Question: So the bomb has dropped on what's been, personally, expected for months — that the Palladino wife-and-husband team, Amy and Daniel, are leaving Gilmore Girls. Part of me is sad. She created this brilliant show and the pair have probably written over half the episodes. But part of me is hopeful that someone on the Gilmore writing/producing team will hopefully be able to turn the show around, after this lackluster season, for its supposed last hurrah! What do you think of this whole event?
Answer: My gut reaction is sadness, that it's a shame that Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino won't see this show, which is such a singular vision and which is so entwined with their voices, through to its natural conclusion. (Which I have to think will be a year from now. The fact that they appear to have been holding out for a two-year extension can only be characterized as hubris.) Gilmore Girls has been such an oddball show this season. I love it — the tone, the language, the
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Deal or No DealYou know what would be fun? If the contestants had to dress up in silly costumes like they did on Let’s Make a Deal. That might help this show shed its overly dramatic image. Howie almost had that bemused look that Monty Hall used to have when he could just tell that the people were making a crazy gamble. Howie shook his head and seemed totally flabbergasted when Daryl turned down a decent amount of cash for a long-shot chance at half a million dollars. I know I’ve complained about the families, and trust me it annoyed me to no end when they got Amy’s little kids on the phone to find out what they thought... as if they had a clue what the heck was happening. However, I have to say that I liked Daryl’s brother, who in a weird way — perhaps
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Deal or No DealThings I don’t like about this show? The whole "let’s cut to commercial to build suspense." That really starts to get on my nerves. I don't like it when Ryan Seacrest does it on Idol and I don't dig it here. I just wish it would move along at a bit of a faster clip. I'm suspicious of the shadowy banker — the way he sits up high and watches the proceedings. Is it even the same guy all the time? Is it even a guy? I'm also not fond of the way the families either egg on the contestants or try to dissuade them. It is distracting — I’d like to see the people try to suss out the odds on their own. Probably a little less dramatic, but it would make it more interesting to me and more of a challenge for the participants. But there is a lot that I do like about the show: It's fun to try to cal
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Question: Have you watched Saturday Night Live at all this season? I am a fan of the show and usually TiVo it. While it does have a few bright spots (Tina and Amy's Weekend Update to name one), I would say that this season hasn't really been cutting it. Any thoughts?
Answer: I'm finding myself less enchanted these days even by the Weekend Update segments. Good to have Tina back, but there's a smugness to their delivery that can drive me berserk. This year I've settled back into the pattern that I adopted many seasons ago of half-watching the show for the first half-hour, muting the annoying musical guest (depending on the act) and tuning out after Weekend Update. I usually record the rest of the show to watch later, but then decide I've got better things to do and erase it. The sketches are almost always too painful to endure, and if there have been great new characters and recurring bits introduced lately, I haven't heard about it. And yet, most weekends I still find myself feeling
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If you think Survivor's Brian has some stories to tell, be sure to read our Insider Q&A with The Apprentice's Kristi!
As if switching up the tribes wasn't enough, on last week's Survivor: Guatemala, Jeff Probst uncorked another twist: He declared it a double-elimination week and both tribes had to send a player packing. The Nakum tribe ejected Margaret Bobonich, hoping to stop the constant fighting between her and Judd, while the Yaxhas snuffed Brian Corridan's torch. Apparently the Yaxha crew thought the recent Columbia graduate — who not only had book smarts but was also a student of all the past Survivors — was the weakest link. TVGuide.com caught up with Brian while he was in New York, and after we giddily discussed the fact t
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