Strut That Ass

Okay-- I have NO idea what he's goin' on about...
...But you've gotta admit: he's got style.

Ladder Climb

Jackass...

Cardboard Wars

Cat Lassie

Yoda's Tom Tom Recording Session

Premieres and Notables; July 12-18, 2010

Monday, 7/12

Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated; Cartoon Network. 6 pm CST. Series Premiere
A reboot of Scooby-Doo. (And, no, I don't know why they need an exclamation point in the title...)

Kid in a Candy Store; Food. 7 pm CST. Series Premiere.
A show that looks at the country's sweetest treats.

The Closer; TNT/ 8 pm CST. 6th Season Premiere.

Rizzoli & Isles; TNT. 9 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Sasha Alexander and Angie Harmon star in this adaptation of the Tess Gerritsen mystery novels.


Tuesday, 7/13

White Collar; USA. 8 pm CST. 2nds Season Premiere.

World's Wackiest Game Shows; Travel Channel.  9 and 9:30 pm CST. Series Premiere.
The title pretty much describes it.

Covert Affairs; USA. 8 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Piper Paraboo stars in this CIA agent show mostly described as Alias-lite.


Wednesday, 7/14

Ghost Hunters International; Syfy. 8 pm CST. Season Premiere.

Psych; USA. 9 pm CST. 5th Season Premiere.

Chasing Mummies; History.  9 pm CST. Series Premiere.
A series following archaeologist Zahi Hawass as he travels Egypt and gets his Indiana Jones on.

Pros vs. Joes. Spike. 9 pm CST. Season Premiere.


Thursday, 7/15

Mary Knows Best; Syfy.  8 pm CST.  Series Premiere.
A six-part reality series about a divorced housewife with psychic gifts. Her kids are: a paranormal investigator, a skeptical journalist, and a daughter who has-- but doesn't accept-- "the gift" she shares with her mother.
C'mon, Hollywood couldn't even dream this shit up...

NICU; Discovery Health. 9 pm CST. Series Premiere.
A docuseries about infants born with big-time medical issues.


Friday, 7/16

DC Cupcakes; TLC. 9 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Two sisters quit their jobs to start a bakery that specializes in cupcakes.


Saturday, 7/17

Celebrity Ghost Stories; Bio. 8 pm CST. Season Premiere.

My Ghost Story; Bio.  9 pm CST.  Series Premiere.
Celebs can't have all the fun... Here's a new show about real people and their ghost stories.

Old Spice Guy Asks Questions

These commercials rule..

Eve Needed... A Sassy Gay Friend

Oh, how the world would have been different...

Bike + Roof + Lever & Fulcrum + Nutshot

Wow...
Just...wow

Conan: The Musical

Not bad...

Fax of Life

Beautiful in the ugliness of the puns...

I wish more had this talent

Vuvuzela Weapon in Doom

Even horrible alien/demon/whateverthehelltheyares can't stand the sounds of the 2010 World Cup noisemakers.

Toronto Meltdown

When Canada hosted the recent G20 Economic Summit, there were some protests that devoved to looting. So some stores and malls closed their doors.

This dude didn't take it well.

Watch the whole thing. First you have the guy losing it, then a teen decides to get in the action, then the teen's friend-- trying to be "cool" half-heartedly "helps", and finally, the cameraman messes with the guy.

Premieres and Notables: July 5-11, 2010

Monday, 7/5

SpongeBob Squarepants: The Clash of Triton; Nickelodeon.  7 pm CST. Special
A week of new episodes begins with this special with returning guest star john O'Hurley and new guests Victoria Beckham and Sebastian Bach.

Live From the Artists Den; syndicated. Check local listings. Series Premiere.
A new musical performance series. The debut features Ringo Starr-- who gets some help from Joan Osbourne and Ben Harper.

Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations; Travel Channel. 9 pm CST. Mid-season Return.


Tuesday, 7/6

Warehouse 13; Syfy. 8 pm CST. 2nd Season Premiere.

Law & Order: Criminal Intent; USA. 8 pm CST. Season Finale.


Wednesday, 7/7

Come Dine With Me; BBC America. 8 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Amateur chefs compete in yet another food competition.

The Choir; BBC America. 9 pm CST. Series Premiere.
A thirteen-part documentary series following choirmaster Gareth Malone in his attempt to recruit a competitive choir from a public school.


Thursday, 7/8

Big Brother; CBS. 7 pm CST. 12th Season Premiere.
The show I am the most embarrassed to say I watch.  Damn near every hour in the past 11 seasons, too.  I almost stood firm on my personal promise to not watch this year, but I know I will try the premiere and get hooked on its moronic houseguests and robotic host (Julie "The ChenBot" Chen).


Friday, 7/9

Eureka; Syfy. 8 pm CST. 4th Season Premiere.

Haven; Syfy. 9 pm CST. Series Premiere.
A government agent checks out a homicide in a small Maine town and finds all sorts of weirdness.


Saturday, 7/10

The Bridge; CBS. 7 pm CST. Series Premiere.
CBS grabs another Canadian drama... This time, the show revolves around a cop who becomes a union rep to clean up the department.

How Do I Look? Style Network. 7 pm CST. Season Premiere.


Sunday, 7/11

The Glades; A&E. 9 pm CST. Series Premiere.
A Chicago homicide detective gets in trouble and ends up in a small Florida community, which gets an uptick in crime.

Children's Hospital; adult swim (Cartoon Network).  9:30 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Rob Corddry's web  series gets on the air.  I haven't watched it before, but I've heard it's pretty good (of course, it's also very, very wrong-- perfect for adult swim).

Maybe it wouldn't have gotten cancelled had the lines been like this

A little long-- but there are some good censored bits...

AT-AT Afternoon

Now THAT'S Headbanging

The Hottest New Internet Dance Craze

Surra de bunda.

Or, as I like to call it: "Whatthefuck?"

Premieres and Notables; June 28-July 4, 2010

Monday, 6/28

Intervention; A&E. 8 pm CST. 9th Season Premiere.

Huge; ABC Family. 8 pm CST. Series Premiere.
A dramedy based around campers at a teenage weight-loss camp.

Make It or Break It; ABC Family.  9 pm CST. 2nd Season Premiere.


Tuesday, 6/29

Downfall; ABC. 8 pm CST.
I forgot this one last week (namely because nothing I read noted it), but I caught the pilot yesterday on a repeat.  It's a gameshow set at the top of a 10-story L.A. building, where a conveyor belt drops (replicas of) stuff off the edge if contestants don't get their trivia answers right, which blatantly makes the point that the contestant didn't win the dinner set, or TV, or car...
Not really my thing, but I do enjoy host Chris Jericho, who has "brought it down" a few notches from his WWE Wrestling days, where he made his mark not only in the ring (excellent in almost all types of matches, technical or not) but also outside it.  When "Ayatollah of Rock-and--rolla" had the mic, he was brilliant.

Rescue Me; FX. 9 pm CST. 6th Season Premiere.

