With the imminent return of the fall schedule, and an accompanying onslaught of promising pilots, it behooves the American TV-watching public to take a moment to mourn those beloved shows that fell behind. Gone but not forgotten, many of these fan-favourites will be dotting Netflix-instant queues across the nation for months to come. Here are three young, old and middle-aged (in that order) TV gems of 2011 worth remembering:

“GCB”: “GCB”, otherwise known as “Good Christian Belles”, other-other-wise known as “Good Christian Bitches,” was as difficult to understand as it apparently was to name. In bare bones format, “GCB” was a show about a former mean-girl, Amanda Vaughn (Leslie Bibb), who returns to her ultra-Christian, mega-wealthy Texas hometown after her embezzling, womanizer of a husband dies in a car-crash, leaving her and her children destitute and homeless. In returning to her old stomping ground, a now repentant Amanda also returns to the not-so-warm embrace of the community of women she once tortured in her misguided, Rachel McAdams-esque, youth. Hilarity ensues– well, yes and no and maybe. And therein lies the rub of GCB.

It is difficult to deny that “GCB” is a humorous show. Certainly, it has all the hallmarks of humour: there are jokes and everything! But the level of comedy behind the workings of “GCB” is very difficult to gauge. The writing so cheerfully and nonchalantly acknowledges the conservatism of society, in a world coloured by the liberal-tinged glasses of the east-coast media. You were tempted to watch the show as if it is a piece of absurdist satire. Indeed, though the rampant capitalist values and by-the-book devotion of some of the lesser characters are clearly hammed up and, thus mocked, by the creators of the show, the central character herself is a Good Girl who maintains an active involvement in church-life and can smoke a brisket with the best of the all-American carnivores.

Satire or no, though, there was something vivacious about “GCB” that could not be suppressed (until it was canceled, obviously.) Indeed, part of the irrepressible quality of the show no doubt owed itself to some memorably campy-beautiful performances by a great, well-seasoned cast; “JAG”‘s David James Elliott was a particular delight. One can only hope that he, and the other talented members of the “GCB” gang, will find themselves new roles on the TVs and in the hearts of the masses.

“House”: Though one of the most infuriatingly formulaic shows in, possibly, the history of TV, “House” was also the birthplace of one of the most beloved characters ever to have cherished a breathtakingly powerful cult of media personality: the eponymous Dr. Gregory House, a crotchety middle-aged Doctor chock-full of one-liners and prescription drugs.

Unlike in the case of “CSI: Miami”, a veteran TV series which also did not make it to 2012, “House” was successful because, not in spite, of its central dramatis personae. Hugh Laurie, assisted by a capable, and ever-changing cast of secondary characters (some highlights: Kal Penn, Omar Epps and Jesse Spencer), carried eight seasons (that’s 177 episodes!) of a show that invariably followed the same narrative pattern, and hinged on a last-minute medical twist that could only be comprehensible to someone who spent eight years in university earning the right to affix MD to the end of their surname. Thus, the only people who could truly understand the deus-ex-machinas of “House,” are also the people who are too busy actually saving lives to spend hours upon hours watching Hugh Laurie pretend to.

Regardless of these minor plot infringements, “House” deserves its place in the annals of pop-cultural history. To be sure, the current school of medical drama has been stripped of one of its best fictional doctors to ever wield a cane or berate someone named Thirteen.

“Chuck”: An adorable, Revenge-of-the-Nerds-type comedy, “Chuck” was a neatly-packaged show about a computer technician (Zachary Levi) who stumbled his way into the role of an International Superspy. What followed was five seasons of marshmallow goodness.

While not particularly distinguished in many ways, “Chuck” kept it light and fun — a welcome antidote to the button-pushing politics of “Girls” or “Louie” and the brash and in-your-face humour of Seth MacFarlane’s off-colour offspring. Indeed, if one was to praise “Chuck” for retaining any one quality, it would most likely be the show’s ability to remain blessedly innocuous from pilot to finale. Where “Psych,” which strikes much the same demographic chord as “Chuck,” is trite, smug and consequently grating, while “The Big Bang Theory” subtly insults the intelligence of its audience, “Chuck” is in no way painful to watch.

On the contrary, “Chuck” is the kind of show one could enjoy all in a single popcorn-fueled sitting and still remain relaxed and mentally at peace. To put it bluntly, “Chuck” is perfect Netflix-fodder. Perhaps, then, the show’s cancellation should not be mourned as the sad demise of a wholesome Fall stable, but, instead, it should be celebrated as a coming home (to DVD).

