Adrienne's blog

Great news for DIRECTV customers.  According to tvpredictions.com, DIRECTV's new HD satellite yesterday passed another test when the satcaster took 'on-orbit delivery' from the Boeing Company.

The hand-over is a relative formality as a satellite nears its final phase before becoming operational. But it means that the satcaster can now start testing the satellite's signals as it prepares to turn it on; the satellite is expected to be ready in September.

Boeing also said that the hand-over took place eight days ahead of schedule, which could bode well for an early operational launch.

Once operational, the DIRECTV 11 satellite will enable the satcaster to expand its high-def lineup to up to 150 national channels and local HD channels in more than 100 markets by this fall. If you're not already a DIRECTV customer, order today and see how you can receive a FREE DIRECTV HD-DVR to watch all of those brilliant HD channels.

Discovery Channel kicks off a string of premieres beginning August 5, when SMASH LAB, MYTHBUSTERS, MAN VS. WILD and SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED return with all-new episodes guaranteed to add excitement to the summer.

SMASH LAB returns for its second season on Tuesdays at 10PM ET/PT beginning August 5. In every episode, the new SMASH LAB team of maverick engineers -- Deanne Bell, Chuck Messer, Gadget and Nathaniel Taylor -- put their brains together to come up with the best solutions for tackling engineering problems that could have everyday applications. During season two, they smash and crash to develop potentially life-saving mechanisms like an unsinkable car, a portable submarine and a cliff-diving car. Ben Bailey, host of Discovery Channel's Emmy(R) award-winning game show, CASH CAB, narrates the series this season.

MYTHBUSTERS, the hit show that uses science to determine the truth behind urban legends, is back with all-new episodes beginning Wednesday, August 6 at 9PM ET/PT. Called "the best science program on television," MYTHBUSTERS uses scientific method and plain old-fashioned curiosity and ingenuity to test myths widely-known and obscure, potentially life-saving and seemingly trivial. Hosted by Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage, and build team members Tory Belleci, Kari Byron and Grant Imahara, new episodes tackle myths including: Can explosives be used to tenderize a steak? Does driving angry use more gasoline? And the gang tests one of the most widely-discussed questions of this century: Was the NASA moon landing a hoax?

Season three of MAN VS. WILD marks the series' move to Wednesdays beginning Wednesday, August 6 at 10PM ET/PT. MAN VS. WILD brings seasoned adventurer Bear Grylls face to face with the grueling task of navigating remote locations and sharing invaluable survival strategies along the way. The six premiere episodes follow Bear as he parachutes into boulder strewn desert canyons on the Baja Peninsula, trails the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana and survives the rugged conditions and 2000-foot sea cliffs in the west coast of Ireland.

SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED, hosted by correspondent, writer and comedian Brian Unger, will return for its second season this August. Airing Thursdays at 9PM ET/PT beginning August 7, SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED throws open the factory doors to showcase how ordinary items are manufactured and mass-produced. Season two delves into products both big and small, including fire trucks, refined sugar and washable crayons.

All shows will be shot entirely in High Definition.  Watch the Discovery Channel HD on DIRECTV channel 278.

The series that gives a whole new meaning to "for better or for worse" returns to CMT in October with a second season of MY BIG REDNECK WEDDING, with eight, half-hour episodes of rustic nuptials and rowdy receptions. Hosted by Tom Arnold, MY BIG REDNECK WEDDING searches the country to find the most down-home country couples and documents their over-the-top journey down the aisle.

"MY BIG REDNECK WEDDING and host Tom Arnold have really grabbed the hearts and the imaginations of the CMT audience," says Bob Kusbit, head of development for CMT. "The show continues to get more outrageous each week and Tom's hilarious commentary highlights how much these couples truly love each other."

Coming up this season, couples have taken the term "redneck" to a whole new level with receptions complete with mud bogging, redneck games and monster trucks, and camouflage lingerie-filled wedding nights. MY BIG REDNECK WEDDING first premiered on CMT in January 2008 and ranks as one of the network's top-rated series.

For the first time ever in CRISS ANGEL MINDFREAK history, A&E will broadcast a special LIVE one-hour episode on Wednesday, July 30 @ 10 PM ET / 7 PM PT a week after the series' fourth season premiere on Wednesday, July 23 at 10 PM ET/PT.

In the special one-hour live episode, "Building Implosion Escape," world-renowned mystifier Criss Angel will be shackled in a 6-story building in Florida that is loaded with explosives and set to detonate. Angel must attempt to escape the restraints and overcome physical obstacles to make it to a hovering helicopter on the roof before the building implodes in front of the crowd, cameras and viewers at home.

Once again stretching the boundaries of reality and belief, the fourth season of CRISS ANGEL MINDFREAK will feature three one-hour specials and 15 all-new half hour episodes premiering every Wednesday at 10 PM ET/PT. The season kicks off with "Walk on Lake," a one-hour series premiere on Wednesday, July 23 at 10 PM in which Criss attempts to walk on the world's largest manmade lake, Lake Mead in Nevada amidst spectators and boaters.

The upcoming season will feature incredible illusions, death defying escapes, fearless demonstrations and astonishing physical feats including being cremated alive, walking through steel and inviting skeptics to be part of a deadly challenge where one wrong move will cost him his life.

Watch A&E in HD on DIRECTV channel 265.

DIRECTV, Inc., the nation's leading satellite television service provider, launched its highly anticipated DIRECTV on Demand service to customers across the country on June 30th. The platform is available at no additional charge to customers with a DIRECTV Plus® HD DVR or R22 DVR receiver, and offers more than 4,000 standard-definition and HD titles, 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week.

