"Hollywood Treasure" is My Kind of Treasure

Would you (if you could) pay $2 million for Dorothy's ruby slippers? I don't mean any pair. I mean the pair worn by Judy Garland for the close up shot when Dorothy clicked her heals together three times. What if you owned the Panaflex camera that filmed Star Wars - would you sell it? These are the questions that are asked - and answered - on Hollywood Treasure - a show that is right up my alley.

This series, now in its second season on Syfy, follows Joe Maddalena, owner of Profiles in History, a Hollywood auction house and HUGE movie buff as he and his team crisscross the country in search of new and rare pieces of movie memorabilia.

Their finds are truly remarkable. On a recent episode, they found a one-of-a-kind Yoda rehearsal puppet from the original Star Wars auctioned and sold it at auction for over $22,000. In the same episode they found and curated the (self-driving!) original Bumblebee Camero from the first Transformers movie, Katniss' Mockingjay pin from The Hunger Games and a ccreen-used puzzle box from the Hellraiser movies.

Much of the excitement is seeing the team negotiate for the items and then seeing how much they go for at auction. But the real joy (for me) is to simply see these incredibly rare items and knowing that they are stored and cared for by true movie buffs.

Occasionally, Joe has collectors and even stars share items from their collection. His friend, Sean Astin brought by Samwise Gamgee's knapsack (complete with jangling pots and pans) from The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the helmet he wore in the movie Rudy. Sean's helmet had been sitting in his garage for 20 years and was showing signs of damage. As a favor, Joe restored the helmet and prepared a presentation case for it so Sean could enjoy it for many more years.

One couple Joe visited has the most amazing private Sci-Fi and fantasy movie memorabilia collection (outside of Paul Allen) that I've seen. They owned literally hundreds of items including Christopher Reeve's original Superman costume, Picards captain's chair from Star Trek: The Next Generation, Gene Wilder's signature "Willy Wonka" costume, Cylon warrior and Viper flight costumes from the original Battlestar Gallactica. The couple hired Joe to place all the items into auction. It's a collection worth millions and it's all for sale.

So, want to get in on the action, er, auction? This incredible collection goes up for auction in July. You can learn about the upcoming auction here and even sign up to bid online!

As fun as it would be to own even a small piece of some of these beloved films, I'll have to be content seeing them on TV. And thanks to Hollywood Treasure, that is now possible.

New episodes air Tuesdays, 10/9c on Syfy.

Networks Find Magic in Fantasy Genre

In books, the fantasy genre is one that can immerse you in a wondrous world limited only by the imagination of the author (and your ability to suspend disbelief). But it’s also a genre that is notoriously difficult to believably translate into films and television. But thanks to box office hits like Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, and cable series Game of Thrones, Spartacus and True Blood, networks are dipping their toes the fantasy genre – and finding success.

The fairytale characters inhabiting Storybrooke, Maine
have forgotten their true identities.

The most surprising of these is ABC’s Once Upon A Time. It’s hard to imagine network executives green-lighting an idea after hearing the pitch, “Snow White, Red Riding Hood, Prince Charming and a whole slew of fairytale characters are transported to a little town in Maine where only the Evil Queen and Rumpelstilskin know their true identities.” The show cleverly exposes the parallel worlds of the “real” storybook land (where magic is common and true love conquers all) and our world (where love is messy and the bad guy is usually a politician). The key to solving the series’ main mystery is a little boy, Henry, who knows the truth and is desperately trying to get the town’s new sheriff to believe him. Of course, Henry is the boy that the sheriff gave up for adoption years ago (he’s now the adopted son of the Mayor/Evil Queen) and the sheriff is really the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming who was sent to this world in an attempt to escape that curse that doomed them all. As you can guess, the show is really a nighttime soap dressed in a fairytale costume. And as cloying and silly as it sounds, somehow, it works.

Detective Nick Burkhard and his partner, Hank Griffin investigate
supernatural crimes and mysteries in Portland, Oregon.

