THE TKTV NEWSLETTER
Season 3, Episode 7 aired February 14, 2000

CONTENTS
1. Intro
2. Letters from the viewing audience
3. Kim's Commercial Comments
4. Don't miss
5. TV Trivia
6. Homicide: the Movie
     -by guest writer Rachel Vagts
7. Favorite Quotes of the Week
8. A totally unrelated link

1. Intro

And now, for some TV ramblings by TK.

I am loving the addition of Maura Tierney ("Newsradio") to "ER." Her comparison of being a nurse in OB to being a med student in the ER really helps put some of the ER drama into perspective. And I'm so glad that Kellie Martin is finally leaving. I just never warmed up to her. Killing her off violently, as awful as it sounds, will probably please a lot of fans....

Did anyone else think that the demon on last week's episode of "Angel" looked exactly like your average alien on "Star Trek: Voyager?"

Speaking of "Star Trek: Voyager," I gotta say, having The Rock guest star as a Pendari gladiator that fights Seven of Nine (the ultra-sexy Jeri Ryan) was pretty preposterous. I'd like to think the "Star Trek" franchise was above that, but I guess not since it's now on the fledging UPN network.

Sadness! NBC's "Freaks and Geeks" has been shelved for the rest of February sweeps. And I thought it was doing so well. Its ratings have really gotten better since they saved it from Saturday hell.

Speaking of Saturday hell, who watched "The Others?" I don't think it'll last out the season. If you want to see what you missed, check out http://theothers.tktv.net .

Would people please stop blaming Keri Russell's shorn locks for the drop in ratings of "Felicity?" A hair cut just isn't that important. Instead of blaming something that can't be changed (I wonder how many years it's gonna take her to grow that back?), why don't people look for things that CAN be changed? There's no couple to root for on the show anymore. The storylines are becoming formulaic, and it's lost that comedic edge that made it one of my favorite shows last spring. The "Twilight Zone" episode was cute, but unfortunately, most of the core audience of the show didn't get it, because they're all too young to remember the "Twilight Zone" and what it was about. So a whole bunch of teenagers are now walking around wondering how it is that the entire cast is in Megan's box and how they're all going to get out.

On the other hand, I have to give the writers of "Felicity" props for having the character of Felicity, during her nervous breakdown last week, say that she hates her haircut. I love it when TV shows are self-referential.

Chris Carter made two promises when he started "The X-Files." He said there would be no time travel, and no romance between Mulder and Scully. Well, there have already been at least two episodes with time travel, and he's using a possible romance between his lead characters to tease the audience. So I guess it shouldn't surprise me that even though Amy Lippman and Christopher Keyser promised that we would never see Nick and Diana Salinger, the dead parents of the five orphans on "Party of Five," come February 22nd Catherine Butterfield will be playing Diana and Ray Laska will be playing Nick. As disappointed as I am in the creators not keeping their promise, I'm still looking forward to the episode, which will show us what the kids' lives would be like if their parents hadn't died.

Can you believe a network executive at NBC had the gall to actually complain about ABC's "Who Wants to a Be a Millionaire?" ABC has been wielding that thing like a battle-axe, throwing in special episodes here and there to knock down ratings on other networks (the latest example being that they're putting an episode up against the CBS broadcast of the Grammys). As much as I don't like the show, don't understand the appeal, and am horrified when every week it's got at least five out of the top ten Nielsen slots, I still can't believe an NBC exec started whining that ABC isn't playing fair.

Last but not least, about twenty people have sent me this in one form or another, so I figured it was time that I shared with everyone else. Here is the Superfriends spoof of Budweiser's "Wassup!" commercial: http://homepage.mac.com/wkilthau/imovie.html

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2. Letters from the viewing audience

From Lisa:

I remember "Grapevine" from 1992. It starred Steven Eckholdt from "It's Like, You Know..." (he played a character called Thumper). It was a very witty and sarcastic show and featured a lot of guest stars, such as Dean Cain and Courtney Thorne-Smith (see episode guide here http://epguides.com/Grapevine_1992/). This show didn't last but six episodes, but I have been missing it ever since. If they can hit the right tone, it will be a hit.

(Note from TK: it turns out Steven Eckholdt will be in the 2000 version too, except now he's playing older brother David instead of younger brother Thumper. The show premieres on February 28th on CBS, and is already getting critical raves. I'm really looking forward to it.)

From Meg:

As for the Super Bowl, what about the FedEx commercial, with the "Wizard of Oz" theme? It was cute! Speaking of commercials, am I the only person who's sick of seeing Michael Jordan? Tell the man to play some professional something-or-another, already! As if the MCI commercials weren't bad enough, but now there are these Rayovac ones. Especially the one with the magic-cleaning drawer -- LAME!

But a really funny commercial is the one with the nose strips. The husband is holding the box and talking about them, while the wife is wearing one and trying to sleep. The husband says it's a great product but that she looks funny wearing it. The wife, fed-up, throws open the covers to show the husband in bermuda shots and black socks. She ends the commercial with something like, "Don't go there." Really good!

From Mike:

I just wanted to let you know about Dutch TV. Thank god for subtitles! They show a lot of American shows over here and subtitle rather than dub them like they do in Germany. Among my favorite "Dutch" shows are the A-Team, MacGyver, Seinfeld, The Simpsons, and Third Rock from the Sun. I imagine that the Dutch shows are pretty entertaining, except I don't understand Dutch. However, BBC does have some pretty good shows on, especially sitcoms like "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme". I've always been fond of British humor.

