Friday, May 29, 2009
The Doctor Is In
Thursday, May 21, 2009
In other retcon news...
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The season finale of Bones came off like alternate-universe fan fiction - amazingly good fan fiction, but still. It opens with a huge fan service for all us Booth/Brennan shippers - the two principles obviously in a loving relationship, jumping right into bed. Then you realize, Booth and Brennan have been recast as the married owners of a nightclub called The Lab.
Angela, Zack, and the rest of the "squinterns" play employees at the club - with the exception of Clark Edison, who plays a rapper who wants to debut at The Lab, and Arastoo Vaziri, who plays a Persian businessman interested in buying B&B out. Sweets is the bartender/budding musical talent. Caroline plays, surprise surprise, the nightclub's attorney. Cam and Jared play cops, investigating a murder that had taken place on the premises, and Max Brennan plays a corrupt councilman trying to blackmail B&B. Randomly, Angela's ex-husband Grayson Barasa shows up as Clark's gangsta brother. Finally, Hodgins provides the narrative voice as a booze hound crime writer.
You'll spend about 30 seconds going, "the hell?" And then you just go with it. It's a fun ride, with lots of great lines. After the serious revelation of Booth's brain tumor in last week's episode, it was a relief just to be silly with these characters for a while. Wait a minute ... OMG brain tumor!
Yes, it all turned out to be Booth's coma dream. Or is it? Right at the end, Hodgin's narration switches to Brennan's voice, and we see her typing by Booth's beside. She deletes the story just as he wakes up mumbling, "it was so real!" *sniff, sniff* And now, just to make me feel better, here is some gratuitous cuddling.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Doctor of Mindf*ckery
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I'm of two minds about the House, M.D. season finale (pun intended, for those who've seen the episode). I was actually pretty bored with the first 35 minutes. I'm not a Huddy shipper, so their hookup in last week's episode didn't really do anything for me. This episode opened with House waking up alone, and acting all nostalgic about the night before. Which, while really really cute, was disappointingly out of character for him.
Then, of course, it fell to Cuddy to be a raging bitch the next day and screw everything up. No one can be as bitchy as House, but she gave it her best shot. Next there was a lot of Wilson-enabled sophomoric behavior, as well as some tooth-achingly sweet moments of playing with Cuddy's lipstick. At this point, I was surfing the internet and seriously considering taking a bathroom break without pausing my Hulu playback. Yeah, it was that bad.
And then they drop the bomb - it was all a drug-induced hallucination. House never detoxed. He and Cuddy never hooked up. And the lipstick he was playing with? Actually a bottle of vicodin. My mind, she is blown. Side note: ghost of Kutner cameo! Kal Penn = LOVE.
Overall, I liked the finale. The side stories with Cameron and Chase's wedding and the old man who squawked (played by the hilarious Carl Reiner) really tugged at the old heartstrings. But I don't know if the payoff of the big reveal was worth slogging through the hot Huddy mess that was the first 3/4 of the episode.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Gobsmacked
Two shows that I never thought had a chance at renewal got a reprieve. Both Dollhouse and Better Off Ted have been renewed by FOX and ABC, respectively.
According to Michel Ausiello over at Entertainment Weekly, the budget for Dollhouse has been drastically reduced (and I loooove his idea of giving the douchey Topher the boot) all as part of the deal for renewal.
In other good news, Castle has been renewed as well! Hurray!
I suggest checking over at Ausiello's page at least daily for updates. The networks are due to make all their final decisions regarding their fall schedules next week starting on Monday.
UPDATES: Chuck is now officially renewed for 13 episodes! Yay! But, Terminator: Sarah Conner Chronicles is officially cancelled. Boo! You suck FOX! I can't believe they would keep Dollhouse but can T:TSCC. Maybe because it's so much more expensive with all that terminator CGI?
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Make Me A Supermodel
While skimming the site for Popular Science, I came across this: The Latest Model. It's a robotic fashion model! Several LOL-inducing thoughts:
1. Even though it approximates human movement, right now it can't really walk, or glide, or strut down the catwalk. It stomps.
