Comic Con: Bones

For the record, I don’t watch Bones. I think I made it through the first two or three episodes before I decided to throw in the towel. I don’t think it’s bad, but it just seemed like a standard crime procedural and even my love for David Boreanaz couldn’t keep me interested.

Having said that, I know a lot of people are crazy about it (including my Dad and Stepmom) and I kind of keep an eye on what’s going on with it just from reading about tv news. For example: I know that Booth is in a coma and apparently had some big hallucination where he and Brennan were married. I know that Hodgins and Angela dated, and I know that Zack was apparently in league with the bad guy last season. So I wasn’t totally in the dark when I ended up sitting in on the panel at Comic Con (I was there since it was scheduled right before the Dollhouse panel).

However, since I don’t really follow the show, and in an effort to get more posts out, I’m going to present the news and scoop from Bones in bullet points. You have a problem, take it up with management. Except there is none, so haha!

--David Boreanaz couldn’t attend due to the pending birth of his daughter. Everyone was sad.

--The producer of the show described last seasons’ finale as a “love letter to the fans” who wanted to see Booth and Brennan together. The he realized he screwed up because all those same fans were royally pissed with the coma twist. He said that loyal fans would get it, but causal fans wouldn’t. Hmm. Judging by the audience reaction, I wouldn't be so sure of that, buddy.

--Emily Deschanel wants the characters together eventually but knows it’s tricky on television (everyone references the Moonlighting debacle).

--Emily is quick with the sexual innuendo and likes making fun of the other panelist. I like her.

--The new season’s premiere will pick up 6 weeks later and is concerned with whether Booth can bring himself back to work and deal with the confusion of his feelings for Brennan.

--The frozen sperm will be addressed next season. Uh, yay?

--David Boreanaz is directing the show’s 100^th episode.

--Cyndi Lauper will guest-star next season playing a character named Avalon Harmonia who is, you guessed it, Angela’s psychic who leads the team to a few dead bodies arousing suspicion.

--Tamara was the most squeamish actor on the show.

--The show would love to have Zack back, but the actor has moved to NYC and they would have to make sure it would fit with his schedule.

--Episode 5 or 6 of next season deals with the trial of the Gravedigger and we will likely find out what Brennan wrote in her goodbye note.

Comic Con: Spartacus Blood and Sand

Spartacus: Blood and Sand is the cable channel Starz’s foray into original programming. Apparently, they are tired of seeing HBO and Showtime get all the glory, and so have stepped into the ring.

The show is based on the story of Spartacus (duh), a Roman sentenced to slavery as a gladiator and end up leading a slaves’ revolt. The creator described the show as being about how a group of hard, different men come together and almost take down the Roman Empire.

Did you catch that “almost?” Spoiler alert!

Of course, if you’ve seen the movie, you know how things end for our hero. But along the way the producers have promised a lot of sex and violence, to which I say, woot!

The show is modeled on the “hyper-reality” format used by Zack Snyder in 300 and also has obvious echoes of Rome and Gladiator. But like I said, with more sex and violence.

Alright, I’ll just say it—Lucy Lawless is in it and she gets naked. So if that floats your boat, more power to you. She plays a villainess Roman citizen and her husband is played by John Hannah (the brother of Evelyn in The Mummy).

We were shown a trailer of the show during the panel, and my very initial impressions are that it looks awesome. I’m pretty sure I won’t be running out and signing up for Starz (I am sort of frugal after all), but the show will definitely be going on the top of my Netflix queue when it comes out on DVD.

Interestingly, the show will promoted through a tie-in comic book, an Ipod game, and a motion version of the comic (think Watchmen). A copy of the first comic was included in our pretty rad swag bag (along with a t-shirt and poster), and it’s pretty good.

Final thought? To quote Lucy Lawless, “it’s big fun on the small screen.”

There are mostly naked men and they fight and have sex. A lot. Sign me up! But not literally.

Torchwood: Children of the Earth

I now take a brief break from the Comic Con write-ups to bring you this review of the recent miniseries/season of Torchwood.

Woah.

That pretty much sums it up. I haven't been the biggest fan of Torchwood, I pretty much hated the first season and tolerated the second, but this miniseries was really great. There were some shocking surprises (SPOILER ALERT) like the deaths of Ianto and Jack's grandson, Simon, but it was extremely tense, scary, and full of twists and turns.

It's nice to be reminded of what Russell T. Davies is capable of when he goes balls out and doesn't give us any sparkly Doctor Jesus crap, and the acting was really stepped up this go around, especially from John Barrowman and some of the supporting players.

If you haven't checked it out yet, I suggest you get the DVD, since it's definitely worth the price of admission. I'm not sure where they can go from here, but I am all about finding out.

AHHHHH! Creepy children!

Comic Con: Female Power Icons

This panel wasn't strictly about television, but hey, close enough, right?

The participants on the panel were Sigourney Weaver (Alien and like 20 billion other movies and shows), Eliza Dushku (Buffy, Dollhouse), Zoe Saldana (Center Stage, Star Trek), and Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost, V).


First impressions: wow, they all have such pretty hair! Not a very empowering observation, but it's true.

Now, since these actors weren't gathered to discuss a particular subject, the conversation, while interesting, was kind of meandering. The panel just responded to general questions from the moderator and from the audience. So I'm basically just going to report responses that I found interesting. You want more than that, you can go to Comic Con yourself.

Seriously though, the initial question asked each woman was how they got into the sci-fi genre. Other than the obvious, "um, they were willing to hire me?" the responses were pretty interesting. Sigourney was not initially interested in doing the movie Alien, but was won over by Ridley Scott's concept drawings of the alien eggs. She also commented that sci-fi often provides many opportunities for being part of an ensemble, which also convinced her to do Alien.

