The hottest must-know TV scoop? Well, it's
usually the stuff nobody wants to tell you. It’s
usually the hottest gossip (all true) you just can’t read anywhere.
Did I just say ‘’can’t’’? Let’s make that ‘’couldn’t’’ ‘cause hopefully, from now on dear readers, I’ll try my utter best to make a big splash – at least once a week – with true TV gossip titillation that will make you take short involuntary breaths of shock and delight. Promise.
That’s why you’re here after all, right? To read more on everything about TV and find out more about South African television.
So how about some hot goss on Alias, Smallville, Prison Break, Stargate: Atlantis and SABC2’s upcoming family competition?
The last eight episodes of Alias – let’s make that the last nine episodes – will be back on M-Net from Sunday, 7 May at 17:00. But why is Alias, Desperate Housewives and Grey’s Anatomy becoming a HUGE headache for M-Net?
Seems the pay channel who has the broadcasting rights for all these redder than red hot shows has a teeny-weeny scheduling problem. Not because there’s too much good stuff, but because there’s just too much
of the good stuff.
The production companies in America just keep adding more and more episodes and super sizing episodes with the result being that more programming weeks are needed to fit them in.
Already I know that the Alias finale will be a two hour affair yet the show is supposed to end on M-Net on 25 June. Either we’ll see a two hour episode or Sydney Bristow will actually say goodbye on 2 July!
There is a second part to this story.
M-Net yanked Alias off the schedule and replaced it with Smallville because there were simply no more episodes to show. Now it seems the new episodes won’t arrive in time - even for the May 7 date - so M-Net will bring Alias back with the ninth last episode subtitled ‘’Horizon’’. This is the last episode the channel has already aired which we’ll see again, so the first ‘’new’’ episode will only be on our screens on 14 May.
Over at the Seattle Grace hospital the doctors are also prepping for a special three hour operation. Yep, Grey’s Anatomy’s second season, which follows seamlessly after the first season’s episodes on M-Net, will bid goodbye with a three hour second season finale. Lots of headaches for those in the scheduling department who have to try to count the TV chickens before they hatch.
Talking of deaths, in the final episodes of Prison Break someone unexpected will die too and someone will lose a limb. Meanwhile Dominic Purcell, Mr Lincoln Burrows is right here in Cape Town (I’m trying to snag an interview but the guy’s busy, busy, busy) filming Primeval, a movie that will be released next year about a news team sent to South Africa to capture and bring home a humongous crocodile.
Keep a look out for SABC2’s “TV Family of the Year” competition that they’re launching soon. To enter you can send in any type of picture of your family.
No longer a part of the SABC2 family is Aletta Alberts. She used to be channel head of SABC2 until last year when she resigned and jumped ship to Vodacom. Its all still very hush, hush but the awesome Aletta is now . . .ta-da. . . the new general manager of content at MultiChoice which she's been since the beginning of April.
Yes, no official press release or anything went out (yet) about this high level appointment but let me tell you, Aletta knows her TV, she loves it as much as you and I do, so look out for great, great stuff coming later in the year! This woman has the passion, know-how and skill to make exceptional TV happen.
Last but not least, Stargate: Atlantis. The actionX channel on DStv received ‘’many complaints’’ about the incorrect order that the second season’s episodes were apparently broadcast in. The whole second season – all 20 episodes – will now be repeated from the beginning on Sundays at 14:00 until 30 September.
Next time: Who's the boss when it comes to The Apprentice: SA II on SABC3 you might ask? Will the Tokester be back when a second local season hits our screens in October?