2. The programmers are experimenting with a variety of facial expressions, but apparently they all come across as "surprised."
3. I cannot wait until this makes it into the zeitgeist and I get to hear Tyson tell some poor hapless model, "You look like one of those crazy Japanese robots that is going to make us all useless by the year 2030."
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Looks like Ted's heading for a better place
This news is just depressing. Sure, Better Off Ted may not have been the next Lost. What did ABC expect - hardly any promotion, a moving time slot (okay, so they moved it once, but still!), and only 7 weeks to make things work? They hardly gave the show a chance.
But maybe it's not too late! There's an informal poll on Entertainment Weekly's site about saving the show. It's slightly inconvenient to fill out (they ask for an email address, even though they don't display it, and one of those 'confirm you are a person' code thingies), but well worth the effort! According to EW, ABC announces it's new prime time schedule in less than a week - sign the poll and help save Better Off Ted!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Don't be looking for Tim, Heidi, Nina, or Michael. There are two challenges every episode, including a mini-challenge that the designers have only 1 hour to complete. The runway show is performed in front of a crowd of "fashion industry insiders." There's no independent mentor; co-hosts Isaac Mizrahi and Kelly Rowland are both judges AND mentors.
It's not Project Runway.
But you know what? I like it.
The Fashion Show debuted last Thursday at 10pm on Bravo. Since losing Project Runway to Lifetime, I guess Bravo decided to just make the same show, but with some well-placed tweaks.
Isaac Mizrahi was delightfully bitchy (telling the designers how embarrassed and disappointed he was with the first runway show) and Kelly Rowland was kind of useless but looked great. The third regular judge Fern Mallis (the woman who runs New York Fashion Week) knew her stuff and the guest judge was an actual designer.
The challenges were interesting and really showed off what the designers were capable of. The mini-challenge was to create a little black dress from just a black t-shirt (they had only one hour) and the main challenge was to organize into teams, come up with one "must have" piece and incorporate it into five different looks to form a collection. So it was a team challenge, but each designer was in charge of one of the looks. They expressed themselves individually, but needed to design for a team collection as well.
I like that the runway show is performed in front of an actual crowd, but I'm not sure how I feel about having the crowd vote on the winner. Things could get....interesting. The judges are (so far) only responsible for picking the person who gets the boot.
As for the designers....most of them are difficult to distinguish at this point. Of course, Merlin stands out (watch the show, you'll know why--picture a gay latino fairy-magician), and I was really impressed with the initial design of Reco. Other than that, I'm going to shy away from making any predictions...you never know with these kind of competitions!
Monday, May 11, 2009
MSCR: Ed, Edd, n Eddy
Eddy is the leader of the group, and a born con-man. His harebrained plots and unapologetic greed for jawbreakers are constantly getting The Eds into trouble – which is basically his element. He lovingly refers to his compatriots as "sock-head" and "lumpy."
Edd, aka Double D, is the brains of the operation. He's a tremendous nerd, trying to apply a rational approach to an irrational world. While he often tries to dissuade Eddy from his more dangerous stunts, he usually gives in and ends up helping. Ed's little sister Sara has a bit of a crush on Double D … and so do I.
Ed is a gentle giant, an amiable simpleton whose frequent non sequiturs are the highlights of the show.
Eddy: What, Ed?
Ed: I say, the cheese is always twice the fence post.
The cast is rounded out with a diverse group of frenemies from around the cul-de-sac, as well as the Eds' would-be paramours, a trio of trailer park girls known as the Cankers. I deliberately call it a "cast" because each character is well-developed and the interactions between them are complex and organic. In other words, despite the far-fetched plots, Ed, Edd n Eddy feels real in a way other cartoons don't. Check it out at the official website, or the next time it airs on Cartoon Network
Friday, May 08, 2009
Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Pile of Crap
But even the pretty cannot distract me from the fact that this show is basically shit. Sure, I found some elements funny - but that says more about me than about the show. To call the humor sophomoric would be an insult to sophomores everywhere. The writing is something a 14 year-old boy might come up with, full of gratuitous toilet and sex jokes. Beyond that, there is an undertone of misogyny that sticks in my craw. I'm referring to the token female character, Aneka.
