TV Talk with GMMR and Ducky is back! After 7 weeks, we were finally able to see each other and dish all the dirt on our favorite shows.

Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, House, Gossip Girl, American Idol, The Office, Grey’s Anatomy, Lost, Supernatural, Battlestar Galactica, Brothers & Sisters, So You Think You Can Dance, Ugly Betty, Greek and so much more.

We take some last minute listener questions on which finale’s we’re most looking forward to and also which hot summer movies our fave TV stars are popping up in. Not to mention Kath gets to wax The Office finale after one Canadian listener begs for finale information.

Also, be on the lookout for the return of TWO IDIOTS TALK LOST! We watch the show but we’re not experts, sue us.

It’s TV Talk with GMMR & Ducky #21!

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Finally, some word on one of my most anticipated Fall 2007 series that got pushed and pushed and pushed and pushed… CBS’s SWINGTOWN looks like it will start swapping keys over highballs this summer! I’m freaking out!

My girl Molly Parker will finally get some long overdue network primetime lovin’ and I for one think that summer is the perfect fit for this retro series.

From the Hollywood Reporter:

Guess who’s swinging into summer?

CBS’ long-awaited drama “Swingtown” is going to be slated for a summer run, the network is expected to announce Wednesday.

With a few rare exceptions, like Fox’s teen drama “The O.C.,” scripted broadcast programming launched during the summer withers in the Nielsen ratings. A network’s holding a midseason series until summer typically signals a lack of confidence in the show.

But executive producer Carol Barbee said a postseason run creatively suits “Swingtown.”

“A summer launch is perfect for ‘Swingtown’ since the pilot takes place on the Bicentennial Fourth of July,” Barbee said.

“Swingtown” follows the lives of couples experimenting with sexual and social mores in a 1970s Chicago suburb. The show was announced at CBS’ upfront presentation in May as part of the network’s plan to push its creative boundaries with such shows as “Moonlight,” “Viva Laughlin” and “Kid Nation.”

The serialized “Swingtown” originally was set to launch midseason so that it could air straight through. But aside from the pilot — which drew a favorable response from critics — CBS Paramount Network Television had completed only a couple of episodes when the writers strike shut down production in November.

The series recently resumed production on its 13-episode order, but its fate had remained uncertain, especially since CBS’ own social experimentation phase hadn’t gone so well.

We all knew this was coming so no one should be surprised that other networks are following CBS’ lead in dropping the number of pilot scripts they’re looking at for the upcoming fall television season. FOX and THE CW make some cuts to both their comedy and drama lineups.

Per The Hollywood Reporter:

Fox and the CW on Tuesday followed CBS’ lead and cut their development slates. Fox let go of about two dozen scripts, while the CW dropped about a dozen.

ABC is said to be close to implementing a similar slate reduction, while NBC has been mum about its plans.

The Fox scripts are said to be about evenly split between comedy and drama. Most of them hail from Fox’s main supplier, 20th Century Fox TV, including a drama from writer Josh Berman and a comedy from writer Rob Hanning. Also affected are projects from Warner Bros. TV — including a comedy from the Wayans brothers — as well as ABC Studios, Sony Pictures TV and CBS Paramount Network TV.

“In the current environment, we’ve been forced to take a hard look at our needs for the upcoming season, and as a result we’re going to target a more focused range of projects,” Fox said.

The CW, which also cut comedy and drama scripts, issued a similar statement.

“Due to the ongoing work stoppage, the CW will be taking a more targeted approach to what is certain to be a truncated pilot season,” the network said. “As a result, we are releasing some scripts that had been in development in order to dedicate our creative energy and resources to those projects we choose to pursue.”

While the WGA and the AMPTP are due to engage in “informal discussions” that may or may not lead to both sides returning to the negotiations table, one network is taking action. CBS has decided to cut it’s pilot season order by 20 projects. That means 20 comedy/drama scripts got killed by CBS this weekend. Is CBS the first of many, only time will tell. My guess is “um, yeah!”

From The Hollywood Reporter:

In the latest fallout from the writers strike, CBS has trimmed its development slate, letting go of about 20 projects, most of them dramas.

On Friday, the network contacted the reps for the projects, most of which hail from CBS’ primary supplier, sister studio CBS Paramount Network TV. Also affected are scripts from Sony Pictures TV, 20th Century Fox TV and ABC Studios.

The list of terminated projects is said to include CBS Par’s drama “Brothers Grimm,” from writer Stephen Carpenter and Sean Hayes’ Hazy Mills Prods., and a 20th TV-produced comedy from writer Barbie Adler.

