Hot Off The Press: The Latest TV News and Information - Page 2841

Nielsen Overnights (18-49)
On a slow night, Univision dashes ahead
Finishes first with a 1.6 18-49 rating, just ahead of NBC
By Toni Fitzgerald, Media Life Magazine - Feb. 13, 2013

On a night littered with reruns leading into the State of the Union address, there was only one original show on the Big Four networks.

That paved the way for a rare weeknight victory for Univision, which also won every hour of the evening with its original telenovelas.

Univision drew a 1.6 adults 18-49 rating and 4 share in primetime, according to Nielsen overnights, just ahead of No. 2 NBC with a 1.4/4.

“Amores Verdaderos” was the night’s top show with a 1.8 at 9 p.m.

However, the Big Four’s numbers for the SOTU should go up when final numbers come in later today. The overnights do not account for time zone differences and measure only timeslot data.

ABC had the only original show of the night on the Big Four with “The Taste.” It averaged a 1.5 at 8 p.m., down 17 percent from last week.

ABC finished third for the night at 1.3/3, followed by CBS in fourth at 1.2/3, Fox fifth at 0.9/3 and CW and Telemundo tied for sixth at 0.5/1.

As a reminder, all ratings are based on live-plus-same-day DVR playback, which includes shows replayed before 3 a.m. the night before. Seven-day DVR data won’t be available for several weeks. Forty-seven percent of Nielsen households have DVRs.

At 8 p.m. Univision led with a 1.6 for “Por Ella Soy Eva,” with ABC and CBS tied for second at 1.5, ABC for “Taste” and CBS for a repeat of “NCIS: Los Angeles.” NBC was fourth with a 1.3 for reruns of “Betty White’s Off Their Rockers,” Fox fifth with a 1.1 for repeats of “Raising Hope” and “New Girl,” and CW and Telemundo tied for sixth at 0.4, CW for “When in Rome” and Telemundo for “Pasion Prohibida.”

Univision was first again at 9 p.m. with a 1.8 for “Amores Verdaderos,” followed by NBC with a 1.6 for the president. ABC was third with a 1.2, CBS fourth with a 1.1 and Fox fifth with a 0.8, all for the president, with Telemundo sixth with a 0.7 for “La Patrona” and CW seventh with a 0.6 for its movie.

At 10 p.m. Univision led once again with a 1.4 for “Amor Bravio,” while NBC remained second with a 1.2 for State of the Union coverage. ABC was third with a 1.1 for State of the Union and a repeat of “Modern Family,” CBS fourth with a 1.0 for the president and a “Mike & Molly” rerun and Telemundo fifth with a 0.5 for “El Rostro de la Venganza.”

CBS was first for the night among households with a 4.5 average overnight rating and a 7 share. NBC was second at 3.4/5, ABC third at 2.9/4, Univision fourth at 2.0/3, Fox fifth at 1.5/2, CW sixth at 1.0/2 and Telemundo seventh at 0.7/1.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/on-a-slow-night-univision-dashes-ahead/

TV/Business Notes
'Happy Endings' Moves to Fridays as ABC Shuffles Midseason Schedule
By Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter's 'Live Feed' Blog - Feb. 13, 2013

ABC is shuffling its midseason schedule, moving Happy Endings to Fridays and doubling down on reality on Tuesday.

The network is ditching comedies on Tuesdays in favor of a two-hour block of unscripted offerings starting Tuesday, Feb. 26 when Celebrity Wife Swap takes over the 8 p.m. hour previously occupied with freshman entry The Taste, which will now move back an hour to 9 p.m.

The Taste takes over the time slot previously held by the recently canceled Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 and struggling cult comedy Happy Endings.

Happy Endings, despite a recent uptick for its recent double dip on Tuesdays, will move to Fridays at 8 p.m. with back-to-back episodes beginning March 29, taking over the time slots previously occupied by Last Man Standing and Malibu Country, which will both have aired their respective season finales.

“We love those two shows. They're incredibly distinctive, and they’re water-cooler shows,” ABC Network Groups president Paul Lee told a roomful of reporters in January at the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour about Apt. 23 and Happy Endings. At the time, Lee stopped short of commenting on whether either show will live beyond this season. Apt. 23 was axed shortly after.

For ABC, the double dose of reality comes after the network this season attempted to launch a second night of comedy, transplanting both Happy Endings and Apt. 23 from their previous Wednesday slots. The demise of Apt. 23 and banishment of Happy Endings to Fridays mark the latest woes to come from the crowded Tuesday comedy field. Fox's critical darling Ben and Kate failed to make it to the end of the season, while NBC's fellow freshman entries Go On and The New Normal have both struggled of late without benefit of The Voice as a lead-in.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/happy-endings-moves-fridays-as-421521

TV Notes
'The Jeff Probst Show' Canceled
By Tim Kenneally, TheWrap.com - Feb. 13, 2013

Jeff Probst has been voted off of the daytime-TV island by the viewing public.

"Survivor" host Probst's daytime talk show, "The Jeff Probst Show," has been canceled after one season, CBS Television Distribution said Wednesday.

The show will be allowed to run out its current season.

Also read: Tough Talk: Can Katie Couric Claim Oprah Winfrey's Old Daytime Crown?

The show premiered in September and failed to gain much of an audience in a competitive time that also saw the premieres of talk shows from Katie Couric, Anderson Cooper and Ricki Lake. (Lake and Cooper's talk shows have also been canceled.)

"I'm super bummed but extremely proud. The truth is all shows come to an end," Probst said of the cancelation. "Ours just ended a decade sooner than we had hoped.”

“We believe Jeff is an incredible talent, and that he and his dedicated producing team delivered quality episodes throughout the season," CBS Television Distribution said in a statement. "Unfortunately, the audience isn’t there to support a second year. We are grateful to the entire staff, our affiliate partners and advertisers for their ongoing support of 'The Jeff Probst Show.'"

The one-hour talk show covered topics ranging from relationships and family dynamics to newsmakers of the day to families and individuals facing challenges.

http://www.thewrap.com/tv/article/jeff-probst-show-canceled-77616

TV Review
'Zero Hour' (ABC)
On the Magic Side of Brooklyn
By Mike Hale, The New York Times - Feb. 14, 2013

You probably think that Anthony Edwards has starred in more television series than he actually has — that’s what eight seasons and 180 episodes of a show like “ER” will do for an actor’s reputation. In fact, “ER” is the only show he has headlined; before that he’d done 10 episodes of “Northern Exposure” and a season of the 1982 sitcom “It Takes Two,” in which he was the teenage son of overworked parents played by Richard Crenna and Patty Duke.

So it’s nice to have him back on TV as the star of “Zero Hour,” ABC’s geeky new supernatural mystery series, which is set in contemporary Brooklyn but incorporates Nazis, Rosicrucians, white-eyed immortals, a dozen clocks and a secret that could bring about the end of the world. As Hank Galliston, the magazine publisher who stands between us and Armageddon, Mr. Edwards is once again the beau ideal of the heroic nerd — dogged, testy, awkward and indispensable.

“Zero Hour,” on the other hand, is entirely dispensable, its silliness matched by its comic-book solemnity. (“It will pit science against religion, country against country,” we’re told of the looming threat. “It will be unholy and like the world has never, ever seen before.”)

Mr. Edwards provides a reason to watch, especially if you have a taste for Clue-meets-the-apocalypse mind games, but it’s not clear from Thursday night’s first episode whether he’s a big enough reason.

Last year ABC’s dopey midseason thriller was “Missing,” starring Ashley Judd as a suburban mother and former C.I.A. officer who must dash around Europe to save her kidnapped son. “Zero Hour” shifts the genre from spy caper to mystery-conspiracy in the style of “The Da Vinci Code,” but the formula is much the same: Hank’s wife is kidnapped, and to rescue her he has to bend the rules and hit the road (to northern Canada in the pilot).

Like Ms. Judd’s soccer mom, he is not entirely who he seems to be; unlike her, he has the fate of the world in his hands. “Not even God can help now,” a dying cleric says, just in case we didn’t grasp the gravity of the situation.

As the rationalist Hank — his magazine is called Modern Skeptic — learns that the search for his wife will take the form of a globe-trotting treasure hunt with mystical and ecclesiastical overtones, he’s assisted by two of his reporters (Addison Timlin and Scott Michael Foster). Illustrating the show’s arm’s-length relationship with reality, these two follow their boss everywhere, even into meetings with an F.B.I. agent (Carmen Ejogo) working the case. She doesn’t seem to mind sharing critical information with a pair of journalists; they don’t seem to care that they’re sitting on a pretty good story.

There are plenty of implausible moments, large and small, as “Zero Hour” goes about its business of crossing the schoolboy mysteriousness of a film like “National Treasure” with the serialized doomsday story line of an “X-Files” or “FlashForward.” (A favorite: when Hank, rushing from one location to another per the telephoned instructions of a ruthless kidnapper, stops to tie his shoe.)

“If you knew the real truth, you’d lose your mind,” Hank is told. The question is whether the show, up against “The Big Bang Theory” and “American Idol,” will get around to revealing its truths before losing its time slot.

