Fox has “Kitchen” contract
Even though Fox has to bleep the audio on every episode of “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Kitchen Nightmares,” the network wants more of chef Gordon Ramsay and his shows.
A new deal was announced Monday that will keep the famous cussing chef from the United Kingdom on the Fox network for several more years. The deal includes two more installments of “Hell’s Kitchen,” one more season of “Kitchen Nightmares,” a yet-to-be determined special and another series.
The fifth installment of “Hell’s Kitchen,” in which Ramsay (in Fox Photo at right) puts wannabe chefs through a culinary boot camp, will premiere midseason. “Kitchen Nightmares,” in which Ramsay helps restaurant owners turn their business around, airs at 8 p.m. Thursdays and is two episodes into its second season.
–Penny TV
Early look at ‘Lincoln’
Fans of ABC Family’s “Lincoln Heights” don’t have to wait until Sept. 16 to see the third season premiere.
Starting Tuesday (Sept. 9), the episode will be available on www.fancast.com.
“Lincoln Heights” is one of hundreds of current TV shows streaming on fancast. The online site offers free access to full-length TV shows and movies from more than 100 video providers, including networks such as ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox.
“Lincoln Heights” (ABC Family Photo at right) returns to ABC Family at 7 p.m. Sept. 16 with the first of 10 new episodes. The family drama, which earned multiple NAACP Image and NAMIC Award nominations, follows the lives of the Sutton family, who moved to an inner-city neighborhood with hopes of cleaning it up and making a difference.
–Penny TV
First interview for “Greatest American Dog”
Presley was interviewed by E! Entertainment moments after he was declared the winner of the CBS series “Greatest American Dog.”
Although there was a language barrier, it is believed that the 16-month-old boxer born in Perry said that the competition was “Ruff.”
Presley attended a screening of Wednesday’s “Greatest American Dog” finale with his owner, Travis Brorsen, also from Perry. E!, along with TMZ and CBS LA, covered the event.
(Photo taken by Mike Trozzo and sent in to The Oklahoman by Travis Brorsen)
–Penny TV
TV Talk: Sept. 14-20
The Oklahoman’s TV Talk personalities Penny Soldan and Heather Warlick tape a weekly video for Newsok.tv that highlights upcoming TV programs worth watching. (Mel Bracht fills in when Heather is away).
They’re not fast talkers, but just in case you didn’t catch all the information for a show of interest, here is their script for the week of Sept. 14:
P: Hi, I’m Penny Soldan, this is Mel Bracht and this is TV Talk, The Oklahoman’s weekly countdown of the Top 10 progams worth watching — or at least setting the VCR or DVR for.
M: I’m filling in for Heather Warlick, who is celebrating her birthday today. Next week is “Paula’s Party,” which is No. 10 in the countdown. Southern chef Paula Deen hosts the show at 6 p.m. Saturday on Food Network. And First Lady hopeful Michelle Obama was invited to the party.
P: Martha Stewart is inviting everybody to take a tour of her 153-acre property in Bedford, New York. She opens the gates to her farmstead for the fourth season premiere of “The Martha Stewart Show,” which is No. 9 on our list. It airs 11 a.m. Monday on KOCO-5.
M: No. 8 is the 10th season premiere of “Trading Spaces” at 8 p.m. Saturday on TLC. Paige Davis is back as host of the home makeover series in which two designers and two carpenters have two days to help two people improve a room in the other’s residence.
P: Two Nickelodeon shows tie for No. 7. “Dora the Explorer” returns for Season 5 at 9:30 a.m. Monday with Caitlin Sanchez as the new voice of Dora. And “My Family’s Got Guts,” a new extreme sports competition series premieres at 7 p.m. Monday.
M: “Supernatural” is No. 6. The thrilling and terrifying journey of the Winchester brothers continues in the show’s fourth season at 8 p.m. Thursday on The CW.
P: No. 5 is no secret. It’s the “Secrets of the Dinosaur Mummy,” at 8 p.m. Sunday on Discovery. This high-definition special documents the discovery of a 77 million year-old dinosaur named Leonardo that has 90 percent of its body still covered in skin.
