Posts Tagged ‘Prime Time’

Welcome Back To Entertainment

In: Entertainment

By: Libby Pawlick on May 16, 2011 at 6:19 pm

Fellow Buzz blog readers, Entertainment is back!  After a brief hiatus, it’s time to talk about all the good stuff that’s been going on in the Entertainment stratosphere since I last posted.  So much has happened that I don’t even know where to start.

How about we start with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Prince William and Kate Middleton, if you haven’t been following)?!  I don’t know about many of the Buzz Entertainment followers out there but I can say that I was not up at the crack of dawn to watch the pomp and circumstance.  Although, I did turn CNN on once I woke up to see their first kiss (scandalous as they had not one but two chaste kisses!).  They made a very cute couple but still having a hard time understanding what the big deal is.  I guess we all love a modern day fairytale.

Next on the docket is my newest reality TV addition, Extreme Couponing on TLC.  Who doesn’t love a glance into the psyche of the extreme couponers featured on the show who love to confess that their stockpiles are nothing like those of typical hoarders.  Interesting…  I am all for saving money and paying as little as possible for my monthly grocery bill but stocking up on items that I don’t need, I don’t think so.  However, my husband has challenged me to put this extreme couponing knowledge I am accumulating to the test.  Look for future posts about my training on becoming a wannabe extreme couponer.

And finally, to wrap up this week’s welcome back to Entertainment blog, how about the upcoming American Idol finale or the launch of X Factor.  On the American Idol front, although Haley R. is from Chicago, my votes will be going to Lauren who is an absolute cutie pie and has really matured throughout the season.  I am not a fan of Scotty especially with his mic flute holding position.  It really detracts from his singing.  Let’s see what happens this week.

I think X Factor is going to give American Idol a run for its money.  However, I am going to reserve judgement until after I go to the Chicago audition taping this Friday.  I’ll let you know what to expect and if it is going to be worth the watch over the summer.

If there’s anything you want to hear us chat about on the Entertainment blog, leave a comment after the article.

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The Best Part of the Super Bowl…The Commercials

In: Entertainment

By: Libby Pawlick on Feb 01, 2011 at 6:49 am

Update – I had to repost this article again because if my football team isn’t in the Super Bowl, I am really watching to see the newest commercials.  It’s interesting this year as I came across a post talking about how this year’s Super Bowl is going to be dominated with automobile commercials from cars to tires and car services which is interesting in light of the current economy.  In addition, the author states that it will also be heavily movie focused as well.  It will be interesting to see what happens.  As for who I am rooting for, as a huge Chicago Bears fan (extremely disappointed in our QB, but that’s another conversation), I want Big Ben and the Steelers to bring down the Packers.

In one week millions of viewers will be glued to their televisions for an event that can almost be considered a national holiday.  The Super Bowl is like Thanksgiving but in February.  Friends and families get together for a day that is filled with food and watching the game.  If you aren’t watching the game, you are probably tuned in to watch a new batch of  commercials.  Advertisers are banking on this especially with the average cost of a 30 second commercial this year in the range of $2.5 million.  This is probably the one day out of the entire year were they know you aren’t recording the game to watch later.  I personally like watching the commercials than I do the half-time show especially these  last couple of years.

Here are some of my all-time favorite commercials:

  • McDonald\’s Showdown: Bird vs. Jordan
    • I’m biased because I grew up in Chicago during the Jordan era.  I love this commercial not only because it had two of the biggest stars in the NBA at that time but it put an interesting twist on my favorite playground game of HORSE.
  • Budweiser Frogs
    • How could you not love these adorable frogs?  It was different at the time and created a buzz.
  • Pepsi Kid In Bottle
    • Even though I am not a fan of Pepsi, this is a very cute commercial.  The kid is drinking his Pepsi and trying to get the last drop that he ends up getting sucked into the Pepsi bottle.  Love at the end of the commercial when his sister says, “Mom, he did it again!”
  • Blockbuster\’s Carl and Ray
    • I am a sucker for commercials with cute animals.  Blockbuster used these two pets, Carl and Ray, who were excited about movies since the Blockbuster was across the street (of course).  Loved the Flashdance sequence.

What are some of your favorite Super Bowl commercials?

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Let’s Talk American Idol

In: Entertainment

By: Libby Pawlick on Jan 24, 2011 at 8:01 pm

As a devote American Idol watcher over the past nine seasons, I was not sure about this new season.  Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez joining Randy Jackson on the judges panel, really?  It is so hard to associate the show without Simon Cowell sitting at that judges table.  I just finished watching last week’s episodes and was really surprised.  I did not know what to expect out of Steven, maybe a little bit more coherent state of mind compared to Ozzy Osbourne but he keeps it interesting.  Some of the things he says are pretty funny.  And, Jennifer – she’s beautiful, talented and has made gobs of money from building an empire of singing, acting, fashion and perfumes.  On top of that, she is someone who still is relevant in today’s industry (not that I don’t love Paula but let’s face it, when was the last time she actually put out a record?).