ZERO HOUR
ABC, Thursday nights at 8, Eastern and Pacific times; 7, Central time.

http://tv.nytimes.com/2013/02/14/arts/television/zero-hour-starring-anthony-edwards-on-abc.html?ref=television&_r=0
Edited by dad1153 - 2/13/13 at 10:00pm

Nielsen Notes
State of The Union Viewership Drops 11% From 2012; NBC, Fox News Lead
By Dominic Patten, Deadline.com - Feb. 13, 2013

As usual, all the networks aired President Obama’s annual State of the Union address live. In fast nationals, the first speech of Obama’s second term before a joint session of Congress continued the downward trend of the past few years — from the high of his first official State of the Union in 2010. Additionally, last night’s SOTU was down double digits on all the networks from Obama’s January 24, 2012 speech. In preliminary numbers, CBS was the most-watched network for the one-hour-plus speech and coverage with 6.22 million viewers. NBC was next with 5.79 million, followed by ABC with 4.59 million and Fox with 2.37 million. Among adults 18-49, NBC was number one but everyone dropped from last year. In the demo, Fox took the biggest drop from the 2012 speech; the network’s coverage last night posted a 0.9/2, down 47% from last year. Tuesday’s CBS News Special (1.1/3) was down 27% from 2012, with the NBC News Special (1.6/4) down 20% and the ABC News Special (1.2/3) down 14%. Last year’s State of the Union had a total audience of 37.75 million across 14 broadcast and cable networks. That was down from the 42.79 million who watched in 2011 and 48 million in 2010. Because the State of the Union was broadcast live, fast nationals will likely change in the final numbers. Time-adjusted ratings for the speech will be available later today and we will update when we have them. Cable news numbers are expected later this morning.

UPDATED: The first State of the Union of President Obama’s second term last night was watched by 33.5 million viewers. That’s down 11.3% from the 37.75 million who tuned in for last year’s address across 14 broadcast and cable networks. It’s also a State of the Union low for Obama, who has seen a decline every year since his first official SOTU in 2010 was watched by 48 million. It is not an all-time low since Nielsen started tracking SOTUs in 1993; that goes to Bill Clinton’s 2000 State of the Union when the he was in the last year of his administration — that speech got just 31.478 million. This year’s speech was live from around 9-10:15 PM ET on 15 networks and tape-delayed on Univision. NBC was tops among broadcast networks with 6.469 million total viewers, just ahead of the 6.4 million CBS pulled in. With 3.683 million watching, Fox News Channel was No. 1 among cable news’ coverage of last night’s speech. However, CNN won in the key adults 25-54 demographic with 1.436 million. Fox News’ total viewership dipped 3% from last year. Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, Azteca, Univision, MundoFox, CNBC, CNN, Fox Business, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, Current, Centric and Galavision all carried the speech live last night.

http://www.thewrap.com/tv/article/jeff-probst-show-canceled-77616

TV Notes
WB buys half-hour in prime time to promote Ben Affleck's 'Argo'
By Steven Zeitchik, Los Angeles Times - Feb. 13, 2013

With Oscar balloting in full swing, studios are accustomed to buying splashy print ads and 60-second television commercials for their biggest contenders.

But in an unusually prominent and extensive TV ad, Warner Bros. bought a half-hour of prime time beginning at 9:30 p.m. on NBC in Los Angeles on Tuesday night to promote its Oscar front-runner with a show called "Argo: Declassified."

The ad did not air nationally -- it didn't appear in New York, one of the largest Oscar voter strongholds outside of Los Angeles. (The State of the Union address was airing on the East Coast at that time.)

Still, the presence of a full 30 minutes in Hollywood during a key viewing slot underscored what's at stake for the studio as the Oscars approach on Feb 24.

The ad walked viewers through the making of Ben Affleck's Iranian hostage drama, with the actor-director touting the "granular" realism of his actors. Interviews with those actors were interspersed with thoughts from the real-life men and women they played, the reflections of then-president Jimmy Carter, explanations from Affleck and the crew on the shooting of the film and clips from the set and the film itself. It appeared as though much if not all of the footage was taken from the upcoming "Argo" DVD, which includes a lot of behind-the-scenes-material in a featurette also titled "Argo: Declassified."

The half hour ended with an on-screen touting of its awards and nominations and the familiar pitch that the film is "now playing at a theater near you."

With top wins from the DGA, PGA, SAG and Golden Globes, "Argo" is now considered a heavy favorite to win best picture at the Academy Awards in ten days. WB wants to be sure to fend off any late-breaking challenges from other candidates -- they include DreamWorks' "Lincoln" and Weinstein Co.'s "Silver Linings Playbook" -- while also showing Affleck, with whom it has a deal for future films, that it is making a maximum effort on his behalf. The ad followed a similar half hour on CBS in Los Angeles for the Weinstein Co.'s "Silver Linings Playbook" as balloting kicked off several days ago.

The cost of the "Argo" ad wasn't disclosed, though a half-hour in broadcast prime time, even on a slow night of reruns for many of the networks, is far more expensive than the individual 30- or 60-second ads the studios normally take out. An Oscar consultant for "Argo" did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the cost and genesis of the ad.

The ad sought to reinforce the standing of "Argo" -- particularly its voter-friendly fact-based qualities -- at a time when Oscar voters are filling out their ballots, which are due next Tuesday. But it remains to be seen how the ad plays with voters. Many are conditioned to the award pitches that blanket television and newspapers this time of year, but it's unclear whether a half hour in prime time will be viewed as bold or overkill.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-wb-takes-a-primetime-half-hour-to-promote-ben-afflecks-argo-20130213,0,6812757.story

TV Review
‘Freakshow,’ choose to enter or not
AMC reality show teases with some compelling anomalies of nature
By Tom Conroy, Media Life Magazine

Some things are interesting to see but not interesting to watch. The missing element is a story.

AMC’s new reality show “Freakshow” is, as its title suggests, full of interesting, if not shocking, sights. But the premiere episode lacks narrative. Once we’ve seen the title establishment’s human and nonhuman attractions, we have no reason to come back. The premiere is like one of those freebie exhibitions outside the tent that leave us satisfied and thinking we don’t need to pay admission.

Airing this Thursday, Feb. 14, at 9:30 p.m., the first episode barely tries to create a story line. Todd Ray, a former music producer who owns the Venice Beach Freakshow in Los Angeles, introduces himself and some of his performers, tries to persuade a 7-foot-8-inch man named George Bell to appear in the show, and holds a third-birthday party for a two-headed lizard he owns.

George’s scenes are the only part of the episode that could be mistaken for a plotline. A reticent man who works in law enforcement in Virginia, he has concerns about Todd’s use of the term “freak” and says that he sees his unusual height as “a gift of God.”

“That’s why we say ‘freak’ is a positive word,” Todd replies. “We’re trying to celebrate the difference.”

But we don’t learn in the episode whether George has agreed to work at the freak show.

The birthday is even weaker as a story. A frighteningly tattooed and pierced performer named Marcus, a.k.a. the Creature, goes to a bakery and buys a birthday cake with the two-headed lizard sculpted in frosting on top. Reality-TV fans may wonder if this episode is a crossover with one of the many workplace shows about dessert makers.

Here and there Todd launches into a discourse about the history of freak shows and sideshows. Reminiscent of the little lessons on “Pawn Stars,” these detours feel as if the producers felt the need to add some redeeming social value to what could be seen as an exercise in voyeurism.

Todd and the performers use the lizard’s party as a way to draw a crowd, leading to what looks like a decent haul of ticket buyers, who seem to have a good time inside. Todd tells the camera that the reason he does what he does is to see the wonder in a child’s eyes.

The performers are, in fact, pretty spectacular. Todd’s daughter, Asia, does a cool fire-eating act.

Others are striking but a little sad. Marcus’ self-inflicted disfigurement will make him an outsider for life.

Among Todd’s other performers is a “shock artist” named Morgue, who inserts a power drill in his nose and does a sword-swallowing act in which he actually lets go of the sword and allows it to drop to the hilt.

But he does that same stunt twice in the episode, and it’s less spectacular the second time. Even if Todd adds a new performer each episode, the show seems likely to run out of material quickly.

Of course, the producers could follow the lead of most workplace reality shows and fill time with arguments, practical jokes or assignments that the staffers have to complete under a tight deadline.

“Freakshow” may be intended to celebrate differences, but it seems the only way it can keep going is by becoming more normal.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/freakshow-choose-to-enter-or-not/
Edited by dad1153 - 2/13/13 at 10:20pm

TV Review
'Zero Hour': Only time will tell if it works
By Robert Bianco, USA Today - Feb. 14, 2013

In case you haven't noticed, you're driving the networks nuts.

Putting aside CBS, which generally has a solid bead on what works for its audience, they don't know what you want. And they seldom know what they want, so they can't fall back on that as a guide. All they know is that their former hits are plummeting (again, less so at CBS), and they haven't come up with the kind of big hits they need to replace them.

So they're flailing around, trying to find something that will strike you as "different," without worrying much over whether it actually is. Fox has imported cable-levels of shock and violence (if not dramatic intensity) for The Following. NBC has tried — and failed — with a political spoof (1600 Penn), a mystery soap (Deception) and a med show/horror show hybrid (Do No Harm, which will at least be remembered for failing on a historic scale).

And now ABC books passage on the network crazy train with Zero Hour (Thursday at 8:00 p.m.), an incredibly complicated, studiously silly puzzle inspired by Da Vinci Code (or, seeing as ABC is a Disney company, National Treasure), combining Nazi genetic experiments, a mysterious sect of Catholic clockmakers, a treasure map hidden in a diamond and a secret that, if discovered, could mean "the end of mankind as we know it."

