Help for the Holidays #3: A Less Expensive Way to Sing It Out

Anyone who knows me knows I love to sing. But I’ve never wanted to invest the money and space into a full blown karaoke unit. Or even a Wii.

For anyone who feels the same way but whose child has been inspired by “American Idol” or by seeing their favorite singer on TV, there’s the TV Games Sing Scene, a new addition to the line of Plug It In and Play TV Games from JAKKS Pacific.

The game consists of a single microphone that plugs into your TV. You follow the words and notes on the screen. Staying on pitch and singing the correct words score you points. You can compete against your friends or just yourself.

But don’t let the simplicity of the game fool you. It is very precise. I thought I was hitting every note of Rihanna’s “Take a Bow” but apparently not. And I was shocked to get my best score on Taylor Swift’s “Love Story,” a song I don’t even like.

You also have the option to practice before you do a “live performance,” which is what I should have done before attempting Fall Out Boy’s “This Ain’t a Scene.” I couldn’t remember how it went and ended up failing twice.

The game also features songs from Alicia Keys, Chris Brown, Fergie and others. You can just sing for the fun of it or you can compete against your friends.

The game definitely doesn’t have a lot of elaborate bells and whistles, but it’s not meant to. It’s meant to be a more affordable way for kids to experience the latest singing game. And adults will enjoy it too.

TV Games Sing Scene (agest 8+, $29.99) is available now…

Photo Credit: JAKKS Pacific

Pick of the Week: An "Insane" Confrontation

I warned you last week that this week’s Pick would once again be from Bravo because I already had it picked out.

And there is nothing that’s going to change my mind this week…

My Pick of the Week is the reunion episode of “Flipping Out.”

If you missed last week’s finale, Jeff put his differences with Ryan, his business partner, aside long enough to be a part of Chloe’s (Ryan’s daughter) birthday party. But Jeff admitted that he still couldn’t trust Ryan after he felt Ryan had betrayed him and taken business from him. The season ended with their relationship up in the air.

Now the two will be in the same room for the very first time since the birthday party and it’s guaranteed to be an explosive and emotional conversation. Someone from Bravo described it for me as “insane.”

If that’s not must-see-TV, kids, then I don’t know what is…

The reunion episode of “Flipping Out” airs Tuesday, October 27th at 10 p.m. on Bravo…

Photo Credit: Vivian Zink/Bravo

FOX Prepares to Close the Doors on the "Dollhouse"

There are some days when this job can be a little rough. And today is certainly one of them…

The great Ausiello of EW.com is reporting that FOX has pulled “Dollhouse” from its November sweeps schedule.

Next stop…cancellation.

I’ll give all the Joss Whedon fans a moment…

You may recall that it was a total shocker that FOX even renewed the show at all. I gave FOX a lot of kudos for that decision and I still do. But the reality is that FOX can’t compete in November with such a low-rated show.

The good news is that it looks like FOX will air the entire 13-episode order. The show is slated to return in December when it will air back-to-back episodes on Friday nights.

You may now feel free to share your sorrows with other “Dollhouse” fans here…

Photo Credit: Greg Gayne/FOX

Pick of the Week: The Two Words That Are Music to My Ears

I had this week’s Pick all set. But then I heard the two words that are music to my ears…

Restaurant Wars…

My Pick of the Week is “Top Chef: Las Vegas.”

Restaurant Wars is the annual challenge on “Top Chef” where two teams of cheftestants compete by each running restaurants. The winner is decided based on décor, service, management and, of course, the food. It’s always one of the best episodes of the year.

And this season, the “Top Chef” gods have apparently heeded my plea as it appears the previews show the Voltaggio brothers on the same team (Boy do I hope that’s true.). And the judges kept Robin, the most disliked contestant, in the mix to spice things up.

If you only watch one episode of “Chef” all year, this is the one…

“Top Chef: Las Vegas” airs Wednesday, October 21st at 10 p.m. on Bravo…

And in case you’re wondering what my original Pick was, it was, of course, the season finale of “Flipping Out.” If you watch “Watch What Happens,” you already know the answer to the question of whether Jeff and Ryan make up, but it will still be interesting to see what transpires…

“Flipping Out” airs Tuesday, October 20th at 10 p.m. on Bravo…

And don’t forget that “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” closes its season on Thursday, October 22nd at 10 p.m. on Bravo…

And just to warn you, next week’s Pick will also be from Bravo, so feel free to take me to task for it now. I can’t help it that Bravo is where it’s at these days…

Photo Credits: Justin Stephens/Bravo & Vivian Zink/Bravo

This Week's Premiere Schedule

There are two premieres of note this week to share with you…

Thursday, October 15th
30 Rock—9:30 PM—NBC

Friday, October 16th
Ugly Betty—8 PM (2 hrs.)—ABC

That leaves just one big premiere to go, the series premiere of “V” on ABC on November 3rd. I’ll have more on that as we get closer…

Photo Credit: Andrew Eccles/ABC

Pick of the Week: Drama You Can Relate To

The key to a good reality show is drama. If the drama is not juicy, then the show can fall flat.

And when the drama is something we can all relate to, it’s even better…

My Pick of the Week is the season premiere of “Million Dollar Listing.”

Laugh if you want, but having just gone through the home buying experience myself, I can tell you that I learned a lot from the first season of “Listing.” Now granted, I wasn’t looking at multi-million dollar houses…

But guess what? No one else is either. And that’s where the drama comes in.

