10. (The best is, indeed, last. Sorry about the length.)
The Wire: Simply put, the best television show I’ve ever seen-- and if you’ve been paying attention, you know I watch A LOT of TV, so I am pretty equipped to make that statement mean something. You also know I don’t resort to hyperbole much, so you know I mean it when I say: This is the best television show I’ve ever seen.
Created by former journalist David Simon and former homicide detective and schoolteacher Ed Burns, The Wire explores urban city America in the creators’ hometown of Baltimore. More specifically, the streets of East Baltimore. Using characters who are drug dealers, police, dock workers, addicts, school teachers, politicians, lawyers, newspapermen, and just regular people, the show explores the greater questions about our society and how we are failing it.
Simon explained that each season was meticulously planned out as a “novel”, with each episode being a single chapter of that novel. It may sound pretentious to describe it that way, but it’s very accurate. Each season told a story. There were no cliffhangers. The first couple of episodes set the scene for the season, the middle episodes furthered the plots, and the last two or three episodes contained the climax, with the last episode usually having the aftermath of the season’s events. Each season finale contained a montage with snippets showing what most of the primary and secondary characters were up to; a true ending to that story.
The first season introduces us to the series and focuses on the drug war. It’s not a new statement to say the War on Drugs is a complete failure, but by showing the struggles between police and drug dealers on the East Baltimore streets, we got a very human picture of the toll this farce has taken. Cops are hamstrung by the legalities of convoluted lawsuits that have changed the nature of the work, and the increasingly business-minded “drug lords” are able to stay one step ahead of them because of it. The Major Crimes Unit is formed to deal with the increasing threat of the drug trade, but the unit is composed of the dregs of the police force; the people the department wants to “lose”. They have become pariahs amongst their own people simply because they have always put the job—or honor-- first. The unit is expected to fail, even though they have some of the best police in the city on it.
The second season moves to the docks of Baltimore Harbor, which are quickly becoming less relevant to the city and the country as a whole. East European women brought to America via a cargo container to become paid escorts die on their trip, and the Major Crimes Unit gets put on that case as it’s expected to be a dog. Meanwhile, the drug trade heats up on the streets.
The third season deals with reform through a number of storylines. First, an honest and noble police major on his way to retirement and constantly berated by his superiors in front of his peers for not lowering his crime numbers takes a different approach to the drug problem: what if he secretly stopped cracking down on drug crime and corralled the drug trade into an “open market” of empty lots? It’s a brilliant idea, and the series takes a very close look at the ramifications of that idea. The next major storyline follows a young city councilman who wants to better the city and decides to become a crusader for major change. But he learns he has to play the game to be successful; it’s a catch-22: he can’t create change without working the system that makes change nearly impossible. The third main reform storyline follows a drug lord’s attempts to funnel his drug money into a more legitimate enterprise, real estate, in the hopes of getting even more money.
The fourth season takes a critical look at the school system through the stories of four at-risk boys from the streets. The school system is broken. Teachers and administrators, facing an ever-worsening budget, have been forced to no longer teach the kids general information, but teach the kids to be successful for the test that determines how much government funding they’ll get. One rookie teacher is learning the hard way that he can’t actually teach—and he also can’t seem to make a difference to his kids. On the other side of the fence, the kids from the streets are expected to work the drug trade to make good money and take care of their families—or just because they have no other alternatives in life. They have no incentive to learn at school because they all expect to be dead within a few years. Meanwhile, the police force can’t figure out why the homicide victim rate has gone down. They know the murders are still happening because the drugs are still out on the streets; they just can’t find the bodies.
Finally, the fifth season asks the question: if we know things are bad, why can’t we make the changes needed to better society? The focus is on the media, which is supposed to shine a light on the problems in society, by specifically following the struggles of the Baltimore Sun newspaper, which has been greatly weakened due to corporate greed, lazy writing, and reduced readership. Also, the police force is experiencing the effects of massive budget cuts—which hurt the efforts to reign in the drug traffic. And the city is experiencing a shortfall of money due to pumping so much of it into the schools; now the police department can’t react to the rash of murders that popped up. But not everyone is willing to settle for “there’s nothing that can be done”; they take actions to make their own and others’ lives better. A newspaper editor still demands the truth in an increasingly hostile corporate structure and is one of the last remaining voices of integrity in his newsroom. A drug renegade seeks revenge for a death and takes on an entire gang, one person at a time. A former addict tries his hand at recovery—and self-forgiveness. A detective forces an increased police budget by committing a terribly unethical act. A mayor fights the system to make the city better. And the whole series comes racing to a very satisfying (and yes: the best I’ve ever seen) series finale.
This is a very challenging series. It demands that viewers pay attention. It took two-and-a-half seasons for me to start putting all the pieces of the puzzle together; to “get” the storytelling method. This show takes a very real-world approach to how it tells its stories. Characters are not reintroduced every episode, events are not recounted step-by-step. You have to work out the relationships yourself. But telling the story like that also gives a massive payoff. You can see how one bad choice by a police officer can affect his career—and then you can trace how that single choice damages others’ lives. There are reverberations that go through the dozens upon dozens (and that’s literal) of characters.
The show also deals with heroes and villains in different ways. One of the best cops on the show makes terrible moral decisions—and constantly sabotages his career. And the worst drug dealers are often shown to be human; they are just doing the only thing they know. There were a number of dealers I really liked and was devastated when they were killed. And speaking of killing: you’d expect a police show like this to have lots of gunfights as that’s what we’re used to seeing in TV and movies. But because this show deals with those things in a real-world fashion, we see that gun fights are short—usually not even a fight at all. The drug dealers who get on the wrong side of a rival gang are usually sneaked up on, and get a “pop-pop” to the back of the head. These men/boys know that to start a street-wide gunfight is a losing proposition (and often involves immediate police action), so it’s quick and dirty—and done.
Every aspect of this show is nearly flawless. The writing is outstanding. I was flabbergasted to learn that there were more than one or two writers; that there was a whole team of very accomplished authors working on the scripts. Every episode feels like one part of a larger story, and there is a “flow” from episode to episode that teams of writers usually can’t accomplish.
The directing is extremely skillful. With the vast number of characters on the show, every scene is perfectly timed to fit exactly how it needs to in relation to the story. There are very few “wasted” scenes because each second is so precious that they couldn’t afford to have any weak moments. And even the more humorous scenes (some of which I’ve posted in this blog) fulfill a purpose, whether it is to ease tension or give us a glimpse into the larger aspects of the characters.
Finally, the acting. Magnificent. There were amazing things happening there. The show is about the city-- the characters are just ways to humanize the story—so every actor had the more-difficult-than-usual task of getting us to care about their characters. Even with all that, and with the fact that there were, easily, one hundred “important” characters (imdb.com lists 324 cast members) in these 60 episodes, I cared. I cared very deeply about many of them. Weeks after I watched the last episode, I still have tears well up in my eyes when I think about some of them. The writing and directing played a key part, but the actors playing those characters made these characters very much human. I doubt I’ll forget about any of them; they felt that real to me.
And a final thought on the acting: while there are a number of great, accomplished (or well on their way to becoming accomplished) actors in these roles, I found it very interesting that a large number of the minor characters were played by non-traditional actors. Most surprising to me was that the Deacon (a church-going man who is working at a grassroots level to better the community) was played by Melvin Williams, who was one of the largest drug lords of Baltimore of decades ago. He was arrested (by co-creator/producer Ed Burns when he was a cop, and the journalist who covered the arrest was creator/writer/producer David Simon), convicted, got rehabilitated as he did his time, and became a part of this show when he helped the producers learn about how the drug trade really works. And they cast him as a very inspirational role model for the community on the show because that’s the role he has tried to take in his life since his jail stint.
Another non-traditional acting choice was made in Felicia “Snoop” Pearson. I just finished her autobiography Grace After Midnight, and I learned that this woman, who died twice when she was born (she was a crack-baby) and grew up as a girl who liked doing boy things better (which involved working the Baltimore street corner drug trade), ended up in jail, got rehabilitated, tried getting legitimate jobs (that were ultimately taken from her when they learned of her felonious past) and then ended up back on the streets, was saved because of this show. She had tried so hard to be the best worker at the intensive-labor jobs she got out of jail, but was still thrown out when she admitted her past and ultimately had to go back to the corners because she had nowhere else to work. She was at a club when Michael K. Williams, who played the vigilante Omar on the show, spotted her and told her to go down to the set the next morning and get some camera tests taken. Snoop did as he instructed, earned $150 for the camera tests (which she noted wasn’t as much as she made in the same time while her dealers were working the streets) and was asked to come back. She did, and ended up with a fairly substantial role as a drug enforcer named Snoop (she was pleasantly surprised they used her actual street name in the series) in the last seasons of the show. It took a while, but she eventually gave up the drug trade (which she still worked while filming the show) and has acted in a number of films since. It’s an amazing story and shows the credibility the show was trying to achieve by taking real people from the real streets to fill out their cast.
And the show thrived very much on its credibility. Baltimore politicians and leaders may have claimed the show was making the streets look worse than they are, but the people who live on those streets often point to the show as saying it’s as real as it gets. David Simon said on a DVD extra that he was gratified when he heard that the HBO subscribers in Baltimore were a much higher percentage than in other cities in similar economic circumstances. He knew if people who had trouble paying their bills subscribed to HBO just to watch his TV show, then he must be telling the story correctly; that his show was giving those people a voice. Watching The Wire Sunday nights at viewing parties when the new episodes aired became a popular event for many B-More natives.
I could probably write ten times more than I have in this already long post about The Wire, and it would deserve every word. And, of course, I cannot even begin to do justice to the series by any of the words I write. This is a rare series that has helped me redefine my definition of what television is capable of. It is simply amazing. Do what you can to see this. Rent the DVDs at a video store (or maybe NetFlix), borrow them from the library or a friend, catch them on HBO OnDemand (and hopefully someday on repeats on the network), watch the sales (Best Buy has HBO-centric sales 2-3 times a year) and buy them yourself. Do what it takes to attain the episodes and give yourself completely over to that world that is just outside your window, yet one you probably never saw before.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
2008-2009 TV Top Ten #9
[Note: I am saving the best for last. #9 below was the last one I wrote up when I did these.]
9. Hmm. The last one is a bit tricky. There are a number of shows deserving of the “honor”. The Big Bang Theory is probably the best of the rest on my list. Prison Break had flashes of the brilliance I saw in season one again this year. Big Love had some great acting, even as I grew bored with the storyline. Chocolate News had some great bits; it reminded me very much of The Chappelle Show at times. Everybody Hates Chris went out on a high note; the show never got the credit it deserved throughout its run. Gary Unmarried seemed to get better every episode (much like The Big Bang Theory did last year). Mythbusters is so entertaining; you forget you’re also learning quite a bit. 30 Days and This American Life both gave very “ground level” looks at life. Real Sports continues to be able to make me laugh and cry in the same 60 minutes. Real Time is still able to put many of my beliefs into words. Worst Week had a fantastic actor in Kyle Bornheimer; I hope he shows up elsewhere. Phineas & Ferb didn’t have many new episodes, but the ones they had were very inspired; they really built on the groundwork of their first episodes.
But I’m going to go with the most recent show I really got into: Z Rock. I think it’s hilarious and is very close to the feel that early episodes of Entourage had.
If you haven’t read my other posts mentioning the show, I’ll give you a recap of the premise. Wait-- maybe I’ll just let the lyrics of the opening song the band plays every episode explain:
“We’re a Brooklyn band.
It's rock 'n roll we live.
But to pay our rent,
We have to play for kids.”
That, in a nutshell, is what the show is about. These three guys (two of which are brothers) try to play as the hard rock band Z2O but can’t land a gig that pays well enough. So they start playing at kids’ parties (birthdays, etc) as The Z Brothers. The boys aren’t that bright, so they always end up screwing something up. And their manager, Dina, is no genius, either.
The show is cartoonish at times, but that’s part of the charm. Paulie, lead singer and guitar player is an eternal optimist—even though he has no reason to be considering the state of his band and his life. His brother David, the bass player, is the resident stud, who went from nailing groupies to nailing moms. Joey, the drummer, has a girlfriend who is chomping at the bit to get married and whenever the band gets a break, she’s got out the wedding magazines, driving Joey crazy with ideas. Dina is a new manager and has one client: Z2O/Z Brothers. She’ll do anything for the band— whether it’s begging for money from her aunt or even having sex with the loathsome John Popper.
