Archive for the 'TV' Tag
March 11th, 2009, 6:35 pm by Jess Harter
KTVK-TV has laid off longtime “Good Morning Arizona” personalities Brad Perry and Dan Davis, according to a published report on the Phoenix Business Journal’s website.
 Earlier Wednesday, KTVK parent company Belo announced it was laying off 150 people nationwide.
Perry (pictured on left), who mostly did weather reports from remote locations, had been with Channel 3 for 11 years. Davis (pictured on right), who worked as an in-studio anchor, had been with the station for 26 years.
Perry has been pursuing a music career. He’ll have a release party for his first single, “Life is Good,” at Martini Ranch in Scottsdale at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Belo would not reveal how many other employees were laid off at Channel 3.
Posted in: Valleywide • Channel 3 • TV | 318 Comments »
February 28th, 2009, 11:42 pm by Jess Harter
“A change is brewing in America …”
So begins “Craft Beer: The New Wine,” a one-hour special about the growing popularity of small breweries that create new and unique beers. Produced by Tempe-based PBS station KAET-TV (Channel 8), the show airs at 9 p.m. Tuesday.
“We wanted to do something that would show what was happening here in Arizona and also what was happening with craft beers,” says show co-producer Scott Wallin. “This is one of few growing industries in our economy.”
The show’s opening segment examines craft beers in the Valley, including interviews with Anthony Canecchia (pictured below), owner and brewmaster of SanTan Brewing Company in Chandler, and Ron Kloth, president of Papago Brewing Company in Scottsdale, among others.
Andy Ingram (pictured above), brewmaster at Four Peaks Brewing Company in Tempe, walks viewers through the extensive beer-brewing and packaging process in the second 20-minute segment.
 The final segment spotlights the making of Palo Santo Marron, a specialty beer made in Paraguayan wood casks by Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales in Milton, Del.
During the show, Dogfish Head’s Western sales representative, Louis Dolgoff, aptly summarizes the appeal of craft beers in the current economy:
“Unlike wine, where the best wines in the world can cost $50, $200, $300, you can go to a fine liquor store and get some of the best beers in the world for $4, $5, $6.”
“Craft Beer: The New Wine,” conceived in December and shot over an eight-day period in early February, is intended to spark interest in two upcoming KAET fundraisers.
On June 19, KAET will host an Ancient Ales dinner at the Millennium Resort in Scottsdale. Archaeological discoveries have allowed brewers to re-create ancient beers from Turkey, Mexico and China, which will be paired with a five-course meal for $125.
On June 20, KAET and Valley-based Draft magazine will present a four-hour craft-beer-tasting festival at Turf Paradise in Phoenix. Tickets are $60.
 Filming the television show and setting up the two events has been an eye-opening process for Henry Brodersen, the show’s other producer.
“I think the biggest thing I’ve taken from it is just how much these brewers at these micro-pubs and breweries love their art and their craft,” he says. “They put so much time and energy into creating these wonderful beers.”
Wallin agrees: “I’ve always drank the same old ‘big brewers’ beer, but you start tasting these things and the differences are unbelievable. I mean, some of these are virtually wines.”
On TV
“Craft Beer: The New Wine” airs 9 p.m. Tuesday on Channel 8. It will re-air at 9:30 p.m. Saturday.
Posted in: Chandler • Scottsdale • Tempe • Beer • TV | Post a Comment »
February 23rd, 2009, 8:20 am by Jess Harter
 Stacey Anderson, a 40-year-old realtor from Scottsdale, will star in “The Cougar,” a new reality dating show that premieres April 15 on TV Land, the MTV-owned network has announced.
In the eight-episode series, which will be hosted by Vivica A. Fox, 20 men in their 20s will compete for the affections of Anderson, who, according to a network press release, is “sure to break all the stereotypes people hold about who ‘cougars’ are.”
The network says Anderson sold more than $50 million in her first year in the commercial real estate business, ranking her among the top 1 percent of realtors nationwide.
When she’s not giving “back to her community by helping to acquire affordable land for the nonprofit organization Habitat for Humanity,” she enjoys tennis, golf, hiking and swimming.
