NBC's Unprecedented Late Night Blunders

NBC moved Jay Leno from 11:35pm back to 10pm only about 6 months ago. Conan O'Brien moved from 12:35am to Leno's old slot at 11:35pm as host of The Tonight Show. Conan has been working for NBC since 1993, when David Letterman left to get his 11:35pm show at CBS. The ratings for Leno at 10pm have been really bad, and he gets beat night in and night out, especially by the CBS dramas like CSI:Miami, CSI:NY and The Mentalist. His numbers are about what they were at 11:35, but in prime time those numbers do not fly. The numbers need to be there to get decent ad rates, and to keep the affiliates happy. Now NBC wants to end this little experiment and move Leno back to 11:35pm. His show may be only 30 minutes, putting Conan on at 12:05am. If this is the case, Jimmy Fallon would move from 12:35am to 1:05am assuming Conan's show is 60 minutes. If I were in Conan's shoes I would jump ship to Fox. ABC has Nightline at 11:35pm and Jimmy Kimmel at 12:05am, so Fox is probably the best bet. Maybe NBC should drop the unfunny Leno all together. I assume they will go back to dramas from 10-11pm on NBC and the affiliates are hoping their newscasts will get better numbers once Leno vacates after the 2010 winter olympics. Conan is not hurting for money. He gets $20 million per year for the next 4 years. Still, Conan has paid his dues, he deserves to be on at 11:35pm, and this is the biggest network blunder I can recall. Sure the networks have put on many shows that have flopped, but this was a 5 night per week, 10pm-11pm experiment that failed miserably. Their justification is that a talk show is cheaper to produce than a scripted show. But, what good does that do if the ratings are poor and you are affecting your affiliates numbers for their newscasts which provide a major revenue source? The once mighty peacock network has fallen a long way from the days of must see TV.

The Best New Show of 2009 is "Glee" on Fox

There is a lot of buzz about the new Fox comedy/musical Glee. It takes place in a high school and it is about kids who are in the glee club. The cast is full of mostly unknown people, but they have become stars quickly. The members of the choir come from every demographic. These actors can sing, dance and act, and the show is often very funny. The cheerleaders are taught by the hilarious Jane Lynch, who has appeared in Best in Show and Two and a Half Men. She is a mean spirited, driven teacher who will do anything to make sure her group (called the Cheerios) are number one. The glee club teacher has a challenging home life with his wife and another teacher at the school has a crush on him. The show has dealt with issues like teen pregnancy and the challenge to fit in at a school where the glee club members are seen as geeks. The best part of the show is the music. Anyone who enjoys pop music or especially musical theatre needs to check it out. The music from the show has been put on CD and the mp3s have been selling well online. They perform some 80s songs such as "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey and "Bust a Move" by Young MC, as well as putting their spin on current tunes. Matthew Morrison is the glee club instructor, Jessalyn Gilsig plays his wife, Dianna Agron plays the cheerleader Quinn, Jayma Mays plays the germ-freak teacher Miss Pillsbury, and the breakout star has been the multi-talented Lea Michele, who plays Rachel Berry, the ultra driven glee club star with an amazing voice. She has performed on Broadway previous to doing the TV show.

George Clooney hits a home run with "Up in the Air"

Starring George Clooney, and directed by Juno director Jason Reitman, Up in the Air is an outstanding film. Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, who has a job where he fires people for a living. He is based out of Omaha, Nebraska but is on the road for most of the year flying from one city to another. He is obsessed with collecting frequent flyer miles, and his goal is to reach 10 million. There is plenty of product placement for airlines, rental car companies, hotel chains, and the like. Bingham has no desire to get married, have kids, or "settle down" in any respect. He gives speeches about living a simplified life where we are not weighed down by possessions or obligations. He is a man who lives a detached life. Vera Farmiga plays a woman he meets on the road who is looking for the same thing he is; a fling with no strings attached. Anna Kendrick plays a hot shot young go getter who is sent on the road with Clooney so he can show her the ropes of how to do the job. She has suggestions to the boss about how they can save money, and these ideas may keep Clooney from travelling in the future. In this era of companies downsizing, the film seems especially relavent. The cast also includes Jason Bateman as Clooney's boss and Melanie Lynskey (Rose from Two and a Half Men), as Clooney's about to be married sister whom he hardly knows. The movie is good since it has a mix of romance, comedy, and drama, and there are not weak parts of the script or lackluster performances. The story makes you think about how we go about living our lives. Look for this to be honored by the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards.

