4 years have passed since Tough Enough returned to the air, this time on USA, and now it seems WWE Chairman/CEO Vince McMahon believes the time has come for the series to return.
The format will be different, but while the cast will be populated by "contestants", some of whom have actual in-ring experience, such as independent star LuFisto, the spotlight will be on the veteran talent essentially "running the show".
Wrestler-singer-reality TV veteran Chris Jericho picks up the MC's baton from "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, who was in charge of the 2011 edition. Jericho is no stranger to hosting, having previously done shows for SyFy & ABC. Announcer Renee Young will be the co-hostess, having already likened herself & Jericho to Paula Abdul & Ryan Seacrest in the early days of American Idol. As for the judges? Hall of Famers Hulk Hogan and Lita (Amy Dumas) are joined by current stars Daniel Bryan and Paige. Clearly, McMahon & USA are hoping to reel in viewers of different generations.
Tough Enough began on MTV in 2001, and had three "seasons" there (2001-3). Season 4 was incorporated into Smackdown in 2004, when that series was still on UPN. It also marked the end for original head trainer Al Snow's association with the series (Snow is now with TNA). The '11 series was season 5, so this time, we're in season 6. Makes one wonder if McMahon should've done more to keep the series going after it left MTV. Like, for instance, moving it to USA when WWE began their current association with the network in 2005?
Tough Enough will air on Tuesday nights this summer, debuting June 23, as apparently using Monday Night Raw as a lead-in last time might not have been as beneficial as they thought. The series likely will be repurposed on WWE Network during the week, and almost certainly will be available On Demand from cable operators after the relaunch Audition videos are airing on WWE programming until they decide on who will populate the cast for this edition.
Maybe this time, it'll stick, but knowing McMahon, maybe not. His loss.
Friday, May 8, 2015
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Forgotten TV: The Sanford Arms (1977)
When Redd Foxx bolted NBC after 6 seasons of Sanford & Son, you'd think that would've been the end. Foxx left for ABC to headline his own variety show, which, as it turned out, wasn't quite so successful any more than NBC's attempt to fill the Sanford void.
Picking up a plot thread from the final season of Sanford & Son, co-executive producer Bud Yorkin, teamed once again with Saul Turtletaub & Bernie Orenstein (What's Happening!, etc.) was able to sell NBC on the premise the series could continue. One problem. Demond Wilson (Lamont) also bolted in a salary dispute, meaning that the new show would have to start from scratch.
The end result was The Sanford Arms, which lasted a month, and was one of the first casualties of the 1977-8 season. As memory serves, it aired at the same time (8 ET) as Sanford & Son, a slot occupied the next year by Joe Namath's infamous attempt at a sitcom, The Waverly Wonders, on Fridays. Yeah, Waverly was a bomb, too.
Theodore Wilson, whose resume included stints on Roll Out, Good Times, and featured roles in movies like "Cotton Comes to Harlem", after beginning his career as a singer, toplined as the new owner of the Sanford Arms hotel, and the accompanying Sanford residence. Fred (Foxx) & Lamont had relocated to Arizona so Fred could retire in peace due to his health. Only three regulars from Sanford & Son were retained: Don Bexley (Bubba), LaWanda Page (Esther, who was now the de-facto hotel manager), and Whitman Mayo (Grady), who'd returned to Sanford & Son when his own series tanked.
Here's the open:
Foxx would reprise as Fred Sanford in another series, Sanford, a few short years later, but that, too, failed to connect.
No rating.
Picking up a plot thread from the final season of Sanford & Son, co-executive producer Bud Yorkin, teamed once again with Saul Turtletaub & Bernie Orenstein (What's Happening!, etc.) was able to sell NBC on the premise the series could continue. One problem. Demond Wilson (Lamont) also bolted in a salary dispute, meaning that the new show would have to start from scratch.
The end result was The Sanford Arms, which lasted a month, and was one of the first casualties of the 1977-8 season. As memory serves, it aired at the same time (8 ET) as Sanford & Son, a slot occupied the next year by Joe Namath's infamous attempt at a sitcom, The Waverly Wonders, on Fridays. Yeah, Waverly was a bomb, too.
Theodore Wilson, whose resume included stints on Roll Out, Good Times, and featured roles in movies like "Cotton Comes to Harlem", after beginning his career as a singer, toplined as the new owner of the Sanford Arms hotel, and the accompanying Sanford residence. Fred (Foxx) & Lamont had relocated to Arizona so Fred could retire in peace due to his health. Only three regulars from Sanford & Son were retained: Don Bexley (Bubba), LaWanda Page (Esther, who was now the de-facto hotel manager), and Whitman Mayo (Grady), who'd returned to Sanford & Son when his own series tanked.
