Quickies this time:
You all picked up Prison Break Season One, right? Okay, me neither. Hopefully I'll have a little money left over on Saturday.
Speaking of PB, creator Paul T. Scheuring said his plans for Patricia Wetting (VP Reynolds) are to "wait and see" if ABC's Brothers and Sisters is successful before deciding on what to do with the character. Hey, it worked for Charles ("C-Note") Dunbar, who had little presence in early episodes due to his commitment on Head Cases, which lasted all of two episodes. By episode 8, C-Note was a featured player.
You can read the rest of Scheuing's interview at http://www.tvguide.com/news/insider/. Be sure to check Tuesday's Insider as the link probably won't bring you right to it in a few hours.
Want to help choose an alternative to the Emmy's (which, somehow, really screwed up nominations this year), then head to http://www.mediavillage.com/fanawards/ and vote for the actors/shows that MediaVilliage lead critic Ed Martin nominated. I'll tell you, it's hard to pick just two in every category, but he sure got more right than the Emmy's.
Comedy Central has greenlit Jon Stewart's Three Strikes, about a minor league baseball team.
And, while I hate to even mention this waste of oxygen, I just wanted everyone to know that Paris Hilton has announced she's staying celibate for one whole year. I think she may just have reached the top of the Media Whore mountain.
All the above stories-- and tons more-- can be found on TV GUIDE online's news section (my mandatory daily check) by Matt Webb Mitovich. The link is http://community.tvguide.com/forum.jspa?forumID=700000044
Until next time...
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Monday, August 07, 2006
Make A Break For It
As I mentioned in a previous post, the Prison Break Season One DVD set goes on sale tomorrow. It comes highly recommended. There were only three shows I HAD to watch the night it aired last season, and Break was one of them.
I hate the cliche of it being a roller coaster ride, but it really was. Twists and turns abound. Every epsiode ended in some sort of cliffhanger (and the pilot ended with one of the coolest things I've ever seen on TV).
I will admit the twists got to be a little too much as the season wound on (I think it was due to the fact that the creators/network had no idea the show would actually make it though an entire season), and I wasn't a big fan of the conspiracy that raised its ugly head, but that is all minor compared to the pluses of the show.
The first plus would be the sheer imagination of the scripts. Yeah, sometimes the season drug on (usually during the scenes outside the prison), and other times things happened that made me say, "Oh, come on!" but those were pretty infrequent-- and there was always something to hold onto during those times that still made this the coolest show on TV last year.
The actors, led by Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell are fantastic, and the supporting actors are excellent as well. Special notice has to be made for Peter Stormare, who plays mob heavy John Abruzzi, and Robert Knepper, who plays psychotic-scary Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell. Each time those two were on screen was magic. When they appeared together, it was as if the TV Gods smiled down on fans and said, "Hey, check out how great TV can really be." Yeah, that last sentence was over-the-top-- so what?
I see most places are advertising the show between $36 & $40, so catch it now before it goes up to insane 24-level prices: $60.
Just shut your head off, strap on the seat belt, and enjoy the ride.
I hate the cliche of it being a roller coaster ride, but it really was. Twists and turns abound. Every epsiode ended in some sort of cliffhanger (and the pilot ended with one of the coolest things I've ever seen on TV).
I will admit the twists got to be a little too much as the season wound on (I think it was due to the fact that the creators/network had no idea the show would actually make it though an entire season), and I wasn't a big fan of the conspiracy that raised its ugly head, but that is all minor compared to the pluses of the show.
The first plus would be the sheer imagination of the scripts. Yeah, sometimes the season drug on (usually during the scenes outside the prison), and other times things happened that made me say, "Oh, come on!" but those were pretty infrequent-- and there was always something to hold onto during those times that still made this the coolest show on TV last year.
The actors, led by Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell are fantastic, and the supporting actors are excellent as well. Special notice has to be made for Peter Stormare, who plays mob heavy John Abruzzi, and Robert Knepper, who plays psychotic-scary Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell. Each time those two were on screen was magic. When they appeared together, it was as if the TV Gods smiled down on fans and said, "Hey, check out how great TV can really be." Yeah, that last sentence was over-the-top-- so what?
I see most places are advertising the show between $36 & $40, so catch it now before it goes up to insane 24-level prices: $60.
Just shut your head off, strap on the seat belt, and enjoy the ride.
