The TV Zone

It’s been rough, these last few months, surviving without any new episodes of The Sopranos. Starting on December 6, LIFESKOOL TV will be offering some palliative care. The new On-Demand series, Steve Schirripa’s Hungry, follows Tony’s portly lieutenant as he explores Italian food in New York. (On Cablevision, LIFESKOOL is Channel 502.) The first episode finds Schirripa musing about meatballs and then repairing, attractive young woman in tow, to Rao’s of East Harlem where he is greeted by the legendary restaurant’s owner, Frank Pellegrino (whom Soprano’s fans will recognize as FBI agent Frank Cubitosi).

Pellegrino walks Schirripa through the meatball recipe, then serves the finished dish (with spaghetti) to great acclaim.

Schirripa is a genuinely charming presence and he seems moderately conversant in cooking. Future episodes will find him at the Veniero’s pastry shop in the East Village, Peasant in Little Italy and L&B; Spumoni Gardens in Brooklyn, among other Noo Yawk locations.

It’s Placido Domingo in your living room. Metropolitan Opera performances that have been beaming live to movie theaters around the world can come into your home in January, when the iN DEMAND cable service starts offering on-demand transmission.

Eight productions this season will be available in both HD and standard definition to cable systems choosing to offer them. (Check with your local provider.)

First up is Gounod's “Roméo et Juliette” with Anna Netrebko and Roberto Alagna, conducted by Domingo. It beams to theaters Saturday, Dec. 15, and hits iN DEMAND Jan. 16. Later productions include "Hansel and Gretel," Verdi's "Macbeth," Puccini's "Manon Lescaut" and "La Boheme," Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde," Britten's "Peter Grimes" and Donizetti's "La Fille du Regiment."

The Met doesn’t mess around when it comes to the latest delivery systems. They’ve also made a deal with the Rhapsody digital music service to make 100 operas from 1937 to 2006 available online. And they’ll be releasing two of last season’s HD shows on DVD Dec. 18: Tchaikovsky's ''Eugene Onegin'' with Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Renee Fleming and Ramon Vargas, and Bellini's ''I Puritani'' with Netrebko.

It’s one week and counting. But if you have tween-age kids, you already knew that.

“High School Musical 2” gets an early debut next Friday, Aug. 10, on-demand through Cablevision’s iO digital cable. Though the much-awaited sequel premieres on regular Disney Channel Aug. 17 at 8 p.m., Cablevision (and Verizon FIOS TV) customers can get the goods a week ahead of time through the Disney On Demand service. (Cablevision charges $4.95/month subscription cost; iO customers can order online or at Ch. 503.)

Other options to feed the need include Disney Channel’s online “HSM2” supersite, which offers music and video previews, podcast and poster downloads, photos, games and other goodies, plus a “party planning kit” for those en-masse viewing events. The “HSM2” soundtrack and trailer are streaming on Disney XD.

Disney has a full complement of mobile access, too, with interactive cell phone applications, ringtones, et al. In addition, Sprint Power Vision promises short-form footage and then both “HSM” and “HSM2” streaming on Disney’s mobile channel.

Let’s not even get into the gazillions of Disney Channel “HSM2”-related events -- cast BBQ, live chat, singalong, etc. -- planned for premiere weekend Aug. 17-19. (But if you must know, click “Continue” below for all the details.)

By the way, last year’s original “High School Musical” smash is currently available on-demand free at iO’s Ch. 500, in the Family category.

[Above: "HSM2" cast photo by Bob D'Amico/Disney Channel.]

Continue reading "HOT TO WATCH: ‘HSM2’ countdown is on" »

The venerable CNET technology brand has come to Cablevision’s iO digital cable on-demand service.

Ch. 607 now offers anytime viewing of short videos featuring tech tips, product reviews, news and commentary, and TV versions of such popular online shows as “Insider Secrets.”

CNET still offers daily online video updates, news and gadget tips at its online CNET TV site, too.