Louie; FX. 10:01 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Louis C.K. plays pretty much himself in this comedy.


Wednesday, 6/30

Locked Up Abroad; Nat Geo. 9 pm CST. 4th Season Premiere.

Man Shops Globe; Sundance.  9 pm CST. Season Premiere.

Tosh.0; Comedy Central. 9:30 pm CST. Season Premiere.


Friday, 7/2

Merlin (Syfy; 9 pm CST). Season Finale.


Saturday, 7/3

HBO airs the 7-part mini-series of John Adams, beginning to end at 7 pm.


Sunday, 7/4

Syfy airs a 20-hr marathon of one of my favorite shows as a kid: The Greatest American Hero at 8 am CST.

Jedi A-Holes

Star Trek Tik Tok

Iron Baby

This is pretty cute.

The Quick Way to Heat Up Your Backyard

Whoops.

This Man Fails...

The Most Odd Commercial I've Ever Seen

What Happens When the Camera is Still Recording After a Fail

Kids-- don't be stupid. This could happen.

TV 2009/2010: The #1

And, finally, my favorite show of the past 12 months:

Doctor Who

Like last year, it may be a bit unfair to include a show I saw this past year on DVD as opposed to when it originally aired, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t include Doctor Who in my Top Ten again. Like the first season I watched last year, Seasons Two through Four got increasingly impressive as they progressed.

Season Two opened where Season One left off: Christopher Eccleston’s Doctor died and was regenerated in a new body (the body of actor David Tennant, the tenth Doctor in the long-lived show’s history)—all to the dismay of human companion Rose Tyler (played by Billie Piper). Because not only does a regeneration change the physical appearance of The Doctor, but there are also some behavioral changes as well.

In this case, The Doctor is a bit more emotional than the previous incarnation. Where Eccelston’s (Ninth) Doctor was more detached from the characters he saved or fought, Tennant’s (Tenth) Doctor takes things more personally. It’s hard not to turn away when he has that look in his eye that tells his opponents he’s not playing. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing; it’s actually a good reminder that this character we’re watching and rooting for is not human.

And that’s where Rose comes in. She is a constant source of humanity for the show; the character we can most identify with. She also becomes a love interest for The Doctor, and that was interesting to see. All season they got closer and closer until the end of Rose’s journey, which, just itself, made this entire show worthy of earning a Top Ten spot—I don’t know if I’ve ever been as heartbroken as I was at the end of Season Two. The final scene between Tennant and Piper was beautifully acted by them and emotionally draining for me. I can’t think of a more heart-rending ending to their journey.

Season Three begins with The Doctor getting a new companion thrust upon him; one who isn’t willing to put up with all of the danger that follows him. In a very interesting change of events, Donna Noble, the “Runaway Bride”, declines the invitation to travel with him after their first adventure. She finds him too dangerous and too scary—and she tells him such. And after losing his people—and Rose—The Doctor can’t disagree. So he continues, alone.

Until the next adventure, where The Doctor runs into the beautiful and brilliant Martha Jones, and she falls hard for him. But he can’t see her as anything more than a sidekick. Martha is somewhat stronger than Rose (Rose travelled as a way to escape her ordinary life, and Martha travelled more out of responsibility), and she can see the help she can give while working with him. And, she also hoped he’d finally notice her.

Season Three continued full-steam ahead, and there are some really wonderful episodes contained in the back half of it. Mid-way through the season, The Doctor had to hide from some enemies and became human with no recollection of his true self. He built a life and found a mate (all while under the eye of Martha, who was the only one who knew that “John Smith” was much more than a professor)—and then The Doctor came calling. But the newly human John Smith did not want to give up his life to become The Doctor again. Tennant had a number of really wonderful scenes as he struggles with the fact that John Smith must die in order to save the others at the school he works at. And we also got a very sad look at The Doctor’s life when Smith demands Martha answer why The Doctor even needs her. She replies with, “Because you’re lonely,” and Smith immediately responds with, “And you want that for me?” Of course, The Doctor returns—but there is much sadness that comes when we get to see what John Smith’s life could have been like had he been able to live it out. And The Doctor took out his frustration on the villains by giving them each a horrific punishment that further reminds us that he can act on emotions as much as any human.

After that episode, it moves right into the next adventure, “Blink”, which is one of the best hours of television I’ve seen in a while-- and, oddly, The Doctor and Martha are little more than presences in it as just-introduced Sally is the focal character. They need to get Sally to do certain things—but have to do it from the 1960s, where they’re trapped. It was a very unusual and disturbing episode.

Finally, the season ends with the return of The Doctor’s opposite: The Master. The Master takes control of the world, diminishes The Doctor into helplessness, tortures Captain Jack—and completely underestimates Martha, who proves her worth as a hero in a way very few people would have.

And just like the end of Season Two broke my heart, the end of Season Three did as well as The Doctor and Martha go their separate ways. It was especially troubling for me as I became a big fan of not only Martha, but of the actress who played her (the absolutely beautiful Freema Agreyma).

Finally, Season Four begins with Donna Noble searching for The Doctor. She realized she wants more from life than the dreary temp jobs she had before and after she met him. By some coincidence (or is it?), she and The Doctor reunite, and they go off on adventures together. Like Martha and Rose were different from each other, so, too, is Donna, who may not be all that bright—or brave—but brings her own brand of “anchoring” to The Doctor. She is very compassionate and also is not willing to blindly follow The Doctor like Rose and Martha were. Not only does that make the dynamic between the two different—it also really helps the viewers get into the mind of The Doctor because Donna constantly questions him—and he has to respond, giving us a view into his past and his rationales.

And while Donna may not be as typically heroic as previous companions, she proves herself time and again in their adventures; with high points being in an alternate universe she was in where she— and only she— can save The Doctor. And we can’t discount the role she played in the season finale.

The end of Season Four is a monster epic which brings back many previously seen characters—and is a great capper to Tennant’s run as The Doctor (he starred in a few made-for-TV movies between Season 4 and Matt Smith’s run beginning Season 5, but this was supposed to be the big finale). And, like the seasons before, The Doctor loses his current companion; this time in an interesting—and very tragic—way.

And, finally, the final episodes of Tennant’s run were extra-length specials with different companions, all culminating in the “End of Time” movie event (co-starring the absolutely wonderful Bernard Cribbins), where The Doctor knows he’s going to die, and fights it with every fiber of his being. But, no matter how many twists and turns he had, the prophesies were true; his “song” comes to an end—and it was excruciating, even if the show gave Tennant a very respectful send-off.

Tennant’s tenure ended one of the greatest runs of television episodes I’ve ever seen, so I was a bit worried about what would come next. But the 11th Doctor, Matt Smith, hit his first episode out of the park. So while I’m not caught up with the new Doctor, I knew this franchise is in good hands when Smith’s Doctor basically told an alien invasion force that it had better leave before he kicks their asses after showing them a fantastic mini-history of this long-lived franchise.

