THE TKTV NEWSLETTER
Season 3, Episode 3 aired January 18, 2000

CONTENTS
1. Intro
2. Letters from the viewing audience
3. Kim's Commercial Comments
4. Don't miss
5. TV Trivia
6. Favorite Quotes of the Week
7. A totally unrelated link

1. Intro

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. I must say, holidays like this seemed to mean a lot more when I was younger, perhaps because I was bombarded with education about the significance of a federal holiday honoring the memory of a slain black civil rights leader. These days it just seems like another long weekend. My high school used to actually cancel classes, but not give us the day off, because we would have to sign up for work shops - lectures, discussions, activities, or community service-type things - to help educate and spread awareness. As great as the idea was, the practice didn't work so well on a bunch of teenagers who were just bitter that the rest of the country got a day off when we had to attend stupid workshops.

So, I hope you enjoyed your day off, and I hope a few people actually took a moment to remember the significance of the holiday. If you didn't, do it now. The fact that this is a federal holiday is unbelievable, really, and pretty durn cool.

So there was my little intro to excuse why this week's newsletter is a day late. Actually, I took MLK Day off like the rest of the country, so this newsletter is perfectly on time. Unfortunately, I forgot to tell Kim that the newsletter would be released on a Tuesday this week, so she wrote about Monday. Blame me, not her.

So, due to its ratings, I know a lot of you watched the premiere episode of "Malcolm in the Middle" on Fox, and I'm hoping that means a lot of you went back last Sunday to watch the second episode as well. I've even already received some letters about the show, which can be read below in the Viewers' Letters section.

So far, I gotta say, it seems to be living up to the hype, particularly the pilot episode, which had me literally rolling on the floor (okay, so I was already sitting on the floor when I was watching it) laughing. And boy, was there hype. Ratings say that it was the most-watched premiere of any show on Fox since "The Simpsons," and "The Simpsons" had the added advantage of having already been featured and much-loved on "The Tracey Ullman Show," so "Malcolm" must have had some impressive hype indeed. I mean, when you think about it, when a show premieres that strongly, it's really just a measure of how good the advertising was. But still, it heartens me to know that Fox got that many people to watch what was an incredibly funny and heart-warming episode. Hopefully, this signifies an up-turn to what has so far been a terrible season for Fox. These light-hearted comedies, not only "Malcolm" but also "That '70's Show," could be Fox's new signature. Fox seems in desperate need of a new signature, what with the old guard like "Beverly Hills 90210" and "Party of Five" dying a slow and painful death.

But back to "Malcolm." "Malcolm in the Middle" is a half-hour comedy about a kid named Malcolm who more or less leads a normal and typically tortured existence with his three brothers (one of whom has been sent away to military school), until in the pilot episode it is discovered that he has an IQ of 165 and his mother insists that he joins the "special" class to which he has been invited and desperately does not want to attend. Okay, so it was a run-on sentence, but not a bad short summary of the show. Mainly, the show serves to make me really glad I didn't grow up a boy.

Jane Kaczmarek, who plays Malcolm's harried yet calculating mother Lois, is a comedienne on par with some of the earlier actresses on "Saturday Night Live." What's strange is that she is familiar from only dramatic roles. Even when I was only seeing previews on Fox, I was trying to figure out who she was and where I had seen her before. And I finally figured it out. She was Julie's mother on "Felicity." I mean, talk about a mega-serious role, she was the woman that Julie hunted down as her biological mother, who then lied to Julie and told her she couldn't possibly have given birth to her. Looking up Kaczmarek on the Internet Movie Database, I realize that she is also familiar from the movie "Pleasantville," in which she played David and Jennifer's mom. She has also had many guest appearances on other dramatic television shows ranging from "Party of Five" and "The Practice" in the nineties to "Hill Street Blues" and "St. Elsewhere" in the eighties. I can't imagine what Kaczmarek did to convince the casting directors that she could anchor this wacky family on Fox, but I'm glad she did it, because she's just perfect in the hard-to-define role.