Sunday, August 06, 2006
A Disturbance in the Force
The books I read tend to be non-fiction. I'm not quite sure why; probably because it takes less imagination and concentration (in general) to follow along with "real" things than imagining the fantastic elements of fiction.
I had troubles with the first few Star Wars books released in the mid-'90s. Sometimes it was because of the fantastic elements (nearly everything had to be new since The Empire was gone), sometimes it was the feeling that Luke, Han, Leia, and the others had had their big adventure, and adding more just seemed unrealistic (like: don't these people ever get a break to enjoy their success?), and maybe a large part of it was because I was in college at the time, and I'd get to the book every few weeks.
Anyway, in the past few months, I've read a half-dozen Star Wars related books, and I've actually enjoyed them all. I'll probably get to most of them on a later post. The one I'll discuss now is the only one I read set after "A New Hope" and one I just finished: Star Wars: Legacy of the Force: Betrayal, by Aaron Allston.
I picked it up because a post-er on newsarama.com mentioned that it had a killer ending, and even after I was 90% sure of what was going to happen a few pages in (I won't give any spoilers away here), I liked the ride.
The gist of the book is: The Corellians are making plans to secede from the Galactic Alliance. It's not overt, but Corellia is doing things behind the scenes-- and against GA rules-- to set themselves up for independence. This is troublesome for Wedge Antilles and Han Solo, who are Corellian themselves, but dedicated to the GA. Throw in Han's wife, Leia, their children, Han's brother-in-law Luke (Jedi Master and leader of the new order), and his wife and son, and there is large amounts of conflict. And a number of moments where the betrayal from the title happens.
While the parents are handling the "big", galactic-level parts, the kids (namely Jacen Solo and Ben Skywalker) are charged with a betrayal of their own when they're sent on a mission to destroy a necessary component in the Corellian secession. After that assignment, they need to investigate common elements that look as if the Corellians are being influenced by an outside force. Again, elements of betrayal abound.
I'll leave the synopsis there and conclude by saying that Allston seems to have everyone's "voices" down. The book felt like a true Star Wars story. While it's been years since I read any post- "A New Hope" novels, I was able to follow along. This was especially nice since things really changed during the "New Jedi Order" series of books, of which this one was after. And, while I'm sure Allston hadn't acted alone in the decision for change, things do indeed change by the end of this book. I'm looking forward to reading what comes next.
My one complaint: the Star Wars universe has grown enormously, and it's essential to have some sort of timeline for people to be able to use to put events in relation to each other. But, I suppose they have the same problems they do in comic books: if they give an official timeline, things eventually won't add up. By that, I mean we'll know Han and his buddies are in their 60's at least, maybe even their 70's, and they're still flying around in fighter ships on missions.
But there's enough information given in the book that the most observant/loyal readers know where the story rests: about 15 years after the Yuuzhan Vong/"New Jedi Order" series. Now if I only knew how many years the Yuuzhan Vong War was after "A New Hope" ...
I had troubles with the first few Star Wars books released in the mid-'90s. Sometimes it was because of the fantastic elements (nearly everything had to be new since The Empire was gone), sometimes it was the feeling that Luke, Han, Leia, and the others had had their big adventure, and adding more just seemed unrealistic (like: don't these people ever get a break to enjoy their success?), and maybe a large part of it was because I was in college at the time, and I'd get to the book every few weeks.
Anyway, in the past few months, I've read a half-dozen Star Wars related books, and I've actually enjoyed them all. I'll probably get to most of them on a later post. The one I'll discuss now is the only one I read set after "A New Hope" and one I just finished: Star Wars: Legacy of the Force: Betrayal, by Aaron Allston.
I picked it up because a post-er on newsarama.com mentioned that it had a killer ending, and even after I was 90% sure of what was going to happen a few pages in (I won't give any spoilers away here), I liked the ride.
The gist of the book is: The Corellians are making plans to secede from the Galactic Alliance. It's not overt, but Corellia is doing things behind the scenes-- and against GA rules-- to set themselves up for independence. This is troublesome for Wedge Antilles and Han Solo, who are Corellian themselves, but dedicated to the GA. Throw in Han's wife, Leia, their children, Han's brother-in-law Luke (Jedi Master and leader of the new order), and his wife and son, and there is large amounts of conflict. And a number of moments where the betrayal from the title happens.
While the parents are handling the "big", galactic-level parts, the kids (namely Jacen Solo and Ben Skywalker) are charged with a betrayal of their own when they're sent on a mission to destroy a necessary component in the Corellian secession. After that assignment, they need to investigate common elements that look as if the Corellians are being influenced by an outside force. Again, elements of betrayal abound.
