News of the World - 9/4/08

Here are some of today’s headlines:

• There’s going to be a new LIVE-ACTION “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” movie!  Considering “TMNT” was my number one obsession as a youngster, I don’t know whether to laugh, cry, or start jumping up and down with glee.  Hey, it worked for “Transformers,” didn’t it?
• Even though the answer has been echoed by everyone in the know (including the movie’s screenplay), Aaron Eckhart has confirmed that Harvey “Two-Face” Dent did indeed die at the end of “The Dark Knight” and will not be re-appearing in the next Batman film (which has currently been dubbed “The Caped Crusader”). 
• So, with both Two-Face and the Joker gone, what villains will be making an appearance in the next trip to Gotham City?  While nothing’s been confirmed, the most consistent rumor is that we’ll be seeing the Riddler, and many possible names have been attached (chief among them are Johnny Depp, Guy Pearce and David Tennant from “Doctor Who”).  Some other rumors have included Harley Quinn, the Joker’s obsessed protege (Kristen Bell from “Veronica Mars”/”Heroes” has been attached to that rumor), and Catwoman, though whether she would be a villain or ally is up for question (Angelina Jolie has expressed interest in playing her).  But one villain is definitely out of the running: the Penguin.  Director/co-writer Chris Nolan has stated that he hates that character and will never use him (sorry Danny DeVito).
• Tuesday’s two-hour premiere of “90210” got huge ratings... but it also got terrible reviews from both critics and regular TV viewers, so, like I said, expect this series to die a relatively quick death.
• Want some more movie sequel news?  There’s going to be an “Evil Dead 4,” and yes, it will be directed by Sam Raimi and star Bruce Campbell as Ash.
• And finally, two of the best series nobody watched while they were actually on TV are now getting big-screen sequels: “Arrested Development,” the award-winning comedy series that eventually turned Jason Bateman (“Juno,” “Hancock”), Will Arnett (“Blades of Glory,” “Horton Hears A Who”) and Michael Cera (“Superbad,” “Juno”) into stars, and “Veronica Mars,” the highly-praised teen detective dramedy series that starred Kristen Bell (“Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” “Heroes”).  Both of these projects are currently in the earliest stages of development, but if I were you I’d start catching up with both these great series on DVD immediately.

"90120" review & Matty G's September TV viewing schedule

So, last night was the premiere of "90210," the new and very hyped CW remake/relaunch/revamp??? of the classic "Beverly Hills 90210."  I watched it, and, well, it was terrible.  Keep in mind that I loved "The OC" and liked "Gossip Girl" for a little while.  But yeah, this show is unbelievably dumb; it makes me miss "Veronica Mars" even more.  The cast is bland and boring, with the exception of the returning "BH90210" cast (Jennie Garth and Shannen Doherty) and Jessica Walter, who some of you make remember as Lucille Bluth on "Arrested Development," as the alcoholic grandmother; unfortunately her limited presence just makes one miss "Arrested Development" even more.  And they keep using slang that I’m pretty sure hasn’t been used by anyone since the original "BH90210" aired (have you heard anybody say “dope” lately?  EVER!?!).  I predict this show will die pretty soon... if you like this kind of stuff (and, honestly, who doesn’t enjoy faux-tawdry high school exploits?), I strongly advise you just watch "Gossip Girl" instead (or re-watch "The OC," or even better, go check out "Veronica Mars" on DVD!).

But it gave me an idea: now that all the television shows are coming back, I’ve decided to compile a list of what I will be watching on TV this month (this will change a bit in October, as some other series won’t be returning until then - and I will update you all when it comes time).  Plus, I’ve even added the other series returning, just in case they might be of interest to some of you.

(note: I only marked "90210," "America's Next Top Model" and "Bones" as having two-hour premiere episodes because they are the only ones I'm aware of.  You may want to keep in mind that some of these other shows maybe having longer premieres as well)

Sunday

What I’ll be watching:

• Mad Men - 10-11pm, AMC  (currently airing)
  

What I’ll be watching on DVD (because I don’t get HBO, unfortunately):

• True Blood - 9-10pm, HBO (premieres 9/7) (it's a new series about hot vampires, so naturally I'm interested)
• Entourage - 10-10:30pm, HBO (premieres 9/7)

Monday

What I’ll be watching:

• Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - 8-9pm, FOX (premieres 9/8)
• Heroes - 9-10pm, NBC (premieres 9/22; will start re-airing at same time on Tuesdays on G4)

What I’m considering checking out now: 

• Life - 10-11pm, NBC (premieres 9/29)
  