Frankie Muniz, as Malcolm himself, is perfect. Even in just his appearance alone, he embodies the warring sides of a kid-genius that just wants to be a kid. He's cute, but he has a curiously old looking face. He talks just like a kid, but then occasionally breaks out to the audience with an intelligent insight into the trouble he has gotten himself into again. The red paint speech from the pilot, which is below in the Favorite Quotes section, is a perfect example of his response to a test being given to him by the head teacher of the "special" class. He gives her the most complete answer she's ever heard, but what he's really concerned about is that some bully put red paint on his ass.

Along with great actors, the show is generally just very well made. There is no standard sitcom 4th wall action, and very few predictable punch line styled jokes. Many transitions in the pilot episode were movie-quality, particularly the sequence showing why Malcolm's oldest brother Francis was sent to military school. Francis is shown giving one long apology speech, and throughout the speech, his scenery changes. In the first part, he is having his hands held behind him by a police officer, and a police car is pulled up with its lights whirring. In the second part, he is standing in the door to his bedroom, and in the background a girl is sitting on the edge of the bed struggling back into her sweater. In the third and last part, a car is on fire. Malcolm points out that it wasn't even their car. I'm definitely looking forward to some of the scenes I've only seen in previews in which Francis is back at home with his brothers and causing more trouble than ever.

The pilot was so hilarious, that I must say I was worried about the show being able to keep up. So often I see amazing pilots followed up by mediocre shows, or even worse, amazing first seasons followed up by lousy second seasons and even worse third seasons. The episode last Sunday, I must admit, was not quite as amazing as the pilot, but still a very likeable and very watchable show. The whole idea behind Lois torturing a confession out of her sons and Francis, over the phone, trying to lead the troops against the parent was a great one. Meanwhile, we got to see and learn a little bit more about Malcolm's father, which was a necessary character definition.

All in all, I would highly recommend this show. I, myself, am already looking forward to future episodes. Fox is currently giving it a great time slot, 8:30pm ET on Sundays between "The Simpsons" and "The X-Files." When "Futurama" returns in February, I believe "Malcolm" will be moving. Keep an eye tuned to http://malcolminthemiddle.tktv.net for schedule changes, news about the show, previews of upcoming episodes, past episode summaries, and great quotes from the show.

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2. Letters from the viewing audience

From Pam:

"Roswell" is a great show on the WB but it hardly ever gets mentioned. It has fantastic actors, dialogue that sounds like normal teens, and it is very romantic and funny. Yes, the show is about three alien teens, but they do not dwell on this. The alien aspect is the reason the three teens have to lead a secretive life and they can't get close to anyone. Max (played by Jason Behr, last seen as Chris Wolfe on "Dawson's Creek") is the lead actor on the show. Max is in love with a human girl named Liz. Max healed Liz when she was shot and than later Max told her his secret. Now Liz and her two best human friends know the aliens' secret. This show is definitely one to watch and you get sucked into it pretty fast.

From Andrea:

OHMYGOD, did you see Malcom in the Middle? Sundays, 8:30 on Fox. So funny, we were dying! This show had us making that "ohmygod!" face for a full half hour. Excellently written, captures the typical angst of a kid who struggles with being the middle kid (oldest brother in boarding school leaving the other 3 at home, hence the middle), being unchallenged at school only to find that he's a genius and forced to play with a crippled kid. Funniest never-before-seen-on-tv? 3 kids are having breakfast, dad is standing on newspapers with hair all around. Normal haircut? Noooo, mom's shaving dad's back with an electric razor. First show I've watched that I immediately set my VCR to record every week. Definitely have to see!

From Lelah:

I watched the pilot episode of "Malcolm in the Middle." I will definitely watch it at least one more time. I had a hard time forming a solid opinion, but I always root for dysfunctional family comedy. :) My friend thought it was sort of like a recycled "Wonder Years," with Ferris style breaking of the fourth wall taking the place of adult voiceovers.

Letters from the viewing audience are always welcome. Please email any opinions, questions, comments, or random thoughts to TK at tk@tktv.net with the subject of "letters." Letters may be edited for length or content.

