TV: Amazing Race 12 To Begin Nov. 4, 2007

*note: this video clip is from Season 11's All-Star season.

So there I was, chatting with colleagues last month and celebrating the fifth-consecutive Emmy for the TV show "Amazing Race," on which I worked this summer. I was talking to a friend who astutely predicted that - if CBS's new fall show "Viva Laughlin" failed in its Fall debut, the new season of "Race" would take its place. This would be good news, as the show was originally scheduled as a mid-season program to air in January '08. With season 12 delayed (partially due to "Kid Nation" debuting this Fall with "Survivor"), chances were that "Race" could go to a once-a-year schedule.

So today CBS announces that, after just two lackluster airings of "Viva Laughlin," they're pulling it off the air and replacing it with - what else? - season 12 of "Race," beginning next Sunday, November 4, 2007 at 8pm Eastern and Pacific.

This is, in my humble opinion, good news as it hopefully points to the continued healthy life on air of what is (again in my opinion) the best reality show ever produced. So tune in your DVR (or better yet watch live) next Sunday for the start of season 12.

"If there ever was a season that I consider one of the best, it's this one," says Bertram van Munster, series executive producer, director and co-creator. "It's insanely funny, fast-paced and dramatic all at once. Teams are in hot pursuit of one another at every location and its reality television at its nail-biting best." That quote is from an online TV magazine...

I wish I could tell you all more than that, but you'll see just how exciting a season it was this Fall on CBS.

WEB: Line Rider, aka "where have I been?"

While perusing Radiohead's website yesterday (after finally ordering their new album "In Rainbows" subsequent to checking out each track on Rollingstone.com) - I happened on what is most certainly the coolest website/game/widget/toy I've seen in a coon's age - Line Rider.

As you can see from the embedded video, it's a site where users create a world/track for "Bosh" to slide and fly through on his little sled, with his little red scarf. Created by a Slovenian student and released waaay back in 2006 (decades in internet time), Line Rider is, as David Pogue, Time Magazine and Yahoo have said, highly addictive and fun. You can lose hours of time creating tracks for Bosh to slide down.

But it's not as easy as it seems. Using real-world physics, Line Rider will slam, flip, impale, decapitate or just drop poor little Bosh if you don't give him the right ramps and landings for his sled.

The Movies section of the website features more (and even more amazing) examples of worlds other users have created. Check it out... if you have some time to waste.

WEB: AroundTheWorldForFree.com

There are so many websites out there, it's hard to find truly outstanding examples of people using the technology - and indeed the true nature of the web - to tell their story.

Around The World For Free (aroundtheworldforfree.com) is an excellent example, and one close to my professional and personal heart as it combines the best in documentary and reality filmmaking with international travel.

Starring "Amazing Race" winner Alex Boylan and his one-man-band crew "preditor" Zsolt Luka, ATWFF is an ambitious website. The plan is to travel around the world and document each stop. Oh, and to do it with no budget - relying only on the kindness of strangers.

The daily webisodes are fun, touching, inspirational and entertaining - an amazing feat made even more impressive when one considers that they're being shot, edited and uploaded in the field, on the fly and by one guy.

Check out the site - it's addicting TV at its finest.

OUTDOOR: My mountain bike route

I made a map of one of my mountain bike routes from last week, so you can see where it goes. The Westernmost line (going North) is going up, the Eastern route goes South and downhill.

The ride looks short, but is around 18 miles long and climbs nearly 3,000 feet of elevation. It takes just under two hours to complete.

SPORT: USC drops to #10 in AP

After a disastrous 24-23 loss to the Stanford Cardinal on October 6th, USC drops from the #1 team in the nation to #10 in the AP poll in one week - and just one week before the BCS standings start. Personally I think USC is lucky to only have dropped ten spots after a game that the LA Times today headlined "Unfathomable."

USC was already looking shaky in their outing last week against University of Washington, winning by three points (instead of the 21 that Vegas predicted) and dropping to #2 in the AP behind LSU. Then LSU pulled out a come-from-behind win against Florida yesterday - cementing their #1 ranking after USC was spanked by the 41 point underdog Cardinal.

