Category: Television

High 5 for 01/15/10: Clark rips McGwire, other ‘cheaters’

Posted by seighinger – January 15, 2010

I told a friend Thursday night I want to be president of the Jack Clark Fan Club … read why in today’s High 5:

jackON THE MARK: St. Louis Post-Dispatch sports writer Rick Hummel writes the following: Former Cardinals slugger Jack Clark, talking about players who admitted to having taken steroids or who have been suspected of it, said today: “A lot of them should be banned from baseball, including Mark McGwire.”
– “All those guys are cheaters,” said Clark, who was the Cardinals’ main power threat on the 1985 and 1987 National League championship clubs.
– “A-Rod (Alex Rodriguez): Fake, phony.
– “Rafael Palmeiro: Fake, a phony.
– “(Roger) Clemens, (Barry) Bonds: Fakes. Phonies. They don’t deserve to be in the Hall of Fame.
– “They should all be in the Hall of Shame. They can afford to build it. They’ve all got so much money.
– “And they could all go there and talk about the next way to rub something on your skin. The whole thing is creepy. They’re all creeps.”
McGwire and Clark are scheduled to appear this weekend at the Cardinals’ Winter Warmup event. “I’m not even going to say hello to him.” Clark said of McGwire. “I’m not going to shake his hand.”

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO?: Lenny and Squiggy.

MINIMUM STANDARDS: Arne Duncan, the U.S. education secretary, made an interesting point, “If you can’t graduate two out of five of your players, what are they doing at your university?” The man has a point. The nation’s major college basketball powers are again coming under scrutiny for poor graduation rates, and rightly so. I’m a huge sports fan, but these schools need to be more than proving grounds for potential NBA players.

RIPPIN’ ON POSH: From Sharyn Jackson in the Village Voice: “I always thought a British accent made people sound smart, but I guess I was wrong.” Jackson was criticizing the performance of Victoria Beckham (Posh Spice) on American Idol earlier this week. Geez, Sharyn, a bit hard on the Brit, eh? She might be a bit malnourished, but I thought she came off rather well on Idol. Pip, pip. Carry on.

WHAT’S PLAYING TODAY ON THE STEVEMOBILE?: “Stuck On You” by Lionel Richie. (Remember when Lionel Richie and his floppy Afro wwere semmingly everywhere? And then he just disappeared.)

If I’m not watching a game, I’m still watching something

Posted by seighinger – March 12, 2009

My wife says I watch too much TV, specifically too much sports. Oh well, you can’t please everyone.

What she doesn’t know, though, is how much TV I watch that is not sports related. She’d be surprised to know how much of well-rounded of a person I really am. She simply thinks I’m well-rounded.

mv5bmtk4nze5ota5nl5bml5banbnxkftztcwmjg1oduymq_v1_sx282_sy400_Here’s my 10 favorite non-sports venues that my trusty remote often takes me to:

1. Fox: That’s where I get my “American Idol” fix, and where the best non-Idol show on television, “Lie to Me,” is found. I’m telling you right now, Tim Roth, who stars as Dr. Cal Lightman, had better win an Emmy for his role on “Lie to Me.”

2. Comedy Central: My favorite moments here are any that involve those Blue Collar guys, especially Ron White and Bill Engvall. I think I’ve seen Ron White’s “Tater Salad” routine at least a dozen times.

3.TNT: They know drama, and that’s where I find all of the “Cold Case” reruns with the beautiful Kathyrn Morris.

4. A&E: These guys have a strange lineup of shows, but my favorites are the “CSI: Miami” reruns with the equally beautiful Emily Procter.

5. AMC: American Movie Classics is one of the few places you can find many of the old westerns.

6. Biography Channel: Anytime I stop on Bio I am hooked. There could be a profile running of Woodrow Wilson’s vice president and I would watch because they are so well done. My favorites are those of old organized crime figures.

7. History Channel/History International: It’s the strange offerings such as “Death Devices” of the 15th century that are so bizarre they are spellbinding.

8. Discovery Channel: I love that “Dirty Jobs” show.

9. MSNBC: This ranked much higher during the presidential election campaigns. I spent many a night calling Keith Olbermann an idiot in the privacy of my living room.

10. Weather Channel: It’s the best place to check to see if rain will be a factor Sunday afternoon during the NASCAR race. Plus, when there is a hurricane somewhere, those crazy Weather Channel guys in the blue parkas are a hoot to watch, trying to hang on to a lamp pole or something as 150 mph winds are smashing them in the face.