TV 2009/2010: National Parks

There are a number of worthy shows that could justify the last slot before #1. A great thinking show like Real Time With Bill Maher. Funny shows like The Big Bang Theory and Cougar Town—or a unique one like Better Off Ted. A fantastically written and hosted satire like The Soup. Or one with a very unique concept like 30 For 30.


But I’m going to go with one that just floored me, visually: National Parks: America’s Best Idea. It’s one of the few shows I watched in HD (I watch so many shows, my DVR can’t handle the space needed for High Def), and it was just beautiful to see.

I was also very intrigued by the vast amounts of information presented in the mini-series. I probably don’t remember 20% of the facts—but I do remember the struggle to develop a National Parks system (and America was the first country to do so). This is the first Ken Burns documentary series I have ever seen, and it was a great introduction to his work (some of which I hope to catch up on over the summer).

I read a little squawking about the miniseries; that Burns was too political in some regards (actually suggesting that the Federal Government was good for something)—and not enough in others (ending the series before Ronald Reagan’s turnaround on the concept—at least his non-support). And while maybe there was a bit of an agenda in his mind, I got the feeling that Burns was honest when he said he just wanted to remind us the parks are still there.

And he couldn’t have presented them much better. I had a very serious longing to explore for weeks after I watched the series) and my usual exploring is in my basement, looking for a book or DVD. I hope people took him up on his hope to get out and travel to a park. I’m not sure if the average person can get all the spectacular views he was able to get—but it would sure be worth trying.

Here's a Prank a Dad Would Play

TV 2009/2010: Inside Studio 42 With Bob Costas

Inside Studio 42 With Bob Costas

I’ve mentioned more than once before that I’m not a sports-guy, but I do appreciate good sports journalism (like HBO’s Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel) or good storytelling (like ESPN’s 30 For 30). Bob Costas is great at both. But what he really excels at is interviews. And when you combine that talent with his biggest passion—baseball—you get a magical show.


And this show is pure magic. When Costas can glue me to my TV set while talking to someone I had never even heard of about baseball games that happened well before I was even born, that’s pretty special. And he can; every episode.

Costas has a savant-like recall of stats and games from decades ago, but unlike most hosts, he never makes the show about himself. He’s just a tool that gets these great Hall of Fame players to talk about their pasts.

And of the handful he talked with, I learned there is a great dignity about them—especially with the older men. I think that’s still part of the appeal of baseball—the great men who played in the past. When asked about being stuck in a very racist time in America, most of the black former players just said they dealt with it—and thanked the black men who played before them for paving the way. I was also struck by the men who left very successful baseball careers to fight in World War II and then came back and continued playing. And, to a man, none said they regretted losing the best years of their playing lives to fight a war. The very idea of that regret is not a consideration to them.

Not many modern athletes have that kind of humility. Yes, there are probably more humble, dignified players in pro sports than it seems, but I think every athlete—in fact every person—would benefit from watching these men talk about their lives, struggles, and triumphs. We could all learn something from them.

TV 2009-2010: 10 Things I Hate About You

10 Things I Hate About You

Again, this is a show I shouldn’t like. A high-school show based on a movie that was released ten years ago (how often are those shows any good?). But this isn’t a typical CW-type teen show with bad acting, ridiculous situations, and insane sexual situations. This is a modern show with an old-school heart.


Teen sisters Kat & Bianca move to a new city with their widower father and try to fit into their new school. Bianca dreams of being in the popular crowd—by way of the cheerleading squad—but always manages to inadvertently insult the team captain, who makes her do humiliating things as penance. Kat wants nothing to do with petty high school desires; she’s out to save the world.

The show is very clever, and even the “seen it before” plots are given facelifts by the tight lines and the actors’ abilities to raise their game. Meaghan Jette Martin plays Bianca perfectly. She can have a bit of “over-her-head” moments and yet remain strong in our minds. She usually plays the “straight girl”, and has the ability to make us like her while pining for one boy—and rebuffing another who pines for her. That’s tough to manage; to be lovesick in one scene and confidently managing to not break someone else’s heart in another. Larry Miller plays the father, Walter, and I can’t think of another actor who could fill the role as perfectly as he does. He got thrown in the deep end of the pool with the death of his wife (which does not define the character as it normally would on a TV show; it happened, and he misses her—but he has two teenage daughters to raise), but he deals with it as most real fathers would.

The supporting actors also play their characters well. Unfortunately, the characters didn’t get the chance to progress beyond the surface stereotypes (headstrong/bitch cheerleader captain, befuddled/lovesick boy pining for someone out of his league, good-looking idiot football captain, goofy). Of note is Ethan Peck’s Patrick, the “loner”, brooding love interest of Kat. He, too, hasn’t had much to do to make his character more than the “rebel without a cause”, but he holds himself incredibly well in scenes with Lindsey Shaw’s Kat—and was been given some more to do in the back half of the season (which, sadly, lacked the magic of the first half).

And that brings us to Lindsey Shaw, who gained my attention in a big way in the fantastic Aliens in America a few years back. In that show, she was a supporting character, but on this one, she’s the center of attention. Bianca and Kat both have their plotlines, but the show focuses on Kat’s life more. And it’s well-deserved because Shaw is fantastic. She has an incredibly magnetic presence on screen—even when the scripts let her down a little. I don’t want to jinx her career or anything, but I could see big things from her. Maybe not on the big screen (yet), but she could be a major force on TV for years to come if she keeps finding great shows to be on. Unfortunately, this show, like Aliens in America, didn’t get a second season, so she’ll have to try to find another one to shine in.

Red Dead Redemption Bird People Glitch

I wish I had a PS3...

Premieres and Notables; June 21-27

Monday, 6/21

BrainSurge; Nickelodeon. 5 pm CST. 2nd Season Premiere.

Saving Grace (TNT; 8 pm CST). Series Finale.

Inedible to Incredible; TLC. 9 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Another cooking show...


Tuesday, 6/22

Wipeout; ABC. 7 pm CST. 3rd Season Premiere.

Downfall; ABC. 8 pm CST. 2nd Season Premiere.
Some sort of gameshow...

Hawthorne; TNT. 8 pm CST. 2nd Season Premiere.; TNT. 9 pm CST.  Series Premiere.

Memphis Beat
Jason Lee, Alfrie Woodard, and D.J. Qualls star in this show about a man who is a detective during the day who sings Elvis tunes during night.

Primetime: Mind Games; ABC. 9 pm CST. Mini-series.
A five-part look at how people can be brainwashed.

Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel; HBO. 9 pm CST. Season Premiere.
One of the best shows airing.  Check it out.


Thursday, 6/24

Futurama; Comedy Central. 9 pm CST. Season Premiere.Series Return
Seven years after FOX cancelled, it Comedy Central made an order for 26 new episodes.

Boston Med; ABC. 9 pm CST. Mini-series.
An eight-part look at surgeries in three Boston hospitals.


Friday, 6/25

Party Down (Starz; 9 pm CST). Season Finale.


