If You Can Stand The Heat, Check Out “Hell’s Kitchen”

If you’re a fan of heated reality shows, and you like food, you’ll want to check out FOX’s already successful, reality-based, culinary cooking feast entitled “Hell’s Kitchen”, airing on your local channel present on DirecTV satellite television.

“Hell’s Kitchen” is actually an American remake that’s based on a series by the same name that is widely popular throughout the United Kingdom. Think of the remake along the same lines of the now immensely popular series, “The Office”, same great material, just slightly Americanized.

This series first got its debut on DirecTV and other satellite television providers in May of 2005, and has only gotten more popular as the series continues, and fans are happy to know that “Hell’s Kitchen” will be making its sixth season debut in July of this year. This is actually less than two months after the riveting and, at times, intense fifth season wrapped it up.

“Hell’s Kitchen” has a great and comfortably standard format for most good reality series on television these days, and guest host chef Gordon Ramsey adds just the right level of entertainment and energy, or “spice”, if I may. The concept is similar to the UK show – there’s a blue team and a red team and they both face off in a myriad of different cooking feats and challenges. Sometimes the cooking challenges are individual, and sometimes it’s a team challenge. The winning team or chef gets some type of reward, whereas the losing team gets to enjoy cleaning up the kitchen. The crew then has to prepare a meal for Chef Ramsey, to his exact standards. After a series of eliminations, it gets down to just two chefs who are responsible for actually running a restaurant; quite hectic indeed!

“Hell’s Kitchen” is just a lot of fun, from the attitude flair ups to the wonderful cuisine, this is one show on DirecTV that FOX was smart to extend into more upcoming seasons.

No Bones About It – “Bones” Is Here To Stay

Thanks to the heavily publicized renewal of Fox Network’s hit series “Bones”, fans and newcomers alike will have a better opportunity to dig deeper into this show, so to speak.

For those of you who haven’t had the chance to check out “Bones” yet, this dark drama series, who’s catchy theme music is by the electronica duo The Crystal Method, has been captivating fans since the show’s official launch in September of 2005. With its police murder mystery and forensics procedural series format that will leave armchair detectives and forensic science enthusiasts very satisfied with their macabre viewing experience, “Bones” has only gotten better and better, in regards to the show content and it’s viewership numbers, turning it into one of the most watched shows on DirecTV.

Both the characters and the plot elements of this show are a perfect fit. Each episode showcases an FBI mystery case that involves both the discovery and recovery of human remains by FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz), who then turns the mystery remains over to the forensics anthropology team lead by Dr. Temperance “Bones” Brennan (Emily Deschanel).

What many viewers may not know is that “Bones”, created by Hart Hanson, is loosely based on the real life case solver and forensics anthropologist Kathy Reichs, who is actually a producer for the show, helping keep TV science in check and in line with real forensics science. The main character, Dr. Temperance Brennan is also named after the main character in Kathy Reich’s crime novel series.

With season four starting to wrap up, fans were very happy to learn that the show has been given the green light to continue for at least another two seasons, with season five starting its premier in late 2009, so new DirecTV viewers still have a chance to latch onto this great series.

Fox TV Finds Hit With “Fringe”

Leave it to J.J Abrams, creator of mega TV hit and cult classic “Lost”, to birth another television series that is chock full of secret messages, viral marketing, alternate reality gaming, and an overall good, almost supernatural, mystery show. “Fringe”, the newest in a string of many original satellite broadcast science fiction shows, captivates audiences with a great plot, cast of characters, and fan participation.

Airing on your local Fox network on DirecTV, “Fringe” feels like a cross between a crime drama with a little bit of “The X-Files” and “The Twilight Zone” thrown in for good measure. As the team, under the command of the Department of Homeland Security and known as the FBI Fringe Division, are sent out to investigate bizarre, unexplained, and at times, seemingly supernatural situations and occurrences as they occur around the world.

