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    Blog Posts by Ethan Alter

    • Five Reasons Why ‘Up All Night’ Is Clicking With Viewers

      By Ethan Alter | Fall TV – Thu, Oct 6, 2011 4:29 PM PDT

      We don't mind staying

      (Television Without Pity) — It's nice to remember that sometimes the TV gods giveth as well as taketh away. On the same day NBC mildly disappointed us by announcing the premature end of the "The Playboy Club," they warmed our hearts by granting the Christina Applegate/Will Arnett comedy "Up All Night" a full-season pickup. Granted, that isn't a big surprise -- since its September 14 premiere, "Up All Night" has been one of the network's few bright spots, winning solid (particularly for NBC) ratings. And as last night's very funny episode showed, the series has been growing creatively as well. Here are five reasons the show deserves to stick around for a long time:

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    • ‘Pan Am’ vs. ‘The Playboy Club’: Sixties Showdown

      By Ethan Alter | Fall TV – Mon, Sep 26, 2011 3:11 PM PDT

      The casts of

      (Television Without Pity) — Now that the general television audience has had a chance to see the fall season's two "Mad Men" wannabes, NBC's "The Playboy Club" and ABC's "Pan Am," it's time to pit these shows against each other, "Celebrity Deathmatch" style. Can Hef's Bunnies stomp Pan Am's blue-suited fly girls? Read on.

      Most Glamorous Cast
      The early '60s air game was all about glamour, and the fresh-faced, perfectly styled guys and gals serving aboard the "Pan Am" signature Clipper Majestic aircraft exude more glam than David Bowie. Don't get us wrong: Shapely employees of "The Playboy Club" are plenty attractive, but they don't resemble "Pan Am's" pearly-toothed gods and goddesses.
      Winner: "Pan Am"

      Best Uniforms
      Let's just say that those Bunny outfits are iconic for a reason.
      Winner: "The Playboy Club"

      Best Movie Star Slumming on TV
      Once upon a time, Christina Ricci would have easily won this category. But a solid decade's worth of terrible movies have almost irreparably damaged

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