The inaugural class to my Pop Culture Hall of Fame

Posted by seighinger – February 24, 2009

We’re beginning something new here today. It’s the start of our Pop Culture Hall of Fame.

Every so often, we’ll induct five personalities from all walks of life. On each of these occasions, we’ll induct one representative from music, the movies, athletics, television, politics and culture in general. The only prerequisite is each must have had an impact on our society and their specialty.

bruce-springsteenOur first class of inductees:

Music: Bruce Springsteen
Comment: I’ll always remember The Boss for two things: 1. He is the only musician to ever appear simultaneously on the covers of Time and Newsweek magazines. 2. No one, repeat no one, has ever given his audiences more in a concert. I once saw him in Cincinnati, and he and the E Street Band played for four hours.

paul-newman-sidebarMovies: Paul Newman
Comment: Women loved him, men wanted to be him. And he never made a bad movie. It’s almost impossible to pick a favorite Newman film, but I might lean toward “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” Newman and Robert Redford were magic.

t1_jackierobinsonAthletics: Jackie Robinson.
Comment: What Jackie Robinson endured in 1947 should never be forgotten. His story should be required reading for every schoolboy and every schoolgirl. Jackie Robinson’s journey was not simply about baseball, it was about life, it was about America, and in the end … it was about the nation we would become. The key words are would become, because we are still a work in progress.

JOHN F. KENNEDYPolitics: John F. Kennedy.
Comment: Love him or resent him, JFK and Camelot were important elements of our history and helped shape how we will forever view the 1960s. More than 45 years following Kennedy’s death, he remains a popular conversation topic. I remember like it was yesterday when my third-grade teacher walked into the classroom and told us the president had been shot.

archie-bunker-from-indychristianTelevision: Carroll O’Connor
Comment: His Archie Bunker character on “All in the Family” helped redefine a generation. It not only changed how we look at ourselves but at our entire nation. During those first few seasons of the show, if you are old enough to remember, it was the equivalent of “shock and awe” during every Saturday night telecast. And then I think most everyone slowly began to realize that creator Norman Lear was going for more than laughs and ratings. A message was there, too.

rowlingbeedleCulture: J.K. Rowling
Comment: Her most important contribution to our pop culture through those Harry Potter books may have been creating the interest in those millions of kids to read. That should not be overlooked.

Drop me a line with any suggestions for future “inductions.”

Celebrity cougars always welcome in Stevie Love’s lair

Posted by seighinger – February 6, 2009

"Cougars," those older women on the prowl for younger men, have seemed to gain more acceptance as a demographic in recent years. I think it was that Demi Moore-Ashton Kutcher marriage that put the growl in the prowl.

I'm here today offering myself as prime cougar bait, but not for just any stray cat. Stevie Love's only interested in celebrity cougars he's had a crush on at one time or another in his life. To make it easier for all of those smitten kittens in waiting who might be left wondering if Stevie Love deemed them worthy, worry no more. Stevie is providing his top 10-plus, broken into specific age groups.

The ground rules are simple, cougars. The first one to call Stevie gets dinner and a movie with the Doctor of Love. What more could a cougar ask? The purrrfect evening.

BABY COUGARS (age 45-49)

Lorrie Morgan
1. Lorrie Morgan (49), right: I love a good country song, and none are better at that twang thang than lovely Lorrie. There have been actual occasions when this baby cougar has taken my breath away. Some critics say she's not really that good of a singer, and I say, "Who cares?"

Valerie-bertinelli-0082. Valerie Bertinelli (49), left: The former "One Day at a Time" star looks like she's 49 going on 29. I could never figure out how she wound up with Eddie Van Halen for as long as she did. Some critics would say that TV show she was on was not that good or that she was not much of an actress, and I say, "Who cares?"

Url 3. Nicolette Sheridan (46), right: Call me, Nicolette. While everyone loves you on "Desperate Housewives," I've had a crush on you since the "Knots Landing" days. I lost a little respect for you with that dropping-the-towel incident with Terrell Owens on Monday Night Football, but I'm all about forgiving and forgetting. Call me, Nicolette. Call me.

PRIME TIME COUGARS (50-59)

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1. Jane Seymour (58), left: I love a good English accent. I couldn't tell you one movie she's been in, but I'm sure they were all excellent. I remember her best from the "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" television show. I'm thinking Dr. Quinn and Dr. Love would be a natural.

