THE TKTV NEWSLETTER
Season 3, Episode 32 aired November 6, 2000

CONTENTS
1. Intro
2. Kim's Commercial Comments
3. Don't miss
4. TV Trivia
5. Media Junkie
     -by guest writer Jason Friedman
6. Favorite quotes of the week
7. A totally unrelated link

1. Intro

For those of you missing "American High," which was on Fox for about three seconds at the end of the summer, the news on the streets is that PBS has picked it up. If you never caught it, it's worth a look. A whole bunch of authentic high school students filmed their own lives. It's real. Not contrived real like "Survivor," but real real.

"That's Life" just becomes more and more endearing. This past weekend's episode did "Ally McBeal" better than Ally herself. Lydia was hearing her own uterus tick, hallucinating love scenes with her ex-fiance, and seeing the bouquet being thrown by a bride as a rock being aimed for her head. Now if they could just do something about Debi Mazar's lisp....

I love the slightly modified opening sequence for "The X-Files!" Very appropriate for the new season.

So, I'm looking for feedback again. What do you guys think of Jason Friedman? If you missed his guest article last week, you can read this week's in section 5. Let me know what you think, because if you like him we may be hearing a lot more from him.

And now, for this week's announcement. We have a site for NBC's new drama, "Ed!" http://ed.tktv.net It's a little bare bones right now since the show is so young, but check it out if you want to learn more about this wonderful new show.

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2. Kim's Commercial Comments

I'm coming off a very strange week. Work was crazy... I spent way too much time there. In fact, I spent so much time there that I didn't watch a single hour of prime time television all week! BUT, I taped all my regulars and watched hour after hour of great TV while I worked from home Sunday. So, you may be wondering if, in this little marathon of mine, I found a commercial funny enough to tell you guys about. The truth is, my pick of the week was recommended by TK herself... and it will make ewe (hang on, you'll get it in a second) laugh!

What spot has me laughing? Serta: Counting Sheep

This spot opens with a closeup of a sleeping man. He is awakened by a strange noise in the distance. His wife wakes up too. He turns the light on and goes to the window. Outside, a flock of sheep are calling to them and looking up to the window. The spokes-sheep shouts out the time to the couple, "Hey! It's ten o'clock... Ten thirty-eight. Want us to put you to sleep?"

The man says to his wife, "It's the counting sheep."

She rolls over in bed, pulls back the sheets to reveal a Serta label on their mattress. "Didn't you tell them we got a Serta?"

The panic is clear in the sheep's voice when he responds, "Did she say Serta?"

"Yeah." The husband replies, "It's so comfortable, we don't need you anymore." His voice trails off at the end as he notices the looks of disappointment on the faces of the sheep.

Just then, we hear a window opening and a neighbor's voice in the background, "Hey! Keep it down over there. I can't sleep a wink!" The sheep lean in the neighbor's direction. Smiles creep onto their faces.

As the sheep begin to file away into the direction of the neighbor, we see each one is numbered on the side. The announcer's voice comes up, making his requisite plug for Serta. Then the video dissolves into Serta's peaceful navy blue background and logo.

You have to watch this commercial if for no other reason than to see the adorable sheep! They appear to be part claymation, part animation, and part imagination. They're great!

I loved this spot and you will too! Until next week...

Kim wants to hear YOUR comments! Do you agree with her? Disagree? Do you want to point out a great (or horrible) commercial that she should review. Write to Kim at kim@tktv.net.

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3. Don't miss

Ah, how we love November sweeps...
For details and lots more fun TV to look forward to, see
http://www.tktv.net/index.html?/upcoming.html

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4. TV Trivia

Last week's question was: what current "Star Trek: Voyager" actor once starred in a cheesy sci-fi flick as Courtney Cox's ("Friends") boyfriend?

First prize goes to Tamara J. Congratulations!

Honorable mentions go to Thomas K. and Andrew S.

The correct answer was Robert Duncan McNeill, who plays Tom Paris on "Star Trek: Voyager" and starred as Kevin Corrigan in the 1987 movie "Masters of the Universe." I gotta say, I was impressed with how many people actually got this one.