Throw in ER's Anthony Edwards as your average-guy Hitchcock-hero swept into the hunt against his will and you have ... well, actually, it's not clear what you have, other than a grand swing of the bat that will be seen as clever if it connects and insane if it whiffs.

Produced by Zack Estrin — last represented on TV by two failed ABC experiments, The River and No Ordinary Family — Zero casts Edwards as Hank, editor of the myth-debunking magazine Modern Skeptic.

At a flea market, he and his wife (Jacinda Barrett) discover an odd, old clock, a discovery that quickly gets her kidnapped and draws him into a search for a potentially earth-destroying secret that has been guarded by the Rosicrucians for generations. (Why do people in these stories always guard these dangerous secrets rather than just destroying them? If they're waiting for us to be mature enough to use them properly, that's clearly never going to happen.)

Luckily, Hank has that ancient map laden with clues in, naturally, a lost language. And he doesn't have to follow them alone: At his side he has two magazine staffers (Addison Timlin and Scott Michael Foster, providing the show's only comic relief) and a beautiful FBI agent (Carmen Ejogo).

If you're of a certain mind or in a certain mood, that may sound like fun, and it well might be. It may not be clear where the story's going, but it does have momentum — and, ABC promises, it will only extend for a 13-episode run, when answers will be supplied and the plot will conclude. Should Zero return for another season, Hank will have a new conspiracy to crack.

And there's the rub: Hank. For these stories to work, we have to invest in the everyman hero caught in the center, and while Edwards may be convincing as the "everyman" part of the equation, the "hero" eludes him.

Part of it is the writing; too many of the breakthroughs tonight are made by other people, with Hank just following along. But part of the blame goes to Edwards, who sometimes seems oddly unenergized for someone who suddenly finds himself battling homicidal, Nazi-loving, clock-stealing conspirators to rescue his wife and save the world.

Sure, it sounds nuts. But if that can't wake a man up, what can?

http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2013/02/13/bianco-review-zero-hour/1916395/

TV Review
‘Immortalized,’ fails to rise from the dead
In this AMC series, taxidermists stitch together dead animals
By Tom Conroy, Media Life Magazine

In a classic “Saturday Night Live” parody of “Family Feud,” Bill Murray, playing the game show’s then host, Richard Dawson, walked onstage saying, “I hope you’re as excited as I’m pretending to be.”

That hope clearly drives the producers of AMC’s new series “Immortalized,” an absurdly pumped-up competition show in which taxidermists compete to see who can create the best display based on a vague theme. The “Iron Chef”-like hoopla distracts from, rather than enhances, the mild interest viewers might have in seeing the artists’ work, and the show never comes to life.

Premiering this Thursday, Feb. 14, at 10 p.m., “Immortalized” features a rotating cast of four “immortalizers,” who are presumably expert taxidermists. As classical choruses chant on the soundtrack, the show’s deadpan but constantly overdramatizing host, Zach Selwyn, explains that two of the immortalizers are traditionalists; the others are “rogue taxidermists, makers of macabre menageries that push the boundaries of reality.” In other words, they stitch together parts from different animals.

In this episode, Selwyn says, “one audacious individual dares to suggest he’s the equal of our immortalizers.” In other words, he’s going to compete with one of them.

The audacious individual is a man named Kevin who specializes in mounting insects. “You won’t see me coming,” he says, “just like a bug.” His opposing immortalizer is a rogue named Beth Beverly, who, as she walks out on the stage, asks Selwyn, “Is this the lamb you brought me to slaughter?”

Although we might expect both of them to start skinning their opponent alive, they instead go off to their respective studios. The theme they are supposed to represent is “Size matters.”

Kevin decides to build a Gulliver-like figure of a man that is covered by insects. Beth stitches together a cat’s forequarters with a fish tail and a horn on its head.

Their working methods are sketchily represented. What we see isn’t that intriguing.

The judging process is odd. Both of them return to the studio set, where they are to be judged by two people who have some expertise in taxidermy and one comic actor, Brian Posehn, whose odd demeanor is enough to convince us that he might have some casual acquaintance with the subject.

The competitors then have to take their creations out of crates and assemble them under an unspecified time constraint. Since Beth’s piece is far less complicated, she has a huge advantage here.

Both competitors then present their pieces to the judges. Kevin explains that his piece shows that size in numbers can trump physical size. He has used a jar of poisonous ants as the human’s heart, pointing out that “ants are the soul of the earth.”

Beth tells the judges that in keeping with the assigned theme, her creature’s body parts are useless because their proportions are off, hence the props that she uses to hold up its head and tail. Most viewers will suspect that the props are actually there because if they weren’t, the head and tail would flop to the ground.

Cat lovers will be slightly relieved to hear that Beth got the cat from a friend, presumably after the cat had died of natural causes.

Both pieces would certainly hold our attention for a few seconds if we walked by them in a shop, but we have to keep looking at them while the judges discuss their finer points. The judges seem to agree that Beth’s piece has little to do with the theme.

Most viewers’ curiosity will have faded to zero by the time the winner is announced.

A second episode made available for review pits two traditional taxidermists against each other, using the theme of the end of the world. A second-generation professional taxidermist named C.J. is pitted against an immortalizer named Page Nethercutt.

Selwyn tries to goad the two, who are previously acquainted, into exchanging words onstage, with little success but a lot of awkwardness.

C.J., who says twice that he always gives 110 percent, creates an eye-catching display in which a variety of woodland creatures are startled by some sort of underground explosion. Page, meanwhile, creates a lifelike diorama of a bobcat catching a quail. He explains that for the quail, it’s the end of the world.

It’s unclear whether the immortalizers are going to fudge the theme every week. Adding to our impression that Page didn’t even try to come up with something new, one of the judges says that he’s seen a lot of mounted bobcats grabbing birds.

As the competitors are assembling their pieces, Selwyn says, “You can cut the tension in here with a bone saw.” Viewers can cut the boredom in their living rooms with a remote control.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/immortalized-fails-to-rise-from-the-dead/

Critics' Notes
Check This 'Ship' Out: The 9 Kinds of Sitcom Relationship that Make You Feel Even Lonelier
By HuffingtonPost.com/Hulu.com Staff - Feb. 13, 2013

It's Valentine's Day weekend, and like many fans of television around this time, our thoughts have turned to shipping. Wait, not sitting around and waiting for Amazon to send you 1,000 K-Cups for $40. Not that kind of shipping. That would be a weird way to spend a Valentine's Day.

We're talking about the relationships, or 'ships, we root for between characters on our favorite shows and then writing about it. If your first reaction to this is "What a horrible waste of time!" we say, welcome to the Internet! Mind the cats.

But if you read this and thought, "I wonder if, after explaining it all, Clarissa grew up to marry Sam," well, now we're on the same page. In honor of the season of Cupid, and rather than strive for an authentic relationship in the real world, we recently got together and thought about characters in recent and past TV whom we've shipped, and how they've made us feel. Read on while we evaluate why we're still alone. So very alone.--Martin Moakler

Express Shipping
New Girl -- Nick & Jess
I wanted it to happen. I expected it to happen. Hell, I knew it would happen. So why was I so surprised when Nick and Jess kissed on New Girl? After years of being conditioned to follow the ups and downs of the will-they-or-won't-theys of Sam & Diane, Ross & Rachel and Jim & Pam over so many seasons, Jess and Nick Amazon Primed their hook up so we got it on the second business season--six seasons before the norm. Now I'm left wondering what to hope for with the show. Perhaps this is the future of sitcoms, having come full circle from when we would read books in a single sitting and experience love and loss, life and death over the course of a couple of hours, minus the commercial breaks and the product placement. Maybe we're losing our attention spans for TV series and don't have the patience to wait around for something that could be canceled at an executive's whim. Or maybe, we finally aren't going to put up with TV characters in a manner we wouldn't tolerate of our friends. "Enough of the back and forth, you two! Get a room!" -Martin Moakler

Held Up at Customs
Supernatural -- Sam & Dean
Do you like the show Supernatural? Do you enjoy watching the hard-knock adventures of Sam and Dean Winchester, the handsomest demon-hunting brothers on TV? Would you like to search for say, a nice gif of one of Dean's facial expressions to add to your Tumblr?

Do it at your own risk. You might find yourself falling into one of those deep, dark pits in the Internet's subculture underbelly--because, apparently, "Wincest" is a thing.

Sure, Sam and Dean are both good-looking fellows. They fight ghosts, eat cheeseburgers, yell at each other, and occasionally slay things that they recently slept with. So what about their relationship has aroused this phenomenon of people shipping the two of them getting it on? Their affection for each other on the show never goes beyond brotherly, but you'd never know if from the amount of fanfic, fanart, and general frenzy out there every time one of them claps the other on the shoulder. Despite this, we can only hope the producers will never allow their illicit love to actually blossom (not even in a dream sequence, alternate reality, or time travel episode, please).

So, to recap: Don't google Wincest. Unless, well, you're into that kind of thing. And if so, we'd like to see what you make of this clip where they sacrifice ties with everyone else they care about to be together forever. Then they broodily drink beer in front of the TV. Then it fades to black. Phew. Is it hot in here?