When Zoe was asked the same question, she noted that in the world of Star Trek there simply is no discrimination. The bridge of the Enterprise is considered truly color blind, and Uhura is not identified by her gender or color (a black woman) but by her abilities and how well she does her job. Zoe viewed the opportunity to become a character who had no experience with discrimination or being viewed as something less than capable due to her gender and race as fascinating.

While answering a question about what motivates women in the genre, Sigourney noted that female action figures are about drive and ferocity. They respond to challenges with their whole being.

Elizabeth Mitchell made a good point when asked about why there are so few strong women in television and movies. She talked about how Hollywood is afraid of female sexuality (which I absolutely agree with it...watch the documentary Not Yet Rated if you don't believe it) and that sci-fi provides the opportunity for women to be strong and vibrant.

But Sigourney cautioned that people should not look to Hollywood if they are hoping to see a movie toward social change. She mentioned that society is changing faster than Hollywood understands, and that the onus is on us to make our voices heard about the kind of strong female characters we want to see. Zoe reiterated that the audience (you) is the consumer, and you have to be sure to ask for what you want, or all we'll get are the same old stories.

You probably noticed that there isn't a lot of commentary from Eliza Dushku here, which is sadly because she didn't seem to have that much to contribute. She took Kristen Bell's (Veronica Mars) place on the panel since a panel Kristen had for Astro Boy from Summit got moved to earlier in the day. I can't help but think of how much more awesome Kristen would have been....but like I said, Eliza definitely had pretty hair, so I'm glad that worked out for her.

So what are my two cents? I think you see such a (comparatively) large number of strong, capable, badass women in sci-fi because the genre deals with fantasy. Sad, but true. The Hollywood establishment is not comfortable with putting these types of women in more realistic situations, because the establishment is mostly run by men who speak as they find. But in fantasy, anything goes, and we aren't restrained by our present day biases and prejudices and its easier for some to accept the concept of a strong woman.

I agree completely with the idea that it's up to us as the consumer to support media that reflects progressive roles for women and other historically disenfranchised groups like racial minorities and homosexuals. Unfortunately right now this means supporting material more on the fringe and independent side of the industry, but hopefully that will start to change. And as the number of women behind the scenes in media increases (directors, comic writers and artists, screenwriters, and actors), it will become less unusual to encounter strong women in pop culture.

Chuck!

Not able to travel to San Diego for Comic Con? You can see one of the most awesome panels of the entire Con on Hulu....that's right. The entire Comic Con panel for Chuck is online!



It does not include the Jeffster performance that opened the show...but you can see that on You Tube here.

Happy viewing!

Comic Con: Legend of the Seeker

I didn’t really expect Comic Con’s Legend of the Seeker panel to be particularly crowded or difficult to get into. After all, the show is syndicated, airs on a Saturday evening, and only one other person I know has ever heard of it (shout-out: Whitney). But after seeing how quickly the line formed for this panel on Thursday afternoon, I jumped into it an hour and a half early, and was fortunate to make it inside.

Luckily, I was flying solo on this one and was able to score a seat fairly close to the stage, since people always seem to leave those lone single seats between them…god forbid they should be polite and move into the center. But it worked out well for me, so no complaints.

The panel consisted of some producers (no Sam Raimi though), the actor Bruce Spence, who plays the character Zed, a scene chewing Wizard, and author Terry Goodkind, upon whose books the series is based (the Sword of Truth books, in case you are curious).

Actor Bruce Spence and author Terry Goodkind

Kicking things off was some news on the second season: it would consist of a full 22 episode order and would premiere on November 7, 2009. The main characters, Richard, Kaylan, and Zed, would come to the realization that their destruction of the evil overlord, Darkan Rahl, comes with a price, as they have managed to unleash something even more powerful and have created cracks between our world and the Keeper’s (i.e. the Underworld).

For those of you with no idea what I am talking about, no worries, the first season DVD will be released on October 13, 2009, so you can catch up.

Most of the fan questions were for Terry Goodkind, who made it clear he has nothing to do with the show. While he finds it difficult to see the changes that are made to his characters and plots, he understands that television is a different medium and is happy that his characters have seen more mainstream exposure from the show. Really, it seemed like the only reason he was even there was to plug his new book (a non-supernatural thriller available August 18, 2009) and to mollify fans who are pissed about some of the changes from the books.

The big news of the panel was that Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia on Buffy and Angel) would be guest-starring in an upcoming episode as a Mord-Sith, a dominatrix-like character who wears nothing but leather, for those of you not familiar with the books and show. So, yay for Joss alums finding work! Also, the Mord-Sith character, Cara, would be joining the trio, as she does in the books, so that’s good news for Terry Goodkind fans.

Example: Mord-Sith

It was a little disappointing to not have the two main stars of the show at the panel, but since they film in New Zealand it’s a bit of a hike. From the footage we saw and the news we were given, it seems like the second season is shaping up pretty well, and will hopefully be less uneven than the first, which definitely took some time to finds it’s footing, but really took off after the episode, Denna.

BBC in the USA: Being Human

I love Maggie Cats' approach to blogging about Comic Con. She brought a special notebook to every panel and took copious notes and pictures. Now she will go through it all chronologically, bringing you pertinent details and fascinating insights into your favorite shows.

Yeah, I'm not going to do that. From me you will get rambling, disorganized squee. Sorry, that's just how I roll. On the upside, I was able to see a few panels that Maggie was not, so now I bring you the first of my BBC series: Being Human.

This show doesn't sound like it would be any good. "Listen, there's this great show about a werewolf, a vampire, and a ghost sharing an apartment in Bristol..." At this point, whoever you're trying to convince just gets up and walks away. But it's really really really really good. Honestly. And it makes more sense when you hear how the concept came about.

