By Anna Fugazzi   Mon, Feb 16, 2009

Unwavering, after he’s kicked out of his band and dumped by his girlfriend, the talented teenage rebel pulls out all the stops on and offstage, using dynamic new music to achieve his dream while facing fierce competition and learning some hard lessons in life and love along the way.

 

Spectacular!

is a riveting story with heart, great music and tons of tween appeal," said Marjorie Cohn, Executive Vice President, Development and Original Programming. "It’s uniquely Nickelodeon because it stays true to our tradition of great characters driving the story, but the edgy music gives it a contemporary twist."

The sparks fly when Nikko joins a musical group called

Spectacular!  led by preppy Courtney (Tammin Sursok, The Young and the Restless) and mentored by the absent-minded Mr.Romano (Greg Germann, Ally McBeal).

A culture clash between the discipline of show choir and the spontaneity of rock and roll ends up producing a whole new musical style for the group (10 original songs take center stage) that could spell big trouble for a rival group. Two musical worlds collide as dueling teams of talented singing and dancing teens angle for a national championship.

When Nikko’s ejected from his band for playing by his own rules, he needs quick cash to record a solo demo. Courtney grabs the opportunity to recruit the wannabe rock star as lead singer for her floundering show choir group, Spectacular.

Though a stickler for the rules, Courtney slips Nikko into the key spot vacated by Royce (Simon Curtis,

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat), who has defected to rival group, Ta-Da. Nikko is wary at first of the glitzy group – dazzling attire courtesy of Oscar-winning costume designer Angus Strathie (Moulin Rouge) -- but he’s also desperate to jump-start his solo career, and the potential prize money is a magnet. Fueling the competition further, Royce's gorgeous new girlfriend Tammi (Victoria Justice, Zoey 101) leads Ta-Da.

Will Courtney find a way to adapt to Nikko’s style? Can Nikko learn teamwork and can Courtney learn to "feel the music?" Can Spectacular compete with juggernaut Ta-Da? And above all, will Nikko remain loyal while his solo rock career waits in the wings?

 

 

By Missy Lee   Mon, Feb 02, 2009

 

Tonight's episode of “Chuck” is being presented in 3-D courtesy of Sobe Lifewater and those nifty paper glasses. Worry not, unlike the God-awful JAWS 3-D of 1983, there will be no flying body parts, blood or gore, but for fanboys every where, there is the chance to see a scantily clad Sarah.

And should you have a difficult time obtaining a pair of the coveted glasses (allegedly grocery stores, drug stores and discount stores that sell Sobe Lifewater have them, but good luck finding a pair at this late date), you can still see the episode just fine without the stylish lens wear.

A 3-D episode is exactly the kind of geeky-tech thing Chuck Bartowski and his faithful sidekick Morgan would get all weak kneed over, as well as a hacked version of Call of Duty or a Q36 game copier.

Yes, Chuck Bartowski and Morgan Grimes, who use the home theater section of Buy More after hours to play various video games on a big screen TV with surround sound, would choose an all night gaming session over just about anything else in the world.

But what about Zach Levi who plays the sweet and lovable Chuck Bartowski? Is he a gamer? Is it totally out of character for him to play a video game loving accidental hero?

The answer is NO. Like his on screen counterpart, Zach Levi can game with the best of them.

When asked what his favorite games are he enthusiastically replies, “RockBand, Gears of War and Call of Duty.” And of course, Guitar Hero.

Levi says, “Call of Duty 4 is fantastic! Amazing graphics!”

And just what gaming platform does he use?

“Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, anything I can get my hands on.”

And is there a gaming system in his on-set trailer? Levi's only answer was a crooked smile and teasing reply, “There might be.” When pushed for details, he took the diplomatic route; “I don't like to play favorites.”

Switching back to the topic of Chuck, Levi admits that while fellow cast mate Yvonne Strahovski (Sarah Walker) gets to do a fair amount of her own stunts and fight scenes, his action scenes “mainly consist of falling down onto the ground.”

He admits that “having Chuck all of a sudden kick butt would be major-ly jumping the shark. Chuck has to go through an evolution and get to that place where he evolves as a spy. Then I think we'll see him kick some butt. Maybe.”

Levi says, “Part of that evolution will be delving deeper into Chuck's past, Sarah's past, etc. There's going to be more mythology involved and if it ends up that my parents were spies, I wouldn't be surprised. At least I hope there's something deeper to it. For a show like ours that's so much about the fun and entertainment, that to me is fun and entertaining.”

Other fun and entertaining things about doing “Chuck?”

“After the strike last year I was fortunate enough to get to travel over seas to promote the launch of the show. I got to go places I'd never been before and to see people's reactions to the show was amazing. The fans make the show what it is.”

And what about that infamous shower scene featuring Nicole Richie (Sarah's high school nemesis) and Yvonne?

“I was off that day, but my dad was in town so you know, I took him to the set and we, uh, you know, watched it being filmed.”