“The Cougar” is the second TV Land show this year to cast from the East Valley. “High School Reunion,” which debuted last Wednesday, features 19 members of Chandler High School’s Class of 1988. “High School Reunion” continues for seven more weeks.
Posted in: Scottsdale • The Cougar • TV • TV Land | 18 Comments »
February 16th, 2009, 7:16 pm by Jess Harter
“Real World”-type reality shows — those raunchy showcases of booze-fueled drama and hormone-induced hookups — aren’t just for 20-somethings any more.
Nineteen people from Chandler High School’s class of 1988 will expose their personal foibles, as well as their aging swim-suited bodies, on “High School Reunion,” an eight-episode series that premieres at 11 p.m. Wednesday on TV Land.
Last July, the former classmates were flown to a Hawaiian resort to, as the MTV-owned network puts it, “rekindle old relationships, reveal long-held secrets and resolve deep-seated issues from 20 years ago.”
Scott Schutkowski, now a 38-year-old social studies teacher at Centennial Middle School in Ahwatukee, wasn’t sure what to expect.
“Part of me was really interested, and part of me was scared to death being a teacher and not knowing why they wanted me on the show,” he says.
Each of the participants on the show was given a stereotypical title, such as “The Player,” “The Cheerleader” or “The Band Geek.” Schutkowski learned he was “The Class Clown.”
“I guess I take it as a compliment,” he says. “I feel people felt like I was funny and had a good sense of humor. I was worried about a title like ‘Party Animal.’”
Although Schutkowski had kept in touch with a couple of his former classmates in recent years, most participants had not, including Jessica Garvin, billed as “The Ugly Duckling.”
At Chandler High, then Jessica Frantz was a nerdy girl with scoliosis. After moving to Ohio for her senior year, she went on to become a model, a Playboy TV correspondent and an actress.
On Wednesday’s premiere, sparks fly between Jessica and Tom Breeze, “The Jock” who never noticed her in high school — much to the chagrin of Breeze’s ex-wife Kara Hoffman, “The Homecoming Queen.”
“Growing up the way I did, it was very challenging,” says Garvin, who lives in Miami. “I was challenged financially as a child. I was challenged with being a geek, wearing the back brace, being made fun of. I was completely under the radar.
“I don’t care how bad you feel. Always know there’s hope. Life doesn’t end in high school. It’s just the beginning.”
Like any high school reunion, the show’s first two episodes (which were provided to the media) reveal some inspirational stories and genuine surprises. The real enticement for viewers, however, is the car-crash-quality drama.
By the second episode, when a couple of antagonistic characters are introduced, nerves are frayed and some classmates are threatening to leave the island.
“You can say, ‘Hey, I’m grown up. I’m 38. I’m proud of who I am and where I’m at in my life,’” Schutkowski says. “And you go on a show thinking, ‘That’s who I’m gonna go on with — with other people who are grown up so it’ll be different than high school.
“And then you realize, nope, some people haven’t grown up. Some people have real issues, things they want to confront people with after 20 years.”
Things must work out reasonably well by the series’ end. Schutkowski says all the participants who live in the Valley will get together at a Gilbert sports bar to watch it on Wednesdays.
Posted in: Chandler • High School Reunion • TV | 1 Comment »
February 7th, 2009, 2:13 pm by Jess Harter
Maybe the Food Network should give Jenny Flake her own show.
The 32-year-old East Valley native will compete on the “Ultimate Recipe Showdown” at 10 p.m. Sunday (7 p.m. if you get Food Network HD), her sixth appearance on the network in the past five years.
The six-week “Ultimate Recipe Showdown,” which received more than 12,000 recipe submissions, features four finalists each week in a different food category. The winner receives $25,000.
Flake, who was a finalist in the comfort-food category during the Guy Fieri-hosted show’s inaugural season last year, competes in the dessert category Sunday.
She also has appeared twice on the Food Network’s “Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest” and twice on its “Build a Better Burger” challenge.
 “I started entering cooking contests in 2004,” says Flake, a part-time pilates instructor and the mother of two young boys. “At the time, I had no idea this world even existed. Now I love it.”
She even has launched her own recipe-related Web site, Picky Palate.
Sunday’s competition has two parts. In a 90-minute “signature” round, Flake makes roasted banana bread drop doughnuts.