USC has all the resources a football program could ask for; from the university and coaching on down to the players and support infrastructure. How they could lose to Stanford is the big question everyone is asking. QB John David Booty was not playing well - that was obvious - with four interceptions and plenty of dropped balls by his receivers (some his fault, others not). Running back Chauncy Washington played an excellent game as well, but 'SC seemed committed to straightening out their passing game. And while it produced some excellent plays, it simply could not get the job done. And the Trojan defense, which not only kept the offense in the game but looked invincible for much of the game, seemed to simply wear out in the fourth quarter.

And then there was the excellent play of Stanford's offense and defense. Backup Cardinal QB Tavita Pritchard was on fire, and combined with a resilient defense to keep the Trojans on their heels the entire game.

Time will tell if 'SC can rebound from this loss in the national picture, as it still has a tough Pac-10 schedule (including Cal and UCLA) - as well as a rejuvenated Notre Dame. One thing is for sure; the days of seeming invincibility are long over for this program.

TV: Hits and Misses of the Fall 2007 Season

I know, the Fall 2007 season is well underway. But that doesn't mean I can't weigh in on my hits and misses of the new season (plus some already on the air), especially when the stellar "Cavemen" just premiered this week! So without further ado, here are my personal picks:

Watch It:

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX)
How can a show so wrong be so right? Now in season 3, this warped single-cam comedy is the most refreshing thing to come along on cable TV in years. Shot on mini-DV in docu-verite style, it mixes elements of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Seinfeld" to pitch-perfect effect. Some of the most seriously heinous plotlines ever developed keep this ship of fools sailing straight for hell.

30 Rock
The most clever, hilarious and fast-moving single-camera half-hour comedy on network TV. Brainchild of star and writer Tina Fey, the show is made all the more fun by its co-star Alec Baldwin. Brilliant comedic writing and just plain 'ol fun make 30 Rock a blast to watch each week. Its Emmy win for the '06 season should ensure it stays on the air long enough to actually get the audience it deserves.

How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
Sad to say that it's the only funny multi-cam sit-com on network TV right now, currently in season three. Smart writing and dialog is topped by Barney's character (played by Neil Patrick Harris of "Doogie Howser" fame).

Amazing Race (CBS)
Of course this is the best reality show on TV, and not just because I worked on it. Five-straight Emmys prove it's king of the competition division. Watch for a brand-new season 12 in January 2007, and hopefully a season 13 after that.

Mad Men (AMC)
Slick, smart and thoughtful drama about life in New York's ad agency biz circa 1960. Written by Sopranos producer and scribe Matthew Weiner, this show's photography is a joy to look at - and the dialog is a pleasure to listen to. This is the kind of show that belongs on HBO; the fact that AMC snagged it is their great luck.

Dexter (Showtime)
Talk about black humor... this is one dark, messed up show, which delights in its self-knowledge and twisted setup. Dexter (played by Michael C. Hall of "Six Feet Under" fame) is crime scene investigator by day, serial killer at night. It just began season two and is as clever and twisted as season one. Score: Showtime 1, HBO 0

Weeds (Showtime)
The best-written single-cam comedy on TV; pay or cable. Played with such glee and fun, it's the perfect post-modern look at life in suburbia. Exposing the hypocrisy and angst of life in the 'burbs (reportedly shot at Stevenson Ranch in Santa Clarita just North of LA), "Weeds" is hilarious, insightful and smart - all at the same time... no small feat. Score: Showtime 2, HBO 0

Californication (Showtime)
Showtime's hat-trick is complete with this smart, funny and endearing look at a burned-out author (played by David Duchovny) who has lost both his writing (but not sex) mojo as well as his "wife" (they never bothered to marry). The other half of the "Weeds/Californication" power hour on Monday nights, this is a romp of a ride through casual sex and an even more casual - and seemingly unexamined - life. Duchovny is an unshaven wreck of a curmudgeon in Hank Moody, who lives and drinks in Venice, CA. If only these shows were 26 episodes and an hour each. Score: Showtime 3, HBO 0.