Saturday, 6/26

Dinocroc vs. Supergator; Syfy. 8 pm CST. Movie.
I have a friend who's a little bugged that "Sci Fi Channel" changed to "Syfy".
I wasn't all that excited about it either-- but shit titles (and I'll give this a 99% likelihood this is a shit movie as well) like this one is one more reason to keep the word "sci fi" away from it.


Sunday, 6/27

Hung; HBO. 9 pm CST. 2nd Season Premiere.

Entourage; HBO. 9:30 pm CST. 7th Season Premiere.

TV 2009/2010: Community

 Community

This season brought us a good number of great new comedies, but the one I enjoyed the most was NBC’s Community. Not since the early seasons of the U.S. The Office have I looked forward to the random hilarity of a network comedy as much as I did for this show.


At first, I came for Joel McHale, who was able to maintain that snarky attitude that has served him so well over the years on The Soup on this show as a lawyer who got knocked down a few pegs. But the show quickly became an ensemble piece that is eclectic enough to allow this very limited concept (following a Spanish study group and their adventures within the community college campus) to go in many directions. I honestly had no idea what was going to happen next, and that’s pretty impressive for a network comedy.

Most comedies take the majority of their first seasons to click, but I think Community hit its stride as early as November as the Halloween episode was the one that stood out for me; the one that made me love this show. Bookended with the equally excellent paintball episode from May, and you have a really great season. I can see this show being the Thursday anchor that NBC needs when The Office and 30 Rock end (which I believe will be sooner rather than later).

TV 2009/2010: Glee

Glee.

I shouldn’t like this show. It’s about high school. It’s a musical. There are a number of silly-- to ludicrous-- plotlines…


But I highly enjoed it. I’ve laughed out loud more at this show than at almost any other show this year.

There is an incredible type of magic working behind this show. The characters are broad and stereotypical at first (and at second and third), but the actors and the writers somehow make them feel fresh. They manage to find that perfect song for the moment that makes it very difficult to not stand up and clap after it’s sung. If you would have told me a year ago that I would think Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” or Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” are great songs, I would have laughed. But somehow, in the context of the show and how the songs work into the plot, they are pretty great.

[Of course, the show may be beginning to suffer from “too much of a good thing” as the back half of the season had musical numbers jammed into the episodes a bit more noticeably than the front half. I hope the show doesn’t go overboard with songs just to sell a few more of them on iTunes.  In fact, had it not felt so cluttered in the back-half of the season, it would have been in the running of my favorite show of the year.]

Even the fact that the show absolutely plays on my emotions is magical. I know that certain scenes or lines were done just to get me to feel one way or another. I can see it coming a mile away. But I can’t help feeling how I am “supposed” to feel when the moment arrives. I fight that kind of blatant manipulation as much as I can with everything I watch or read—but this show hooks me damn near every time.

It’s wonderful to just, plain feel good while watching a show.

Of course, I’m making it sound like it’s all sunshine and roses, and this show is not. One of my favorite elements is the dark humor. These kids are kids. They constantly rip on each other. No one can ever get a break. That’s how teenagers behave; they can’t let someone else get the upper hand.

And while the entire cast is capable, for the most part, I have to single out Jane Lynch as being one of the most reprehensible, evil villains in my many years of television watching. Her cheerleading coach is so wildly over-the-top, you have to love her. You can’t look away. Lynch is usually excellent in any role I’ve seen her in, but this may be a career highlight for her. Loud, sarcastic, and sharp as a knife.

And I also have to mention my favorite character, Brittany. The prototypical dumb cheerleading blonde. She doesn’t get to say much, but I looked forward to her one line an episode, such as “Dolphins are gay sharks” or “I think my cat is reading my diary.” Never makes sense, never has anything to do with anything. She’s just, plain hilarious.

So, yeah, the show has its silly moments-- and its downright “what the Hell were they thinking?” moments (fake pregnancies, anyone?)-- and the cast doesn’t always ring completely true… But the show is fun, it’s smart, it makes you feel for the characters and the situations, it uses music in ways that not many other TV shows (or movies) have used it, and it has made pretty great use of guest stars or recurring actors (Mike O’Malley really impressed me). It’s definitely worth watching.

Beatboxing Dog

And the beatboxing dog singing "Trololo":

TV 2009-2010: Modern Family

Modern Family

I’m not sure if I enjoyed this one any more than I enjoyed The Middle before it or Cougar Town after it, but I do think Modern Family is a great new way to return to an old-style comedy concept. It was also the most consistent of the three new ABC comedies.


First off, you’ve got a great cast. Every single actor knows his/her role in the series—and knew it from the very beginning. Props, too, to the writers and directors who didn’t play around with the concept or the characters. This show knew what it was from the wonderful pilot and continued in that same tone throughout the season.

But the most “magical” part about it was while it kept its mostly-grounded sense of reality, it also wasn’t mean-spirited. I’m all about funny, scathing humor—but I also appreciate a show that can maintain a level of warmth while remaining very funny. This is one of very few recent shows that is able to do that. I’m also impressed that the children are active participants in the humor. Most shows have the kids appear once or twice and then are forgotten about; this one not only keeps them on screen (such as the constant presence of the baby Lily), but often uses them to move the plot or as be active in the humor (such as the wonderful Manny).

Like most comedies, I expect to become a little more comfortable with the show in subsequent seasons (forgetting how original it is in this climate), but this show definitely is a different animal for being normal, and it should be commended for it.

TV 2009/2010: Justified

Justified.

I tried to curb my excitement for what on paper sounded like a “sure thing” because more often than not, those “sure things” end up being duds. But I should have let myself get excited. I mean, Graham Yost adapts an Elmore Leonard short story, damn near to the letter, for FX; a studio that can easily allow for a grittier show—but not so uncensored that anything goes. Yost chooses Timothy Olyphant to play Rayland Givens, a U.S. Marshal who has a tendency to come out of shootouts without a scratch—and the other person comes out in a body bag. What makes Olyphant a great choice is not only the fact that he’s a great actor, but his work on Deadwood showed he can play not only a likeable, but an honorable, character that has rage simmering just below the surface. Then Yost takes an actor that FX fans love (Walton Goggins) and gives him a character that is hard to love— which Goggins transforms into a character that is impossible to resist. And, finally, Yost surrounds Olyphant with actors playing characters that are fun (and funny, in some cases) to watch.


The writing and directing are great, but Olyphant owns this show. I’ve been a big fan since Deadwood, and it’s good to know his work there wasn’t an aberration. Raylan Givens, as noted before, is an angry man. He doesn’t seem like it, but look at his eyes as he deals with people he considers threats, and you can see it bubbling. But he also has a smart-aleck quality such as when dealing with people he knows he’s smarter than. His eyes dare the other character to do “something stupid”. Olyphant has the eyes and the purposeful walk that served his Deadwood character (Seth Bullock) so well. And the hat... Leonard was against Givens’ Stetson at first, but Yost overruled him as well he should have. Givens is not defined by the hat, but it adds a certain lawfulness to the character. You know who the good guy is on the show.