This week's question is yet another Star Trek-related question. What "General Hospital" veteran is married to a "Star Trek" first officer?

Send answers to TK at tk@tktv.net with the subject of tvtrivia. Winners will be chosen at random from all the correct answers.

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5. Media Junkie by Jason Friedman

I just caught the new Larry David show on HBO, "Curb Your Enthusiasm." It didn't flow perfectly, but it was hysterical. The always amusing Bob Odenkirk ("Mr. Show," "The Larry Sanders Show") guest starred as a former porn star having a dinner party. Larry shows up not knowing it is a dinner party after getting massively lost. You get the picture; insane like "Seinfeld." Even more impressive is the fact that there is no actual script, just a brief outline for each episode.

The new David E. Kelley show, "Boston Public," is very disappointing. It is severely disjointed and far-fetched, even for Kelley. The main female character looks like she could be Ally McBeal's sister (hopefully less neurotic). And a teacher shoots a gun in class? Fyvush Fynkel playing a one-dimensional buffoon? Not very impressive.

And now for something completely different... Joe Walsh, wildman from The Eagles, is probably going to get his own show. He will play a rock star in an unscripted comedy. The creators include Drew Carey and Bruce Helford, the creative forces behind "The Drew Carey Show." The show will revolve around an accountant and his rock star client. At least it is something original!

In case you haven't heard of it, you should give "The Iron Chef" on The Food Network a try. It is a crazy kind of combination of a sporting event and a cooking contest. There are even play-by-play announcers, a very busy sideline reporter, and Japanese celebrity judges. The contest takes place in "Kitchen Stadium." It is worth tuning in just to see what the Chairman is wearing (usually something that Liberace might have liked). Sound bizarre? It is, but thoroughly fun.

NBC is going to give the thumbs up to "Ed" for the year. It isn't doing great, but it has received good reviews and has a rough timeslot. Besides, look at the rest of the new NBC shows. Two of them have already been cancelled ("Tucker," "Deadline") and two others are "Cursed" and "The Michael Richards Show." Not a banner year to be an NBC development honcho!

Meanwhile, CBS is having more luck with their new season. They have already given the go ahead on five new shows. Though they haven't paid off much in the ratings, it is a promising sign. The biggest surprise has been "CSI." The other two new ones ("Welcome To New York" and "That's Life") have a pretty good shot. Don't forget they have "Survivor II" waiting in the wings.

Is it me, or does Dennis Miller seem hopped up on something? I like him, but, he has been horrendous on "Monday Night Football." He seems to be taking his puppy-uppers though. The only person on the show worse is new sideline reporter Eric Dickerson. In addition, the overall look of the show is much worse than previous years.

ABC should show some courage and yank one of the four "Millionaires" and throw on a midseason replacement or two. They never will though; they know whatever they try won't do the same as a weak millionaire.

"Saturday Night Live" has been a little subpar this year. It isn't the same without Cheri Oteri. More importantly, where's Mango? I like Jimmy Fallon, but he and Tina Fey aren't nearly as good as Colin Quinn. They should have stuck with their original plan and hired crazy comic Jeffery Ross for the gig. Basically, there just seems to be too many cast members.

Will someone please find a good TV show for Jeremy Piven?

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

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6. Favorite quotes of the week

From The Practice
Helen: My victim just recanted. That's why I prefer murders. When they're dead they can't change their stories.

From Titus
Ken: You built me a cop magnet. I might as well be a black guy driving a large powdered donut!

From That's Life
Carol: Look, I'm not saying you should go off and have a baby, I'm just saying, until you do, your brain and your body are going to be at war.
Lydia: Carol, I'm Catholic, my brain's been at war with my body since the fifth grade.

From ER
Romano: If wishes were horses, we'd all be knee-deep in crap.

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7. A totally unrelated link

Penguin Plane Spotters Intrigue Scientists

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The badness of a movie is directly proportional to the number of helicopters in it.