Free Republic

Everybody has heard about Bill O'Reilly unloading on Barney Frank last week. Although entertaining to some, O'Reilly's rude tirade did absolutely nothing to advance whatever point he was trying to make. He looked stupidly unhinged, making Barney Frank appear responsible and reasoned in contrast. But it helped his ratings, which is all that matters. Getting to the bottom of an issue is not the point of The Factor or any other TV program. The purpose is to keep us stirred up and watching. It's a soap opera with a never ending string of cliff-hangers. And that's too bad. The nation...

Recently, when deciding on what movies i might like to ad to my small collection of DVDs that I would not only watch many times, but would be proud to leave to posterity, as what I considered good cinema, i ran across a few movies, that i can't find, but would love to get to see, even if only as an airing on one of the movie channels, like FMC, or TMC, or AMC, or the like..and thinking that others must know of a gem or two, that they can;t find on DVD, that they'd like to see. Well, Here's...

Flipping channels, I come across channel 73 on my Dish system. It is called "Obama:Barrack Obama's Plan for America". This is unbelievable.

It has not been a good year in the courts for Echostar / Dish Network. Today thanks for the folks at the Electronic Freedom Foundation (EFF) a court has blocked a request from Echostar to subpoena the records containing the name, address, email address and purchase details of everyone who has ever purchased a Coolsat Brand Free To Air Satellite Receiver. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Last month, EFF filed an amicus brief in Echostar v. Freetech, where Echostar sought the identities of every consumer who purchased a Freetech "CoolSat" free-to-air (FTA) satellite receiver during the past five years. EFF argued that this demand,...

Biden: FDR Led When Market Crashed

PHOENIX, September 22, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Statistically church-going Catholics are pro-life, and pro-family.  However, many nominal Catholics (in some parts of North America, the majority of Catholics) are non Church-going and thus tend to fall in with the general population in terms of adherence to life and family values.  However, an innovative media company is changing those statistics by airing a series of powerful commercials which have been shown to drive Catholics back to church in droves.   Catholics Come Home Inc., an independent, non-profit is the group behind the current TV advertising campaign that is contributing to thousands of...

A research-based BYU reality show taking viewers into the homes of families of all kinds to watch them deal with issues of marriage, toddlers, teens, blended families, time and money will premiere Tuesday at 8 p.m. on BYU Television. "Real Families, Real Answers" is sponsored by Brigham Young University's School of Family Life and the College of Family, Home and Social Sciences. The series, which will also air on KBYU-TV, is organized around topics studied by scholars from BYU and other universities, including the University of North Carolina, the University of Minnesota and the University of California-Davis. "The idea is...

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Arabs across the ideological spectrum, from secular-minded liberals to Muslim hard-liners, are denouncing a top Saudi cleric's edict that it was permissible to kill the owners of satellite TV stations that show "immoral" content. Many expressed worry the recent comments by Sheik Saleh al-Lihedan — chief of the kingdom's highest tribunal, the Supreme Judiciary Council — would fuel terrorism, encouraging attacks on station employees and owners.

1. The Office Greg Daniels' American adaptation of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's cult Brit phenomenon The Office creaked out of the gate with a shaky pilot episode that leaned far too heavily on gags from its British cousin. Dark rumblings claimed that the show would be a quickly cancelled disaster, but The Office quickly found its feet with a more likeable, attractive, and considerably less pale cast, plus a rich assortment of new characters, like Paul Lieberstein's bashful human-resources guy, Mindy Kaling's hyper, flighty flibbertigibbet, and Creed Bratton's unpredictable space cadet. The Office boasts perhaps the deepest bench of...

From J.J. Abrams ("Lost"), Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, the team behind "Star Trek," "Mission: Impossible III" and "Alias," comes a new series that will thrill, terrify and explore the blurring line between the possible and the impossible. When an international flight lands at Boston's Logan Airport with no signs of life, FBI Special Agent OLIVIA DUNHAM (Anna Torv) is called in to investigate as part of an inter-agency task force. After her partner, Special Agent JOHN SCOTT (Mark Valley), is nearly killed during the investigation, a desperate Olivia searches frantically for someone to help, leading her to DR. WALTER...

This week, in commemoration of the 7th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the History Channel is releasing an unusual documentary, entitled “102 Minutes That Changed America“. If you are a DIRECTV subscriber and have access to their On Demand service, you can actually download the program to your DVRs now. If not, you’ll want to set your TiVo’s or tune in at Thursday, September 11, 9PM EST or Friday September 12, at 1am EST. This is a show you absolutely do not want to miss. There have been numerous documentaries and specials about 9/11, but...