M: No. 4 are Tuesday’s finales for “Wipeout” at 7 p.m. on ABC and “Big Brother 10″ at 8 p.m. on CBS. The winner of “Big Brother” gets $500,000. The viewers of “Wipeout” get to relive the show’s most memorable moments.
P: “The Biggest Loser” at 7 p.m. Tuesday on NBC is No. 3. Last season featured Amanda and Neill Harmer of Bethany. Season 6 features two-person teams made up of either husbands and wives or adult children and parents, but no Oklahomans.
M: No. 2 is worth staying home for. It is “House,” which returns for Season 5 at 7 p.m. Tuesday on Fox. Dr. Wilson is still mourning the death of his girfriend, and his relationship with his best friend, Dr. House, is shattered.
P: And No. 1, since both the OU Sooners and the OSU Cowboys have the week off in college football action, is “Smallville.”
M: The CW’s modern retelling of the Superman legend, which is also featured on the cover of TV Week, returns for its eighth season at 7 p.m. Wednesday. And Clark Kent (alias Tom Welling) is moving closer than ever to embracing his calling as the iconic superhero.
P: That does it for the Top 10. And now we’re going to continue our countdown to the 2008-2009 fall season which is 10 days away.
M: We’ve already gone through fall premiere dates for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday’s primetime lineups. And Thursday’s shows begin airing this week with “Smallville” and “Supernatural” on The CW.
P: On Sept. 25, NBC will air one-hour premieres for “My Name is Earl,” “The Office” and “ER,” while ABC airs an hour of “Ugly Betty” and two hours of “Grey’s Anatomy.”
M: Three new series begin Oct. 9. There’s “Kath & Kim” on NBC, “Eleventh Hour” on CBS and “Life on Mars” on ABC. And “CSI” begins its ninth season on CBS.
P: And finally, “30 Rock,” last season’s Emmy winner for best comedy series, begins its third season on NBC on Oct. 30.
M: Well, that’s a wrap for this week. For even more TV choices, consult TV Week in Sunday’s Oklahoman or go online to newok.com/tv. Thanks for your time.
Take part in “Biggest Loser” League
My, there sure are a lot of elephants on Page 2 of The Oklahoman (22.6 as of Sept. 12).
The pachyderms represent the pounds lost by Oklahoma City residents taking part in the mayor’s diet plan (147,213 pounds as of Sept. 12).
NBC is going to do its part to help Americans lose weight, as well. The network has launched www.thebiggestloserleague.com in conjunction with the weight loss competition series “The Biggest Loser,” which returns for its sixth season on Sept. 16.
“The Biggest Loser League” will allow people to create their own teams and compete against other teams to start living healthier and more active lives.
The web site will also provide tools to create motivational messages, weight loss tracking widgets, food journals, workout logs and challenge tips.
In addition, participating teams may also be featured online and on NBC’s local affiliate stations.
–Penny TV
Oklahoma’s ‘Greatest American Dog’
Presley’s parents in Perry should be proud of their pup. He was named “Greatest American Dog” Wednesday night on CBS.
Friends and family of Travis Brorsen were howling with excitement, for sure. Brorsen pocketed $250,000 for enrolling Presley in Canine Academy and outlasting 11 more experienced dog/owner teams during the 10-week series run.
“This has been such an amazing experience for me and Presley,” Travis said after hoisting the “Greatest American Dog” award in the air. (Actually, what he said after lifting that super-tall trophy was, “Presley, this is as heavy as you, buddy.”)
Then Brorsen, being the kind and considerate person he was throughout the entire competition, said, “To my comrades and housemates, you guys were all amazing. Anybody here could have won. I hope that people see that this competition is about the love for animals. Living with you guys in the house showed me that.”
Presley’s parents — Madi (owned by Brorsen’s sister) and Duke (owned by his brother-in-law) — should be proud of Brorsen, too.
He helped Presley, a 16-month-old boxer, paint a picture, fly through the air, push a go-cart, do a country line dance and walk through the legs of a 9,000-pound elephant — among other things.
Their final test at Canine Academy was to answer this question: “Why should we give the title of “Greatest American Dog” to a puppy?”
Brorsen summed it up for both of them. “One thing I learned at the academy is how smart Presley is and how much he wants to learn. And our relationship at the academy is a good representation of the ‘Greatest American Dog.’
“He is amazing, and I love him.”