See also: Destiel. Or don't. We're going to go clear our cache now.--Naivasha Dean

Signature Required
Parks & Recreation -- Leslie & Ben
There was never any REAL doubt that Leslie and Ben from Parks and Recreation would end up ecstatically engaged and planning a wedding catered by a waffle place. They went from instant enemies (Ben arrived on the scene to slash the Park's department budget) to kissing in front of The Knope-Wyatt Unity Quilt and becoming one of the most adored ships out there. Seriously -- all of America is personally invested in this romance. Even those of us who are simultaneously rooting for Leslie and Joe Biden, or Ben and Calzones (yes, people are doing that).

But for a while there, they really had us going with the unsanctioned workplace romance - because if there's anyone who would screw up true love to keep a thankless job in low-level government administration, it's Ms. Knope. City Hall's no-dating policy had the couple (mostly unsuccessfully) sneaking around, and the tension only mounted when Leslie decided to run for office at the end of Season Three. Eventually, they confessed to everything - but Ben had to resign his job in order to save Leslie's candidacy and get the city's stamp of approval.

Worth it though, for the waffles. --Naivasha Dean

Ground Shipping
The X-Files -- Mulder & Scully
Relationships traveling via ground shipping take a very long time to get where they're going, almost to the point where you worry that they've fallen off the truck.

In the 1993 pilot of The X-Files, skeptical scientist Dana Scully was first introduced to believer and paranormalist Fox Mulder, and the stage was set for a compelling opposites-attract, will-they-or-won't-they dynamic. Dedicated fans obsessed over every small, chemistry-laden interaction between the characters, searching for hints that they were on their way to sealing the deal and giving birth to the entire concept of shipping (according to this Wikipedia article):

But it wasn't until more than six full seasons and a feature-length film later that the pair finally shared their first on-screen kiss, resulting in long years of pent-up frustration among ardent shippers:

The road to ultimate coupledom was also a bumpy one, as the pair had to survive Scully's cancer, Mulder's alien abduction, the birth and subsequent adoption of their baby son, and a vast government conspiracy preparing the world for new extraterrestrial overlords. Happily, the series ended on a note tailor-made for shippers, as the final closing moments show Mulder and Scully connecting at last over their previously conflicting ideas of hope and faith.--Kristin Knox

Suspicious Packages
Dexter -- Dexter and Debra
Controversial relationships of questionable taste or prudence may be marked as suspicious packages, warning viewers to open with caution.

In season six of Showtime's Dexter, Debra Morgan came to realize that she not only loved her adopted brother, she was in love with him.

Unfortunately for her, she soon after discovered Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show) Will the show's writers ultimately go in that direction? We only have to wait four more months to find out.--Kristin Knox

Modern Family - Dylan and Claire
Dylan once said to Claire: "All women should look as tasty as you when they're old."

Dylan's a junior in high school when he says this. Let's just move on.--Nathan Alexander

Lost Packages
Community -- Jeff and Britta and Annie
Sometimes after you move, what's rightfully yours gets sent to the wrong place. Even though the senders are the ones making the mistake, you are the one who looks like an idiot, going over to your old place, mumbling apologies about the mix-up. In Community, Britta is the unfortunate change of addressee. Annie is the tenant living in Britta's former abode, and Jeff is the a-hole sender who doesn't get blamed for messing stuff up.

We love this love triangle because we all relate to the various forms of dysfunction each person thrives on: Annie is looking for a father figure, Jeff is catering to his insatiable narcissism, and Britta just wants a guy she can "fix." While Jeff and Britta are similarly hypocritical, hubristic, and vain, Annie's child-like naiveté (and boobs) make her difficult for Jeff to turn down, and easy for us to root for. After all, she's just the innocent new tenant in all this: She never asked to get Britta's mail. She's merely justifiably annoyed when Britta comes around trying to get it back. And Britta's the worst, but we feel for her. We hate it when people send our mail to the wrong place, too.--Katherine Rea

Air Mail
30 Rock -- Liz & Carol, Her Pilot Boyfriend Played by Matt Damon
Did we really add this one just to make an air mail pun? Yes. Yes, we did.--Ben Collins

Standard Shipping
The Office -- Jim & Pam
Ah, it's ol' trusty. Jim and Pam are now the archetype for TV coupledom. They have a disturbingly healthy relationship that reminds you why relationships exist at all.

Anyway, guy meets girl. Girl's in relationship with UPS guy. Girl, being decent, rides out relationship with UPS guy until forced to end engagement. Writer now realizes that he is now three layers into this shipping pun. Writer now tries to make joke about this but cannot. Guy also rides it out. Guy rides it out with Rashida Jones, which was not a sex joke, but now it is. Guy ditches Rashida Jones to be with girl, who has now ditched just left UPS guy at the door after three chances at delivery. They get engaged in the rain outside of a bakery on the highway. Everyone cries.

It's The Notebook, basically, but it took about 100 hours to get there.--Ben Collins

[CLICK LINK BELOW FOR CLIPS OF THE ABOVE-MENTIONED SHOWS/COUPLES]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hulucom/best-sitcom-couples_b_2681561.html?utm_hp_ref=tv&ir=TV
Edited by dad1153 - 2/14/13 at 9:14am

WEDNESDAY's fast affiliate overnight prime-time ratings -and what they mean- have been posted on Analyst Marc Berman's Media Insight's Blog

TV Reviews
'Freakshow' and 'Immortalized' (AMC)
By Allison Keene, The Hollywood Reporter - Feb. 14, 2013

AMC is looking to add to its slate of reality series with two new half hour shows that sound like fun, but aren't. The first, Freakshow, is another incarnation of the "wacky family" series that chronicles the exploits of former music producer Todd Ray and his brood as they operate the Venice Beach Freakshow. If you're naturally drawn to the strange, and enjoy the oddities of a Victorian sideshow, and have already watched everything that TLC airs, Freakshow might hold some interest. But for the amazing tricks performed, there is an incredible lack of fanfare.

In the episode I watched, which featured sword-swallowing, Ray's 19-year-old daughter Asia attempts this ancient art beginning with a coat hanger to help train her body to receive an actual sword. She's taught by Morgue, a goth performer who shrugs at death saying, "I may die, but that's a risk I'm willing to take." I'm not sure taking advice from someone with that attitude when stomach puncturing and death are on the table is the best idea, but Asia's parents seem pretty chilled-out over the whole affair, with Todd even encouraging her and presenting her with her own sword.

Of course, Asia survives the sword swallowing without incident, same as the other performers, relishing in their achievements. Todd Ray, in a voiceover, describes how the performers live for the appreciation of the crowd, but the shivering people on the boardwalk only give a smattering of applause as they record the tricks on their phones and make twisted faces (which viewers are bound to mirror when watching someone regurgitate a steel ball). What Ray's performers do is fascinating, but the show seems to only skim the surface of their art. Ray himself is not much of a showman, either, shuffling out to greet onlookers in a hoodie -- hardly presenting a ringmaster's charisma -- though his affection for sideshow cannot be denied. Despite the incredible stakes at hand, the excitement doesn't translate.

The same issue plagues Immortalized, which airs after Freakshow. Hosted by Zach Selwyn, it pits one of four "immortalizers" (taxidermists Dave Houser, Beth Beverly, Takeshi Yamada and Page Nethercutt) against a weekly challenger. The work is judged by other taxidermists (like the Smithsonian's Paul Rhymer and artist Catherine Coan), and inexplicably, comedian and writer Brian Posehn. Of course, what do judges matter when there are no prizes? The four immortalizers are treated in their intros, ludicrously, like demigods. Worse, even if these highly-touted "masters" are beaten by the challenger, the result is more or less "oh well." There's no money, no job offer, not even a toaster -- just a point of pride for the winner. Why does this show even exist?

I'll admit I knew absolutely nothing about taxidermy before watching Immortalized. How the craftsmen actually make models of the animals in the position they want and deal with skinning them and keeping the fur fresh was educational. Taking it further: why they do what they do, who they do their work for, what their favorite animals are to work with and why -- this sort of thing would have been interesting. Taxidermy would have made a great subject of a documentary special. But as a competition show? It's as lively as the animals displayed.

AMC has set itself apart as a purveyor of exceptional scripted television, but it really missed the mark with these two unscripted offerings. Immortalized just doesn't make much sense, but Freakshow is the real disappointment. It has managed to do something truly extraordinary: making the strange and amazing simply boring.

FREAKSHOW and IMMORTALIZED
The Bottom Line: AMC's two new reality series are little more than background noise.
Airdate: 9:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 14 (AMC)

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/freakshow-immortalized-tv-review-421240

Critic's Notes
Bianculli's Best Bets
By David Bianculli, TVWorthWatching.com - Feb. 14, 2013

COMMUNITY
NBC, 8:00 p.m. ET
Poor Community. NBC sat on this season’s shows so long that the episode premiering tonight actually was intended for the last week in October. That’s why, on Valentine’s Day, Community is going with a special Halloween episode – equal parts trick and treat, considering. One highlight: an in-costume road trip to Pierce’s mysterious mansion, where some of the gang discovers his unusually equipped “secret gym.”

THE BIG BANG THEORY
CBS, 8:00 p.m. ET
On CBS, on this sitcom, there is a Valentine’s Day episode for Valentine’s Day. And while all the male characters are approaching the holiday awkward, no one out-awkwards Sheldon (Jim Parsons), who woos Amy (Mayim Bialik) – but grudgingly.