Political commentary regarding the American two party system

It's the day after the elections. It was not a presidential election year, but a few mayoral and gubernatorial seats were up for grabs. We have a democrat in the White House, but republicans won the governor's race in New Jersey and Virginia. I was listening to a few minutes of a right wing political talk show this morning. The host said that since these states will be led by republicans, that this shows that people are tired of Obama and it was a vote against him. Sometimes I wonder, how much difference does it really make who is in charge? Politicians on the left and right make empty promises just to get elected, and once they are in office those are forgotten. Did Bush do everything he had promised to his supporters once he got into office? I don't think so. Did he put prayer in every school or overturn Roe vs. Wade? Did he resolve things in Iraq and Afghanistan and capture Bin Laden? No. The aftermath of 9-11 provided a convenient excuse for ushering in a big brother society where liberties are taken away under the guise of not letting the terrorists win. Who are the real terrorists? Did Clinton do everything he had promised to his followers? No, he did not. Clinton or Obama did not outlaw all guns, or ban capital punishment in every state, or make gay marriage legal in every state. What did they do to help minorities? Liberals claim to be anti big business and they stick up for the little guy, but NAFTA was passed under the Clinton administration. I think that the free trade agreements have hurt this country in many ways. Good paying manufacturing jobs have gone overseas due to cheap labor. Not everyone is an intellectual who will want to go to college. Some people want to have a job where they work with their hands, and those jobs need to stay in this country. When factories and machine shops close and go overseas, it has a ripple effect on the rest of society. Those people get kicked out of their homes because they cannot afford them, and they do not contribute property taxes to the economy, and they do not buy as much so the sales tax is not contributed to as much as when they were employed also. Clinton, Obama, and democrats in general claim to be a friend to the unions but they have seen the power of unions erode significantly, and what have they done to help? Unions claim to be so powerful, but they can't keep jobs in this country, so how much power do they really have? I voted for Obama since I had issues with Bush regarding his handling of 9-11, Katrina, starting a war with the wrong country, and the economy going down the drain due to the housing mess and other factors. We still have people in New Orleans who were devastated by Katrina living in FEMA trailers that are making them sick. I thought that McCain would be 4 more years of Bush. Obama has claimed to be against the rich and for the poor, but what has he done in his time in office to help the downtrodden? He bailed out the "evil" rich companies in the banking and auto industries, and still some of them continue to flounder. I have issues with his fiscal policy and I don't think that punishing the rich is the answer since often they are the ones who provide the jobs in our country. The out of control deficit needs to be addressed and putting health care in the hands of the federal government is not the answer when it comes to getting the country on the right track financially. I think that politicians only look out for one person, themselves. Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and their cronies profitted off the war in Iraq, but I don't think that Clinton was any more of an honest person. It seems like we have a republican in office for awhile, we get frustrated with them, and think we need a democrat leading things. Then it goes back and forth ad infinitum. I am not a liberal, or a conservative, I'm just someone who is disillusioned with the whole process. Are there any politicians who really care about helping our country?

Show Biz Wiz Weight Loss Tips

OK, this is not really show biz related, but this is what's been on my mind and I can write about whatever I want on my blog, right?

I have been working on establishing a healthier lifestyle in order to lower my risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, etc. Also, losing weight will help me to get off some of the medicine I am taking, if not all of it.

I wanted to list some tactics that have worked for me so that others that read this blog might get some good tips. Also, writing things down and telling others about it will help me to stay motivated.