–Penny TV
Vote for TV’s memorable moments
Remember when Pa told Mary she was going blind on “Little House on the Prairie?” How about when Ellen used the airport intercom to announce that she was gay?
Both memorable television moments, but are those your favorites? If not, there are 18 others (nine comedy clips and nine dramatic scenes) that viewers can vote for, and America’s top pick in each category will be revealed during “The 60th Primetime Emmy Awards” (7 p.m. Sept. 21 on ABC).
Go to www.emmys.abc.com between now and Sept. 15 to vote for your favorite and relive those funny, emotional and dramatic moments, which include:
“All in the Family” (“Sammy Visit,” Feb. 19, 1972)
“The Carol Burnett Show” (“Went With the Wind,” Jan. 10, 1976)
“The Cosby Show” (“Happy Anniversary,” Oct. 10, 1985)
“Ellen” (“Puppy Episode,” April 30, 1997)
“Friends” (“The One Where Ross Finds Out,” Nov. 9, 1995)
“I Love Lucy” (“Job Switching,” Sept. 15, 1952)
“M*A*S*H” (“Abyssinia, Harry,” March 18, 1975)
“Newhart” (“The Last Newhart,” May 21, 1990)
“Seinfeld” (“The Contest,” Nov. 18, 1992)
“South Park” (“Trapped in the Closet,” Nov. 16, 2005)
“Brian’s Song” (Nov. 30, 1971)
“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (“The Gift,” May 22, 2001)
“Dallas” (A House Divided,” Marh 21, 1980)
“ER” (“The Storm, Part 2,” Feb. 18, 1999)
“Grey’s Anatomy” (As We Know It,” Feb. 12, 2006)
“Little House on the Prairie” (I’ll Be Waving As You Drive Away, Part 1,” March 13, 1978)
“Lost” (“Live Together, Die Alone,” May 24, 2006)
“Roots” (Episode 1, Jan. 24, 1977)
“Star Trek” (“City on the Edge of Forever,” April 16, 1967)
“The X-Files” (“Existence Kiss,” May 20, 2001)
–Penny TV
“Lions” loose in OKC
Puppets from the popular PBS literacy series “Between the Lions” will be in the Oklahoma City area today (Tuesday) and Wednesday to meet fans and read stories.
Cleo and Leona, two of the lions puppets that run a magical library on the show, will host read-alongs with youngsters at two locations today and three places Wednesday. All are open to the public, and all but one are free.
Today’s appearances will be at 2 p.m. at Metro Tech Head Start (3901 N Martin Luther King. Ave) and at 7:30 p.m. at the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden (2101 NE 50 St). The evening zoo appearance is a fundraiser and has a small fee.
On Wedneday, the puppets return to the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden for a performance at 9:30 a.m. At 2 p.m., they will visit Emerson High School (715 N Walker Ave) and at 6:30 p.m. the Absentee Shawnee Tribe Little Axe Resource Center (1970 156 Ave NE).
“Between the Lions,” which combines puppetry, animation and live action to help young children learn to read, begins its eighth season Sept. 15 on OETA-13. The PBS photo above features a click of the mouse with Theo, Cleo and Leona.
–Penny TV
How good are your powers of observation?
Network News Release …
To promote the new fall drama series “The Mentalist,” the CBS Marketing Group has engaged a leading U.K.-based psychologist to create three unique and innovative brain teaser videos that challenge viewers to test their powers of observation.
The illusions challenge the brain’s instinctual methods of processing motion, form, color, and depth. The one-minute videos were meticulously orchestrated by Professor Richard Wiseman of the University of Hertfordshire and filmed on location in London, with on-camera narration provided by Simon Baker (pictured in CBS Photo at right).
Baker stars in “The Mentalist,” which premieres Sept. 23. He plays Patrick Jane, an independent consultant with the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI), who has a remarkable track record for solving serious crimes by using his razor sharp skills of observation.
To watch the three mental awareness videos — which involve a card game, a football game and a gathering of security guards — go to www.cbs.com/primetime/the_mentalist/.
TV Talk: Sept. 7-13
The Oklahoman’s TV Talk personalities Penny Soldan and Heather Warlick tape a weekly video for Newsok.tv that highlights upcoming TV programs worth watching.