And, somehow, the show lands some pretty funny guest-stars who play versions of themselves. First is Joan Rivers, who is Dina’s aunt and lends her and the band money—and always expects a repayment. John Popper was in a few episodes being a music mogul who is just out for a few bucks—and will screw anyone to make them. Dee Snyder is Paulie’s Yoda; he shows up when Paulie needs advice. And the best guest star was Dave Navarro, who acted like a total dick (making an indecent proposal to Joey’s fiance and berating a little girl who didn’t act well enough to his liking in a music video).
It’s great fun. Check out the 2nd season, airing now on IFC.
9. Hmm. The last one is a bit tricky. There are a number of shows deserving of the “honor”. The Big Bang Theory is probably the best of the rest on my list. Prison Break had flashes of the brilliance I saw in season one again this year. Big Love had some great acting, even as I grew bored with the storyline. Chocolate News had some great bits; it reminded me very much of The Chappelle Show at times. Everybody Hates Chris went out on a high note; the show never got the credit it deserved throughout its run. Gary Unmarried seemed to get better every episode (much like The Big Bang Theory did last year). Mythbusters is so entertaining; you forget you’re also learning quite a bit. 30 Days and This American Life both gave very “ground level” looks at life. Real Sports continues to be able to make me laugh and cry in the same 60 minutes. Real Time is still able to put many of my beliefs into words. Worst Week had a fantastic actor in Kyle Bornheimer; I hope he shows up elsewhere. Phineas & Ferb didn’t have many new episodes, but the ones they had were very inspired; they really built on the groundwork of their first episodes.
But I’m going to go with the most recent show I really got into: Z Rock. I think it’s hilarious and is very close to the feel that early episodes of Entourage had.
If you haven’t read my other posts mentioning the show, I’ll give you a recap of the premise. Wait-- maybe I’ll just let the lyrics of the opening song the band plays every episode explain:
“We’re a Brooklyn band.
It's rock 'n roll we live.
But to pay our rent,
We have to play for kids.”
That, in a nutshell, is what the show is about. These three guys (two of which are brothers) try to play as the hard rock band Z2O but can’t land a gig that pays well enough. So they start playing at kids’ parties (birthdays, etc) as The Z Brothers. The boys aren’t that bright, so they always end up screwing something up. And their manager, Dina, is no genius, either.
The show is cartoonish at times, but that’s part of the charm. Paulie, lead singer and guitar player is an eternal optimist—even though he has no reason to be considering the state of his band and his life. His brother David, the bass player, is the resident stud, who went from nailing groupies to nailing moms. Joey, the drummer, has a girlfriend who is chomping at the bit to get married and whenever the band gets a break, she’s got out the wedding magazines, driving Joey crazy with ideas. Dina is a new manager and has one client: Z2O/Z Brothers. She’ll do anything for the band— whether it’s begging for money from her aunt or even having sex with the loathsome John Popper.
And, somehow, the show lands some pretty funny guest-stars who play versions of themselves. First is Joan Rivers, who is Dina’s aunt and lends her and the band money—and always expects a repayment. John Popper was in a few episodes being a music mogul who is just out for a few bucks—and will screw anyone to make them. Dee Snyder is Paulie’s Yoda; he shows up when Paulie needs advice. And the best guest star was Dave Navarro, who acted like a total dick (making an indecent proposal to Joey’s fiance and berating a little girl who didn’t act well enough to his liking in a music video).
It’s great fun. Check out the 2nd season, airing now on IFC.
Friday, June 26, 2009
2008-2009 TV Top Ten #8
8. Battlestar Galactica— This would have been the best television I watched this year had I not seen The Wire. This was a reimaging of the old show from the 1970s, but it really only kept the names and some visual designs of the original series. This show was made to stand on its own, and it did. It also explored topics rarely found on a television show. Topics like religion, terrorism, morals—and, maybe the most rare of all: what makes humans human.
The show is in the science fiction genre, but it was one of the most grounded and human shows I’ve ever seen. Take away the ships and the Cylons, and you’ve got a show with none of the sci fi elements we’re used to. At its heart, it’s a “journey” show. Machines humans created rebelled and disappeared. Then they returned and nearly wiped out the human race. There are roughly 50,000 humans left, and they are on the run. Running from their Cylon creations—and running toward their destiny, a planet called Earth. Along the way, they come across the Cylons again and again; sometimes they fight, sometimes they try to work together. During all that, we see some of the human characters get more vicious and some of the Cylons get more compassionate.
The acting and directing was superb; the writing was well done as well.
But I’ll admit while I was impressed by the technical aspects and underlying philosophy of the show, I never did fall in love with it. I was very much involved with it—and I usually went as soon as I could right to the next set of DVDs (I watched the first season in July, and then Seasons 2, 2.5, 3, and 4.0 from November and January before I settled in and watched Season 4.5 as it aired), but I never became a rabid fan. I’m not sure why-- other than I didn't watch the majority of the episodes "with" other people (as it aired) because this is excellent television.
As a side note—and because it’s the only season I watched as it aired; during the timeframe I’m supposedly critiquing—I was a bit disappointed in Season 4.5. I felt the revelation of the Fifth Cylon was a letdown, and I was also disappointed by what I felt was left on the table by the time the finale ended. There was a mythology to the show that it seemed to relish (at least the Sci Fi Channel did in its advertising) that didn’t have much answered by the end. Had the season tied off some of the ends and gone into a little more real backstory the last few episodes, I would have enjoyed the finale more. But taking a step back, after my disappointment was shelved; I can say the series finale was fantastic. It was unexpected and also very emotionally satisfying. Without saying much more that could ruin it, I can honestly say the show ended perfectly for the story it was telling.
Even though I had a few negative things to say, this series is excellent and exceptional in almost every way. I was probably a little too close to it (even though I hadn't been watching the entire run, I was reading the dozens of articles and reviews about it), and that's why I was never 100% satisfied.
But 98% satisfied is light-years ahead of most shows...
The show is in the science fiction genre, but it was one of the most grounded and human shows I’ve ever seen. Take away the ships and the Cylons, and you’ve got a show with none of the sci fi elements we’re used to. At its heart, it’s a “journey” show. Machines humans created rebelled and disappeared. Then they returned and nearly wiped out the human race. There are roughly 50,000 humans left, and they are on the run. Running from their Cylon creations—and running toward their destiny, a planet called Earth. Along the way, they come across the Cylons again and again; sometimes they fight, sometimes they try to work together. During all that, we see some of the human characters get more vicious and some of the Cylons get more compassionate.
The acting and directing was superb; the writing was well done as well.
But I’ll admit while I was impressed by the technical aspects and underlying philosophy of the show, I never did fall in love with it. I was very much involved with it—and I usually went as soon as I could right to the next set of DVDs (I watched the first season in July, and then Seasons 2, 2.5, 3, and 4.0 from November and January before I settled in and watched Season 4.5 as it aired), but I never became a rabid fan. I’m not sure why-- other than I didn't watch the majority of the episodes "with" other people (as it aired) because this is excellent television.
As a side note—and because it’s the only season I watched as it aired; during the timeframe I’m supposedly critiquing—I was a bit disappointed in Season 4.5. I felt the revelation of the Fifth Cylon was a letdown, and I was also disappointed by what I felt was left on the table by the time the finale ended. There was a mythology to the show that it seemed to relish (at least the Sci Fi Channel did in its advertising) that didn’t have much answered by the end. Had the season tied off some of the ends and gone into a little more real backstory the last few episodes, I would have enjoyed the finale more. But taking a step back, after my disappointment was shelved; I can say the series finale was fantastic. It was unexpected and also very emotionally satisfying. Without saying much more that could ruin it, I can honestly say the show ended perfectly for the story it was telling.
Even though I had a few negative things to say, this series is excellent and exceptional in almost every way. I was probably a little too close to it (even though I hadn't been watching the entire run, I was reading the dozens of articles and reviews about it), and that's why I was never 100% satisfied.
But 98% satisfied is light-years ahead of most shows...
Thursday, June 25, 2009
2008-2009 TV Top Ten #7
7. Summer Heights High—a mockumentary set at an Australian high school that follows the lives of three people. The first is Mr. G, the egocentric, flamboyant drama teacher that takes every opportunity he can to further his career by making the musical he wrote and is directing the centerpiece of the curriculum. The second is J’amie, a spoiled junior who is at the school on what she calls an “exchange program”; she’s basically “slumming” at a public school instead of the private schools she has otherwise attended her whole life. The third is Jonas, a Polynesian 8th grader with both apathy for and hostility against school and only one desire: to break-dance in the common area.
Just on the surface, this is a funny show. Mr. G. is completely clueless about the world around him because it means nothing to him unless it relates directly to him. He had the gall to write the year’s musical based on the recent drug-related death of a student, and it didn’t occur to him that the student’s family may be upset about that. He also has no concept that the school cannot afford the massive budget he requires to pull off the performance.
J’amie is at the school to run it herself. She immediately identified the popular girls and became their leader. She’s all about being the center of attention, and she’s not above putting others down to do it.
Jonas is a very hostile young man who resorts to profanity (he frequently says, “Fuck you, Miss/Sir” as a way to show his displeasure) or juvenile behavior (his teacher’s request to “put his balls” on the floor prompted him to sit on the floor instead of just putting away the balls he was juggling). Jonas knows his behavior is wrong and will usually do as directed once a punishment rears its head, but he fights civility as much as possible up to that point.
If you don’t remember what I wrote about the show before, there’s also something very different about it: the three main characters are played by the same actor, series creator Chris Lilley. This isn’t a Saturday Night Live-type deal; he fully gets into the characters, and it is not done at all in a jokey manner. The humor does not come from the fact that a man was playing a teenage girl; the humor was from the writing and the plots. It was amazing to see him act in completely different ways, depending on the character he was portraying—and he was spot-on for all three. They each must have presented different challenges, but a grown man convincingly playing a high school girl is remarkable. He presented a girl’s mannerisms and way of speaking in a very uncanny manner.
This ranks up there with some of the best television I've ever seen. Check it out.
Just on the surface, this is a funny show. Mr. G. is completely clueless about the world around him because it means nothing to him unless it relates directly to him. He had the gall to write the year’s musical based on the recent drug-related death of a student, and it didn’t occur to him that the student’s family may be upset about that. He also has no concept that the school cannot afford the massive budget he requires to pull off the performance.
J’amie is at the school to run it herself. She immediately identified the popular girls and became their leader. She’s all about being the center of attention, and she’s not above putting others down to do it.
Jonas is a very hostile young man who resorts to profanity (he frequently says, “Fuck you, Miss/Sir” as a way to show his displeasure) or juvenile behavior (his teacher’s request to “put his balls” on the floor prompted him to sit on the floor instead of just putting away the balls he was juggling). Jonas knows his behavior is wrong and will usually do as directed once a punishment rears its head, but he fights civility as much as possible up to that point.
If you don’t remember what I wrote about the show before, there’s also something very different about it: the three main characters are played by the same actor, series creator Chris Lilley. This isn’t a Saturday Night Live-type deal; he fully gets into the characters, and it is not done at all in a jokey manner. The humor does not come from the fact that a man was playing a teenage girl; the humor was from the writing and the plots. It was amazing to see him act in completely different ways, depending on the character he was portraying—and he was spot-on for all three. They each must have presented different challenges, but a grown man convincingly playing a high school girl is remarkable. He presented a girl’s mannerisms and way of speaking in a very uncanny manner.
This ranks up there with some of the best television I've ever seen. Check it out.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
2008-2009 TV Top Ten #5 & 6
5. & 6. Chelsea Lately and The Soup-- I watched Talk Soup with Aisha Tyler but I stopped at some point for some reason. And because E! has become a network for jackass reality shows and insipid entertainment reporting, I‘ve stayed away from it to the point where I don’t pay any attention to anything that may not be moronic. But I stumbled onto The Soup last June and fell in love with it, and I lucked upon Chelsea Lately not long after.
Reality TV has gone from decent early seasons of The Real World, The Osbournes, Survivor and Amazing Race to pure shit like The Cougar and Keeping up With the Kardassians. Shows used to start out well and then go downhill, but now nearly all start out as crap and stay there.