Aneka is billed as a "pagan warrioress," an obvious send-up of Xena. Except, she's super slutty. In the first episode she goes home to her village to complete the Rite of the Raccoon or some such, where she sleeps with 300 men. Part of the rite is doing a strip tease for a catcalling crowd of lecherous men. And already I'm clutching my poor abused frontal lobe in agony.
That's when it hit me - there is no need for a parody of Hercules and Xena. Those shows were already parodies of themselves, because they were fully aware of their campy glory. And that was part of the fun - liking a show but also laughing at yourself for liking it. Krod Mandoon, in trying to take the genre "over the top," devolves into the lowest form of humor imaginable.
The season (and with any luck, the series) finale aired yesterday. I didn't bother to watch. Though I may catch it in one of the million reruns of the show Comedy Central will use to fill air time.
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Hidden Sponsor?
The news coverage, the online coverage and the radio coverage are all free advertising for KFC's grilled chicken (though I am sure it wasn't completely free given the amount they had to pay Oprah).
http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20090430-tows-kfc-coupon-download
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
New Show Watch: Glee
So what's the new show that is currently making me wriggle with glee?
Glee!
Glee is a new FOX program slated for this fall, but for one night only on Tuesday, May 19, FOX is airing a special preview of it after American Idol.
So what's the deal with the show and why is Maggie so excited about it? Here's the run-down from FOX:
GLEE is a one-hour musical comedy that follows an optimistic high school teacher as he tries to transform the Glee Club and inspire a group of ragtag performers to make it to the biggest competition of all: Nationals.
Will Schuester, a young optimistic teacher, has offered to take on the Herculean task of restoring McKinley's Glee Club to its former glory. Everyone around him thinks he's nuts. He's out to prove them all wrong.
Musical? Comedy? A heart-warming story of a bunch of rag-tag kids fighting their way to the top? Dude. I am so in.
According to this article, the soundtrack will feature musical numbers each week, ranging from classics to current pop hits. Woot! And Kristin over at E! is reporting that there are plans for several soundtrack albums in the works AND featured songs will be available for download on Itunes immediately after the show airs. Also expected are guest appearances by Kristin Chenowith (love), Victor Garber, and Josh Groban.
Did I mention that it stars people who have been in Hairspray on Broadway and Veronica Mars, Heroes, and Nip/Tuck?
Seriously, what is not to love?
For an extended preview, click here! I don't about y'all, but I got chills, they're multiplying.
Saturday, May 02, 2009
When your ratings are down...add Jeff Goldblum
I wanted Goldblum to suck. Really badly in fact, however, not so much. Granted he is no Goren, a love I will never quite understand, but he held his own. Julianne Nicholson (Wheeler) has stayed on as the fourth detective on the show. The opening credits photos were entertaining because they were all Jeff Goldblum and none of her.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Remembering Bea Arthur
Then it came to me! I wasn't the one who should be writing about Bea, my good friend Chris, who practically worshiped the ground she walked on, was the perfect choice. So here's a guest post from Chris on Bea:
Anyone who knows me knows I'm a huge Golden Girls fan, like most gay men I know. And I mean huge. I own all seven seasons, still watch it on TV, can quote most of it and, to the annoyance of my family, laugh at most of the punch lines before they're even uttered. This isn't a recent obsession. I watched the Girls when it was originally on the air on NBC. Picture me, just short of my twelfth birthday, sitting in a chair directly in front of the TV, crying at Dorothy leaving Blanche, Rose and Sophia to marry Blanche's Uncle Lucas. If that wasn't my parents' first clue I'm gay, seriously, what would it take?But I digress. Most people our age know Bea as Dorothy from Golden Girls. Thanks to Lifetime (and now Hallmark Channel), the show's been running perpetually for over a decade. Our parents and grandparents probably know Bea as Maude, a character originally cast as the liberal feminist cousin of Edith Bunker on All in the Family. Maude was so popular a character that CBS spun off an entire series based on her, which ran for six seasons. The show hit some nerves, most notably with Maude deciding to have an abortion. Keep in mind, this episode aired before Roe v. Wade, meaning that in many parts of the country, abortion was still illegal in all circumstances. Bea earned the first of two acting Emmys in 1977 for her role as Maude. By the end, Bea (as she was apt to do), decided it was time to leave the show. This is how Golden Girls ended as well.What most people probably don't know is that Maude was Bea's first television gig, at age 50. After her appearance on All in the Family, CBS executives famously asked "'Who is that girl? Let's give her her own series.'" Thus, Maude was born.
