I like this guy's blogs. Day Two is hilarious (but a little sad with all the speculation), but I need to start at Day One.
Fifteen Days of Chuck: Day OnePosted on 04 May 2009 by Robert Seidman
http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/05/04/fifteen-days-of-chuck-day-one/17985 (http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/05/04/fifteen-days-of-chuck-day-one/17985)
Chuck vs. The TruthDay 1 Mood: positive and upbeat for renewal!Oh come on. Who didn't see this coming?! Fifteen more days of Chuck love, Chuck comments, the bashing of Chuck fans, and the bashing of the Chuck fan bashers.
I'm just going to soak it all in - bask in it even. And then, I'm probably going to take a month off and watch every episode ever made of Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. I've been watching those shows a bit recently in homage to my colleague Bill who marks those among his favorite shows. I understand why he likes those shows so much. There's rarely any wasted plot at all.
Anyway, back to Chuck. From now until May 19th when NBC allegedly will be announcing more pickups and the schedule, there will be a Chuck o' the Day post. So here's today's...
I'm still upbeat for the renewals of Law & Order, Medium and Chuck. All the tea leaves today still point towards renewal of those three shows despite them not being among NBC's announcements today. But tomorrow is another day. Do I buy into the Watch With Kristin theory put forth by our friend Jennifer Godwin?
QuoteOne theory on the delayed announcements is that NBC wants to see what the other networks do with their pilots and programming before making any final picks. And one theory derivative of that theory is that there's some defensive strategy involved. Cancel Fox-studios-produced My Name Is Earl now and you might see it picked up by Fox-network president Kevin Reilly on May 18. Drop Chuck today and maybe you get a courtesy call from CW boss Dawn Ostroff next week informing you that she's taking it to the See-Dub to hang out with Gossip Girl...
The primary reason I'm not quick to jump to conspiracy theorist here is NBC could've scheduled their upfront for May 20th and other than taking a little bit of flack over "I guess that "infront" thing didn't work out", nobody would've thought twice about it.
NBC can and probably should use any advantage it has. It seems a bit icky, but it's an icky business. Still, I do not believe CW would pick up Chuck under any circumstances. I could be wrong, but had NBC announced Chuck today, I just don't see much of a case for Dawn picking it up. Whether CW should/shouldn't is a different matter. I just think under Dawn's management they wouldn't. But even if that's wrong, if NBC doesn't renew it on May 19th, Dawn still has a couple of days to slide it into the CW schedule before CW's upfront on May 21 if she has a mind to.
As for FOX picking up My Name is Earl? There, it just seems like If it makes sense for FOX, they will pick it up if NBC doesn't and figure it out regardless of what NBC does and when they announce it.
I'd offer another theory on the delayed announcements: NBC wishes it was having its upfront in a couple of weeks like everyone else. They weren't really ready and Nora O'Brien's sad passing didn't help matters any. But they had announced their infront upfront and scheduled meetings etc., so they felt like they had to stay with the plan even though it isn't actually ready yet. It will be interesting to see if NBC goes back to a normal upfront schedule next year.
For now, the way I look at it is that when it comes to Chuck (and a few other shows) we simply don't know yet, and I believe that is because NBC doesn't know yet. I think once NBC picked up the Warner Brothers produced Southland, Warner Brothers wasn't as likely to pressure NBC into making its Chuck decision now.
I do agree with this from TV Week though:
QuoteThe lack of a decision on borderline shows "doesn't mean that they won't be picked up," Mr. Graboff said. "We just haven't made those decisions, and we don't feel any pressure to do so."
NBC, however, may be looking to maximize its leverage with the studios behind the bubble shows. Networks are looking to control license fee costs wherever possible, and by announcing its lineup of newcomers now, NBC is trying to signal that it might just be able to live without shows on the bubble if the studios behind those shows get too greedy.
Again, I'm upbeat for Chuck. Upbeat for a mid-season return of Medium and upbeat that somehow, some way Law & Order will see its twentieth season.
What about Life and Knight Rider? Not upbeat at all. But I mourned Life appropriately already, by thoroughly enjoying the season (and no doubt series) finale. Update: during our site outage many sites reported on Ben Silverman's comment that Life was definitely not coming back. While not a surprise, I think some were still holding out hope of a miracle. That hope has now been dashed.
Fifteen Days of Chuck: Day Two
Posted on 05 May 2009 by Robert Seidman
http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/05/05/fifteen-days-of-chuck-day-two/18075 (http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/05/05/fifteen-days-of-chuck-day-two/18075)
Current mood: tired, stupid, but still upbeat about Chuck's renewal prospects!
Chuck fans vs. our web server
Looks like I picked the wrong day to be stupid about computers. Within about a half hour of posting the first day of the Fifteen Days of Chuck, our website crashed and it took all the king's horses and all the king's men about six hours to put it back together again.
The problem? It's not Chuck fans. It's the path Bill and I have gone down and it's complicated. While Bill and I aren't geeks who work in the Buy More (or the Best Buy) we are geeks who don't work at the Buy More. But when it comes to computers, as geeky as we are, we wind up seeming more like Jeffster (Jeff and Lester) than Chuck when it comes to aptitude.