The stars of “Fringe” really help this show shine. You will become very familiar with FBI special agent Olivia Dunham and her cohorts: the scientist Walter Bishop and his multitalented son Peter Bishop as they tackle all sorts of bizarre situations. These ordeals can be issues such as human teleportation, humans that gain psychic abilities, and rapid age progression scenarios, just to name a few.

Although the series has just premiered last September on the Fox Network and DirecTV, its popularity and cult status has already been firmly grounded. “Fringe” is one of the first in a lineup of new shows that Fox is using as a guinea pig for its “Remote-Free TV” format, meaning that there are half as many commercials as a normal one hour block of primetime television. This is great for those of us that despise commercials. And now that Fox has chosen to pick up “Fringe” for a second season, things can only look up for this dark and sometimes ghastly series.

Southland – Another Great NBC Series To Explore

It can’t be denied that America has a love affair with cop dramas, crime scene based shows, and court epics, but very few have come along that solidify the genre in a positive manner. A few such as “Law & Order”, “CSI”, “Boston Legal”, and it’s predecessor “The Practice”, are but a few that really stand in a sea of flashing lights, Luminol, and police tape. “Southland” and its wonderfully driven dramatic tale from the inside workings of the Los Angeles Police Department, stands its own as well, and is a great addition to NBC’s already stellar lineup and satellite television in general.

“Southland”, which first aired in early April of this year is the brainchild of the Emmy Award winning writer Ann Biderman, and one of the best new shows to catch on DirecTV. Her vision takes you deep into the dark, and sometimes dirty, LAPD, and the characters who’s lives are dedicated to justice within a broken system, all the while juggling with their own personal issues, heartaches and conflicts..

You will learn of training officer John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz), and the young rookie Officer Ben Sherman (Benjamin McKenzie), as well as Detective Lydia Adams (Regina King), who’s ailing mother is a constant strain on her already hectic life. Then there’s Detective Sammy Bryant (Shawn Hatosy), who might prefer work to his home life, as well as Officer Chickie Brown (Arija Bareikis), a dynamic character with lofty goals of being the first woman to be promoted into the honored SWAT Team. This varied cast of well-rounded out actors is a great support beam for this great character driven television series. Add in a few random factors concerning the crime, fame, diversity and poverty in the big city of Los Angeles, and you’ve got yourself a riveting television show.

The show has been so successful, with almost 10 million viewers, mostly through DirecTV,  tuning in for the first episode entitled “Unknown Trouble”, that a second season has already been confirmed, and fans eagerly await it.

Stay Current and Creative With Current TV

You could call it “Television 2.0”. As technology and entertainment have begun to seamlessly merge into a world of instant anything-on-demand, user submitted content has become king. Think of Youtube, one of the most popular websites on the planet. Its owners never have to come up or pay for original content, as all users and watchers contribute to its success with their own video clips and commentary. This is basically the basis of Current TV.

This Emmy award winner, officially launched on August 1^st, 2005, is a solely independent media network company that is ran by the very popular U.S. Vice President Al Gore, and his friend and a businessman in his own right, Joel Hyatt.

Current TV is one of the most technologically savvy satellite network channels on DirecTV. Airing on channel 358, this is one interactive channel worth checking out.

The programming format on Current TV is to feature podcasts, or “pods”, as the network refers to them, submitted by users and viewers of the channel. These pods are usually around three to eight minute segments that can range from racial concerns to environmental issues, music, and many other topics. The content is filtered and decided upon via an online voting system that users participate in, and the winners have their content aired.

Current TV has their own in-house video journalism crew, named Vanguard and including a group of fresh and talented correspondents and producers, that focus on global issues abroad, as well as concerns right here at home. The pods produced by the Vanguard team are shuffled into the daily programming lineup, providing a guarantee of quality for the network.

Current TV, DirecTV’s 24-hour interactive network in the US that is based on viewership content referred to as VC2, continues to push forward users’ (called VC2 Producers) video content to the forefront of the merging of technology with information. With this formatting, it’s no doubt this satellite television channel is accurately named.