My wife read a book called "The Eat Clean Diet" by Tosca Reno, and we decided to both work on being healthier. The basic principle we follow is trying to eat basic, unprocessed, simple foods that we all know we should eat, but often don't. The cornerstones of the eating plan include the following;

fruits (fresh or frozen are best, with no additives, especially no added sugar)
vegetables (eating these are even more important than fruits, and try to get them fresh or frozen, with no additives, especially added salt)
lean meats such as turkey, chicken, fish and pork provide lots of protein for building muscles, eat red meat sparingly
dairy (skim milk, fat free plain yogurt, cottage cheese-small curd fat free is best, and real cheese, not processed)
whole grains (stay away from white bread and foods made with white flour) these will fill you up so you don't eat as much
a few "no brainer" foods that any nutrition expert would recommend would include; almonds, walnuts, and other nuts (unsalted), flax seed and oatmeal are 2 super healthy foods that can help to lower cholesterol, spinach and any other leafy greens (fresh or frozen with no salt added), and sweet potatoes (as long as they are not in a sugary syrup)
lots and lots of water, plain with no added flavors or sugar

Limit or better yet, eliminate these things from your diet;

diet pop or regular pop, these will spike your sugar levels, leaving you wanting more sweets
alcohol
coffee with cream or sugar, if you must have it, drink it black
juice, especially with added sugar
eating out, this includes fast food and non-fast food restaurants
baked goods like cookies, donuts, muffins, cake, pie, etc.
ice cream
fried foods such as french fries, chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, etc.
hot dogs
sausage
butter
bacon
creamy soups or sauces
candy/milk chocolate (although some dark chocolate is OK in moderation)
processed foods (read labels and stay away from foods with lots of chemicals, preservatives, trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, etc.)

When grocery shopping get most of your food from the perimeter of the store. This includes fresh produce, dairy, meat, cheese, and eggs.

Think about why you are eating. Are you truly hungry or are you eating since you are bored, depressed, lonely or thinking that the fatty food will make you feel good? Dr. Phil McGraw says "You don't fix psychological issues with food." Food is not meant to be used as a form of entertainment. It is a tool we use to nourish our bodies. Spread out your meals so that you eat every 2 to 3 hours. You can have 3 meals and 2 snacks each day. Make a vow not to put unhealthy food in your body. Think of your body as a car. You only want to put the best "fuel" in your body to make it function smoothly. Life is all about choices. Making good choices will give you good results. Look at how you are doing and ask yourself how your current approach is working. Don't see this as a "diet" see it as a lifestyle that you will commit to for the rest of your life. Nothing tastes as good as thin feels.

One key that people often overlook is examining how many calories you take in through liquids. Soft drinks are loaded with sugar and have no nutritional value. Diet soft drinks are not good either since they contain aspartame, which has been associated with various health problems. Stay away from energy drinks, sports drinks like Gatorade, flavored iced teas or flavored water, alcohol, and milkshakes. If you have the vast majority of your liquid intake as simple, plain water, you will keep your body hydrated and lose weight. Unsweetened ice tea, black coffee or skim milk are fine now and then.

Finally, make it a point to do something active every day, even if it is only 15 minutes of activity. Exercise is important, but 80% of weight loss is eating the right foods in the right quantity. Find activities that you like to do. Little changes can make a big difference. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park further away from your destination so you need to walk. Joining a gym is fine, but there are many other ways to get exercise. Take a walk, ride your bike, buy dumbells and work out at home, exercise with a workout video or a video game. The Nintendo Wii has lots of great games that will get your heart pumping. A body with strong muscles and a high functioning cardio vascular system will function properly and burn more calories when you are at rest. Slow and steady really does win the race. Take off the weight slowly and make sure to keep it off. Since 2001 I have lost 80 pounds and have kept it off. In 2004 I lost 35 pounds, and from June of 2009 to March of 2010 I also lost 35 pounds. I went from 285 to 205 as of March, 2010. I used to wear XXL shirts, now I wear size L. I used to wear pants with a 44" waist and now my pants have a 34" waist. Get rid of your old, big clothes. Getting back into them and gaining the weight back is not an option. Crash diets or fad diets may work in the short term, but the weight will not stay off since people tend to be on these radical diets only temporarily. Establish a lifestyle you can stay with for the long haul. Don't see it as going on a diet for awhile until you lose weight and then you can go off of it. A "cheat day" is fine occassionally but then get back on track. Living healthy does not mean you can never have sweets or salty foods again. If they are eaten very seldom, then they will be more of a treat.