One nice thing about television here is less commercials, there is typically only one commercial break in a half hour show. The bad thing is the shows don't necessarily start on the half hour or hour or even at a consistent time each day so you need to get a tv guide to make sure that you don't miss your show (and the guides are all in Dutch!). Because of the funny starting and ending times, one station here uses Monty Python skits as filler!

Well, just wanted to let you know about television in the Netherlands. And television related, the happy meals right now at McDonald's are Smurfs! I don't know what that is all about.

Letters from the viewing audience are always welcome. Please email any opinions, questions, comments, or random thoughts to TK at tk@tktv.net with the subject of "letters." Letters may be edited for length or content.

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3. Kim's Commercial Comments

What spot has me laughing? Morgan Stanley Dean Wittier: Know Your Source

In this hilarious commercial we see a young man at an art gallery. Drink in hand and a BIG smile on his face, he approaches a couple standing nearby. To the man he says, "I overheard you at that party the other night... about the zipjet stock. I bought a ton online!" The kid is so pleased with himself that you can practically see it popping out of his eyes.

He waits for approval and the man leans in close and whispers, "Good. They are the only ones who can meet the stringent demands of the martians from vector nebula."

The couple walks away as the young man stands there, frozen in disbelief. Those eyes, that just seconds ago, were beaming with pride, are now bouncing around in his head like Wyle E. Coyote.

The screen fades to the Morgan Stanley Dean Wittier logo and the words "Know Your Source."

It is very, very clever. I know you guys probably think that "clever" is my favorite word... but those are the spots that get me thinking. Those are the spots that stick with me from the time I see them until I write my column each week.

Keep your eyes open for this one. I haven't found it online, but I saw it Thursday during Must See TV. Maybe you'll get lucky and see it for yourself.

What spot has me cringing? Radio Shack: Teri & Howie

I guess "cringing" is not exactly accurate. Once again, my friends, I am reaching out to you all for help. What is the connection with Teri Hatcher and Howie Long? What makes the folks at Radio Shack think that the connection between them is so obvious? The only thing that is obvious to me is that these two are both big stars.

They have appeared together in several Radio Shack spots over the past few months. They banter and laugh, and even flirt a little. But still, I need explanation. First of all, why do we need them both? As if Howie Long is not recognizable by himself... the same for Teri Hatcher. Both faces are well-known. Both are good-looking and young. So why put them together without telling us why?

So, forgive me if I need it spelled out... draw me a picture... give it to me in sign language... yell it at me in ALL CAPS... just please, tell me.

That is, if you know.

Until next week...

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4. Don't miss

So much sweeps TV, so little time...

For details and lots more fun TV to look forward to, see
http://www.tktv.net/index.html?/upcoming.html

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5. TV Trivia

Last week's question was: for which radio station did Brad Rowe work before joining the cast of the short-lived ABC series "Wasteland?"

First prize goes to KMax11! Congratulations! You win the very first Trivia prize from the TKTV Newsletter and myTVshop.

Honorable mentions (sorry, without prizes, but keep trying!) go to Scott S. and David T.

The correct answer was, of course, WNYX, the radio station of "Newsradio."

This week's question is: in what years did Robert Guillaume win his Emmys for his title role in the defunct series, "Benson?"

Don't forget, this trivia quiz is sponsored by myTVshop, where you can get all your favorite TV merchandise.
http://www.mytvshop.com

Send answers to TK at tk@tktv.net with the subject of tvtrivia.

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6. Homicide: the Movie by Rachel Vagts

Should TV series be brought back for reunion movies? This question ran through my head many times as I awaited last night's airing of Homicide: the Movie. I'll admit it, I'm a sucker for these kinds of movies. I've seen every single one of the Brady Bunch TV movies and I even watched that horrible Return to Hazard movie CBS aired a couple of years ago. They can be good, they can be bad. When it's a series that you have very strong ties to, like I have to Homicide, you realize that you might end up watching with your hands over your face half the time.

For me, Homicide was one of those shows that really sucked me in. I discovered it in syndication as is the case with many of my favorites (China Beach, Dr. Quinn, LA Law, Law and Order) and quickly became a huge fan of this well-crafted ensemble show. I sat through the seventh season, hoping that it could somehow regain some of its former greatness. Watching the finale, I tried to feel bad that it had been cancelled, but it was so far from the Homicide that I had originally loved that it seemed like a whole different show.

So, with some trepidation, I sat down to watch the movie. What would show up on the screen? Season seven or season four? I was not disappointed. It had a good case, it had great scenes with Pembleton and Bayliss, all of my old favorites where there (Kay, Julianna, Griscom), it had a twist, and it got the dead people in there without being too hokey. I don't see it becoming a franchise and that's okay. These actors are not the Brady Bunch...they all have a future in front of them playing other roles. I look forward to those new projects and I'm glad to have had such a fitting end to an incredible television series.

TKTV is always looking for new guest writers. Do you have an idea for an article? Write to TK at tk@tktv.net with the subject of "guestwriter."

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7. Favorite Quotes of the Week

From "Star Trek: Voyager"
B'Elanna: "The Borg wouldn't know fun if they assimilated an amusement park."

From "That '70's Show"
Eric: "You know what might make this party a little more fun? Sweet death."

From "Ally McBeal"
Tiny Tim: "Is that your final answer, or would you like to call friend?"

From "NYPD Blue"
Fancy: "Good. Keep me posted."
Sipowicz: "Are there any cases that you don't want us to keep you posted on? I mean, what is the point in saying that?"
Fancy: "Okay, get out of my office."

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8. A totally unrelated link

kissthisguy.com - The Archive of Misheard Lyrics

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Happy Valentine's Day!