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2. Reba McIntire (53), right: She looks better in her short haircut than she used to in those shoulder-length red locks. I was never that infatuated with her during the early days of her singing career, but ever since she got involved with a weekly TV series she has taken on a different light. She reminds of the cougar you'd want to live next door.

Michelle_pfeiffer
3. Michelle Pfeiffer (51), left: This is one classy cougar. Most people think of Al Pacino when the movie "Scarface" is mentioned, but I think of Michelle and her role as Tony Montana's coke-addicted wife. I also loved her in "To Gillian, On Her 37th Birthday," which has never received the acclaim it deserved. If you liked "Ghost," you would love "Gillian." I always thought Michelle Pfeiffer, Meg Ryan and Ellen Barkin would go down in history as three of the greatest actresses who ever lived, but it hasn't worked out that way. Ellen has disappeared off the face of the earth, and neither Michelle or Meg has won the Academy Award I thought was a lock.

MATURE COUGARS

Canne_indiana_01_wenn18726751. Goldie Hawn (63), right: She looks younger now than she did in the 1960s as a regular on "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In." She was a recent covergirl for AARP magazine, and she was downright stunning. Never mind she's an award-winning actor, director and producer and has a beautiful daughter named Kate Hudson, Goldie Hawn is the epitome of what every cougar should strive to be.

Url-32. Sally Field (62), left: Truly, a Field of Dreams. Another actress who makes it hard to believe she's older than Bert Blyleven. I've been a fan of hers since she was the "Flying Nun" on 1960s television. I always felt Sally and Mary Tyler Moore were cut from the same cloth — the girl next door you'd be proud to bring home to mom, even as a cougar.

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3. Diane Sawyer (63), right: An underrated cougar. Grrr. It just hit me this year how much I like this woman. I realized every time I am channel surfing and she pops up on one of those newsmagazine shows, I immediately put the remote down and watch. Katie Couric will never be Diane Sawyer in cougardom.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT COUGARS

Spe_knotslanding_dmills
1. Donna Mills (66), left: Oh, to relive those "Knots Landing" years. There was not a more beautiful woman on network television than Donna Mills in the 1980s. Yeah, the eye makeup was a little heavy and the blush a bit much, but that messy-hair look, vixen nature and sharp tongue made her must-see TV every Thursday night. Her career went right into the toilet after Knots Landing, but that's OK. We'll always have the good times, Donna.

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2. Tina Turner (69), right: She probably has the best-looking legs of anyone on this list. How does she do it? Honestly, how does she look like she's 25 years old and is almost old enough to be Bert Blyleven's mom? And she can still sing and dance, too. Heck, she just went out on tour again recently. To be honest, Stevie Love might be a bit overwhelmed by Tina Turner.

Who's your favorite cougars? Pass them along.

I cannot tell a lie: New FOX program is on list of top TV shows

Posted by seighinger – January 29, 2009

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Lightman, center, and Torres, left, tackle a case within the U.S. Armed Forces in the "Lie To Me" episode, "Moral Waiver," airing Wednesday, Jan. 28. (Photo Courtesy of Fox)

I watched "Lie To Me" again Wednesday night, and became even more of a fan than I was a week ago. If not for "American Idol," there is no doubt what my favorite TV program would be. Here's my personal top 10 at the moment:

1. AMERICAN IDOL: This is more than a television show, it's a lifestyle.

2. LIE TO ME (above): More happens in an hour on this drama than a month of most shows. The show even worked Sarah Palin into its most recent storyline. Bill Clinton, too. Inspired by a real-life behavioral scientist, "Lie To Me" tells the tale of a deception expert who helps uncover the truth for the FBI, local police, law firms, corporations and individuals. Tim Roth is the star, and if I tell you any more, it might ruin your first "Lie" experience. Trust me, this is a unique show. I wouldn't lie.

3. HOT STOVE: This is a nightly show on the new MLB Network, and if you're a baseball fan, it's a must. The MLB Network is the best thing to happen to the national pastime since fantasy baseball.

4. ESPN SPORTSCENTER: Come on, this can't be a surprise.

5. ALL BETS ARE OFF: This is one of the pleasures of having satellite TV. It's a regional sports talk show based in Cleveland, Ohio, hosted by Bruce Drennan. Drennan is a longtime TV personality in Cleveland who was sent to prison a couple of years ago for a white-collar crime stemming from his gambling debts. That's why the name of the show is so cool.

