5Qs on Friday: Otto Kilcher

Alaskan Homesteader Otto Kilcher is a Hit with TV Viewers
TVFirstLook

There's something about Alaska that is endlessly fascinating to us TV viewers in the Lower 48. There's also no shortage of Alaska-themed shows to satisfy our fascination with the state's harsh climate and its extreme beauty. But the best of the bunch is Alaska: The Last Frontier (Sunday - Discovery Channel, 8pm).

The show follows the Kilcher family, led by brothers Atz Kilcher and Otto Kilcher. Atz is the straightforward one - family man, hunter. And he's dad to Jewel, who he sings the show's theme song with. Otto is the Alaskan softy. Half of the time he's fending off Alaska's dangers, like brown bears. Or he's yanking calves out of cows. The other half of the time he's a soft-spoken man sharing a laugh with his wife Charlotte and their grown son Eivin.

Otto spoke with TVFirstLook about upcoming episodes of Alaska: The Last Frontier's second season, playing guitar and singing a song - but for only his family and friends.

TVFirstLook: You and Atz and your families are gearing up for winter as the second half of the season begins. Bears are attacking cows. How serious is that?

Recap: American Idol

Candice Glover Wins American Idol Season 12
Entertainment Weekly

After a finale bursting at the seams with celebrity-contestant duets (Jennifer Hudson and Candice! Adam Lambert/Jessie J and Angie! Keith Urban and Kree!) and soul-searching questions (Is Randy Jackson really a dog? Is Satellite Aretha the new Hologram Tupac?), we have an official leading lady! American Idol’s 2013 winner is Candice Glover.

Preview: Shark Tank

Shark Tank Season Finale Gets Animated
Los Angeles Times

Shark Tank (Friday - ABC, 8pm and 9pm) -  The season wraps up with a pair of new episodes. Women present a line of jewelry inspired by their time at West Point, the Sharks get an update on a cleaning tool from Season 4, and they get an animated pitch.

Preview: How Nature Works

On Earth We All Need Each Other
National Geographic Channel

Our planet is home to over ten million species, but not one of them can survive on its own.

How Nature Works (Friday - Nat Geo Channel, 8pm)sheds new light on the relationships among plants and animals that keep our world spinning.

Travel high up into the trees of East Africa with the giraffes and witness how their ability to eat around termites makes homes for the geckos. Journey deep into the forests of North America where a caterpillar munches holes in leaves that allow for essential light to penetrate the forest floor.

Preview: Verdi's Rigoletto

Great Performances at the Met Gives Rigoletto a Modern Vegas Staging
PBS

Rigoletto (Friday - PBS, 9pm) - Tony Award-winning director Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening) makes his Met debut with a new production of Verdi’s Rigoletto. The new staging moves the opera’s tragic events from a decadent 16th-century Italian court to the glitzy, depraved setting of the Las Vegas strip circa 1960.


Polish tenor Piotr Beczala sings the Duke, an amoral lounge singer whose entourage includes the world-weary comedian Rigoletto, sung by Serbian baritone Željko Lučić. German soprano Diana Damrau sings the role of the innocent Gilda, Rigoletto’s daughter and the victim of the predatory Duke. Michele Mariotti conducts his first company performances of the Verdi masterwork, which features one of the most famous arias in all of opera, “La donna è mobile.”

Upfront 2013: The CW

The CW is in Good Shape for the Long Haul
Shari Anne Brill, TVFirstLook 

The CW, eight years old and here to stay. 

In Sept. 2006, UPN and WB morphed into The CW. Many media industry pundits were convinced the new network wouldn't last five years. But they couldn't have been more wrong. This season, the network is seeing an uptick in ratings among some of its young viewers.

 

The CW's fall preview at New York City's City Center yesterday confirmed once again that the network understands its viewers.  

Daytime TV: The Talk

The Talk Wraps NYC with Vanessa Williams and Cuba Gooding Jr.
TVFirstLook

CBS's The Talk (2pm) is wrapping up its week in New York City (aww). The show's guests include Food Network's Guy Fieri and from Broadway's The Trip to Bountiful, Vanessa Williams and Cuba Gooding Jr.

News: All My Children and One Life to Live

The Online Network Scales Back Soap Opera Production
TVFirstLook

The Online Network scales back production of All My Children and One Life to Live to two days per week each.

From TOLN:

"... we have chosen to revise our scheduling model beginning this Monday, May 20th by introducing two new episodes from OLTL and AMC each week- new episodes of AMC will now run on Mondays and Wednesdays, and fresh episodes of OLTL will post Tuesdays and Thursdays.

More, our behind the scenes series, will run as a single show on Fridays. This allows us to introduce a new episode of quality television every Monday through Friday and gives the audience a chance to catch up as we continue to build awareness and excitement around these new shows.

Because Hulu agrees with our findings, for the meantime they will keep all of our episodes on Hulu.com for free to give viewers the opportunity to find us and catch up."
 

Upfront 2013: The CW

The CW Themes Its Nights and Adds Shows Including TMZ's Famous in 12
The CW

Joseph Morgan

The CW Network presented its 2013-14 broadcast schedule today to advertisers, affiliates and national media at the New York City Center in New York City. The Swedish DJ duo Icona Pop opened the show with their smash Top Ten hit “I Love It.” 

“We had a terrific season last year, growing our audience on-air, digitally and socially.  Now we are building on that success by continuing to add more original programming all year long, and by adding high-concept, exciting shows to our schedule that will help us continue our mission of broadening out our 18-to-34-year old audience,” said Mark Pedowitz, President, The CW.

“Arrow was one of the breakout hits of this season, and we’re using that show and The Vampire Diaries, our two highest-rated series, to launch our new dramas The Tomorrow People and Reign, on Wednesday and Thursday nights.

Preview: American Idol

Candice Vs. Kree as Tumultuous American Idol Season Ends
The Hollywood Reporter

Kree Harrison, Candice Glover

American Idol (Fox, 8pm) - Because in this battle of soul singers -- the first girl versus girl finale since 2004 --  Kree Harrison and Candice Glover, both wildly talented, have proven to be equally deserving of the season 12 title.

Recall when Kris Allen pulled off an upset victory against the glorious Adam Lambert, a far superior performer, in season eight. More injustices: goofy Taylor Hicks winning over angel-voiced beauty Katharine McPhee, circa 2006. Lee DeWyze usurping the throne from Crystal Bowersox. And, dare I say it, Clay Aiken was robbed in season two.

But after Wednesday's performance show, I must confess: while my fan-dom for Candice remains unchanged, it would not irk me -- not in the very least -- if Kree snagged the prize away from her rival.