I'll leave the synopsis there and conclude by saying that Allston seems to have everyone's "voices" down. The book felt like a true Star Wars story. While it's been years since I read any post- "A New Hope" novels, I was able to follow along. This was especially nice since things really changed during the "New Jedi Order" series of books, of which this one was after. And, while I'm sure Allston hadn't acted alone in the decision for change, things do indeed change by the end of this book. I'm looking forward to reading what comes next.
My one complaint: the Star Wars universe has grown enormously, and it's essential to have some sort of timeline for people to be able to use to put events in relation to each other. But, I suppose they have the same problems they do in comic books: if they give an official timeline, things eventually won't add up. By that, I mean we'll know Han and his buddies are in their 60's at least, maybe even their 70's, and they're still flying around in fighter ships on missions.
But there's enough information given in the book that the most observant/loyal readers know where the story rests: about 15 years after the Yuuzhan Vong/"New Jedi Order" series. Now if I only knew how many years the Yuuzhan Vong War was after "A New Hope" ...
Saturday, August 05, 2006
What a disappointing weekend Pt 2: Movies on DVD/ Cable
Good Lord that was a long last post. It wasn't even that much-- looks like I'll have to get used to blog formatting.
Well, I'm off the hook and can give nice, short "reviews" this time around.
Dave Chappelle's Block Party. Maybe it's because I didn't care about the block party part, but I thought this movie was pretty pointless. Sure Chappelle had his moments, but I've seen his stand-up and his work on TV. Nothing new here. I didn't even watch the last half-hour; I just let it play while I was web surfing.
The Aristocrats was one I was looking forward to. I really like the creative process, seeing how artists of all types think. But I didn't get much out of this.
The idea behind the movie was to give non-comics an idea what comics do in their spare time, when they're with other comics. One thing they do is tell a joke called "The Aristocrats". It starts with someone (either a member of the act or a manager) entering an agent's office and describing the act, and then when the vile act has been described, the agent asked what the act is called, and the punchline is: "The Aristocrats!"
The beginning and the end are the same (mostly), no matter who tells it, so comics look to outdo each by going into the most grotesque details of the act. Bodily fluids, depraved sexual acts, anything goes. The more outrageous the better.
Now, I'm no prude. I can actually stomach a lot more than the average person, but it wasn't the vileness of the details that rubbed me the wrong way, it was the fact that film was wasted on a joke that each comic said was bad from the outset. The punchline isn't even funny; most of the times the telling of the joke isn't funny. So why should I hear the joke dozens of times? I don't know... But I watched to see what the point was. There just wasn't one.
Movie upside: I also watched Layer Cake. Not groundbreaking, but certainly one of the better things I watched all weekend. I can't see Daniel Craig as James Bond, but I'm no playa hater. I, actually, haven't seen a Bond movie in the theatres before, so what do I know anyway?
Well, I'm off the hook and can give nice, short "reviews" this time around.
Dave Chappelle's Block Party. Maybe it's because I didn't care about the block party part, but I thought this movie was pretty pointless. Sure Chappelle had his moments, but I've seen his stand-up and his work on TV. Nothing new here. I didn't even watch the last half-hour; I just let it play while I was web surfing.
The Aristocrats was one I was looking forward to. I really like the creative process, seeing how artists of all types think. But I didn't get much out of this.
The idea behind the movie was to give non-comics an idea what comics do in their spare time, when they're with other comics. One thing they do is tell a joke called "The Aristocrats". It starts with someone (either a member of the act or a manager) entering an agent's office and describing the act, and then when the vile act has been described, the agent asked what the act is called, and the punchline is: "The Aristocrats!"
The beginning and the end are the same (mostly), no matter who tells it, so comics look to outdo each by going into the most grotesque details of the act. Bodily fluids, depraved sexual acts, anything goes. The more outrageous the better.
Now, I'm no prude. I can actually stomach a lot more than the average person, but it wasn't the vileness of the details that rubbed me the wrong way, it was the fact that film was wasted on a joke that each comic said was bad from the outset. The punchline isn't even funny; most of the times the telling of the joke isn't funny. So why should I hear the joke dozens of times? I don't know... But I watched to see what the point was. There just wasn't one.
