks he is dying and gathers the group to bequeath his final gifts.
8:30pm $..! My Dad Says CBS - Ed feels a strange connection to Henry's new online girlfriend; Bonnie and Vince get on TV when they help a reality star go house-hunting.
8:30pm Perfect Couples NBC - Julia tries to make Dave feel more like a man; everyone gets food poisoning from Leigh's shrimp rolls; Rex attempts to start a prank war.
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9:00pm Man vs. Wild Discovery - Arizona Sky Islands Surviving scorching deserts and freezing mountains in Arizona.
9:00pm SoCal Connected KCET - Hungry for Education. College students who struggle to feed themselves while paying for their education. Plus, meet some people who have found ways to waste less food and feed more people.
9:00pm Royal Pains USA - Hank's latest client worries she will never learn to relax; Evan learns why Paige has not spent the night.
9:00pm The Office NBC - After 11 years of preparation, Michael is ready to debut his action movie.
9:30pm Parks and Recreation NBC - Leslie, Tom and Ben try to spread the word about the Harvest Festival; Ben faces tricky questions about his past; Andy vies for April's affection.
10:00pm Archer FX - Malory tries to make ISIS green; Archer and Lana head to the Louisiana bayous to prevent a dangerous eco-terrorist from bombing America's largest natural gas pipeline.
10:00pm 30 Rock NBC - Jenna tries to prove to Liz that love still exists; Jack has trouble negotiating his nanny's salary; Pete and Frank start a band.
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10:00pm Fairly Legal USA - A man who was hit by a truck has a conflict with the insurance company.
10:00pm Out of the Wild: Venezuela Discovery - The Lost World Nine people are dropped in Venezuela's wilderness to find civilization.
10:30pm Outsourced NBC - Todd tells his staff to be on their best behavior when his boss makes a surprise visit; Charlie is reprimanded for being culturally insensitive.
11:00pm Conan TBS - Actor Martin Short; basketball player Chris bosh; Nicole Atkins performs.
11:00pm Chelsea Lately E! - Animal wrangler Donald Schultz.
11:35pm Late Show With David Letterman CBS - Reality TV star Paris Hilton; actor Nathan Fillion; Scissor Sisters perform.
11:35pm The Tonight Show With Jay Leno NBC - Actress Jenna Fischer; actress Abigail Breslin; Miguel performs.
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12:00am Lopez Tonight TBS - Actress Hayden Panettiere; actress Jenni "JWoww" Farley; comic Jim Jefferies performs.
12:05am Jimmy Kimmel Live ABC - Actor Jason Sudeikis; professional basketball player Blake Griffin; Keri Hilson performs.
12:35am The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson CBS - Actress Sarah Chalke; comic Louie Anderson.
12:35am Late Night With Jimmy Fallon NBC - Actor William H. Macy; comic Michael Showalter; comic Dan St. Germain.
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
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