I'm not necessarily saying that I don't know my way around a MySQL database, just that when it comes to that sort of thing it's not something I'm really all that interested in being really knowledgeable about. Sometimes when you combine lack of interest, and lack of knowledge with responsibility, the results aren't very good. But, necessity is the mother of invention, so I got out MySQL for dummies and went to work. Actually, I don't have that book (thinking about ordering it, though) but Google is an excellent resource if you need to fix a problem. Hopefully those fixes will get us through the upfronts without further outages.
Josh Schwartz' special hell
You don't need to watch Entourage or read the trade press to know there are plenty of douchebags in Hollywood, but by all accounts, Chuck executive producer and co-creator Josh Schwartz doesn't seem to be one of them. In fact, he seems like one of the "good guys". But sometimes it also seems like he must've cut some kind of devilish bargain.
"Good news, Josh! Two of your series are being picked up. Gossip Girl and Chuck. Yay! But, here's the thing, both shows are going to air at the same thyme against each other."
Nobody ever said life was fair, but that seems a bit harsh. I don't think the CW has a particular problem with Chuck airing when it does and the good news for Gossip Girl is it is at least good counter programming when Monday Night Football is airing. That didn't prove to be the case for Chuck though. Then, over the winter when House moved to Mondays at 8pm on FOX, it wound up hurting both Chuck and Gossip Girl.
Chuck on Fridays?
Given the little bit of hinting NBC has done about its scheduling plans, there is now speculation that Chuck could air on Fridays. I do not see that happening. I'd be fine if it did, although if it went down like that, I think we'd be looking at 13, and only 13 more episodes of Chuck.
That might be the case regardless of where it aired, but it seems all but certain if it airs on Friday. I can't really come up with a case where NBC would renew the show if it planned to put it on Fridays, but it's NBC, so I suppose anything is possible. I'd rather have 13 more episodes than none at all, so while I'd scratch my head in wonder if NBC announced plans to air Chuck on Fridays, I'd take it.
At this point, I don't care when it airs, just that we get more. I was so very ticked that most of my faves shows seemed to be 'opposite each other'...with some days of NOTHING. I don't get that. Why would anyone want to pit any of their shows against something similar (in terms of demographics). I mean, put a 'teen show' opposite a crime show. Don't put "The Miley Cyrus show" opposite "High School Musical-Backstage'. You want to be sure you don't have competition. You want 'like shows' on your own net to flow together. Don't do a 'kids' show, then a 'grandma' show, followed by a 'dad' show. Cuz, sure as shootin' people will flip channels and go with what's easiest. Just like me sittin' through panels I don't care about at Comic Con...it's easier to sit tight to be sure I see what I want to see. It's too easy to get distracted and forget to change channels, or for me, to leave the computer and get back tot he TV. (missed the first couple minutes of "Castle" a couple times cuz of that...why even have that dancing show as a lead in?).
*sigh*
Fans should control programming.
Put that POS Heroes on Fridays, Chuck on Mondays. Problem solved.
Fifteen Days of Chuck: Day Three
Posted on 06 May 2009 by Robert Seidman
http://tvbythenumbers.com/category/15-days-of-chuck (http://tvbythenumbers.com/category/15-days-of-chuck)
Mood: still optimistic about renewal, but I'm cranky over lack of Nielsen data.
Has anyone noticed since NBC announced some pickups without picking up Chuck and instead deferring that decision by as much as fifteen days there hasn't been any Nielsen data? Coincidence?
If you're one of those people who don't believe in coincidences probably not. I am not one of those people though. I do believe in coincidence. Still, just like there has been no Chuck renewal yet, there is no Sunday, Monday or Tuesday ratings data yet. And since Sunday is still waiting, there's no weekly data yet either.
I am guessing the river of Nielsen data begins to flow again before NBC announces Chuck's fate, and though I'd be fine with NBC making an announcement sooner rather than later, I really am more interested in the ratings data. When you have a web site that primarily focuses on ratings data, and there is no ratings data, it's not much fun.
Judging from some of the comments, there are those who seem to believe it actually is a Chuck conspiracy, only some think that we are deliberately hoarding the Nielsen data so we can focus exclusively on Chuck. It isn't so. I really do want to know (and share) how Castle did on Monday, Fringe on Tuesday, etc. And many Chuck fans are just dying to know how Deal or No Deal did Monday night at 8pm.
I mostly have stopped reading the comments in these posts instead opting to catch up on Numb3rs, NCIS, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. After the first ten "I hate Chuck, your site is nothing but Chuck, where are the ratings!!?!?" comments, it gets a little bit childish.
I don't have a problem with childish so much, I'd just rather save my childish time for parents who use their children to create videos that will embarrass the hell out of them ten years down the road...
Chuck's Youngest Fan Talks about the Finale (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9sZAuYVGPE&feature=player_embedded#lq-lq2-hq)
I am as optimistic as I was yesterday, and the day before about Chuck's renewal prospects. Hopefully the Nielsen river of data will begin flowing again soon. Stay tuned...
