Category Archives: NBC

Top 5 Jimmy Fallon Song Parodies

Since Jimmy Fallon’s Primetime Music Special aired last night, here is a list of Jimmy Fallon’s best song parodies.

5. It’s Not My Baby

Unlike the original version of  Justin Beiber’s “Baby,” which is unlistenable to anyone over 14, this is clever. Since we know Justin Beiber wasn’t someone’s baby daddy, Jimmy’s version is no longer relevant, but that doesn’t make it less funny.

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Cool TV Video of the Day: William Shatner Tells Trekkies to Get a Life

Today’s video is the “Get a Life” sketch from the December 20, 1986 of Saturday Night Live. In the sketch, William Shatner ends up berating a crowd at a Star Trek convention.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x930vt_william-shatner-snl-skit-get-a-life_fun

AGT’s Last Quarterfinal Performances

William Close and the Earth Harp

The 36 acts that have performed during the live shows on America’s Got Talent have been disappointing to say the least. A lot of terrible acts have been through to the Top 48 and even some of the acts that have made it through to the semifinals did not deserve it. I have said from the very beginning that the judges did not find 48 talented acts. They followed protocol anyway. That is, until last night. Tuesday’s show proved two things: some people in America have talent and also that putting them against other people who do not is a bad idea.

David “The Bullet” Smith
There’s no question that David “The Bullet” has a unique ability. However, watching him fly through the air out of a cannon ball can only be done so many times. He got shot out of a cannon ball and landed on a net, just like he did in his audition. There’s no way this could sustain itself as a Vegas show. It’s just one of the acts that could be seen at the circus. Risking one’s life for the public’s amusement has been part of American culture for a long time, but it can get boring.

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Sherman Hemsley Dead at 74

Sherman Hemsley, who is best known for playing George Jefferson on All in the Family and The Jeffersons, died yesterday. He was 74.

In the 90s, Hemsley was still appearing with his on screen wife Isabel Sanford. George and Louise Jefferson were reprised twice on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

 

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Cool TV Video of the Day: The Performance that Got Elvis Costello Banned From SNL

Elvis Costello and the Attractions’ infamous performance of “Radio Radio,” which NBC and Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels did not want played because is a protest song about the media, took place on December 17, 1977. Ironically, the performance and the ban probably would not have happened had the originally scheduled guests the Sex Pistols, who were even more controversial, been able to obtain passports.

At the beginning of the performance, Costello and his band start to play their song “Less Than Zero,” but then stop to consult. This ends with a full performance of “Radio Radio.”

http://vimeo.com/34008317

The ban only lasted 12 years. Since 1989, Costello has appeared on SNL 3 times. Lorne Micahels even invited Elvis Costello to perform “Radio Radio” with the Beastie Boys for Saturday Night Live‘s 25th anniversary special.

 

Weekly TV Update: July 23

Each week we bring you stories from around the Internet that you might have missed.

WWE Raw reaches its 1,000th episode. It will feature a look back the shows 19 years on air.

Aaron Sorkin lets go of  more than half of The Newsroom’s writing staff.

The Olympics opening ceremony is Friday. Find your local Olympics schedule at NBC Olympics.

Mindy Kaling is returning to The Office for at least one more episode.

If you missed the Teen Choice Awards, Jen Chaney of The Washington Post has a summary of what happened.

 

The 2012 Emmy Nominees

Earlier today, The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced the 2012 Emmy Awards nominees. HBO (81 nominations) and CBS (60 nominations) lead the networks in nominations. Mad Men and American Horror Story (tied with 17 nominations) were shows nominated for the most awards.

Here is list of shows nominated in the major categories:

Best Comedy
The Big Bang Theory
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Girls
Modern Family
30 Rock
Veep

Best Drama
Boardwalk Empire
Breaking Bad
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
Homeland
Mad Men

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AGT Results Recap: July 18th

Ashleigh and Pudsey

A  poor night of performances has become the norm on this season’s America’s Got Talent, so the result shows are not really exciting. It’s hard to root for anybody to advance. AGT makes it seem like sending four acts to the next round makes the decision tough because two-thirds of the acts get sent home. However, the real challenge is not deciding which acts have to go home, but rather which average acts will get an undeserving chance at winning the competition. In a season like this, a semifinal of 24 acts seems too big. America is forced to choose the best of the worse.

The first result grouped Mike Price, Jacob Williams, and Cristin Sandu. This was an easy decision for America, but it wasn’t a rewarding one. This group was made up of a juggler who dropped his props, a balancing act that failed, and a promising comedian whose skills are still raw. Williams was the only performer out of these three whose act went as planned. Of course, that gave him an advantage. I’m happy for Williams. While he may have deserved to advance, he also got pretty lucky.

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Cool TV Video of the Day: This is Your Life

Earlier today, I wrote about ABC’s Trust Us With Your Life, which is clearly influenced by This is Your Life. Both shows have celebrities discuss their life in front of an audience. However, This is Your Life surprised celebrities with people from their past and revealed information that the famous person might not have wanted to reveal. Needless to say, many stars did not want to participate in the program and those who were forced to participate resented it. Even, Ralph Edwards, who was the host, did not want his life revealed on television. Legend has it that Edwards threatened to quit if the staff ever tried to turn the tables on him.

NBC aired This is Your Life from 1952-1961. The episode with Dick Clark is presented below in three parts, two of which are after the jump.

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AGT’s Third Quarterfinal Performance Night

All Beef Patty

This season, I have come to expect disappointment from America’s Got Talent. Most of the acts that made it this far do not deserve to be performing on a national stage in front of millions. They are just not good enough. Some have promise, but are very unpolished. Some are just outright horrible to the point that I feel sorry that they were given so much false hope. Some are good, but they serve as only a mildly pleasant surprise. The  competition is far easier for them than it should be. The performances this season have repeatedly come up short. Tuesday night’s show was no exception.

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