Un(!)-Arrested Development

Yaaaay! I finally hearing good news about the long-talked-about-but-never-realized Arrested Development movie. They've been considering making a movie, you say? Yes, buzz of a potential movie began soon after the show's untimely demise at the hands of the evil Fox network, and now it's finally in the works. Yay!

From what I'm hearing, just about all the original principle actors have expressed a willingness, if not a total giddiness, to be in the movie, so I fully expect the feature film to live up to the series' standards. I'm hopeful they don't do too much re-capping and establishing for new viewers. I realize some exposition will be necessary, but I don't need the entire concept to be re-hashed for the pathetic masses who have never seen the show. It's a problem that's faced by many TV serieseses that make the leap to the big screen. Although I thoroughly enjoyed Joss Whedon's Serenity (which was borne of his fantabulous series Firefly, which not-so-coincidentally also met its untimely end at the hands of the evil Fox network), it included a lot of backstory that had already been established by the short-lived series. Not so much as to ruin the experience, but I would have liked to have seen the movie pick up where the series had left off (not that that would have really been possible, but a girl can dream).

Anyway, here's what I'm hearing about Arrested Development, the movie:

Jason Bateman, aka Micheal Bluth, told MSNBC's Kieth Olbermann that, "It's in the works. The grown-ups are trying to work out the numbers." Oh, Micheal. How I've missed you!

He also told the Times of London the movie version — slated for a 2009 release — will have a different feel than the TV series: "When it was on TV, if you missed one word, the whole third act could be blown for you. And TV is a different experience. You come home and you've got to finish a call so you miss the first ten minutes or you get snacky and you go to the fridge and you miss another two minutes, so it's a different experience to film."

Okay, I love Jason Bateman. I'm going to start using "get snacky" on a regular basis. Awesome.

Anyway, no telling yet who all will be on board, but I've heard in the past that Jeffrey Tambor and Jessica Walter, aka George Bluth Sr. and Lucille Bluth, have both said they would absolutely be on board with a movie. Buster and Tobias will more than likely be on board (and quite frankly, how could they have a movie without them?), and barring scheduling conflicts, I would certainly hope that Gob and Lindsay would be along as well. I think the real problem could come with George Micheal, played by the suddenly everywhere Micheal Cera, because, well, being everywhere really eats in to one's schedule, I would imagine... I'm hoping everyone can make it work. Yay!

Annnd, here are some season 1 clips to get you as giddy as I am about the forthcoming movie...



This clip cracks me up every time. Awesome.

Pacey with the Fringe on top...

So, after Joss Whedon's Dollhouse, the second most hotly anticipated new show for the coming season would have to be J.J. Abrams' pet project Fringe. From what I'm hearing, it's a little bit Alias, and quite a bit X-Files, both of which I positively adored, so I'm thinking Fringe has a lot of potential. Plus, it has Joshua Jackson of Dawson's Creek fame, so that definitely raises an eyebrow. I'm excited. Very excited. TV, whoo!

Fringe Trailer


Chase Scene from Fringe


J.J. Abrams talks about Fringe


Interview with Joshua Jackson and Anna Torv

FALL 2008 Premiere Schedule

Okay, I realize this may be jumping the gun a bit, but what can I say? I have no life and simply can’t wait for Fall to hurry and get here so that I have some shows to watch. So, if you’re one of those people who can’t stand it when they start playing Christmas music on November 15th (or, much more insidiously, seeing back to school adds in the middle of July), you might not appreciate the Fall Premiere Schedule listed below… You’ve had fair warning…

Please NOTE:
These premiere dates are subject to change. I haven't heard anything on ABC yet, and very little on the CW. Those schedules are forthcoming...

* Denotes a new series

CBS

• Thursday, Sept. 18: Survivor
  
  Monday, Sept. 22: Big Bang Theory, Mother, Two and a Half Men, Worst Week* and CSI: Miami
  
  Tuesday, Sept. 23: NCIS, The Mentalist* and Without a Trace
  
  Wednesday, Sept. 24: Old Christine, Project Gary*, Criminal Minds and CSI: NY
  
  Sunday, Sept. 28: 60 Minutes, Amazing Race 13, Cold Case and The Unit
  
  Friday, Oct. 3: Ghost Whisperer, The Ex List* and Numbers
  
  Thursday, Oct. 9: CSI and Eleventh Hour*

NBC

• Monday, Sept. 22: Heroes, 8 pm (clip show), 9 pm (two-hour premiere)
  
  Tuesday, Sept. 23: Law & Order: SVU
  
  Wednesday, Sept. 24: Knight Rider, Lipstick Jungle
  
  Thursday, Sept. 25: My Name Is Earl (hour premiere), The Office (hour premiere), ER
  
  Monday, Sept. 29: Chuck, My Own Worst Enemy*
  
  Friday, October 3: Life
  
  Thursday, October 9: Kath & Kim*
  
  Friday, October 17: Crusoe*
  
  Thursday, October 30: 30 Rock

FOX

• Monday, Sept. 1: Prison Break (two hours)
  
  Wednesday, Sept. 3: Bones (two hours)
  
  Thursday, Sept. 4: Moment of Truth (two hours)
  