TV 2009/2010: Attack of the Show

Attack of the Show

I had seen it a few times here and there throughout its run, but I began watching it regularly inJanuary (watching almost every ep since then). I started watching for the Around the Net feature, where five video clips are shown each day (many of which I pause during to run to the computer to find and embed in this very blog), and that’s worth the price of admission. And while the clips are normally pretty good (or bizarrely horrible), hosts Keven Pereira and Olivia Munn’s intros and outros are usually very funny.

But after I started watching a few episodes in a row, I noticed just how clever Pereira and Munn can be. They have a great chemistry and a similar attitude, so it’s fun to see their reactions to each other when either goes “off script”. Both are pretty fearless and are willing to bomb for the sake of a joke. But usually the humor works. Even Kevin, dry humping new tech devices at an electronics convention, is funnier on screen than you’d think it would be.

Aside from ATN clips and stunts, AOTS (better start learning the acronyms if you want to be a fan) features such weekly segments as “DVDuesday” where movie critic Chris Gore gives his take on that day’s new releases; “Gadget Pr0n”, with the always silly Chris Hardwick reviewing tech items; “The Loop”, where experts in a particular subject discuss the latest big news and its impact on consumers; “Epic Fail” (video clips of stunts gone awry), and “Moments on DeEvolution” (video clips of stunts purposely designed to hurt people—or at least of people doing really stupid things). And Pereira and Munn have great interviews with actors and musicians that go beyond the usual tripe you’d see on most talk shows.

While the segments are fun and/or informative enough, the real gems of the show are Pereira and Munn. Either can play the “straight man” while the other goes off on some tangent. Like I said before: great chemistry. The show itself seems to have a great feel for what’s required, so when Chris Hardwick and (my newest crush) Alison Haislip are tapped to fill in, they don’t miss a beat.

So if you dig tech, video clips, movies, and games, check out this show.  And if you can't commit to four hours a week, check out the review episodes that air on Friday.  They take the best clips and best skits, interviews, and segments of the week and squish them all together in one big hour.

Alligator Handler Fails

TV 2009-2010: The Inbetweeners

The Inbetweeners 

This would have been my favorite show of the year had the #1 show not blown me away during a viewing marathon. 

Raw, offensive, hilarious. New kid in school, Will, finds himself “settling” on a group of friends who are not cool—but not complete burnouts/morons. They’re in the middle of the social groups.

Will is the smartest of the four—and, unfortunately, he still hasn’t learned to keep that to himself. He is constantly making comments that are overheard—or just, plain sticking his foot in his mouth by not thinking before speaking. Just as he starts to “climb to the top”, he trips and falls back down. His home life is such that his mom has left his dad and moved to this new city. And tougher than being a child of divorce, Will also has to deal with the fact that every male in his school considers his mom pretty hot—and they never fail to mention that to him. Knowing your mom is a masturbation fantasy of your peers does not help one’s self-esteem.

Simon is the good-hearted and love-sick member of the group. He pines for classmate Carly, who considers him nothing more than an old friend (they’ve been neighbors since they were very young). Simon probably has the best chance to land a girlfriend, but he inevitably sabotages his chances by going after Carly instead. Simon, fortunately, has not only a drivers license, but also a car (which the others are embarrassed to ride in), so the others have to deal with his skittishness around women in return for the mobility he and the car provide.

Jay is the classic teenage horndog. Everything he says revolves around sex; every thought that pops into his head is about sex. And, as with most teenage boys, he has a severe lack of respect for the act or his potential partners. He constantly refers to girls in vulgar terms—and, as such, he never comes close to “landing” a date. Of course, he has a wild imagination about his prospects and his conquests—but the others have caught on to the fact that he’s full of crap on both. And while his friends calling out his bullshit is bad enough, his father is far, far worse to him. Your dad telling you that you have small penis in front of your friends is also not good for a teenager’s self-esteem.

Neil, quite possibly, could be the most normal of the group, if only he were a bit smarter. His lack of understanding of how uncool he is gets him into situations were he stands out—and is noticed to be as uncool as he is. He is also good at coming up with ideas for the group that eventually unravel as very basic questions are asked of the plan; things he just hadn’t thought through. Neil also has the unfortunate circumstance that his friends think his dad is gay. Luckily, his lack of wit is such that he doesn’t try to stage a comeback; he just says, “No he isn’t,” as his only defense.

This show never fails to make me laugh out loud numerous times in every half-hour episode. The pains of being a teenager are hyper-realized in this show, and it is gut-bustingly hilarious from start to finish. It may take a couple of episodes to get the language down (the speed of The Queen’s English and its slang, combined with numerous bleeps, can make it difficult to hear at first listen), but you can catch up quick.

The show isn’t for everyone. It is about teenage boys—and it is incredibly ribald pretty much from start to finish. But if you can handle the tone, you’ll laugh yourself hoarse.

2009-2010 TV Roundup

Okay, okay-- I'm a little late.  But it's been tough getting the needed time to post this properly.

Like in years past, I'm going to list the TV series I watched from about June 2009 to June 2010.  Why list them?  To give you an idea of what I watch (and what's worth watching) as well as giving a backdoor explanation why something's not on the Top Ten list (like Lost; I didn't put it in the top because I haven't watched it yet.

After that, over the next few days, I'll list my favorites from this past year.  They're not always the best, but they usually gave me the most pleasure and excitement.  They're definitely ones to check out when the new seasons start-- or something worth checking out on DVD.  I'll admit, I wrote up most of the Top Ten list during my lunches at work in April and May, so they may be a little rough. I apologize for that-- but if I tweak them much more, I'll never be able to post it in anything resembling a timely fashion.

So, here goes. The compete list:

Accidentally on Purpose; CBS; 2 eps

American Dad; FOX
Archer; FX
Aqua Teen Hunger Force; adult swim
Attack of the Show; G4; since Jan. 2010

Better Off Ted; ABC
Big Brother 11; CBS

Californication; Showtime
Caprica; Syfy
Chelsea Lately; E!
Clash of the Gods; History
Community; NBC
Cougartown; ABC
Curb Your Enthusiasm; HBO

Desperate Housewives; ABC
Dirty Sexy Money, ABC

Eastwick; ABC
Entourage; HBO

Family Guy; FOX

Gary Unmarried; CBS
Gavin and Stacy; BBC America
Glee; FOX

Hank; ABC; 2 eps
How I Met Your Mother; CBS

Inside Studio 42 with Bob Costas; MLB Network
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia; FX

Joe Buck Live; HBO
Justified; FX

La La Land; Showtime; 3 episodes
Leverage; TNT

Men of a Certain Age; TNT
Metalocalypse; adult swim
Modern Family; ABC
Mythbusters; Discovery

National Parks: America’s Best Idea; PBS
Nurse Jackie; Showtime

Parenthood; NBC
Parks and Recreation; NBC
Penn & Teller’s Bullshit; Showtime

Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel; HBO
Real Time with Bill Maher; HBO
Robot Chicken; adult swim
Romantically Challenged; ABC; 3 episodes
Rules of Engagement; CBS