They’re not fast talkers, but just in case you didn’t catch all the information for a show of interest, here is their script for the week of Sept. 7:
P: Hi, I’m Penny Soldan and back in the co-host chair is Heather Warlick. And this week on TV Talk, we are going to countdown the Top 10 programs worth watching — or at least setting the VCR or DVR for.
H: And No. 10 should prove quite helpful, as well. It is “The Doctors,” a new syndicated talk show airing at 3 p.m. weekdays on KWTV-9. It will provide viewers with a source of medical and health advice dispensed daily by five doctors, including emergency room physician Travis Stork (he was “The Bachelor” in Paris on ABC).
P: No. 9 on our list is “Do Not Disturb,” a new comedy that premieres at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday on Fox. Jerry O’Connell from “Sliders” and Niecy Nash from “Reno 911!” star in this series that focuses on the staff at one of New York City’s hippest hotels.
H: No. 8 is the syndicated weekday version of “Deal or No Deal.” It is 30 minutes instead of an hour, but you can can catch an hour each day with different episodes airing at 2 p.m. on KOCB-34 and 5 p.m. on KOKH-25. There are other differences from the primetime version, but Howie, the host, is the same.
P: On to No. 7, which is a tie between two new syndicated courtroom shows. There’s “Judge Karen” at 2:30 p.m. on KOKH-25, and “Family Court With Judge Penny” at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. on KSBI-52.
H: No. 6 is the return of “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” at 7 p.m. Monday on Fox. In the second-season premiere, John’s 16th birthday forces him to confront the reality of his destiny.
P: No. 5 is “Hole in the Wall,” a new body-bending game show that is already a hit in Japan, Germany, Russia, India and 12 other countries. Viewers can catch 30 minutes previews at 7 p.m. Sunday and at 8:35 p.m. Tuesday on Fox. The hour-long premiere is at 7 p.m. Thursday.
H: I am privileged to announce that No. 4 on our list is “Privileged.” This new series premieres at 8 p.m. Tuesday on The CW and stars JoAnna Garcia as a live-in tutor to wild and wealthy teenage twin sisters. It is based on the best-selling book “How To Teach Filthy Rich Girls” by Zoe Dean.
P: A trio of specials come in at No. 3. There’s “America United: In Support of our Troops” at 8 p.m. Sunday on ABC featuring Toby Keith as one of the performers. At 8 p.m. Monday on ABC there’s “CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock,” featuring Carrie Underwood as one of the performers. And then “Fashion Rocks” at 8 p.m. Tuesday on CBS with lots of musical artists but none from Oklahoma that we know of.
H: No. 2 is “True Blood,” a new series from “Six Feet Under” creator Alan Ball. It premieres at 8 p.m. Sunday on HBO and stars Oscar winner Anna Pacquin from “The Piano.” She plays a young waitress with telepathic powers who falls in love with a 173-year-old vampire.
P: And No. 1, if you don’t count the OU Sooners football game against Washington at 6:45 p.m. Saturday on ESPN, is “Fringe.”
H: “Fringe,” which is also featured on the cover of TV Week, is a new series from “Lost” creator J.J. Abrams. It premieres at 7 p.m. Tuesday on Fox and stars Australian actress Olivia Dunham. She plays an FBI Special Agent who investigates paranormal occurrences with the help of a scientist and his son.
P: That does it for the Top 10. Now, let’s run through the fall premiere dates for Wednesday’s primetime network shows.
H: “America’s Next Top Model” and “Bones” premiered Sept. 3, and “Do Not Disturb” and “Til Death” begin Sept. 10.
P: On Sept. 24, NBC premieres the new “Knight Rider” series and the second season of “Lipstick Jungle.”
H: CBS starts its new Wednesday lineup on Sept. 24. “The New Adventures of Old Christine” will be followed by the new comedy “Gary Unmarried.” And rounding out the night are “Criminal Minds” and “CSI: NY.”
P: On Oct. 1, ABC brings back “Pushing Daisies,” “Private Practice” and “Dirty Sexy Money.” And on Oct. 22, the CW premieres “Stylista.”
H: That’s a wrap for this week. For even more TV choices, consult TV Week in Sunday’s Oklahoman or go online to newsok.com/TV. Thanks for your time.