ZERO HOUR
ABC, 8:00 p.m. ET
SERIES PREMIERE: It’s out of respect for Anthony Edwards’ prior work that I note the arrival of this new series. Otherwise, it’s a messy, convoluted, uninvolving attempt to mount a TV version of The Da Vinci Code, with a plot that includes clocks with clues, Nazis with clones, FBI agents with curves, and demon babies with colic. Okay, I made up that last part – but only the part about the colic. For Ed Bark’s very negative full-length review, see Uncle Barky’s Bytes.

GONE WITH THE WIND
TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET
Still ranked as the highest-rated theatrical movie ever to be broadcast on television, Gone with the Wind gets a prime-time showing tonight, but in a different media landscape. NBC’s 1976 two-part telecast of this 1939 Civil War epic, starring Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara, still ranks at the bottom of TV’s all-time Top 10 – but that was in the last year before home video recorders were introduced, via the Sony Betamax, and before HBO caught on as a national cable outlet for unedited, uninterrupted movies. Now Scarlett and company are slipped into a midweek slot on TCM, with little fanfare – but hey, on TCM, it’s still unedited and uninterrupted. And on TCM, it’s shown all on one night. So enjoy. By the time it’s over, tomorrow is another day.

PROJECT RUNWAY
Lifetime, 9:00 p.m. ET
The guest judge on tonight’s show is Bette Midler, whose tongue and taste are sharp enough to anticipate, with glee, what she might say to the budding fashion designers who most – and least – impress her.

http://www.tvworthwatching.com/

TV Notes
Hallmark delivers on Valentine’s Day
Movie shows a hunky firefighter trying to find love again
By Louisa Ada Seltzer, Media Life Magazine - Feb. 14, 2013

Technically “Be My Valentine,” the romantic movie airing tonight at 8 p.m. on Hallmark Channel, is a repeat.

It actually premiered on Saturday night.

But is there any other channel worth spending time with on Valentine’s Day?

A few other networks are offering love-themed movies, such as “27 Dresses” on Fox Movie Channel and “The Wedding Planner” on ABC Family.

For pure schmaltz, though, Hallmark is the place to be. And that’s a compliment in these increasingly cynical times.

In “Valentine,” a hunky widowed firefighter (Billy Baldwin) meets a cute florist (Natalie Brown). Problem is the florist’s ex is still interested in her.

The firefighter and his son, who is in the midst of his first crush, navigate the often treacherous world of love together.

It’s all pretty standard Valentine’s fare, but fun nonetheless on a day that’s become absurdly commercialized.

“Valentine” drew 2.04 million total viewers on Saturday night at 8 p.m., according to Nielsen, ranking 254th on cable for the week and easily Hallmark’s most-watched program of the week.

Tonight against stronger competition on broadcast, it will undoubtedly draw a smaller audience. But it should still woo viewers who are looking for their V-Day fix and don’t feel like watching “Wedding Planner” for the millionth time.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/hallmark-delivers-on-valentines-day/

Nielsen Overnights (18-49)
Five shows slide to new lows Wednesday
'American Idol' down to a 4.3 in 18-49s
By Toni Fitzgerald, Media Life Magazine - Feb. 14, 2013

With TV usage by adults 18-49 down, it was a night of new lows on broadcast.

At least one show on each of the broadcast networks dipped to a season or series low last night, the most notable being Fox’s “American Idol.”

“Idol” averaged a 4.3 adults 18-49 rating from 8 to 10 p.m., according to Nielsen overnights, off 7 percent from a 4.6 last week.

It marked a new Wednesday season low for the program, although it was still No. 1 for the night and led Fox to an easy primetime win on the evening.

Total TV usage among 18-49s was off by 5 percent versus last week, which may have explained some of the declines.

Three other shows in the 8 p.m. hour also hit new season lows: ABC’s “The Middle” (1.9), NBC’s “Guys with Kids” (1.0) and CBS’s “Survivor” (2.4).

In fact, that marked the lowest-ever premiere for “Survivor,” though that’s hardly surprising for a show in its 26th season.

CBS’s “CSI” also dipped to a season-low 2.1 at 10 p.m., bringing the number of shows seeing season lows to five.

There were some programs that bucked the trend. ABC’s “Modern Family,” the night’s No. 2 show to “Idol” with a 3.8, was up 3 percent from last week. Lead-out “Suburgatory” grew 10 percent from last week to a 2.2, and the 10 p.m. ABC drama “Nashville” was up 6 percent week to week to a 1.8.

And NBC’s “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” increased by 7 percent to a 1.6, while the CW’s “Arrow” jumped 10 percent to a 1.1.

Fox was first for the night among 18-49s with a 4.3 average overnight rating and a 12 share. ABC was second at 2.2/6, CBS third at 2.1/6, NBC fourth at 1.5/4, Univision fifth at 1.4/4, CW sixth at 1.1/3 and Telemundo seventh at 0.5/1.

As a reminder, all ratings are based on live-plus-same-day DVR playback, which includes shows replayed before 3 a.m. the night before. Seven-day DVR data won’t be available for several weeks. Forty-seven percent of Nielsen households have DVRs.

At 8 p.m. Fox led with a 3.8 for “Idol,” followed by CBS with a 2.4 for “Survivor.” ABC was third with a 1.8 for “Middle” (1.9) and “The Neighbors” (1.7), and Univision fourth with a 1.3 for “Por Ella Soy Eva.” NBC and the CW tied for fifth at 1.1, NBC for “Whitney” (1.2) and “Guys With Kids” (1.0) and CW for “Arrow,” and Telemundo was seventh with a 0.4 for “Pasion Prohibida.”

Fox extended its lead at 9 p.m. with a 4.7 for more “Idol,” while ABC moved to second with a 3.0 for “Family” (3.8) and “Suburgatory” (2.2). CBS was third with a 2.0 for the final half hour of “Survivor” (2.4) and a repeat of “The Big Bang Theory” (1.6). NBC and Univision tied for fourth at 1.6, NBC for “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and Univision for “Amores Verdaderos,” the CW was sixth with a 1.0 for “Supernatural” and Telemundo seventh with a 0.6 for “La Patrona.”

CBS took the lead at 10 p.m. with a 2.1 for “CSI,” with NBC second with a 1.9 for “Chicago Fire.” ABC was third with a 1.8 for “Nashville,” Univision fourth with a 1.4 for “Amor Bravio” and Telemundo fifth with a 0.4 for “El Rostro de la Venganza.”

Fox also led the night among households with a 7.9 average overnight rating and a 12 share. CBS was second at 5.4/9, ABC third at 4.4/7, NBC fourth at 3.7/6, Univision fifth at 1.8/3, CW sixth at 1.7/3 and Telemundo seventh at 0.7/1.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/five-shows-slide-to-new-lows-wednesday/

TV Notes
NBC’s ‘Hannibal’ Gets Thursday 10 PM Slot, April Premiere Date
By Nellie Andreeva, Deadline.com - Feb. 14, 2013

The good news for NBC‘s midseason drama Hannibal — it got a slot on the schedule and a premiere date, April 4. The bad news — that slot happens to be Thursday 10 PM, which saw the demise of three freshman NBC dramas last season, Prime Suspect, The Firm and Awake, and one this midseason, Do No Harm. With Hannibal as the only remaining drama NBC has ready to go, it emerged as the logical choice to succeed Do No Harm, which last week was cancelled after two airings. Between now and April 4, NBC will air Law & Order: SVU repeats in the hour, which has been hampered by a very weak lead-in from NBC’s comedy block, especially newbie 1600 Penn at 9:30 PM.

Hannibal, from Bryan Fuller, Martha DeLaurentiis and Gaumont International TV, stars Mads Mikkelsen and Hugh Dancy. The project is described as a contemporary thriller featuring the classic characters from Thomas Harris’ novel Red Dragon – FBI agent Will Graham (Dancy) and his mentor Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mikkelsen) — who are re-introduced at the beginning of their budding relationship.

http://www.deadline.com/2013/02/nbcs-hannibal-gets-thursday-10-pm-slot-april-premiere-date/

TV Notes
Whitney Cummings' Talk Show Canceled by E!
By Tim Kenneally, TheWrap.com - Feb. 14, 2013

Whitney Cummings' E! talk show, "Love You, Mean It With Whitney Cummings," has been canceled, the network told TheWrap on Thursday.

"Production has completed on 'Love You, Mean It With Whitney Cummings,' and the last episode aired last Wednesday," an E! spokeswoman said in a statement.

Also read: Why the Funny Girl Shows Are Ruling Fall Television

The weekly series, which premiered in late November, was executive-produced by Cummings and Chelsea Handler.

Cummings still has her NBC sitcom, "Whitney," which is currently in its second season.

http://www.thewrap.com/tv/article/whitney-cummings-talk-show-canceled-e-77741

TV Review
Killing Lincoln (Nat Geo)
By Tim Goodman, The Hollywood Reporter's 'Bastard Machine' Blog - Feb. 14, 2013

It certainly doesn’t help National Geographic Channel that a famous director, a brilliant historian and a superb screenwriter decided to make a little film about Abraham Lincoln and have it burst onto the scene months before the channel airs its first scripted movie ...

... about Abraham Lincoln.