(I thought the video was cute)
(http://images.cafepress.com/jitcrunch.aspx?bG9hZD1ibGFuayxibGFuazoxODRfRi5qcGd8bG9hZD1MMCxodHRwOi8vaW1hZ2VzMy5jYWZlcHJlc3MuY29tL2ltYWdlLzMzOTkwMjkzXzQwMHg0MDAucG5nfHxzY2FsZT1MMCwxNjgsMTY4LFRyYW5zcGFyZW50fGxvYWQ9dG0tTDAsYmxhbms6MTg0X0ZfdG1hc2suanBnfGNvbXBvc2U9TDAsdG0tTDAsVGV4dHVyZU1hc2ssLTE1NCwtMTIyfGNvbXBvc2U9YmxhbmssTDAsQWxwaGFCbGVuZCwxNTQsMTIyfGNwPXJlc3VsdCxibGFua3xzY2FsZT1yZXN1bHQsMCw0ODAsV2hpdGV8Y29tcHJlc3Npb249OTV8)
sweet!
(http://images.cafepress.com/image/31884517_125x125.jpg)
Kids are soooooooooooooooooo cute!!
I love the 'and then...and then....'
too adorkable.
Fifteen Days of Chuck: Day Four
http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/05/07/fifteen-days-of-chuck-day-four/18247 (http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/05/07/fifteen-days-of-chuck-day-four/18247)
Posted on 07 May 2009 by Robert Seidman
(http://tvbythenumbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/chuck-and-casey-all-wet.jpg)
Mood: still tired and cranky, but as upbeat as ever about Chuck's renewal prospects.
For a few hearty souls, the days are just zipping by and day fifteen will be here in the blink of an eye. But for a large contingent, the "fifteen days of Chuck" can't end soon enough.
As expected, the Nielsen logjam broke before any formal announcement about Chuck was made. We have the overnight reports through Monday and Nielsen plans to be all caught up by Friday afternoon. We finally have the weekly information up, too. Bill has revised his chances of Chuck's renewal from 75% last week to 95% this week. At the time Bill predicted 75% I had predicted 86%, and just to be slightly more optimistic than Bill, I'll revise my original number to 97%.
What's the difference between 97% and 100%? It's larger than it might appear. If you could get 100% assurances of winning a $500 million dollar lottery if you bought $500,000 worth of tickets, you'd mortgage your house and if there wasn't enough money you'd sell everything you own on EBay. You wouldn't think twice about it because you were guaranteed to win the $500 million! But if you switch it up, even a little, say to 97%, things start to look a bit different. If you had even a 3% chance of losing everything you owned, including your house, you might not want to risk it.
Be optimistic on Chuck's return, but think twice before being so optimistic you'd bet your house on it.
In other news, fan boys are w00ting it up over a very poor showing for Deal or No Deal in the Monday 8pm timeslot, where it pulled in a 1.2 rating for adults 18-49, only half of what what Chuck was doing recently. I don't read that as necessarily a good sign for Chuck. It is a bad sign for NBC, who apparently still though Deal or No Deal could bring it some May Sweeps joy, either that or they figured, "what the hell, it hardly costs anything to put on the air, and it's guaranteed to do better than Kings!"
Again, I'm not sure that it means anything at all for Chuck's prospects, but it certainly isn't a bad sign. And if nothing else, if Deal or No Deal had reeled in a 3.0 adults 18-49 rating the fans would've completely freaked and it could've gotten ugly. I know there are more than a few Chuck haters who wished it would've gone down like that. Unless NBC pulls it from the schedule, the haters will get another chance to wish upon a star next week when Deal or No Deal is scheduled to air on Monday at 8pm again.
Deal or No Deal ?
Let's hope that goes away and soon .
Quote from: AdmiralDigby on May 08, 2009, 07:49:11 AM
Deal or No Deal ?
Let's hope that goes away and soon .
I'm hoping they greenlight Gold Case. (http://30rock.wikia.com/wiki/Gold_Case)
Quote from: AdmiralDigby on May 08, 2009, 07:49:11 AM
Deal or No Deal ?
Let's hope that goes away and soon .
Hey, every network needs a reality juggernaut!
Quote from: AdmiralDigby on May 08, 2009, 07:49:11 AM
Deal or No Deal ?
Let's hope that goes away and soon .
But but but...
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2345/2454781799_264472c9d9.jpg?v=0)
How about this game for a Deal or No Deal replacement?
I'm not sure of the goal, but it seems like even the losers still win (except for that whole "electric shock" thing).
Don't Ram the Boobs (http://www.break.com/index/dont-ram-the-boobs.html#id708670)
Quote from: Eric on May 08, 2009, 08:42:28 AM
Quote from: AdmiralDigby on May 08, 2009, 07:49:11 AM
Deal or No Deal ?
Let's hope that goes away and soon .
But but but...
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2345/2454781799_264472c9d9.jpg?v=0)
OK , that's pretty awesome .