BREITBART: 'Say It Ain't So, O!' Andrew Breitbart ANALYSIS/OPINION: If ever there were a candidate destined to shine on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," Sarah Palin would be that woman. In less than a week, the Alaska governor, former PTA member and 44-year-old mother of five - including an infant with Down syndrome - survived a vicious press assault on her family only to win over the majority of Americans with her brave and unapologetic speech at the Republican National Convention last week. In a media instant, Sarah Palin went from an unknown moose hunter to a mass phenomenon on the...

Just a heads up for those interested, and have the time: USANetwork is running a NCIS marathon all day today, until 7 pm EDT. To clarify, the last episode *ends* at 7pm.

A US company has launched what it claims to be the world's first exclusively internet TV station. IBL News reports that Amigot Corp New York has designed and engineered for a group of businessmen of Indiana, Real Catholic TV.com, said to be the first television station ot its kind on the internet. Starting September 1, the station features daily news, daily political commentary, daily features on saints and history as well as regular episodes on morality, movie reviews, entertainment, apologetics and much more. With its own proprietary technology, the station will provide viewers with free access to home page content,...

Sunday talk show tip sheetBy DANIEL W. REILLY 8/30/08 12:15 PM EST Sunday’s eyes will be on Minneapolis-St. Paul, with the morning talk shows turning their Klieg lights on the Republicans on the eve of their national convention. “Fox News Sunday” lands the biggest scoop — the Republican presidential nominee in waiting, John McCain, as he prepares to accept the nomination. Look for Fox host Chris Wallace to press the Arizona senator on his stunning choice for a running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Buttressing the candidate himself, his top surrogates also fan out across the Sunday airwaves. On CBS,...

The ratings for the Democratic National Convention for ABC, CBS and NBC fell by a million viewers compared to the opener for the 2004 convention with headliner Bill Clinton TVWeek is reporting. On the other hand, the cable newsers saw a ratings jump from their 2004 convention ratings. This reveals the further decline in the old paradigm with the big three networks steadily losing their news influence bit by bit to cable outlets. ABC, CBS and NBC brought in 12.1 million viewers in the 10 p.m. hour, down one million from 2004, according to preliminary, fast-national data from Nielsen Media...

Sen. Barack Obama is warning TV stations and asking the Justice Department to intervene in an attempt to block the airing of an ad by a non-profit group that links him to an unrepentant domestic terrorist. The spot by the American Issues Project questions Obama's ties to William Ayers, a founder of the Weather Underground organization who boasted of a series of bomb attacks at the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol four decades ago. The Associated Press said Obama's "going-for-the-jugular approach" was the kind of response many Democrats complained Sen. John Kerry lacked when he was confronted with the charges of...

Polish TV to say goodbye to the famed lektor? 21.08.2008 The Ministries of National Education, Culture, and Science and Higher Education want to introduce subtitling on Polish television instead of the famed lektor: an actor who voices scripts over the top of an original soundtrack. During a debate at the “Dziennik” daily headquarters, Ministers Barbara Kudrycka and Katarzyna Hall said that subtitling, especially of English programming aired in Poland, would increase English proficiency in the country. Merely one third of Poles have a knowledge of English, making Poland linguistically inferior in comparison to other countries in the European Union. Minister...

Congratulate yourselves as being among the leading edge in Americans interested in the news. According to a recent Pew survey 37 percent of America's news consumers go to the Internet for their news. But it isn't all good news for our sources of news. For one thing, this survey also shows that many of us are logging on at work. This is the sort of thing that could be hurt if more and more businesses ban Internet use, as some have... Of course, there is more bad news for newspapers as well as TV viewers here, too. Read the rest...