The creator, Toby Whithouse, was first approached about doing a show about three twenty-something college grads who decide to live together. He decided that was just about the most boring concept he had ever heard. Then, three characters dropped fully-formed into his head: Annie, an agoraphobic; Mitchell, a recovering sex addict; and George, a usually mild-mannered man with anger issues. Still, he didn't feel like the series was special enough. And then it dawned on him ... George, who periodically lost his temper and turned into a monster, was kind of like a werewolf. This naturally (or supernaturally) led to the ideas that Annie was like a ghost and Mitchell, a vampire. Thus, Being Human as we know it was born.

I really feel that this organic development of the show is reflected in its completely sympathetic characters. These are not monsters of legend, creatures to be feared or idolized. The bottom line is that they are people. Like any good fantasy show, the supernatural nature of the protagonists shines a spotlight on human nature.

Plus, Russell Tovey (the man who plays George) is adorable. Doctor Who fans many recognized him as Midshipman Frame from "Voyage of the Damned" (Allons-y, Alonso!). I was sitting super close to the stage, having practically camped out all day. At the end of the panel, I jumped out of my seat with a huge grin on my face. Russell looked at me and cocked his head to the side as if to say, "why is that tall Indian woman giving us a standing ovation ... all by herself?" Needless to say, I swooned with delight.

This picture does not do them justice ... but it is pretty hilarious.

Comic Con: Pilot Screenings for V and The Vampire Diaries

Ah, Comic Con. Geek Mecca, if you will. Where those of us obsessed with all things sci-fi, fantasy, and pop culture-related gather together to get the latest news and scoop on our favorite comics, television shows, and movies.

Fellow tv-slutter Monkey Sri and I headed to San Diego last week and participated in our first Comic Con so we could report back on all the happs for you, our gentle reader. From Wednesday night to Sunday I spent almost every day in the San Diego Convention Center visiting as many panels as I could and taking copious notes to ensure I could regurgitate all the details. I figure the easiest way to do this is to go chronologically, which means we start with....

Wednesday, July 22*

Wednesday was preview night, when people who had signed up for 4-day passes could pick up their badges and avoid the HUGE line that forms on Thursday morning. After procuring our passes, my friend Rachel (avid television viewer and vampire lover) and I got the lay of the land of the convention center and attended our first Comic Con event: screenings of the pilot episodes for V (on ABC) and The Vampire Diaries (on the CW).

V: As any fan of Sci-Fi television knows (or really anyone who has ever watched I Love the 80s on VH1), V was a weekly drama series that ran in 1984 on NBC for one season. As everything old is new again, ABC has retooled the series and it is now slated to air in the fall of this year.

The plot of the show is basic: aliens show up one day (in a scene basically ripped from Independence Day) and inform us that they need vital minerals from our planet. In exchange they offer us some of their technology (including cures to most known diseases) and repeated promises that they come in peace. Some people welcome them with open arms, others are more questioning. It's not a huge spoiler to give away that the Vs aren't everything they appear to be, but that's all I'll say. If you aren't familiar with the prior series there are some surprises in store for you.

The show centers around an FBI Agent (Elizabeth Mitchell from Lost) and her son, as well as a large cast of other characters including a reporter (Scott Wolf), a priest, and a whole bunch of others I can't remember right now. Take from that what you will.

All in all, I really enjoyed the show. It was tense at all the right parts, had great production values, a talented cast, and appears to be modelled on a Lost and Heroes pattern where many different characters are weaved throughout a central storyline. There's nothing really groundbreaking here, like I said the images of the alien ships have been seen before, but the pilot was solid and interesting.

I was a little confused as to how Elizabeth Mitchell's FBI Agent character starts to suspect the Vs, something about stolen C4 or some such nonsense, but the show makes some interesting parallels with our modern fears, insinuating that the Vs have been present on our planet for a long time and have organized themselves into sleeper cells. And it's always nice to see familiar faces like Alan Tudyk (!!!), Elizabeth Mitchell, Morena Baccarin, and Scott Wolf. I'll definitely be tuning in this fall, and hope the show can keep up the quick pace of the pilot.


The Vampire Diaries: Oh, Kevin Williamson. You've never been able to recapture your former glory from the Dawson's Creek and Scream era. In a show that is so obviously a Twilight rip-off that Kevin Williamson basically came out and said it ("vampires are really hot right now") a high-school girl becomes enamoured with a mysterious vampire who has appeared in her town.

You've got the usual ingredients here: pretty 20-somethings pretending to be in high school, a pretty-boy vampire (who looks like a young William Shatner but didn't really do anything for me), a tortured female protagonist recovering from the death of her parents who feels disconnected from the world around her, blah blah.

There were a couple of good one-liners, but for the most part the dialogue and plot clunked along in a cliched manner. And then Ian Somerhalder from Lost showed up. He plays a vampire as well (a far more interesting one than the main character) and transfused some life into the show (get it? transfused? blood? vampires??). But once he left the screen, THUD. Back we came to reality.

In the words of Rachel, "I'll watch it, but it wasn't that good." That pretty much sums it up. Vampires and hotness = I'm there. But I'm only giving it a few episodes and if it doesn't get more interested I'm outta there.

So there you have it! Coming up from Thursday's panels: Female Power Icons in Pop Culture and Legend of the Seeker. Can you stand it??


*By the way, I'm not going to spend a lot of time writing about the general feeling or happening of the Con...that's going on my personal blog. These entries will be focused on news and reviews from the television specific panels I visited, which is after all, the focus of this blog.

Bruce Campbell is a Golden God

Hello, friends! I am foolishly lugging my laptop about in order to bring you updates directly from Comic Con. My shoulder will probably never be the same, but I couldn't keep these feelings inside.

Yesterday I was lucky enough to sit in on the Burn Notice panel, which included the incomparable Bruce Campbell. When he walked out on the stage there was so much fangirl and fanboy squee that Matt Nix, the show's creator, compared it to "a rock star working a room." Bruce definitely had all of us eating out the palm of his hand. Whenever someone yelled something he liked, he had them come up to the stage and gave them five bucks. He flirted shamelessly (and explicitly) with any and all young women, and was in general amazing. The best part was that, after he responded to a dedicated fan's query with a series of off-the-wall, hilariously funny comments he would say, completely deadpan, "thank you for your question."

