Commentary and analysis from Simon Dumenco

Simon Cowell Needs at Least 26.2 Million Viewers for 'X Factor' Tonight. Are You in?

Simon Cowell Needs at Least 26.2 Million Viewers for 'X Factor' Tonight. Are You in?

The premiere episode of the Cowell-free 10th season of "American Idol" drew 26.2 million viewers in January. Anything less for the massively hyped "X-Factor" debut will surely be a huge disappointment.

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Fox Goes (Extra) Indie: Watch the Extended Trailer for Zooey Deschanel's New Sitcom, Premiering Tonight

Fox Goes (Extra) Indie: Watch the Extended Trailer for Zooey Deschanel's New Sitcom, Premiering Tonight

Or if you don't have time, here's your executive summary: Young! Fresh! Outrageous! Offbeat! Adorable! Goofy! Positive! Vulnerable!

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Does NBC's 'The Playboy Club' Deserve to Be 'Deposited in the Junk Shop of 20th-Century Life'?

Does NBC's 'The Playboy Club' Deserve to Be 'Deposited in the Junk Shop of 20th-Century Life'?

NBC's hourlong drama set in the Playboy Club debuts tonight, but Nora Ephron and others would rather see the clubs left behind.

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7 Things You Need to Know About 'Social TV' Right Now

Why TV owns social and the breakdown of six other things you should be informed on in the social-media chatter about TV.

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The CW's New Orphan-Witch-Vampire-Cupcake-Kitten Drama Is a Sure-Fit Hit

The CW's New Orphan-Witch-Vampire-Cupcake-Kitten Drama Is a Sure-Fit Hit

Yesterday's installment of the MediaWorks Guide to Fall TV suggested that maybe, just maybe, NBC's new parenting sitcom "Up All Night" had been focus-grouped into existence. I should have saved my cynicism for "The Secret Circle," which starts tonight on the CW.

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Is This the Funniest, Most Relatable New TV Comedy This Fall? (Watch the Trailer)

Is This the Funniest, Most Relatable New TV Comedy This Fall? (Watch the Trailer)

For comedy fans, the mix of on-screen and producing talent behind NBC's "Up All Night" is kind of irresistible. And the premise: Well, if you're a parent -- it's ultra-relatable.

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Sarah Michelle Gellar + Sarah Michelle Gellar = The CW's 'Ringer' (Watch the Trailer)

Sarah Michelle Gellar + Sarah Michelle Gellar = The CW's 'Ringer' (Watch the Trailer)

We've got our eye out for the shows that fans and critics seem to be the most buzzed about. Here's "Ringer," which returns Sarah Michelle Gellar to TV tonight on The CW.

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The Astonishing AOL/Huffington Post Plan to Profit on the Backs of Unpaid 13-Year-Old Bloggers (Seriously)

The Astonishing AOL/Huffington Post Plan to Profit on the Backs of Unpaid 13-Year-Old Bloggers (Seriously)

The Huffington Post is prepping a new vertical called HuffPost High School, which will be edited by a paid 17-year-old but solicit unpaid posts from teenagers.

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Social-Media Smackdown: Packers Fans vs. Saints Fans

Social-Media Smackdown: Packers Fans vs. Saints Fans

In honor of last night's NFL opener, here's what Packers and Saints fans like to watch on TV when they're not watching football.

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The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs

The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs

An acclaimed one-man show about Apple's CEO is coming to New York's Public Theater.

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Trendrr.tv's Top 10 Most Anticipated New Fall TV Shows

Trendrr.tv's Top 10 Most Anticipated New Fall TV Shows

If social media buzz reflects anything about viewers' interest in new shows, ABC's "Once Upon a Time" is in great position for its Oct. 23 premiere.

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Let's See What You Learned Over Summer Vacation

Let's See What You Learned Over Summer Vacation

It's time once again for the Media Guy Media Studies Pop Quiz, back-to-school edition. All books and papers off your desk. Now, people!

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Never Mind 'Glee' and 'Idol' and 'Jersey Shore': These Are TV's OTHER Social-Media Champs

Never Mind 'Glee' and 'Idol' and 'Jersey Shore': These Are TV's OTHER Social-Media Champs

Today's chart is pretty straightforward -- but still eye-opening. It shows the top 30 (American) TV shows of the year so far in terms of social-media response (mostly on Twitter and Facebook).

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Watch a 28-Year-Old, Bow-Tied Steve Jobs Introduce the Mac

Watch a 28-Year-Old, Bow-Tied Steve Jobs Introduce the Mac

Watch a grainy video, just over five minutes long, of a young Steve Jobs introducing the Macintosh on January 24, 1984.

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Just How Fatal Are Groupon's Fatal Flaws?

Just How Fatal Are Groupon's Fatal Flaws?

Daily-deals company Groupon has lately been subject to a truly brutal media pile-on thanks to some ugly pre-IPO revelations the company just made to the SEC about its financials. But I think Groupon's problems are much more systemic -- and existential.

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Ad in Austin Alt Weekly Asks if You've Had Sex With Texas Governor Rick Perry

Ad in Austin Alt Weekly Asks if You've Had Sex With Texas Governor Rick Perry

At the dawn of a new era of negative campaign advertising, our Media Guy comes clean about his past dealings with the presidential hopefuls.

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The $21,500 Daily-Deal Item (Marked Down From $26,875!)

The $21,500 Daily-Deal Item (Marked Down From $26,875!)

If you've had your fill of 60%-off Brazilian waxes, 51%-off horseback-riding lessons and 87%-off laser hair removal from other daily-deal sites, perhaps you're interested in a 20%-off (regular $26,875 retail price) designer doll house for humans?

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10 Lessons to Learn From [Insert Company]'s [Insert Controversy]

When [Insert Company]'s [Insert Controversy] blew up in the social-media sphere, it was like watching a slow-motion train wreck in warp-speed. The upside? Plenty of teachable moments. Here are some of the takeaways we can all ... take away.

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New York Times Is Doing a LivingSocial Deal Today

New York Times Is Doing a LivingSocial Deal Today

Groupon-esque services obviously pose a threat to newspapers' local ad business, but if teaming up with daily-deals sites gets readers to pay for honest-to-God news-on-newsprint, well ... whatever it takes, right?

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Could This Video Be Footage of the Unboxing of an iPhone 5? Or Just a Cute Kitten?

Could This Video Be Footage of the Unboxing of an iPhone 5? Or Just a Cute Kitten?

According to a statistic I just made up, 18% of traffic to gadget blogs goes to speculative posts about unconfirmed rumors of unreleased Apple products. Here's a video of what might be the revealing of an iPhone5.

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