The War (PBS)
Terrifying, heart-warming, inspiring and frightening all at the same time, Ken Burn's "The War" is an apt modern complement to HBO's spectacular "Band of Brothers." Both depict WWII in the most well-rounded and reflective light yet, and both show the horrors of the four-year struggle. But where BoB kept its portrayal of Easy Company's European campaign inspirational for the most part, "The War" documents Pacific and European battles for the bloody, disgusting, horrific and often insanity-inspiring theaters they usually were. Made even more prescient in light of our current conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan, this seven-part mini-series should be required viewing for teenagers and adults alike.

Skip It:

Kid Nation (CBS)
Perfect viewing if you are on the fence about having kids, this mini-Survivor just may convince you to keep your family small. Annoying tikes from across the precocious spectrum have been cast to provide pint-sized drama. Sometimes kids do say the darndest things, reminding us why we told them to speak when spoken to in the first place.

Heroes (NBC)
Really? Heroes, that best new show of last season? If it continues on its current trajectory, yes - skip it. While season one was fun and imaginative, it has lost its magic in the first two episodes of season two. What started as an inspiring and original concept has sunk into predictable and seemingly focus group-directed plots. The worst example is Hiro's descent into slapstick predicaments that were tired in '80s sit-coms. Nothing here to inspire - save your time and watch more Showtime programs.

Cavemen (ABC)
Lame (read: unfunny) sitcom about strangely superior-acting and snotty Geico cavemen, which proves that any lazy concept can stink as badly as "high-brow" comedy.
Variety calls it: "the lowest rung of comedy’s evolutionary ladder."

The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Un-funny sitcom about a hot chick who moves in next door to two geeks, and for some reason likes hanging out with them as they show off their lack of social skills and dry-erase boards. Her spending time with them isn't surprising just because she's cute and obviously with better things to do; but because these guys are such boring company. One is convinced he can eventually hook up with her, while the other is a whiny know-it-all who delights in his own misery. Oh what fun! I can hardly wait for episode two. Oh wait, yes I can.

Jury's Out On:

Pushing Daisies (ABC)
It's hard not to like this new one-hour dramedy, because it's just so darn cute. But I managed to roll my eyes enough times during it's "pie-lot" to find it guilty not only of being derivative, but overly cute and precious as well. The show stars a main character who seems a hybrid of Ed (of "Ed"), Chuck (of the new series "Chuck") - and Earl (of "My Name is Earl") - except this one can bring people back to life for a minute with a touch; and winds up bringing his childhood sweetheart back to life to solve her own murder. Isn't that sweet? The question that kept running through my mind the entire hour was 'why does he hang out with this girl whom he loves if one errant touch will kill her?' "Pushing Daisies" has both the look and voiceover straight from "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" in a technicolor explosion of poor CGI effects and self-consciously clever writing. At least it has one thing going for it; it isn't like any other network show on the air.

VIDEO: What A Wonderful World

My pop forwarded this one to me; stunning display of shadow puppetry. (really!)

check it out!

Blog My Yelp Blog

There's a great website for reviews of local restaurants, bars and other businesses called Yelp.com . I've been reviewing places for awhile, so I figured I'd put a link to my reviews up here. What's cool about Yelp is that it's written by locals (not marketing hacks), and you can see all the other reviews each reviewer has written; making it easier to trust their judgment.

Click Here for my Yelp Reviews

OUTDOOR: Map Your Rides at mapmyride.com

If you ride or run a lot and like to quantify your workouts using GPS and maps, there are a few options open to you. With the recent advent of Google Earth and its 3D mapping of the Earth, you can track your workouts by drawing a trail by hand within its software.

Then Google Maps added the feature (drawing routes) to their web-based programs, and even calculated your total distance.

Then along came GPS units' improved interface with computers and said Google Maps, allowing users to download their ride/run and have the waypoints layed atop a Google Map. Units such as Garmin's Edge series will let you not only plot your workout, but also analyze all that data ad nauseum.

Now a new(ish) website can allow you to do the same thing. Map My Ride will let you draw your workout on their built-in Google Maps, then - using the built-in topographic maps - will calculate your total climbing, descending and even calories burned. Call it a "poor-man's GPS computer."