Quote from: TinkTanker on May 08, 2009, 07:52:29 AM
Quote from: AdmiralDigby on May 08, 2009, 07:49:11 AM
Deal or No Deal ?
Let's hope that goes away and soon .
I'm hoping they greenlight Gold Case. (http://30rock.wikia.com/wiki/Gold_Case)
OK , first I ever heard of that .
( I really should watch 30 Rock )
They could've just put lead in all the other cases though .
Quote from: AdmiralDigby on May 08, 2009, 12:56:49 PM
OK , first I ever heard of that .
( I really should watch 30 Rock )
They could've just put lead in all the other cases though .
30 Rock is ruttin' hi-larious. I never watched because I loathe Alec Baldwin, but he pretty much plays Alec Baldwin and that is what makes it so funny.
Quote from: Eric on May 08, 2009, 08:42:28 AM
Quote from: AdmiralDigby on May 08, 2009, 07:49:11 AM
Deal or No Deal ?
Let's hope that goes away and soon .
But but but...
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2345/2454781799_264472c9d9.jpg?v=0)
Two of Gingi's friends who are in that Storm Trooper group got to be in that segment. hehe.
Quote from: TinkTanker on May 08, 2009, 12:58:50 PM
Quote from: AdmiralDigby on May 08, 2009, 12:56:49 PM
OK , first I ever heard of that .
( I really should watch 30 Rock )
They could've just put lead in all the other cases though .
30 Rock is ruttin' hi-larious. I never watched because I loathe Alec Baldwin, but he pretty much plays Alec Baldwin and that is what makes it so funny.
I saw part of one ep were Tina Fey suspected an Arabic neighbor was a terrorist and another where Alec slept with a liberal chick .
The bits were hi-larious .
I'll dvd the whole shamozzle when I get a chance .
Jessi watches the eps on V-cast on her phone...then makes me watch them on HULU.
They are totally funny. I swear "Liz Lemon" is a combination of both Gingi and Jessi in one.
Cause it's our Yvonne.
(http://www.buddytv.com/articles/chucksandprevspoil.jpg)
Fifteen Days of Chuck: Day Five
http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/05/08/fifteen-days-of-chuck-day-five/18333 (http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/05/08/fifteen-days-of-chuck-day-five/18333)
Posted on 08 May 2009 by Robert Seidman
Mood: still upbeat for a Chuck renewal!
Well, it's day five and there's some news on the periphery that kind of, maybe, has a little bit to do with Chuck. Nikki Finke reported that she heard that CW decided not to pick up the Gossip Girl spinoff, Lilly, before the backdoor pilot airs next Monday.
Some of you might be thinking, "WTF!? Gossip Girl?! Lilly!?? What does that have to do with Chuck!?" Gossip Girl showrunner Josh Schwartz also happens to be the showrunner and co-creator of...Chuck. Jennifer Godwin over at Watch With Kristin reports the Gossip Girl spinoff might not be dead yet, though it still sounded kind of dead.
Chuck fans probably don't want Schwartz stretched too thin anyway.
Here's a CNN.com interview with Chuck's Zac Levi and Josh Gomez (thanks to reader Wendy for the link):
http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/js/2.0/video/evp/module.js?loc=dom&vid=/video/showbiz/2009/05/07/dcl.intv.chuck.levi.gomez.cnn (http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/js/2.0/video/evp/module.js?loc=dom&vid=/video/showbiz/2009/05/07/dcl.intv.chuck.levi.gomez.cnn)
I'm tellin' ya, Chuck HAS to be picked up, and they HAVE to film part of an ep AT Comic Con! Chuck has Comic Con posters in his room, and even has his badges up on the wall too. Jessi was cracking up, cuz we have our badges all over the house, some in my room, some in travel bags we only use for CC, some in the CAR!
Anyhoo...the show HAS to keep running till I get them AT the con. I want an ep of Big Bang Theory done there too!
If they filmed stuff during the preview night, or did some night shooting, with maybe raffles to get 'extras' to be 'on set'. OMGOSH...seriously, how cool would that be?
They could even do the 'footage' from Morgan's video point of view...making it easier to use smaller cameras and such. Then do the 'real footage' elsewhere. *sigh* I just love it when my reality meets my fantasy worlds.
Fifteen Days of Chuck: Day Six
http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/05/09/fifteen-days-of-chuck-day-six/18377#more-18377 (http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/05/09/fifteen-days-of-chuck-day-six/18377#more-18377)
Posted on 09 May 2009 by Robert Seidman
There have been no changes since yesterday (or the day before, or the day before, etc). There are more rumors. A couple of people left comments and sent e-mail that on some Warner Brothers site they are listing information of season three of Chuck. That doesn't mean the show is renewed. It doesn't mean anything at all. If you ask NBC they will tell you no decision was made yet, and if you ask Warner Brothers they will tell you the same thing. A graphic on a web site? You mean, like this graphic (http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/04/28/did-an-nbccom-screw-up-announce-the-chuck-series-finale/17517)? Meaningless. It is just web sites trying to generate traffic.
