Francine Brokaw's Blog

Posted by Francine Brokaw

Actress Brittany Murphy passed away today, December 20, 2009 apparenty grom a fatal cardiac arrest. I had the opportunity to interview Ms. Murphy several times and to me she was a sweet, kind, and thoughtful woman. In my view, she was not corrupted at all by her fame. She was definitely down to earth.

She always was very slim, which in Hollywood is the norm these days, and this may or may not be what attributed to her cardiac arrest.

At 32, Ms. Murphy had everything to look forward to. She was a fun, talented woman with a lot of prospects awaiting her in the years to come. Unfortunately, she will not be able to take advantage of any of them.

Rest in peace, Brittany. And thank you for all you've given your fans and for your kindness whenever we were together.

Posted by Francine Brokaw

I often receive comments or questions directed to the celebrity in an article. I have received numerous questions directed at Juliana and Bill Rancic about advice on living in Chicago and marriage.

Many readers ask questions directed to Dr. Oz.

For the readers, I need to make one thing clear. My articles are about these shows and I have no direct connection to the productions. Therefore, I cannot answer these questions. Direct questions to Dr. Oz need to go through his website which is www.doctoroz.com.

It is my recommendation that for readers who have direct questions about the shows or the celebrities, your questions might be answered if you go directly to the program's website.

While many of the production companies do read the articles and reviews and even blogs connected with their respective shows, feel free to post your questions on this blog. I cannot guarantee they will be answered by the appropriate people, but you never know who is reading these blogs!

Posted by Francine Brokaw

Posted by Francine Brokaw

I'll admit it. I am a big fan of the movie Stargate and the TV series SG1. I think the cast of the series was the perfect mix and had great chemestry. I was less enthusiastic with Stargate Atlantis. And I am even more disappointed with SGU.

SGU, at least this far in the season, fails in the character department. There are no characters that really catch my attention and make me want to tune in for another episode. And so far, the episodes have been dark and void of much interest.

Star Trek was a franchise that continually reinvented itself with great casts and interesting storylines. The Next Generation was more exciting than the original series, and Voyager was just as appealing, with enjoyable characters and interesting plot lines.

Unfortunately, for me, so far this season,SGU has been a major disappointment. And coming from a die-hard Stargate fan who has been eager for another series in the franchise, this is a big let down.

It is still early in the season. Things might change. But without the humor of a Jack O'Neill or the wit and wisdom of a Daniel Jackson, that looks highly unlikely. While these characters do make periodic appearances in SGU, they are not enough to hold my interest in the series.

My opinion seems to be in the minority as the ratings are improving for this series. Hopefully something will arise that will make me excited about watching.

Posted by Francine Brokaw

With The Jay Leno Show taking up the last hour of primetime TV on NBC, the network loses those hours that are generally slotted for major drama series'. Up against such popular shows as CSI: Miami and others that have consistently ranked in the top ten, Jay Leno has his work cut out for him.

Leno doesn’t expect to overtake the big dramas. He hopes that when they are in reruns, however, that his new programming will entice viewers over to NBC.

Many of those in the Writers Guild are not pleased about this new show as it takes away from five different groups of writers. The hours that Jay Leno is talking about headlines and other things are generally filled by five dramas, which each have their writing teams.

So, the talk of the town is whether The Jay Leno Show will do well enough to hold its own in the ratings. And, if it does, that is another headache for the writers and actors who would generally have jobs filling the weeknight hours. If other networks decide it is more cost-effective to put a talk/variety show on in lieu of a drama series, actors, writers, and the viewers will be missing a lot of good TV.

But this remains to be seen. It will take awhile for Jay Leno to hit his stride. After that, we’ll see. Will we be in for more of this type of format? Hopefully, this won’t be as popular as the reality show format, which continues to be successful. However, with the expense of regular drama series’, the future is up in the air.