“Due to the ongoing writers strike, our development needs for the upcoming pilot season have changed, and we have released some comedy and drama scripts,” CBS said. “This year’s pilot season, at best, will be played out in a very compressed time frame. In this landscape, we are better served creatively, financially and strategically by focusing our development on a more targeted number of projects.”

Other networks also might truncate their 2008-09 development slates because of the strike.

Fox declined comment on its plans citing competitive reasons. NBC also declined comment, while reps for ABC couldn’t be reached for comment.

I know that this so last month but the article that premiered today on Boston.com is brand new and looks at the fallout from SURVIVOR: CHINA’s Lunch Lady Denise Martin’s life changing comments during the Survivor finale last month.

It’s a fascinating article that looks at how her little town of 8,000 has reacted to her live broadcast jittery misspeak.

Denise Martin stood in the doorway of her home and smiled weakly in response to a friend’s solicitous query about her return to work at a local school: “You doing OK? How did it go?”

Martin gave a thumbs-up and replied “Good.” Then she admitted the more complicated truth that was already evident on her face: “It was kind of rough.”

An understatement, that. It has been a wrenching and tumultuous few weeks for the erstwhile “lunch lady” of “Survivor: China” fame, who was thrust into a national spotlight - and then got burned by its glare.

During her stint on the CBS reality show, Martin became something of a folk hero in this small Blackstone Valley community. Residents eagerly tuned in week after week to watch one of their own - a 40-year-old, blue-collar, mullet-wearing mother of three - compete with younger, sleeker, and yuppier con testants on her way to an eventual fourth-place finish. In Douglas and nationwide, viewers accustomed to the deceit and double-dealing of reality TV responded to Martin’s underdog grit and straightforwardness.

Then last month she uttered a few ill-chosen words on the “Survivor: China” live reunion show, and it all went kablooey. Martin erroneously suggested she had been demoted by school authorities after completing her “Survivor” run, when actually she had been promoted before she took part in the show and had returned to that position.

“It was just an honest mistake,” said Martin, her eyes watering slightly as she sat in her kitchen with her dachsund (named Tedy Bruschi) on her lap. “But some people have lost respect for me. They think I’m a liar. . . . I’m not a liar. I’m just a human being.”

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It’s official, CBS will begin airing a severely edited version of Showtime’s killer drama (pun intended) DEXTER beginning the day after my birthday, February 17th. Is censorship a good birthday present? With luck people will watch and get so involved in the story that they’ll rent the DVD’s. I mean, how on earth are they going to edit Deb? She’ll have about 3 seconds of airtime each episode. Girl swears like its going out of style.

Apparently this marks the very first premium channel to air a full season on a network affiliate. Now where’s the news I’ve been waiting for? NBC needs to put Battlestar Galactica on prime-time and let the world recognize. Right?

EW.com has posted the first pictures of the castaways for SURVIVOR: MICRONESIA which pits 10 Superfans against 10 Survivor Alumni. Survivor 16 premieres February 7th at 8/7c on CBS.

The Superfans

[From 1-10] Michael Bortone, 34 (Writer/Actor - Los Angeles); Tracy Hughes-Wolf, 43 (Commercial Builder - Fredericksburg, VA); Joel Anderson, 32 (Firefighter - Avondale, AZ); Kathleen Sleckman, 45 (Golf Course Vendor - Glen Ellyn, IL); Erik reichenbach, 22 (Ypsilanti, MI); Mary Sartain, 29 (Small Business Owner - Emeryville, CA); Chet Welch, 28 (Beauty Pageant Coach - Ford City, PA); Natalie Bolton, 32 (Personal Trainer - West Hollywood, CA); Jason Siska, 22 (Student Teacher - Fox Fiver Grove, IL); Alexis Jones, 24 (Motivational Speaker - Beverly Hills, CA)

The Survivor Alumni

[From 11-20] Cirie Fields, 37 (Panama); Jonathan Penner, 45 (Cook Islands); Amanda Kimmel, 23 (China); James Clement, 30 (China); Ozzy Lusth, 26 (Cook Islands); Yau-Man Chan, 44 (Fiji); Eliza Orlins, 25 (Vanuatu); Johnny Fairplay, 33 (Pearl Islands); Parvati Shallow, 25 (Cook Islands); Ami Cusack, 34 (Vanuatu)

Ducky’s Thoughts: I really enjoy the idea of Super Fans taking on the returning Alumni but some of these Alums suck ass. Johnny Fairplay is a total twunt and deserves no more screentime on any show other than a blurb in the not so far future where a talking head reads his lame obituary. Yau-Man, I know everyone loved him but yawn city. Amanda from China sucks, she thinks she’s hot shit but really she’s just cold diarrhea (thank you Margaret Cho).