Prior to joining FBN, MacDonald was a senior editor at Forbes Magazine, where she covered stock market and earnings news. She was also a regular guest on the FOX News Channel (FNC), appearing on "Forbes on Fox¿ and "Your World with Neil Cavuto." Before Forbes, MacDonald covered stock market, earnings and accounting abuses for The Wall Street Journal's Money & Investing section, with front page stories and ¿Heard on the Street¿ columns. Prior to that, she was a financial editor for Worth magazine and covered the IRS and taxes for Money magazine. Recognized as one of the top prize-winning business...

bad enough that parents have to shield their children from what Hollywood calls entertainment. Now they have to be equally vigilant with the messages and visuals put forward by the advertisers who sponsor that filth. Parents can become discouraged by the sheer intensity of the commercial manipulation of sex. It's everywhere. Reporter Matt Spector of ABCNews.com recently underlined how the hypersexualization of teenagers in advertising is intensifying. A Greek print ad for previously owned BMW autos features a clearly teenage-looking girl shot from her naked shoulders up, her blond hair splayed around her head across the page. The ad's come-hither...

Another Ugly Michelle Obama moment... Another Ugly Michelle Obama moment... lies through her teeth that she "didn't" see the 'Paris Hilton ad' but then again she commented on it nevertheless. August 7, 2008 On ABC's GMA (GoodMorningAmerica) Robin Roberts, who's another propagandist for Obama, interviews Michelle Obama. Robin just "had" to throw that pitch in "Michelle is advocating for women that have relatives serving in Iraq", which is of course nothing but a political stunt, she only met with a few women so she can have a photo-up as a propaganda cheap "answer" to Barack's lowness of avoiding the wounded...

Call Congress back to have an up-or-down vote on a comprehensive energy bill which includes expanded drilling for oil. There is a petition here: http://www.callbackcongress.com/

Given the carbon-hog power consumption of a typical concert tour -- those long bus rides, dazzling light shows and thundering amp stacks flat-out guzzle the juice -- having Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee and hip-hop star Chris "Ludacris" Bridges front a new TV series all about eco-sensitivity might seem like a slap at dedicated tree-huggers. But both men are fathers of young children and eager to learn more about how they can reduce their own Gaia-defiling boot-prints. So here comes "Battleground Earth," a 10-episode series in which Lee and Ludacris travel the nation competing in reality-TV-style challenges intended to educate...

Estelle Getty, the diminutive actress who spent 40 years struggling for success before landing a role of a lifetime in 1985 as the sarcastic octogenarian Sophia on TV's "The Golden Girls," has died. She was 84. Getty, who suffered from advanced dementia, died at about 5:30 a.m. Tuesday at her Hollywood Boulevard home, said her son, Carl Gettleman of Santa Monica. "She was loved throughout the world in six continents, and if they loved sitcoms in Antarctica she would have been loved on seven continents," her son said. "She was one of the most talented comedic actresses who ever lived."...

Sunday July 20 9PM PST For gang members in South Central Los Angeles, the "hood" is a brutal war zone, where streets and reputations are vehemently defended, often to the death. NGC goes into this violent world for four months -- a period in which more than 60 L.A. residents are killed or wounded in gang shootings. Watch an emotional funeral, see 11-year-olds brandishing their weapons, and hear the stories of those entangled in this chilling cycle of bloodshed. In 1970s and 80s Los Angeles, loosely affiliated African American street gangs wage a 20 year turf war. Born of the...

The Thief in the Night By Bean-girl Have you ever had an encounter with a thief breaking into your home? If not how many times have you read about their sudden attacks in newspapers and TV? Scary, right? Don’t want it to happen to you. Well, got some bad news for yah all... it already has. Yes, I realized something long ago, most thieves in the night are your local newspapers and news shows, your high end fashion magazines, almost all of Hollywood movies and TV shows. Oh, yes, you heard me right; they come into your life as innocent...

Some of the BBC's most senior executives have been awarded pay rises of more than £100,000 in a year when the corporation has been dogged by fakery scandals and job cuts. Jana Bennett, the Director of Vision, who was heavily criticised for her role in the "Crowngate affair" where footage of a documentary about the Queen was wrongly edited for a trailer of the programme, saw her salary rise from £433,000 to £536,000 last year, an increase of 24 per cent. Jenny Abramsky, the outgoing head of Audio and Music, was paid £419,000 last year, a 27 per cent rise...

The Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) has issued a second warning to Trans TV for its "vulgar" comedy hit Extravaganza. "This is the last warning. If Trans TV fails to make improvements, we will order the station to stop the show," KPI commissioner Yazirwan Uyun said here Monday. The broadcasting commission also announced it had reprimanded Trans TV for two other comedies, Ngelenong Nyok and Suami-Suami Takut Istri (Husbands afraid of wives), and Global TV for its anime series One Piece. The warnings come following the KPI's 13-day review of 285 episodes of 92 comedies, variety shows and children's programs aired...