Sorry, the picture sucks - we couldn't get anywhere close to the stage, so this is a picture from one of the giant screens set up throughout the room.

Of course, we got to see clips from the show and previews of the upcoming season. I won't spoil anything, especially since I myself haven't seen all of the episodes for this season ... *hangs head in shame* Also, people were asking some great questions and we learned a great deal about the show itself. Here are a few high points:

1. One woman asked about how they come up with the awesome "Spy Tips" Michael delivers as a voice-over in every episode. The answer is, disturbingly enough, the internet. Apparently they first guess what will work, Google it, and then consult an expert.
2. Matt Nix divulged that for all of Michael's jury-rigged weapons and tools, they have a few criteria. First, you can't make it work without knowing/researching something else. In other words they don't want to teach people how to kill themselves. Second, it has to be doable - but they give Micheal the benefit of the doubt. If their prop guy can make it work in half a day, a spy should be able to do it in half an hour... right?
3. There are no digital explosions in Burn Notice. This makes things are much more realistic, but significantly more dangerous. For example, when Sam blows up Madeline's house in "Lesser Evil," they were only supposed to blow out the windows. They ended up cracking an exterior wall and breaking 12 windows in the neighborhood. Oops.

Whatever. The explosions are totally worth it.

Greetings from Comic Con!

Hi, tv-slutters! I wanted to pop by and let you know Monkey Sri and I are in San Diego at the world famous Comic Con this week, so alas, there might not be many updates unless we decide to cart our laptops around all day (which is unlikely given our tendencies toward laziness). HOWEVER, this means we will have lots of goddies for you upon our return. Look for info on:

-the V pilot

-The Vampire Diaries pilot

-updates on Legend of the Seeker, Burn Notice, 24, Bones, Dollhouse, Glee, Heroes, and True Blood.

We've sat in some other great panels and have lots to share, so look for some awesome updates coming your way!

Emmy Nominations

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Harper's Island Finale (spoilers within!)

Well, the great experiment is over. CBS's attempt at a limited run murder mystery series, Harper's Island aired its finale this Saturday night. After premiering to low ratings, CBS banished the show to Saturday nights, but promised to air all the episodes so the few people who were tuning in could see the show's resolution.

Harper's Island worked well as summer series. The writing was never all that great, and the acting was kind of hit or miss, but it was cheesy fun and scary at places, so what else do you really need?

I even liked the conclusion of the show; the killer ended up being the not-really dead John Wakefield (who had previously gone on a killing rampage on the island years ago), but the big "surprise reveal" was that his accomplice was the groom Henry, portrayed by Christopher Gorham. I had kind of guessed that the other killer would be Henry, but it was still a nice reveal since there were other characters still in the running for the title of duplicitous psycho killer.

In the end, only four characters survived the series; one of which included the creepy little girl, Madison. She was annoying, so it would have been nice for her to get the literal axe, but this is a network television show, so I wasn't really expecting them to horribly murder a ten year old. I was pleasantly surprised that Jimmy, the main character's love interest, made it to the end since I'm a sucker for a good love story. Especially when the guy looks like a manlier Orlando Bloom.

Manly? Check. Orlando Bloom look-alike? Check. Say no more.

While I enjoyed watching Harper's Island, there weren't that many memorable moments. Other than the deaths of Cal and Chloe (whom I went from hating to actually really liking...so well done on that writers), none of the murders were especially exciting or emotionally resonant. It was kind of surprising that Harry Hamlin got cut in half in the first episode, but otherwise, meh. And I'm still kind of confused by the motivation behind the murderers, but really, who cares. The show promised pretty people running around getting chopped into bits and it definitely delivered on that.

Overall, I give it a B-. The show did what it needed to do, had a satisfying conclusion, and provided plenty of eye candy. If you missed the show during it's run, check it out on DVD, I bet it plays well watching back to back.

Two new shows to get excited about

While killing at time at work today (as you do), I happened to come across some news articles discussing two television series that are currently in development. What makes me so excited is that these shows are based on two of the best books I have ever read.

First, HBO has optioned Jeffrey Eugenides' Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Middlesex. The book tells the story of Calliope Stephanides, an intersexed person who was born with a 5-alpha-reductase deficiency. The novel is amazing, addressing issues of gender and sexuality and raising questions of what makes us male versus female. I think everyone can relate to the a book based on the struggles with identity, puberty, and life in general endured by the protagonist.

The novel is certainly rife with drama and themes of self-discovery and sexual identity, so it could without a doubt make for compelling viewing. However, a tv series on of this kind of story could easily go wrong, so I'm banking on HBO's pedigree for great drama to live up to the book.

The other exciting find of the day was the news that a Canadian-German joint effort will be bringing Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth to the small screen. This book is about the building of a cathedral in twelfth century England and the many lives impacted by its rise. The book is huge; I'm just about done with the audiobook, but it's been quite an effort since the darn thing is 32 discs long. So finding about the tv series now is like the cherry on top of my giant literary ice cream sundae.

There's a website for the show which has a little bit of info and a summary of some of the plot. The names attached to the project are pretty impressive: Ian McShane, Donald Sutherland, Rufus Sewell, but according to the site, no US distributors have stepped up yet. But with this kind of star power, I'm sure one of the cable networks, or maybe a Canadian station will be airing it. And there's always DVDs, right? It's not scheduled for broadcast until the later half of 2010, but I'm still pretty excited already.

I knew the combination of all that book-learning, tv watching, and web surfing would pay off some day!