“I roast the bananas so they have a rich sweetness to them,” she says.
In a 30-minute “speed” round, she makes sweet grilled peaches with honeyed vanilla bean mascarpone and walnut sugar.
While she can’t reveal the results of the show, she says, “For the most part, both of my dishes turned out very well.”
Flake, who lived in Mesa and Gilbert her entire life until her husband took a job in Newport Beach, Calif., a month ago, wasn’t the only East Valley finalist this season.
Two weeks ago, Jamie Nondorf competed in the cake category. The dental school instructor from Mesa finished second, missing out on $25,000 by a single point.
“I had no idea that she was from Arizona until I watched her show,” Flake says.
While friends and family in Mesa and Gilbert cheer her on, Flake will watch Sunday’s show with her husband and boys from their new home in California.
Then she plans to get back to her recipes.
“I going to continue working on my Web site and I’m going to start writing some cookbooks,” she says.
As for next year’s “Ultimate Recipe Showdown,” which already is accepting recipes, Flake says, “I may enter Season 3.”
After pausing for a moment, she adds, “I’m sure I will.”
Posted in: Gilbert • Mesa • Food • TV | 2 Comments »
February 2nd, 2009, 12:39 pm by Jess Harter
Queen Creek Olive Mill will be featured Tuesday on “Dirty Jobs,” the Discovery Channel show that showcases some of the most difficult and disgusting occupations in the country.
Show host Mike Rowe (he’s pictured above between QCOM owner Perry Rea and general manager Rob Holmes) visited the East Valley farm two months ago to work alongside its employees.
Rowe helped to repair a leak after gophers chewed through an irrigation line. After a dusty day of picking olives, he aided in the pressing, particularly the dirty job of cleaning up the leftover sludge.
The hour-long episode, entitled “Diaper Cleaner” (Rowe cleans dirty diapers in another segment), airs at 10 p.m. Tuesday on Discovery (channel 23 for Cox subscribers). Those who get Discovery HD (channel 723 on Cox) can watch at 7 p.m.
Posted in: Queen Creek • Attractions • Food • Restaurants • TV | 1 Comment »
January 29th, 2009, 12:04 pm by Jess Harter
Before watching Sunday’s Super Bowl, you may want to crank up your DVR for Turner Classic Movie’s annual “31 Days of Oscar” event.
The cable TV channel will air Academy Award-nominated films - uncut and commercial free - around the clock for 31 days. The lineup starts at 4 a.m. Sunday with 1982’s “My Favorite Year” and concludes at 2:30 a.m. March 4 with 1933’s “Eskimo.”
See the full schedule.
Posted in: Uncategorized • Movies • Oscars • TV | Post a Comment »
January 15th, 2009, 2:05 pm by Jess Harter
Fans of Adult Swim know they’re in for a treat when the cable network’s “Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!” tour comes to Tempe’s Marquee Theatre on Sunday.
But if you’re unfamiliar with the three-year-old show, it’s hard to explain.
Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim are a pair of early 30-somethings who met as film students at Temple University. One of their earliest collaborations was a short video called “Tom Goes to the Mayor,” during which the two discuss restaurants (watch it here).
The video became the inspiration for a series of short live-action shows, which the pair packaged in a DVD and began selling on their website in 2003.
In 2004, Adult Swim - an adult-oriented network which airs late at night on the Cartoon Network - aired the shorts and asked the pair to come up with a show. The “Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!” debuted in 2007.
Three seasons later, the show has established itself as a somewhat bizarre mixture of funny songs, comedy sketches (many based on recurring characters) and fake commercials.
Along the way, Heidecker and Wareheim have attracted a diverse mix of guest stars, ranging from comedians (David Cross, Patton Oswalt) to actors (John C. Reilly, Jeff Goldblum, Rainn Wilson) to singers (John Mayer, “Weird Al” Yankovic).
The TV show’s fourth season is scheduled to begin Feb. 8.
“The Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!” with opening act DJ Douggpound, starts 6:30 p.m. Sunday at the Marquee Theatre, 730 N. Mill Ave., Tempe. $22 advance, $25 day of show. (480) 829-0607.