However, by this time, Bea was already a very successful actress on Broadway. From Wikipedia:
On stage, her roles included Lucy Brown in the 1954 Off-Broadway premiere of Marc Blitzstein's English-language adaptation of Kurt Weill's Threepenny Opera, Yente the Matchmaker in the 1964 premiere of Fiddler on the Roof, and a 1966 portrayal of Vera Charles to Angela Lansbury's Mame, for which she won a Tony Award. She reprised the role in the 1974 film version opposite Lucille Ball. In 1981, she appeared in Woody Allen's The Floating Lightbulb.
But back to why I loved Bea: her witty humor on Golden Girls. I can picture my mom and I having a similar relationship when we get old. A sometimes testy friendship, but in the end willing to move mountains for each other. I mean, come on, who hasn't wanted to call their mom a "furry little gnome"? The chemistry of the show was perfect, and she will be sorely missed. I only wish I could have seen her one woman show when she was on tour.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Just when I thought I was out... they pull me back in.
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Heroes - when it's good, it's the best thing on television. Hiro Nakamura is basically my favorite character ever (Ando Masahashi takes a close second). Almost every episode has a truly gasp-worthy moment. And it's integration of classic themes from comic books not only made it truly original (and all the rarer for it). It made geekiness mainstream - dare I say, even cool?
At the same time, when it's bad, it's godawful. As much as I love (to look at) Mohinder, he continues to be the stupidest man on the planet. Every time I saw the wonder twins (Maya and Alejandro), I wished my eyes would turn black and kill things. Ooh, and remember Peter's
Blame it on the writer's strike if you must, but I think we can all agree that Heroes first season = awesome while the second season = pathetic. At the beginning of this season, I was tried of the unbearable hope and constant disappointment. So I gave Heroes an ultimatum. "I can find something else to do with my Monday nights," I lied. "Shape up or ship out." Then I watched, with a jaded eye and one hand on the clicker.
Yesterday, they went and killed Nathan Petrelli.
Here's how it went down: with no forewarning whatsoever, Sylar slashes Nathan's throat. I scream, "OH MY GOD!" and pull my t-shirt up to my nose. I spend the next thirty seconds trying not to scream again. My neighbors consider calling the police. For the next twenty minutes, I'm glued to my television - I kind of needed to pee, but there would be time for that later! I'm not entirely sure I blinked until the start of Mohinder's closing voiceover.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Screw Jared, I'm doing it for Chuck.
On his website, Zac Levi is asking Chuck fans to visit Subway today (Monday, April 27) and purchase a $5 footlong. While doing so, take the time to fill out a comment card noting that you are supporting Chuck, or mention it to manager.
We all know money talks, and since Subway is Chuck's main sponsor, this represents a great opportunity to put your money where your mouth is.
Also, subs = yummy. Everybody wins!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Jim Beaver and his Fab Hats
TV Guide has a nice interview with Jim Beaver here, where he talks about his television shows and his new book, Life’s That Way, about his wife’s cancer.
See how great he looks in hats?
So, to sum up. He's a great actor, an author, and a nice person. And can rock a hat.
To the show-runners of Supernatural and Harper's Island: if you kill his characters, I might consider breaking up with you. You have been warned.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Unusually Good
"Shabbat shalom, motherfuckers!"
However, face recognition will only take you so far - even the best actors can't sell the viewer on wimpy characters. Also, police procedurals are notoriously formulaic, character-driven though they may be. There were so many ways for The Unusuals to actually be more of the same.