  Friday, Sept. 5: 5th Grader (two hours)
  
  Saturday, Sept. 6: Cops, America's Most Wanted
  
  Monday, Sept. 8: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
  
  Tuesday, Sept. 9: Fringe* (two hours)
  
  Wednesday, Sept. 10: 'Til Death, Do Not Disturb*
  
  Thursday, Sept. 11: Kitchen Nightmares
  
  Friday, Sept. 12: Don't Forget the Lyrics
  
  Saturday, Sept. 13: Mad TV, Talkshow with Spike Feresten
  
  Tuesday, Sept. 16: House
  
  Sunday, Sept. 28: The Simpsons, King of the Hill, Family Guy, American Dad

CW

• Tuesday, September 2: 90210

’07-’08 TV Season Year-in-Review: Grey’s Anatomy

After the monster epic that was the House review, I’m really going to try to keep this one shorter. And, given that I don’t care about this show anywhere near as much as I care about House, I’m hoping it isn’t even an issue.

Henceforth, on with the show. Chapter 3: Grey’s Anatomy

First off, no discussion of Season 4 of Grey’s Anatomy would be complete without at least some discussion of the agony that was Season 3. Oh, Season 3. I think I speak for everyone who was completed enamored of the show with Season 2 when I say of Season 3, “What the hell happened, Grey’s???” Season 3 was tough. I almost threw in the towel on the show, I’m not going to lie. It was the awesomeness of Season 2 that made me hold on, but it wasn’t easy. Season 3 was just one depressing, painful blow after another and it made for some pretty painful episodes, arcs, character developments, and affected the overall tone of the show in seemingly irreparable ways.

Season 3 saw the complete de-mirthing of the show, the complete annihilation of Christina’s professional drive, acerbic wit and personality, the utterly bewildering change in George’s sweet, goofy, charming demeanor to a scowling, yelling, cynical annoyance to everyone on the show and in the audience, the mere… presence of Izzie (which is more than enough in and of itself), the abomination of Gizzie [insert cold shudder], the deterioration of Dr. Bailey’s confidence, the convalescence of Dr. Burke, who, after everything came out in the open, should have just died at the end of Season 2 and saved us all from his presence on the show, and the continued, but now utterly charmless relationship of Meredith and Derek, culminating in the ferry boat accident episodes, or, as I prefer to call them, “the slowest, lamest disaster that ever was.” Season 3 had some redemptive moments here and there, but by and large, it was just one painful, lame, ludicrous, and quease-inducing (Gizzie, I’m looking in your direction… involuntarily…) blow after another. The behind-the-scenes politics didn’t help this situation any either. Knowing full well that Isaiah Washington was a belligerent homophobe made it difficult to watch him on screen. It was particularly difficult to want to see him and Christina together and just downright awkward to see Burke and O’Malley being all chummy. The tension seeped in each and every scene he was in. Not good.

So. After the shitstorm that was Season 3, I spent much of the summer trying to decide if it was worth giving the show another shot for Season 4. I had heard rumblings from Shonda Rhimes (head honcho over at Grey’s) that she and the writing staff all recognized that there were aspects of Season 3 that didn’t work. They recognized that there needed to be a total shift in tone and return to the balance of drama and comedy that made Seasons 1 and 2 successful. This gave me hope. I decided to give Season 4 a shot…

And it proved to be a vast improvement over Season 3…. and I mean VAST improvement. The premiere was actually entertaining to watch! Hardly painful at all! The writers recognized that they needed to regroup and put the focus back on the main group of doctors and cut some of the 37 other characters who had infiltrated the show in Season 3. Grey’s was showing signs of fun again. The mirth, the competition, game-playing, the gossip, the heart of the show appeared to be making a comeback.

Season 4, while not as fantastic as Seasons 1 and 2, was a lot closer that the show had been in the over 2 dozen episodes that had plagued Season 3. It was nice to see. However, in spite of the vast improvement in the direction of the show, I began to not care about the characters so much and didn’t feel terribly invested in much of what happened in Season 4. As with any show, the audience gets to know the characters and the relationships so well that it loses some spark. I’d like to see Season 5 really spice up the character development and show us some sides of characters we really haven’t seen before. I think the finale for Season 4 sets up Season 5 to do just that.

The finale to Season 4 wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t an edge-of-your-seat rollercoaster or an instant classic, but it was good. It served a very specific purpose and put the characters in the places they needed to be for a rockin’ Season 5. In a way, I look at Season 4 as spending the entire 16 episodes trying to repair the damage done in Season 3. Meredith had to come to grips with her mommy and daddy issues and let Derek into her life, Gizzie had to crash and burn, Christina had to come out of her funk, and basically the entire universe had to take a major shift in a better direction. Season 3 left everyone and everything in a shambles. Season 4 spent every minute trying to repair the damage… and I think it did a pretty good job. I think the “Meredith’s mother tried to kill herself” arc was particularly effective, right there at the end of the season. They had to do a bit of ret-con work, but pulled it off very well. It genuinely made me care about Meredith again, and I’m not going to lie, it’s been a while.

