ABC Upfronts

ABC is shaking up their lineup this fall, with changes on every night save Monday and Thursday.  The week gets off to a familiar start with Dancing With The Stars, followed by The Good Doctor.  Roseanne returns for another season to kick off Tuesday nights, followed by The Kids Are Alright, about a traditional Irish-Catholic family navigating the turbulent 70s, then black-ish and Splitting Up Together staying put.  The night ends with The Rookie, bringing Nathan Fillion back to the network in a familiar setting.

Wednesday starts the same, with The GoldbergsAmerican Housewife, and Modern Family starting the night, followed by Single Parents, a comedy about, well, single parents starring Taran Killam and Leighton Meester.  The night is capped off by A Million Little Things, about a group of Boston friends who re-examine their lives when one of them dies.  Thursdays stay exactly the same, with the three Shondaland shows remaining in place.  A revamped Friday kicks off with the re-located Fresh Off The Boat and Speechless, followed by Child Support and 20/20.  Sunday goes all reality, with a junior edition of DWTS sandwiched between America’s Funniest Home Videos and Shark Tank.  The night ends with The Alec Baldwin Show, the first prime time talk show since the unfortunate attempt to keep Jay Leno happy while Conan O’Brien hosted The Tonight Show.

Agents of SHIELD will return in summer of 2019, and American Idol and For The People will return at some point.  Also on the bench for mid-season are The Fix, a legal drama from Marcia Clark starring Robin Tunney, Grand Hotel, from executive producer Eva Longoria, and Whiskey Cavalier, about a partnership of FBI and CIA agents played by Scott Foley and Lauren Cohan.  The one comedy is Schooled, a spin-off of The Goldbergs.

Cancelled shows never to be seen again are Alex Inc.The CrossingDeceptionDesignated SurvivorDownward DogThe Great American Baking ShowKevin (Probably) Saves The WorldInhumansThe Mayor, The Middle, Once Upon A Time, Quantico, Scandal, Somewhere Between, Still Star-Crossed, and Ten Days In The Valley.

Post Mortem – The Mentalist

mentalistAfter 7 seasons, CBS decided to pull the plug on The Mentalist, the Simon Baker/Robin Tunney vehicle, following an abbreviated 13-episode final season.  The show, which was a strong performer in its earlier days, was obviously out of steam creatively in its last few years.  The show got a bit of a reboot last year, during season 6, when the setting and motivation changed, but it wasn’t enough to breathe new life into the tired show.

Mix Tape Monday – May 2001

After my tape deck crapped out in 1997, I was stuck listening to either the radio or full albums in whatever order the artist intended.  That all changed in 2001, when the new-fangled MP3 technology got combined with my new CD burner.

This CD was burned in May of 2001 and features new music from Weezer, The Go-Go’s, and American Hi-Fi, along with older songs that interested me at the time for one reason or another.

The Five Blobs – Beware Of The Blob

This old 50s tune was re-popularized by the new midday show on WCKG hosted by Buzz Kilman and Wendy Snyder.

iTunes stats: 3 plays, most recently on 5/11/2012

The Ramones – Spider-Man Theme

The seminal punk band covered the theme from the 60s Spider-Man cartoon for a mid-90s compilation.

iTunes stats: 1 play, on 7/30/2012

American Hi-Fi – Flavor Of The Week

The one hit from the band that has seemingly become the touring band for Miley Cyrus.

iTunes stats: 5 plays, most recently on 6/13/2012

Smoking Popes – I Need You Around

The local alt band had a hit with this tune from the Clueless soundtrack.

iTunes stats: 6 plays, most recently on 8/9/2011

Len – Steal My Sunshine

Another one hit wonder, this tune was originally included on the Go soundtrack.

iTunes stats: 7 plays, most recently on 8/19/2011

Jodeci – Lately

The unplugged version of the old Stevie Wonder hit from technically the first band I ever saw perform live.

iTunes stats: 12 plays, most recently on 9/21/2012

Isaac Hayes – Theme From Shaft

The song was back in vogue in 2001 thanks to the Shaft remake the previous year and Hayes increased profile thanks to his role as Chef on South Park.

iTunes stats: 10 plays, most recently on 7/16/2012

Snap! – Rhythm Is A Dancer

I’ve always been fond of this early 90s dance hit.

iTunes stats: 2 plays, most recently on 7/16/2012

Mallrats Clip

Funny stuff from the mind of Kevin Smith which I have never imported into iTunes.

Wheatus – Teenage Dirtbag

The minor hit from the Loser soundtrack was a massive hit in Australia, becoming the #2 selling single of 2000.

iTunes stats: 5 plays, most recently on 12/1/2010

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