Ken Tucker's Watching TV

Oprah Winfrey cries on live show announcing the end of ‘Oprah’

Ken Tucker — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:58:39 +0000

With tears in her eyes, Oprah Winfrey said on her Friday “live from Chicago” Oprah show that she will cancel her talk show as of Sept. 9, 2011. Pegging her show’s exit to its 25th anniversary, Winfrey said it “feels right in my bones and it feels right in my spirit.” Her voice breaking, she

James Franco’s debut on ‘General Hospital’: ‘Should I wear anything special, or nothing at all?’

Ken Tucker — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:59:04 +0000

Anyone thinking General Hospital was going to hold James Franco’s debut on the soap opera to a final-seconds tease today was wrong. Dressed as a shabby graffiti artist, Franco — playing a “world-famous photographer and artist” cleverly named “Franco” — put in a monosyllabic appearance in the first two minutes of Friday’s edition, and skulked

‘The Mentalist’: Were the character-deaths last night game-changers for the series?

Ken Tucker — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:10:21 +0000

This season, The Mentalist has done two things simultaneously. It’s increased the degree of personal relationships among the regular characters, and it’s sharpened and refocused Simon Baker’s Patrick Jane — made him more intent than ever on solving crimes and, ultimately, getting his ultimate goal: the capture (and death?) of serial-killer Red John. Last night —

‘Friday Night Lights’ recap: Hunting and fishing for plots

Ken Tucker — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:47:44 +0000

Friday Night Lights committed some minor sins last night, but I’m willing to forgive almost all of them just for the sight of Tim Riggins in a hunting cap he wore with intentional ironic goofiness while on a hunting trip with Matt Saracen. (Was “33,” the number Tim had written on his deerstalker cap, his

Janet Jackson interview: Michael Jackson was ‘in denial,’ and why she won’t see ‘This Is It’

Ken Tucker — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:17:30 +0000

Janet Jackson told Robin Roberts last night that her brother Michael Jackson was “in denial” about his dependence on drugs. The ABC special inevitably focussed a lot on Michael, even as it gave us a more complete picture of the 43 year-old Janet herself. Of Michael, she said of his recent documentary, This Is It: “I

Sarah Palin loves tea-baggers, holds warm eyeballs for Barbara Walters

Ken Tucker — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:27:00 +0000

Continuing to lob softballs — or in this case, eyeballs — at Sarah Palin, Barbara Walters, last night on Nightline and this morning on Good Morning America, asked questions such as whether President Obama should have women playing in the White House basketball games the President occasionally has. Yes she certainly thinks he should, said Palin,

‘Sons of Anarchy’ recap: Is there a better TV love story than Gemma and Clay’s?

Ken Tucker — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:29:50 +0000

Sons of Anarchy is a lot of things, but a romance is not one category I think of first. So it was all the more startling to realize that last night’s episode, titled “Service,” had as its core the relationship between Gemma and Clay. Yes, there were many other satisfying moments. If there’s one thing Sons

‘V’: The subplot that ought to be dropped to help this show’s future

Ken Tucker — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:22:04 +0000

So tonight is the third episode of V, and the ratings for last week’s episode dropped quite a bit from the series premiere. I like the show, and I’d like to see it exist beyond its initial run of four episodes. So in the spirit of constructive criticism, I offer this advice to the producers: Drop the

David Letterman, media critic: The New York Times and ‘douche’

Ken Tucker — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:56:44 +0000

Why does David Letterman remain the guy you want to see first on any random night? Because when he goes over to his desk after the monologue, you never know what’s going emerge from what’s stuck in Dave’s craw that evening. Last night’s spontaneous combustion occurred over a story that had me scratching my head over

On ‘Good Morning America,’ Barbara Walters to Sarah Palin’s kids: ‘How do you feel when people criticize Mommy?’ Ick…

Ken Tucker — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:11:31 +0000

Sarah Palin says that when it comes to Sarah Palin, “there’s so much bullcrap out there.” Then she and Barbara Walters contributed to the pile. I’m not surprised Palin had Walters interview her for Good Morning America; who else would have asked this question?: “How do you feel when people criticize Mommy?” Willow, 15 and Piper, eight years