Anyway, I’m actually a bit excited to see where things go in Season 5. There are a lot of character pairings that should prove interesting and now that Meredith and Derek appear to have worked out their issues, the show can focus on characters and relationships that I’m much more invested in. The mere fact that Christina, my all-time favorite character on the show, is finally free from Burke and out of her funk, gives Season 5 a hell of a lot of potential. I love Christina. I’ve missed Christina. And now she’s back. They’re all back. Finally.

Season 4 Grade: C+
Season 4 Grade when you factor in the pain that was Season 3: B
Finale Grade: B+

'07-'08 TV Season Year-in-Review: BONES

So, I was going to review Grey’s Anatomy next, you know, going by genre, I could get all my medical shows taken care of first, but then I ran across the following article about Bones and decided that’s where I needed to go next.

• Bones creator Hart Hanson also looks at negative comments as a sign of fan passion, something his show, sitting somewhere "between a cult hit and a real hit," needs to survive. He faced a virtual firing squad after the controversial season finale, when he dared turn naïve "squint" Zack Addy (Eric Millegan) into a serial killer's apprentice, sending him into a mental hospital and out of the regular ensemble. It was a storyline Hanson admits was too compressed, but not one he regrets overall.
  
  "Oh boy, when you mess with an ensemble," Hanson began before trailing off. "To be honest, it was great." Not only was that one of the highest rated episodes, but the number of hits to the show's website doubled. "The network doesn't care if comments are good or bad. They count the hits."
  
  "Do we listen to the fans? Oh, no," Hanson said adamantly during the audience Q&A portion of his Master Class. Besides, given the outcry over the finale, "Right now, if we listened to them, I'd have to quit."
  
  He even tells his actors not to look at message boards. "They're really mean about every one of our actors. The ones who have an axe to grind will write and the ones who love them won't. Our Internet presence is fairly negative. But we don't care about that, because they're all watching."
  
  Hanson says "we don't know who they are" because the demographics of the show are so broad, though actor David Boreanaz (Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and novelist Kathy Reichs clearly add their own fandoms to the mysterious but loyal mix.
  
  "No, we don't listen to them," Hanson reiterated. "And they're really vociferous and passionate and we are very, very glad they're there.”
  
  --Interview excerpts courtesy of Diane Kristine and posted on blogcritics.org.

Hart Hanson may not care what the audience thinks of his work, but he probably should. The show is mediocre at best, and pretty damn bad at worst. This kind of record doesn't exactly lend itself to the lofty pedestal on which he seems to think his show resides. Oy.

Now, in general, I have no problem with the writers of a show ignoring outside influences and applaud shows that have the courage to do so. In general, I completely agree that if the fans are upset with a plot twist, that doesn’t mean it's a bad move, but in this particular case, it wasn’t only a bad move, it was horribly executed, completely unfounded, and came across as nothing more than a ratings ploy. A ratings ploy which, I might add, will likely harm the show in the long run (and let’s face it, this show isn’t good enough to endure much of an enervation…).

Before I get into the real discussion, a side note: I realize probably very few of the people who read my blog watch this show, but I just have to put this out there. I have never been much of a fan of this show. In fact, I only started watching it this last year (and have caught earlier episodes here and there) and have been pretty underwhelmed by the whole affair. Indeed, the only reason I even gave it a chance was that I had an opening in my TV schedule and this was the only option available. In short, the show isn’t very good. I find the two leads to be the least interesting part of the show. Temperance Brennan is an uneven, inconsistent character who is only moderately likable most of the time. Seely Booth (Angel) is even worse. I find the character one-dimensional and pompous. Anyway, for me, and the few other people I know who watch the show, the “squints” are the best part of the show. Indeed, for most people I know, they are the real heart of the ensemble and the primary reason to keep up with the show. No matter how much the writers and producers want to believe that Brennan and Booth are at the center of the show’s moderate success, it’s the supporting characters that make the whole thing work (as well as it ever does, that is).

This season, admittedly the only one I’ve seen start to finish, made me really hope that there’s a different show competing for the same timeslot next season so that I can officially throw in the towel on Bones. At this point, it wouldn’t even need to be a very good show and it could likely win my affections. Oh, this season. Wow. What a waste.

It started out promisingly enough for such a mediocre show, but soon lost its focus and ultimately fizzled. The season arc with the cannibalistic Gormogon (sp?) was pretty cheese-tastic to begin with and shouldn’t have garnered a season-long arc unless the writers were really going to run with it. In the beginning, it looked like that would be the case, but as the season progressed, the storyline was often mishandled, forgotten, and clunky.

Now, I realize the writers’ strike took a toll, but no show fared worse than Bones it seems. All of a sudden, out of absolutely nowhere, and only in the finale episode do we finally find out the whole Gormogon story. What’s worse, the only foundation that was laid for who Gormogon’s apprentice was, oh wait, there was no foundation… Yes folks, it was season-long arc and the writers decided they would draw a name out of a hat for the big reveal. “And Gormogon’s apprentice is…[hand swirling in baseball cap full of character names] Zack!” Mr. Hanson may think that the audience is in a tizzy because he “messed with an ensemble,” but that’s hardly the case. That they eliminated one of the few good characters of the show was a display in idiocy to be sure, but it would have been fine if they had set up the show, laid a foundation, and revealed Zack as the apprentice after a satisfying build-up. Without that, the audience is left with nothing but “WTF?!” to dwell upon over the summer.