As fun as Once Upon A Time is, NBC’s Grimm is even better. Grimm is part cop show, part X Files (before it got lame) and part horror story. In this reimagining of Grimm’s Fairytales, Detective Nick Burkhardt is the latest in a long line of Grimms – this world’s monster hunters. Orphaned at an early age, and a upstanding cop, Nick was told of his true heritage by his aunt just before she died. She also left him a trailer full of books and some kick-ass medieval weapons. Like all good cop shows, on Grimm, not every “monster” is bad and not every “good guy” is really good. This is a lesson that both Nick and the community of monsters are learning.

Each episode is a stand-alone “monster of the week” mystery with a season-long arc about the forces trying to wipe out the Grimm. To help in his quest, Nick has two crime-fighting partners. One is his police partner Hank, who has no idea that some of the criminals they’re searching for are really witches, dragons or demons in human form (only Grimms and other creatures can see their true shapes). His other partner is Monro,e a Blutbad (werewolf) who reluctantly (at first) gives Nick the inside track into the otherworldly underworld. The show is in turns exciting, funny and, frequently, genuinely scary.

This first season of both Once Upon A Time and Grimm are quickly coming to a close, but you can catch up online, on iTunes or via On-Demand.

Once Upon A Time: Saturdays, 8/7c on ABC

Grimm: Fridays, 9/8c on NBC

TV Tour: New York City

It should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me that I view every new experience through the lens of television. Recognizing locations from favorite TV shows and movies is always foremost on my mind in any new city. So on my first trip to New York City, I wasn't really visiting "The Big Apple," I was visiting the sets for Ugly Betty, How I Met Your Mother, Flight of the Conchords, Sex and the City, 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live, Mad Men, the list goes on and on...

For instance, my hotel room had a spectacular view of "that building from King Kong." I hear it's actually called The Empire State Building, but that didn't stop me from peering at the top and picturing a 40-foot tall ape there.

Stopping at Rockefeller Center had me scanning the crowds for a glimpse of Tina Fey. My walk through Central Park brought to mind scenes from The Clock, Six Degrees of Separation and Green Card. And when I saw the statue of a sled dog there, I knew at once that it was Balto from the 1995 animated film.

Of course, no trip to NYC would be complete without stopping at at FAO Schwarts to see the oversized piano from the movie, Big (it does not disappoint) and the New York Public Library from Ghost Busters. And while Time Square was the electric, energetic and bustling location you'd expect, I got excited because I knew that not long ago, Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin were here ringing in the New Year.

The one exception was Grand Central Station. Sure it was featured in Madagascar, Superman: The Movie,  Men in Black and I Am Legend. But the first thing I thought when I saw it? Oh my God, it looks just like the model from Legoland!

Next time, I need to visit that store from Breakfast at Tiffany's and that museum from Night at the Museum.

Tabatha Takes Over (My Life)

I admit it. I'm totally obsessed with Tabatha Coffey – that bossy, brassy and bitchy star of Bravo TV's Tabatha Takes Over. I never miss a new episode. And when there's a marathon on, well, the rest of the world will just have to wait.

Now in its fourth season, the reality show (formerly called Tabatha's Salon Takeover) has expanded its format, so now Tabatha not only helps troubled hair salons, she's using the harsh truth and her no-BS attitude to help bars, cafés and doggie daycares too.

In each episode, Tabatha "takes over" a struggling business for one week where she assesses the management, staff and environment before making her recommendations to reverse the business's decline. This often means helping the owners re-discover their passion for their business, weeding out bad employees and giving the business a design makeover. Her direct style and sharp tongue often make her advice a bitter pill to swallow, but the owners that listen invariably end up with a stronger, happier and more profitable business.

What I love about Tabatha (a breakout star from the first season of Bravo's Sheer Genius) is her stone-cold honesty when discussing the issues that are leading to a business's decline. She never holds back. And as far as I can see, she's never wrong. She gets called a bitch on her own show a lot. Does she care? Not a lick. Because she knows the truth sometimes hurts, but somebody's got to have the nerve to say it. The smart people see that she really is trying to build them up and make them stronger, so most folks learn to appreciate her style in short order. But business owners that fail to take her advice (and there are some) do so at their own peril. Those stories usually end with employees walk outs, fewer customers or even closed businesses.