Sure, I'm doing the same thing with these posts, and I can't deny pandering to the Chuck fans or being fine with getting web traffic, but I wouldn't make up "Chuck Renewed!" or "Chuck Canceled!" posts just for the traffic. I'm basing my renewal prediction almost exclusively on the numbers. If not for Jay Leno, I believe its renewal already would've been announced. That it hasn't been announced yet seems primarily to be a function of two things:
* 1. NBC hasn't gotten all its ducks in a row to figure out fall 2009 entirely just yet
* 2. As long as #1 above is true, it gives some negotiation leverage to NBC
I am confident that NBC will indeed pick up Chuck. It's still possible that it won't, and some graphic on a Warner Brothers website doesn't change that possibility.
I hear a lot of "@!^& Chuck! You show soooo much love to Chuck, but, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles is a wayyyyyyy better show!!"
On the quality front, I've seen every episode of both of those shows. I wound up enjoying Chuck quite a bit more. But that's a subjective opinion. Who cares about subjective opinions? I mean subjectively, I've been catching up on NCIS, and I like it more than either Chuck or TSCC. Blasphemy, I know, but what can I tell you, it's my subjective, personal opinion! According to 30 Rock, I like NCIS more because I am OLD. I am old, so 30 Rock might have that right!
What's not at all subjective is this: Chuck performed much better relative to NBC than TSCC performed relative to FOX .
That's an unbiased, objective assessment of actual results. Completely unbiased, and completely objective. If you don't like those results, that is of course your choice, but not liking the results doesn't change the results any. So I'm giving Chuck some love because:
* 1. It has an actual legitimate chance of being renewed (TSCC does not, at least not on FOX)
* 2. Unique circumstances about delaying announcements for several shows by NBC precipitating, well, Fifteen Days of Chuck!
I don't find it difficult to separate my subjective opinions from the objective results. I give this example all the time, and I'll give it again: I really enjoyed NBC's Life, and said so. But the numbers stunk and I always said it had no chance of being renewed. If I absolutely LOVED Dollhouse and TSCC, I would still be predicting their imminent demise, because those predictions are results-based, not based on my opinion of the shows.
I enjoy Chuck, but I can reel off at least five shows off the top of my head that I enjoy more:
* 1. Lost
* 2. House
* 3. NCIS
* 4. Law & Order: SVU
* 5. Burn Notice
Don't throw stones at me, but I could probably reel off five more. The prediction for Chuck's return is not based on my enjoyment of the show. I do enjoy the show and hope it returns. But I enjoyed Life on Mars, too. Enjoyment of a show is decidedly not a sound basis for making renewal predictions.
little late in posting these days, sorry
Fifteen Days of Chuck: Day Seven
http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/05/10/fifteen-days-of-chuck-day-seven/18389#more-18389 (http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/05/10/fifteen-days-of-chuck-day-seven/18389#more-18389)
Posted on 10 May 2009 by Robert Seidman
(http://tvbythenumbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/casey.jpg)
Soon, the fifteen days of Chuck will be over, but not soon enough by some. And by some people, I might be including myself as well. nuthin' new to report today. I'm as optimistic as I was on day one, which was pretty darn optimistic. The illustrious Nick C said in the comments yesterday:
CHUCK btw should be signed, sealed, and done by Tuesday. If Warner again doesn't screw it all up. I'm sure again the Media will be all over it then.
Though I love Nick, throwing "if Warner again doesn't screw it all up" in there is sort of like saying "If we pitch well, and hit well, and play our best, we'll win the game!" The sports world constantly shows the problems with that approach in practice. Sometimes you don't pitch and hit well, but moreover, even when you pitch and hit well, and play your best, sometime the other team just pitches and hits better.
I think once upon a thyme Nick sat in on some $50,000 crash course for a week on "how to talk like a politician." And he aced the course. Come Tuesday, if it's announced Nick can offer a big fat, "toldja!", but if it isn't, he can blame it all on Warner Bros screwing it up. Well played, Nick.
Anyway, I'm not any more optimistic because of Nick's comments, but I'm certainly not more pessimistic because of them either. I consider the comments, like these posts as entertainment to pass the thyme until we do hear something. I'll be very happy if Nick is right because it will allow me to cram about six days of Chuck into one post! If I had to bet right now, I'd bet that we won't hear anything until the fifteenth day of Chuck. But I wouldn't bet much, and fortunately, I don't have to bet on this at all.
/forgot to post the photo, good photo!
Fifteen Days of Chuck: Day Eight
http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/05/11/fifteen-days-of-chuck-day-eight/18460#more-18460 (http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/05/11/fifteen-days-of-chuck-day-eight/18460#more-18460)
Posted on 11 May 2009 by Robert Seidman
(http://tvbythenumbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/jeff.jpg)
We're over the hump! It will all be over in a week, hopefully sooner.
The latest speculation revolves, not around Chuck, but more since it seems like Legally Mad didn't get picked up by NBC, what does that mean for Chuck?