Now I also love some of these contestants! I’m super psyched to see the lesbian Ami Cusack back! She was one of my favorite competitors from Vanuatu and this is as good as seeing someone like Burned Hands Mike back. Ami kick some ass girl, oh and while you’re at it please drop Johnny Fairplay on his face like Bonaduce did. I beg of you. I also really like Jonathan that actor turned Survivor. He’s an ass but in a good way. Cirie, girl you know I got a soft spot for you. Glad to see you back in my life!

As for the newbies, I don’t have much to say other than HELLO BEAUTY PAGEANT COACH! I can only hope he passes his time using pigs blood to rouge the girls cheeks, sticks to tease their hair into unfathomable designs and makes them practice catwalking.

It’s New Year’s Eve which means I’ll be in bed by 12:01 a.m. — whoo-hoo! Yeah, I’m increasingly more smug and old manish on New Year’s Eve. When I was a kid my parents would always have a huge party so it was great fun. When I was old enough to celebrate it with friends, it was a bunch of hardcore kids, a cactus accident, and no booze as all of us were straight-edge. Well, a decade or so later and I’m still not going to toast the new year with a drink so it’s kind of lost it’s luster.

I’ll probably head downtown for the parade and the “family” fireworks (over by 7:10 p.m.) and then head back home where I pray noone in my building is having a party so I can settle in to watch Cat Deeley, Strokey Clark, and some others until it’s time for me to say goodnight to 2007.

Remember back in the day when MTV had the best New Year’s Eve show ever? It was a huge countdown of the best videos of the year, then a huge party with a bunch of amazing artists performing. The best always being the alternative bands performing covers of 80s tunes just after the stroke of midnight. MTV’s gotten increasingly shitty so at most in recent years I’ve popped over for a second or two, enough to know I hate every one of their on air “talents” and enough to know that I hate almost every “artist” out there today.

This year we have even less to look forward to on MTV as that whore Tila Tequila basically has the night to her skanky self. Then add Perez, Kid Rock and Good Charlotte… hold on while I jump up and down looking for rope to hang myself with. How Mary J. got hooked into this telecast is beyond me. Girl, get out while you can. Tila Tequila’s New Year’s Eve Masquerade 2008 (11 pm/MTV)

Ex-MTV goldenboy Carson Daly is back on NBC with Alicia Keys and Lenny Kravitz. Project Runway’s recent dress form Tiki Barber is a correspondent. I don’t care for the newish waifish Carson Daly nor Alicia Keys… and is it New Years 1995 because I know Lenny Kravitz hasn’t had a hit in at least 10 years. New Year’s Eve with Carson Daly (11:35 pm/NBC)
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Is PLINKO for sale? I’d buy that thing in a heartbeat! This just in from CBS…

CBS’s THE PRICE IS RIGHT is donating six historical set pieces from television’s longest-running game show for an online auction at www.charityfolks.com/paleycenter to benefit The Paley Center for Media. Proceeds from the auction will benefit the Paley Center’s ongoing efforts to increase the public’s understanding of the media and its growing significance in today’s society through various public and industry programs. Bidding will begin at 8:00 AM, ET Tuesday, Dec. 4 and last for two weeks, ending at 6:00 PM, ET on Monday, Dec 17.

The six items in the auction include:

Three (3) green door frames with door panels to be signed by former host Bob Barker

Two (2) lightable “The Price is Right” signs

One (1) “Race Drop” canvas used on stage to hide prizes from view

“A number of institutions as well as individuals wanted pieces from this classic 35-year-old set,” said Syd Vinnedge, Executive Producer, THE PRICE IS RIGHT. “We think it is fitting that the proceeds of this auction will go to the Paley Center named after the founder of CBS and one of the giant legends of broadcasting.”

“THE PRICE IS RIGHT is a pop-culture icon, and we are thrilled to be working with CBS and this hallmark game show to offer the opportunity for fans to have a piece of television history,” added Pat Mitchell, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Paley Center for Media. “We connect the media with the media enthusiasts whether through our public programs or through extraordinary events like this auction.”

