THE TV COLUMN : Pop and thunder on MTV
Posted on Thursday, August 31, 2006
If you didn’t have a chance to parlay those Wal-Mart shares into a seat in Bud Walton Arena in June, you can make up for it tonight on MTV.
Sassy pop diva Beyonce will be one of the performers.
If you think her name is pronounced BAY-awnts, kindly skip to the next item.
Beyonce (bee-AWN-say ) was the featured performer at the Fayetteville meeting, along with American Idol winner Taylor Hicks.
I don’t know about you, but I’m not certain Wal-Mart shareholders are Beyonce’s usual crowd. I can see them getting behind Hicks and past performers Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts, Brooks & Dunn, Garth Brooks and even Jimmy Buffett.
I’m sure Beyonce turned it on anyway. I mean, a house of 15, 000 is nothing to snicker at.
Many more than that will be watching tonight as Jack Black hosts the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards that kick off at 7 p. m. It’s usually a wild and crazy affair.
In addition to Beyonce, other performers will include Panic ! at the Disco, T. I. Killers, Ludacris and Justin Timberlake, among others.
The wacky Black might just be worth the price of admission by himself.
“My plan is to bring the thunder,” Black told MTV. “I’ve got my top men working on it as we speak in my thunder laboratory. Radio City Music Hall will never be the same.”
MTV plans ancillary goodies on its broadband channel Overdrive.
Viewers wanting to preview all the nominated videos can find them on Overdrive at www. vma. mtv. com.
You’ll have to sit through a bunch of Quattro razor ads, but this is America. Selling things is what we do. Foxworthy’s Big Night Out, 7: 30 p. m. Friday on CMT. Now here’s a guy who would kill at the stockholders’ meeting.
This is a new sketch comedy series for the blue collar comedian. The first of the scheduled 12 episodes features Kenny Rogers. Do not miss Rogers and Foxworthy singing “Islands in the Stream” as a duet. Jeff takes the Dolly Parton part.
I’ve seen a couple of episodes. The sketches are predictable and not off-color. If this is your cup of tea, enjoy. Masters of Science Fiction. ABC has tapped a number of its stars to feature in the midseason anthology series Masters of Science Fiction.
The six-episode series will adapt stories from such noted writers as Harlan Ellison, Robert Heinlein and Robert Sheckley. Physicist and author Stephen Hawking will introduce each episode.
Signed on to star in the series are Terry O’Quinn (Lost ), Anne Heche (Men in Trees ) and James Denton (Desperate Housewives ). Others include Judy Davis (Life with Judy Garland ), Malcolm McDowell (Entourage ) and Sam Waterston (Law & Order ). Invited back. ABC Family has picked up Kyle XY for a second season. The series, featuring Matt Dallas as a mysterious savant teen who wanders out of the woods naked and with no navel, is averaging 2. 1 million viewers — impressive numbers in the cable universe. Reruns on the ABC mothership on Friday nights have pulled in twice those viewers. No Arkies this time. There were two Arkansans in the last round of America’s Next Top Model, including eventual winner Danielle Evans.
No such luck for the next cycle, which starts Sept. 20 on The CW.
There is a twist, however. Cycle Seven will include a brace of 18-year-old twins from California among the 13 contestants.
Do creative names matter ? There are no Furondas this round. Here are the first names (they don’t release last names ) of the 13 girls: A. J., Amanda, Anchal, Brooke, CariDee, Christian, Eugena, Jaeda, Megg, Megan, Melrose, Michelle and Monique.
I’m rooting for Melrose. Maybe CariDee. New Orleans downgraded. Blame this one on Katrina, too. Nielsen Media Research has refigured its TV markets ratings for 2006-07 and New Orleans plunged 11 spots from the No. 43 market to No. 54 in size.
The city went from 672, 150 TV homes to 566, 960.
For comparison, Little Rock / Pine Bluff remained at No. 57 with 539, 900 homes and the Fort Smith, Fayetteville, Springdale market climbed two spots to No. 101 with 290, 110 TV homes. Stargate folding. Sci Fi Channel has announced that this will be the final year for Stargate SG-1. It’s the show’s 10 th season. However, Stargate Atlantis will return for a fourth season.
One more year. And USA Network has ordered 13 more episodes of The 4400. The series will return next summer. The TV column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. E-mail: mstorey@arkansasonline. com
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