What it means to me personally, is not much at all. I'm still optimistic for Chuck's renewal and waiting for the announcement in a week (but hopefully sooner!). Though I can understand from a falling dominos perspective how one might think the news impacts Chuck either favorably or negatively. But since it hasn't changed my outlook (I'm still 95%), I'm not going to get into that. So how do we pass the time?
How about which Chuck character are you most like and why?
One of the dynamics of Chuck is that you have a fair bit of contrast. You have Ellie and Awesome more or less pursuing perfect lives and then you have a lot of, how shall we say "unambitious losers", at the Buy More. Casey and Sarah are "defenders against evil", and then you have Chuck himself. Chuck isn't really an unambitious loser, he was just laid so low by his circumstances of being kicked out of Stanford and dumped by the woman he loved for his best friend that he had a hard time recovering. He still hasn't quite recovered yet, though the Intersect and his fondness for Sarah has seemingly set him on the road to recovery.
It's hard for me to pick one character. I'm probably somewhat a cross between Chuck and Jeff and perhaps Big Mike. I had some academic issues, and certainly have been laid low by a woman a time or two. I've had a pretty diverse career. I worked at a public park and golf course for about 7 years in my youth, and worked at Sprint, IBM and even somehow managed to wind up with a senior vice president title at Charles Schwab. I've had to make decisions from "where to put the pin on hole #6 today" (and OK, I admit it, sometimes I would pick extremely difficult pin placements on purpose!) to "what's the best way to handle the taxonomy for 5,000 topics," to creating e-mail products that hundreds of thousands of customers subscribed to and receive daily.
I was a very early adopter of personal computers, and using networked computers as communications tools, and my curiosity and interest about that, more than any real drive or ambition, wound up leading me down a fairly interesting path. I never really managed to strike the proper balance between curiosity and drive, but perhaps out of being curious to somewhat of an extreme, it still worked out reasonably well on the career front.
But, a couple of twists and turns of fate and I could have been Jeff. And only one or two twists and turns at that. Socially unadjusted, semi-crazed loner, working retail in his 40s, who drinks excessively? Ok, so I don't work retail (though I did in my teens) or drink very much, but minus the customers, I could definitely see enjoying hanging out at Best Buy eight hours a day. I love being around the gadgets and the big screen TVs. It's very calming. It could still happen and I feel I would be a fine addition to any Geek Squad staff!
Sadly, however, I lack Jeff's musical talent. But on the basis of other attributes, including what my hair might look like if I let if grow out, I'm going with Jeff.
How about you?
NBC opted not to pick up the David Kelley drama Legally Mad. Supposedly there was a deal that if NBC did not pick it up they would pay Warner Brothers $2 million; the word is that NBC was trying to cut a deal where if they picked up Chuck WB would waive the cancellation fee for Legally Mad. Hopefully that deal was made. I just hope that it doesn't get stuck on Friday nights.
Quote from: TinkTanker on May 12, 2009, 06:48:13 AM
I just hope that it doesn't get stuck on Friday nights.
Me too.
Just put Leno on Friday night 7:00 to 12:00
;)
Quote from: AdmiralDigby on May 12, 2009, 09:15:56 AM
Just put Leno on Friday night 7:00 to 12:00
;)
Do you know how happy that would make so many people?! lol. :rofl:
I'm still scratching my bald head over putting the same shiat on tv five nights a week .
Leno is by all accounts a nice guy , but he won't be in my living room .
Fifteen Days of Chuck: Day Nine
http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/05/12/fifteen-days-of-chuck-day-nine/18533 (http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/05/12/fifteen-days-of-chuck-day-nine/18533)
Posted on 12 May 2009 by Robert Seidman
(http://tvbythenumbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/chuck-day-9.jpg)
People are going to spin their wheels because they can be spun, but I have no new information about Chuck as of this writing (12:40pm PDT on Tuesday May 12) and am not going to weigh in on any wheel spinning. I am still optimistic the show will be renewed for at least 13 episodes.
If you want to spin your wheels following Twitter chit chat, have at it. But unless you see "Chuck renewed" or "Chuck canceled" twittered from a reputable source, it doesn't really mean anything.
If that's how you want to spin your wheels, go for it, but personally, I'd prefer it if you took goofy pictures of yourself, posted them on the Internet and then provided links!
It's just a preference though...
Once again, I shout from the rooftops, they HAVE to do an ep about/at Comic Con!!
*sigh*
I'd gladly be an 'extra'. UNPAID even.
Quote from: Saxon on May 13, 2009, 09:02:33 AM
Once again, I shout from the rooftops, they HAVE to do an ep about/at Comic Con!!
*sigh*
I'd gladly be an 'extra'. UNPAID even.
A two-parter, ending at Dragon*Con.
Only problem, Adam would be a no-show.
Quote from: TinkTanker on May 13, 2009, 09:07:59 AM
Quote from: Saxon on May 13, 2009, 09:02:33 AM
Once again, I shout from the rooftops, they HAVE to do an ep about/at Comic Con!!
*sigh*
I'd gladly be an 'extra'. UNPAID even.
A two-parter, ending at Dragon*Con.
Only problem, Adam would be a no-show.