Its Well Hung

I am a huge fan of Trueblood and I haven't missed an episode yet this summer (but that's for another blog entry) therefore it was IMPOSSIBLE to miss the countless commercials for HBOs new show HUNG. For those of you unaware, year after year HBO has tried to fill the spot after Entourage or the void. I previously blogged about this slot as being a black hole that shows enter into but never make it out of. First i think it was The Comeback with Lisa Kudrow in 2005, then Lucky Louie in 2007. More recently they attempted the Life and Times of Tim, this show was great and got signed for another season...in two years.

So HBO has set its new show HUNG to be doomed by putting it in the 10 30 Sunday night time slot. However, last week they played it at 10 and I had a chance to watch.

First of all, it is a really great show that both my husband and I truly enjoyed.

It is about a high school teacher who can not get by on the salary, especially after a divorce and his house burning down, so he decides to join the world's oldest profession. After taking a "how to be a millionaire course," Ray Drecker (played by Thomas Pane) decided to put in add in a local paper and begin turning tricks.

The show is set in Detroit, and the director is really playing up the gloom, but cutting to pictures of empty factories and municpal buildings in the opening credits. It is clear this show is meant to be a drama with humorous undertones and not vice versa.

So far I truly like the acting, the characters and the premise. Just to mix it up the show includes Anne Heche as Dreckers ex wife. And of course there is sex.....if you are in the mood for a nice naked scene...tune in. However, I wouldn't count on seeing the package the show is named for. I get this will be nudity, but not the XXX kind.

I hope this show makes it despite its doomed time slot.

Ho-Hum

I was late to the game of So You Think You Can Dance. I started watching last year, around the time of the top 8, at the behest of some friends who kept telling me how cool it was and how everyone was doing it and just a little bit won't hurt you.


I got hooked real quick (it's so sad when a good girl goes bad) and have basically been looking forward to it all year. But alas. I'm underwhelmed.

Maybe it's because I jumped in with the top dancers last year and didn't have to wallow through the auditions or two hour episodes full of filler when the dancers are still only performing one dance a week. Or maybe it's because Comcast has clearly been conspiring against me and not recording the first half of the results shows. Anyway, it just hasn't been doing it for me this year.

While some of the dancers have made an impression (Evan, Brandon), for the most part I'm mostly meh towards them. And although Nigel occasionally provides some actual critique of the dancing, Mary's constant screeching is driving. me. crazy. Not to mention the incoherent ramblings of guest judges like Lil C, Mia Michaels, and Toni Basil.

But I can't laythe blame on the judges or the dancers. I'm afraid it's the choreographers who haven't stepped it up this year. For the most part, the routines are kinda dull or just incomprehensible (example: the alien woman trying to impregnate the last man on Earth? Really?). There have been a few exceptions: the crash test dummy dance, the Twilight inspired dance from last week, but overall, they've left me feeling kind of cold. Thankfully the dancers that are good are able to fill the so so routines with enough personality to make them memorable.

This week we've got the top 12 dancers and hopefully the soon-to-be combination of great talent, less filler, and exciting routines will bring back the show I love. Because I think it's going to take all three working together to get me interested again.


One thing I'll never stop loving: the host, Cat. She is so awesome and classy. Keep it up, girl!

Make It or Break It

I'm a sucker for girly movies about athletics. The Cutting Edge, Bring it On, Stick It...all suck me in with their numerous cable viewings, and hell, I own two of them on DVD. Just something about young women kicking ass in sports is inspirational. Especially since lord knows I could never do that crap.

So I was really excited to hear about ABC Family's new series Make It or Break It about some high school level gymnasts. I was concerned how the show would structure itself to fit into a weekly hour drama format, since it seems like the kind of idea that is best served by a movie. After all, it's going to lead up to the big competition where the main character conquers adversity to win, right?

And I think that's going to end up being true, but on the way, there are many twists and turns with relationships between the characters, including in a nice change, the lives of the parents of the kids.

The main character of the show is Emily, a promising gymnast whose family has moved to Boulder, Colorado, so she can train at The Rock (a very prestigious gymnastics facility) with head couch Marty. Emily can only afford to be there because she received a scholarship. Her mom is an Erin Brokovich-esque character, single mom, hoping to find work at a salon, dresses like a ho because she likes it blah blah, which sets up the usual "daughter acting as the mother" cliche. But the characters are likeable so it works.

In the pilot we are introduced to the other main characters: the other three girls at the gym, including the wildly bitchy Lauren, their parents, Marty, the head coach, and Alex Cruz, the owner of the gym. Due to Emily's skill, Lauren gets pushed out of a bid to go to Nationals and in retaliation gets her to Dad to lure Marty away to a new gym. This leaves Emily and the other gymnasts high and dry without a head coach.

There's the usual teen drama plots: Emily has two possible suitors, one of the other girls is involved in a forbidden relationship with a male gymnast, Lauren's Dad is involved with his secretary (played by Candice Cameron!), the wife of the owner of the gym is having an affair with Marty, etc. etc. While nothing here is really original, the acting and writing of the show is well done and I find myself rooting for the characters.

As I noted above, there's actually a lot of time spent on the interactions and relationships between the adults on the show which is a nice touch. Clearly ABC Family wants this to be the kind of show that parents and kids can watch, at least the female members of the family, and I think they have succeeded.

So, if you enjoy movies like Bring it On and Stick It, you'll probably also like Make It or Break It. It's a harmless bit of teen fluff with bonus gymnastics! The show airs Mondays at 9pm on ABC Family.

BTW ... WTF?

In case you've been under a rock, word on the street is that the director of the gag-reflex inducing Buffy movie is considering a remake, sans Joss. It think this article from NPR sums it up best ... Very Bad Ideas: Making A Whedon-Free 'Buffy' Reboot.

Moon... Prism... POWER!

I love anime. The characters are expressive, constantly jumping and flailing about. The dialogue is completely random - possibly because something gets lost in the Japanese-to-English translation. The plots are so fantastic that a willing suspension of disbelief is not only helpful, it is necessary. I think it has to do with the manga/anime market in Japan - the audience is voracious, and is willing to read weird-ass stuff. The result is a lot of WTFery, but also a lot of awesomeness. Case in point: Sailor Moon.