Here's a glance at what's playing on commercial TV, prime time: "The Bachelorette" and "Nashville Star" and "Celebrity Family Feud" and "American Gladiators" and "Wife Swap" and "Dance Machine" and "Funniest Home Movies" and "Extreme Makeover" and of course "Greatest American Dog." If we're buying all that, and we are, we'll buy anything, even Barack Obama for president and even John McCain who has substance (I guess) but no message and no magnetism. In a few months I'll drag myself to the voting booth because SOMEBODY (anybody!) has to be president of these United States. We have to vote, don't...

The broadcast networks have grown older than ever -- if they were a person, they wouldn't even be a part of TV's target demo anymore. According to a study released by Magna Global's Steve Sternberg, the five broadcast nets' average live median age (in other words, not including delayed DVR viewing) was 50 last season. That's the oldest ever since Sternberg started analyzing median age more than a decade ago -- and the first time the nets' median age was outside of the vaunted 18-49 demo. Fueling the graying of the networks: the rapid aging of ABC, NBC and Fox....

NBC is abusing small children by using them for a "social experiment" and profit on a show airing on Wednesday's at 9 EDT/ 8 CDT beginning June 25 called "The Baby Borrowers" . On the program teenagers pretend to be the parents of babies by substituting for the babies' real parents. Dr. Jan Hunt director of the Natural Child Project says: "As a parent, child psychologist and family counselor, I am deeply concerned about the premise of your new show "The Baby Borrowers," and for the present and future emotional health of the babies and young children whose lives will...

Just was looking for what the TV fare would be on the Fourth, and noticed that USA Networks will be airing an 8 episode NCIS marathon on the Holiday. Starting at 3 pm EDT, it appears from what i've read, that the shows span a few episodes before "Caitlin" gets killed, to a few episodes after. Covering "Ziva" joining the team as well.

Heads up for NCIS fans: this Friday, June 27, 2008, USANetworks will be airing a 10 episode Marathon of NCIS starting at 1 pm EDT, of shows *with* Ziva, and starting with an episode where Gibbs is retired. IOW, not the same episodes from the last marathon...*all* new for *me*! ;)

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....

Heinz is set to challenge some viewer expectations with a light-hearted TV campaign that features two men sharing a kiss. The TV commercial, which promotes a new range of dressing called Heinz Deli Mayo, breaks tonight and will be supported by a press campaign.

Though the Democratic candidate's campaign is keeping mum about whether it will definitely run spots, the presidential hopeful is exploring options for Olympics advertising. Those tuning in to NBC Sports' Olympics coverage this year will see spots from General Motors, McDonald's, Budweiser, Nike and -- just maybe -- Sen. Barack Obama. Though the Obama campaign is keeping mum about whether it will definitely run spots, it has asked NBC Universal about Olympics advertising including $500,000, $2 million and $4 million packages of ads. (NBC presented those along with a $10 million package.) It's not only a sign that the Obama...

Muslim Barack Obama fans told to hide from television cameras By Tim Shipman in Washington Last Updated: 12:23AM BST 19/06/2008 Barack Obama's campaign has been forced to apologise to two Muslim women barred from sitting behind him at a public event. About one in eight Americans falsely believes Mr Obama is Muslim The two women in headscarves were asked not to sit in view of cameras at a rally in Detroit on Monday, where Al Gore endorsed Mr Obama. Hebba Aref, a 25-year-old lawyer, told Politico magazine: "I was coming to support him, and I felt like I was discriminated...

I have one of those cable boxes for my Comcast cable TV (had to get it to be able to record on my DVD recorder). Now that they're moving to all-digital, they want people to get these boxes ($4/month) and are moving some channels to higher tiers which will require cable boxes (not sure if there will be a higher price for these channels). Channels ranging from MSNBC to TruTV (formerly Court TV) to Boston Catholic Television are affected. Anyway, now I'm getting periodic interruptions in service. Screen goes black, sound goes out--it still tells you what channel you're on...

Planet Green, billed as "the first and only 24-hour eco-lifestyle television network," debuted on cable lineups last week. What exactly does it mean to lead a "green" lifestyle? Planet Green aims to answer exactly that question -- though to help the medicine go down, the channel will feature light eco-tainment, including programs hosted by HBO heartthrob Adrian Grenier, celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse, and hard-hitting celebrity journalist Maria Menounous. While it's easy to poke fun at Planet Green and the broader phenomenon of Green Chic, the deeper insight behind this greenthusiasm is roughly right: building a saner environmental future will indeed...

