rick.mcginnis@metronews.ca

Rick McGinnis writes about music, movies, books and television, but not opera. He walked 47 miles of barbed wire and has a cobra snake for a necktie.

TV can be a real drag sometimes

February 04, 2009

You don’t need to be a TV critic to know that TV can be a bummer

Giving the people what they want offers profits business wants

February 03, 2009

When hard times seemed inevitable, wisdom had it that the entertainment industry would weather the storm.

Now that's what I call outdated

February 02, 2009

American Idol producer Simon Fuller is shopping a new music show to the networks.

Super Bowl still the big ticket

January 30, 2009

The Super Bowl is one of the remaining real events on TV, something that has to be experienced in real time, preferably not alone.

Oprah's cycle of binge and purge

January 29, 2009

Like NASCAR, Heroes and MTV “reality” shows like The Hills and The City, Oprah Winfrey is more interesting to write about than actually watch.

The youth demographic is no longer the prize

January 28, 2009

We’ve passed the midpoint of the traditional TV season, and while the networks can conceal their growing anxiety behind the smokescreen of economic bad news, the fact is that things haven’t gone well, and now is the last moment for fixing it.

Fox drops Ab Fab into Los Angeles

January 26, 2009

Fox is apparently pressing ahead with an Americanized version of Absolutely Fabulous, the BBC comedy that debuted in 1992 and sporadically produced five seasons and several specials.

The Dark Knight inexplicably shunned by Academy

January 23, 2009

The Oscars broadcast is the worst show ever that millions of people will watch.

Arrested Development film 'more hypothetical than people think'

January 22, 2009

Movie versions of cancelled TV series are basically the production house version of “I’ll call you.”

TV losing its grip on major events

January 21, 2009

The coverage of Barack Obama’s inauguration Tuesday was as uninteresting as it was overwrought.

Lost in the plot

January 20, 2009

Ten years ago, when I bought the first new television I’d ever owned after almost twenty years of not watching any TV at all, I found myself sucked into the rush of episodic shows and long-running storylines.

The case for a season cap on television

January 19, 2009

So were you shocked by Friday’s return of Battlestar Galactica? Thrilled, bummed out, disappointed, confused?

Battlestar Galactica's swan song

January 16, 2009

This Sunday sees the return of Battlestar Galactica on Space for its final half-season, and where I live, the anticipation is greater than any fan fervour about 24 or Lost or Mad Men.

Get it on, bang a gong

January 15, 2009

There might be something in the social and cultural air that will explain the return of The Gong Show, but I’m actually a little afraid to bother tracking it down.

Ray Romano's return part of emerging TV schedule

January 14, 2009

The next few months in TV are starting to take vague shape with a few announcements from networks, including the return of Ray Romano to prime time in a “dramedy.”

Will the "age of Obama" really neuter 24?

January 12, 2009

Back when the last episode of 24's sixth season aired, subprime mortgages were a good thing, and Barack Obama was the underdog candidate in the Democratic primaries.

Underdog breaks Guiness record at Global's '24' publicity stunt

January 12, 2009

Global’s publicity stunt for the return of 24 to the air after a year and a half was inspired – a challenge where nine fans of the show had to stay glued to all six seasons of the show for as long as they could stay awake.

The argument for a fourth American Idol judge

January 09, 2009

This week’s TV news contains a string of items that seem to effortlessly segue into each other, so who am I to be an obstacle to such elegance?

Lesson not learned: Industry blinded by fancy tech

January 07, 2009

There are some deep and serious changes happening to the way people watch TV.

The monster that came down from The Hills

January 05, 2009

MTV’s “reality” TV sensation The Hills is like baseball to me – fun to read about, fascinating in theory, but utterly unwatchable.

New Year's wishes for the boob tube

January 02, 2009

Another year has begun, and the paucity of TV news means lots of retrospective and anticipatory themes from columnists.

Even plucky Fox is feeling the hurt for next season

December 30, 2008

While few people remain hopeful about the Big Three's fortunes, conventional wisdom has it that Fox would weather the economic storm.

Giving kudos to the most male TV show ever made

December 29, 2008

My Christmas gift to myself this year was pneumonia, which laid me up for almost a week before Christmas.

Pimps, rehab and cocaine all part of packed network schedules

December 24, 2008

Perhaps expecting that more people will be staying home to weather the economic storm anticipated in 2009, some of the networks are ramping up production on new shows to debut in the next 12 months.

Television's perfect boys' night in

December 18, 2008

I can no longer give a convincing impression of someone whose world has been transformed by Jay Leno on prime time, and there’s only so much I can say about Canadian Idol’s yearlong “rest” without bursting into this disturbing giggle.

Canadian Idol judge Zack Werner on show's hiatus: 'It's the worst possible message'

December 18, 2008

Idol judge Zack Werner is puzzled by CTV's decision to shelve the popular talent show for the 2009 season.

CTV to put Canadian Idol into hibernation

December 17, 2008

The Internet mill churns out a rumour that CTV is going to pull the plug on Canadian Idol.

Plenty of helpful advice for the network TV patient

December 16, 2008

Network TV has finally shown signs of admitting it's in trouble, and there's no shortage of helpful bystanders willing to offer their opinions on how it can get up off the ground - including yours truly.

Hugh Jackman's Oscar hosting gig shuffles the deck

December 15, 2008

The Oscars have decided to do an about-face on their longstanding policy on hosts and hire a movie star whose biggest role is in a comic book franchise, and whose latest big-budget epic flopped in theatres.

Reaching out for metaphors that just aren't there

December 12, 2008

There’s a theory making the rounds that the current economic downturn is a good thing in disguise – that being shocked out of the complacent habits of prosperity and the social status quo is the ultimate form of “creative destruction.”