Music Makes the TV Show Come Together! Plus, 'Model' Strikes a Pose

Wow, I really wasn't going for a Madonna theme today with the title, but I suppose it's fitting considering the subject matter. Anyway, have you noticed that your favorite shows are becoming more and more musical? Everything from the younger, "hipper" shows like The O.C. and One Tree Hill to broader shows such as 24 and Cold Case use music to enhance or set a scene. A quick search at amazon.com produces over sixty pages of television soundtrack listings! That's a lot of musical airtime from your favorite shows, so much so that a trend has developed over the last few years that produces an interesting link between new artists and popular television shows. Singer Gavin DeGraw increased his visibility and record sales when his little known "I Don't Want to Be" got selected as the theme song for The WB's teen drama One Tree Hill two years ago. The same is true for Phantom Planet's "California" after Fox's The O.C. picked the track as its theme song. In fact, many up-and-coming artists have seen their careers get a huge boost after a popular show used one of their songs in a scene or two.

So, we know that television shows help music, but what does music do for television shows? Picture Veronica trying to get over Duncan after their big "break-up" without the sounds of The Virgin Suicides soundtrack playing in the background (specifically Al Green's "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?," the Hollies' "The Air that I Breathe" and Paula Cole's "I Don't Wanna Wait"). Sure, it's the same scene, but a lot quieter and it sure wouldn't pack the same emotional punch. Some shows use music to enhance a scene such as The O.C. or One Tree Hill, which tend to use the music more in the background and less as a focal point. And then there's the musically reliant Cold Case, which actually uses songs from the time period of the unsolved cases. Creator Meredith Stiehm has said in articles that the music is like a 7th character on the show. Not only would the flashbacks lose some of their authenticity (imagine an 80s episode without the rockin' music!), but the closing montage would not exist. With Cold Case, the music has to take on something that most other shows do not require - it must wrap-up the emotions that the characters and the audience are feeling right after the case is solved. Of course, we have the talented cast to show us how they are affected, but we don't get to hear their thoughts. That's where the music must come in, so selecting the perfect song, keeping cost and budget in mind, can't be an easy task, but one that pays off nicely for the viewers. In this show's case, the music does a lot more than enhance, it actually speaks for the characters and sets the mood in the episodes' flashbacks.

One thing is for sure, I find myself hearing songs on my favorite shows that I'm not familiar with and then running off to iTunes to download them. Everything from The Dandy Warhols' "We Used to be Friends" (Veronica Mars theme song) to various Cold Case oldies but goodies to Scrubs' often adult alternative soundtrack seem to fill my iPod. Music and television have an important relationship that I hope we get to watch develop for many years to come. What do you think about having your favorite tunes and shows together? Are you running to iTunes or your nearest CD retailer every time you hear a great track? Or are you indifferent to this television and music union? Drop me a comment with your thoughts.

The lovely ladies to your left are the 13 contestants vying to be America's Next Top Model (photo courtesy UPN. Not for use in any other blogs/sites). UPN's reality competition kicks off its 6th cycle in a little over two weeks with a 2-hour premiere on March 8th. You can also catch a new special, America's Next Top Model: Where the Girls Are, which takes a look at how the show has changed and shaped the careers and lives of some of its more memorable contestants, on March 1st. I'll be taking part in an online press conference with the show's executive producer Ken Mok, Nigel Barker and Jay Manuel next Tuesday, so if there are any questions about the show and its upcoming season that you would like answered, please leave me a comment with your questions. I'll have a report on the teleconference next week. Until then, here's a picture from the March 8th premiere (photo courtesy UPN. Not for use on other blogs/sites):



About Last Night... NBC won the first hour of the night with its Olympic coverage, followed by Fox's House and ABC's special Wife Swap Saved My Marriage. At 9, NBC continued its lead with its Olympic coverage, followed by Fox's 24 and the second hour of ABC's special. The final hour of the night went to NBC's Olympic coverage, followed by CBS's CSI: Miami (r) and ABC's The Bachelor: The Women Tell All. For more on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.

~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - NBC's Olympic coverage continues as the ladies finally take the ice and skate their short programs (look for Americans Sasha Cohen, Kimmie Meissner and Emily Hughes and Russian stand-out/reigning world champion Irina Slutskaya). Also on tap tonight for the Olympics, Bobsled (Women's gold-medal final) and Speed skating (Men's 1500m gold-medal final). Over on Fox, the 12 female contestants perform to open the viewer-voting part of the competition on a 2-hour episode of American Idol.

@10 p.m. - Tom Selleck guest stars on ABC's Boston Legal.



QUICK CUTS

*NBC and iTunes are giving you an exclusive sneak-peak at the new legal drama Conviction. The pilot episode of the Dick Wolf (Law & Order franchise) series is now available for download on iTunes for free. The show's television debut is scheduled for Friday, March 3rd on NBC. New episodes of the series will also be available on iTunes after its West Coast broadcast each week for $1.99 an episode. The show follows the professional and personal lives of young prosecutors in New York City. Law & Order: SVU alum Stephanie March stars, reprising her role as Alex Cabot.

*Fox is bringing back last summer's reality competition So You Think You Can Dance. The show will travel to New York, Los Angeles and Chicago to search for dancers to compete to be named the ultimate dancer. Last summer's host Lauren Sanchez is out on maternity leave, so UK TV host Cat Deely will fill her shoes. The show premieres May 25th on Fox.

*And finally, Actor Ving Rhames is signed on to star in the Smallville spin-off Aquaman for the new CW network. He'll play a a lighthouse keeper and mentor to A.C. Curry (Will Toale). The show is based on the DC Comics character.

That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for thoughts on tonight's performances on American Idol and the Olympic ladies performances on ice. Plus, all the latest television news. And don't forget to send me your Veronica Mars questions via the comment link or email them to veronicaquestions@yahoo.com. I'll be on the set in less than a week!


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