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Washington, U.S.A. — The Concord Coalition has said that new projections by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) underscore the need for Washington to commit to long-term fiscal reforms while dealing with this year’s looming budget decisions. Concord said the new numbers should also provide a sobering picture for this year’s candidates for federal office one that should temper election-year impulses to offer voters unrealistic promises.

“Once again, CBO’s projections show that if politicians don’t deviate from current policies, the country will continue down an unsustainable path that threatens to weaken the country, jeopardize our standard of living and leave our children and future generations with unmanageable levels of government debt,” said Robert L. Bixby, Concord’s executive director. “These numbers should frame this year’s political debates, and candidates from both parties would do well to spend some time studying their implications.”

“We need to put the country on a better fiscal path,” he added, “and candidates must clearly explain to voters — with specifics, not empty rhetoric — how they plan to do that. It will require setting priorities and making changes throughout the federal budget, and voters deserve to hear credible plans for doing this.”

CBO’s Update to the Budget and Economic Outlook estimates that the federal deficit for this fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, will total $1.1 trillion. While that is down slightly from CBO’s March projection, it will be the fourth consecutive deficit of more than $1 trillion. In addition, federal debt held by the public would reach 73 percent of GDP, which CBO notes is the highest level since 1950 and is “about twice the share that it measured at the end of 2007, before the financial crisis and recession.”

The CBO prepared two sets of projections. The first — the CBO’s “baseline projections” — assumes that current laws will generally remain in effect. An alternative scenario, however, looks at what could happen if Congress changes certain laws to continue many current policies. This alternative scenario presents a far more troubling long-term picture. Using the new CBO numbers, The Concord Coalition today updated its own “Plausible Baseline,” which applies what Concord considers to be realistic assumptions about future policy decisions. These projections are close to the CBO’s alternative scenario.

The budget office notes that the outlook for budget deficits, federal debt and the economy are “especially uncertain now because substantial changes to tax and spending policies are scheduled to take effect in January 2013.” These changes have often been called the “fiscal cliff” because if Congress allows all of them to take effect at once, it could cause substantial short-term economic damage, perhaps triggering a recession.

Under Concord’s Plausible Baseline, deficits between 2013 and 2022 would be much higher, averaging over 5 percent of GDP rather than 1 percent. Debt held by the public would grow to 93 percent of GDP by 2022, the highest level since shortly after World War II. As the budget office points out, that is not a sustainable level of federal debt.

“The differences between the CBO baseline and either CBO’s alternative scenario or Concord’s Plausible Baseline are striking, and they highlight the importance of the policy decisions that elected officials must confront before the end of the year,” Bixby said.

“While it is important to support the economic recovery, Washington should also be laying the groundwork for the big fiscal reforms that are necessary to put the federal budget on a more responsible track over the long term. It is possible to do both, but this will require more thoughtful policy-making and greater bipartisanship than we have seen in Washington recently.”

• Choices over tax policy, account for the bulk of the difference between the CBO baseline and the more plausible scenarios within the 10-year budget window. Extending the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts, along with fixes to the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) and debt service costs would add $5.2 trillion to deficits over 10 years.
• In CBO’s baseline projections, mandatory spending will increase from 13.3 percent of GDP in 2013 to 14.4 percent in 2022. Nearly all of that increase would be due to the growth of just Social Security and Medicare — representing the effect of the baby boom generation entering retirement. CBO projects that by 2022 over half of the entire federal budget will be spent on just Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.
• For Medicare specifically, baseline growth is not attributable to health care inflation but instead to demographics.
• The mandatory spending category of income security, now higher than normal because of the recession, would drop by over 60 percent over the budget window (from 2.1 percent of GDP to 1.3 percent).
• Interest payments under the Concord Plausible Baseline would more than double, growing from 1.4 percent of GDP this year to 3.6 percent in 2022, and would cost over $5 trillion during the 10-year period.
• If the caps included in the Budget Control Act are adhered to, CBO projects that discretionary spending would decrease from 8.3 percent of GDP in 2012 to 5.6 percent by 2022 — the lowest level in the last 50 years.