Adam said he loves Dragon*Con, I think he's as upset about having to cancel (when he has) as the fans are. But, work (contracts) is work. *being the wife of a cop, and now coroner, I get that all too well*
A couple of years ago, there was a poll as to who would cancel first. AB won hands down. And he did cancel that year. As usual.
Hey, like the man said, we work before we play.
I'd love to meet the guy, but my D*C days are over.
Pearl keeps flirting with going, I think, but then remembers how miserable it was just walking around. There are a bunch of actors showing this year she'd love to meet -- Key players from B5 (she's a noob fan!), several from Farscape (Browder/Claudia) and probably more I don't know about.
Parties in the hotel room were teh fun, of course. I was pretty content with that. lol
Quote from: TinkTanker on May 13, 2009, 09:23:25 AM
A couple of years ago, there was a poll as to who would cancel first. AB won hands down. And he did cancel that year. As usual.
Hey, like the man said, we work before we play.
I'd love to meet the guy, but my D*C days are over.
You really need to meet him. He's so very cool. I know he loves meeting 'the fans', but he really does like to meet the people he's gotten to know from the OB. It's just like me meeting you guys, I can tell, he's very sincere when he meets someone who's name he recognises (I've seen his face, how his eyes light up).
I've been tempted to see about just 'hiring him' for something....*like I said, if I ever get rich*, just so 'all of us' could meet (Adam included). I realize that he's 'working', but that doesn't mean he's not enjoying meeting 'online friends'. I can tell the difference when he's talking to 'fans' vs. 'friends'. I thought for awhile I was being silly, thinking 'we' (meaning the OB gang) were 'special'...but I KNOW for real that we are (just how we are to each other, that's how he feels, he is human after all!).
I know that Wyobar and I talked about this....he's a good actor, but you can note the difference from when he meets 'one of us' vs. 'a fan'.
I just look at it this way, I don't expect a mechanic friend/relative to fix my car for free...why would I expect him to 'make an appearance' without compensation. It's like the photos/autograph thing...when he's at an event, that's part of his 'pay'.
Anyhoo...I know it's always a gamble to go to an event 'just to see' someone. That's one of the reasons we only go to cons we'd go to regardless of who may or may not appear.
The best place, so far, that I've seen/been to for actually 'meeting him' is Creation Con. Even though it's being moved to a new hotel next year, I know how the scheduling works, and there IS 'down time' and he's already 'on the clock', so it would be easier (like it was last year) to get a message to him to meet up with some 'online friends' for a beer or burger. But of course, I'm sure there is still the gamble of him having to be somewhere else. :(
Just keep in mind, California is fun even without Adam!
At D*C '05, when Eric introduced himself and shook Adam's hand, Adam gave Eric a hug. The first time I met him, he thought I was someone else from the OB and I got hugged [Cat48jj was like, that was MY hug!!!!]. When J-R-B met him, he totally lit up. I was really bummed out for Tink and Digby in 2007 because he had to cancel. We were ALL bummed. But we did have Ron and Mark there, and we had more fun drinking and talking in the hotel room than anything else.
You guys over in CA have the best meetups. You're really lucky to kick back, talk, and have a brewski with these guys.
Did anybody post that on May 12th's Daily Show Jon Stewart said: "It's good to know that Nancy Pelosi took torture as seriously as a 'Don't Cancel CHUCK petition. But seriously though, don't cancel CHUCK."
Quote from: Pearl@32 on May 14, 2009, 07:17:39 AM
At D*C '05, when Eric introduced himself and shook Adam's hand, Adam gave Eric a hug. The first thyme I met him, he thought I was someone else from the OB and I got hugged [Cat48jj was like, that was MY hug!!!!]. When J-R-B met him, he totally lit up. I was really bummed out for Tink and Digby in 2007 because he had to cancel. We were ALL bummed. But we did have Ron and Mark there, and we had more fun drinking and talking in the hotel room than anything else.
You guys over in CA have the best meetups. You're really lucky to kick back, talk, and have a brewski with these guys.
We were disappointed by the lack of Adam , but only peripherally .
The gang was easily our highlight .
:beercheer:
Quote from: Pearl@32 on May 14, 2009, 07:24:25 AM
Did anybody post that on May 12th's Daily Show Jon Stewart said: "It's good to know that Nancy Pelosi took torture as seriously as a 'Don't Cancel CHUCK petition. But seriously though, don't cancel CHUCK."
That's funny .
:)
Quote from: AdmiralDigby on May 14, 2009, 09:02:20 AM
Quote from: Pearl@32 on May 14, 2009, 07:17:39 AM
At D*C '05, when Eric introduced himself and shook Adam's hand, Adam gave Eric a hug. The first thyme I met him, he thought I was someone else from the OB and I got hugged [Cat48jj was like, that was MY hug!!!!]. When J-R-B met him, he totally lit up. I was really bummed out for Tink and Digby in 2007 because he had to cancel. We were ALL bummed. But we did have Ron and Mark there, and we had more fun drinking and talking in the hotel room than anything else.