If you’ve never seen it, “Listing” focuses on three hot young real estate agents in Los Angeles—Madison Hildebrand, Josh Flagg and Chad Rogers.

In the first two episodes, Madison tries to break some of his clients out of their fantasy world of a good market. Josh thinks about other tactics to survive and Chad struggles to get people to attend his open houses.

You can’t help but feel sorry for the guys as they try to rationalize with their clients about what they can get in this market. But you also feel sorry for the clients because you totally understand where they’re coming from. These are their homes and they want to get everything they can for them.

Throw in Josh’s brash style, Madison’s polyamorous lifestyle and Chad’s obsession with his hair and “Listing” is better than ever…

“Million Dollar Listing” premieres Monday, October 12th at 11 p.m. on Bravo…

And since I accidentally forgot to do a Pick last week, let me add two Bonus Picks—both also from Bravo…

First, it’s taken two seasons to get to this point, but “The Rachel Zoe Project” is finally at its dramatic peak as Rachel’s refusal to make a decision could send Taylor packing.

The season finale of “The Rachel Zoe Project” airs Monday, October 12th at 10 p.m. on Bravo…

Then, we know that Bravo promos can stretch the truth from time to time, but with all of the other drama we’ve been getting on the always solid “Flipping Out,” I have to believe the promos when they say “a major tragedy will rock Jeff’s world.” I don’t know what it is, but I have a sneaking suspicion and I think it will be tough to watch. Which means you won’t want to miss it…

“Flipping Out” airs Tuesday at 10 p.m. on Bravo…

A "Dallas" Reboot: Do We Really Need That?

I’m starting to think it really is true that Hollywood has no more original ideas…

“The New York Times” is reporting that Warner Bros. is looking to reboot “Dallas” as a series for TNT. The show would focus on the “Dallas” children, John Ross (J.R. and Sue Ellen’s son) and Christopher (Bobby and Pam’s adopted son).

Larry Hagman (J.R.), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen) and Patrick Duffy (Bobby) have all been invited to participate in the pilot. No word on whether any of them will.

And it’s important to remember that a pilot does not necessarily mean a series…

But even the thought of it has me wondering why. I mean, do we really need this? Can’t we just let “Dallas” rest in peace?

I do have to say, however, that this is a WAY better idea than the comedy film they wanted to do with John Travolta…

Was "Southland" a Victim of "Leno"?

I was just getting ready to sign off my computer when I decided to check my Twitter account and found an insane tweet from Michael Ausiello from “Entertainment Weekly”…

NBC has cancelled “Southland” before a single episode of the second season aired.

HUH?!

According to “The Hollywood Reporter,” the show was deemed too dark and gritty for 9 p.m. Of course, it can no longer air at 10 because of “The Jay Leno Show.”

I have to say that this is absolutely ridiculous and just one more example of NBC’s complete stupidity. You might recall that I was not a big fan of the show, but many people were. And it brought in better ratings than any of the new dramas NBC has aired so far this year.

One could argue that NBC had seen the six episodes in the can and saw how good they were—or weren’t. But I’m not going to argue that, because I can’t believe they were any worse than what NBC has now.

The show is now being shopped to both broadcast and cable networks. I would not be surprised if the show ended up on TNT…

In my opinion, this is all because NBC couldn’t admit they screwed up…

Photo Credit: Mitchell Haaseth/NBC

"Sherri" Review: We've Seen It Before, But It's Still Funny

I have always been a fan of Sherri Shepherd. I know that people mostly know her now for “The View,” but over the years she has developed an extensive sitcom resume.

You may remember her as Robert’s partner, Judy, on “Everybody Loves Raymond.” Or as Claude’s friend on “Less Than Perfect” or more recently as Tracy’s wife on “30 Rock.”

But since I always go for the “Friends” reference first, to me she will always be Rhonda, the museum tour guide, who answers Ross’ call for the workers in the museum to get to know each other with “I’m Rhonda. And these aren’t real.”

Wherever you know her from, I’m sure you’ll agree that she is long overdue for getting a sitcom of her own. Thankfully, Lifetime has answered the call and given us “Sherri.”

Basically Shepherd is just playing a slightly fictionalized version of herself. But since Shepherd is pretty funny, “Sherri” is pretty funny too…

Sherri is newly divorced after she catches her husband (Malcolm Jamal-Warner) with another woman. Now, she’s trying to juggle her work as a paralegal with her work as an actress with her work as a single mother to her son. Plus, she’s trying to get back into the dating pool. Helping her out are her friends Celia (Tammy Townsend) and Angie (Elizabeth Regen) and her father (James Avery).

In the premiere, Sherri learns some news from her ex that convinces her to go out with her friends and have some fun. But when the night out turns into a disaster, Sherri must build up her confidence to try again.

As I said, “Sherri” is pretty funny. Even though the show is not highly original (This stuff has been done before.), Shepherd gives it her own special touch that makes you not mind that you’ve seen these situations numerous times.

Plus, it’s always great to have Jamal-Warner back on TV. Even if he is playing a total sleaze…

“Sherri” premieres with a special preview Monday, October 5th at 7 p.m. on Lifetime. The show will air every night this week at 7 p.m. before moving into its regular timeslot Tuesday, October 13th at 10 p.m…

Photo Credit: Carol Kaelson/Lifetime Networks