With all that being said, I am the absolute right person to watch The Soup and Chelsea Lately. Even though they’re on an otherwise useless network, they somehow are able to make fun of the crap on the rest of the network—or what the rest of the network reports on.
On The Soup, we get funny clips made all the more funny by host Joel McHale. McHale (and his writing staff) come up with brilliant lines—some getting very pointed—to describe the stupidity we are about to see (or just saw). Sometimes the show moves into the surreal, but McHale holds it all together very well. He’s also pretty fearless; if the joke involves him dressing up in a ridiculous costume or calling out a celebrity for stupid behavior, he’ll do it. The show itself has become a bit of a continuing story; clips or lines said in one episode may rear their heads again later to continue another clip or joke. Regular viewers will see a sort of progression in a few jokes.
Chelsea Lately is a bit less structured around reality shows and more toward the people we’re being told are “hot” now, whether they’re actors, musicians, or any other idiot the entertainment news is focusing on. Being a late night show, it can get a little raw—and that’s perfect for the absolute stupidity the show comments on every night. Chelsea Handler has an honesty about her that is refreshing in the “entertainment news” business. If she thinks someone or something is stupid, she says it. No ass-kissing there. And it helps that she is very funny.
Reality TV has gone from decent early seasons of The Real World, The Osbournes, Survivor and Amazing Race to pure shit like The Cougar and Keeping up With the Kardassians. Shows used to start out well and then go downhill, but now nearly all start out as crap and stay there.
With all that being said, I am the absolute right person to watch The Soup and Chelsea Lately. Even though they’re on an otherwise useless network, they somehow are able to make fun of the crap on the rest of the network—or what the rest of the network reports on.
On The Soup, we get funny clips made all the more funny by host Joel McHale. McHale (and his writing staff) come up with brilliant lines—some getting very pointed—to describe the stupidity we are about to see (or just saw). Sometimes the show moves into the surreal, but McHale holds it all together very well. He’s also pretty fearless; if the joke involves him dressing up in a ridiculous costume or calling out a celebrity for stupid behavior, he’ll do it. The show itself has become a bit of a continuing story; clips or lines said in one episode may rear their heads again later to continue another clip or joke. Regular viewers will see a sort of progression in a few jokes.
Chelsea Lately is a bit less structured around reality shows and more toward the people we’re being told are “hot” now, whether they’re actors, musicians, or any other idiot the entertainment news is focusing on. Being a late night show, it can get a little raw—and that’s perfect for the absolute stupidity the show comments on every night. Chelsea Handler has an honesty about her that is refreshing in the “entertainment news” business. If she thinks someone or something is stupid, she says it. No ass-kissing there. And it helps that she is very funny.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
2008-2009 TV Top Ten #4
3. How I Met Your Mother— I’ve talked this show up as long as I’ve done this blog, so it really shouldn’t be a surprise this show continues to be a Top Ten show for me. There is no network show I can think of that surprises me as much as this one does on a weekly basis. The cast continues to grow in talent every year, and situations allow them to mix it up a little (such as when they “wrote out” Alyson Hannigan for a few episodes while she had her baby) and not affect the dynamic of the show. And the show still introduces a Seinfeld-ian number of made-up words/definitions, all while telling very poignant tales.
There is also even more of a feeling of “destiny” for the show this year. The premise was and still is: a man in 2030 is telling his children how he met their mother. So the story is often told within the context of what happens next. You may think he could be able to get to the end of the story within the time it took to tell 4 seasons worth of stories, but the show has also always been about the choices one makes, and how they can affect your life. “Future Ted” (who we never see) is telling his children about the events that led to the meeting of their mother; how this relationship or that breakup or the other job got him to the place that had him intersect with his wife’s life. This fourth season was especially working to prove that point because Future Ted made a few mentions about how doing A and then B and avoiding C got him to the end point D.
I don’t believe in destiny or fate or any of that, but I know very well how a single choice can put you on a path you didn’t expect. I could, literally, tell my own kids about how I met their mother, and just the night I did meet her involved about three choices I normally wouldn’t have made that put me in the same place she was that night.
What I find especially interesting or different about the show from others is that Future Ted also includes the wisdom one has from being able to see the big picture that one can’t see while in the moment. Shows that tell the stories in the present don’t have that omniscience to them because we don’t have the comfort of knowing what happened next until it happens to the characters. But in this show, say when Ted has his heart broken, he can say (after years have passed) that it was okay and that things just didn’t work out; in fact, they worked out even better. The creators say Future Ted is an unreliable narrator, but the fact is that the hindsight, even if it’s not exactly 20/20, brings a special element to the show. There’s a maturity that everyone gains over time that really puts a fun spin on things.
So the show continues to grow and get better. And a syndication deal with Lifetime pretty much assured a fifth season (they required 110 episodes, and there have been only 88 so far), so the series could play out this season, secure it would be back in the fall. Of course, next season may be touch-and-go like the first few have been, but I think the show could end very well next year—and they are even closer to the mother, if the year’s season finale is any indication. And because they’ve already filmed the scene with the mother and the kids together, no matter what happens, they should be able to wrap the show up well by giving us the revelation they’ve promised: that we really will know how he met their mother.
There is also even more of a feeling of “destiny” for the show this year. The premise was and still is: a man in 2030 is telling his children how he met their mother. So the story is often told within the context of what happens next. You may think he could be able to get to the end of the story within the time it took to tell 4 seasons worth of stories, but the show has also always been about the choices one makes, and how they can affect your life. “Future Ted” (who we never see) is telling his children about the events that led to the meeting of their mother; how this relationship or that breakup or the other job got him to the place that had him intersect with his wife’s life. This fourth season was especially working to prove that point because Future Ted made a few mentions about how doing A and then B and avoiding C got him to the end point D.
I don’t believe in destiny or fate or any of that, but I know very well how a single choice can put you on a path you didn’t expect. I could, literally, tell my own kids about how I met their mother, and just the night I did meet her involved about three choices I normally wouldn’t have made that put me in the same place she was that night.
What I find especially interesting or different about the show from others is that Future Ted also includes the wisdom one has from being able to see the big picture that one can’t see while in the moment. Shows that tell the stories in the present don’t have that omniscience to them because we don’t have the comfort of knowing what happened next until it happens to the characters. But in this show, say when Ted has his heart broken, he can say (after years have passed) that it was okay and that things just didn’t work out; in fact, they worked out even better. The creators say Future Ted is an unreliable narrator, but the fact is that the hindsight, even if it’s not exactly 20/20, brings a special element to the show. There’s a maturity that everyone gains over time that really puts a fun spin on things.
So the show continues to grow and get better. And a syndication deal with Lifetime pretty much assured a fifth season (they required 110 episodes, and there have been only 88 so far), so the series could play out this season, secure it would be back in the fall. Of course, next season may be touch-and-go like the first few have been, but I think the show could end very well next year—and they are even closer to the mother, if the year’s season finale is any indication. And because they’ve already filmed the scene with the mother and the kids together, no matter what happens, they should be able to wrap the show up well by giving us the revelation they’ve promised: that we really will know how he met their mother.
Monday, June 22, 2009
2008-2009 TV Top Ten #3
3. Doctor Who (Season One)-- The Doctor has been around for decades in various incarnations, but I had next to no knowledge of the concept or the character. I guess it goes something like this: The Timelords travel through time and space and work to keep the timeline as it should be when things go awry. When a Timelord dies, he is “regenerated” in a different form (a very inspired way to allow for different actors to play what is essentially the same character). Sometime before this latest incarnation, there was a war between the Timelords and the Daleks, and The Doctor ended up destroying both the Daleks as well as his own people, the Timelords, in his last-ditch attempt to end the hostilities. The regenerated Doctor is the newest incarnation in this series.
The Doctor this series/season was played by Christopher Eccleston, and he was brilliant. Playing The Doctor is a difficult role, I would imagine. He’s seen everything and can do practically anything—and he is thousands of years old, so he should be an unflappable, “one-step-above-human” force. But he’s not. Eccleston plays The Doctor as very confident and extremely competent—but he lives with a tremendous sense of guilt for killing his own kind to destroy the Daleks. So once in a while, we see him doubting himself. That could be a true, internal, reaction to his loss—or it could be a way to get his human companions to come up with a plan. Because along with that sadness he carries, he seems to have a great joy for watching humans develop.
One of my favorite lines ever on television was uttered by the good Doctor when he mentions something fairly typical about human life, and his companion Rose said something like, “That happens all the time.” And The Doctor responds with, “Yeah! Isn’t it cool?” Right there, the whole series came into focus for me. Sometimes that’s all it takes for me: a single line or scene, and I immediately become hooked. And what’s really cool about those moments are that they are usually the small ones that do it. The joy Eccleston brought to that line was wonderful; the thing he commented on was mundane (so mundane, I can't even remember what it was), but taking a step back and putting the event into perspective, I had to agree that is was cool that those things can happen, even if it happens “all the time”.
Speaking of humans, that brings us to Rose Tyler, a teenager The Doctor saved and took a liking to enough that he invites her along for the trip. Rose is the one who brings humanity to the adventures. The Doctor is compassionate enough, but he is still pretty emotionally scarred from the Time War, and she reminds him that all life is worth preserving. Rose is a character you can instantly fall in love with—and it helps that she was played by the beautiful Billie Piper; an actress talented enough to be strong, vulnerable, gutsy, fearful and any other emotion the stories threw at her.
The two lead actors make an incredible team, and this season of the series has become one of my favorite seasons of television ever. There was a very good range of stories, from the (literal) end of the Earth, to a trip to 19th Century England, to an alien invasion in the present time, the World War II bombing of England, the distant future where television rules humanity’s lives, as well as to a very emotional trip where Rose witnesses her father’s death (she was just an infant at the time it first happened). Like all good science fiction, these stories that couldn’t happen now are able to be great metaphors for what we are experiencing in society. And like all great science fiction, we are entertained while the social commentary is buried within the plots. And like all excellent television, the acting, writing, directing, and effects all come together and become a result that is much more than the sum of all its parts.
The Doctor this series/season was played by Christopher Eccleston, and he was brilliant. Playing The Doctor is a difficult role, I would imagine. He’s seen everything and can do practically anything—and he is thousands of years old, so he should be an unflappable, “one-step-above-human” force. But he’s not. Eccleston plays The Doctor as very confident and extremely competent—but he lives with a tremendous sense of guilt for killing his own kind to destroy the Daleks. So once in a while, we see him doubting himself. That could be a true, internal, reaction to his loss—or it could be a way to get his human companions to come up with a plan. Because along with that sadness he carries, he seems to have a great joy for watching humans develop.
One of my favorite lines ever on television was uttered by the good Doctor when he mentions something fairly typical about human life, and his companion Rose said something like, “That happens all the time.” And The Doctor responds with, “Yeah! Isn’t it cool?” Right there, the whole series came into focus for me. Sometimes that’s all it takes for me: a single line or scene, and I immediately become hooked. And what’s really cool about those moments are that they are usually the small ones that do it. The joy Eccleston brought to that line was wonderful; the thing he commented on was mundane (so mundane, I can't even remember what it was), but taking a step back and putting the event into perspective, I had to agree that is was cool that those things can happen, even if it happens “all the time”.
Speaking of humans, that brings us to Rose Tyler, a teenager The Doctor saved and took a liking to enough that he invites her along for the trip. Rose is the one who brings humanity to the adventures. The Doctor is compassionate enough, but he is still pretty emotionally scarred from the Time War, and she reminds him that all life is worth preserving. Rose is a character you can instantly fall in love with—and it helps that she was played by the beautiful Billie Piper; an actress talented enough to be strong, vulnerable, gutsy, fearful and any other emotion the stories threw at her.
The two lead actors make an incredible team, and this season of the series has become one of my favorite seasons of television ever. There was a very good range of stories, from the (literal) end of the Earth, to a trip to 19th Century England, to an alien invasion in the present time, the World War II bombing of England, the distant future where television rules humanity’s lives, as well as to a very emotional trip where Rose witnesses her father’s death (she was just an infant at the time it first happened). Like all good science fiction, these stories that couldn’t happen now are able to be great metaphors for what we are experiencing in society. And like all great science fiction, we are entertained while the social commentary is buried within the plots. And like all excellent television, the acting, writing, directing, and effects all come together and become a result that is much more than the sum of all its parts.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
2008-2009 TV Top Ten #1 & 2
Here we go, in no particular order.
