Worth hanging out with "My Boys," if mainly for PJ
By ANN ZIVOTSKY - For the North County Times | ∞
"My Boys" centers on the tomboyish PJ Franklin (Jordana Spiro), a Chicago-based sports writer who has just one girlfriend and four guy friends.
It's PJ who holds this group together and Spiro who holds this comedy together. The conflict that usually comes up is inevitable ---- when a woman hangs out with the guys, the girl and one of the guys fall in love, jeopardizing the integrity of the group. PJ and a couple of the guys in her group are no different, and much of the second season premier centers on which guy PJ is hoping to connect with ---- in Italy, one of the most romantic places.
Meanwhile, back in Chicago, PJ's other guy friends are trying to get back into the local bar they've been banned from. Mike (Jamie Kaler) has bedded one of the waitresses and not called her back, so the rest of the gang is going alcohol-free along with their friend. PJ will clean it all up when she returns from Europe, and fans of "My Boys" can rest assured that she and the boys will continue with their weekly poker games.
"My Boys" may not be the best comedy on television, but it is definitely the best comedy on summer television, and that's a good thing for viewers. The season premieres at 9:30 p.m. Thursday on TBS.
"The Bill Engvall Show" drew big ratings for TBS when it premiered last summer. That doesn't necessarily mean it's a show worth watching. It's the quintessential sitcom, which, apparently, may be what viewers want during the carefree days of summer. Starring Engvall, part of the popular "Blue Collar" Comedy team along with Larry the Cable Guy, Ron White and Jeff Foxworthy, the television show casts the comic as a dad who seems constantly confused by the state of his household.
Nancy Travis co-stars as his wife, and because this is a stereotypical sitcom, she always knows what's going on in the house and just seems amused by her husband's confusion. Plus, there are three stereotypical children ---- a teenage daughter who cares only about boys, a teenage son who cares only about video games, and the youngest son, the smartest of the group.
Perhaps it's Engvall's mugging for every laugh, or perhaps it's the overdone storylines (the kids won't do their chores), but "The Bill Engvall Show" doesn't have much to recommend it to anyone but the biggest Engvall fans. Apparently, there are plenty of those. The second season of "The Bill Engvall Show" premieres at 9 p.m. Thursday.
"The Deadliest Catch" has made television stars of crab fisherman, while "Axe Men" and "Ice Road Truckers" have made stars of lumberjacks and truck drivers. It's hard to predict whether viewers are going to want to watch the men who drill for oil when gasoline is approaching $5 per gallon, but truTV is going to find out with "Black Gold."
Set in Odessa and Midland, Texas, "Black Gold" follows as three teams try to reach the oil that's believed to be located two miles underneath their rigs. It's dirty and dangerous work, and the men who drill for oil ---- from the boss "driller" to the rookie "worm" ---- are hardened by the work, driven by the owners who gamble millions of dollars trying to find oil, and cut loose in the local bar where brawls are a weekly occurrence. Whether roughnecks (the drilling crews) will be the new television stars remains to be seen, but it's a good bet Americans are going to follow this new addition to the collection of working men on television.
"Black Gold" premieres at 10 p.m. Wednesday on truTV.
Although sports are not usually part of this column, Jim McKay's recent passing deserves a quick mention. McKay, who died Friday at the age of 86, was a pioneer in television sports reporting. His narration for ABC's "Wide World of Sports" ---- "the thrill of victory to the agony of defeat" ---- is now television legend, and his restrained and respectful reporting during the 1972 Munich Olympics, when Israel's athletes were killed in a botched kidnapping by Palestinian extremists, kept American audiences informed and captivated.
Locals
Michelle Camaya, aka "Mochi," seemed like the favorite to win "Step It Up and Dance" on Bravo, but hers wasn't the name called when the judges announced the winner June 5. The San Diego native was praised for her ability to convey strong emotions in her dancing. Before the start of the television dance show, Mochi was appearing in "The Lion King" on Broadway.
Escondido resident and Solana Beach pet spa owner Kathleen Sepulveda made it through the next stage of competition on the Animal Planet grooming show "Groomer Has It." Actually, each of the four final contestants stayed on the show one more week, when the contestants were challenged to groom four shelter dogs and see how quickly the dogs would be adopted. Since the "loser" for the week groomed an abused dog from a puppy mill, he got to stay and Animal Planet had a nice chance to show the cruelty of puppy mills. "Groomer Has It" airs at 9 p.m. Saturdays on Animal Planet.
Kevin Roberts, a San Diego chef known as the "Food Dude," made it through the first week of competition on "The Next Food Network Star," but the second week was his curtain call. During the first week, Roberts was paired with a diva cook from Texas who was almost sent home by the judges, but he impressed the cooks and moved on to the second round. But his overly sweet bread dish this past Sunday sent him packing. "The Next Food Network Star" airs at 10 p.m. Sundays on Food Network.
Two more local notes:
KOCT, the Oceanside community television station, was selected for the 2008 Hometown Video Festival Award for Overall Excellence by the Alliance for Community Media. KOCT Production Manager Jacob Rush will accept the award in Washington, D.C., in July.
Fans of Chelsea Handler may want to travel to the Pala Casino Resort & Spa on Saturday when the comedian will perform her stand-up comedy. Handler is the host of "Chelsea Lately" on E! and has written the bestselling book, "Are you there Vodka? It's Me Chelsea."
Highlights for the week range from local culinary treats to Broadway's love fest:
-- Oceanside elementary school concert (4 p.m. Thursday, KOCT, available on Cox Cable in Oceanside) ---- A show featuring fifth-graders from the 16 elementary schools in Oceanside who performed in concert at El Camino High School. The show will be repeated through June; check koct.org for replay dates.
-- "San Diego Insider" (8 p.m. Thursday, Channel 4 San Diego) ---- Profiles of Oceanside 10-year-old Alejandro Gonzalez, a piano prodigy; a La Costa resident and Vietnam veteran who has created a "Little Vietnam" garden paradise in his backyard; and a look at home public transportation works in San Diego.
-- "Shades of San Diego" (7:30 and 10 p.m. Thursday, Channel 4 San Diego) ---- Reporter Jessica Change and San Diego's "Sam the Cooking Guy" tastetest unique food in the county, from blood sausage to Guinness beef stew.
-- "Tony Awards" (8 p.m. Sunday, KFMB/Channel 8) ---- Whoopi Goldberg hosts the annual recognition of the best of Broadway. "A Catered Affair," which began at San Diego's Old Globe Theatre, is nominated for two acting awards.
-- "TV Land Awards" (9 p.m. Sunday, TVLand) ---- Vanessa Williams hosts the sixth annual award show, which will recognize Mike Myers with the "Legacy of Laughter Award," Garry Marshall with the "Legend Award" and Jonathan Winters with the "Pioneer Award."
Ann Zivotsky writes about television for the North County Times. Contact her at nctimestv@cox.net.
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