Like I said, if they had come up with a rational reason that it was Zack, started including subtle nuances that he could be capable of this back toward the beginning of the season, and led the audience on an adventure of discovery that Zack could be the bad guy, then it would have been absolutely acceptable to write Zack off the show (even if he is the main reason so many people watch). It’s not that the audience is being whiny that the show is losing one of its best characters, it’s that the writers’ have lost the audience’s faith in them to guide the show. If the audience can’t count on a show to offer well-thought-out, well-planned, and well-executed storylines, then what the hell is the point in watching?

To prove my point, I offer a comparison to a far superior show, the inimitable Veronica Mars. Season 1 set up a web of delicious, exciting, tantalizing mysteries that built up to the ultimate climax, revealing the killer of Lilly Kane. The writers for Veronica Mars, having actually planned out the season prior to the final 3 episodes, built up enough foundation for their characters that the audience believed it could have been anyone, and no matter who it was, it could be justified. Case in point, it could have been Logan, a fan favorite, and that would have been complete awesomeness because it was so well established that he could be the one. Even if you never dreamed that Logan could have done it, if it had been him, you would have instantly started replaying the entire season in your head and come up with 15 fantastic, subtle, compelling, edge-of-your-seat, shocking and satisfying reasons it was him. And even if it did mean that one of the most popular members of the ensemble were written off the show, it still would have been an incredible ending that the audience would appreciate. With a show like VM, the foundations that led to the climactic ending are being established as early as the first episode. It’s not that you messed with the ensemble in and of itself, Mr. Hanson, it’s that you did it so poorly. That Zack was the apprentice could have been completely awesome. It could have been a rather compelling and engaging twist in an otherwise mediocre show. If the writers’ strike is to blame, and I can’t believe it’s entirely to blame, then the Gormogon storyline should have been continued into the next season where it could have been done with more grace and logic.

However, when such a revelation is just tossed in at the last minute, providing a climax for an already cheesy and lackluster arc (that had been largely ignored in the episodes leading up to the finale), it is disconcerting, illogical, and lame. It’s ridiculousness like this that makes a mediocre show so very mediocre. When shocking revelations are played solely as a stunt to gain a few extra viewers, it cheapens the show and insults the core audience. Hart Hanson may not care what the audience has to say about the show, even going so far as to imply that the finale gained more viewers and therefore it doesn’t matter how it was received, but when the people running the show are so short-sighted, I think taking others’ opinions into account would behoove your story-writing in the long-run.

I have yet to decide if I’m done with the show or not. Essentially, I no longer have what little confidence I had in the story-writing and have just lost one of the few redeeming characters on the show. Also, that the actor who portrays Zack (Eric Milligan) was basically unceremoniously fired from the show doesn’t cast a flattering light on the powers-that-be. I heard that they basically called Eric up out the blue and told him they needed to talk not long before the finale. Classy guys, really classy. Eric handled the situation with far more grace and composure than I would have. He was shocked by the decision, but never came across as bitter. I heard that several of his castmates, however, were certainly not okay with this development and expressed as much. Good for them.

Alas, only moderately okay show, we may be done. I guess time will tell (by which I mean we’ll have to see if there is anything, and I mean anything else at all that I can watch during that timeslot). Lord knows I wouldn’t do something productive or read a book or something to pass the time.

Season Grade: C+
Finale Grade: D

'07-'08 TV Season Year-in-Review: HOUSE

I've been meaning to post a "year in review" of the past TV season for several weeks now, but simply haven't gotten around to it. What with the writers' strike kind of screwing everything up and causing all the shows to end at varying points during the year, the end of this season just didn't have the same "finale fever" to which I am so delightfully accustomed. Given that nary a one of my new shows from last season (and even some of my established shows) ended back in December, it left only a handful to finish out the year in usual April/May fashion. As such, the reviews of shows that ended 6 months would be seriously lacking in detail (what with my hardly remembering how they ended and whatnot—a minor handicap, as you can imagine) and so I don’t think I’m going to include those in this series of posts.

Anyway, without further ado, here goes Chapter 1: HOUSE

Ahhh, House. A true love of mine since I finally got hooked toward the end of the first season. This year House rounded out its fourth season. A season which saw many (too many, as far as I’m concerned) changes and cast shake-ups that would have rattled most shows to the core and left nothing but a hollow, cancelled shell of its former self in its wake. While season 4 wasn’t House’s best, I’m pleased to say that it has survived such a tumultuous year and has set itself up for a pretty fantabulous return in season 5.