Original manga cover. Seriously.

Possibly one of the most well-known anime shows in the U.S., Sailor Moon was at the forefront of the Japanese cartoon invasion. It has something for everyone - short skirts and fighting for the boys, romance and badass chicks for the girls. Serena, the heroine of the show, is a below-average student, a goof ball, a klutz. She also has an enormous capacity to love and can vaporize baddies with a wave of her magic wand. Her pure heart inspires loyalty - she is the undisputed leader of the Sailor Scouts, even though everyone refers to her as "meatball head."

In their defense, she doesn't have to wear her hair like that.

And okay, maybe a sexy superheroine who can't do math is not the best role-model for impressionable young girls. But I'm currently watching the third season, Sailor Moon Super, and was pleasantly surprised at the inclusion of a genderqueer character. Sailor Uranus (pronounced Ura-nis, plx kthx) always dresses in men's clothes when she's not on duty. She has "manly" hobbies and habits, and speaks in a deep voice. It's treated as something surprising but not freakish or wrong, and several of the other Sailor Scouts develop crushes on her masculine persona. Spoiler alert: though she and Sailor Neptune are billed as cousins in the English dubbing, everyone knows they are lesbian life-partners.

"Cousins." Riiiiiiiiiiiight.

It's unusual for a show that is purportedly for children to deal with such issues, at least in the U.S. Even sanitizing of the Uranus/Neptune relationship, in Sailor Moon Super you can't get around the fact that the character is a girl who acts like a boy. Which is probably why DiC Entertainment (a subsidiary of - you guessed it - Disney) only licensed and aired the first two seasons. Oh, well. That's what Netflix is for ... or friends with awesome anime collections. Thanks to Rachel for the loan!

In Plain Sight

The summer can be boring. And let me tell you television goes down in caliber. And this year between Entourage seasons and reality drivel I have been entertaining myself on Sunday nights with USA's "In Plain Sight." Initially I was reluctant to begin watching this show, the commercials were blah and I didn't have the energy to commit to yet another program. However,I couldn't resist trying out the new show after the Law and Order CI time slot.

First of all, the show is good. The characters are well rounded. The main character, Mary (played by Mary McCormick) has got a lot of depth and you can really feel her inner turmoil. She is a US Marshall helping place witnesses into protection in Albuquerque. Each episode has elements of the US Marshall service mixed with details of Mary's social life. She has a mom who is a drunk, a sister who is a drug dealer, and a HOT baseball playing bf.

Each character is interesting. Fred Weller who plays Mary's partner Marshall Marshall (yes punny huh). Adds some much needed comedy show. Their partnerships, as is most male female partnerships on television, is up and down and mixed with comedy and sexual innuendos. As a huge West Wing fan, I was happy to see Joshua Malina (Will Bailey) and Richard Schiff (Toby) show up this season.

I don't think during the regular line up in the fall I would watch this show, and in fact, I doubt I would have noticed it. However, during a blah television summer it fills an ever growing void.

"The name is *Mer-lin.* And I happen to be the world's most powerful wizard! "

Summer television premieres continued last night with NBC broadcasting a BBC import, Merlin. I assume you all are capable of figuring out the basic plot (come on, it's called Merlin people), but think of it as the CW's Smallville meets BBC's Robin Hood.

In the same vein as the recent Star Trek reboot, Merlin, Arthur, and the whole gang have been youngified to appeal to a younger demographic and hijinks predictably result. The show's basic concept is simple: Merlin is a rare person born with innate magical ability (most people have to study and use incantations to make magic, but Merlin can just...do it) who has come to Camelot to study with King Pendragon's and the court's physician. While there he instantly takes a dislike to the King's son, Arthur, a toothy pretty boy bully, but is told by a talking dragon that it is his destiny to protect and guide Arthur so he can become a great King.

Other characters from the Arthurian legends making an appearance are Lady Morgana, a young ward of the King who is a seer and not evil (yet), and "Gwen," Morgana's maid who is also her best friend. She takes a liking to Merlin, and really, who wouldn't, since he is all big-eared, floppy-haired adorkableness.

The show is well-acted, has great production values, and seems so far to be a quintessential summer program: easy on both the eyes and the brain.

It's always nice to see Anthony Head from Buffy, who plays King Pendragon, and some other familiar faces pop up as well. Torchwood fans will recognize Eve Myles as an evil sorceress, and John Hurt (Mr. Ollivander in Harry Potter) provides the voice of the dragon. Word on the street (and by street I mean wiki) is that Michelle Ryan from the defunct Bionic Woman will play this season's big bad.

While the plot seems to deviate pretty sharply from established Arthurian canon, it's fun, doesn't take itself too seriously, and has pretty costumes and people. I wouldn't suggest viewing it to see what life in a medieval court was really like (I'm pretty certain they didn't have teeth-whitening capabilities), but if you like action-adventure and fantasy shows this is right up your ally.

Old Merlin...

....meet young Merlin.

The Other Summer Drama

We all know and love Burn Notice, but what of it's successor Royal Pains? It seems like USA is trying to reproduce a formula - handsome young man, being punished for his precocity by the people who were supposed to be the good guys, decides to become a vigilante and use his powers for good. Michael Westen is a spy who gets burned by his government agency. Hank Lawson is an ER doctor who gets fired by his hospital. They both have some serious MacGyver skills - Westen can build a bomb with what you find in a hardware store, and Lawson can perform surgery with what you've got in the kitchen. Throw in a couple of sidekicks and/or family members, set everything at the beach, and boom - instant smash hit!

Time for a nap.

I will give USA some credit - the premiere of Royal Pains had some artistry to it, like the montage of Lawson's decline into destitution or crazy Ms. Newberg's wrap billowing in the wind as she looks over the Hamptons. And I dig Divya, Lawson's PA, an Indian American princess who dreams of doing something with her life. Sure, if this show was coming out on network TV in the fall, I probably wouldn't give it a second glance. But it's the summer - what else am I going to do, go outside?