Here's the open:
Foxx would reprise as Fred Sanford in another series, Sanford, a few short years later, but that, too, failed to connect.
No rating.
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
A Modern Classic (maybe): Nash Bridges (1996)
Don Johnson tried to recreate the magic of Miami Vice, albeit with a change of scenery, in Nash Bridges, which began as a spring replacement series in 1996, and hung around until 2001. Pretty much the same amount of time as Vice. Same night, different network (CBS), different locale (San Francisco), and a new partner (Cheech Marin).
Johnson was also one of the executive producers, which may explain why this seemed so much like a west coast clone of Vice. One big difference. Bridges was twice divorced with a teenage daughter (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe), while Sonny Crockett was single. Marin played Joe Dominguez, a retired inspector called back into duty by Bridges, an old friend.
Much like Miami Vice, Nash Bridges' casting choices bordered on the pop culture tip. In season 4, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin joined the show as ex-cop-turned-bounty hunter Jake Cage. To think they were planning a spin-off before Austin was injured in the ring.........!
Here's the season 1 intro:
After a cable run on USA, the series has faded from view. Here's to hoping someone picks it up, even if some of the material's already dated.
Rating: B.
Johnson was also one of the executive producers, which may explain why this seemed so much like a west coast clone of Vice. One big difference. Bridges was twice divorced with a teenage daughter (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe), while Sonny Crockett was single. Marin played Joe Dominguez, a retired inspector called back into duty by Bridges, an old friend.
Much like Miami Vice, Nash Bridges' casting choices bordered on the pop culture tip. In season 4, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin joined the show as ex-cop-turned-bounty hunter Jake Cage. To think they were planning a spin-off before Austin was injured in the ring.........!
Here's the season 1 intro:
After a cable run on USA, the series has faded from view. Here's to hoping someone picks it up, even if some of the material's already dated.
Rating: B.
Sports this 'n' that
James Dolan doesn't get it, and likely never will.
Dolan, the owner of the Knicks, Rangers, Madison Square Garden, Cablevision, Radio City Music Hall, and the WNBA's Liberty, seems to think that former Knicks coach and executive, and before that, a Hall of Fame superstar with the Detroit Pistons, Isaiah Thomas, has still got some skills as a businessman. Seven years after Thomas was dismissed in disgrace after a sexual harassment suit filed by a Knicks employee, "Zeke" is back in New York, this time as team president and co-owner of the Liberty.
Since his playing days ended, Thomas' resume as a coach and/or executive has been the diametric opposite of his days at Indiana University and the Pistons. He ran the Knicks into the ground, and, as noted above, Dolan was forced to cut him when Anucha Browne Sanders filed suit, citing a hostile working environment. As if it's changed since then, given the man-child that Dolan is as an owner, and it hasn't. Thomas flopped as a college coach, too, at Florida International. While there, Dolan tried to bring Thomas back into the Knicks fold as a "consultant". The NBA would have none of that, and Thomas found himself floundering. I think he lasted maybe 2-3 years at FIU.
The calls for Dolan to sell the team are only going to get louder as WNBA season begins. He doesn't care about his paying customers. His sports teams are just playthings to him, and his general message to his critics, basically, is "screw you".
Adam Silver, your move.
Sticking with the WNBA, the league is under fire for not disciplining Brittney Griner after she and her partner were involved in a domestic dispute a couple of weeks back. Griner, out of Baylor, has already agreed to counseling, which puts her one up on the league suits. She admitted she was wrong, and is willing to take the necessary penalties. Had this been in the NBA, even with a marginal player, Silver wouldn't have hesitated to act, but the WNBA is still investigating?
SAY WHAT?
One online commentator on Yahoo! claims the WNBA is trying to protect its brand and image. Gee, that sounds familiar, doesn't it? Of course. However, we're already past that stage, and the league needs to get with the program.
It was just announced that the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots may not have been completely honest about Deflate-gate. Gee, there's a shocker right there. Investigator Ted Wells' report implicates two Patriots employees, both of whom have been with the team since before Bob Kraft bought the team, in the scandal that tainted the Pats' latest title run. Some commentators online are already calling for the Pats to be stripped of this latest Super Bowl. QB Tom "Crybaby" Brady has also been implicated, meaning that when he was pressed for a comment about the scandal, he essentially lied. No amount of Velveeta cheese is going to save Kraft's bacon this time.
Where I have a problem is that the findings were announced nearly a week after the NFL Draft, and that, friends, was on purpose. Again, it was to protect the image of the league on one of its marquee dates. Commissioner Roger Goodell didn't want the league's media partners peppering him with questions during the 3-day draft. Those same online wags are calling for the draft picks already used this year to be taken from the Patriots. That won't happen. Next year? Different story.