I’m not going to lie. I was never that interested or invested in the ducklings. Cameron, Chase, and Foreman served their purpose in the first three seasons (most notably as House’s lackeys, whipping-boys, scapegoats, toys, and, well, butlers), but I’ve never been particularly concerned with them other than how they relate to the big three: House, Cuddy, and Wilson. It speaks volumes about the show that, in this day and age for television, it isn’t the hip, young, twenty-somethings that everyone cares about, it’s the trio of 40ish elder-statesmen of the show that are everyone’s favorites. Anchored by the incomparable Hugh Laurie, and with outstanding support from Lisa Edelstein (I love Cuddy oh-so-much) and Robert Sean Leonard (who’s held a special place in my heart for ages), the show managed to survive a earthquake-level cast shake-up that left Cameron (who isn’t missed at all), Chase (who is kinda missed a bit), and Foreman (who could really use even less screen time) basically seeing as much airtime as “Nurse #2” and “Man in Elevator,” if not less. By and large, that’s fine by me. BUT, and I used all caps for a reason, House’s hunt for three new ducklings ended somewhere I wasn’t thrilled with, but we’ll get back to that…

The hunt for new employees. I really did enjoy the concept, and for the most part, felt that the Survivor-style interview process was quite a lot of fun. HOWEVER, note the unsubtle use of caps again, the wacky antics took a toll on the show overall. So much time had to be devoted to the interview process and the show was trying to keep track of so many characters that the real heart of the show was largely obscured. The show didn’t have time for the quiet moments this season. Character development was slipped in with small doses, but felt kind of crammed in and forced (which the writers’ strike certainly didn’t help…). The most annoying part of this story arc, I would have to say, is that it not only relegated the original ducklings to cameo status, but it also cut down on Cuddy and Wilson screen time, and that’s a much, much graver sin… Anyway, the employee hunt was fine in concept, but sloppy in execution.

**SPOILER ALERT**
(If you haven’t seen season 4 yet (Annie, I’m looking in your direction), you’ll want to shun the following…)

As House’s little game started to wind down, potential ducklings that I actually quite enjoyed were sent home and ducklings in whom I wasn’t particularly invested remained. I have nothing against Taub, Cutner, and 13 (Hadley), per se, but I don’t find them all that engaging. No where near as engaging and interesting as Cutthroat Bitch, who was the last to be dismissed.

Ahhh, Cutthroat Bitch. Now, while the season was progressing, she was by no means my favorite character on the show, and I did find myself annoyed with her character at times and even hating her character at others. BUT, the mere fact that I cared about her character in any regard puts her in a higher class than Taub, Cutner, and 13 (Hadley), whom I couldn’t care less about. I don’t even know why that’s the case! I don’t care about 13 (even with the Huntington’s disease—which, can I just say, could have been a really interesting story arc, and I’m hopeful it will be in the future, but so far, has been completely underwhelming). I don’t care about Taub or Cutner either. It may just be the curse of the ducklings, but, as with the previous trio, I just don’t really care about them. I care about the new ducklings even less than the previous ones, and I wasn’t broken up about it at all when they all quit in the season 3 finale. It was with vague curiosity that I checked on their contracts to see whether or not they’d be back…

Anyway, point being, the new ducklings don’t exactly keep me glued to my seat. Neither did the previous ducklings. Soooo, I guess this might mean that next season will return to the former glory of seasons 1-3? Here’s hoping. I can definitely see where the shake-up was necessary, but I think it could have been done more successfully and could have ended up with much, much better ducklings.

Which brings me back to Cutthroat Bitch, aka Amber. The good ol’ writers of the show realized (a bit too late) that Amber actually was the most interesting of the candidates and brilliantly, ingeniously, brought her back in the most completely awesome, season-redeeming way ever. The Wilson/Amber relationship (that was surprising, funny, and basically perfect), which I affectionately call(ed) Wilber (hey, Charlotte’s Web was a big part of my childhood, okay?), really brought the show back and made the last several episodes of this season pretty outstanding (with the two-part season finale blowing everyone’s socks off). Amber and House made for finely matched opponents, each vying for Wilison’s love and attention. Awesome.

But, back to the season finale. **MAJOR SPOILER ALERT** (Annie…) Brilliantly conceived and executed, start to finish. The two-part season finale offered the kind of gut-wrenching tension, excitement, character elucidation, and narrative that makes House the classic that it is. It’s been weeks and I still can’t believe they killed off Amber. It was exhilarating and heart-breaking to watch and I still have mixed emotions about the whole affair. Although this turn of events made for some pretty spectacular television, I liked the dynamic among House, Wilson, and Amber and I’m sad to see that go. I do, however, think this will make for some fascinating House/Wilson interaction in season 5, but it’s still hard to swallow. I think the most devastating moment was watching Wilson discover the note Amber had left for him under the pillow. That it was written on an envelope was truly perfect. It seemed such a minor, trifling note to leave that she scribbled it down on a used envelope, as everyone has done a million times before. But in this case, it would be the most important and disastrous message she would ever write. Watching Wilson clutching the scrap of paper was horrible and I think it spoke volumes to just how much he cared about her and just how much her loss will affect his relationships in the next season, particularly with House.

Final quandary: Is House to blame? It’s a tough call. That he called Wilson’s apartment looking for a ride home after a long night of House being House isn’t a crime. That Amber decided to go and get him rather than bothering Wilson is a completely logical approach to the situation. That she happened to take medication that would ultimately kill her (only after her kidneys had been destroyed by an unforeseen bus accident) was a crazy fluke at most. And, that House did actually manage to diagnose the problem in the end was yet another medical miracle (even if there was nothing they could do to save her).