Movie upside: I also watched Layer Cake. Not groundbreaking, but certainly one of the better things I watched all weekend. I can't see Daniel Craig as James Bond, but I'm no playa hater. I, actually, haven't seen a Bond movie in the theatres before, so what do I know anyway?
What a disappointing weekend Pt 1: TV
So, I have a whole weekend to myself. I love my wife & kids, but I'm a major introvert. I need quiet, alone time to recharge, and my sainted wife was kind enough to let me have it.
So what did I do: try to catch up on my TV/DVD watching.
First disappointment: I've been taping Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis for two years now. I tried SG-1 a few years back, and it just wasn't for me. But two years ago, they added the fantastic Ben Browder to the cast. Dude ruled in Farscape, so I was happy to finally see him back to work in a major role. Only, the show was still pretty basic. I know it's got a big fanbase-- and is also the longest running science fiction show EVER-- but I just wasn't enthralled. It happens: but I've got about 20 shows on tape I haven't gotten to yet, so I can't spend it on either Stargate series.
I just wish I wouldn't have recorded the show for TWO FREAKIN' YEARS before I started watching it. My bad.
The second disappointment: ECW on Sci-Fi. Okay, I was P.O.ed that rasslin' was on the Sci-Fi Channel in the first place, but the channel has been rapidly getting rid of the Sci-Fi for years now.
Now that I don't think wrestling is a waste of time. I was into it pretty well until two-three years ago. I stopped watching completely a year ago. But I decided to give ECW a try since it was only an hour long-- and The Olympic Champion, Kurt Angle, had defected to ECW (which is still owned by the WWE-- don't ask). Plus, it was EC-F'in-W; who knows what'll happen?
But the things I stopped liking about the WWE were there on this show, too. Constant promos of the PPVs and other shows, recaps of earlier events of the night. The show is ONE HOUR LONG! How many people would have forgotten that RVD got jumped by Edge in the span of a half-hour? They trot out their super-hardcore 5-time champ Sandman every episode to wail on a guy no one's ever heard of (who is also the "comedy relief"-- just not funny). The jobber (a guy destined to lose) comes out, Sandman appears in the crowd, slams a beer, comes to the ring, whacks the jobber with a stick for 30 seconds, pulls another beer out of his pocket, slams it, and then leaves-- to the raucous cheers of the sheep in the audience.
And while I'm a raging heterosexual, I just don't get off on seeing the valets/divas/ECW's vixens stripping on TV. Maybe it's because I know I'll never see "anything" since it's basic cable, or maybe it's just because the WWE has forced titillation on fans since Sable. You've only got an hour, why not have another match?
And my favorite wrestler of all time: Kurt Angle? He doesn't get any promos, and certainly not any of the comedy bits he excelled at just a few years ago.
Ah well, one less show to record every week...
Disappointment number 3: Bravo's Outrageous and Contagious Viral Videos. How cool is that? I don't have the time to scour the web for them myself, so it's cool to have them in a handy TV format. Only, it's not that cool. The narration sucked, hardly any web addresses were mentioned (just in case you may want to see it again), and many videos were cut. I watched four episodes/ two hours. Blah.
Upside to the weekend: I started watching Deadwood Season Two. Now that's good TV. It's not for everyone due to the crazy amounts of vulgar language and the no-holds-barred violence, but it has restored my faith in television.
The other big show of the year I fell in love with, Prison Break has its first season DVD set drop on Tuesday. Check it out. Preposterous at times, but a heck of a ride...
So what did I do: try to catch up on my TV/DVD watching.
First disappointment: I've been taping Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis for two years now. I tried SG-1 a few years back, and it just wasn't for me. But two years ago, they added the fantastic Ben Browder to the cast. Dude ruled in Farscape, so I was happy to finally see him back to work in a major role. Only, the show was still pretty basic. I know it's got a big fanbase-- and is also the longest running science fiction show EVER-- but I just wasn't enthralled. It happens: but I've got about 20 shows on tape I haven't gotten to yet, so I can't spend it on either Stargate series.
I just wish I wouldn't have recorded the show for TWO FREAKIN' YEARS before I started watching it. My bad.
The second disappointment: ECW on Sci-Fi. Okay, I was P.O.ed that rasslin' was on the Sci-Fi Channel in the first place, but the channel has been rapidly getting rid of the Sci-Fi for years now.
Now that I don't think wrestling is a waste of time. I was into it pretty well until two-three years ago. I stopped watching completely a year ago. But I decided to give ECW a try since it was only an hour long-- and The Olympic Champion, Kurt Angle, had defected to ECW (which is still owned by the WWE-- don't ask). Plus, it was EC-F'in-W; who knows what'll happen?
