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Recent Posts
- The Littlest Suspect – Kevin Pollak, Thursday, July 29
- Plain Jane Plainly Blah, July 28
- Breakthrough With Tony Robbins, Tuesday, July 27
- Masterchef, Tuesday, July 27
- Dogs Vs. Cats – But Why?, Saturday, July 24
- Cook Like an Iron Chef Will Help Just Cooking, July 22
- YourFamilyViewer is Taking a Few Days Off
- Penguins of Madagascar Off Again, Monday, July 19
- The Jensen Project A Family Show, Friday, July 16
- F-Bombs Okay? Wednesday, July 14
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By Anne Louise Bannon
 Kevin Pollak, courtesy Showtime
THE LITTLEST SUSPECT – KEVIN POLLAK
Friendly Rating: Middle school and older.
Safety Rating: Some language issues, but mostly mild.
Quality Rating: Slow start, but ultimately funny.
One-hour special airing on Showtime at 11 p.m.
I’m surprised this special airs so late at night. Unlike most stand up comedians, Pollak is not dropping f-bombs every which way or making jokes about his or other genetalia. Okay, there are a few naughty words, but they’re minimal. That he’s a bit of a stinker, well, that’s comedy. And he is very funny.
Pollak has been known mostly for the celebrity impressions he does – William Shatner, Peter Falk and Alan Arkin are the three most featured here. The advantage here is that even if your kids never saw Columbo or Little Miss Sunshine or any of the above guys, Pollak is funny enough that his bits are funny standing on their own. Such as calling a TV interview show as the guest star and claiming that the guy being interviewed is a fake. The bit, itself, is funny.
Hopefully, it won’t inspire any phone pranks from your offspring. And you may want to emphasize that Pollak is playing jokes on friends of his. But, hey, if phone pranks are the worst your kids get into (and I mean the harmless “is your fridge running, better catch it kind.”), then you are golden.
By Anne Louise Bannon
Louise Roe with Subject, courtesy The CW
PLAIN JANE
Friendly Rating: Teen chicks and older.
Safety Rating: Borderline – gender issues, some mild sex joking, and questionable tactics.
Quality Rating: Blah, blah, blah.
Series premieres tonight on The CW at 9 p.m.
Makeover shows have their place on the planet. I guess. The
Continue reading Plain Jane Plainly Blah, July 28
By Anne Louise Bannon
Kristin Alioto and Tony Robbins
BREAKTHROUGH WITH TONY ROBBINS
Friendly Rating: Middle school and older.
Safety Rating: Some bleeped language under duress.
Quality Rating: Pop psychology 101 – if that’s fun, you’re gold.
Series premieres tonight on NBC at 8 p.m.
My biggest single thought while watching this show was “Do as I
Continue reading Breakthrough With Tony Robbins, Tuesday, July 27
By Anne Louise Bannon
Gordon Ramsay and Faruq Jenkins, courtesy Fox Networks
MASTERCHEF
Friendly Rating: Elementary and older, depending on interests.
Safety Rating: Lots of bleeped language and some flirting.
Quality Rating: Compelling and yet….
Series premieres at 9 p.m. tonight on Fox.
I think my husband summed it up best. He wandered by as I was
Continue reading Masterchef, Tuesday, July 27
By Anne Louise Bannon
DOGS VS. CATS
FriendlyRating: All ages and species.
Safety Rating: Totally safe.
Quality Rating: Fun, informative, but competitively pointless.
Special airing tonight on Animal Planet at 8 p.m. Please note, no pictures were available from the network and I thought posting pictures of my crew would be too precious.
The good news about the
Continue reading Dogs Vs. Cats – But Why?, Saturday, July 24
By Anne Louise Bannon
Michael Symon, Courtesy Scripps Networks
COOK LIKE AN IRON CHEF
Friendly Rating: Teens, maybe elementary age.
Safety Rating: Very safe.
Quality Rating: Mostly fun, more informative.
Series premieres on The Cooking Channel tonight at 10 p.m.
Finally, a cooking show that has some application to real life. Don’t get me wrong. I
Continue reading Cook Like an Iron Chef Will Help Just Cooking, July 22
By Anne Louise Bannon
It’s a light week for new shows (although I’m sure there’s something I’ve missed). So, since I need to rest and recreate before the Television Critics Association Press Tour, not to mention watch all the upcoming fall shows so that I can ask intelligent questions during the press conferences, I’m taking a few days
Continue reading YourFamilyViewer is Taking a Few Days Off
By Anne Louise Bannon
PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR: THE LOST TREASURE OF THE GOLDEN SQUIRREL
Friendly Rating: All ages.
Safety Rating: A fair amount of slapstick comedy.
Quality Rating: But it’s soooo funny!
Half-hour special airs tonight at 8 p.m. on Nickelodeon, kicking off a week of new Penguins cartoons.
The Penguins of Madagascar has always been one of
Continue reading Penguins of Madagascar Off Again, Monday, July 19
By Anne Louise Bannon
Justin Kelly, Kellie Martin and Brady Smith, Courtesy NBC
THE JENSEN PROJECT
Friendly Rating: All ages except the very youngest viewers.
Safety Rating: Perfectly safe.
Quality Rating: Would be really good, but for the ham-fisted dialogue.
Series premieres with a special two-hour episode tonight at 8 p.m. on NBC.
On one hand, there’s
Continue reading The Jensen Project A Family Show, Friday, July 16
By Anne Louise Bannon
So I’m skimming through my email and find a story, via Mediaweek’s online link, that a U.S. Appeals Court has shot down the Federal Communications Commission guidelines for fleeting expletives on live broadcasts.
So the next time a rap star or football player drops the f-bomb on a live show, the network or stations
Continue reading F-Bombs Okay? Wednesday, July 14
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