But unfortunately, when all added up, it’s hard not to blame House, even if isn’t a completely logical stance. If House hadn’t called, she wouldn’t have come. If House hadn’t brazenly gotten on the bus, neither would she. If House could have just spent that one single episode not being House, Amber would be fine. It’s a leap of logic to conclude that this is all his fault, but it’s an emotional oversight to not assign him any blame at all. It’ll be pretty interesting, and completely devastating I imagine, to see how things play out in season 5, to say the very least.

Overall Season 4 Grade: B
Season Finale Grade: A+

Strike Watch 2: The Screen Actors Guild

Just when you thought all the striking was over, it now appears that the actors might be picking up the strike banners that had just been retired by the writers' guild... In short, here we go again. Maybe. Hopefully not.... Here's what I'm hearing:

• With talks between the Screen Actors Guild and the studios at a stalemate and unlikely to gain ground by the June 30 expiration of SAG's current contract, networks are starting to brace for the worst. But the sky isn't falling just yet. AFTRA, the other actors union, is expected to ratify its own new deal on July 7. Once that happens, producers are expected to make a final offer to SAG. If rebuffed, the studios could proactively lock out SAG actors, saving themselves the "surprise" upset of a midseason strike.
  
  In the meantime, the nets are puzzled over how to proceed with fall season promotions. Fox, for one, was planning to blow the doors out with barrages of Fringe buzz, but may hold back if the show's early-July production start is in jeopardy.
  
  Should SAG get locked out, here's Variety's synopsis of how it would affect the biz:
  
  • Network shows by and large resumed production not long after wrapping the WGA strike-shortened season, and thus will have at least a few episodes in the can.
  • Cable series would cut their seasons short (if already underway) or push back season premieres dates.
  • AFTRA-only shows such as 'Til Death, Rules of Engagement and Reaper would be unaffected.
  • Late-night TV, as it did during the WGA walkout, would need to seek out more non-actor guests.
  
  Fox's 24, remarkably, would not take another bullet, as production on the new season is already underway and new episodes not slated to unspool until mid-January.
  
  —Article courtesy of Matt Mitovich

I'm really hoping this doesn't blow up like the WGA strike did. All signs so far point to a resolution sometime before everything falls apart, so here's hoping. I just don't know that I can take another strike! Come on kids, play nice!

The Dark Ages

"It's like stepping into a time machine. It's amazing that people actually lived this way..."

I couldn't agree more. It's a wonderful age in which we live... except for all the global warming and war and whatnot...


Historic ‘Blockbuster’ Store Offers Glimpse Of How Movies Were Rented In The Past

The Office 2.0 Update

So, news regarding the upcoming Office spin-off has been pretty nill of late, but I finally came across some news. A lot of rumors have been going around, but not much has been available to confirm or deny what I've been hearing. I'm honestly still not sold on the idea, but it's sounding like it might be a viable project. All signs indicate that no one from the current cast will be spun-off, so I think that's a good sign. Anyway, per a couple of my online sources, here's the latest...

• The producers of NBC's The Office spin-off have made their first casting hire, and it's Aziz Ansari of MTV's Human Giant [[AND, who played Sinjay, the angry fruit-cart guy in a completely awesome episode of Flight of the Chonchods]]. "We met him pretty early on and thought he was very funny," exec producer Greg Daniels tells Variety. "[W]e have a good character for him."
  
  The spin-off's premise has yet to be finalized, as producers still are sorting through several ideas. It's unlikely that any current Office staffer will get spun off; rather, one or more characters from the new series probably will be introduced this fall on the mothership, paving the way for the companion show's midseason launch.
  
  "We're trying to come up with the best concept and hire the funniest writers," exec producer Michael Schur tells Variety. "In the next couple of weeks, we'll be making the final move to one specific idea." As first reported by TVGuide.com, Ansari will be featured on the final season of Scrubs, which finishes filming this August and will air on ABC. (Courtesy of Matt Mitovich from TVGuide).

• Consider this only a rumor for the time being. However, word has been rippling through the TV biz today that Rashida Jones (aka Karen Filippelli, presently of Utica, New York) may star in the upcoming NBC spinoff of The Office.
  
  Sounds pretty amazing to this Office (and Rashida) fan, so I did a little digging, and here's where this stands: While one inside source (who has always been reliable) says "it's true" that Rashida will be a part of the new series, another source inside Rashida's camp says, "As far as I know, she has not been approached." Hmmm...
  
  Meanwhile, a rep for Universal (which produces The Office) tells me: "Universal Media Studios has a talent holding deal with Rashida. It is premature to speculate about any potential projects she could be involved with." (Courtesy of Kristin from E!Online).

World of World of Warcraft

This article reminds me way too much of my brother.... and just about every other 20-something guy I know. I tell ya what, wow.


'Warcraft' Sequel Lets Gamers Play A Character Playing 'Warcraft'

I love the captions the best. "Characters in game can be directed to drink soda, eat hot pockets." Hehe. Classic.

Top Chef Finale: Verdict? Yay! but meh...

