Free Republic

Republicans Love 'Modern Family,' Democrats Favor 'Dexter,' New Study Shows by Chris Harnick, posted Nov 10th 2010 10:45AM 'Modern Family,' a seemingly liberal show about a blended family -- with a gay couple and adopted kids -- is among the favorites of Republicans. Say what? According to a new study by Experian Simmons, Republicans favor many of TV's biggest hits such as 'Modern Family,' 'American Idol' and 'Dancing With the Stars.' On the Democrat side, TV favorites include cable shows like 'Dexter' and 'Mad Men.' "The big shows with mass appeal tend to have above-average scores from Democrats and Republicans...

Does anyone else think Kris Allen, who was very good won American Idol over Adam Lambert who was great because Red Staters siad "No!" to Lmabert for reasons other than talent? Lambert is the best ever on the show, but I think he was denied because Red State America has had "enough." I hope I'm wrong, just thinking out loud.

Maybe you thought reality TV hit the lowest of the low when "Fear Factor" contestants devoured cockroaches, or when gold diggers paraded their wares in hopes of marrying a millionaire, or when Tila Tequila got a second shot at "love" with 10 guys and 10 girls. Those shows look like "Masterpiece Theater" compared to what's coming. Take, for instance, "Hurl," an eating-and-regurgitating competition in which contestants gorge themselves on everything from chicken pot pies to peanut butter sandwiches, then get strapped into spinning contraptions -- whoever vomits last wins....

With television writers – presumably the brains of the whole operation – going back to work after their four-month strike, it seemed like the perfect question to ask: What are the smartest TV series of all time? Star Trek? Hill St. Blues? Taxi? West Wing? Boy Meets World? Fancast posed the question to Jim Werdell, Chairman of MENSA International, the worldwide organization for “people from every walk of life whose IQ is in the top 2 % of the population.” In addition to a soaring intellect, the 63-year-old retired Northern California government official enjoys his TV. Werdell keeps his set...

NEW 'KID NATION' PROBE By Post staff writer August 28, 2007 -- ONE of the TV industry's biggest unions is launch ing its own investigation of the controversial CBS reality series "Kid Nation." The American Federation of Television & Radio Artists says it wants to find out if any of its rules were broken during the filming of the show in New Mexico. "Kid Nation" - which features 40 kids ages 8-15 who inhabit their own small town without parental supervision - has come under scrutiny recently because of allegations that some of the kids were injured during production and...

Today’s topic is a tad delicate, so let’s back into it gently. Last Sunday I found the Emmy Awards in progress in the living room, and sat down to take a look. I was mildly pleased to find them moving along more briskly than in days of yore, and mildly amused at the Bob Newhart subplot (for most of you who were not watching, he was supposedly imprisoned in a Plexiglas cube with only three hours’ worth of air to encourage winners to keep their acceptance speeches short). I found the Dick Clark retrospective mildly touching, and the Aaron Spelling...

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Turning off the television, picking up a crossword and eating more fish could be the key to a better memory, an Australian survey has found. Results of the on-line survey of almost 30,000 people, conducted as part of Australia's science week, also found people who read fiction had better memories than those who don't, while heavy drinkers found it more difficult to recall names. But neuro-psychologist Nancy Pachana said television was not necessarily bad for memory, with wider health and diet and an active lifestyle more crucial to a good memory. "Your memory is dependent on good...

Brain cells are like muscles – you need to use them or you will lose them. And the brain is like a car -- if you give it good fuel, it will run better and longer. Some children may be spending too much time watching television. Scientists are finding that kids who watch lots of TV are more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease later in life. Experts find one reason is that much of TV is too passive and does not stimulate the brain. When an activity does not challenge the brain, nerve cells are more prone to disease. Scientists...

NEW YORK (AP) -- Two small, struggling television networks, UPN and WB, will merge to form a new network called The CW, executives from them companies that own them said Tuesday. The announcement was made by executives from CBS Corp., which owns UPN, and Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc., which owns WB. Both UPN and WB had struggled to compete against larger rivals in the broadcast TV business, including Walt Disney Co.'s ABC, News Corp.'s Fox and CBS Corp.'s CBS.

Pamela Anderson Takes Aim at KFC By ROGER ALFORD Associated Press Writer FRANKFORT, Ky. — Pamela Anderson is leading a charge to remove a bust of KFC founder Colonel Harland Sanders from the state Capitol. The actress called the Kentucky native's likeness "a monument to cruelty" to chickens in a statement issued by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the animal rights group. The statement did little to ruffle feathers in Gov. Ernie Fletcher's office. "Colonel Sanders was one of Kentucky's most distinguished citizens, a great entrepreneur and a fine charitable man of faith, and he certainly has a...

The Letterman Meltdown CBS's Late Show host David Letterman is supposed to be funny. He makes more than $20 million a year because he is funny. His Top Ten List is a brand unto itself. He was endearing when he did bits like his old Stupid Pet Tricks. I laughed when he ribbed Oprah and Uma. But on Tuesday night's show, he acquitted himself as just another unhinged member of the liberal entertainment mafia when he interviewed Fox New Channel's Bill O'Reilly. Even before O'Reilly walked on stage, Letterman acted like a spoiled brat when he used a pencil to...