And you may say it's unfair to include shows not "new" from June 2008-May-2009, but they need a shout-out. I saw some fantastic TV these past 12 months. New or not, they deserve recognition.
And I do apologize if I get off-track on these little write-ups. I had a lot to say and not much time. Just know that each of these ten shows are worth searching for.
1 & 2. These two shows kind of slipped into my DVR scheduler on a lark—and I ended up loving them. First is The Middleman, the show ABC Family aired and then decided to go in a different direction (mainly continuing to base shows around teenage girls). The Middleman (that’s his name—no other was given) is a secret agent-type that deals with unexplainable phenomena such as aliens and ghosts and other Men in Black/X-Files stuff. His mission is to stop whatever evil is going down and cover it up, so no one figures out what’s really happening.
But he’s not always successful on hiding his mission. Enter Wendy Watson, who The Middleman saved from a giant monster that threatened her life at her temp job. T.M. liked her abilities enough to make her a member of the Middlemen, and the two formed a partnership and, together, they solved the cases and saved the world he used to do alone.
What was fun about The Middleman was that the budget was pretty low, so they had to be extra-creative with the effects—and what they ultimately showed on camera. Some of the things looked a bit cheap, but they managed to have charm. Also, the humor was great on the show. And it was fun to see Wendy’s roommate Lacey fall for The Middleman—even though he is all about the job. There were a number of very sweet moments as he tried to let her down easy.
Boo to ABC Family for letting this show go.
The second show in this part is Lawrence of America. I don’t even know how I ended up watching it (it aired on the Travel Channel; not one I usually watch), but I’m glad I did. The premise is very simple: Englishman Lawrence Beldon-Smythe travels to various parts of America to discover the culture of the people. He learned about State Fairs, car racing, Civil War re-enactments, country music, winter Olympic athletes, and many other things in his travels—and each episode was funnier than the last.
You might wonder why a travel show would be interesting to someone with very limited time to watch all sorts of other television, and the answer is: because Beldon-Smythe tried a different approach to his storytelling. Instead of doing the much more standard (and overdone) approach of aiming a camera at something and shooting—or getting involved in the situations-- he acted as if everything he was seeing was incredibly foreign to him. Sure, America has its quirks that other countries don’t understand, but Beldon-Smythe pretended he was discovering a lost jungle tribe. It was all complemented by his choice of attire: beige khaki pants, a neutral-colored shirt—and the pocketed tan vest that every television war correspondent has to wear.
Lawrence always had his tongue in his cheek, but he never put down his subjects. Usually, he was the one getting into the silly situations when he attempted something he had been watching. My favorite episode was when he visited Nashville, and he met a country singer he developed a huge crush on. He couldn’t make his move, so he “lost her”. And then he decided to do what many country singers do when they lose a love: write a country song. It was good stuff—and very funny.
In fact, here’s a little part from a blog post about the episode he wrote:
So, this is the blog I’ve been dreading to write because this episode, filmed in Nashville, Tennessee, shows me at my most vulnerable, and possibly unprofessional. The global correspondent’s code of ethics makes it quite clear a reporter of my stature should never get romantically involved with a subject being investigated. No, I’m sorry, I just re-read the sacred cocktail napkin, and it says one should never let the audience know you’re romantically involved with a subject. Even though Rebecca Lynn Howard and I were never actually romantically involved, I still feel I let my truth guard down. I’ll admit, I was caught under her spell of loveliness. Her beautiful hair, her adorably southern accent, her tempting bosom all distracted me. Mostly the tempting bosom … but her hair was nice.
It doesn’t look like the show is coming back, and that’s a real shame. I may have to find some clips and post them. It’s been close to a year since I last watched it, but writing this bit about it has me missing the show all over again.
And you may say it's unfair to include shows not "new" from June 2008-May-2009, but they need a shout-out. I saw some fantastic TV these past 12 months. New or not, they deserve recognition.
And I do apologize if I get off-track on these little write-ups. I had a lot to say and not much time. Just know that each of these ten shows are worth searching for.
1 & 2. These two shows kind of slipped into my DVR scheduler on a lark—and I ended up loving them. First is The Middleman, the show ABC Family aired and then decided to go in a different direction (mainly continuing to base shows around teenage girls). The Middleman (that’s his name—no other was given) is a secret agent-type that deals with unexplainable phenomena such as aliens and ghosts and other Men in Black/X-Files stuff. His mission is to stop whatever evil is going down and cover it up, so no one figures out what’s really happening.
But he’s not always successful on hiding his mission. Enter Wendy Watson, who The Middleman saved from a giant monster that threatened her life at her temp job. T.M. liked her abilities enough to make her a member of the Middlemen, and the two formed a partnership and, together, they solved the cases and saved the world he used to do alone.
What was fun about The Middleman was that the budget was pretty low, so they had to be extra-creative with the effects—and what they ultimately showed on camera. Some of the things looked a bit cheap, but they managed to have charm. Also, the humor was great on the show. And it was fun to see Wendy’s roommate Lacey fall for The Middleman—even though he is all about the job. There were a number of very sweet moments as he tried to let her down easy.
Boo to ABC Family for letting this show go.
The second show in this part is Lawrence of America. I don’t even know how I ended up watching it (it aired on the Travel Channel; not one I usually watch), but I’m glad I did. The premise is very simple: Englishman Lawrence Beldon-Smythe travels to various parts of America to discover the culture of the people. He learned about State Fairs, car racing, Civil War re-enactments, country music, winter Olympic athletes, and many other things in his travels—and each episode was funnier than the last.
You might wonder why a travel show would be interesting to someone with very limited time to watch all sorts of other television, and the answer is: because Beldon-Smythe tried a different approach to his storytelling. Instead of doing the much more standard (and overdone) approach of aiming a camera at something and shooting—or getting involved in the situations-- he acted as if everything he was seeing was incredibly foreign to him. Sure, America has its quirks that other countries don’t understand, but Beldon-Smythe pretended he was discovering a lost jungle tribe. It was all complemented by his choice of attire: beige khaki pants, a neutral-colored shirt—and the pocketed tan vest that every television war correspondent has to wear.
Lawrence always had his tongue in his cheek, but he never put down his subjects. Usually, he was the one getting into the silly situations when he attempted something he had been watching. My favorite episode was when he visited Nashville, and he met a country singer he developed a huge crush on. He couldn’t make his move, so he “lost her”. And then he decided to do what many country singers do when they lose a love: write a country song. It was good stuff—and very funny.
In fact, here’s a little part from a blog post about the episode he wrote:
So, this is the blog I’ve been dreading to write because this episode, filmed in Nashville, Tennessee, shows me at my most vulnerable, and possibly unprofessional. The global correspondent’s code of ethics makes it quite clear a reporter of my stature should never get romantically involved with a subject being investigated. No, I’m sorry, I just re-read the sacred cocktail napkin, and it says one should never let the audience know you’re romantically involved with a subject. Even though Rebecca Lynn Howard and I were never actually romantically involved, I still feel I let my truth guard down. I’ll admit, I was caught under her spell of loveliness. Her beautiful hair, her adorably southern accent, her tempting bosom all distracted me. Mostly the tempting bosom … but her hair was nice.
It doesn’t look like the show is coming back, and that’s a real shame. I may have to find some clips and post them. It’s been close to a year since I last watched it, but writing this bit about it has me missing the show all over again.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
2008-2009 TV teameck Awards
Yes, this is mostly tongue-in-cheek...
Best show I know you’re not watching—even though you should be: Phineas & Ferb.
Hottest mom: Allison (Sarah Marshall) on Gary Unmarried.
Show that needed to end, and did: Tie: Prison Break and Mad TV.
Funniest show: Summer Heights High.
Best written comedy: How I Met Your Mother.
Best written drama: The Wire.
Biggest disappointment: The Mole.
Show I just cannot seem to stop watching—even though it goes against everything I believe about “good TV”: Big Brother.
I miss Bob Costas…: Inside the NFL (moved to Showtime and changed the “cast”) and Costas Now (“cancelled” when Costas went to another network).
Biggest surprise: Ties: How much I liked Lawrence of America and Summer Heights High.
Show I’ll probably miss the most: The Middleman (F-You, ABC Family).
Show I’m kicking myself for getting late to the party to (just started watching last summer): Tie: The Soup and Chelsea Lately.
Best show I can’t describe: This American Life.
Reason to be pissed at my cable company (Charter) for not airing IFC: Z Rock (which I’m lucky enough to catch OnDemand).
Show I’m embarrassed to watch—but do because my kids like watching it with me: Wipeout.
Show I watched only because of a stunningly beautiful contestant: I Survived a Japanese Game Show (Meaghan Cooper). Sure, the pics of her on imbd.com are stunning, but I liked the natural beauty displayed on the show.
Dumbest show that I couldn’t stop laughing at: Reality Bites Back.
Most improved (since their pilots): Tie: Chocolate News and Gary Unmarried.
What the Hell happened to this once great show?: Tie:
Desperate Housewives (great beginning to the season—and then shot downhill quickly),
Ugly Betty (recycling storylines after just three seasons),
Inside the NFL (they tried hard, but Costas, Marino, Collinsworth, and Carter made that show what it was on HBO),
Moral Orel (one of the least “artistic” of the adult swim shows went “arty” in its last season—and lost the wonderful satire it used to have),
Venture Brothers (I understand the desire to expand the universe of characters, but Hank and Dean are the souls of that show; where’d they go?),
Reno 911 (stopped being funny a while ago, but I couldn’t even finish the season this year)
Robot Chicken (what? run out of jokes or something?)
South Park (what the Hell happened? This used to be the best satire on television.)
The Mole (I don’t know what went wrong, but this season did not work),
Weeds (too many changes that didn’t work this year).
Show that knew it made some bad choices—and called itself out on them: My Name Is Earl.
Best Series Finales: Prison Break, Battlestar Galactica, and The Wire.
“Bad” show that had me roaring with laughter: Eastbound & Down.
Voice I’ll miss most next year: Harry Kalas (of NFL Films; the narrator of the clips used on Inside the NFL). He had the amazing ability to express countless emotions with just the sound and tone of his voice. He will be missed.
Show that made “going green” look so much fun that I got tired of all the ultra-happy, beautiful people frolicking in their “greenness”: Alter Eco.
Underrated family comedies: Tie: Everybody Hates Chris and King of the Hill. (Both of which aren’t coming back next year— I say “Boo!” to their respective networks.)
Moving up the list of my favorite comedies quickly: The Big Bang Theory.
Best premise: Z Rock (rock band has to become a “kiddie band” to pay the bills).
Best opening music (I just couldn’t get out of my head): Z Rock and Summer Heights High.
Best closing music (I just couldn’t get out of my head): The Wire.
Best actor in a comedy: Chris Lilley on Summer Heights High.
Best actor in a drama: Tie: Christopher Eccleston in Doctor Who and anyone in The Wire.
Shows I have recorded/on DVD but NEED to get to soon to still consider myself a lover of great TV: Tie: Friday Night Lights, Rescue Me, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Lost.
Best show I know you’re not watching—even though you should be: Phineas & Ferb.
Hottest mom: Allison (Sarah Marshall) on Gary Unmarried.
Show that needed to end, and did: Tie: Prison Break and Mad TV.
Funniest show: Summer Heights High.
Best written comedy: How I Met Your Mother.
Best written drama: The Wire.
Biggest disappointment: The Mole.
Show I just cannot seem to stop watching—even though it goes against everything I believe about “good TV”: Big Brother.
I miss Bob Costas…: Inside the NFL (moved to Showtime and changed the “cast”) and Costas Now (“cancelled” when Costas went to another network).
Biggest surprise: Ties: How much I liked Lawrence of America and Summer Heights High.
Show I’ll probably miss the most: The Middleman (F-You, ABC Family).
Show I’m kicking myself for getting late to the party to (just started watching last summer): Tie: The Soup and Chelsea Lately.
Best show I can’t describe: This American Life.
Reason to be pissed at my cable company (Charter) for not airing IFC: Z Rock (which I’m lucky enough to catch OnDemand).
