Star Wars Regret

Love this one...

Some Unnecessary Censorship from 2009

Obama must have been at a Tea Party rally...

TV Season 2010-2011: Top Ten Pt 2

Justified.  I was a bit disappointed to not see the fantastic interplay between Raylan and his boss as often as in Season One, but Raylan had other things occupying his time.  And how do you try to follow Boyd and Beau Crowder?  Why, you introduce Mags Bennett and her sons, who proved to be just as dangerous—and much more under-the-table with their crimes. 

I will admit to being a little disappointed in the new love combinations this season. Seeing Raylan go backwards in his relationship was a bit too “easy”, but you can’t turn down Natalie Zea, I guess.  Ava’s new interest came out of left-field, though, and because she was seen so little this year, it was hard to see why she went the direction she did.

 

Modern Family.  This show is so consistently good—and yet so NOT showy—it’s easy to forget just how great it truly is.  But, looking at it with a critical eye, it’s nearly flawless.  The writing is spot-on and the characters and situations always fit together.  The six adult actors are masters of their crafts and their characters.  And the younger actors must be learning something from them because I can’t faults with their work either—and this show doesn’t hide them off-screen; very often, they are the main parts of the side-plots.  These characters are all very real, and that’s incredibly rare.

           

Something else I enjoy about the show is: it’s not cynical or mean-spirited.  Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE that type of humor—but I can also appreciate a show that gets by on not having it (other than a playful “jab” at a husband or a sister).  This is a show that is based completely on love and mutual respect, and it’s very very rare to see a movie, let alone a continuing TV series pull it off.

And it’s funny.  Always funny.

 

Raising Hope.  Like the above, this show is also based on love—but there is a heck of a lot of cynicism in it as well.  Like My Name is Earl, this show tries to prove even the “worst”, most selfish people can be good.  There is some crazy and wicked behavior going on, but the base of the entire show is this extended family that is trying to make the world a little better for the baby of the family.  And they have a tough time of it with all the kooks and oddballs that live in their little neighborhood.

           

I have to say I probably laughed out loud more watching this show than any other this season.

The Walking Dead.  I’ll admit this wasn’t the best show I watched this year, but I loved the ambitiousness of it.  The creators and actors are going “all in” with this show.  From great zombie effects to the pure “real-people” nature of the characters, this show is worth keeping your eyes on.  Yeah, some of the lines are hokey, some of the plots are littered with holes, and the blood and explosion CGI effects are cringe-worthy, but I consider those aberrations to what the show is trying to accomplish, which is to show what would really happen if the people around you died and then came back, wanting to eat you.      

This show can and does surprise on a weekly basis (and I’ve read the comics the series is based on).  I have a feeling season two will continue to blow-up expectations—and it’ll settle into an amazing look at the nature of humanity.  All while dodging creatures that crave eating human flesh…

Torchwood.  At first, I was a bit jarred to see this show that spun-off of the kid-friendly Doctor Who be as raw as it is (definitely couldn’t be a network series in America), but that rawness allowed it to tell stories in ways I have never seen before.  Captain Jack Harkness leads a small group of humans in their efforts to control the alien technology that keeps popping-up on Earth.  Jack (an immortal time-traveler) also knows something big is coming, so his little band of heroes is also supposed to lead the charge against an upcoming alien invasion (another reason they are collecting all these alien artifacts and weapons they find).

This is a show for grown-ups because of the frank sexuality and violent nature of some of their cases.  The protagonists are also only “heroes” in the sense that they usually do the right thing.  But not always.  They all have their pasts.  They are all petty at times and lustful at others.  It reminds me a lot of one of my favorite shows, Angel, which followed less-than-perfect characters trying to do the right thing.  In many ways, these characters, who deal with aliens, and demons, and other supernatural things, are more real than most other characters you’d find in TV and movies because they have realistic foibles. 

I also find the “omnisexual” (man, woman, alien, whatever) nature of Captain Jack interesting.  One of my favorite “love stories” on TV or film—ever-- was contained in a truly heartbreaking episode that showed a love from Jack’s past, an American soldier in World War II.  It was very sweet, and very real, and the fact that it was between two men made no difference on its impact.  What’s interesting is that it isn’t pointed out.  There are no “very special episodes” dealing with whom Jack gets involved with.  He just finds someone he’s attracted to, and goes for it.

This show isn’t for everyone, but if you like very grounded science-fiction on your TV with sophisticated characters and backstories, and can handle some sex, violence, and vulgarity, give it a look.

Chickenfoot is Coming

Even with new Van Halen (supposedly) on the horizon, I'm pumped as Hell for this.