Posted in: Tempe • Comedy • Concerts • TV | Post a Comment »
January 15th, 2009, 1:08 pm by Jess Harter
Jamie Nondorf says she watches the Food Network whenever she has time. Sunday, she’ll be watching herself on the network.
The 28-year-old Mesa resident competes on “Ultimate Recipe Showdown” (10 p.m. on regular cable, 7 p.m. if you have Food Network HD), a six-week series that features home cooks battling in various recipe categories.
Nondorf faces three other finalists Sunday in the cake category. At stake: $25,000 and the opportunity to have her dessert put on the menu at T.G.I. Friday’s restaurants nationwide.
Nondorf, who teaches at the Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health in Mesa, noticed a small ad soliciting contestants on Food Network’s Web site last March.
 “I think it was just a day or so before their deadline,” she says.
She sent in a couple recipes in the cake category - “I prefer baking over cooking, I prefer sweets over savory” - and several weeks later learned she was a semifinalist.
By September, Nondorf was one of four finalists flying to New York for three days. The show’s taping, she says, took place from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the final day.
“The taping was longer than I ever thought it would be,” she says.
Nondorf and the other contestants spent the day with the show’s flamboyant host, Guy Fieri (pictured above, also host of the network’s popular “Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives”), whom she had met the previous evening.
“He was pretty entertaining,” she says.
In Sunday’s first round, during which the cooks have four hours to deliver a signature cake, Nondorf makes key lime coconut cupcakes with white chocolate frosting.
In the second round, limited to just 45 minutes, she makes what she calls Lemony Sunshine cupcakes with a shortbread crust and a lemon curd topping.
Both recipes are her own creations, she says.
“I like to take recipes that look good and try to make them my own. I try to come up with a better recipe.”
Whether her cupcakes are good enough to earn her the $25,000 prize will be revealed Sunday. Her dental students are hosting a viewing party to watch the show, but Nondorf has yet to accept their invitation.
“I think I’m just gonna have to watch it at home,” she says. “I think I’m gonna have a hard time watching myself on TV.”
Posted in: Mesa • Food • Food Network • TV | 2 Comments »
January 14th, 2009, 3:55 pm by Jess Harter
 Tiger Beat or New Times?
It’s kinda hard to tell the difference after the downtown Phoenix weekly — a self-proclaimed champion of “serious journalism” — celebrated Tuesday night’s season debut of Fox’s “American Idol” with not one, not two, not three, but FOUR website stories about the two-hour show.
And that was just by 10 a.m. today.
Yes, a portion of Tuesday’s casting call show involved clips from the auditions held here in the Valley, and visually impaired Scottsdale performer Scott MacIntyre (pictured) impressed. But FOUR stories? One shudders to think how many stories the New Times might write once the actual competition starts.
As a point of comparison, the four stories on the “Idol” opener are, by my count, three more than the publication did on the governor’s State of the State address Monday.
Heck, it’s FOUR more stories than the Arizona Republic had on its own dedicated “Idol Central” site by late last night, a fact that New Times proudly points out.
Last year, I remember my Tribune colleague and friend Martin Cizmar laughing when our music writer, Chris Orf, was saddled with the task of doing ONE short recap after each ‘Idol” episode. Last night, Martin, now the music editor at New Times, had to write three of their four “Idol” stories.
Saddle up, Martin. The ride lasts for four more months. Plus, I hear the Jonas boys might be coming to town.
Posted in: Phoenix • American Idol • Martin Cizmar • TV | 6 Comments »
January 12th, 2009, 2:21 pm by Jess Harter
 Other than Tina Fey’s return to lampoon Sarah Palin last fall, there hasn’t been much to laugh at on “Saturday Night Live” in recent years. So I was surprised Saturday night when “SNL’s” Weekend Update did a surprisingly funny bit on former Phoenix Sun Charles Barkley and his recent arrest for driving under the influence in Scottsdale.
The best part comes when Barkley, played by cast member Kenan Thompson, dismisses the chances he could lose his lucrative TV gig: “C’mon, man. I work for TNT. You know who else works for TNT? No one you’ve ever heard of. TNT stands for ‘Technically Not even Television.”
In case you missed it, you can see it on the NBC website here (about 2 minutes into the segment).
Posted in: Scottsdale • TV | 1 Comment »
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