So, I was going to post a season finale commentary tonight, offering an overall assessment of this year’s programming (a “year in review,” if you will), but then the Top Chef finale was on and I’ll just have to comment on that first… in spite of the fact that although this season ended with a win for the right person, it closed out with a bit of a whimper and a hint of a yawn…

As had been predicted all season, Stephanie ended up taking the cake (which is ironic, given that her cake kind of sucked) in the Top Chef finale last night. I had put my money on Stephanie as a favorite early on, but was never sure she’d come out on top. Yay! Although, as long as Lisa didn’t win, I don’t think anyone really cared if Stephanie or Richard took it in the end. We’ll get to more of that later…

All in all, this wasn’t Top Chef’s best season. By any stretch. From day 1, I was pretty annoyed with the majority of the cast. Most of the chefs were either annoying (Lisa, Spike, Andrew) or completely forgettable (what’s-her-face, that one guy, and you know, the one with the chef’s hat?), making for a less-than-enthralling season overall. And, weirdly, several of the contestants knew each other already. Out of the who-knows-how-many people who tried out for this show, several of the chefs had known several of the other chefs for years (Stephanie and Dale had apparently been friends for 10 years? Wow, didn’t find that out till the penultimate episode), others knew each other back in the day, and even a couple (Jenn and Zoe) ended up on the show together. What are the odds? I mean, little over a dozen made it on to the show and some of them know each other already? Kind of odd. Anyway, that wasn’t a big deal really, but it just changed the vibe a bit.

This season just didn’t seem to have the same gusto of seasons past. Season 1, which I only caught later, in reruns, had some truly classic characters and a formidable villain for the finale. Harold and Tiffany made for a completely enthralling smackdown that was a close race to the bitter end. The true highlight of the season being the classic line, “I’m not your bitch, Bitch!” directed at Season 1 villain, Tiffany. Awesome. Season 1 truly had the most interesting chefs with the quirkiest personalities.

Season 2 was also completely awesome, with Ilan and Marcel (who I actually kind of liked) going head to head. The final battle, between two worthy chefs is what makes the finales really engaging, edge-of-your-seat entertainment. It was satisfying to see Marcel lose, but it wasn’t entirely satisfying to see Ilan win. Everyone wanted to see Sam win. And, really, everyone just see Sam, a lot, and in any capacity (wink, wink). :-)

Season 3 had no villain in the finale. All villains having been eliminated pretty early one, the finale saw a three-way battle among Dale, Casey, and Hung, all of whom were talented chefs and none of whom were totally hated by everyone on earth. All the chefs were pretty likable and all seemed to like each other quite a bit. It made for a less-than-nail-biting finale, but was still quite enjoyable on the whole.

This season, I think the producers decided that the finale needed a villain, noting that Season 3 wasn’t quite the royal rumble of Seasons 1 and 2. Henceforth, the completely undeserving, snide, bitchy Lisa was ushered in to the finale. Of the 13 (14?) eliminations that led up to the finale, Lisa graced the bottom of the judging barrel seven times. SEVEN. If that’s not a clear-cut sign she shouldn’t have been there, I don’t know what would be. She should have gone home after restaurant wars (if not before), and Dale should have been in the finale with Richard and Stephanie. Even Antonia would have been a much more deserving competitor. But, with Richard, Stephanie, Dale, and Antonia all being rather chummy, the producers of the show simply couldn’t allow that and we were subjected to yet another episode of Lisa. Blah.

She actually did pretty well in the finale, but then again, she didn’t take any risks at all and cooked the only kind of food she ever cooks, Asian. Richard couldn’t quite pull his menu together and came in third, actually telling the judges that he “choked.” Which sadly, he kind of did. Stephanie’s dessert didn’t pan out (heh, get it?), so she and Lisa went in to the final judging table pretty evenly matched. Which is exactly what the producers would have wanted.

They did their damnedest to make the audience think that they might give it to Lisa, but fearing that no one would ever watch the show again after such an injustice, gave the prize to the rightful winner. Between Richard and Stephanie, they won 8 of the 14 eliminations, 4 a piece. Lisa, somehow, won 1 elimination challenge. I think the show wanted to take a jab at Lisa by allowing the chefs to choose their sous chefs based on number of wins, with Lisa taking a very distant third.

Anyway, it was good to see Stephanie win, but it wasn’t exactly a winner of a finale. The fatal flaw? They made the chefs work by themselves. The real joy of seasons past was that the finale included the contestants who had already been eliminated come back and serve as sous chefs. The best was when they got to choose who they worked with. And even better, they got to put their two cents in about how it was to work with whoever they worked with and let the judges know just what kind of a leader he/she was. I love that part.

Annnnd, this season didn’t have that. It didn’t even really feel like the finale.

Anyway, I’m hoping the show wises up for Season 5 and realizes what works and what doesn’t. Until then, we’ll have Season 5 of Project Runway to keep us company (premieres on July 17th). It’s way better than Top Chef anyway.

WALL-E vs. Short Circuit

Given Pixar's track record, I am looking forward to their new production, Wall-e, with quite a bit of giddy anticipation. I've never been particularly enamored of robots, so I was a bit apprehensive at first, but let's face it, cars really don't do anything for me at all (aside from getting me from point A to point B), and I loved Cars anyway. Granted Cars wasn't my favorite Pixar outing, but still a solid picture that I thoroughly enjoyed. Wall-e premieres later this month and I'm pretty excited. The reviews have been nothing but positive so far, and, aside from the threat of children being in attendance at the theatre [insert cold shudder and annoyed glare], I fully expect to be completely enthralled.