The Paley Center for Media, with locations in New York and Los Angeles, leads the discussion about the cultural, creative, and social significance of television, radio, and emerging platforms for the professional community and media-interested public. Drawing upon its curatorial expertise, an international collection, and close relationships with the leaders of the media community, the Paley Center examines the intersections between media and society. The general public can access the collection and participate in programs that explore and celebrate the creativity, the innovations, the personalities, and the leaders who are shaping media. Through the global programs of its Media Council and International Council, the Paley Center also serves as a neutral setting where media professionals can engage in discussion and debate about the evolving media landscape. Previously known as The Museum of Television & Radio, the Paley Center was founded in 1975 by William S. Paley, a pioneering innovator in the industry. For more information, please visit www.paleycenter.org.

Charity Folks is the leading online marketplace for nonprofit fundraising, corporate cause-marketing campaigns and celebrity-driven charity initiatives. Managing hundreds of successful charity auctions since its inception, Charity Folks has raised more than $6 million for nonprofit organizations around the world, all while offering consumers highly coveted auction lots donated by today’s hottest celebrities, musicians, sports stars, high-profile personalities and top-tier brands.

Tonight is every straight and gay man’s fantasy. This doesn’t happen often folks, the mixing of pleasure derived by a Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show – it’s a peace maker between the homo and heterosexuals. Everyone can agree that the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show titilates and tantalizes, raising many trees and pitching many tents this holiday season!

Some of the hottest women on the planet will strut their waifish, size 0 bodies down that glitter runway. Bones will be smacking together both onstage and in every teenage boys bedroom.

Here are a bunch of photo’s from tonight’s show which also features performances from Will.i.am, Seal, and The Spice Girls.

12 More Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Photos after the jump…
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JERICHO fans just went nuts all over again! CBS just unveiled the return date for the 7 episode Season 2 of it’s resurrected from the dead JERICHO. Tuesday, February 12th at 10pm.

A special strike edition winter edition of reality fave BIG BROTHER 9 kicks into gear that same night at 9 p.m.

IT’s Friday morning and it’s damp, cold, and downright miserable here in Boston so I thought I’d chat about some news tidbits given that I didn’t see any television last night. Well, that’s not entirely true. When I got home at midnight I started watching SUPERNATURAL but couldn’t keep my eyes open. Being at work for 16 hours will do that to you.

Let’s start with some SUPERNATURAL news. Obviously there’s the whole Katie Cassidy tried to impersonate someone else to protect her “high profile” acting career after being a drunken mess and underage.

Then, did you hear about this? Apparently SUPERNATURAL is big with the Troops! Could it be all the violence, the hot girls, or the hot boys?

According to TVGuide:

Jensen and Jared were honored on Veterans Day in Chicago, Army Master Sgt. Kevin Wise, First Special Forces out of Baghdad, presented the actors with congratulatory letters and Special Forces coins. It seems the CW series is one of the most popular — some say the No. 1 — DVD request from military members over there. According to a letter Sgt. Wise read, watching the demon-killing Winchester brothers helps soldiers forget the stress of war and reminds them of family and home.

I’ve never asked my brother if he’s into the show… he’s all GI Joe and all so this would be good to know. That’s pretty frakkin’ cool huh? Go Jensen and Jared. Though to be honest, I’m a little peeved at my Supernatural contacts for not spilling that scoop to us earlier.

So up in Vancouver where they film Supernatural, it appears that a number of shows are closing shop this week and telling their actors to get lost. BIONIC WOMAN and BATTLESTAR GALACTICA are ceasing to continue production. Battlestar needs no more barriers… seriously can we just get our final season already! Damn.

Project Runway’s 4th Season Premiere killed over at Bravo! It was the highest rated show on Bravo ever. It’s all because of Tim Gunn, let’s be honest folks. He makes it work. See how I snuck that in, “make it work”… ah, good times.

One of my summer faves, BIG BROTHER has started casting for Season 9 which CBS is not confirming will begin this winter (thanks to the strike). If you’re interested in joining that hamster cage in L.A. now’s the time to submit your application. The Chenbot Lives Even In The Winter!

And finally today, I’ll throw in a huge sigh of relief and excitement over the fact that TLC has asked the ever perky and punctual PAIGE DAVIS back as Host of Trading Spaces. To be honest, Spaces has not been the same since she’s been gone. If we could only find a way to get rid of Frank, it would be the perfect show again. Bring back Doug and Vern too! If anyone questions my love and infatuation with Page and the Trading Spaces of old, you can surely find a Boston Globe article with me in it as a super fan. God that’s gay.