What I’m considering checking out someday eventually:

• How I Met Your Mother - 8:30-9pm, CBS (premieres 9/22)
• One Tree Hill - 9-10pm, the CW (premiered this week)

What I won’t be watching:

• Gossip Girl - 8-9pm, the CW (premiered this week)
• Prison Break - 8-9pm, FOX (premiered this week)
• Dancing With The Stars - 8-8:30pm, ABC (premieres 9/22)
• Big Bang Theory - 8-8:30pm, CBS (premieres 9/22)
• Two & A Half Men - 9-9:30pm, CBS (premieres 9/22)
• America’s Toughest Jobs - 9-10pm, NBC (currently airing)
• Worst Week - 9:30-10pm, CBS (premieres 9/22)
• Boston Legal - 10-11pm, ABC (premieres 9/22)
• CSI: Miami - 10-11pm, CBS (premieres 9/22)
• Chuck - 8-9pm, NBC (premieres 9/29)

Tuesday

What I’ll be watching:

• Fringe - 8-9pm, FOX (premieres 9/9)
  

What I’ll be watching on DVD (because I don’t get BBC America, unfortunately):

• Gavin & Stacey - 8:40-9:20pm, BBC America (currently airing)
  

What I’m considering checking out now:

• The Mentalist - 9-10pm, CBS (premieres 9/23; never heard of it before, but looks kind of interesting)
  

What I’m considering catching up with on DVD eventually:

• House - 9-10pm, FOX (premieres 9/16)
• The Shield - 10-11pm, FX (premiered this week)

What I won’t be watching:

• 90210 - 8-9pm, the CW (premiered this week, two-hour premiere)
• Privileged - 9-10pm, the CW (premieres 9/9)
• Biggest Loser - 8-9pm, NBC (premieres 9/16)
• Opportunity Knocks - 8-8:30pm, ABC (premieres 9/23)
• NCIS - 8-9pm, CBS (premieres 9/23)
• The Secret Life of the American Teenager - 8-9pm, ABC Family (currently airing)
• Greek - 9-10pm, ABC Family (currently airing)
• Without A Trace - 10-11pm, CBS (premieres 9/23)
• Law & Order: SVU - 10-11pm, NBC (premieres 9/23)

Wednesday

What I’ll be watching:

• America’s Next Top Model - 8-9pm, the CW (premieres 9/3, two-hour premiere)
  

What I’ll be taping and then watching directly after ANTM (at least for this month):

• Bones - 8-9pm, FOX (premieres 9/3, two-hour premiere)
  

What I won’t be watching:

• ‘Til Death - 8-8:30pm, FOX (premieres 9/10)
• New Adventures of Old Christine - 8-8:30pm, CBS (premieres 9/24)
• Gary Unmarried - 8:30-9pm, CBS (premieres 9/24)
• Criminal Minds - 9-10pm, CBS (premieres 9/24)
• Project Runway - 9-10pm, BRAVO (currently airing)
• Do Not Disturb - 9:30-10pm, FOX (premieres 9/10)
• Top Design - 10-11pm, BRAVO (currently airing)
• CSI: NY - 10-11pm, CBS (premieres 9/24)
• Lipstick Jungle - 10-11pm, NBC (premieres 9/24)

Thursday

What I’ll be watching:

• The Office - 9-9:30pm, NBC (premieres 9/25)
  

What I won’t be watching:

• Hole In The Wall - 8-9pm, FOX (premieres 9/11)
• Smallville - 8-9pm, the CW (premieres 9/18)
• Ugly Betty - 8-9pm, ABC (premieres 9/25)
• Survivor: Gabon - 8-9pm, CBS (premieres 9/25)
• My Name Is Earl - 8-8:30pm, NBC (premieres 9/25)
• Kitchen Nightmares - 9-9:30pm, FOX (premieres 9/11)
• Supernatural - 9-10pm, the CW (premieres 9/18)
• Grey’s Anatomy - 9-10pm, ABC (premieres 9/25)
• ER - 10-11pm, NBC (premieres 9/25)

Friday

What I’ll be watching:

• Apparently nothing.
  

What I won’t be watching:

• Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? - 8-9pm, FOX (premieres 9/5)
• Don’t Forget The Lyrics! - 9-10pm, FOX (premieres 9/12)

Saturday

What I’ll watch now and then, but not consistently:

• Saturday Night Live - 11:30-1am, NBC (premieres 9/13)
  

What I won’t be watching:

• Cops - 8-9pm, FOX (premieres 9/6)
• MadTV - 11-12am, FOX (premieres 9/13)