Parental Controls Made Easy (Part 2 of 2)

Next comes TV-14, or “Parents Are Strongly Cautioned”. A TV-14 program will contain material that most parents would rather a child under age 14 not see. That includes depictions of intense violence, sexual content, a repetitious use of strong language, or intensely suggestive dialogue. Many crime shows seen on DirecTV, such as “CSI” or “COPS”, are good examples of TV-14 programs, in that they often revolve around murder or other violent acts and may contain suggestive dialogue.

The last and most restrictive rating a television program can receive is TV-MA, or “Mature Audience”. Parents are very likely to find that shows with a TV-MA rating unsuitable for their children under 17 years of age. Shows get TV-MA ratings for having high occurrences of graphic violence, strong sexual content, and crude language. An example of a TV-MA show is “Oz”, a prison drama which some adults find too intense to watch.

Parents should always remember that ratings are a good way to pre-judge television programs for children, however, the rating system is no substitute for responsible adult supervision and interaction. What it comes down to is that the only way to know that the programs your child is watching are age-appropriate (which also often depends on the individual child’s level of maturity and understanding) television shows is to watch with them.

It isn’t a good parenting practice to use television as a babysitter, and time should be spent discussing programs and specific content with your children to gauge how they are responding to the shows and answer any questions they may have. Another good thing to keep in mind is that too much television at an early age can affect your child’s brain development. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under the age of two watch no television at all.  If you have DirecTV, the parental control features make it very easy to monitor and restrict your children’s watching experience and gives parents peace of mind.

New This Fall On FOX: “Lie To Me”

If you’re flipping through your DirecTV menu and looking for a new series to wow you this fall, you might not have to look any further than FOX Network’s new addition to their programming lineup, “Lie To Me”. The drama series’ main character, Dr. Cal Lightman, is played by Tim Roth, from “The Incredible Hulk” and the unforgettable cult classic film “Reservoir Dogs”. Dr. Lightman is the world’s leading deception expert. He studies facial expressions and involuntary body language to determine whether or not – and why – they are telling a lie. He uses body language, speech, and facial expressions in order to gauge a person’s sincerity and emotional state.

The anticipated new series is actually based on the real-life scientific discoveries by a deception specialist named Paul Ekman. The plot lines revolve around Lightman and his team of fellow deception experts, known as “The Lightman Group”, and the tough federal, government, and local criminal cases they work to solve through subject analysis. The story also at times touches on the ways in which Dr. Lightman’s personal life is impacted by his ability and work.

Roth’s co-star, Kelli Williams from “The Practice” was cast to play Dr. Lightman’s partner in case cracking, savvy psychologist, Dr. Gillian Foster. She lend her knowledge of human behavior to the team’s research. Dr. Lightman’s lead researcher, Eli Loker, is played by Brendan Hines. His character despises the practice of lying and, as a result, has made a decision to speak his mind honestly and completely regardless of the consequences that may, and often do, come. The rookie of the group, Ria Torres, portrayed by Monica Raymund of “Law and Order: SVU”, has a natural, and unrefined, talent to discern truths from lies.

The series is produced by “24” and “Arrested Development” executive producers and written by Samuel Baum, who also wrote the show, “The Evidence”, another great show to catch on the DirecTV lineup.

When Hollywood Feared The Television Set Part 3 of 3

Eventually, the mass appeal of television won out over the movie studios’ feeble attempts at slander and popularity control. Instead of continuing to fight the inevitable, movie producers jumped on the television bandwagon. The partnership resulted in higher quality productions, with more famous faces for television, and an end to Hollywood’s television induced tension. This tradition of big screen crossovers and movie quality production has made its way all the way into the present and is very likely to remain the norm for quite some time to come. It’s great to be able to have entertainment viewing options like what is attainable with DirecTV packages.