It's gonna rock...

Popular Science Blows stuff up

Slo-mo, Hi-Def footgae of fireworks in action

TV Season 2010-2011: Top Ten Pt 1

The first half.  Some I had lots to write about, others I didn't.  Doesn't mean anything other than: some I had lots to write about, and some I didn't.

Archer.  This is a show I was consistently entertained by, even though I can’t always pin-down what happened.  I just know I always laughed. I hate knowing who the voice actors are on most shows and movies, but it’s really hard not to acknowledge the great work by H Jon Benjamin and Aisha Tyler.  I, seriously, can’t picture anyone else doing those voices.  And that’s not to say Chris Parnell, Judy Greer, Amber Nash, and Jessica Walter don’t deserve props, but I can’t even imagine not hearing the cocky, sarcastic, yet borderline whiny Benjamin—and NO ONE can say one word (“Yep”) that says as much as Tyler can.  

Unlike last year, when the supporting characters “made” this show for me, this year, it was Sterling Archer himself.  He’s still a complete dick, but the people around him let all their quirks out, so Archer was actually the stable one of the show.  If you watched the first season, your eyebrows should have raised with that comment…

Community.  Definitely a show that’s too quirky for everyone, but that quirkiness is also the largest part of its charm.  This show can tell any type of story on any subject and completely break down the walls of what is expected.  A zombie story for Halloween that was outrageous (but held together by a loose plot that “could be” real), Abed’s whacked-out Claymation Christmas dream, a episode revolving around a game of Dungeons and Dragons that had more character development than most shows do in a season, and an anti-drug skit that was increasingly outrageous—and hilarious.  As well as an episode that was heading toward one parody/homage and completely flipped into another.  This show can do just about anything, and that’s one of the joys of tuning in every week.

Another fun part is how the show is becoming more and more meta.  Little things from past episodes pop up in the background of new episodes.  It’s becoming quite a bit like Arrested Development in the shout-outs to past things (on-screen and off-screen; another fine development is that these characters have lives we don’t always see on the show).  But the show does not feel as insular as AD, and the plots are very new-viewer friendly.

Doctor Who.  I feel I’ve written most of this before, but I couldn’t find that I wrote it in last year’s TV “wrap-up”, so who knows? 

The Eleventh Doctor (played wonderfully by Matt Smith) blows onto the scene and turns away an alien invasion with only the mention that he is The Doctor in his very first episode.  This guy is different than the last two Doctors I’ve been exposed to.  A little bit goofy, not as “hard” as the Ninth Doctor, and not as mentally adept as the Tenth Doctor—but he now flaunts his rep and sometimes that’s all he needs to solve his problem. 

Smith stepped into an impossible situation by replacing the beloved David Tennant as The Doctor. Showrunner/head writer Steven Moffat stepped into an impossible situation by replacing Russell T. Davies, who reinvented the series for the current times and made the show a monster success across the pond.  But they both pulled it off.  Smith, by not aping Tennant’s style, and Moffatt by not aping the tone that Davies did so well.  They both did their own thing—but very much as what one can expect from both Doctor Who, the character, and Doctor Who, the series.

But even though they both did their things, it was still refreshing to see them hold to what came before.  I loved that they went in new directions, yet still brought back some old characters and enemies.  And I really appreciate that one episode that season hit me in the gut just like at least one episode did in each of the previous four seasons.  Knowing you can introduce a character and make us love him/her so much in a single hour is a monster achievement.  (I’m thinking specifically about episode 10: “Vince and The Doctor”).

And of course I‘d be remiss to not mention that Karen Gillian’s role as Amy Pond also continues the winning streak the show has had when it comes to The Doctor’s companions.  Pond is an integral character to the show, and can be whatever is needed: scared, heroic, strong, funny… Everything a companion needs to be.  But she also brings a few new things that other companions didn’t necessarily have: a secret (she’s engaged), a longing for The Doctor (who she met as a young girl and couldn’t forget), and a little sexy (not that the others weren’t; but Amy is slightly more intended to be—as least as sexy as one can be on what is, at heart, a children’s show).

Episodes.  The very British-humor type series took a while to get going, but when it did, it was really good.  First-off, it featured two of my favorite British actors (from my favorite British show: Green Wing) as writers brought to America to adapt their highly-acclaimed comedy to an American audience.  Sounds great.  But you know how so many adaptations of successful shows/movies or books get somehow screwed-up beyond recognition?  This series shows you how it happens. 