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3. Kim's Commercial Comments

Okay, so just about the time I learned the new fall schedules, the networks have started to rearrange them. And it seems that they've tried to squeeze every single show I really, really, like onto Monday night's schedule. Well maybe not every single show I like... but too many of them. I'm wondering if I'm going to be able to watch/tape them all. :-) I'm thankful I don't have bigger problems. So, as you all are devouring this episode of the TKTV Newsletter, I'll be trying desperately to get home from work in time to watch what I want to on television.

What spot has me laughing? Diet Dr. Pepper: Fishing in Heels

I'm sure by now you've seen one or more of the various installments of these Diet Dr. Pepper commercials. The idea is that Diet Dr. Pepper tastes exactly like regular Dr. Pepper so when anybody tastes whats in the Diet Dr. Pepper can, he/she is sure that there's been a mistake. You might have seen an earlier spot in this series where an entire family is sitting in a psychiatrist's office trying to convince the Diet Dr. Pepper that it's okay to admit he's not diet.... He doesn't have to pretend to be something he's not.

Now, all this time I've been indifferent about this series of commercials. They were pretty predictable. There was nothing special about them. It's a cute idea, but it hasn't really made me laugh because it was so easy to see what was coming from the very beginning. BUT, this latest one is different. Why? It has a pleasant little surprise at the end.

The entire commercial takes place on a pier where an middle-aged man is fishing and talking to the Diet Dr. Pepper can. But, this time, instead of trying to convince Diet to admit he's really regular Dr. Pepper, the man just goes on and on telling Diet that it's okay to be who he really is. And if he feels like he's diet, then he shouldn't be ashamed to show it. If he's really regular, then he should be that. The man says he's okay with that. Just be who you really are.

As the camera pulls back and the announcer comes up, we see that the man is wearing high-heeled shoes!!!! It is so hilarious! I saw this spot about three times before I noticed it. The man and Diet Dr. Pepper are sitting on the pier and have started to fade into the background when the announcer starts giving his spiel. They're pretty much out of focus altogether behind the graphics on the screen, but you can see the shoes if you're looking at the screen!

Very clever! I love it! Keep your eyes peeled for this little gem... it'll make you laugh. Guaranteed!

What spot has me cringing? Jenny Craig: Monica Lewinsky

No other commercial I've seen this week has quite put me in the mood that this one did. There's nothing technologically offensive about it, but the fact that this company has chosen to have Ms. Lewinsky endorse it is enough to make me cringe. I won't get on a political soapbox here, but I will say that I can't imagine why the folks at Jenny Craig would think that women would feel comfortable trusting her judgment. When I see this one coming I grab the remote and change the channel as fast as I possibly can!

TKTV is always looking for new guest writers. Do you have an idea for an article? Write to TK at tk@tktv.net with the subject of "guestwriter."

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4. Don't miss

For details and lots more fun TV to look forward to, see
http://www.tktv.net/index.html?/upcoming.html

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5. TV Trivia

Last week's question was: when Christopher Gorham ("Popular") was Elliot on Party of Five, why wouldn't he sleep with Sarah (Jennifer Love Hewitt)?

First prize goes to MikeyJake, who correctly answered that Elliot was gay.

Second prizes go to Pam T., Heybigblue, FlipBee22, Rachel C., Laura K., Sabine from Germany, Jen J., Lindsay, Amer1985, and Julie B. - the next ten people to answer correctly.

This week's question is from Tanya: what is a WENUS?

Send answers to TK at tk@tktv.net with the subject of tvtrivia.

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6. Favorite Quotes of the Week

From David Letterman, regarding Hillary Clinton's new house in New York:
"Every idiot in the universe is going to drive by honking now." -Letterman
"Was that you?" -Hillary

From "Ally McBeal"
"He's got a good thing going with Nelle." -Ally
"Oh, please. How good could things be with long blonde stuck up bitch?" -Renee
"Gee, Renee, why don't you tell us how you really feel." -Ally

From "Malcolm in the Middle"
"The car's shadow's going the wrong way, the steering wheel's on the wrong side, there's no brake pedal, the words in the mirror should be backwards, the guy's watch wouldn't say twelve o'clock if he's looking at a sunset, and I have red paint on my ass. That's right, red paint all over my ass." -Malcolm

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7. A totally unrelated link

Tour de Butt

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