The Modern Media Merge

Hollywood soon learned that their skepticism of the television was unwarranted as well as futile. They discovered that there are plenty of ways to profit off of the prevalence of television viewership by the American public. Oftentimes, major motion pictures will get more watches on television than they do when they are in the theaters which increases DVD and other post release sales. Movies also make money by selling the rights for pay per view cable, like what is available on satellite television through companies such as DirecTV, to show their films along with DVD and video on demand rental fees. Movie makers also benefit greatly from added profits gained via advertising slots purchased from cable and broadcast television stations used to promote their films.

The New Threat: The Internet

These day, television and movie executives are experiencing a loss of revenue caused by the lure of the Internet. A lot of advertising is being pulled from television and funneled to online arenas. Still, the popularity of Internet-based television and movie viewing is just one more manifestation of the popularity of filmed entertainment. Television and movies will just have to continue to find ways to get their slice of Internet profits because it sure doesn’t look as the American public is going to stop finding new, easier, cheaper, more portable means to view all the movies, shows, and videos the American heart desires any time soon.

When Hollywood Feared The Television Set Part 2 of 3

The television craze but movie executives on the defensive. They feared the new competition would significantly reduce their iron grasp on the American public. These feelings of unrest prompted the movie studios make an attempt at denying the popularity of televisions by banning the use of televisions in their movies set designs. Needless to say, the movie studio’s omissions didn’t hurt the mass populace’s growing interest in shows such as “I love Lucy” and “Gunsmoke”. Soon, it seemed everyone was talking about what they had seen on television the night before. In today’s society, if you have a DirecTV package that includes one or more of the movie channels, you can watch television shows and have access to all of the recently released blockbusters as well.

In 1953, the short film, “So You Want To Get A Television Set” was released. It was a comedy sketch about a man who’s home is overrun by freeloading friends directly after bringing home his brand new television set. Without television’s of their own, a growing group of people migrate to the main character’s house, invade his living room and mow down on all of his food. His resolution? A mad dash for the local movie house where he ends up seated between Hollywood stars Doris Day and Gordon Macrae, of course. The short was a blatant way for the movie’s creator to try to reassert theatrical film productions as the boss of American entertainment while painting the competition in a negative light. It is also interesting to note that the gentleman who portrayed the main character in the aforementioned short film went on to become the voice of the much loved George Jetson on the classic animated kids show “The Jetsons”.

If you don’t already have satellite television, you should check out the awesome DirecTV deals that are currently available– it’s never been more affordable to have it all.

When Hollywood Feared The Television Set Part 1 of 3

The world’s of big screen films and television entertainment haven’t always existed in the harmonious way that they do today. In fact, in the early days of television broadcasting, Hollywood was convinced that the two avenues of entertainment couldn’t possibly coexist– one would have to die for the other to succeed. Clearly, today’s blended entertainment choices defy that line of logic. As citizens of today’s high tech society we have virtually unlimited access to blockbusters, independent releases, home video, cable television, DirecTV packages, and public broadcast alike, and there are plenty of viewers to support all of these entertainment options. Hardly anyone relies on just one type, most of us take in a blend of all five in order to satisfy our thirst for filmed entertainment.

Let’s take a look back in time at how exactly Hollywood and broadcast television’s struggle began and how it finally was able to thrive alongside one another in peace.

Television Takes The Stage

In 1928, Philo Farnsworth, an American inventor, stood on the shoulders of many inventors works and postulations to build the first working television set. However, the new technology didn’t start really catching on and appearing in the average American home until well over a decade had passed. Later, during the 1950’s, the first classic shows began to be watched by masses despite the relatively high price of television sets at the time. The reason it took so long for the television to catch on had a lot to do with the prices of the new units. As time passed, the sets became more attainable to the general population which allowed and encouraged television show creators to spend more on making their shows as appealing as possible. This, in turn, helped to feed the average person’s desire to be a part of the burgeoning television culture. Advancements in technology are sure to bring us more channel choices at lower and lower prices. Already you can get literally hundreds of channels in high definition from DirecTV.