Show I’m embarrassed to watch—but do because my kids like watching it with me: Wipeout.
Show I watched only because of a stunningly beautiful contestant: I Survived a Japanese Game Show (Meaghan Cooper). Sure, the pics of her on imbd.com are stunning, but I liked the natural beauty displayed on the show.
Dumbest show that I couldn’t stop laughing at: Reality Bites Back.
Most improved (since their pilots): Tie: Chocolate News and Gary Unmarried.
What the Hell happened to this once great show?: Tie:
Desperate Housewives (great beginning to the season—and then shot downhill quickly),
Ugly Betty (recycling storylines after just three seasons),
Inside the NFL (they tried hard, but Costas, Marino, Collinsworth, and Carter made that show what it was on HBO),
Moral Orel (one of the least “artistic” of the adult swim shows went “arty” in its last season—and lost the wonderful satire it used to have),
Venture Brothers (I understand the desire to expand the universe of characters, but Hank and Dean are the souls of that show; where’d they go?),
Reno 911 (stopped being funny a while ago, but I couldn’t even finish the season this year)
Robot Chicken (what? run out of jokes or something?)
South Park (what the Hell happened? This used to be the best satire on television.)
The Mole (I don’t know what went wrong, but this season did not work),
Weeds (too many changes that didn’t work this year).
Show that knew it made some bad choices—and called itself out on them: My Name Is Earl.
Best Series Finales: Prison Break, Battlestar Galactica, and The Wire.
“Bad” show that had me roaring with laughter: Eastbound & Down.
Voice I’ll miss most next year: Harry Kalas (of NFL Films; the narrator of the clips used on Inside the NFL). He had the amazing ability to express countless emotions with just the sound and tone of his voice. He will be missed.
Show that made “going green” look so much fun that I got tired of all the ultra-happy, beautiful people frolicking in their “greenness”: Alter Eco.
Underrated family comedies: Tie: Everybody Hates Chris and King of the Hill. (Both of which aren’t coming back next year— I say “Boo!” to their respective networks.)
Moving up the list of my favorite comedies quickly: The Big Bang Theory.
Best premise: Z Rock (rock band has to become a “kiddie band” to pay the bills).
Best opening music (I just couldn’t get out of my head): Z Rock and Summer Heights High.
Best closing music (I just couldn’t get out of my head): The Wire.
Best actor in a comedy: Chris Lilley on Summer Heights High.
Best actor in a drama: Tie: Christopher Eccleston in Doctor Who and anyone in The Wire.
Shows I have recorded/on DVD but NEED to get to soon to still consider myself a lover of great TV: Tie: Friday Night Lights, Rescue Me, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Lost.
Premieres and Notables; June 22-28, 2009
Thanks to blogger.com for allowing me to hold postings a week, so this shows up while I'm on vacation-- and yet close to my normal day to post these things. And thanks also to TV Guide for having yet another double week issue that gives me their weak-ass second week of listings (due to printing the issue so far in advance) and screwing me out of yet another issue of my subscription. But at least I have some listings.
(Sorry-- Entertainment Weekly actually likes to put out issues most weeks, so I don't have the issue I need for this post. Typically, I get the more interesting shows from that source. Maybe I'll catch up when I get back from vay-cay.)
Monday, 6/22
The Secret Life of an American Teenager; ABC Family. 7 pm CST. 2nd Season Premiere.
Sorry, but I'm still pissed Middleman's not coming back...
Make It or Break It; ABC Family. 8 pm. Series Premiere.
And in the spot that should have been Middleman's, this new scripted series about the world of teen gymnastics.
Tuesday, 6/23
America's Got Talent; NBC. 8 pm. Season Premiere.
Oh super; I thought I'd have to go a week without hearing about another stupid-ass reality contest. Bonus: it airs tomorrow too.
The Cleaner; A&E. 9 pm CST. 2nd Season Premiere.
Guest-starring Whoopi Goldberg.
Wednesday, 6/24
The Philanthropist; NBC. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Unlike The Cleaner the The Closer, this series actually spells out what this person is in the title. Rome's James Purefoy stars as a man who risks his life and his money for others.
Too bad it's on NBC. It's doomed to bomb.
Thursday, 6/25
Penn & Teller: Bullshit!; Showtime. 9 pm. Season Premiere.
Where else but teameck's entertainment are you going to see the full name of this series typed out? Yeah-- I'm reader-friendly.
The bullshit subject this week: orgasms.
Sunday, 6/28
Hung; HBO. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Not about a person who tried hanging himself...
And not about a jury...
Nope, this Thomas Jane-starring show is about a high school coach who takes up a side-job as a male escort because he carries a big stick.
Or as Elliot on Scrubs would say, "He's a big schwing-schwang."
[I'm talking about his penis, people...]
(Sorry-- Entertainment Weekly actually likes to put out issues most weeks, so I don't have the issue I need for this post. Typically, I get the more interesting shows from that source. Maybe I'll catch up when I get back from vay-cay.)
Monday, 6/22
The Secret Life of an American Teenager; ABC Family. 7 pm CST. 2nd Season Premiere.
Sorry, but I'm still pissed Middleman's not coming back...
Make It or Break It; ABC Family. 8 pm. Series Premiere.
And in the spot that should have been Middleman's, this new scripted series about the world of teen gymnastics.
Tuesday, 6/23
America's Got Talent; NBC. 8 pm. Season Premiere.
Oh super; I thought I'd have to go a week without hearing about another stupid-ass reality contest. Bonus: it airs tomorrow too.
The Cleaner; A&E. 9 pm CST. 2nd Season Premiere.
Guest-starring Whoopi Goldberg.
Wednesday, 6/24
The Philanthropist; NBC. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Unlike The Cleaner the The Closer, this series actually spells out what this person is in the title. Rome's James Purefoy stars as a man who risks his life and his money for others.
Too bad it's on NBC. It's doomed to bomb.
Thursday, 6/25
Penn & Teller: Bullshit!; Showtime. 9 pm. Season Premiere.
Where else but teameck's entertainment are you going to see the full name of this series typed out? Yeah-- I'm reader-friendly.
The bullshit subject this week: orgasms.
Sunday, 6/28
Hung; HBO. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Not about a person who tried hanging himself...
And not about a jury...
Nope, this Thomas Jane-starring show is about a high school coach who takes up a side-job as a male escort because he carries a big stick.
Or as Elliot on Scrubs would say, "He's a big schwing-schwang."
[I'm talking about his penis, people...]
THE WIRE: Carver Uses a Different Approach
The Wire's Carver is tired of chasing kids in the alleys. He decides to demand the perp show himself. Classic.
Friday, June 19, 2009
2008-2009 TV Master List
As I noted in my last post, I'm listing all the shows I watched-- and tried to watch-- from June 2008-2009.
They're all alphabetical. Shows I put in italics are ones I didn't see the whole season's worth of episodes for. The ones with numbers of episodes behind it are shows I just quit watching. Shows in italics with no numbers of episodes are ones I'm planning on getting to this summer; just got behind. I got at least half-way through the season of those shows I got behind of; enough to know what to expect quality-wise.
I'm also listing the shows I watched via DVD or tapes recorded in years past. Why include them? To show what I was watching when I wasn't watching brand new episodes of other stuff. And like NBC used to say, "If you haven't seen them before, they're new to you." These shows are new to me-- and usually very good.
Alter Eco; Planet Green- 5 episodes
American Dad; FOX
Batman: The Brave and the Bold; Cartoon Network
Battlestar Galactica; Sci Fi
Big Brother 10; CBS
Big Love; HBO
Chelsea Lately; E!
Chocolate News; Comedy Central
Chuck; NBC
Costas Now; HBO
Crash; Starz- 1 ep
Cupid; ABC
Desperate Housewives; ABC
Dirty Sexy Money, ABC
Do Not Disturb; FOX
Drinky Crow Show; [adult swim]-2 eps
Eastbound & Down; HBO
Eli Stone; ABC
Entourage; HBO
Everybody Hates Chris; CW
Family Guy; FOX
Gary Unmarried; CBS
Hard Knocks: Dallas Cowboys; HBO
How I Met Your Mother; CBS
I Survived a Japanese Game Show; ABC
In Plain Sight; USA— 5-6 eps
Inside the NFL; Showtime
Iron Man; Nickelodeon
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia; FX
Kath & Kim; NBC-. 2 eps
King of the Hill; FOX
Krod Mandoon; Comedy Central
Last Comic Standing; NBC—6 eps
Lawrence of America; Travel
Leverage; TNT
Life After People; History-- 3 eps
Little Britain; HBO—3 eps
Mad TV; FOX
Metalocalypse; [adult swim]
Middleman; ABC Family
Moral Orel; [adult swim]
My Boys; TBS
My Name is Earl; NBC
My Own Worst Enemy; NBC- 1 ep
Mythbusters; Discovery
One Way Out; Discovery
Parks & Recreation; NBC
Phineas and Ferb; Disney
Prison Break; FOX
Pushing Daisies; ABC
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel; HBO
Real Time with Bill Maher; HBO
Reality Bites Back; Comedy Central
Reno 911; Comedy Central-- six eps
Robot Chicken; adult swim
Rules of Engagement; CBS
Samantha Who?; ABC-- 6-7 episodes
Secret Diary of a Call Girl; Showtime
Sons of Anarchy; FX--. 1 ep
South Park; Comedy Central
Star Wars: the Clone Wars; Cartoon Network
Summer Heights High; HBO
10 Items or Less; TBS
Testees; FX
The Big Bang Theory; CBS
The Middleman; ABC Family
The Mole; ABC
The New Adventures of Old Christine; CBS
The Office; NBC
The Sarah Silverman Program; Comedy Central
The Simpsons; FOX
The Soup; E!
The Soup Presents; E!
30 Days; FX
30 Rock; NBC
This American Life; Showtime
‘Til Death; FOX
Ugly Betty; ABC
United States of Tara; Showtime
Venture Brothers; [adult swim]
Weeds; Showtime
Wipeout; ABC
Worst Week; CBS
Not new during June 2008-May 2009:
Alias Season 4
Battlestar Galactica Season 1, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 4.0
Doctor Who Season 1
Duck Dodgers (various episodes)
Mythbusters; Seasons 1-6 (various episodes)
This American Life Season 1
The Wire Seasons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Z Rock Season 1
They're all alphabetical. Shows I put in italics are ones I didn't see the whole season's worth of episodes for. The ones with numbers of episodes behind it are shows I just quit watching. Shows in italics with no numbers of episodes are ones I'm planning on getting to this summer; just got behind. I got at least half-way through the season of those shows I got behind of; enough to know what to expect quality-wise.
I'm also listing the shows I watched via DVD or tapes recorded in years past. Why include them? To show what I was watching when I wasn't watching brand new episodes of other stuff. And like NBC used to say, "If you haven't seen them before, they're new to you." These shows are new to me-- and usually very good.
Alter Eco; Planet Green- 5 episodes
American Dad; FOX
Batman: The Brave and the Bold; Cartoon Network
Battlestar Galactica; Sci Fi
Big Brother 10; CBS
Big Love; HBO
Chelsea Lately; E!
Chocolate News; Comedy Central
Chuck; NBC
Costas Now; HBO
Crash; Starz- 1 ep
Cupid; ABC
Desperate Housewives; ABC
Dirty Sexy Money, ABC
Do Not Disturb; FOX
Drinky Crow Show; [adult swim]-2 eps
Eastbound & Down; HBO
Eli Stone; ABC
Entourage; HBO
Everybody Hates Chris; CW
Family Guy; FOX
Gary Unmarried; CBS
Hard Knocks: Dallas Cowboys; HBO
How I Met Your Mother; CBS
I Survived a Japanese Game Show; ABC
In Plain Sight; USA— 5-6 eps
Inside the NFL; Showtime
Iron Man; Nickelodeon
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia; FX
Kath & Kim; NBC-. 2 eps
King of the Hill; FOX
Krod Mandoon; Comedy Central
Last Comic Standing; NBC—6 eps
Lawrence of America; Travel
Leverage; TNT
Life After People; History-- 3 eps
Little Britain; HBO—3 eps
Mad TV; FOX
Metalocalypse; [adult swim]
Middleman; ABC Family
Moral Orel; [adult swim]
My Boys; TBS
My Name is Earl; NBC
My Own Worst Enemy; NBC- 1 ep
Mythbusters; Discovery
One Way Out; Discovery
Parks & Recreation; NBC
Phineas and Ferb; Disney
Prison Break; FOX
Pushing Daisies; ABC
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel; HBO
Real Time with Bill Maher; HBO
Reality Bites Back; Comedy Central
Reno 911; Comedy Central-- six eps
Robot Chicken; adult swim
Rules of Engagement; CBS
Samantha Who?; ABC-- 6-7 episodes
Secret Diary of a Call Girl; Showtime
Sons of Anarchy; FX--. 1 ep
South Park; Comedy Central
Star Wars: the Clone Wars; Cartoon Network
Summer Heights High; HBO
10 Items or Less; TBS
Testees; FX
The Big Bang Theory; CBS
The Middleman; ABC Family
The Mole; ABC
The New Adventures of Old Christine; CBS
The Office; NBC
The Sarah Silverman Program; Comedy Central
The Simpsons; FOX
The Soup; E!