Scrubs; ABC
Shaq Vs.; ABC
Sons of Tucson; FOX
South Park; Comedy Central

10 Things I Hate About You; ABC Family
That Mitchell and Webb Look; BBC America
The Big Bang Theory; CBS
The Cleveland Show; FOX
The Goode Family; ABC
The Inbetweeners; BBC America
The Lazy Environmentalist; Sundance
The League; FX
The Middle; ABC
The New Adventures of Old Christine; CBS
The Office; NBC
The Ricky Gervais Show; HBO; 3 eps
The Sarah Silverman Program; Comedy Central
The Simpsons; FOX
The Soup; E!
The Soup Presents; E!
The Venture Brothers; adult swim

30 For 30; ESPN
30 Rock; NBC
Titan Maximum; adult swim

Tosh.0; Comedy Central

Ugly Betty; ABC

V; ABC

Web Soup; G4
Weeds; Showtime
Wipeout; ABC

Z Rock; IFC


Not new during June 2008-May 2009:
Californication Season 2
Doctor Who Season 2
Doctor Who Season 3
Doctor Who Season 4
Doctor Who Specials
Secret Diary of a Call Girl Season 2
Who Wants to Be a Superhero Season 2

Star Wars Old Republic 2010 E3 Trailer

This one blew me away.



When I first heard about this MMO, I thought, "Who's not gonna be a Jedi?"

Then I watched the kick-ass soldier in that trailer. Damn!



And here's last year's:

I, seriously, wonder if this is part of his normal gig

Motorcyle + Merry-go-Round

= Pain

Dog Shows Junk

Premieres and Notables; June 14-20, 2010

Tuesday, 6/15

It's Effing Science; G4. 7 pm (I think) CST. Series Premiere.
Taking a semi-regular feature from Attack of the Show and making a series around it may not seem like a winner, but I think this show will do okay.  Using science principles, the crew makes wicked experiments happen, like a gigantic potato gun (that looks more like a bazooka). 
There are other shows that kind of do the same thing, but they rely on "mystery" elements that keep viewers from really seeing how this stuff is made.  I don't think this show will do much of the same; they pretty much laid out how to make the potato gun in the clips I saw.

Hell's Kitchen; FOX. 7 pm CST. 7th Season Premiere.

Cupcake Wars; Food. 8 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Who knew making cupcakes was so badass?

Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List; Bravo. 8 pm CST. 6th Season Premiere.

Double Exposure; 9 pm CST. Series Premiere.
A reality show that follows two professional celebrity photographers.


Wednesday, 6/16

Top Chef: Washington, D.C.; Bravo. 8 pm CST. Season Premiere.

Man V. Food; Travel Channel. 8 pm CST. Season Premiere.

Hot In Cleveland; TV Land.  9 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Three middle-aged L.A. women have a layover in Cleveland and decide to stay there because they are "hot in Cleveland" as opposed to just being "old" in L.A. 
A not-great concept that could be comedy gold when the three women are Valerie Bertinelli, Wendie Malick, and Jane Leeves.  Throw in Betty White as their landlord, and it's a killer cast.
Unfortunately, everything I've read from critics has said it's not very funny.  I'll stick it out a couple of episodes in the hopes it gets better-- but then, I'm a glutton for TV punishment (and I think this cast's past work has earned a little loyalty from me).

The Fabulous Beekman Boys; Planet Green.  8 pm CST. Series Premiere.
This docuseries follows two gay city-boys as they head to a farm in upstate New York to start their own organic foods business.


Thursday, 6/17

Moonlight; The CW.  8 pm CST. Repeat.
This vampire show from 2008 gained a pretty hardcore fanbase (maybe largely attributed to women's dream, star Alex O'Loughlin), and The CW bought all 16 episodes to run after The Vampire Diaries. 
I never ended up watching the first run (it aired too soon after the painful Angel finale), but I may give it a shot this time...

Supreme Court of Comedy; The 101 Network (DirectTV?). 9 pm CST. Season Premiere.


Friday, 6/18

Past Life (FOX; 7 pm CST). Series Finale.

Battle of the Wedding Designers; TLC.  9 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Good God...  Just what the world needs: another freakin' wedding planner series.


Saturday, 6/19

The Ultimate Fighter 11 (Spike; 8 pm CST). Season Finale.


Sunday, 6/20

'Til Death (FOX; 6 pm CST). Series Finale.
Like you were still watching it...

Jonas L.A. Disney Channel. 7:30 pm CST. Season Premiere.

Scoundrels; ABC. 8 pm CST. Series Premiere.
A family of con-artists decide to go legit when their father gets jailed.  Then they find the "legit" world isn't all that honest, either. 
Seems like a decent cast (including David James Elliot and Virginia Madsen), and the premise has worked elsewhere (this is an adaptation of the New Zealand show Outrageous Fortune), so it may be worth trying out.
But it is an adaptation/remake-- and it's premiering in the summer-- so who knows...?

The Tudors; Showtime. 8 pm CST. Series Finale.

Leverage; TNT.  8 pm CST. 3rd Season Premiere.
This is summer TV at it's best: light, fun, better-than-it-should-be.
Check it out if you have an hour to spare...

The Gates; ABC. 9 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Ah-- the networks are finally jumping on the vampire craze...
This series follows the attempts of a chief of police who has to keep the vampires within the limits of the gated community they live in.

Merlin (Syfy; 9 pm CST). Season Finale.

The Real L Word; Showtime. 9 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Hmmm.  Showtime decides to follow-up its lesbian drama with a lesbian reality show...

More Changes

As I'm sure you've noticed (if you even give a crap) that I abandoned the video-clip-per-day.  It was getting tough to find something in the parameters I set for myself.  And I don't think anyone cared anyway-- not even my friends who used my comments section of one of my posts to have conversations in Japanese.  About nothing to do with the post (I used the Microsoft translator to be sure). 

Hey, if you're going to post a comment, share it with the rest of the class, won't you?

So, anyway, you may or may not see a video clip every day, depending on how much effort I can put into posting them as well as how often I can find videos cliups that are entertaining enough to post.  Hopefully it'll still happen 3-4 times week; with the better clips I find (which are getting tougher to find as YouTube has more and more "embedding disabled" clips-- damn you, copyright holders!).

And, as you can see, I changed the template again (only the third or fourth major change in, what, five years?)  Hopefully this new template will allow for a larger video clip area (I know some small percentage used to get cut off, and I tried fixing that many times-- using absolutely no HTML knowledge).

So, hey, for those two to three followers I have, I hope you find the changes make this blog better.

If not, make your own blog...

Dr Drew on AOTS

This is why I love Attack of the Show.  Talkin' naughty, Olivia looking hot as Hell, and Kevin giving terrible advice (wait until the end when they start talking about anal)...

Premieres and Notables; June 7-13, 2010

Not much time today/this weekend.  Just going to throw this out there without most of the comments.  If you need to know what a show is about this week, check the network's website.