Should it surprise anyone that they did have a fall guy or two already available to be handed up? Of course. The report, though, exonerates Kraft and coach Bill Belichick, but in order to truly send a message to the rest of the league and its fan base, Goodell cannot let this pass. It's time to drop the hammer on the Patriots, just like he did with New Orleans a few years ago. The crime is different, but if New England gets a mere slap on the wrist again, the complaints will next be about double standards, especially considering Goodell's already cozy relationship with Captain Cheesehead (Kraft).
This all being said, James Dolan and the WNBA officials get Dunce Caps this week. For now, we won't pile on the Pats until punishment is meted out.
Dolan, the owner of the Knicks, Rangers, Madison Square Garden, Cablevision, Radio City Music Hall, and the WNBA's Liberty, seems to think that former Knicks coach and executive, and before that, a Hall of Fame superstar with the Detroit Pistons, Isaiah Thomas, has still got some skills as a businessman. Seven years after Thomas was dismissed in disgrace after a sexual harassment suit filed by a Knicks employee, "Zeke" is back in New York, this time as team president and co-owner of the Liberty.
Since his playing days ended, Thomas' resume as a coach and/or executive has been the diametric opposite of his days at Indiana University and the Pistons. He ran the Knicks into the ground, and, as noted above, Dolan was forced to cut him when Anucha Browne Sanders filed suit, citing a hostile working environment. As if it's changed since then, given the man-child that Dolan is as an owner, and it hasn't. Thomas flopped as a college coach, too, at Florida International. While there, Dolan tried to bring Thomas back into the Knicks fold as a "consultant". The NBA would have none of that, and Thomas found himself floundering. I think he lasted maybe 2-3 years at FIU.
The calls for Dolan to sell the team are only going to get louder as WNBA season begins. He doesn't care about his paying customers. His sports teams are just playthings to him, and his general message to his critics, basically, is "screw you".
Adam Silver, your move.
Sticking with the WNBA, the league is under fire for not disciplining Brittney Griner after she and her partner were involved in a domestic dispute a couple of weeks back. Griner, out of Baylor, has already agreed to counseling, which puts her one up on the league suits. She admitted she was wrong, and is willing to take the necessary penalties. Had this been in the NBA, even with a marginal player, Silver wouldn't have hesitated to act, but the WNBA is still investigating?
SAY WHAT?
One online commentator on Yahoo! claims the WNBA is trying to protect its brand and image. Gee, that sounds familiar, doesn't it? Of course. However, we're already past that stage, and the league needs to get with the program.
It was just announced that the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots may not have been completely honest about Deflate-gate. Gee, there's a shocker right there. Investigator Ted Wells' report implicates two Patriots employees, both of whom have been with the team since before Bob Kraft bought the team, in the scandal that tainted the Pats' latest title run. Some commentators online are already calling for the Pats to be stripped of this latest Super Bowl. QB Tom "Crybaby" Brady has also been implicated, meaning that when he was pressed for a comment about the scandal, he essentially lied. No amount of Velveeta cheese is going to save Kraft's bacon this time.
Where I have a problem is that the findings were announced nearly a week after the NFL Draft, and that, friends, was on purpose. Again, it was to protect the image of the league on one of its marquee dates. Commissioner Roger Goodell didn't want the league's media partners peppering him with questions during the 3-day draft. Those same online wags are calling for the draft picks already used this year to be taken from the Patriots. That won't happen. Next year? Different story.
Should it surprise anyone that they did have a fall guy or two already available to be handed up? Of course. The report, though, exonerates Kraft and coach Bill Belichick, but in order to truly send a message to the rest of the league and its fan base, Goodell cannot let this pass. It's time to drop the hammer on the Patriots, just like he did with New Orleans a few years ago. The crime is different, but if New England gets a mere slap on the wrist again, the complaints will next be about double standards, especially considering Goodell's already cozy relationship with Captain Cheesehead (Kraft).
This all being said, James Dolan and the WNBA officials get Dunce Caps this week. For now, we won't pile on the Pats until punishment is meted out.
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Musical Interlude: Follow You, Follow Me (1978)
Genesis had started as a quintet, with Peter Gabriel on vocals. By 1978, however, the band was down to a trio: guitarist Mike Rutherford, keyboard player Tony Banks, and drummer-vocalist Phil Collins. Genesis had morphed from an art-rock combo to soft rock. "And Then There Were Three" presented a portent of things to come with the melodic single, "Follow You, Follow Me", which is still getting airplay today on adult contemporary radio stations.