Killing Lincoln is a docudrama narrated by Tom Hanks, executive produced by Ridley Scott and his late brother Tony and written by Erik Jendresen (Band of Brothers), based on Bill O’Reilly’s book.

However, not only does the film pale severely in the face of Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, but also it can’t measure up to many of the historical dramas shown through the years on HBO and Showtime.

The structure of Killing Lincoln works against it. The film stars Billy Campbell as Lincoln and Jesse Johnson as John Wilkes Booth, with Hanks appearing nearly as often as the on-camera narrator. Hanks’ stentorian delivery and dramatic chops help keep Killing Lincoln nailed to the ground -- where it otherwise might seem too slight to keep in place.

Much of the history is spoken, not seen, and though Campbell does the best he can with his role, the docudrama seems thin and disconnected -- as if the scripted, acted parts are merely in service of Hanks’ narration. This doesn’t allow the characters, events or even the sense of place to be fully realized.

A bigger problem might have been in the direction given Johnson on how to play Booth, a trained actor and a man Killing Lincoln states is more than the two-dimensional person portrayed in history -- though it does little to make him seem more than that.

Johnson plays Booth in a manner far too broad to be taken seriously. It’s as if he’s trying to do a dramatic reading of how Booth the actor might grandiosely say the words as put into his mouth in this film. That is, if we’re to view Booth as a man who spoke like he was onstage no matter what situation he was in -- plotting Lincoln’s death, picking up his mail, reading his own letters out loud -- then we get all too well he’s a misguided, delusional blowhard. If, however, that wasn’t the intent, someone needed to ratchet Johnson back and have him play the role with a less flowery flourish. It’s like he’s impersonating The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show’s Snidely Whiplash, twisting his mustache while plotting to tie Lincoln to the railroad tracks.

The other structure that crumbles is a narrative device wherein Hanks must repeat such lines as, “Lincoln has 12 days to live.” Or, “Lincoln has four days to live.” Or, “Booth will be dead in 10 days.” This running timeline is littered throughout Killing Lincoln and doesn’t make it more dramatic, only more obvious in its desperation to be dramatic.

Ultimately, Killing Lincoln is 90 minutes of bad timing.

KILLING LINCOLN
The Bottom Line: If you see only one movie about Abraham Lincoln this year ... make it the other one.
Airdate: 8 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17 (National Geographic Channel)

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/killing-lincoln-tv-review-421188

Tech/Critic's Notes
If the Microsoft Surface Pro Was a Monster Hit, We'd Know It
By Michael Comeau, USA Today/Minyanville.com - Feb. 14, 2013

One of the hotter topics in tech this week has been the question of just how well Microsoft’s Surface Pro tablet has been selling in the wake of a lackluster reaction to the introduction of Windows 8.

Microsoft is one of many companies aiming to catch up with Apple’s iPad franchise, which created the modern tablet market in April 2010. (click to read my short-sighted first take on the iPad)

The word on the street (a.k.a. the tech blogosphere) is that eager shoppers are having trouble actually locating Surface Pros in stock, which is sparking the question that matters most to investors out in the real world :

Is this thing actually a hit?

At the most basic level, a sell-out happens because of a supply-demand imbalance -- basically, a case of more buyers than sellers.

However, a sell-out of a product isn't necessarily a reason to jump for joy, simply because they can be artificially created through limited supply.

Here’s how I think about this situation.

In the past, Microsoft has happily reported sales numbers for many of its products.

For example, on January 8, the company announced at the CES conference that it had sold 60 million Windows licenses to date.

On November 12, 2012, it was happy to tell the world that its Halo 4 video game hit $220 million in global sales on launch day.

And just this week, Microsoft announced that sales of its Xbox 360 gaming console reached the 76 million unit mark.

The question I'll pose to you is this: If the Surface Pro was selling in huge numbers, would the company not be announcing it to the world?

Wearing my Captain Obvious helmet, I will answer that question with an emphatic YES!

First, strong sales would help get app developers on board with the platform. As of yet, there are no native Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, or Pandora apps for the tablet-focused Metro interface side of Windows 8, which is a big competitive disadvantage against the iPad and Google Android platforms. (See: 5 Ways Microsoft Can Get Back on Track in 2013: Build a Better Ecosystem.)

Second, strong Surface Pro sales numbers would tell prospective customers that they are not risking an investment in a dying platform.

Take it from me! I actually owned a Toshiba HD-DVD player, and I felt like a real dope for having bought in to a system that didn't have a clear future.

So until Microsoft gives us some hard data, remain skeptical regarding how sales are shaping up out in the real world.

After all, initial data from research firm Canalys indicates that Microsoft's other tablet effort -- the Surface RT -- isn't off to a fast start, as just 3% of tablets shipped in Q4 ran on a Microsoft operating system. (See: With Surface, Microsoft Stands Little Chance of Competing With Apple in the iPad Market.)

http://www.minyanville.com/sectors/technology/articles/If-the-Microsoft-Surface-Pro-Was/2/14/2013/id/48103#ixzz2KskF8cEH

TV Review
Beyonce offers rare personal glimpse in 'Life Is but a Dream'
Beyonce lets fans into her personal life in the new HBO documentary, but make no mistake -- she's in control.
By Gerrick D. Kennedy, Los Angeles Times - Feb. 14, 2013

On Sunday, Beyoncé scored her 17th Grammy, which puts her just one trophy behind the second most awarded female singer, Aretha Franklin.

But that was just a relaxing Sunday evening for the pop superstar, who has spent the last two weeks leaving more glitter-encrusted impressions on the zeitgeist. First, she performed at President Obama's inauguration (perhaps you heard about it?) and then headlined the Super Bowl halftime show, all without issuing any new music.

For all the praise that’s justly been lavished on Beyoncé during her career, the singer hasn’t had many blemishes. Sure, she weathered some vicious scrutiny after that inauguration flap, but all she needed was her voice and charming sass to dig out of that hole. (“Any questions?”)

Ever since she emerged in the late '90s as the frontwoman of Destiny’s Child, Beyoncé has been a formidable force. She’s sold millions of records, toured the world, starred in films and managed her brand a hundred times over. Oh, and then she married the biggest rapper on the planet and had his baby.

There is, however, one criticism that the pop-R&B diva has never addressed: Do we really know who Beyoncé is? It’s a question addressed head on in her HBO documentary, “Life Is but a Dream,” which premieres Saturday.

Billed by the network as "an intimate, revealing documentary," the film is said to be Beyoncé “in her own words.” Indeed, and make no mistake, this is a Beyoncé film. The singer is guiding the lens and the narrative, having directed and executive produced the 90-minute film.

Laced with dazzling performances (mostly from last year's block of performances at Revel in Atlantic City) and interview, the "real" moments come from the personal footage from her laptop. Her fans are already aware of her affinity for MacBook video diary entries (she used some of them for her last tour DVD), and she saved the most personal, introspective moments for the film.

She questions her career path and offers some meaty tidbits behind the recording of her critically acclaimed album “4.” The record, her first as ruler of her domain, wasn’t the commercial smash of its predecessors. But she recognizes this.

“At some point in my career, I felt like I was doing way too much. I felt like I had been so commercially successful, it wasn’t enough. It’s something really stressful about having to keep up with it,” she admits early on. “It’s something really crippling. You can’t express yourself. I don’t want to have to sing about the same thing for 10 more years.”

Through all the clips of her and Jay-Z on yachts, dizzying performance shots and all of her posturing on success and empowerment, there are moments when she lets down the mystique that’s been so carefully maintained. If only for a little bit.

Very early into the promotion of the album, the singer discovers she’s pregnant, and much of the film’s second half is focused on Beyoncé prepping an aggressive promo campaign as her belly is growing. Her memorable appearance at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, when she ended her performance of "Love on Top" by unbuttoning her blazer to show off her baby bump, is revealed as less about headlines and more about setting her camp "free" from hiding her pregnancy.

Beyoncé is at her most raw when discussing a miscarriage two years ago.

She speaks of picking out names and envisioning what her “first child with the man that I loved” would look like, and the feeling of going to the doctor and learning the heartbeat had stopped. It’s the most honest moment of the film, and maybe the most revealing thing fans will ever learn about Beyoncé. She caps it off with a brief clip of a ballad she penned about the experience.

“I always battle with how much do I reveal about myself. How do I keep my humility?” she asks. “How do I keep my spirit … and how do I continue to be generous to my fans and my craft?”

This is Beyoncé revealing herself on her terms, and while she certainly steers the narrative, she also answers some of the more pressing questions surrounding her career of late.

Still debating her live vocal prowess? Among the many blistering performances featured here, there’s rehearsal of a ballad “Listen” from the back seat of a car that should end further questioning about her talent.

Still think she didn’t carry Blue Ivy? She addresses the “stupid rumor” with multiple belly shots, a sonogram, and makes sure Blue Ivy gets a generous amount of screen time.

Ultimately, “Life Is but a Dream” remains a victory for her fans. Casual viewers will most likely glean the same sense of the superstar's life as one might from a magazine feature. But for serious fans of the fiercely private superstar, this remains a window into her life.