Cleavers to Lohans: The Downhill Slide of the American TV Family It used to be kids in TV families who caused the problems and the parents who solved them. In the brave new world of reality television, parents are the problem. June 2, 2008 - by Katherine Berry There was a time in American television when parents and children alike would gather in front of the TV to watch Leave it to Beaver or even The Cosby Show, programs that affirmed the importance of the family structure and reminded us that loving parents can guide their children through even the...

Just read yesterday, that Jimmy Smits will join the 'Dexter' cast, in season 3 for 10 episodes, playing the scion of a rich family - cum investigator, that ends up in an unlikely alliance with Dexter, to hunt down a serial killer. Season 3, will air on Showtime this fall.

Recently broadcast on MBC4 were three episodes of the Dr Phil show that initially aired in the US last November. They featured Katherine Lester, a pretty 18-year-old American woman who travelled to the West Bank to be with Abdullah, a 22-year-old Palestinian man she "met" on the internet when she was 16. This was the second time that Katherine had flown to the Middle East to see the young man; on the first occasion, in response to her family's objections, she got as far as Amman, Jordan, before being picked up by the FBI as a minor and escorted home....

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Harvey Korman, the tall, versatile comedian who won four Emmys for his outrageously funny contributions to "The Carol Burnett Show" and played a conniving politician to hilarious effect in "Blazing Saddles," died Thursday. He was 81.

-- Woman says SATC inspired her to have sex at 14 -- ABC News.com is currently highlighting a Sex and the City- inspired story about a woman who says the HBO series inspired her to start having sex when she was 14. Will the networks news shows pick up the story or will it remain an "internet only" feature, not likely to be seen by a broad audience? The question is worth asking because ABC's Good Morning America was one of the first network morning news shows to salivate over last week's London opening of Sex and the City: The...

VETERAN model Lauren Hutton has attacked Sex And The City's portrayal of promiscuous women and blamed "gay writers" for creating the stereotype that single women are "sluts". While Hutton admitted she had not seen an episode of the hit US TV series, she went on to claim it promoted the untrue myth that it's natural for women to be sexually promiscuous. "It's written by guys, who happen to be gay, who are sluts. That's what I think. Let's face it most men are sluts. "That's what testosterone is supposed to do. As a hunter, if you stayed alive after 30,...

How That 'Sex' Show Loosened Women's Purse Strings By VICKI HYMAN   Sioban Feliciano helps Lauren Moretti try on Christian Louboutin shoes at CoCo Pari in Red Bank, N.J. The shop didn't stock shoes until customers asked for styles seen on the TV hit 'Sex and the City.' (Photo by Mark Dye)     Red Bank, NJ -- Late in the big-screen version of "Sex and the City," the gang is enjoying a round of fruity pink Cosmopolitans, prompting one of them to wonder, "Why did we stop drinking these?" Retorts Carrie: "Because everyone else started."From the cocktail craze to...

Oprah Winfrey is still the queen of all media, but her crown is beginning to look a bit tarnished. The average audience for “The Oprah Winfrey Show” has fallen nearly 7 percent this year, according to Nielsen Media Research — its third straight year of decline. “Oprah’s Big Give,” an ABC philanthropic reality show, beat every program on television except “American Idol” in its premiere week this winter, but steadily lost nearly one-third of its audience during the rest of its eight-week run, according to Nielsen. The circulation of O, The Oprah Magazine, has fallen by more than 10 percent...

Just a personal 'Thank You', to the Powers That Be, at USA Network, who are about to save me some $48 DL fees, by running two NCIS "marathons" this weekend on Friday and Monday...24 total episodes, 12 each day, of episodes I haven't watched yet. All ready set up to watch/record them. >8o)

BBC Wales and BBC Drama has announced that BAFTA and Hugo Award-winning writer Steven Moffat will succeed Russell T Davies as Lead Writer and Executive Producer of the fifth series of Doctor Who, which will broadcast on BBC One in 2010. Moffat has penned some of the series' most unforgettable and acclaimed episodes, including Blink, with its terrifying weeping angels, for which he was awarded the BAFTA Writer Award 2008 on Sunday 11 May. His previous work on Doctor Who includes The Girl In The Fireplace for series two, which earned him his second Hugo Award. His first was for...