Cheers & Jeers

Posted by SugarPop...

Jeers to Karina Smirnoff of Dancing with the Stars for being so ungracious and unprofessional. Her constant eye-rolling and sighs made me cringe and actually root against her. Every other contestant and dancer seem to handle being in the bottom two with class and dignity. I think if anyone is to blame for Mario's departure this week, it's her.

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Cheers to 30 Rock for not being afraid to rock the boat — or the vote. The Emmy-winning sitcom has always gleefully bitten the corporate hand that feeds it, satirizing NBC and its parent company, GE. But during the election campaign, 30 Rock's gags have turned surprisingly political, taking shots at Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and President Bush (Jack Donaghy, who took a job with the administration alongside Matthew Broderick's king-of-denial Cooter Burger, proudly referred to Dubya not as a "lame duck" but a "lame eagle"). Something tells me Tina Fey misses writing "Weekend Update."

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Cheers to Jon Stewart for his masterful interview with John McCain. The Daily Show wiseguy scored comedic — and political — points, noting that more Americans say they're concerned by the presumptive GOP nominee's relationship with President Bush than by Barack Obama's relationship with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and asking, "Will you take this opportunity right now to repudiate and denounce President Bush?" (Not surprisingly, McCain declined.)

Stewart also tweaked McCain for referring to the Republicans as "the party of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan" ("you know those guys aren't still around") and saying he wants to run a respectful campaign ("So after you lose..."). And I'm not sure which was more mindblowing: Stewart's suggestion for McCain's Secret Service code name ("McDreamy") or for his running mate (Hillary Clinton). Maybe the idea of Stewart replacing Katie Couric on the CBS Evening News isn't such a joke after all.

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Jeers to Jason Castro for phoning it in on American Idol. With his dreamboat eyes and goofball grin, the dreadlocked dude coasted into the final four, but after massacring Bob Marley's "I Shot The Sheriff" and bumbling Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man," he deserves to pack his suitcases (as Simon said). Think what you want about the other three finalists — me, I find David Archuleta cloying — but at least they're all trying. Heck, Syesha Mercado broke down in tears after her moving rendition of Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come." Jason makes me want to cry, too, but not in a good way.

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Jeers to Two and a Half Men for its CSI crossover. It sounded like a funny idea on paper: Ask the scribes from CBS' top-rated drama to write a script for its No. 1 sitcom. But aside from a clever remix of the opening themes ("Who are you? Men, men, men, men") and a sly reference to a Marg Helgenberger lookalike's plunging neckline, you couldn't find a good joke with a microscope. George Eads' cameo as a wedding guest was pointless, as were Jake's gastrointestinal f/x. Even the show's trademark smutty euphemisms ("she put lipstick on his dipstick") were uninspired. Hope Thursday's CSI — penned by Men's writers — does a better job of slaying me.

• For a review of Robin Williams on Law & Order: SVU, check out the latest Cheers & Jeers vodcast.
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Jeers to Desperate Housewives for wasting Justine Bateman in a silly subplot. I was excited when I heard one of my teenage crushes would be visiting Wisteria Lane, but couldn't they have come up with a better-fitting role for the Family Ties alum than Ellie, a drug dealer who moves into Gaby and Carlos' house? I'm not sure which was more far-fetched: Gaby recruiting gay neighbor Lee to try and prove her boarder was a hooker or Ellie's untrue story that she's running a tattoo parlor in her room. Even Mallory Keaton wouldn't have bought that one.

• For a review of Robin Williams on Law & Order: SVU, check out the latest Cheers & Jeers vodcast.
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Posted by TheTenthDoctor...

Jeers to My Name Is Earl for it taking five episodes (almost a quarter of a season!) to wake Earl back up from his coma. The plot should've been resolved by the end of the two-part episode that aired after the writers' strike. Bottom line, the whole coma/sitcom story should have been taken care of then, not three episodes later.