The view is splendid, even if it comes with intense supervision.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-beyonce-offers-rare-personal-glimpse-with-life-is-but-a-dream-20130214,0,6772819.story

Nielsen Notes (Late Night)
Letterman Tops Kimmel For First Time Since Move To 11:35
By Dominic Patten, Deadline.com - Feb. 14, 2013

For the first time since his move to 11:35 PM last month, Jimmy Kimmel was beaten by his hero David Letterman last week. CBS’ The Late Show bested ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live in total viewers by 40%, pulling in an average of 3.4 million to the ABC show’s 2.48 million for the week ending February 8. Letterman also topped Kimmel in households (2.5/06 to 1.8/05), adults 18-49 (0.8/03 to 0.7/03), adults 25-54 (1.1/04 vs. 0.9/04) and adults 18-34 (0.5/02 vs. 0.4/02). That’s a 14%, 22% and 25% margin of victory respectively for the key demos.

However, that result partially tells us that the Baltimore Ravens weren’t the only ones to get a win out of Super Bowl XLVII. Letterman’s show was strongly promoted on CBS during the big game and he had MVP Joe Flacco on the day after the February 3 Super Bowl.

The Late Show also did well against NBC’s The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. The CBS late night show tied Leno in adults 18-49, adults 25-54, and adults 18-34 last week. Letterman was just a tad behind Leno in total viewers average over the week, garnering 3.47 million to The Tonight Show’s 3.52 million.

http://www.deadline.com/2013/02/letterman-tops-kimmel-for-first-time-since-move-to-1130/

Critic's Notes
Bianculli's Best Bets
By David Bianculli, TVWorthWatching.com - Feb. 15, 2013

LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER: “RING THEM BELLS! ROB FISHER CELEBRATES KANDER AND EBB”
PBS, 9:00 p.m. ET
Artistic director, pianist and conductor Rob Fisher leads this energetic tribute to John Kander and Fred Ebb, the team that gave us Chicago and Cabaret, and many other memorable musical moments, including much of Liza Minnelli’s Liza with a Z. Tonight’s live tribute is scheduled to feature Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley, with special appearances by Joel Grey (what else do you need?) and Chita Rivera (what else do you want?). Check local listings.

HISTORY OF THE EAGLES: PART 1
Showtime, 8:00 p.m. ET
First, the title: The Eagles, in this context, are neither majestic birds nor Philadelphia football players, but the musical group that generated “Hotel California.” And Part 1 is not a hopeful tease for some possible future sequel. Part 1, the documentary that premieres tonight, covers the years from the group’s formation (and before, establishing the individual musical and psychological identities of members Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit) to the group’s dissolution in 1980. Part 2, focusing on the Eagles’ 1994 reunion, is televised tomorrow night at 8 ET. Alison Ellwood directs, and the movie is produced by the very busy Alex Gibney, who earlier this week gave us Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God.

THE CHAMP
TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET
TCM’s Oscar month (and more, since it covers 31 days) continues with a rare prime-time showing of an early award magnet. This sad, still effective drama about an aging boxer and a young kid who idolizes him won Oscars for Wallace Beery, who plays the boxer, and for Frances Marion, who wrote the screenplay for this 1931 film. But check out the kid, too: He’s played by a very young, very charming Jackie Cooper.

BANSHEE
Cinemax, 10:00 p.m. ET
Still uneven and even more improbable, this new Cinemax series benefits from its Friday night time slot – there’s so little else on at this hour, for fans of scripted drama, it keeps lingering as another viewing possibility. Last week, the dramatic moments got a little better, though the action sequences remained choppy and a bit overdone. This week, an old foe returns to the town where an escaped convict has taken over as the sheriff, unbeknownst to almost everyone. As I said, improbable.

REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER
HBO, 10:00 p.m. ET
Community fans, pay special attention: Joel McHale is one of tonight’s scheduled guests, in a show certain to include a post-mortem on President Obama’s State of the Union.

http://www.tvworthwatching.com/

THURSDAY's fast affiliate overnight prime-time ratings -and what they mean- have been posted on Analyst Marc Berman's Media Insight's Blog

Nielsen Overnights (18-49)
Valentine’s Day socks Thursday shows
TV usage levels fall 6 percent in primetime among 18-49s
By Toni Fitzgerald, Media Life Magazine - Feb. 15, 2013

Viewers were clearly more interested in exchanging Valentines than in watching television last night.

With TV usage by adults 18-49 off by 6 percent on Valentine’s Day compared to the previous week, a number of shows tumbled to season or series lows.

The night’s lone premiere, ABC’s new thriller “Zero Hour,” was hit particularly hard. It managed just a 1.3 adults 18-49 rating at 8 p.m., according to Nielsen overnights, becoming the lowest-rated in-season drama premiere ever for the network.

It was off 41 percent from the 2.2 that “Last Resort” pulled in its premiere in the same timeslot last September, when HUT levels were higher.

With the lackluster lead-in, “Grey’s Anatomy” dipped to a season-low 2.7 at 8 p.m. on ABC.

But ABC was hardly the only network to suffer Valentine’s Day-related dips. Fox’s “American Idol” fell to a season-low 3.6 at 8 p.m. Lead-out “Glee” dipped to a near-series-low 1.7 at 9 p.m.

CBS’s “The Big Bang Theory” still dominated with a 5.4, but that was off 13 percent from last week.

NBC’s “Community,” which drew a higher-than-expected rating for last week’s debut, fell to a series-low 1.1 at 8 p.m. Lead-out “Parks and Recreation” fell 25 percent from last week’s season high to a 1.5.

No shows grew week over week and only two maintained last week’s rating. One was “Elementary,” the new CBS drama, which averaged a 2.2 at 10 p.m.

The other was ABC’s hot second-year drama “Scandal,” which not only matched last week’s season high but also bettered the rating for lead-in “Grey’s” for the first time, drawing a 2.8.

CBS was first for the night among 18-49s with a 3.3 average overnight rating and a 10 share. Fox was second at 2.7/8, ABC third at 2.3/7, NBC and Univision tied for fourth at 1.5/4, CW sixth at 0.8/2 and Telemundo seventh at 0.5/1.

As a reminder, all ratings are based on live-plus-same-day DVR playback, which includes shows replayed before 3 a.m. the night before. Seven-day DVR data won’t be available for several weeks. Forty-seven percent of Nielsen households have DVRs.

At 8 p.m. CBS led with a 4.6 for “Bang” (5.4) and “Two and a Half Men” (3.8), followed by Fox with a 3.6 for “Idol.” Univision was third with a 1.6 for “Por Ella Soy Eva.” ABC and NBC tied for fourth at 1.3, ABC for “Zero Hour” and NBC for “Community” (1.1) and “Parks and Recreation” (1.5), while the CW was sixth with a 1.0 for “The Vampire Diaries” and Telemundo seventh with a 0.4 for “Pasion Prohibida.”

CBS was first again at 9 p.m. with a 3.0 for “Person of Interest,” while ABC jumped to second with a 2.7 for “Grey’s.” NBC was third with a 2.0 for “The Office,” Fox fourth with a 1.7 for “Glee,” Univision fifth with a 1.6 for “Amores Verdaderos,” Telemundo sixth with a 0.6 for “La Patrona” and CW seventh with a 0.5 for “Beauty and the Beast.”

ABC moved to first at 10 p.m. with a 2.8 for “Scandal,” with CBS second with a 2.2 for “Elementary.” Univision was third with a 1.3 for “Amor Bravio,” NBC fourth with a 1.0 for a repeat of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and Telemundo fifth with a 0.5 for “El Rostro de la Venganza.”

CBS also finished first for the night among households with an 8.4 average overnight rating and a 14 share. Fox was second at 5.3/8, ABC third at 5.0/8, NBC fourth at 2.2/4, Univision fifth at 1.8/3, CW sixth at 1.2/2 and Telemundo seventh at 0.7/1.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/thursday-shows-socked-by-valentines-day/

* * * *

TV Notes
Best tube bets this weekend
By Louisa Ada Seltzer, Media Life Magazine - Feb. 15, 2013

FRIDAY

Best bet on broadcast: CBS, “The Job,” 8 p.m. Five people compete to become an editorial assistant at Cosmopolitan magazine.

Best bet on cable: Showtime, “History of the Eagles: Part 1,” 8 p.m. A history of the rock group, from the beginning in the 1970s to their breakup in 1980.

Top sporting event: ESPN, “College Basketball,” 9 p.m. A good Big East matchup between Georgetown and Cincinnati.

SATURDAY

Best bet on broadcast: NBC, “American Ninja Warrior,” 8 p.m. A look back at highlights from the show’s fourth season.

Best bet on cable: Nickelodeon, “Wendell & Vinnie,” 8 p.m. Series premiere. Media Life TV critic Tom Conroy says, “Thanks to the talented and likable cast, the show manages to be relatively painless family fun.”

Top sporting event: Fox, “NASCAR Racing,” 8 p.m. The preseason Sprint Unlimited, a 75-lap race from Daytona.

SUNDAY

Best bet on broadcast: CBS, “The Amazing Race,” 8 p.m. The 13-time Emmy-winning reality competition returns for its 22nd season.

Best bet on cable: National Geographic Channel, “Killing Lincoln,” 8 p.m. A drama about the final days of the 16th president, narrated by Tom Hanks.