6. COLD CASE: Kathryn Morris pulls me to this show. I'm so-o-o-o addicted to Kathryn Morris.

7. COUNTDOWN: Keith Olbermann, the man I love to hate, is the host. He reminds me of George Wendt's old line on "Cheers": "Women … you can't live with 'em … pass the beer nuts." Olbermann infuriates me 45 minutes out of every 60, but I watch. I guess he makes me appreciate Kathryn Morris even more. 

8. SEINFELD RERUNS: Anytime, any place.

9. HARDBALL: Chris Matthews often leans a little too far to the left for me, but he is fair and he always provides some interesting dialogue.

10. RACHEL MADDOW SHOW: She leans even farther to the left, but she's bright, sassy and has an interesting show. I wish she'd let her hair grow a little bit.

ON THE BUBBLE: CSI: Miami, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Chelsea Lately, Family Guy.

IN CASE YOU WONDERING: All sports events overrule all the above selections except No. 1.

Why aren’t these TV stars getting more attention?

Posted by seighinger – January 22, 2009

I watch a lot of television. I admit it. I enjoy it. My television
even has a name — Steve Jr. When the big fella arrived as a Christmas
present eight years ago, I had my wife take a picture of me hugging it.
I consider it part of the family.

If my body did not need a few
hours of sleep each night, I could see myself watching Steve Jr. 24 hours
a day. There's just so much to watch and enjoy, which brings me to the
point … for the life of me, I cannot understand how some
personalities never receive the acclaim they are due.

From
established, successful programs on the major networks, here are my
picks for three stars who should be on the covers of magazines, the
subject of Entertainment Tonight reports and lead material on TMZ —
but they're not.

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Most Underrated: Kathryn Morris.
Program: "Cold Case."
Character: Detective Lilly Rush.

Have you seen this woman?
Have you heard her? She is what Meg Ryan once promised to be, only
better. Too many people skip over "Cold Case" because of all of
the "CSI" and "Law and Order" programming we are subjected to on a
nightly basis. I have a theory that a "Law and Order" episode
is playing on some channel somewhere 24 hours a day, seven days a week,
365 days a year.

Morris, 39, is one stylish lady who can dominate
a scene in so many subtle ways. She heads a detective unit that
investgates old murder cases when they are reopened for whatever
reason, which allows Morris a platform to display her many acting
talents. Her eyes can cut right through a viewer in the finest Kim
Carnes fashion. If that is not poignant enough, simply permit her
voice to command a scene in a methodical — yet almost sultry — manner
that can be oh-so-quietly overwhelming. She can leave you gasping for air if
it's a serious enough crime.

FYI: She once co-starred with Vanilla Ice in the movie "Cool As Ice."

Procter
Most Overlooked: Emily Procter
Program: "CSI: Miami"
Character: Calleigh Duchesne.

Surrisingly, Procter, 40, is
one year older than Morris. I would never have guessed that. All I can
say is hooray for aerobics. That aside, Procter is the key to success
of this particular CSI franchise, much more so than the over-the-top
acting of David Caruso. Weren't his 15 minutes of fame up about 15
years ago?

CSI followers may not realize this is most successful
of the three crime scene investigation programs on CBS. It is now the
most-watched program in the world, and it is also a regular target of
those who protest such things as gratuitous use of violence and sexual
themes. If you watch more than one or two episodes, it's kind of
hard to argue with them.

Procter's Calleigh Duchesne character is
a brilliant part of the forensics investigations and will often
dominate each scene she appears. She has this almost-robotic
personality about her, yet allows just enough emotion to seep through
that you do not want her to leave the camera. Think Sgt. Joe Friday —
with a heart.

FYI: She appeared in one episode of "Friends" in 1995.

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Most Underappreciated: Charlie Sheen.
Program: "Two And A Half Men."
Character: Charlie Harper.

Sheen's real-life transgressions have been held against him by
critics, because his character is drop-to-your-knees funny. This is
probably the best work of his career, yet Sheen, 43, receives
relatively few kudos.

The series centers around Sheen, who portrays a freewheeling bachelor.
His rather wild — not to mention promiscuous — lifestyle is interrupted
when his newly separated brother, played by Jon Cryer, moves in with
his son, Jake. The expected problems surface on a weekly basis.

Week in, week out, Sheen is the highlight of the program. I can't help
but think if it had been anyone but Sheen, the critics would have
adopted him as the new Seinfeld.

FYI: Sheen's real name is Carlos Estevez.