If the 10th season of American Idolturns out to be as dull as press tour's American Idol panel, this deal is in trouble. Tuesday's TCA session had its moments -- but missing from the session was the blunt Brit, the straw that stirred this drink, Simon Cowell. Cowell always told the truth here at press tour, and his candid banter was sorely missed. One memorable press tour session, the other Idol judges made no effort to cover up for last minute no-show Paula Abdul...

2011

Jan

THE DUDE ARRIVES: JEFF BRIDGES CHARMS AT TCA PRESS TOUR By Bill Brioux

I had to take a few hours to get my head around the Jeff Bridges visit to press tour Saturday. That`s because of how sharply it contrasted with Oprah Winfrey`s TCA visit just a few days ago. Bridges sat before critics to take a bow for the PBS "American Masters" tribute "Jeff Bridges: The Dude Abides"...

2011

Jan

OPRAH OWNS THE PRESS TOUR By Bill Brioux

PASADENA, Calif. -- I didn't win a car, but I did get touched by Oprah Winfrey. The daytime talk show queen and newly minted network mogul gave me the royal tap Thursday night at TV critics' press tour on her way out of her lavish launch party for OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network. I also got the Winfrey wave...

2011

Jan

SNAKES ATTEND TCA PRESS TOUR By Bill Brioux

PASADENA, Calif. -- Critics are often exposed to all manner of cold-blooded creatures on the Television Critics Association press tour. It was true Wednesday at several sessions for Day 1 of the midseason event, but especially at the National Geographic Wild press conference for Wild About Snakes, where a live python was brought out after the session to pose with critics...

2010

Nov

LESLIE NIELSEN'S WHOOPEE CUSHION By Bill Brioux

When the Naked Gun movies came out in the late '80s and early '90s, friends would not sit next to me in the theaters -- I laughed that much. So, when I was invited to have lunch with and interview Leslie Nielsen in the mid-'90s, when he was in Toronto promoting his mostly made up autobiography, The Naked Truth, I jumped at the chance...

2010

Oct

HOLLYWOOD XPO, OR WHAT ARE 'HEROES' DOING AT MY HOTEL? By Bill Brioux

Set phasers for stun! That's what it felt like to wander into the convention lobby at Southern California's Universal Hilton this weekend and discover it was the home of something called Hollywood Xpo. I'd never heard of Hollywood Xpo, which ran Friday-Sunday at the Universal Hilton, but they had a crazy little lineup of guest stars, 100 by their tally...

2010

Oct

'GLEE' DOES GOD By Bill Brioux

I guess I was looking for a miracle from Tuesday night's extra spiritual episode of Glee. Executive producer Ryan Murphy has faith in himself, I'll say that. Setting up his high school musical as a pop parable on modern day spirituality is a tall task. He's inviting scorn from the right and the left, from the Tea Partiers and the Agnostics. Only a producer with a two-year commitment and riding a ratings surge would get a network to sign off on a religion-in-schools storyline...

2010

Aug

NOT GETTING 'SNOOKERED' BY MTV'S "JERSEY SHORE" By Bill Brioux

BEVERLY HILLS, CA -- The first of two cable network days got a slap upside the head Friday as the Jersey Shore cast was in the House. The Situation, Snooki, JWoww, Pauly D, Sammi, Hungadunga and McCormick all stood on stage throughout the entire session, prompting questions like: "Do any of you know why MTV didn't let you sit down?"...and, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"...

2009

Aug

GUEST BLOG #37: BILL BRIOUX FROM TCA PRESS TOUR, ON MUNCHIES AND MUPPETS By Bill Brioux

Craig Ferguson knows the way to a critic's artery-choked heart is through his stomach. The CBS Late Late Show host has been sending pizza to critics on press tour for our semi-annual business meetings ever since he hosted the TCA Awards show a few years ago...

2009

Jul

GUEST BLOG #35: BILL BRIOUX CHECKS IN FROM TCA PRESS TOUR By Bill Brioux

Maybe it's just because I'm sitting next to the constantly clicking still photographers, but the buzz level seems to have jumped a notch on Day Two of the Television Critics Association press tour. I'm in a session now for The History Network with Matt Damon and Marisa Tomei, both very involved with a program called "The People Speak"...

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Bill Brioux

Bill Brioux is the David Bianculli of Canada, except he keeps his white beard to himself. He currently contributes to the Toronto Star, The Canadian Press and blogs at brioux.tv, TV Feeds My Family.

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