Top sporting event: TNT, “NBA Basketball,” 8 p.m. If you like dunking and little defense, the 62nd annual All-Star game is for you.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/best-tube-bets-this-weekend-366/
Edited by dad1153 - 2/15/13 at 7:04pm

Q&A
The Long, Long Run: Glenn Frey and Don Henley Reflect on ‘History of the Eagles’
By Dave Itzkoff, The New York Times' 'Media Decoder' Blog

They were the band that simultaneously told listeners to take it easy and take it to the limit, and for the Eagles, the contradictions didn’t end there. Over a career filled with laidback hits like “Peaceful Easy Feeling,” “Lyin’ Eyes” and the enigmatic “Hotel California,” this best-selling rock group, led by Glenn Frey and Don Henley, was internally a caldron of professional determination and personal conflict. They spent the 1970s fighting, drinking and drugging while frequently revising their lineup and their sound, and seemed to split for good in 1980. Then, just to throw everyone for a loop, the band reunited in 1994 and has continued to tour and record ever since.

This story is told in unflinching detail in a new documentary, “History of the Eagles,” directed by Alison Ellwood and produced by Alex Gibney (the Oscar-winning director of “Taxi to the Dark Side”), and which will be broadcast in two parts on Showtime, on Friday and Saturday. Mr. Frey and Mr. Henley, who gave the filmmakers free rein to interview friends, rivals and bandmates past and present, spoke recently to ArtsBeat. In these excerpts from that conversation, they talk about their lives in a lane faster than anyone could have suspected.

Q.
What inspired you to finally tell this story?

A.
GLENN FREY We all knew that we wanted to do a history of the band. Starting around 2000, we kept checking – “Is now the right time?” “Nah, maybe not yet.” [laughs] About two and a half years ago, we started to get serious. We had finished our touring cycle with “Long Road Out of Eden.” Everybody’s still alive and talking.
DON HENLEY Since we survived, we decided that, after 40 years or so, it was worth keeping some kind of record. I’m going to have some explaining to do to my children.

Q.
Are they old enough to understand what you do for a living?

A.
HENLEY They’ve just reached those ages. My son and I had a talk about marijuana the other night, the first one we’ve ever had. He said, “Dad, I don’t understand some of your songs. ‘Hotel California,’ for example – what is ‘colitas’? And I said, “Well, it’s a Spanish word.” [laughs] Trying to avoid a direct answer. “It’s a botanical term. It means ‘little flowers.’” So he knew, because he’s looked on the Internet. The damn Internet, you can’t hide anything.

Q.
Did Alex Gibney and Alison Ellwood approach you about this, or did you seek them out?

A.
FREY Our management sent me what they thought were some of the best music documentaries that had been done. And I wasn’t crazy about any of it. So I said, “Why don’t you just send me the reels on the guys that won the Academy Award for best documentary, the last five years?” The work of Alex Gibney was very impressive. I went to New York and we had a meeting, and the only thing we had to agree on was that we were going to tell the truth. We were going to let him and Alison Ellwood make the movie. We said, “Absolutely, talk to everybody. Let’s unearth as much stuff as we can and tell the story.”
HENLEY We encouraged them to speak to everybody, including ex-members of the band, who don’t necessarily have warm and fuzzy feelings toward us.

Q.
When you two met in Los Angeles in 1970, you came from very different parts of the country. But Glenn’s father was a machinist in Detroit, and Don’s father had an auto parts shop in East Texas. Did that help you bond?

A.
HENLEY We were trapped on a small independent label called Amos Records. Glenn and his then-partner, J. D. Souther, were a duo on that label, and my group, that Kenny Rogers produced, and we both wanted out. The fact that both of our fathers made a living based on the internal-combustion engine was just sort of a coincidence.
FREY I think the first thing we had in common was ambition. We were looking to write songs with meanings and messages. That was the way we started.

Q.
You’ve certainly written a few songs whose meanings no one can agree on.

A.
FREY Those are the best meanings. The unintended ones. The misinterpretations. [laughs]
HENLEY It’s what keeps the whole thing going. People still ask me what “Hotel California” means and I just say to them, “Whatever it means to you is fine with me.”

Q.
One theme that recurs in the documentary is the constantly shifting lineup of the Eagles. Did that make the group stronger?

A.
FREY The ride wasn’t for everybody. Some people stayed on the bus longer. It started with the disenchantment of Bernie Leadon, and that was something we had to deal with.
HENLEY We had been given the impression by our early management that if we didn’t keep the four original members, we wouldn’t have a chance. So we labored under that fear for a long time. Then we realized after Bernie left, and then Randy [Meisner] left, that some people were replaceable, and life would go on and the band would go on. Because the band was built around songs – not around personalities, not around a front man, but the music.

Q.
Glenn, the film gives you a chance to revisit a notorious onstage falling-out you had with Don Felder in 1980, that precipitated the original breakup of the band. Were you chastened by this experience?

A.
FREY Let’s put it this way: I’m glad I’ve had a second chance. I could have handled some things a lot better. We put the band back together in 1994 and I played music with Don Felder for six years. So I feel like that’s water under the bridge. We were young and I had a temper. I still have a temper. [laughs] I’ve just retired it.

Q.
You’re also very candid, when it came to the reunion, about explaining why you felt you and Don Henley deserved more money.

A
FREY That’s the way I felt. I watched Don Henley work really, really hard for 14 years. I felt like he and I were the guys that continued to work in our business, and it was a way that we perpetuated the Eagles as well. I just felt that fair was fair.

Q.
When you look back on four decades of your past fashion and hairstyle choices, were there any you were especially proud of?

A.
FREY Proud is not the word I would use. Appalled, maybe. Troubled. Regretful. I’m just thankful it was just hair and clothes. I’m not stuck with any tattoos or piercings I hate.
HENLEY I wish I had that hair now. I wish had that much hair.

Q.
Was it important to you that the documentary include Joe Walsh, who appears as a wild, John Belushi-like figure in the first part, but whose story takes a darker turn in the second part?

A.
FREY The Eagles were partly responsible for Joe turning his life around. That’s a wonderful thing. We’re happy for Joe.
HENLEY It wasn’t like he was the only one who was abusing drugs and alcohol. We were all doing it. But Joe’s story has a more dramatic thread running through it. Because it was conditional to him joining us for the reunion and it gave him a reason, I think, to clean up his act.

Q.
You want audiences to see there are consequences to a lifestyle filled with drugs and alcohol?

A.
FREY It permeated everything – the movies, television, you name it. I’m not using this as a justification, but everybody was doing it. Doctors, lawyers, managers, accountants. It was just a big part of the culture.
HENLEY We all want to spare our offspring – we want them to learn from our mistakes, and of course that doesn’t always happen.

Q.
Don, when you finally had that conversation with your son, how did he take it?

A.
HENLEY He was pretty cool. I was never a big pot smoker. But I told him everybody was doing it back then. And he said, “Well, of course you did it, Dad. You were in a rock’n’roll band in the 70s.”

Q.
Has working together on this film got you thinking about collaborating on a new album?

A.
HENLEY It’s not like we don’t see each other.
FREY The Eagles are a working band. Some years we play a lot of shows, some years we play a dozen shows. We do one year at a time, we think that’s a good way to do it. The band’s going to start thinking about coming back together, and talk about whether everybody wants to uproot themselves from their lives and try to make a record, with all that involves. It’s a shared thing, the leadership. Don and I take turns driving the bus, depending on who’s around.
HENLEY Over the past two years we’ve toured China, including Beijing. We’ve been to South Africa, we’ve been to Dubai. We’re still playing places that we’ve never been before, which is really the most fun of all.

Q.
After telling a story like this, is there anything left over for your memoirs?

A.
[almost in unison] FREY Oh, plenty.
HENLEY Oh, sure. [laughter] You can’t get 42 years into three hours.
FREY There’s certainly more. That’s to figure out later.

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/12/the-long-long-run-glenn-frey-and-don-henley-reflect-on-history-of-the-eagles/?ref=television

Best bet on cable: Showtime, “History of the Eagles: Part 1,” 8 p.m. Brides-to-be choose between brand new dresses and older dresses with sentimental value. Read our TV critic’s take on the show here.


Ummmmm......

Yikes! Fixed, thanks for the heads up.

TV Notes
Jimmy Kimmel: Leno doesn't have 'actual feelings'
By CNN.com's 'The Marquee Blog' - Feb. 15, 2013

Jimmy Kimmel says he feels bad hurting other peoples’ feelings, but he makes an exception for Jay Leno because “I don’t believe Jay Leno has actual feelings.”

The “Jimmy Kimmel Live” host, who has mocked Leno in the past, revisits his dislike for “The Tonight Show” host in a new interview with Playboy.

“He doesn’t seem to be that worried about other people’s feelings,” Kimmel told the magazine. “Strangely I don’t even like talking about him anymore. The only time I think about him is when I’m asked.”

The comedian went on to say, regarding his show monologue, “If I can imagine Jay Leno telling a joke, then I won’t do it, even if it’s a good joke.”

The rivalry between the hosts became even more tense when “Jimmy Kimmel Live” moved to 11:35 p.m. in January, pitting him against Leno and David Letterman.

However, the ratings war hasn’t affected Kimmel’s feelings toward the “Late Night with David Letterman” host.

“Dave transcends any time slot; he is the father of comedy as we now know it,” he said. “I wonder if he knows what he means to every comedian under 50 years old.”

http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2013/02/15/jimmy-kimmel-leno-doesnt-have-actual-feelings/?hpt=hp_t3