Here is a preview of tomorrow night’s MOONLIGHT entitled “12:04 a.m.”

Beth finds a kindred spirit in a frightened young woman who Mick is protecting from a killer’s cult followers, after they vow to avenge their leader’s dying wish that those responsible for his execution be put to death.

Click on the image below to watch “12:04 a.m.” preview

BIG BANG THEORY has become one of my must see shows but this week I have to say that they had their first misstep. I’m not faulting the show for one just “okay” episode though because I still laughed quite hard at geeky goodness and loved having Raj the spotlight of the episode.

The general plotline had Raj’s parents basically decided upon an arranged marriage with a girl from back home that just moved to California. The gang discovers that Raj has zero inhibitions when he drinks thanks to Penny’s using the boys as testers for her bartending skills. Raj talks to Penny for the first time, talks throughout his Indian pre-arranged marriage date, and loses the girl to Sheldon.

One of my favorite moments had to be the gratuitous use of a Mac Book as the vehicle for Raj’s parents to torment the boys. We learned that Sheldon loves SCRUBS, that he’s not afraid to cancel a planetarium membership because the membership card won’t fit in his new wallet, and that he’s really not interested in girls at all. Sure he stole Raj’s date but he only did it because he thought she looked like a Princess from a childhood book he was fond of. When the night was over, he was done with Raj’s girl and didn’t think twice about it.

Other favorite moments:

- Wolowitz pretending to be Raj, accent and all, calling his Indian Bride To Be and setting up a date. Here’s what went down after.
Wolowitz: “Now you can thank me.”
Raj: “For what? Making me sound like a Simpson’s character?”

- Penny’s excitement when Raj finally spoke to her. It was like when the WB Frog would start singing and dancing “Hello my baby, hello my darling…” and people would just light up. Hysterical.

- Raj comparing his life to his Father’s saying that his Dad is a gynecologist but that would never be Raj. “How can I be a gynecologist when I can’t even look a woman in the eye?”

- The Samosas

And the best and final touch of this week’s episode was the Chuck Lorre Vanity Card that usually says so much it’s impossible to read without visiting his site, but this week simply said: UNITED WE STAND!

Go WGA!

It feels kind of liberating to be able to blog again after our blackout yesterday. I wanted to write about Monday night’s episodes but couldn’t so this is kind of nice and freeing.

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER has been having a very uneven season but by no means have any of the episodes been boring. This week was not one of my favorites but there was plenty to make me laugh my ass off. Ted started dating “The Perfect Girl” named Kathy. Too bad she talks a bit too much, and by a bit too much I mean the girls got diarrhea of the mouth and everyone can’t stand her. Ted doesn’t notice this though until the gang points it out and then that’s all he can concentrate on. This opens a can of worms and by episode’s end each of the 5 have their most annoying traits exposed for mockery.

Lily is Chewbacca because she chews incredibly loud. There were the requisite gags about her chewing on nails, twigs, and such but the best was watching her reaction when Marshall called her out. Lily was floored that after 10 years this was the first he’d ever said anything.

Marshall was Mr. Sings What You Do. Apparently he’s got the tendency to sing every action, it’s his involuntary reflex like kids concentrating and sticking their tongue out.

Robin is the queen of saying “Literally” waaaay too much, and incorrectly…

As Ted, The Corrector is more than happy to point out at any given moment.

Barney had a trifecta of issues. He’s all high pitch/catch phrase/spaces out guy and one of my favorite moments of the night came when he combined them all and had no clue.

My issues with the episode were in the surreal moments, those HIMYM moments that sometimes work and other times fall flat. This week’s surreal moment was the smashing glass sound effect. We get it, the actors have the ability to use their faces and their voices to convey a moment of recognition… that moment of “Eureka” doesn’t need a sound effect just because you have that in your stock pile of sound fx. It was cheesy and over-used. This show does not always need trickery or gimmicks to stand out, the talent and the writing are enough to make HIMYM a killer show. Leave the canned antics to Nickelodeon…

Now for my favorite bits:

Marshall finding his shopping list which consisted of only candy, candy, candy, and more candy.
Marshall: “It’s a shopping list…”
Robin: “For who, a witch that lives in the woods?”

Robin (to Lily): “Where are those pretzels from, Ace Hardware?”

Barney (about Robin’s misuse of Literally): “Don’t they teach vocabulary in Canada?”
Marshall: “They don’t, literally they don’t!”

And finally, Barney’s newest catchphrase after finding out Marshall passed the NYS Bar Exam. “Lawsuit Up!”