The Soup Presents; E!
30 Days; FX
30 Rock; NBC
This American Life; Showtime
‘Til Death; FOX
Ugly Betty; ABC
United States of Tara; Showtime
Venture Brothers; [adult swim]
Weeds; Showtime
Wipeout; ABC
Worst Week; CBS
Not new during June 2008-May 2009:
Alias Season 4
Battlestar Galactica Season 1, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 4.0
Doctor Who Season 1
Duck Dodgers (various episodes)
Mythbusters; Seasons 1-6 (various episodes)
This American Life Season 1
The Wire Seasons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Z Rock Season 1
2008-2009 TV Season Recap
It's a couple weeks late, but this is tough to write up. It doesn't help that I get all sorts of issues getting what I start as a Word doc into the blogger format, so bear with any formatting issues.
Also, by waiting, I'm able to post these during my ten day vacation. That's what I like to do for my single-digit readership: have at least one new post a day.
First, I'll list what shows I watched in the grey-area of the 2008-2009 TV season (running from June 2008-May 2009, with a slight overlap). Sure, I'm early, but the Fall is the worst time of the year for me to do big blog posts, so I'm fudging and going from summer to summer instead of fall to fall.
Why list all the shows? Two reasons:
1. To give people an idea of what I watch. Also to explain while not actually explaining how I can omit certain shows. I always hate reading a critic's list (not that I consider myself a critic) and not knowing if they watched a certain show/movie as maybe being the reason why it didn't make the list. I never mentioned The Wire before this year. The reason why is I hadn't watched it until this year.
2. To brag. I try to give advice and feedback for certain things. I consider television my strongest subject. Listing everything I watched gives a little credence to what I write because it should tell you, "he watches an unhealthy amount of TV, so if he recommends The Big Bang Theory, then it's got to be a show worth watching."
After my Master List, I'll give some silly shout-outs to certain shows & people.
Then I'll make little essays/fan gushing posts for my Top Ten shows of the year. So sit back and read about the brilliant shows I watched this past year.
Next post: the Master List...
Also, by waiting, I'm able to post these during my ten day vacation. That's what I like to do for my single-digit readership: have at least one new post a day.
First, I'll list what shows I watched in the grey-area of the 2008-2009 TV season (running from June 2008-May 2009, with a slight overlap). Sure, I'm early, but the Fall is the worst time of the year for me to do big blog posts, so I'm fudging and going from summer to summer instead of fall to fall.
Why list all the shows? Two reasons:
1. To give people an idea of what I watch. Also to explain while not actually explaining how I can omit certain shows. I always hate reading a critic's list (not that I consider myself a critic) and not knowing if they watched a certain show/movie as maybe being the reason why it didn't make the list. I never mentioned The Wire before this year. The reason why is I hadn't watched it until this year.
2. To brag. I try to give advice and feedback for certain things. I consider television my strongest subject. Listing everything I watched gives a little credence to what I write because it should tell you, "he watches an unhealthy amount of TV, so if he recommends The Big Bang Theory, then it's got to be a show worth watching."
After my Master List, I'll give some silly shout-outs to certain shows & people.
Then I'll make little essays/fan gushing posts for my Top Ten shows of the year. So sit back and read about the brilliant shows I watched this past year.
Next post: the Master List...
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
K.P. Anderson Schools McHale
Anderson, the head writer of The Soup discusses why Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is insulting.
Sure, the clip is old, but it's funny...
Sure, the clip is old, but it's funny...
Monday, June 15, 2009
New York = Class
Now see, I thought the maxi pad comment last week was classy.
...But she tops it here:
...But she tops it here:
It's Great to See Paris Has Raised Her Standards
Sure, she made a sex tape, was on an insipid reality show, is currently in a moronic reality show, acts like a Gen-X stoner, and has been known to not wear panties even though she can't keep her legs crossed near the paparazzi...
But, dammit, her new BFF won't do the same things.
But, dammit, her new BFF won't do the same things.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Zack Morris Returns
Hilarious interview on Jimmy Fallon's show.
I was a fan of Saved By the Bell back in the day, and Mark-Paul Gosselaar's still got it. Pretty cool.
I was a fan of Saved By the Bell back in the day, and Mark-Paul Gosselaar's still got it. Pretty cool.
Premieres and Notables; June 15-21, 2009
Monday, 6/15
Greek (ABC Family; 7 pm CST). Season Finale.
Tuesday, 6/16
Wedding Day; TNT. 7 pm. Series Premiere.
An upscripted look at real-life weddings.
Presumably on TNT because Lifetime's schedule is full.
The Lazy Environmentalist; Sundance. 8 pm. Series Premiere.
Host Josh Dorfman proves that going a little greener doesn't have to be difficult.
Sounds cool. Check it out.
HawthoRNe; TNT. 8 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Jada Pinkett Smith stars as an RN (thus the oddly-capitalized title-- clever) who has problems of her own.
Please... Wanna see a nurse with problems, go check out Showtime's Nurse Jackie.
The Real Housewives of something or other (Bravo; 9 pm). Season Finale.
That's how much I care...
Saving Grace; TNT. 9 pm. Season Premiere.
Wednesday, 6/17
Survive This; Cartoon Network. 7:30. Series Premiere.
A new series where teenagers have to figure out how to survive different situations.
Note: this series is not animated. Boo to Cartoon Network for giving us this when there are hundreds of more appropriate networks. Maybe the network will pull a bullshit SciFi Channel deal and call itself KarTune, so people don't get the wrong idea about it.
[For those of you who don't remember my rant, "Sci Fi" is changing to the stupid-as-shit "SyFy" sometime this summer.]
Gordon Ramsay's F Word; BBC America. 8 pm. Season Premiere.
I'm almost tempted to watch to finally learn what his F Word is.
Maybe they didn't get the note that "F-Word" is now "fag", and "F-Bomb" is the Bad Boy of four letter words.
The Unusuals (ABC; 9:01). Series Finale.
Hmmm. Guess I can delete them all from my DVR...
Thursday, 6/18
Soundstage; PBS. 9 pm (check local listings). Season Premiere.
Jackson Browne opens the season.
Friday, 6/19
Jeffery and Cole Casserole; Logo. 10 pm. Series Premiere.
Another in a long line of sketch shows. This one revolves around viral videos.
Saturday, 6/20
ABC continues to be the best network for cancelled shows ever as it will now air the remaining four episodes of Eli Stone (9 pm) instead of making us buy/borrow the DVD sets later.
Tip of the hat to ABC-- again.
Sunday, 6/21
Merlin; NBC. 7 pm. Series Premiere.
A modern take on the classic story.
The subject is something I'm interested in, but the execution sounds terrible. Kind of a cross between a CW soap and a Sci Fi Channel original movie. Stay away.
Greek (ABC Family; 7 pm CST). Season Finale.
Tuesday, 6/16
Wedding Day; TNT. 7 pm. Series Premiere.
An upscripted look at real-life weddings.
Presumably on TNT because Lifetime's schedule is full.
The Lazy Environmentalist; Sundance. 8 pm. Series Premiere.
Host Josh Dorfman proves that going a little greener doesn't have to be difficult.
Sounds cool. Check it out.
HawthoRNe; TNT. 8 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Jada Pinkett Smith stars as an RN (thus the oddly-capitalized title-- clever) who has problems of her own.
Please... Wanna see a nurse with problems, go check out Showtime's Nurse Jackie.
The Real Housewives of something or other (Bravo; 9 pm). Season Finale.
That's how much I care...
Saving Grace; TNT. 9 pm. Season Premiere.
Wednesday, 6/17
Survive This; Cartoon Network. 7:30. Series Premiere.
A new series where teenagers have to figure out how to survive different situations.
Note: this series is not animated. Boo to Cartoon Network for giving us this when there are hundreds of more appropriate networks. Maybe the network will pull a bullshit SciFi Channel deal and call itself KarTune, so people don't get the wrong idea about it.
[For those of you who don't remember my rant, "Sci Fi" is changing to the stupid-as-shit "SyFy" sometime this summer.]
Gordon Ramsay's F Word; BBC America. 8 pm. Season Premiere.
I'm almost tempted to watch to finally learn what his F Word is.
Maybe they didn't get the note that "F-Word" is now "fag", and "F-Bomb" is the Bad Boy of four letter words.
The Unusuals (ABC; 9:01). Series Finale.
Hmmm. Guess I can delete them all from my DVR...
Thursday, 6/18
Soundstage; PBS. 9 pm (check local listings). Season Premiere.
Jackson Browne opens the season.
Friday, 6/19
Jeffery and Cole Casserole; Logo. 10 pm. Series Premiere.
Another in a long line of sketch shows. This one revolves around viral videos.
Saturday, 6/20
ABC continues to be the best network for cancelled shows ever as it will now air the remaining four episodes of Eli Stone (9 pm) instead of making us buy/borrow the DVD sets later.
Tip of the hat to ABC-- again.
Sunday, 6/21
Merlin; NBC. 7 pm. Series Premiere.
A modern take on the classic story.
The subject is something I'm interested in, but the execution sounds terrible. Kind of a cross between a CW soap and a Sci Fi Channel original movie. Stay away.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
THE WIRE: Bunk Gets His Confession
Who needs waterboarding when you've got a copy machine and a moron?
From The Wire:
From The Wire:
Friday, June 12, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Monday, June 08, 2009
ESB Alternate Ending
You may not know that they shot alternate endings to The Empire Strikes Back in the event that the Big Reveal got leaked.
Here is one of them:
Here is one of them:
Sunday, June 07, 2009
As if being on a Federation ship wasn't cool enough...
Check out the crew on this starship.
Forget about saving the universe; Kirk wouldn't have gotten out of Spacedock with these distractions.
Forget about saving the universe; Kirk wouldn't have gotten out of Spacedock with these distractions.
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Friday, June 05, 2009
Thursday, June 04, 2009
12 Days of the Foot Continues
I'm way behind. Believe it or not, I watch EVERY clip I post-- so I get behind sometimes.
But, like I said earlier, I love hearing how songs come together.
And since I didn't end up doing it daily, here's the website with each of the 12 Days: http://www.chickenfoot.us/12days
But, like I said earlier, I love hearing how songs come together.
And since I didn't end up doing it daily, here's the website with each of the 12 Days: http://www.chickenfoot.us/12days
T-Bag Lands Okay
The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that Prison Break actor Robert Knepper will play the main bad guy in the next season of Heroes.
The former T-Bag will play the role of Samuel, "a charismatic yet wicked ringmaster of a literal circus".
Ought to be good because Knepper played one of the most charismatic and wicked characters of recent years at his old job.
Well, I guess Heroes now jumps to the top of my summer watching list. I've got three seasons to catch up on before the Fall premiere.
The former T-Bag will play the role of Samuel, "a charismatic yet wicked ringmaster of a literal circus".
Ought to be good because Knepper played one of the most charismatic and wicked characters of recent years at his old job.
Well, I guess Heroes now jumps to the top of my summer watching list. I've got three seasons to catch up on before the Fall premiere.
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Premieres and Notables; June 8-14, 2009
Monday, 6/8
The Closer (TNT; 8 pm CST). Season Finale.
Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List; Bravo. 9 pm CST. 5th Season Premiere.
Raising the Bar; TNT. 9 pm. 2nd Season Premiere.