Now we can all know exactly how much we've climbed, how far we've gone... and know why we're so damn tired after our workouts.

ART: Calvin and Hobbes from Post-It Notes

I used to love Calvin and Hobbes cartoons. And obviously these college students had A) too much time on their hands B) a discount on Post-It Notes and C) a lot of Red Bull.

MOVIE: Free Pass to "Heartbreak Kid"

Personally I'm not a Ben Stiller fan, but My Cinema Access is offering FREE passes to the Farrelly Brothers' new film "The Heartbreak Kid" starring Stiller.

Date: Thursday, October 4, 2007
Time: 7:30pm
Location: Pacific Paseo Stadium
336 E. Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena

Date: Thursday, October 4, 2007
Time: 7:30pm
Location: Mann Chinese 6
6925 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood

Click Here to sign up for free tickets at www.mycinemaaccess.com

VIDEO: Bush On Global Warming

This is too funny; Czech it out.

SPORT: USC Football // #2 and holding

I'll start checking in each week with a USC Football status, since this is the only team sport I follow these days.

So 'SC drops to #2 in the AP poll behind LSU, whose coach wisely played nice with the team this week and acted more humble than this summer when he opened his pie hole and insulted So Cal's schedule and the Pac-10. Smart move Mr. Miles - now that you figured out that the polls are based on actual people voting. Doh! Luckily LSU isn't playing much better football than 'SC these days following the "big upset Saturday" where 5 top-ten teams were unseated - watch for USC to return to #1 this weekend after killing Stanford and their stupid tree.

Team Outlook: holding steady for now; here's how they looked so far this season:
After Idaho Game: Unstoppable
After Nebraska Game: National Champ-bound, best running game in nation
After Washington State: Showed some holes in their passing game
After Washington: What passing game? And how about some more penalties!

USC has to get their passing game in sync if they want to beat their remaining opponents, they simply can't run the ball every play - they'll wear Chauncy Washington (#23) out!

FILM: See a Doc, Save The Sharks

My friend Day, a SCUBA instructor, forwarded me information on a new documentary about sharks, so I thought I would post it here along with its trailer. It opens November 2nd, 2007 and has received several awards on the festival circuit. Definitely a good cause, check out their website at sharkwater.com - it could do you, the sharks and the oceans some good.

TV: Colbert's "A Word From Our Sponsors"

Great minds think alike. Just hours after posting my entry about NBC's new online service and how they've embedded unavoidable advertising (see below), I watched a (ironically) recorded 9/29/07 "Colbert Report" in which his word of the day is "A Word From Our Sponsors."

Colbert obviously does a much better job describing NBC and others' use of streaming and downloading of their new shows - see if you can find the clip - either by clicking on this link or by looking for it on comedycentral.com "motherload" video section.

TECH: iPhone wi-fi iTunes music store.

I'm a lazy adopter. I wish I were an official early adopter, but usually I'm not willing to plunk down big bucks for technology until I at least know it works. But in the case of the iPhone, I was as early adopter as possible. I bought it as soon as I returned from an international trip, at the end of July. Oh, and I got all $200 back from Apple after the price drop too. So no sour grapes here.

And regardless of all the controversy over their policies for blocking third-party software, one new app they added last week in the 1.1.1 update is a real winner. Their iTunes store, which works (only) while on a wi-fi network.

Check out the video to see a demonstration. The beauty of the store is that it's the ultimate time-waster. Have a couple minutes downtime waiting for a friend to meet you at Starbucks? Looking for new music and want to check it out on the go? This store works like a charm. Simply touch the application's button and you're off. Find a song you're interested in and it will play a sample; just like on iTunes. But there's something about playing new music while "in the field" that is just that much more fun.

Now rather than jotting down song names to download later, you can do it instantly, then sync the tune to your computer later. Sweet!

RADIO: Adam Carolla - American Genius.

I'm a huge fan of Adam Carolla. And not just because he looks like he could be my long-lost big brother, but because he is the smartest voice on radio today... in my humble opinion (I swore I wouldn't use abbreviations like IMHO here).