The writers meet a producer who LOVES their award-winning show and wants it to be adapted for America.  The writers move to L.A. to begin production and then it’s revealed the producer has never watched an episode of the original.  Then the older actor who runs the school the show is based on is replaced for the “better” Matt LeBlanc (neither a gentleman—as portrayed in this series—or an old man).  More “wouldn’t it be better if…”s like “how about the main character be a hockey coach instead of the head of the school?” and “How about the hot lesbian (and thus unattainable as a romantic partner for LeBlanc’s character) librarian not be a lesbian” (and attainable as a romantic partner for LeBlanc’s character)? are added to the adaptation, and eventually it looks nothing like the original.  And not a single change makes the show better.  But we get to see how it happens.  I found it completely realistic because I’ve read many stories where the best of intentions to make a really great project amounted in a result that was a mess at best and a travesty at worst.  I mean, how do great actors get roped into shitty movies that aren’t about the paycheck?  Because the movies don’t end up being what they signed-on for.

I find the whole creative process fascinating.  How does a germ of an idea get to be a movie? How does a TV show get made?  What “pains” does a band go through to create an album?  How does an injury screw up a team/company’s plans for the rest of the year?  Hollywood is full of bullshit, and it was fun to watch it go on around these characters.

I also have to give a lot of credit to Matt LeBlanc, who was not really the main character of this series but was expected to carry it.  He played a version of himself (a little dumber, a little cockier, a little more egocentric than he really is—but he is also “blessed” with a huge schwing-schwang on the show, so the exaggerations were not all bad) and while you’d think that’d be easy, it probably wasn’t because the “Matt LeBlanc” of this series is pretty unlikeable.  It’s one thing for Larry David to be an ass on his own show, but LeBlanc was an actor and not a creator on this one, so he stuck his neck out on it to tweak the fan expectations of what “Matt LeBlanc” is really like (after assuming he’s quite a bit like Joey from Friends).  But it worked.

How I Met Your Mother.  Not the funniest or most clever season this show has had, but I loved how they are changing the characters subtly.  The ongoing arc of one character dealing with a death was very poignant while another dealt with a father s/he didn’t know.  These characters are growing up, and it’s nice to see them not repeat the same patterns as in previous seasons.  After six years, you should expect people of that age to experience growth—and loss.  This show is no longer constantly “on the bubble”, so they’re able to unfold storylines that they know they can spread out a bit, instead of just teasing us about getting close to answering the titular question.

Furniture Fix Dub

A few F-bombs here...

TV Season 2010-2011: Honorable Mentions

When you watch ninety-some shows, it's hard to narrow it down to the best ten-- so I'm gonna knock-out a few honorable mentions that just missed the cut.

Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel.  Still one of the best news shows I’ve ever seen.  It can take a subject I have only a mild interest in—sports—and give a human quality to their subjects that is better than anything that can be made up.  Pure brilliance and purely enthralling.

Terriers.  This show was very well put-together, but I never really fell in love with it like I had hoped to.  I’ll be happy with the one season we got—and I’ll probably pick it up on DVD if it’s ever released.  But I am not aching to have a second season (even with the “cliffhanger” ending).

The Good Guys.  I found this show to be much more hilarious than it probably was, but Bradley Whitford cracked me up every time he was on screen.  One of the best characters I’ve seen on TV.  And I loved the way the episodes moved forward and back through time to be brought full-circle by the end credits.

The League.  Not a great show, but much better than the spotty first season.  I really grew to looking forward to this show every Thursday.  Some outrageous moments and some laugh-out-loud moments as well.  Hopefully It’s Sunny in Philadelphia was watching because that show used to be this funny and outrageous.

The Soup.  No show I watch is more snarky—or spotlights the blatant stupidity-- of reality/talk shows (and some “soap opera” moments on scripted shows).  In a world where every entertainment “news” show basically hand-jobs these reality shows, The Soup is a breath of fresh reality. And it’s very witty, which is something I always enjoy.

The Count Likes to [censored]

TV Shows 2010-2011 Season

As in the past, I've mentioned the shows I dug the most from June until May.  And, as a matter of honesty, I also mention the TV shows I watched, so there are no "Where the hell is Friday Night Lights?" or any other great show I don't mention.  I watch a stupid amount of television, but I can't watch it all.

Anyway: Here is the list of shows I watched from June 2010 to the end of May 2011, give or take a few weeks where a show may have drifted (such as a show that premiered in May 2011 and is still airing, I may not count until next year).  About ninety shows I at least tried this year.

Yeah-- stupid amount of TV...