It is interesting though that last week only had three hours worth of episodes – two hours on Wednesday and one hour on Thursday.  With the episodes not being as long, I also noticed that they are not focusing so much on the critiques, especially the bad ones.  Is that because there is not much content to their comments or is it not as much fun watching Simon break them down?

So far, I am pleasantly surprised with last week’s episodes and will be watching this week’s upcoming shows to see if I am still hooked.

For all you American Idol fans out there, what do you think?

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Winter TV 2011

In: Entertainment

By: Libby Pawlick on Jan 10, 2011 at 2:59 pm

It’s that time of year where many of us are stuck inside not even thinking about going back out after getting home from a long day.  And now that the holidays have past, it’s time for TV to kick it back up into high gear with new shows and our favorites returning from a mid-season break.

If you haven’t seen the commercials as you have been watching football or catching up on reruns, here is what is new to the winter lineup.

Mondays

The Bachelor (ABC) – Brad Womack is back and this time ready to find his wife.  Hopefully the speed of the show picks up because I was bored into the first 30 minutes.

The Cape (NBC) – For those of you who love superheroes, this show might be up your alley.  An ex-cop turned superhero trying to save the world, not sure how long this is going to last.

Harry’s Law (NBC) – Following The Cape is this new legal drama starring Kathy Bates.  The commercials have me hooked to watch the first episode.

Tuesdays

Million Dollar Money Drop (FOX) – Another game show, enough said.

Wednesdays

Live to Dance (CBS) – Paula Abdul is one of three judges on this dance show which has 18 acts competing for $500,000.  Maybe Paula has finally found her own spotlight.

Off The Map (ABC) – Grey’s Anatomy meets Survivor.

American Idol (FOX) – Challenging Paula’s new show with two brand new judges – Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler.  I think Simon will be missed.

Thursdays

Perfect Couples (NBC) – Comedy about three different couples and navigating through complicated relationships. Jury still out.

Fridays

Kitchen Nightmares (FOX) – If you didn’t get enough of Chef Ramsey during Hell’s Kitchen, he’s back at it trying to save America’s restaurants.  Who doesn’t love watching him swear and get in the face of the owners?

Sundays

Marriage Ref (NBC) – Nothing like laughing at other couple’s ridiculous situations.

Celebrity Apprentice (NBC) – Loved that they brought back the original Apprentice this fall.  Not sure that I’ll be watching if they don’t have some big names on this season.

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Reality TV – Hell’s Kitchen

In: Entertainment

By: Libby Pawlick on Dec 27, 2010 at 9:44 am

The inspiration for this week’s article comes to me from the season finale of Hell’s Kitchen.  Over the holiday weekend, I was able to catch up (through my trusty DVR) on who Chef Ramsey choose as the winner of Hell’s Kitchen Season 8 – Nona or Russell – he chose Nona, smart choice.

Anyways, as a fan of the show since the beginning (2005), I wondered what the previous winners of Hell’s Kitchen were up to.  I did some digging around and here is what I found:

Season 1 Michael Wray – After some searching around the Internet for details, it looks like Michael didn’t take the apprenticeship with Chef Ramsey that was offered during the show and tried opening up his own restaurant in Arizona but was unsuccessful at this time.

Season 2 Heather West – One of my favorite Hell’s Kitchen winners.  I discovered a great Q&A article about where she is working currently which is back in Long Island, NY.

Season 3 Rock Harper – Another winner that was hard to find any current information on.  From what I could dig up, he did his stint at Green Valley Ranch and was in Washington D.C. back in 2009.

Season 4 Christina Machamer – Even though she was inexperienced, Chef Ramsey saw something in Christina to crown her a winner.  She completed her stint with Chef and has gone on to do some great things including creating her own spice company called BCBC Blends.

Season 5 Danny Veltri -  Well, it looks like Danny didn’t actually get his own restaurant in Atlantic City like he thought he was.  He ended up being a sous chef and left after a couple of months to return home.  Hey, he still got his $250K.

Season 6 Dave Levey – Not sure why it is so hard to find information on past winners but it is.  After his stint during the Winter Olympics, there is not much to be found of Dave’s whereabouts.

Season 7 Holli Ugalde – Holli didn’t end up in London next to Chef Ramsey due to Visa issues.  According to her Facebook page, she is currently in Palm Springs, California working.

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