The service allows customers to download the programming of their choice from the DIRECTV on Demand library to their DVRs to enjoy whenever they want. The service offers one of the easiest-to-use on demand interfaces on television, with unique features that make navigating through titles simple and quick, including:

• Customized Programmer Homepages - Each programmer has its own on demand channel that highlights the latest shows and movies available from the network. Each programmer page consists of rich graphics and posters that highlight the most popular content. The customized home pages correspond to the programmer's regular channel number with a "1" in front of it (i.e. The Discovery Channel is on 276, The Discovery Channel on Demand is at 1276.) Channel 1000 is the main home page for DIRECTV on Demand.
• Internet Remote Scheduling - On demand customers have access to DVR Scheduler, which will allow them to remotely schedule on demand programming to their DVR from an internet-connected computer or mobile phone.

The DIRECTV on Demand service offers content downloaded via a broadband connection, while other content, primarily blockbuster movies, is pushed to the customer's DVR via satellite. Much of the content, depending on the speed of the customer's broadband connection and type of content, can be viewed in real time as it is being downloaded.

To begin receiving the DIRECTV on Demand service, customers can choose professional installation or request a self-installation kit. Customers will need broadband high-speed internet access, a router or Internet gateway with an available Ethernet port, and equipment to network the HD DVR or R22 DVR.

 

Expanding on the success of the original hit series, "The Real Housewives of Orange County," and the watercooler sensation, "The Real Housewives of New York City," Bravo is heading south for its newest installment, "The Real Housewives of Atlanta." The seven episode series will follow five women from Atlanta's social elite from NBA and NFL wives to sassy single moms as they juggle their burgeoning careers and busy home lives with the whirl of the south's hottest city. The announcement was made by Frances Berwick, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Bravo.

"Bravo's 'Real Housewives' franchise has resonated with our viewers across the country and we think they will be equally fascinated by the lavish lifestyles and personalities of these Atlanta wives," said Berwick. "They let us peek inside their exclusive, affluent community and see how they live their often dramatic lives and manage families and careers. There is truly never a dull day for them."

An up-close and personal look at life in Hotlanta, "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" follows five glamorous southern belles as they balance motherhood, demanding careers and a fast-paced social calendar, and shows what life is like in the most exclusive areas of Atlanta. These driven and ambitious women prove that they're not just "housewives," but entrepreneurs, doting mothers and classy southern women. These ladies show the world what it takes to live large in some of the hottest zip codes in the south.

Bravo will air a 30-minute preview special of the series on Wednesday, July 30 at 12 a.m. ET/PT after the rebroadcast of "Project Runway."

Hey LOST fans, do you need a "LOST fix"?  Beginning today, ABC.com is launching the "LOST Book Club" which will give fans new insight on books that have been either seen or referenced throughout the dynamic four seasons of LOST.  The book list will be added to regularly on ABC.com, with a list also available for audio download on the iTunes Store.

Also available on ABC.com will be a message board to discuss the titles, a synopsis of each book, along with when and how it was referenced in the show, and an introduction by co-creator/executive producer Damon Lindelof and executive producer Carlton Cuse.  Book examples include Sawyer reading 'Watership Down', Juliet's book club reading 'Carrie' and an orientation film hidden behind 'The Turn of the Screw'.

LOST is one of my favorite shows on television.  I will definitely check out the "LOST Book Club" because I cannot wait until 2009 for ABC to air new episodes.  The wait is too long!

WildBlue Communications, the leading provider of broadband satellite service throughout rural America, today announced a unique partnership with Dell Computers that will enable WildBlue subscribers to enjoy the same savings as members of the Dell Employee Purchase Program. This elite discount program is effective immediately for all WildBlue subscribers, both residential and business, with potential savings of up to 12% on all Dell Inspiron desktops and notebooks. There are also discounts available for all electronics and accessories purchased with a new Inspiron desktop, Inspiron notebook, or XPS system.

"Many of our subscribers are in the market for a faster computer to go along with their faster WildBlue Internet service and we thought that bringing them additional savings might be a great way to say 'Thanks for your business,'" said David Leonard, WildBlue's Chief Executive Officer. "We like to partner with companies that share the same enthusiasm and respect for customers as we do, and Dell is a perfect fit."

Through this partnership, WildBlue subscribers will be able to purchase Dell's acclaimed business products and award-winning consumer products at significant discounts in addition to any advertised specials on Dell.com Home and Home office.

Hey football fans, DIRECTV's NFL Sunday Ticket is back, and it's better than ever.  If you are looking for schedule information for your favorite team, just click this link, NFL Football Schedules, and you will find a complete listing of the regular season schedule.  Click on one of the weeks, and you will be able to find a link to your team.  Are you ready for some football?!!  I know it's only June, but I sure am!

On the heels of its stellar ratings and Emmy success, USA is bringing back the hit miniseries THE STARTER WIFE as a 10-episode series, with Emmy Award-winner Debra Messing returning to star and now serving as executive producer. The series will focus on the post-divorce adventures of the lead character, Molly Kagan (Messing), as she begins a new chapter in her life. Returning to the cast are the Emmy-winning Judy Davis as Joan and Chris Diamantopoulos as Rodney - Molly's two best friends. The Emmy nominated writing team of Josann McGibbon & Sara Parriott ("Runaway Bride") return as executive producers and Gigi Levangie Grazer, who penned the NY Times bestselling novel on which the miniseries was based, also returns as executive producer.

THE STARTER WIFE Premieres October 2008 on USA Network.