After Lately; E!
American Dad; FOX
Archer; FX
Attack of the Show; G4

Better With You; ABC (2 eps)
Big Brother 12; CBS
Big Love; HBO
[Bleep] My Dad Says; CBS (2 eps)
Bob’s Burgers; Fox
Boondocks; adult swim
Breaking In; Fox

Californication; Showtime

Chelsea Lately; E! (about one a week)
Children’s Hospital; adult swim
Community; NBC
Cougartown; ABC

Delocated! Adult swim (4 eps)
Desperate Housewives; ABC (7 eps)
Doctor Who; BBC America

Eastbound & Down; HBO
Episodes; Showtime
Entourage; HBO

Family Guy; Fox
Futurama; Comedy Central

Gavin and Stacy; BBC America
Glee; Fox

Happy Endings; ABC
Hard Knocks: NY Jets; HBO
Hawaii Five-O; CBS (8 eps)
Hellcats; CW (half the season)
Hot in Cleveland; TV Land
How I Met Your Mother; CBS

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia; FX

Justified; FX

Leverage; TNT
Life Unexpected; The CW (3 eps)
Louie; FX

Mad Love; CBS
Mary Shelley’s Frankenhole; adult swim (4 eps)
Men of a Certain Age; TNT
Mike & Molly; CBS (3 eps)
Modern Family; ABC

Not Going Out; BBC America

Outsourced; NBC

Parenthood; NBC (3 eps)
Parks and Recreation; NBC
Penn & Teller’s Bullshit; Showtime
Perfect Couples; NBC

Raising Hope; Fox
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel; HBO
Real Time with Bill Maher; HBO
Robot Chicken; adult swim
Rules of Engagement; CBS (6 eps)
Running Wilde; Fox

Sons of Tucson; Fox
South Park; Comedy Central
Sports Show With Norm McDonald; Comedy Central

Terriers; FX
That Metal Show; VH1 Classic
The Big Bang Theory; CBS
The Big C; Showtime (3 eps)
The Chicago Code; Fox
The Cleveland Show; Fox
The Event; NBC
The Good Guys; Fox
The Hard Times of RJ Berger; MTV
The League; FX
The Middle; ABC
The Office; NBC
The Onion News; IFC OnDemand (3 eps)
The Onion Sportsdome; Comedy Central
The Simpsons; Fox
The Soup; E!
The Soup Presents; E!
The Venture Brothers; adult swim
The Walking Dead; AMC
30 For 30; ESPN (about half the eps)
30 Rock; NBC
Tosh.0; Comedy Central
Traffic Light; Fox

Undercovers; NBC (4 eps)

Web Soup; G4
Weeds; Showtime
Wipeout; ABC (the summer 2010 run)
Workaholics; Comedy Central

**Not new during June 2010-May 2011:

Alias Season 5
Big Love Season 4
Torchwood Season 1, Season 2

Ball Jugglers

Premieres and Notables: July 4-10, 2011

Monday, 7/4

Passport: Venezuela; Nuvo TV. 9 pm CS. Series Premiere.
Wilmer Valderrama takes a trip to his native Venezuela.


Wednesday, 7/6

Flipping Out; Bravo. 8 pm CST. 5th Season Premiere.

Men of a Certain Age (TNT; 9 pm CST). Season Finale.

I Shouldn't Be Alive; Animal Planet. 9 pm CST. Season Premiere.

Restaurant: Impossible; Food Network. 9 pm CST. Season Premiere.


Thursday, 7/7

Big Brother 13; CBS.  8 pm CST.  Season Premiere.
I'm not even going to pretend I won't watch this again this year.  For some reason, this idiotic show-- and the Chen-Bot-- hook me every single year.


Friday, 7/8

Say Yes to the Dress: Bridesmaids; TLC. 9 pm CST. Series Premiere.


Sunday, 7/10

Curb Your Enthusiasm; HBO. 9 pm CST. 8th Season Premiere.

The Protector; Lifetime. 9 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Ally Walker stars in this show about a LAPD homicide detective.

Torchwood: Miracle Day; Starz. 9 pm CST. Ten Episode Mini-series Premiere.
After the Children of Earth fall-out, what's left of the Torchwood team finds itself in America to investigate the odd phenomena that no one on Earth can die.   And, in typical Torchwood fashion, it's not all it's cracked up to be. 
And it seems as if except Captain Jack, who was immortal, has now lost that ability while everyone has gained it.
This is Torchwood's first adventure that was produced by an American network, and I think they're going to go all-out on it.  Children of Earth was excellent from everything I've read (haven't gotten to it yet myself), and the first two seasons of the show were pretty great. I recommend this mini-series (although at ten eps, it's as long as many cable series seasons).

George Lucas Strikes Back

Maybe he wanted a red one...