You guys over in CA have the best meetups. You're really lucky to kick back, talk, and have a brewski with these guys.
We were disappointed by the lack of Adam , but only peripherally .
The gang was easily our highlight .
:beercheer:
If Adam is on the roster for the next Creation Firefly/Serenity Con in LA, y'all should try to be there. This is one of the best deals for your money. Seriously...unless you go in for all the extras (photo ops, breakfast w/the stars, et al), you can still get in to see/hear them, and go through the autograph line for pretty darn cheap. BUT, the best part is, during the down time between panels, Adam just hangs out. Like I said though, they are moving it to another hotel this year, and I haven't had a chase to 'scope it out'...but if it has a bar/lounge/eating area like the old one, I know where he'll be. And the COOLEST thing is, if you tell the con people to get a message to him, they'll help you out (at least they did for us, especially after seeing him having a drink with him).
Worth the airfare and the hotel (and they usually have really good rates for the hotel the con is at, not 'cheap', but cheaper than the regular going rate). The best part is, it's all in one place, so you save money not having to rent a car (and there are so many 'locals', if you did need/want to go somewhere else, hitching a ride with Browncoats is easy).
Think about it guys. NOT huge like D*C or Comic Con, or even WonderCon...very small, intimate, and if he's there, you WILL meet him!
If it wasn't on the other side of the country, I'd be there.
Fifteen Days of Chuck: Day Eleven
http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/05/14/fifteen-days-of-chuck-day-eleven/18657 (http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/05/14/fifteen-days-of-chuck-day-eleven/18657)
Posted on 14 May 2009 by Robert Seidman
Day 11! Will TVbytheNumbers' website be renewed for the NBC schedule announcement or will it be canceled? We know we're still experiencing some pains, and our plan really is to throw as much as we can at the new hosting arrangement and see what happens.
There have been a lot of Chuck rumors while I've been busy with the site, but I haven't thought too much about them. I know it will cause some to point a finger and shake it at me saying, "and you call yourself a Chuck fan!?", but keeping the site up and running is a higher priority.
Going against the tide, I don't think the Friday rumors make much sense at all. Not for Chuck, not for Southland, and not for NBC. Friday Night Lights, with a subsidy from DirecTV does make sense to me. Otherwise, I really don't understand given the not so wonderful results NBC had with scripted shows on Friday this season why they'd think that was a good idea for next season. But, because it's NBC, it could definitely happen even if it doesn't make much sense.
I look at the calendar and just think there is always a lot of BS heading into upfronts and schedule announcements. And by BS, I am not referring to Ben Silverman. TV is a sales game. Sales is often a BS game. You have a lot of very smooth people at the networks and the studios doing what they do best. On top of it, these are people who love, and I mean absolutely love, the thrill of selling and negotiating and are very good at it. So good, that sometimes BS actually becomes reality. But mostly, it usually seems that it winds up that the BS was just BS.
On the other hand, for all the talk about how many fewer people are watching TV on Fridays, there are still a lot of people watching TV on Fridays between broadcast and cable. CBS has figured it out somewhat, as has ABC, to a lesser degree with its unscripted Friday fare.
In addition to loving sales and negotiation, the networks and studios and the people who work for them are extremely competitive. If FOX and NBC give scripted original series airings another go on Fridays next season (outside of Friday Night Lights), I'd ascribe it to competitive angst more than anything else. But a competitive attitude alone doesn't result in competitive performance. This season neither FOX nor NBC were competitive on Fridays.
I would definitely not hate it if they tried again next season. If Chuck and Dollhouse aired on Fridays, Saturdays might become our biggest traffic day of the week. Not to mention get us more episodes of Chuck (and Dollhouse). While it would be a surprising outcome for me, I wouldn't mind it at all.
Quote from: TinkTanker on May 14, 2009, 11:21:07 AM
If it wasn't on the other side of the country, I'd be there.
I just got a notice that Adam IS on the roster for next Creation Con and so is Morena! Flights into LAX can be really cheap! The room rates averaged about $120 a night though...that was the most expensive part of our stay. But the con is only a two day event, so you only HAVE to stay one night if you get in early enough on Sat. For anyone coming from across the country, I'd say make a vacation out of it and stay some where cheaper on 'non con' days. This last time we kept the room on Sunday night though, so Tom had a place to hang out while we went to the panels.
Just keep checking Travelocity or www.farecompare.com (http://www.farecompare.com), the flights can go way low!!
I'm so broke I cannot pay attention.
Quote from: TinkTanker on May 15, 2009, 10:46:03 AM
I'm so broke I cannot pay attention.
*snerkle*
I totally understand.
With my geeky girls, we never 'buy presents' anymore...we plan for Cons, Shindigs and Disney trips! As soon as we get back from Gingi's 'work' trip, she is planning two more 'work trips' and then we have Comic Con, after that, I have to save for Creation. *sigh*
Jessi mentioned the other day, "hey! I didn't get a birthday cake on my birthday! (march 18th)".... I reminded her, 'we were at Disneyland, remember?'. Now she wants TWO cakes at her Graduation. heh.