Work it, Reshma Shetty.

Hell: Summer or War?

Sure, I’m trying not to write another blog/story about the doldrums of summer for TV, but it’s an annual rite of passage, right?

I’ve never been a fan of reality TV (okay I admit I did watch a couple seasons of The Real World and Road Rules but American Idol and Survivor never really appealed to me). So the summer is even more troubling for me than for some. Couple that with my recent decision to give up on satellite. Well… in actuality my wife and I recently moved in the house we are living in, and thus no longer have access to the satellite. Sure, we could go downstairs and watch, but why bother when we have an HDTV upstairs and most of the shows we watch during the year can be found on Hulu or ABC.com For those rare shows we do like to watch live (CHUCK) we have a trusty pair of digital rabbit ears. And to be honest, it hasn’t been too bad, except for that fact that for some reason we cannot get the local ABC station. So with summer now here and in full bloom, what am I to do?

Let me back up a week. My Grandfather was a WWII Vet. In fact he landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day. This past summer was the 65^th Anniversary of D-Day, and because my Grandfather was a Vet and because we live so close to the National D-Day Memorial, I dragged Andi to an hour long ceremony. It was a beautiful day to get out of the house, a bit too sunny, but all in all a good day. Being there got me to thinking how I had not seen Band of Brothers in a year or so.

It took me a while to find some time when Andi wasn’t around (she is not a fan of war films), but I finally popped in the DVDs and started watching. You know what surprised me most? How many current TV stars were in this show. Names most people wouldn’t know then, but now may know. Actors from Band of Brothers went on to current and recent hits (and bombs) like Life, Boomtown, Desperate Housewives, Fringe, What About Brian, Battlestar Galatica, Life on Mars (US), and others [Pop quiz: Can anyone match the actors with the shows I just listed?]. Not to mention hit movies like Wanted. Now, Band of Brothers is not for everyone but there are some amazing moments in that mini-series and it shows in great detail, not so much the acts of war, but the day-to-day grind of war. Mostly though, it’s proving me a road map for shows to watch this summer. Ways to pass the time.

I’m starting with Boomtown. It’s a natural evolution since one of the writers for Band created Boomtown, while dragging some actors with him. I’m already two discs in to Season 1(will Season 2 ever see the light of day?), and I have to say how much I miss this show. Not so much for the basic premise of showing the crime from different perspectives as much as the heart of the show, which is these characters. There are definitely some shows out there that could learn a thing or two from this show. But after watching Life, I’m not sure where to go as I have to wait for some of these shows to hit DVD (after watching Star Trek I think I need to give Fringe another shot).

So... any suggestions on how to survive TV hell, after all Burn Notice is only on once a week and Eli Stone will only be back for 3 or 4 episodes?

MSCR: Word Girl

Recently, I switched from cable TV to a digital antenna ... please contain your gasps of horror. It's actually been great - instead of flipping endlessly before finally settling on some random VH1 "reality" show, I stick to the network shows that I actually want to watch. Besides, I do a significant amount of watching online (if Hulu subscriptions are in the future, I may have to succumb - it will still be most cost-effective than paying for 50 channels of crap). But I do miss a few things ... like cartoons. More specifically, random toonage from Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network.

Cartoons are a colorful, zany escape from the daily grind and the laws of physics. I added “Monkey Sri’s Cartoon Round-up” to the blog a long time ago, to celebrate this genre. Once I cut the cable, I wondered if I'd be able to continue these posts. Luckily, it's PBS to the rescue! While these cartoons lack the senseless violence and adult humor I've so grown to love, many of them are freakin' adorable. Take, for example, Word Girl.

If you read her back story, it becomes obvious that
Word Girl is an... *ahem*... homage to Superman.

Okay, first off - she has a pet monkey. Bonus points right there. Secondly, she flies around town, using her super speed and strength to battle costumed villains, all while improving your vocabulary. Each segment of the show teaches two pretty tough words - things like "edible" and "cumbersome." The key of course, is repetition and colorful demonstrations. It's actually quite entertaining, and I can see how it would be great for kids.

According to Wikipedia, Word Girl started as a short that aired along with Maya and Miguel. This spin-off is now going strong in it's second season. The show's website also offers several flash games and puzzles, as well as a ton of resources for parents and educators. It airs (at least where I am) Monday-Friday at 5:30 pm.

Secret Boyfriend of the Week: Mark-Paul Gosselaar

Some shows from your youth stay with you forever. They don't have to be particularly good, they just have to come along at a particular time. Saved by the Bell is just such a show. And anyone in their late 20s who grew up with a television in their home and doesn't agree is lying.

I happen to think that Saved by the Bell was a good show that had good actors, but that's neither here nor there. What actually is here is the awesomeness of Mark-Paul Gosselaar. Most tv-savy people know that he went on to find success on shows like NYPD Blue and the current Raising the Bar (which I hear is kind of terrible), but he will forever be known as Zack Morris of Bayside High.

And you know what? He owns it. He doesn't disavow the show that made him famous and gave him his start, he's ok with it. He likes talking about, and he sure as hell as a great sense of humor about it.

All this was confirmed in his appearance on Jimmy Fallon's late night show last night when Mark-Paul came out as Zack Morris. And conducted the entire interview as Zack. He never broke character, never let on that it was just a joke, but he played it straight the whole time. And it was awesome. But don't take my word for it:

I found this interview with Mark-Paul about his appearance here. And what really makes him SBOTW worthy, is that the whole thing? Was his idea. He had to sell Jimmy Fallon on the plan to come out as Zack. And thank god he did, because it's one of the funniest and best things I have ever seen.