Weeds; Showtime. 9 pm. 5th Season Premiere.
I didn't like the direction the show went in last season, and let's just say the cliffhanger from last year doesn't instill confidence that we're done with the storyline...
Nurse Jackie; Showtime. 9:30 pm. Series Premiere.
Dark comedy starring Edie Falco as a nurse.
Wednesday, 6/10
Top Chef Masters; Bravo. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Thursday, 6/11
She's Got the Look; TV Land. 8 pm. Season Premiere.
Raising Sextuplets; WE TV. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Geez-- I wonder why that OctoMom thought she could get a TV show...
Saturday, 6/13
Pushing Daisies (ABC; 9 pm. ). Series Finale.
I hear they wrapped up a little, but the plan is to continue the story in comic book form. Not sure if I'll follow it there, but I'm happy that rabid fans may get more Daisies goodness.
And I'll give another shout-out to ABC for airing these last episodes (assuming they actually do-- no telling when they could pull the plug).
Sunday, 6/14
True Blood; HBO. 8 pm. 2nd Season Premiere.
I haven't watched the first season yet, but I heard good things.
Hammertime; A&E. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
MC Hammer gets a family reality show. I'm sure it'll be awesome.
The Closer (TNT; 8 pm CST). Season Finale.
Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List; Bravo. 9 pm CST. 5th Season Premiere.
Raising the Bar; TNT. 9 pm. 2nd Season Premiere.
Weeds; Showtime. 9 pm. 5th Season Premiere.
I didn't like the direction the show went in last season, and let's just say the cliffhanger from last year doesn't instill confidence that we're done with the storyline...
Nurse Jackie; Showtime. 9:30 pm. Series Premiere.
Dark comedy starring Edie Falco as a nurse.
Wednesday, 6/10
Top Chef Masters; Bravo. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Thursday, 6/11
She's Got the Look; TV Land. 8 pm. Season Premiere.
Raising Sextuplets; WE TV. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Geez-- I wonder why that OctoMom thought she could get a TV show...
Saturday, 6/13
Pushing Daisies (ABC; 9 pm. ). Series Finale.
I hear they wrapped up a little, but the plan is to continue the story in comic book form. Not sure if I'll follow it there, but I'm happy that rabid fans may get more Daisies goodness.
And I'll give another shout-out to ABC for airing these last episodes (assuming they actually do-- no telling when they could pull the plug).
Sunday, 6/14
True Blood; HBO. 8 pm. 2nd Season Premiere.
I haven't watched the first season yet, but I heard good things.
Hammertime; A&E. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
MC Hammer gets a family reality show. I'm sure it'll be awesome.
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Douchebag explodes
I love the line that his fame is getting devalued.
Nearly fell off my chair with that nonsense.
Nearly fell off my chair with that nonsense.
Good Grief
I know I rail on this crap too much.
I also feel a tinge of guilt because I don't watch this garbage-- and yet I can call it crap and garbage.
Sometimes I wonder if maybe I go too far.
And then I see shit like this...
Nope-- I'm completely justified.
I also feel a tinge of guilt because I don't watch this garbage-- and yet I can call it crap and garbage.
Sometimes I wonder if maybe I go too far.
And then I see shit like this...
Nope-- I'm completely justified.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Premieres and Notables; June 1-7, 2009
Monday, 6/1
I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! NBC. 7 pm CST. Season Premiere (sort of).
Ah-- I love the smell of shit in the summer. Means I can catch up on shows I've recorded the past ten years, watch some DVDs, read some more books.
I'm not even going to mention who the "celebrities" [snicker] are. It's not worth it. This is crap; pure and simple. This is what NBC thinks we deserve. Two big middle fingers to you, NBC. You suck ass. I'll enjoy not watching (most of) your crap this summer and into the Fall.
Medium (NBC; 9 pm). Season Finale.
And NBC finale-- it moves to CBS next season.
Conan O'Brien begins his stint as host of The Tonight Show (NBC; 10:35 pm). I don't watch late-night shows as a rule, so I doubt I will here. But you do have to tip your hat to the guy who almost got kicked off Late Night years ago. He sure seems to have grown. Sounds like buddy Andy Richter is the new announcer for the show. And Conan gets Will Ferrell and Pearl Jam (although I've also seen Green Day) are his first guests.
And I'll be mentioning Conan a little later...
Tuesday, 6/2
According to Jim (ABC; 7:30). Series Finale.
Yeah, right. We've heard that before...
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC; 9 pm). Season Finale.
Wednesday, 6/3
The Cougar (TV Land; 9 pm). Season Finale.
Law & Order (NBC; 9 pm). Season Finale.
Make Me Supermodel (Bravo; 9 pm). Season Finale.
Thursday, 6/4
Hollywood's Best Film Directors; Reelz. 7:30 pm. Series Premiere.
The subject tonight is Francis Ford Coppola.
Burn Notice; USA. 8 pm. Season Premiere.
Tosh.0; Comedy Central. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Daniel Tosh talks Internet stuff.
Royal Pains; USA. 9 pm. Series Premiere. A disgraced doctor tries to rebuild his rep in the Hamptons.
[I've heard this was a pretty decent show. May be worth a look.]
The Listener; NBC. 9:01. Series Premiere.
This Canadian import follows the life of a paramedic who can read people's thoughts.
Friday, 6/5
Whale Wars; Animal Planet. 8 pm. Season Premiere.
Ghost Adventures; Travel. 8 pm. Season Premiere.
I said I'd be mentioning Conan O'Brien again: Chickenfoot is the musical guest on The Tonight Show (NBC; 10:35 pm). Their album drops today, but if you still haven't gotten the idea that this is a must-own album from all the posts I've put in this blog, maybe their appearance tonight will push you in the right direction.
Saturday, 6/6
Housecat Housecall; Animal Planet. 9:30 am. Series Premiere.
Vet Katrina Warren helps cats get over some of their psychological issues.
Sunday, 6/7
You know what? I don't even care about these.
Here are some mini-listings for season premieres not worth the time it takes to write up full listings:
Bridezillas; 8 pm
Gene Simmons Family Jewels; 8 pm
The Next Food Network Star; 8 pm
Army Wives; 9 pm
Oh wait! What have we here? The second season of my current favorite show:
Z Rock; IFC. 10 pm. Season Premiere.
I watched most of the first season this month, and I really like it. It's got an early Entourage vibe. Check it out if you get IFC (I still don't. Boo, Charter Cable! You suck!)-- or check it out on IFC OnDemand like I did (mostly-- the episodes are not available very long.)
I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! NBC. 7 pm CST. Season Premiere (sort of).
Ah-- I love the smell of shit in the summer. Means I can catch up on shows I've recorded the past ten years, watch some DVDs, read some more books.
I'm not even going to mention who the "celebrities" [snicker] are. It's not worth it. This is crap; pure and simple. This is what NBC thinks we deserve. Two big middle fingers to you, NBC. You suck ass. I'll enjoy not watching (most of) your crap this summer and into the Fall.
Medium (NBC; 9 pm). Season Finale.
And NBC finale-- it moves to CBS next season.
Conan O'Brien begins his stint as host of The Tonight Show (NBC; 10:35 pm). I don't watch late-night shows as a rule, so I doubt I will here. But you do have to tip your hat to the guy who almost got kicked off Late Night years ago. He sure seems to have grown. Sounds like buddy Andy Richter is the new announcer for the show. And Conan gets Will Ferrell and Pearl Jam (although I've also seen Green Day) are his first guests.
And I'll be mentioning Conan a little later...
Tuesday, 6/2
According to Jim (ABC; 7:30). Series Finale.
Yeah, right. We've heard that before...
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC; 9 pm). Season Finale.
Wednesday, 6/3
The Cougar (TV Land; 9 pm). Season Finale.
Law & Order (NBC; 9 pm). Season Finale.
Make Me Supermodel (Bravo; 9 pm). Season Finale.
Thursday, 6/4
Hollywood's Best Film Directors; Reelz. 7:30 pm. Series Premiere.
The subject tonight is Francis Ford Coppola.
Burn Notice; USA. 8 pm. Season Premiere.
Tosh.0; Comedy Central. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Daniel Tosh talks Internet stuff.
Royal Pains; USA. 9 pm. Series Premiere. A disgraced doctor tries to rebuild his rep in the Hamptons.
[I've heard this was a pretty decent show. May be worth a look.]
The Listener; NBC. 9:01. Series Premiere.
This Canadian import follows the life of a paramedic who can read people's thoughts.
Friday, 6/5
Whale Wars; Animal Planet. 8 pm. Season Premiere.
Ghost Adventures; Travel. 8 pm. Season Premiere.
I said I'd be mentioning Conan O'Brien again: Chickenfoot is the musical guest on The Tonight Show (NBC; 10:35 pm). Their album drops today, but if you still haven't gotten the idea that this is a must-own album from all the posts I've put in this blog, maybe their appearance tonight will push you in the right direction.
Saturday, 6/6
Housecat Housecall; Animal Planet. 9:30 am. Series Premiere.
Vet Katrina Warren helps cats get over some of their psychological issues.
Sunday, 6/7
You know what? I don't even care about these.
Here are some mini-listings for season premieres not worth the time it takes to write up full listings:
Bridezillas; 8 pm
Gene Simmons Family Jewels; 8 pm
The Next Food Network Star; 8 pm
Army Wives; 9 pm
Oh wait! What have we here? The second season of my current favorite show:
Z Rock; IFC. 10 pm. Season Premiere.
I watched most of the first season this month, and I really like it. It's got an early Entourage vibe. Check it out if you get IFC (I still don't. Boo, Charter Cable! You suck!)-- or check it out on IFC OnDemand like I did (mostly-- the episodes are not available very long.)
Another Amazing Achievement
Not much time, here, but I wanted to recommend Pixar's new film Up.
I caught it last night, and it was amazing. I have no idea how that studio can crank out remarkable movies year after year-- each one better than the last-- but it does.
Quite like Cars and Wall-E, Up manages to be very entertaining for the young ones and extremely gratifying for adults. It begins as a story about a boy who meets an adventurous girl. They grow up, get married, life keeps them away from their dreams, and then the wife dies, and the old man is left all alone. The whole love story takes place over a matter of minutes, and it's one of the best film sequences I've ever seen (yeah, I'll say it: ever seen). I had tears welling up in my eyes by the end of that.
Then the story of the film begins: Old man has almost given up on life, but then he remembers the dream his wife had to go on an adventure. He decides to do it himself. He enacts his plan [I'm not giving anything away here, people, you had to have seen the trailers/commercials by now], picks up a few strays, and goes on this wild adventure.
And, as the best Pixar films have been doing lately: there is a big message barely hidden in the adventure. It's wonderful.
I really can't say enough good about this film. It's, by far, the best movie I've seen this year. Wonderful writing, beautiful animation, fascinating characters, belly-busting humor, great sadness... This film has it all. It gets my highest recommendation.
That's all I'll say because if you think you know everything from the commercials, you will be so pleasantly surprised when you see it. What you know is the very tip of the iceberg.
One final thought: Dug. Best character of the year.
I caught it last night, and it was amazing. I have no idea how that studio can crank out remarkable movies year after year-- each one better than the last-- but it does.
Quite like Cars and Wall-E, Up manages to be very entertaining for the young ones and extremely gratifying for adults. It begins as a story about a boy who meets an adventurous girl. They grow up, get married, life keeps them away from their dreams, and then the wife dies, and the old man is left all alone. The whole love story takes place over a matter of minutes, and it's one of the best film sequences I've ever seen (yeah, I'll say it: ever seen). I had tears welling up in my eyes by the end of that.
Then the story of the film begins: Old man has almost given up on life, but then he remembers the dream his wife had to go on an adventure. He decides to do it himself. He enacts his plan [I'm not giving anything away here, people, you had to have seen the trailers/commercials by now], picks up a few strays, and goes on this wild adventure.
And, as the best Pixar films have been doing lately: there is a big message barely hidden in the adventure. It's wonderful.
I really can't say enough good about this film. It's, by far, the best movie I've seen this year. Wonderful writing, beautiful animation, fascinating characters, belly-busting humor, great sadness... This film has it all. It gets my highest recommendation.
That's all I'll say because if you think you know everything from the commercials, you will be so pleasantly surprised when you see it. What you know is the very tip of the iceberg.