But the things I stopped liking about the WWE were there on this show, too. Constant promos of the PPVs and other shows, recaps of earlier events of the night. The show is ONE HOUR LONG! How many people would have forgotten that RVD got jumped by Edge in the span of a half-hour? They trot out their super-hardcore 5-time champ Sandman every episode to wail on a guy no one's ever heard of (who is also the "comedy relief"-- just not funny). The jobber (a guy destined to lose) comes out, Sandman appears in the crowd, slams a beer, comes to the ring, whacks the jobber with a stick for 30 seconds, pulls another beer out of his pocket, slams it, and then leaves-- to the raucous cheers of the sheep in the audience.
And while I'm a raging heterosexual, I just don't get off on seeing the valets/divas/ECW's vixens stripping on TV. Maybe it's because I know I'll never see "anything" since it's basic cable, or maybe it's just because the WWE has forced titillation on fans since Sable. You've only got an hour, why not have another match?
And my favorite wrestler of all time: Kurt Angle? He doesn't get any promos, and certainly not any of the comedy bits he excelled at just a few years ago.
Ah well, one less show to record every week...
Disappointment number 3: Bravo's Outrageous and Contagious Viral Videos. How cool is that? I don't have the time to scour the web for them myself, so it's cool to have them in a handy TV format. Only, it's not that cool. The narration sucked, hardly any web addresses were mentioned (just in case you may want to see it again), and many videos were cut. I watched four episodes/ two hours. Blah.
Upside to the weekend: I started watching Deadwood Season Two. Now that's good TV. It's not for everyone due to the crazy amounts of vulgar language and the no-holds-barred violence, but it has restored my faith in television.
The other big show of the year I fell in love with, Prison Break has its first season DVD set drop on Tuesday. Check it out. Preposterous at times, but a heck of a ride...
Ads? ADS?
I know what you're thinking: "WTF? He's got a freakin' ad in his blog. Sell out!"
What can I say? Please , please, please click on it once in a while. I have no clue how many fractions of a penny each click is worth, but I will promise you this: if, in a few years, I raise enough money to warrant a check from adsense, I will use it for this blog. Whether it be for content or for upgrades, I promise to reinvest it into this blog.
See, I'm not a total sell-out...
What can I say? Please , please, please click on it once in a while. I have no clue how many fractions of a penny each click is worth, but I will promise you this: if, in a few years, I raise enough money to warrant a check from adsense, I will use it for this blog. Whether it be for content or for upgrades, I promise to reinvest it into this blog.
See, I'm not a total sell-out...
Welcome to my blog.
My intentions for this site are to compile all the entertainment news I find interesting and post them all in one place. I may add my thoughts on the subject, and I hope you'll add yours. I also will review the various things I watch/read-- probably in a very short manner.
I'm a VERY active television watcher. It's sick when I think about it, but that's what I enjoy. I've counted all the different shows I've watched since May 2005, and came up with more than 150. So I've got some knowledge on the subject.
I've also found myself reading a ton of books lately as well (libraries are a good thing). I probably knock out a book every ten days or so.
I used to be an avid comic book reader, and I still read a number of titles a month. Since I've gotten married and had kids, I've found it harder to afford them (not that I ever could afford all I wanted).
And, lastly, I'll probably also comment on movies from time to time. That's been the biggest fun thing I've dropped. Not enough time, and not enough money.
Hopefully, with my varied interests, you'll find something worth checking my blog regularly for.
teameck
My intentions for this site are to compile all the entertainment news I find interesting and post them all in one place. I may add my thoughts on the subject, and I hope you'll add yours. I also will review the various things I watch/read-- probably in a very short manner.
I'm a VERY active television watcher. It's sick when I think about it, but that's what I enjoy. I've counted all the different shows I've watched since May 2005, and came up with more than 150. So I've got some knowledge on the subject.
I've also found myself reading a ton of books lately as well (libraries are a good thing). I probably knock out a book every ten days or so.
I used to be an avid comic book reader, and I still read a number of titles a month. Since I've gotten married and had kids, I've found it harder to afford them (not that I ever could afford all I wanted).
And, lastly, I'll probably also comment on movies from time to time. That's been the biggest fun thing I've dropped. Not enough time, and not enough money.
Hopefully, with my varied interests, you'll find something worth checking my blog regularly for.
teameck
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