After she's made her final recommendations, Tabatha hands the keys back and heads off to her next adventure. But lest the the owner and the employees fall back into their old ways, Tabatha returns after six weeks to make sure they're still walking the walk. It's nice to see that almost all are happier and more profitable than ever.

Now, if only we could get her to take over a few city councils or even congress. Then we'd really see some action.

New episodes of Tabatha Takes Over air on Bravo TV, Tuesdays at 10/9c.

Pay Cable Series - For Adults Only

When I was young, we had five TV channels to choose from. There were the "big three" (ABC, NBC and CBS), PBS and "Good Lookin' 11." Didn't like what was on? Too bad. Fortunately, I was born without the ability to distinguish between good TV and bad, so I always found something worth watching.

Then one day, KCPQ's signal finally reached Seattle and I thought, "Wow! Six stations! Now this is living!" Even with 6 wondrous channels, there were still limitations. If you woke up too early, you got to choose between the farm report or the Indian Head Test Pattern. Couldn't sleep? You had until maybe 1AM before the channel concluded its broadcast day. I still remember listening to the Star Spangled Banner as a grainy image of a flag fluttered on my screen. 

Now, (mumble-mumble) years later, I have about 400 channels including high definition, commercial-free music channels, movie and specialty channels. And despite the competition, the big three networks still command the lion's share of TV viewers. They are also adapting well to Internet viewers. It's not unusual for more than half of iTune's top weekly downloaded shows to be network series.

But cable has found a niche where the big networks just can't compete. Adult entertainment. Now, I don't mean "adult (wink-wink) entertainment," though there are channels for that too. I mean shows that try to fit in with pay cable's R-rated movie fare. Like the TV ratings folks will tell you, these programs contain mature themes, language and sexual situations. 

Pay cable series like HBO's Oz, Deadwood and Rome or Showtime's Dexter and Nurse Jackie don't just push the envelope, they stretch it until its the size of a sleeping bag. These shows promise enough off-color humor, gore, nudity, sex and course language to draw at least a few people away from the more family-friendly (by FCC regulation) networks.

Luckily for cable networks, they're not bound by FCC regulations, so can show whatever they want. Case in point: Starz new series, Spartacus: Blood and Sand. It is by far the bloodiest, goriest, clothing-optional, sex-filled series I've ever seen. The show's visual style looks like any number of green-screen heavy graphic novel inspired movies like Watchmen, 300 and Sin City. The color palette is decidedly desaturated - except for the fountains of bright red blood. There's plenty of sex and nudity too. Of course, they always attempt to work it into the story. Artistic of them, don't you think? 

Spartacus premiered with 659,000 viewers on Starz and another 570,000 for the simulcast on Encore. Together the two channels got a little over 1.2 million viewers. That's about a tenth of what a network show like LOST typically gets. But considering that I didn't even know Starz was still around, Spartacus is a definite win for them. So I'm not surprised that they renewed the series for a second season before it even premiered.

The lesson seems pretty clear. If you want your cable show to get viewers, you better check your modesty at the door. After all, take away the nudity, sex, swearing and violence and what do you get? A network show. And cable still can't compete there.

TV and Other Obsessions

I can think of worse obsessions than watching too much TV. And there is no shortage of series that expose, exploit and parade these obsessions for our entertainment.

Case in point. It's easy to feel superior to those unfortunate clutter collectors on shows like Style Network's Clean House. Sweet and sassy host Niecy Nash (Reno 991) and her crew help families see how objects and clutter have taken over their lives and created not just a mess, but an unhealthy atmosphere. After some friendly pressure from the team, the families invariably agree to give up their mess in exchange for a stylish makeover. It's always amazing to see the transformation in the rooms and the attitudes of the family. And while the show sometimes focusses on real emotional moments, this series is played for laughs and the magic of the reveal.