One final thought: Dug. Best character of the year.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
sexephil: Megan Fox is a BC'er
If you don't know what a BC'er is: wait for it...
And I LOVE the rant about fake girl gamers...
And I LOVE the rant about fake girl gamers...
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
sexephil: Porn vs. Prostitution
Ran across this guy on YouTube. Checked out a few of his (daily-- Jesus Christ!) posts and found them entertaining enough.
I'll probably be posting them here from time to time if I really like 'em.
I'll probably be posting them here from time to time if I really like 'em.
12 Days of the Foot: Day 1: Avenida Revolution
I've made a few Chickenfoot-related posts before. I'm a big Sammy Hagar fan, so why not? Plus, these four (Sammy, Michael Anthony, Chad Smith, and Joe Satriani) just look like they're having lots of fun.
And the music sounds great.
On Monday, they started posting clips called "12 Days of the Foot", where they go over each song. I love that background shit, so I'm going to share it here. One post each day until the album is released (via Best Buy or iTunes) on Friday, 6/5. You can also subscribe to the podcast via iTunes.
The first two clips (the only ones released so far) have the same first minute or two, but they differ once they go into each song.
Here's the link to the first vid: Day 01-Avenida Revolution
And the music sounds great.
On Monday, they started posting clips called "12 Days of the Foot", where they go over each song. I love that background shit, so I'm going to share it here. One post each day until the album is released (via Best Buy or iTunes) on Friday, 6/5. You can also subscribe to the podcast via iTunes.
The first two clips (the only ones released so far) have the same first minute or two, but they differ once they go into each song.
Here's the link to the first vid: Day 01-Avenida Revolution
Monday, May 25, 2009
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Premieres, Finales, and Notables; May 25-31, 2009
If you read this before 7 pm on Sunday, you may want to read it again as I added a few things...
Monday, 5/25
Jon & Kate Plus 8; TLC. 8 pm CST. Season Premiere.
I'm already tired of them, and I don't even watch the show...
Cake Boss; TLC. 9 pm. Series Debut.
Yet another food reality show...
Obsessed; A&E. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
A reality series about extreme anxiety disorders.
In Treatment (HBO; 9 pm). Season Finale.
Here Come the Newlyweds; ABC. 9:02 pm. Series Premiere.
Nine couples live in a house, do challenges, and vote each other off.
Tuesday, 5/26
Reaper (CW; 7 pm). Series Finale.
Way to go, CW! Dump an original show and replace it with another '90s remake.
Hitched of Ditched; CW. 8 pm. Series Premiere.
Non-engaged couples have a week to execute their wedding, but no one can decide to go through with it-- or pull out of it-- until the ceremony.
Man Caves; DIY. 8 pm. Season Premiere.
Rainn Wilson gets his own cave.
Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood; Oxygen. 9 pm. Season Premiere.
Ugh...
My Boys (TBS; 9:30). Season Finale.
Beautiful People; Logo. 9:30. Series Premiere.
A show based on Barney's creative director Simon Noonan's memoirs.
Wednesday, 5/27
The Goode Family; ABC. 8 pm. Series Premiere.
Mike Judge's new animated series following an eco-friendly man named Gerald Goode.
Your Worst Animal Nightmares; Animal Planet. 8 pm. Series Premiere.
No idea...
Meet the Browns; TBS. 9 pm CST. Season Premiere.
Creator Tyler Perry plans on shooting 70 episodes of this series this year. Seventy.
Tattoo Highway; A&E. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Inked's Thomas Pendleton turns a 1970s tour bus into a movable tatoo parlor.
Nah-- that doesn't sound dangerous...
Friday, 5/29
Nature's Most Amazing Events; Discovery. 7 pm. Series Premiere.
I guess the premiere looks at Arctic animals and how they plan for the summer.
What Not to Wear; TLC. 8 pm. Season Premiere.
Saturday, 5/30
Grill It! With Bobby Flay; Food Network. 10:30 am. Season Premiere.
Pushing Daisies; ABC. 9 pm. Return.
In one of the coolest moves by a network in the past few years, ABC is going to run all the unaired episodes of Daisies; followed by Eli Stone, and finally Dirty Sexy Money this summer. Yes, it's on Saturday and, yes, they could pull the plug at any time-- so take advantage of ABC's generosity of not making you buy the DVDs to see the remaining episodes.
Sunday, 5/31
Breaking Bad (AMC; 9 pm). Season Finale.
Oz; DirectTV. 9 pm. Rerun.
DirectTV continues to pick up series that no longer run-- and this time they're showing the series that really set HBO apart from the pack.
HGTV's $250,000 Challenge; HGTV (duh!). 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Five families compete in home-design challenges to make the big money.
Expedition Africa: Stanley and Livingstone; History. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Four explorers recreate the African voyage by journalist Henry Morton Stanley.
Jesse James is a Dead Man; Spike. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Each episode, James drives some vehicle that is extreme.
Monday, 5/25
Jon & Kate Plus 8; TLC. 8 pm CST. Season Premiere.
I'm already tired of them, and I don't even watch the show...
Cake Boss; TLC. 9 pm. Series Debut.
Yet another food reality show...
Obsessed; A&E. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
A reality series about extreme anxiety disorders.
In Treatment (HBO; 9 pm). Season Finale.
Here Come the Newlyweds; ABC. 9:02 pm. Series Premiere.
Nine couples live in a house, do challenges, and vote each other off.
Tuesday, 5/26
Reaper (CW; 7 pm). Series Finale.
Way to go, CW! Dump an original show and replace it with another '90s remake.
Hitched of Ditched; CW. 8 pm. Series Premiere.
Non-engaged couples have a week to execute their wedding, but no one can decide to go through with it-- or pull out of it-- until the ceremony.
Man Caves; DIY. 8 pm. Season Premiere.
Rainn Wilson gets his own cave.
Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood; Oxygen. 9 pm. Season Premiere.
Ugh...
My Boys (TBS; 9:30). Season Finale.
Beautiful People; Logo. 9:30. Series Premiere.
A show based on Barney's creative director Simon Noonan's memoirs.
Wednesday, 5/27
The Goode Family; ABC. 8 pm. Series Premiere.
Mike Judge's new animated series following an eco-friendly man named Gerald Goode.
Your Worst Animal Nightmares; Animal Planet. 8 pm. Series Premiere.
No idea...
Meet the Browns; TBS. 9 pm CST. Season Premiere.
Creator Tyler Perry plans on shooting 70 episodes of this series this year. Seventy.
Tattoo Highway; A&E. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Inked's Thomas Pendleton turns a 1970s tour bus into a movable tatoo parlor.
Nah-- that doesn't sound dangerous...
Friday, 5/29
Nature's Most Amazing Events; Discovery. 7 pm. Series Premiere.
I guess the premiere looks at Arctic animals and how they plan for the summer.
What Not to Wear; TLC. 8 pm. Season Premiere.
Saturday, 5/30
Grill It! With Bobby Flay; Food Network. 10:30 am. Season Premiere.
Pushing Daisies; ABC. 9 pm. Return.
In one of the coolest moves by a network in the past few years, ABC is going to run all the unaired episodes of Daisies; followed by Eli Stone, and finally Dirty Sexy Money this summer. Yes, it's on Saturday and, yes, they could pull the plug at any time-- so take advantage of ABC's generosity of not making you buy the DVDs to see the remaining episodes.
Sunday, 5/31
Breaking Bad (AMC; 9 pm). Season Finale.
Oz; DirectTV. 9 pm. Rerun.
DirectTV continues to pick up series that no longer run-- and this time they're showing the series that really set HBO apart from the pack.
HGTV's $250,000 Challenge; HGTV (duh!). 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Five families compete in home-design challenges to make the big money.
Expedition Africa: Stanley and Livingstone; History. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Four explorers recreate the African voyage by journalist Henry Morton Stanley.
Jesse James is a Dead Man; Spike. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Each episode, James drives some vehicle that is extreme.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
e*trade Baby- Shankopotamus
I hate commercials and FF through them as fast as I can. But I always watch the e*trade baby ones. Here's my favorite. It's got the perfect blend of funny lines and smart-assery attitude.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
CW's 2009/2010 Sked
It's possible I may not watch any CW show in the fall (although I'll still record Smallville & Supernatural to watch at a later date).
http://www.tvguide.com/News/Fall-TV-CW-1006249.aspx
http://www.tvguide.com/News/Fall-TV-CW-1006249.aspx
TNT Unveils New Shows
Here's a link to tvguide.com's news story for TNT. Sounds like some decent shows coming down the pike.
http://www.tvguide.com/News/TNT-Spielberg-Romano-1006206.aspx
http://www.tvguide.com/News/TNT-Spielberg-Romano-1006206.aspx
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Restraint, Personified
The fact that this dude just sat there and didn't make any comments is classic.
CBS 2009/2010 Sked
Ho hum. Don't care. Don't see a single interesting new show.
At least my Monday and Wednesday nights will remain unchanged. (Watch 7:00-8:00, skip 8:00, and watch again at 8:30 on Mondays.)
Isn't it time to dump that lame-ass Two and a Half Men yet? How can it be the #1 comedy?
I guess that's called "lowest common denominator" programming.
http://www.tvguide.com/News/Fall-TV-CBS-1006204.aspx
At least my Monday and Wednesday nights will remain unchanged. (Watch 7:00-8:00, skip 8:00, and watch again at 8:30 on Mondays.)
Isn't it time to dump that lame-ass Two and a Half Men yet? How can it be the #1 comedy?
I guess that's called "lowest common denominator" programming.
http://www.tvguide.com/News/Fall-TV-CBS-1006204.aspx
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
ABC's 2009/2010 Sked
And here is what ABC has to offer.
Looks like ABC is still trying to throw crap on the wall to see what sticks in the comedy department. At least the getting-better Better Off Ted and Scrubs (?-- after that great "series" finale?) are being brought back.
http://www.tvguide.com/News/Fall-TV-ABC-1006175.aspx
Looks like ABC is still trying to throw crap on the wall to see what sticks in the comedy department. At least the getting-better Better Off Ted and Scrubs (?-- after that great "series" finale?) are being brought back.
http://www.tvguide.com/News/Fall-TV-ABC-1006175.aspx
NBC Unveils 2009-2010 Sked
Like yesterday, I'm going to just give you the link.
Unlike yesterday, I have a few comments: Wow! Talk about stripped down. Disappointing. I know the net has taken some hits, but, geez...
And I love the hyperbole for Thursday, "The Funniest Night on TV". Uhhhh-- not if you're leading off with Saturday Night Live Thursday and Parks and Recreation. Sorry-- try again.
Thankfully the net has a 7-10 days for the Winter Olympics.
Here's the link:
http://www.tvguide.com/News/Fall-TV-NBC-1006185.aspx
Unlike yesterday, I have a few comments: Wow! Talk about stripped down. Disappointing. I know the net has taken some hits, but, geez...
And I love the hyperbole for Thursday, "The Funniest Night on TV". Uhhhh-- not if you're leading off with Saturday Night Live Thursday and Parks and Recreation. Sorry-- try again.
Thankfully the net has a 7-10 days for the Winter Olympics.
Here's the link:
http://www.tvguide.com/News/Fall-TV-NBC-1006185.aspx
Hope You Didn't Miss It...
For those of you who have heeded my advice and have started (or continued) watching How I Met Your Mother: wasn't that a fantastic season ender last night?
For those of you who haven't yet jumped on the HIMYM train: so sorry. You are missing out.
For those of you who haven't yet jumped on the HIMYM train: so sorry. You are missing out.
Monday, May 18, 2009
I Think Someone's Gonna Get Fired...
Check out the big red [word] that appears between the two men near the end of this clip.
Someone probably should have checked the camera angle in that scene.
I'm just sayin'...
Someone probably should have checked the camera angle in that scene.
I'm just sayin'...
FOX Announces Fall 2009 Lineup
Sorry-- Not much time to type.
Thankfully, tvguide.com's Matt Mitovich took the time himself:
http://www.tvguide.com/News/Fall-TV-Fox-1006141.aspx
Thankfully, tvguide.com's Matt Mitovich took the time himself:
http://www.tvguide.com/News/Fall-TV-Fox-1006141.aspx
Sunday, May 17, 2009
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