All times are CST.

Monday, 6/7

Lie to Me (FOX; 7 pm) returns.  And Good Guys (FOX; 8 pm) starts its run after the sneak peak of a few weeks ago (fun show, BTW)

Last Comic Standing; NBC. 7 pm CST.  Season Premiere.
With yet another host: Craig Robinson.

The Secret Life of the American Teenager; ABC Family. 7 pm. Season Premiere.

Neighbors From Hell; TBS. 9 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Animated show about neighbors who are literally from Hell...

Nurse Jackie (Showtime; 9 pm). Season Finale.

Persons Unknown; NBC. 9 pm. Series Premiere.

United States of Tara (Showtime; 9:30 pm). Season Finale.

Dance Your Ass Off; Oxygen. 10 pm. Season Premiere.


Tuesday, 6/8

Glee (FOX; 7:59) Season Finale.

Pretty Little Liars; ABC Family. 7 pm. Series Premiere.

Justified (FX; 9 pm). Season Finale.
Raylan, Boyd, and Bo clash.


Wednesday, 6/9

Monsters Inside Me; Animal Planet. 9 pm. Season Premiere.

Through the Wormhole With Morgan Freeman; Science. 9 pm. Series Premiere.

Top Chef Masters 2 (Bravo; 9 pm). Season Finale.

Work of Art: The Next Great Artist; Bravo. 10 pm. Series Premiere.


Thursday, 6/10

Penn & Teller Bull!/*&^%/Shit; Showtime.  9 pm.  Season Premiere.

The Green Room With Paul Provenza; Showtime.  9:30 pm.  Series Premiere.


Friday, 6/11

Stargate Universe (Syfy; 9 pm). Season Finale.


Sunday, 6/13

True Blood; HBO. 8 pm. 3rd Season Premiere.

Breaking Bad; AMC. 9 pm. 3rd Season Premiere.

Design Star; HGTV. 9 pm. Season Premiere.

Not the best idea...

Powerthirst 3: Powermost

This is possibly the most offensively hilarious thing I've ever seen.

And yes, some would find it MUCH more offensive than I do...

...And not as hilarious.

Darth Vader Recording Session For Tom Tom

Premieres and Noteables: May 31- June 6, 2010

Monday, 5/31

Cake Boss; TLC. 8 pm CST. Season Premiere.

True Beauty; ABC. 9:02 pm CST. Season Premiere.


Tuesday, 6/1

Wipeout; ABC. 7 pm CST. Sneak Peek.
A two-hour episode to hold me and my kids over until Season 3 kicks off on June 22.
And this one (if Entertainment Weekly has its info right) features couples on their first dates.
Yeah, I'm sure this will go over well...

America's Got Talent; NBC. 7 pm CST. Season Premiere.

Hell's Kitchen; FOX. 7 pm CST. Season Premiere.

One Big Happy Family; TLC. 8 pm CST. Season Premiere.

Jersey Couture; Oxygen. 9 pm CST. Series Premiere.
A reality show focusing on a family-run dress shop in Joi-sey.

The Little Couple; TLC. 9 pm CST. Season Premiere.

Losing It With Jillian; NBC. 9 pm CST. Series Premiere.
The Biggest Loser trainer, Jillian Michaels, helps a different type of clientele when she works with teenagers on the cusp of losing their virginity.  Michaels says, "I work with fatties all day long, and a lot of their eating and body issues can be directly tied to poor sexual experiences they had when they were younger. Hopefully, working with these kids now will help them keep the weight off later."


Obviously, the above is not true. Jillian is really working with fat people... Again...


Wednesday, 6/2

Are We There Yet? TBS. 8 pm CST. Series Premiere.
The Ice Cube-starring 2005 film gets the TV treatment. This time, the father-figure is played by Everybody Hates Chris' (and the kick-ass Old Spice commercials) Terry Crews.
I'm so there...

Tosh.0 (Comedy Central; 9:30 pm) returns with new episodes.  It's not perfect, but it has some good moments.

Half Pint Brawlers; Spike. 10 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Sounds like the title says it all.


Thursday, 6/3

Burn Notice; USA. 8 pm CST. 4th Season Premiere.

Royal Pains; USA. 9 pm CST. 2nd Season Premiere.

Fugitive Chronicles (A&E; 9 pm CST). Season Finale.


Friday, 6/4

Whale Wars; Animal Planet.  8 pm CST. Season Premiere.

The Neistat Brothers; HBO. 11 pm CST. Series Premiere.
A semi-autobiographical show about two brother filmmakers.


Sunday, 6/6

Sons of Tucson (FOX; 6:30 pm) burns off its remaining episodes over the next few weeks. --Unless it gets cancelled again.

Drop Dead Diva; Lifetime. 8 pm CST. 2nd Season Premiere.

Ice Road Truckers; History. 8 pm CST. Season Premiere.

Scouts Give Back

Friday Fail: Monster Truck

Pole Meets Balls

Dude Vader

Mac Commercial Parody

Disney Announces Newest Creations

I love this idea

Finales and Notables; May 24-30, 2010

Monday, 5/24

Chuck (NBC; 7 pm CST). Season Finale.

How I Met Your Mother (CBS; 7 pm CST). Season Finale.
Barney decides to help Marshall and Lily on their decision of whether or not to have kids.

24 (FOX; 7 pm). Series Finale.
The last 2 hours with Jack.
It's supposed to be a sad one...

The Bachelorette; ABC. 8 pm CST. Season Premiere.

Two and a Half Men (CBS; 8 pm CST). Season Finale.
The last ep where Charlie Sheen makes the chump change of $850,000 for an episode. 
Next Fall, he'll be up to $2 million an ep.
That's what suddenly going crazy, (allegedly) beating your wife, going to rehab, shaving your head, and threatening to never return to your show will buy you: a million dollar increase to your salary.

The Big Bang Theory (CBS; 8:30 pm CST). Season Finale.
Sheldon gets matched up.

CSI:Miami (CBS; 9 pm CST). Season Finale.

Law & Order (NBC; 9 pm CST). Series Finale.
After 20 years, the final "cha-chung" gets cha-chunged.


Tuesday, 5/25

NCIS (CBS; 7 pm CST). Season Finale.

The Biggest Loser (NBC; 7 pm CST). Season Finale.

Dancing With the Stars (ABC; 8 pm CST). Season Finale.

NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS; 8 pm CST). Season Finale.

The Good Wife (CBS; 9 pm CST). Season Finale.

Parenthood (NBC; 9 pm CST). Season Finale.


Wednesday, 5/26

American Idol (FOX; 7 pm CST). Season Finale.
From what I've heard about the 2 hour Idol finales, you can probably just watch the last five minutes...

Ground War (PBS; 8 & 9 pm CST). Season Finale.

Criminal Minds (CBS; 9 pm CST). Season Finale.

CSI: NY (CBS; 9 pm CST0. Season Finale.


Thursday, 5/27

FlashForward (ABC; 7 pm CST). Series Finale.