Spoken like a true gamer boy.

It's worth noting that Levi's comments about delving deeper into his character's past and the notion that perhaps both of his parents were spies, came from a personal interview conducted last summer after a TV Critics Association panel. NBC just announced that Scott Bakula of Quantum Leap and Star Trek Enterprise fame has been signed to do a three episode arc as Chuck and Ellie's long estranged father.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Missy Lee   Sun, Feb 01, 2009

NBC sports anchor Chris Collinsworth knows football, having played for the Cincinnati Bengals as wide receiver for 8 seasons. During that time he reached the Super Bowl twice and lost to the same team in both contests. The first of which was due in part to a costly fumble he made. So he knows a thing or two about the Super Bowl.

 

"The two Super Bowls I played in ( numbers 16 and 23 respectively)were completely different. The first one it was freezing in Pontiac – it was like zero degrees. A few of us rented a car and I remember us spinning donuts in the parking lot. That was the most fun we had. Forrest Gregg didn't believe in having us do anything. He just wanted us focused on football. Diana Ross sang the anthem. She looked great. And then we came out and played as horribly as we'd ever played. I fumbled, we fell behind 20-0…"

The Bengals went on to lose the game.

 

"I remember having the opposite experience in Miami – we had a lot of fun. At the game, there were celebrities everywhere, Billy Joel sang the anthem, Christie Brinkley was with him. You can't help but notice that stuff. The 49ers winning drive, we were all hoping they would score quickly. We knew if we got the ball back with enough time on the clock, we would win."

They didn’t get the ball back and Joe Montana hit John Taylor for the winning touchdown pass with a scant :34 left to play.

"In this day we not only document the winner, and that's pretty easy, everybody wants to give you an interview and everybody wants to celebrate the moment, but to help you understand what that loser is feeling like walking off that field with the other teams colors confetti blowing in their hair. That is not fun."

 

As he turns his attention toward today’s match-up between the heavily favored Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals, he thinks there just may be a surprise in store for the Steelers.

"For a football fan, I think it has one of the most compelling matchups you can have in a league. To be Kurt Warner, a guy who believes in getting all his backs and receivers out of the backfield, leaving himself unprotected, going against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the way that Dick LeBeau and Troy Polamalu and the defensive player of the year James Harrison like to bring the pressure, it's just one of those classic Ali-Frazier kind of matchups for a football geek like I am. So that is going to be tremendous fun for me.

 Coming from Kentucky with a lot of horse racing in our blood there, we're told when you're handicapping the horses to pay attention to nothing but the last three games or the last three races when you're getting ready for the Derby. Well if you pay attention to Arizona's last three games, look out."

 

The actual Super Bowl game starts at 6pm/3pm ET/PT on NBC. However, the pre-game starts at 11am and by the time we actually get to kick-off, it’s a good bet all the tail-gating food will be but a distant memory.

 

The one high light of the game will be the half time performance by Bruce Springsteen, who has promised viewers a 12 minute party like no other.

 

 

By Anna Fugazzi   Mon, Feb 16, 2009

 

 

Sharp-tongued host, Anthony Bourdain, continues to explore every corner of the globe on his Emmynominated

Travel Channel series, now in its fifth season. During his travels, Tony encounters the weird,

wild, and downright outrageous personalities and places that help define what it means to scale the

international cultural landscape. Whether in the fog-shrouded highlands of Papua New Guinea, the last

vestiges of a World War II cargo-cult, or the jarring light show that is Las Vegas at night, Tony dives

headfirst into life’s colorful and rich pageant.

 

By Jonah Tarleton   Sun, Feb 01, 2009

For those with no interest in football of the two legged variety, Animal Planet proudly presents Puppy Bowl V. And this year, all the puppy's are from shelter's and available for adoption.

The yearly canine competition is back as a new cast of pups takes the field for another year of dogged defense, puppy penalties and fido first downs. The action takes place on the grand gridiron of Animal Planet Stadium, where an all-star, all- “adoptable” lineup of rambunctious pups is ready to compete in the ultimate puppy showdown.

Singing this year's National Anthem is none other than Pepper the Parrot all the way from Bird City, Kansas . Joining Puppy Bowl for the first time, Pepper will kick start this year’s sports extravaganza with her flapping rendition of the National Anthem. 

Pepper has been seen on Animal Planet's Pet Star and has been featured in BirdTalk magazine, Companion Parrot Quarterly and BirdChannel.com. 

And not to be out done in the half-time show department (and to mollify all the cat lovers out there) 

PUPPY BOWL has once again enlisted the help of some frisky kittens for an all-new edition of the KITTY HALF-TIME SHOW. Make your fantasy picks now and come online during the big game to vote for MVP (Most Valuable Puppy).

With an entertainment line-up like this, who needs The Boss?

The Puppy Bowl will air from 3-5 PM (ET/PT) on Animal Planet.