Happily, this is not the case. Several characters in The Unusuals are interesting twists on well-known tropes. The tough-as-nails cop is also the sexually voracious love interest (without, at least so far, compromising her professionalism). The brown-nose turns out to be quite a sympathetic character. The goody-two-shoes rookie is also the cop with a shady past. And the street-smart mentor/father figure Jason Walsh, played by Jeremy Renner, is actually one of the pair of protagonists (side note: if he dumps the tough-as-nails cop for the other protagonist (Amber Tamblyn), I will be very disappointed). This multitasking not only gives these typical throwaways more depth, it makes room in the ensemble for some truly original characters.
Amber Tamblyn plays Casey Shraeger, an up-and-coming cop who happened to up-and-come from a wealthy family. She doesn't want her co-workers to know, and often has to scramble to hide her connections. I know it sounds weak, but the interplay of her two worlds is really well done.
Furthermore, Harold Perrineau plays a cop who lives in constant fear of death or injury and whose partner, played by Adam Goldberg, seems to have a death wish. The cast is rounded out by some really strong support – the DA who went to school with Shraeger and must be blackmailed to keep her secret, Shraeger's handsome yet bumbling accountant, and the Sergeant who has asked Shraeger to spy on her partner.
As you can see, there's a lot going on with this show. But it all fits together well, with divergent story lines and motivations coming together to into a coherent plot. So check out The Unusuals, online or Wednesdays at 10pm on ABC.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Secret Boyfriend of the Week: Bobby!
Famous Sports Writer!
Gets along perfect with your friends!
Rich (Bobby's family has millions and a villa in Italy.....I repeat....VILLA IN ITALY)!
Great sense of humor!
And look at him....Ok, maybe I should have started there.
Catch My Boys tonight!
As a side note my spotlight is on Bobby....Kyle Howard (the actor who plays Bobby) is currently dating Lauren Conrad from the Hills....he loses all points for bad taste.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
When fandoms collide!
But this week, I'll be sure to catch it. There's been a lot of internet chatter about this week's geektastic CSI Star Trek Battlestar Gallactica mash-up.
Here's the official expla:
Hodges and Wendy run into one another at a science-fiction where a TV producer is murdered. The two help in the investigation which reveals that the producer was re-making a beloved sci-fi series and giving it an ultra-violent twist that upset many devout fans.Oh, awesome. There are sure to be many shout-outs for sci-fi fans, especially fans of the newer incarnation of BSG who are familiar with the controversy and ire that erupted four years ago when the news broke of the BSG's remake. According to TV guide, the episode was written by former Star Trek and Battlestar writers and features BSG's Ellen Tigh and creator, Ronald D. Moore.
Here's a cute interview with the guy who plays Hodges on the episode and how his character may finally act on his crush on fellow lab-rat, Wendy.
Monday, April 13, 2009
"Can a company be bitchy?"
This is the story of Ted Crisp, the head of R&D at the Veridian corporation, a faceless monolith with its finger in every pie. From scratchy office chairs that improve productivity to organic vegetables chock-full of antidepressants, Veridian does it all! And while it doesn't necessary mean to be evil... well, you get the picture.
They put one of their scientists in a cryogenic chamber,without knowing that they would be able to reanimate him.
That's cold.
After watching the first episode, I started searching my office for surveillance equipment. Even though the situations are farcical, the characters and relationships could have been lifted from my life. Ted has to constantly walk the line between basic human decency (embodied by his daughter, Rose) and the absurdities that arise when powerful people become completely detached from reality (see his boss, Veronica, played by Portia de Rossi). I get that.
Best line of the first episode goes to Rose:"Do grown-ups even care about right and wrong?"
It doesn't hurt that the cast is filled out with great, quirky characters. Linda is the disgruntled employee stealing creamer as an act of rebellion. Phil and Lem are the sweet, harmless scientists who often need protection from the company - and themselves. And the writing is so great that Ted's monologuing, delivered directly to the camera and shattering the fourth wall into a million tiny pieces, is not annoying in the slightest. My advice - cancel your two o'clock and get caught up with Better Off Ted online, and catch it on the air Wednesdays, 8:30 on ABC.