So You Think You Can Dance; FOX. 7 pm CST. Season Premiere.

100 Questions; NBC.  7:30 pm CST. Series Premiere.
A single girl answers one of one hundred dating questions in each episode.
Considering NBC waited to burn this show off in the Summer, I have a good feeling she won't get through the whole questionnaire...

Police Women of Memphis; TLC. 8 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Four female cops in Memphis are followed in this reality show.

Mall Cops: Mall of America; TLC. 9 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Just what it sounds like...
This sounds so stupid, I just may have to look for myself...


Friday, 5/28

Past Life (FOX; 7 pm CST) burns off its unaired episodes starting tonight.

The Soup Presents: 20 Years of Takin' Some E!; E!. 9 pm CST. Special.
Joel McHale and The Soup gang rip on E!'s 20 years of broadcasting.
How will they ever fit it all into 30 minutes?  Just the shit on that Hefner's girlfriends' show is good for hours of stupidity.

Jackie Chan Stunts

Friday Fail: Offroading

Edge & Christian and genital warts

Edge and Christian confirm their nuts are okay

From the golden age of WWE Wrestling (late '90s- early '00s).

I loved these guys.

Ikea: Tidy Up Campaign

Stick around for the last one.
Awesome.

Tuesday Trailer: Inception teaser

Oil Tank Explosion Filmed From 2 km Away

160 Greatest Arnold Quotes

Good stuff.

Awesome Cheerleading Stunts

This is pretty cool...

Finales and Notables; May 17-23, 2010

Monday, 5/17

House (FOX; 7 pm CST). Season Finale.

One Tree Hill (The CW; 7 pm CST). Season Finale.

Gossip Girl (The CW; 8 pm CST). Season Finale.

Castle (ABC; 9 pm CST). Season Finale.


Tuesday, 5/18

90210 (The CW; 7 pm CST). Season Finale

Geek God Joss Whedon directs tonight's episode of Glee (FOX; 8 pm CST)-- and brings along the star of internet mini-series Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, Neil Patrick Harris. 
Whedon wrote and directed the legendary musical episode "Once More, With Feeling" of his Buffy the Vampire Slayer series, so you can expect this episode of Glee to be better than average as well.

V (ABC; 9:02 pm CST). Season Finale.
ABC renewed it for 13 more eps, so this is a "season finale".


Wednesday, 5/19

The Middle (ABC; 7:30 pm CST).  Season Finale.
With Betty White as Brick's librarian.

Modern Family (ABC; 8 pm CST). Season Finale.

The Good Guys; FOX.  7 pm CST.  Series Preview.
Check out this buddy-cop comedy series starring Bradley Whitford and Colin Hanks before it premieres on June 6.

Cougar Town (ABC; 8:30 CST). Season Finale.
It'll be back next Fall-- but maybe under a different name (I guess ABC realized that the whole "cougar" thing has played out).

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC; 9 pm CST).  Season Finale.


Thursday, 5/20

Bones (FOX; 7 pm CST). Season Finale.

Community (NBC; 7 pm CST). Season Finale.

FlashForward (ABC; 7 pm CST). Season Series Finale.
ABC announced it wasn't coming back last week...

Parks and Recreation (NBC; 7:30 pm CST). Season Finale.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS; 8 pm CST). Season Finale.

Fringe (FOX; 8 pm CST). Season Finale.
Featuring what Leonard Nimoy has called his final work as an actor.

The Office (NBC; 8 pm CST). Season Finale.

The Ricky Gervais Show (HBO; 8 pm CST). Season Finale.

30 Rock (NBC; 8:30 pm). Season Finale.

The Marriage Ref (NBC; 9 pm CST). Season Finale.

The Mentalist (CBS; 9 pm CST). Season Finale.


Friday, 5/21

Ghost Whisperer (CBS; 7 pm CST). Season Finale.

Kitchen Nightmares (FOX; 8 pm). Season Finale.

Miami Medical (CBS; 9 pm). Season Finale.


Sunday, 5/23

The Simpsons (FOX; 7 pm CST). Season Finale.

The Celebrity Apprentice (NBC; 8 pm). Season Finale.

Family Guy (FOX; 8 pm CST). Season Finale.
Featuring the direct-to-DVD special "Something Something Something Dark Side" Empire Strikes Back spoof on air for the first time.

Lost (ABC; 8 pm CST). Series Finale.
The episode is scheduled to air from 8-10:30; be aware of that.
Followed later in the night by a special episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live (11:05 pm) that gives the show its final send-off.

Friday Fail: Tailwhip Faceplant

That dude eating his sandwich is as cold as ice.

The Inbetweeners: "Too Jazzy?"

I love this show. Catch it in repeats on BBC America.

Here's one of the few clips I could embed (lots more on YouTube):

Samsung 3D

Tuesday Trailer: The Expendables

There's a lot of testosterone in this movie.

Puss in Boots

Premieres and Notables; May 10-16, 2010

Monday, 5/10

Late Night With Jimmy Fallon (NBC; 11.3 pm CST) celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Rolling Stones classic album Exile on Main Street all week with guest bands like Green Day, Keith Urban, Sheryl Crow, and Phish playing covers from the album.  Other musicians will be sitting in with the Roots all week as they, too, play Exile covers.  The celebration culminates on Friday, when the entire program will be devoted to the premiere of the Stones in Exile documentary, which opens that day.


Wednesday, 5/12

America's Next Top Model (The CW; 7 pm CST). Season Finale.

Mercy (NBC; 7 pm CST). Season Finale.

The New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS; 7 pm CST). Season Finale.


Thursday, 5/13

The Vampire Diaries (The CW; 7 pm CST). Season Finale.

Rob Lowe makes his first appearance on Parks and Recreation (NBC; 7:30 pm CST). 
I give him 1 & 1/2 seasons before he bails and ends up on another show...

Supernatural (The CW; 8 pm CST). Season Finale.
After building for seasons, The Apocalypse is here.

Private Practice (ABC; 9:01 pm CST). Season Finale.


Friday, 5/14

Smallville (The CW; 7 pm CST). Season Finale.
The Blur and Zod's army stand-off, Lois and Clark have "a moment", and someone takes a dirt nap.

Live From Abbey Road (Sundance; 7 pm CST). Season Finale.

Gavin & Stacey; BBC America. 8 pm CST. 3rd Season Premiere.


Saturday, 5/15

Saturday Night Live (NBC; 10:30 pm CST). Season Finale.

Squidbillies; Cartoon Network/[adult swim].  11 pm CST. Season Premiere.


Sunday, 5/16

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC; 7 pm CST). Season Finale.

Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains (CBS; 7 pm CST). Season Finale.

Desperate Housewives (ABC; 8 pm CST).  Season Finale.
And, as usual with this show's season finales, someone dies...

The Pacific (HBO; 8 pm CST). Series Finale.

Brothers & Sisters (ABC; 9:01 pm CST). Season Finale.

Perfect For Mother's Day...

And here he is 1.5 years later...