As an amateur pack rat myself, it's a real pleasure to watch a telegenic TV team clean someone else's house while I wipe Cheetos dust onto the sofa and cackle, "my God, what a bunch of slobs!" Of course, these are nice normal folks who just went a little too far. Besides, the way my garage looks, I can't really throw stones. And like eating Cheetos, these episodes are just too delicious to watch just one. The most I've ever watched in a row is five - but hey, I can quit any time I want.

A lot less fun than Clean House (but no less riveting) is Hoarders, the new series on A&E. The subjects of these mini-documentaries are seriously compulsive hoarders who are often close to being removed from their homes by Adult Protective Services. These are truly tragic cases. And the episodes don't end with glamorous makeovers or sometimes even an uncluttered house. A psychologist specializing in compulsive hoarding councils the families while a cleaning crew tries to clean up the mess. Family disfunction, anger and mental troubles are brought to the surface. At the same time, mold, insects and even lost dead pets are uncovered under mountains of clutter. The show devotes only two days to council and clean. Though continued counceling is provided after the crew leaves, we're left with little doubt that the situation won't return to its previous state.

There's no question that we find these shows entertaining. But are they exploitative? Probably. Is it really making a difference? I doubt it. But it's hard to deny that they at least temporarily help these people come to grips with the severity of their situations. And in sometimes, help them avoid being removed by Adult Protective Services. Whether that's really doing them a favor or not will remain to be seen.

So long as Niecy doesn't show up at my house and try to take away my TV, we'll be fine.

How Glee Changed TV's Tune

Compared to the last few years, this television season has been fairly lackluster. Can't really say I'm surprised. With revenues down, most broadcast networks aren't really willing to take big gambles with their programming. Instead we get more CSI on CBS, more sitcoms on ABC and more Jay Leno on NBC.

This kind of "inside the box thinking" has lead to very few watercooler-worthy shows. Sure everyone's talking about how Leno is taking down NBC (the network's weeknight 10PM slot is down 30%), but I don't think that's the kind of buzz they were looking for. So it begs the question, where's this year's LOST, Amazing Race or Big Bang Theory?

Surprisingly, its on FOX in the unlikely form of the high school musical called Glee. Speaking of High School Musical, I just bet Disney-owned ABC is wondering why they didn't move their hit franchise into a network series first (I know I am).

There's really nothing new about the concept of Glee. High school jock and brainy girl make beautiful music together. It's been a motion picture staple since Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney first said, "Let's put on a show!" It continued through the 60s with Frankie and Annette's beach party movies and came back in full force with the High School Musical trilogy. But those were movies. For some reason musicals have never worked in series television (Viva Laughlin being the most recent example). That is, until now.

Glee is not only pulling in a solid 8 million viewers a week, they've also sold 1.7 million downloads on iTunes since the series started (and we're only on episode seven)! Even better for FOX, the viewers are those young viewers the Internet told us had stopped watching TV. So, how did they manage to pull this off? Good talent, good timing and no shortage of good luck.

For starters, they centered the show around the Glee club. For some reason modern audiences have a hard time with people singing about their feelings unless its part of (or near) a show. For instance, as long as Chicago or Moulin Rouge's action was set in a theater, people are okay with people singing offstage. Unlike, say, Cop Rock.

Secondly, they borrow from a catalogue of hit songs. From Heart to Journey to Beyonce, the music is fast, infectious and fun. I'll admit, I've got a few on my iPod.

And speaking of fun, they made the show primarily a comedy. Glee is the show people feel good watching because it makes them feel good. And let's face it, there aren't many shows these days that pull that off.

And lastly, they give us characters we can root for. Like a page out of American idol, Glee has a cast of talented outcasts, wackos and heartthrobs that we can identify with and want to see succeed.

Now I'll admit, I predicted months ago that a show this fun, entertaining and whimsical was destined to be canceled by FOX after just a few episodes. But they've already ordered 22 more. I know, no one is more surprised than me! I looks like maybe Glee has finally found the right formula to keep a musical on the air.

Now all we can do is wait to see if the inevitable knock-offs will have learned the same lesson (I'm not holding my breath).