For more about our plausible baseline visit:

http://www.concordcoalition.org/concord-coalition-plausible-baseline

Image Courtesy of  Third Way

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Washington D.C., U.S.A. — Survivors of Iran-backed bombings in Beirut in 1983, at the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia in 1996, and families who lost loved ones in these attacks praised the House and Senate for coming to agreement on an Iran sanctions bill, especially for including language that clarifies and strengthens current law governing collection of court awarded judgments against Iran for its role in the two terrorist events.

The survivors and families from across the United States said they are now closer to being able to hold Iran responsible for murdering 241 American service men in Beirut and 19 at the Khobar Towers and for maiming many others at both locations.

“This legislation is a major step in making sure that Iran understands that it will have to face responsibility for killing and injuring Americans. No legislation or legal judgment can repair the awful damage Iran did to all of our families, but at least we can all know that our country stands behind us in seeking justice forIran’s murderous rampages,” said Lynn Smith Derbyshire National Spokesperson for the Beirut Families and whose brother, Marine Captain Vincent Smith, was killed in the bombing.

The American victims of Iranian terrorism groups commended Congress for taking a strong stand in an array of sanctions areas. They said they were particularly grateful to the Senate Banking Committee, especially Senators Robert Menendez (D-NY) and Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL); the House Foreign Affairs Committee; especially the Chair, Representative Ileana Ross-Lehtinen (R-FL); the House Financial Services Committee and Chair, Spencer Bachus; the House Judiciary Committee and Chair, Lamar Smith(R-TX); and Representative Robert Turner (R-NY) as well as the tireless efforts of House and Senate staffers for their collective efforts in assuring that provisions that will make it easier to make Iran pay for its terrorism were included in the omnibus bill.

The groups urged expeditious passage of a final bill and expressed hopes that President Obama will sign it into law promptly.

Image Courtesy of    Official U.S. Air Force

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FOX announced on February 8 that its long-running medical drama will come to an end in May 2012 after 8 seasons.

After months of speculation, it has been confirmed that House, starring Hugh Laurie, will air its final episode in May after 177 episodes. The future of the series had been in doubt following the departures of cast members Lisa Edelstein and Olivia Wilde in 2011, declining ratings, and Laurie’s own contract expiring this year. FOX President Kevin Reilly released the following statement on the decision not to renew House for a 9th season:

While it’s with much regret, and a lump in our throats, we respect the decision Hugh, David and Katie have made. A true original, on the page and amazingly brought to life by Hugh Laurie, there is only one Dr. House. For eight seasons, the entire HOUSE team has given us – and fans around the world – some of the most compelling characters and affecting stories ever seen on television.

They have been creatively tenacious and collaborative throughout this incredible run, and they are amongst the most superior talents in the business. For all the above, we wholeheartedly thank them, and the fans who have supported the show.

House debuted in 2004 to instant success, making British import Laurie the highest paid actor in dramatic television – he reportedly earns $700,000 per episode – and launching the careers of the aforementioned Edelstein and Wilde along with Jesse Spencer and Jennifer Morrison.

Over the course of its run, the series has won five Primetime Emmy Awards, three People’s Choice Awards, two Golden Globe Awards and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. It has been distributed in 66 countries and was credited with helping to reinvigorate primetime medial dramas in the U.S.

Laurie and executive producers David Shore and Katie Jacobs admitted that the decision to end House was a ‘painful one’, however, they wanted to do so ‘while there is still some promise and mystique in the air’ regarding the fate of the show’s titular character.

Details of the final episode are slim, but it is believed that Shore will serve as both writer and director. However, one source of interest for critics and long-time fans will be whether House’s finale will feature the returns of departed cast-members such as Morrison, currently starring on ABC’s Once Upon A Time, Edelstein, who recently joined the cast of The Good Wife on a recurring basis, and Wilde, who departed the series earlier this season in order to focus on her feature film career.

When asked in October if she would consider reprising her role as Remy ‘Thirteen’ Hadley, Wilde declares that ‘if she came back, it would probably seem forced … So I don’t think she should come back‘. However, it has since been revealed that Wilde had already consented to returning to the series if it were to end this season. Wilde herself took to Twitter shortly after news broke of House’s end, telling fans:

House lovers, it’s the end of an era. Shows like that don’t happen, well, ever. I’m honored to have been a part of such a brilliant story.

House will continue to air on Monday nights on FOX for the remainder of the season, with its exact finale date yet to be announced.

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