Apparently, Collins was already losing his hair by this point. It's the only reason to explain wearing a baseball cap in the video......
Apparently, Collins was already losing his hair by this point. It's the only reason to explain wearing a baseball cap in the video......
Classic TV: Laramie (1959)
Westerns were plentful in primetime television in the 50's & 60's. Revue Studios churned out more than their fair share, but outside of, say, Wagon Train or The Virginian, a lot of their Western fare have largely fallen by the wayside.
Laramie lasted 4 seasons on NBC (1959-63), and was one of the first to be shown in full, living color. The only real familiar name in the cast would be Robert Fuller, who moseyed on over to Wagon Train after Laramie ended, but is better known for a more contemporary gig as Dr. Kelly Brackett on Emergency! (1972-7). Character actress Spring Byington co-stars.
After having aired on Encore Westerns, a premium service, for the last few years, Laramie debuted over the weekend on Grit, a digital sub-channel linked in the home district to the CW affiliate. Grit carries a large movie library, mostly war & Western movies, plus classic series such as The Rookies, The Cisco Kid, and, also debuting this week, Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre. Laramie airs 3 times a day, with 2 back-to-back episodes in the morning, and one last one at 6 pm (ET).
Here's the intro, from season 3:
Aside from Wagon Train & Virginian, the average lifespan of one of Revue's Westerns ranged from 1-4 years, so Laramie falls right in that range.
Rating: B.
Laramie lasted 4 seasons on NBC (1959-63), and was one of the first to be shown in full, living color. The only real familiar name in the cast would be Robert Fuller, who moseyed on over to Wagon Train after Laramie ended, but is better known for a more contemporary gig as Dr. Kelly Brackett on Emergency! (1972-7). Character actress Spring Byington co-stars.
After having aired on Encore Westerns, a premium service, for the last few years, Laramie debuted over the weekend on Grit, a digital sub-channel linked in the home district to the CW affiliate. Grit carries a large movie library, mostly war & Western movies, plus classic series such as The Rookies, The Cisco Kid, and, also debuting this week, Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre. Laramie airs 3 times a day, with 2 back-to-back episodes in the morning, and one last one at 6 pm (ET).
Here's the intro, from season 3:
Aside from Wagon Train & Virginian, the average lifespan of one of Revue's Westerns ranged from 1-4 years, so Laramie falls right in that range.
Rating: B.
Monday, May 4, 2015
Forgotten TV: W*A*L*T*E*R (1984)
As you could probably tell, 20th Century Fox wanted to continue to mine M*A*S*H for more series. AfterM*A*S*H lasted a couple of seasons, and included what was supposed to be a back-door pilot for Gary Burghoff to get his own show.
Unfortunately, W*A*L*T*E*R, which was burned off in July 1984, didn't connect as well as it should have with network suits.
Walter O'Reilly (Burghoff) cast aside his more familiar nickname of Radar upon returning stateside. He moved back home to Iowa and tried his hand at farming. That failed, and he had to sell the farm. He sent his mom off to live with his aunt, and O'Reilly moved to St. Louis, where he became a police officer.
So what went wrong? The very fabric of the character lay in the nickname. Early on in M*A*S*H, and I believe this was more fully addressed in the movie, O'Reilly had an uncanny precognitive ability to detect arriving helicopters. Those skills were not part of the pilot, as O'Reilly was now just another guy.
Ray Butenika, Noble Willingham (later of "Good Morning, Vietnam" and Walker, Texas Ranger), and Victoria Jackson, later of Saturday Night Live, co-star.
After this aired, Fox & CBS simply closed up the M*A*S*H well. I don't hear of anyone wanting to revive that franchise. Do you? Didn't think so.
Rating: B.
Unfortunately, W*A*L*T*E*R, which was burned off in July 1984, didn't connect as well as it should have with network suits.
Walter O'Reilly (Burghoff) cast aside his more familiar nickname of Radar upon returning stateside. He moved back home to Iowa and tried his hand at farming. That failed, and he had to sell the farm. He sent his mom off to live with his aunt, and O'Reilly moved to St. Louis, where he became a police officer.
So what went wrong? The very fabric of the character lay in the nickname. Early on in M*A*S*H, and I believe this was more fully addressed in the movie, O'Reilly had an uncanny precognitive ability to detect arriving helicopters. Those skills were not part of the pilot, as O'Reilly was now just another guy.
Ray Butenika, Noble Willingham (later of "Good Morning, Vietnam" and Walker, Texas Ranger), and Victoria Jackson, later of Saturday Night Live, co-star.
After this aired, Fox & CBS simply closed up the M*A*S*H well. I don't hear of anyone wanting to revive that franchise. Do you? Didn't think so.
Rating: B.
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