If you'd like to hear Adam philosophize on just about every topic under the sun, click here to access show archives. He's only aired in 12 markets, but is doing well in Los Angeles where he took over Howard Stern's slot after the big-guy moved to satellite.

Check it out: you won't hear more profound punditry for the modern age.

www.971freefm.com/pages/1247.php?

MUSIC: Radiohead's brilliant play

The music industry is, apparently, all abuzz today after Radiohead's announcement on Monday that their new "In Rainbows" release will priced on a sliding scale. That is, fans can pay whatever they deem appropriate for their latest project - dropping October 10th.

By going to their online store at www.inrainbows.com, fans can pre-order the release via digital download, or receive a physical copy of the CD, sent via snail mail.

I've been a huge fan of Radiohead for several years, and applaud this innovative method for distribution - sidestepping the major labels and taking control of their music... and profit margins. It's reported that artists receive a paltry 30 cents for each album they sell via labels - using this direct-sales method Radiohead will keep all their profits.

This could literally be a game-changing move by this innovative band - one which forever alters the way artists sell their music.

TiVo's Couch Potato of the Month. (me.)

(click me to enlarge!)

Back when TiVo first came out, I sent them a user tip. I told them I liked TiVo because, as a producer working in the TV industry, my credits flew by so quickly that I needed TiVo's freeze-frame feature to actually see my name on screen. I guess they thought it was funny/useful, because they posted it.

They also asked more about my viewing habits; what shows I recorded etc. And then they decided to do a small feature on me, which was nice. I even heard from some friends who saw it on their e-mail newsletter. So I thought I would post a screen grab of it here.

The Web As DVR

Oh how I love my TiVo. And that's not solely because they featured me in one of their customer spotlights (see next posting). No, I like millions of other DVR (digital video recorder) users have changed the face of TV-watching (and TV distribution). I can't tell you how long it's been since I unintentionally watched a commercial. I sat through an hour-long show in just over the 43 minutes of actual content -- freeing up valuable time in which I... watch other shows.

So it came as no big surprise that the networks announced with much fanfare this month their altruistic move to post free streaming episodes online - either on their own website or, in the case of Fox, via iTunes as free downloads. NBC in particular made headlines this Summer when it announced it would be backing out of their iTunes agreement, and are now posting full episodes on their website. CBS and ABC have been doing the same for some time. I know because I watched a full episode of Lost at least a year ago when my TiVo prematurely deleted it.

Well it happened again this week, my Moxi (Motorola's excellent DVR distributed by Adelphia before they were bought by Time Warner) bumping the season premier of "The Office" for two (also excellent) high-def episodes of Ken Burns' "The War."

So I went on NBC and watched it (The Office) and all was good. Except for the commercials. Oh, I'm sorry, you thought the whole point of watching episodes online was to avoid commercials? Not any longer. I suffered through at least five segment breaks in my half-hour program, subjected to the same two DirecTV ads and two cars.com ads during each. And the difference between this experience and using my DVR was that there was no way to fast-forward the ads. All I could do was hit mute on my laptop and roll my eyes. That would have been a good name for this blog (rollmyeyes.blogspot...)

The point here is that, lest we think that we're actually getting a free service by being enabled to stream TV shows online, we're actually being locked into commercial watching. Again. Personally I'd rather pay $1.99 to Steve Jobs et. al. and own the show rather than feel like a pre-TiVo sucker.

Where To Begin...

I've been pondering having my own blog for awhile but, quite frankly, didn't know if I had that much of interest to say. I guess we'll see. Over the years I've sent e-mails to friends during my travels; each beginning with the title "Greetings From..." and going on to talk about wherever I happened to be at that moment; in a plane, car, hotel or other "exotic" locale. I guess I can post those here if they have some entertainment value.

As a freelance journalist I seemed to have plenty to say; and posted scores of articles on various websites. Most dealt with mountain biking, which I covered from 1996 to 2002 along with other events and locations. I'll link to random articles on here as well, just to keep them alive.

So why now? I suppose this is as good a time as any, and hopefully I'll find interesting things on which to opine, observe and dissect. Thanks for reading, I know better than anyone how many distractions exist to keep people from reading...