• For a review of Robin Williams on Law & Order: SVU, check out the latest Cheers & Jeers vodcast.
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Cheers to The Office for giving Leslie David Baker more comedic responsibility. The deadpan genius who plays long-suffering salesman Stanley Hudson usually enjoys the highest laughs-to-lines ratio on TV. (He doesn't even have to talk to earn a guffaw; his reaction shots speak sidesplitting volumes.) But after he dissed boss Michael Scott once too often — and followed it up with "Did I stutter?" — Stanley was subjected to a "fake firing." And that's when Baker, who's been doing a slow burn for four seasons, finally boiled over in his best scene ever. I don't know about Stanley, but Baker definitely deserves a promotion.

• For a review of Robin Williams on Law & Order: SVU, check out the latest Cheers & Jeers vodcast.
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Cheers to Law & Order for surviving another cast change without missing a beat. NBC's venerable drama has now replaced fully half its ensemble in less than a year, and the newest addition, Anthony Anderson, fits like a glove. (It's no surprise, considering he's worked both sides of the law as a cop on K-Ville and a drug kingpin on The Shield.) As Detective Kevin Bernard, a by-the-book Internal Affairs vet, Anderson brings a heft to L&O's first half-hour not seen since the days of George Dzundza and Paul Sorvino. But I'd expect nothing less from an actor who can handle roles in everything from The Departed to Kangaroo Jack.

• For a review of Robin Williams on Law & Order: SVU, check out the latest Cheers & Jeers vodcast.
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Check out the latest Cheers & Jeers vodcast, in which we butt heads over Robin Williams' SVU guest shot (and please excuse the now-incorrect info about the 200th episode — this was taped a few weeks ago)...

Cheers to How I Met Your Mother for respecting the "Bro Code." When Barney slept with his buddy Ted's ex, Robin, I worried the sitcom might just laugh it off. But by violating Article 1 of the sacred guy rules (laid down by his ancestor, Barnabas Stinson, in an uproarious Revolutionary War-era flashback), Neil Patrick Harris' hounddog really screwed — and may have lost — his self-proclaimed best friend forever. Can Ted forgive him? Guess we'll have to, as Barney might say, wait for it....

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Cheers to Desperate Housewives for grounding itself in real-world relationships — and their ramifications. Whether it's Gaby's hysterically selfish reaction to Carlos' blindness or Bree's inability to forgive Orson for running over Mike, storylines are being allowed to play out over time and characters are behaving consistently. Even one of last season's weakest subplots, Lynette's near-romance with Rick, has been redeemed by the revelation of the long-term damage it did to her marriage (not to mention his restaurant, which her brats burned down). And Katherine's murky backstory has taken a brilliant twist with the casting of Gary Cole as her ex-husband... or is he? Bravo!

• For more on Desperate Housewives, check out the Cheers & Jeers vodcast.
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Posted by RWoods7413...

Cheers to the writers of CSI:NY for finally turning Danny Messer back into the man he used to be and hopefully ending the shipwreck that is Danny/Lindsay. The scene between Danny and Rikki was beautifully written and the actors did an amazing job. Carmine Giovinazzo and Jacqueline Pinol have amazing chemistry together, and I really felt there was something special between the two characters. May this fabulous story line continue.

For an opposing view, check out the Reader's Jeer of the Week.

• For more Cheers & Jeers, check out the new vodcast.
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Please note: Cheers & Jeers will be on vacation but will return on Monday, April 28.

Posted by "sugah66"...

Jeers to CSI: NY for turning Danny into a cheater. In one scene, the writers managed to ruin Danny's character, his relationship with Lindsay, and the overall dynamic of the show. There is a reason I don't watch soap operas, and now there is a reason why I'll no longer be watching this show.

For an opposing view, check out the Reader's Cheer of the Week.

• For more Cheers & Jeers, check out the new vodcast.
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Cheers to The Colbert Report for capping off an exuberant Pennsylvania-primary week in Philadelphia with appearances by Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards. Clinton fixed the telecast's technical problems, Obama put distractions "on notice," and Edwards advocated "universal haircare" during "The Edwords." Still, my favorite moment of the week was when Colbert asked if he could lick the Liberty Bell because he wanted to "tongue the crack of Liberty." He may not have made it onto the presidential ballot, but Colbert has made himself a real election-year player.

• For more Cheers & Jeers, check out the new vodcast.
• Share your own raves and rants about other shows on the Reader Cheers & Jeers discussion board.
• We may feature your Cheer or Jeer on TVGuide.com or in TV Guide magazine!