There's a temptation to praise "The Book of Daniel" because it is a skillfully produced family drama about an Episcopal minister and his family and it comes along just as WB Network's "7th Heaven" reaches the end of its long run. In the premiere, Rev. Daniel Webster (Aidan Quinn) sermonizes that we should forgive ourselves if we give in to temptation, but I'm not going to do it. Give in, that is. I'm going to call this a well-intentioned drama with a few comedic quirks but without depth or greater purpose. When it comes to troubles, Daniel's sacramental cup runneth...

Check out the promotional ad for this Thursday evening's (December 29, 2005) episode of ABC's Primetime. The promo is for the story, "On the Trail of Pope Joan" (audiotape on file; emphasis mine): "Diane Sawyer takes you on the trail of a passionate mystery. Just as intriguing as The Da Vinci Code. Chasing down centuries-old clues hidden even inside the Vatican. Could a woman disguised as a man have been Pope? Thursday night. One astonishing Primetime." It doesn't get much uglier than this, folks. Quite simply, there was never a female pope, or "Pope Joan." The tale is a complete...

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The president of the U.S. bishops blasted a recent episode of the cable television comedy "South Park" that he said showed Mary in "a tasteless and ugly fashion."In a Dec. 14 letter to Tom Freston, co-president and chief operating officer of Viacom International, parent company of Comedy Central, the cable channel that shows "South Park," Bishop William S. Skylstad of Spokane, Wash., said the channel showed "extreme insensitivity" in choosing to show the episode.The episode, which first was shown Dec. 7 and had repeat showings in the week following, was titled "Bloody Mary." During the episode, a...

It's a wonder you're even reading this piece. I mean, it's a compliment of course -- for which I'm grateful. But it's a surprise. I was certain that most of you would be spending the day glued to your television sets. August first was, after all, the debut of Al Gore's new television network, Current TV. Are you still with me? Or have I already lost you to your TV rooms and TiVos? It's okay. I'd understand. The prospect of an entertainment vehicle as fresh and lively as the former vice president is awfully hard to resist. That's why I'm...

Though I rarely watch Television these days, I thought I'd be a good sport and watch a few minutes of what my wife was tuned into the other night. It was a Sex in the City re-run. After fifteen minutes of that, I had enough. First of all, the "jokes" were very unfunny. But secondly, for a show with such a title, the women on it were anything but sexy. On top of that, the other "hot woman" show, Desperate Housewives, leaves alot to be desired in that category as well. So it has become time to review our TV...

I know, I know...vanity!I just heard about this show last night on O'Reilly. Steven Bochco promised a show with no politics that accurately covers what's going on in Iraq. The clips I've seen have looked great!

Episode 35: Border Slingshot Is it feasible to fly over the frontier? In this episode, Adam and Jamie take on the myth that illegal immigrants are firing themselves 200 yards across the border and into the United States with a slingshot so accurate, it can land the human projectiles safely on a carefully placed mattress. Border patrols are reportedly baffled — can the MythBusters' handbuilt human-sized slingshot solve the puzzle? premiere: July 27, 2005

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Paul McCartney will be the featured performer in the next Super Bowl halftime show and organizers promised there won't be any breast baring this time. Last February's broadcast on CBS in which Janet Jackson's breast was bared during a duet with pop star Justin Timberlake spurred hundreds of thousands of complaints to federal regulators. Jackson blamed the incident on a "wardrobe malfunction." National Football League spokesman Brian McCarthy told Reuters on Sunday there won't be any such malfunctions during the 12-minute performance, which will air on the Fox network. He said the Feb. 6 show will...

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Teenagers who watch a lot of television with sexual content are twice as likely to engage in intercourse than those who watch few such programs, according to a study published on Tuesday. The study covered 1,792 adolescents aged 12 to 17 who were quizzed on viewing habits and sexual activity and then surveyed again a year later. Both regular and cable television were included. "This is the strongest evidence yet that the sexual content of television programs encourages adolescents to initiate sexual intercourse and other sexual activities," said Rebecca Collins, a psychologist at the RAND Corp. who...

<p>Betty Bislocky remembers the first color television set her family purchased in the early 1960s at Kaufmann's.</p> <p>"There were only two or three color shows on at the time," said Bislocky, 80, of Beechview. "'The Flintstones' ... That's what sold us."</p>

To: All Viacom Employees From: Mel Karmazin Date: February 03, 2004 RE: Super Bowl Half Time Show As you know, the incident during the Super Bowl's Half Time Show on Sunday has received a significant amount of attention both in the media and in Washington, D.C. Because of the speculation and misinformation about what transpired, I want to update you on the facts and also on what we are doing to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future. First let me say that everyone at Viacom, CBS and MTV was shocked and embarrassed about what transpired at the end...

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use.DECATUR, Ala. - A Decatur manufacturer is hoping a new television show will be a cat-alyst for a new wave of programming. "Meow TV," developed by the Meow Mix Co., debuts Friday at 6:30 p.m. on the Oxygen Network. It's the first show targeted at cats. Not cat lovers. Cats. Decatur is home to the Secaucus, N.J.-based company's only manufacturing facility. The half-hour program was developed after research showed that one-third of cats enjoy watching television, said Ira Cohen, marketing director for Meow Mix. "It's real fun," Cohen said. "The mission of...