Drinking the Kool-Aid

When Gossip Girl started two years ago, I was over-stuffed with shows and it didn't make the cut. And then I resisted the urge to get involved even though a lot of people kept going on and on about how great it was. It's not every show that gets consistent A+s from Jacob over at TWOP.

And then I went to Las Vegas with my friend Chris and he brought the first season on DVD. And we watched the first episode. And I got hooked.

It's not like I really wanted to get addicted to a show about a bunch of privileged self-involved high schoolers. And it's not like ANYONE's high school experience is actually like this. And don't point me in the direction of Bravo's new series NYC Prep, because you know those kids are lying through their teeth and just want to be on reality television.

ANYWAY. Gossip Girl is really good, the characters aren't as one dimensional as I was expecting, the clothes are just as ridiculous as I was hoping*, and this show is totally going to be the current generation's Dynasty.

And how can I resist something that has the involvement of Kristen Bell? She is the gossip girl, after all.

*speaking of clothes, what the eff is up with Chuck Bass' wardrobe? Seriously, it just gets more and more weird. Scarves are his thing? Ugh. Also, I have some trouble telling all the white boys apart on this show. Chuck, Nate, Dan...they kind of all look the same.

Scarves? Really?

I mean, seriously.

I knew it was too good to be true...

Something about Hulu always seemed too good to be true. All the network shows I want, free of charge on my computer, with only minimal commercials? It just never smelled right.

And now I know why.

They were just lulling us into a false sense of security before charging our asses for content! According to articles all over the internet, Jonathan Miller, the new chief digital officer* of the corporation that owns Hulu stated recently that he sees Hulu charging for content in the near future. Meaning you would need a subscription to view all your favorite shows.

So I would think twice before throwing out my television for good....

You lied to me Baldwin! Lied to meeeeeeeeee!

* Chief digital officer?? Seriously? LAME.

Viewer Discretion Advised

One of the benefits of living near your parents (well, it's a benefit if you actually like them), is being able to stop by and visit whenever you want. In fact, I have a standing Wednesday night appointment with my Dad and Stepmother; they agree to provide me dinner and I agree to grace them with my presence. Seems fair.

During these visits, we typically watch one episode of a series television show, and it's kind of our "family television hour." But I realized the other day that the shows we usually pick are not what you would call family friendly. Actually, they're pretty much as far from that as you could get.

Example: the first show that kicked off this lovely tradition was Showtime's Dexter. That's right. Our family television hour was centered around a serial killer (on a quest for justice!) and included explicit violence and language. We followed that up with Supernatural, Dexter Seasons 2 and 3, and have now moved onto True Blood. Which not only has graphic violence and adult language, but also has the added bonus of really explicit sexual content.

As we sat around the table eating our dinner and watching a vampire fucking a woman from behind while drinking her blood, I started wondering: is this normal?

I know a lot of families watch television together, but I find it hard to believe that most watch such adult shows. But the thing is, my Dad has a loooong history of allowing his children to watch what most people would consider inappropriate television and movies. Every other weekend when we stayed with him, he would often nap on the couch leaving my brother and me to our own devices and with possession of the remote control. This meant a steady diet of movies such as Predator, RoboCop, Rambo, Jaws, etc. etc. I wouldn't say I became desensitized to R-rated movies, but it has definitely made me something of a connesieur.

So it's not a surprise that now as a family we enjoy such adult entertainment. After a steady diet of R-rated movies in my youth, my Dad and I connected in later years over shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dark Angel, The West Wing, and Veronica Mars. If you think about it, all the premium cable series we now watch are really just mature extensions of those other shows. I guess.

Or maybe we're just a really odd family. Either way, it's going to take a while for me to get totally comfortable watching graphic sex scenes with my family, but we'll get there eventually. I just haven't figured out if that's a good thing.

+2 Intelligence, -3 Charisma

You may know her as Penny from Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog, Vi from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, that ballet snob from Bring It On Again, or even as that girl from the Sears commercial. But Felicia Day is actually a formidable script-writer and producer, as evidenced by her delightful web series, The Guild. Which is why that you should love her as much as I do.

Of course, I have a well-documented weakness for redheads.

The Guild will make you crack up, but it will also make you cringe. The show concerns itself with the lives of six painfully awkward role-playing gamers who finally meet each other IRL ("in real life"). Each of them is hilariously inept and uncomfortably real. My favorite is Zaboo (played by my homeboy, Sandeep Parikh). He's a "HinJew" - Hindu mother, Jewish father - with a stalker-ish crush on Day's character, Codex. Parikh steals the show - his comedic timing is second to none.

Damn, but these geeks are hot.

You don't have to be a gamer to enjoy The Guild. You just need a couple hours to watch the entire series (a total of 22 episodes, each 3-9 minutes long), and a l33t dictionary. Some key phrases...

QQ moar, n00b
Keep crying/whining, newbie. It amuses me.

AFK
Away From Keyboard (this happens very rarely).

Pwned
I just made you my bitch!

The latest news is that Microsoft has signed on for a third season of The Guild. Bonus: there will be a sneak peak at Comic Con in July! Meanwhile, catch up and support the show online.

Does anyone watch the MTV Movie Awards live anymore? Or more importantly, do the MTV Movie Awards represent anything more than a 3 hour commercial for upcoming movies? Answers: no and no.*

So, confession time. I did not watch the MTV Movie Awards. Shocker! But then again, I'm not really their target demographic anymore. I'm a girl, yes, but I am not 14 years old. But even though I missed the show, after reading about the best and worst moments on EW.com, I decided to check out some of the clips on MTV.com.

While I probably could have skipped seeing Sacha Baron Cohen smash his genitals into Eminem's face, I had to see the New Moon trailer and the Harry Potter preview. Oh, and check out the clip for best kiss. It's pretty hot.

*Ok, so I took a little artistic license. The awards show actually had it's best ratings in the last 5 years....most likely due to all those tween Twilight fans. Never underestimate the power of the tweens!