In several of the reviews I've come across lately, however, there have been more than a few, rather disconcerting comparisons to the 1986 craptasticness that was Short Circuit. While I admit there's a certain similarity between the physical designs of Wall-e and Number 5, I'm hopeful the similarities end there.

This trailer for Wall-e makes me quite hopeful:



Compare the charming trailer of Wall-e to the unbelievable creep-fest that is this scene from Short Circuit... I think we can all agree that Short Circuit set a very low, very quease-inducing bar that Wall-e won't come anywhere close to...



To quote the I Love the 80's review of this scene, "Oh geez... are they gonna make out?" Yikes and double yikes.

Casting Update: Kristen Bell apparently has some pull over at Heroes...

Here's a tidbit of deliciousness that I ran across during my travels today, and I'm quite intrigued and excited! Looks like the Heroes casting couch has decided to tap the Veronica Mars well once again for new baddies...

• Now here's a Heroes newcomer I can get behind — if only because it could offer Veronica Mars fans a very special reunion. Francis Capra, aka the toughie 'Ron (and Mars viewers) loved to hate, is joining the NBC hit this fall in the recurring role of Jesse.Who or what is Jesse? Not much (including his power) is being revealed, of course, but thus far I've found out two things: One, TV's former Weevil is playing evil, and two, his villainous storyline will find him crossing paths with Peter Petrelli.Capra's arrival of course promises to reunite him with Veronica herself, Kristen Bell, who is rumored (though not yet confirmed, drat!) to be reprising her own Heroes role this season.
  
• Per Kristin: Sources confirm that Francis Capra has been cast on Heroes. I've also exclusively learned that Veronica and Weevil—I mean, Elle and Jesse, do share at least one scene. Francis Capra and Kristen Bell together again? Hallelujah! My sources tell me Francis is doing a three-episode guest arc as villain Jesse Murphy, a thug who runs with a gang of two-bit criminals. However, Jesse is more than just a meathead. He does have a power. When and where will it be deployed? You'll have to watch to see.

I would absolutely LOVE to see some Veronica/Weevil interaction again. They made for such a great pair of frienemies and both actors always bring a lot to the table. I'm hopeful that Francis Capra is doing better (I heard rumor that during the last season of VM he had had some medical issues). Given this casting news, I can only assume he's alive and well and will be sparring (or teaming?) with Elle in the coming season. Yeehaw!

In Plain Sight: Some contrivances, some improvements...

So, as sad as it is, Sunday has bascially become my only night of TV to look forward to. And, the shows I'm looking forward to on said night, aren't exactly obsession-worthy. That said, I takes what I gets.

First off, I caught the second episode of In Plain Sight (titled Hoosier Daddy--apparently the bad guy was from Indiana or something...) and must say it was considerably better than the pilot. I'm not ready to bet the farm quite yet, but I think this show has some winner potential. Last night's A-plot was quite engaging and also illuminated some interesting inter-character dynamics. The A-plot was well-thought-out and well-structured. It was a bit contrived, particularly the sorta saccharine ending, but I think it worked well. Mary succeeds in her quest to protect a 10-year-old boy by any means necessary. She's willing to do whatever it takes to get what she wants, and is apparently quite good at doing so. As with any show that follows this basic formula, I think for credibility's sake, she'll obviously win her battles for the first several episodes, perhaps even the whole season. For the conceit to work, the audience has to believe that she really is a badass who can get things done. The audience has to buy in to her persona as a no-nosense rebel who does her job well, no matter what she has to do or how many rules she has to break in the process. Her job is her life, and she puts anything and everything on the line to protect it.

This conceit, this formula, however, is at its most interesting when the protagonist does NOT succeed. Eventually, Mary, as with Dr. House, Veronica Mars, and Sydney Bristow before her, must get in over her head and must fail. I'm not sure if it's a good sign or a bad sign that I already want to see how she handles failure, but there it is. Last night I wasn't sure she would succeed, and felt like it was a bit contrived when she did. I think the show needs to flesh out its characters more and build more of a foundation for success before I can really, whole-heartedly, Dr. House-ishly believe that she will invariably succeed.

Contrivances aside, I really did enjoy last night's episode. It still needs work, but I'm compelled enough to hang in there. I was particularly pleased to see some character development for Marshall. I think he has a lot of potential to really draw viewers in. He acts as a more mild-mannered foil for Mary, but he's not milquetoasty at all. It was actually really exciting to see Mary and Marshall work together. They have a very friendly, brotherly-sisterly vibe going to I'm actually finding quite charming. The scene where Marshall knocks the drink all over their boss was particularly effective. (It'll be interesting to see if/when the writers go for the romantic storyline between them. I thinking it'll be more Mulder/Scully and less Vaughn/Sydney, but only time will tell.) They clearly know each other better than anyone else knows them and that gives them a comfort level where they know what the other is thinking and can use that to advantage. When Marshall confronted the boy's father (played awesomely by Fun Bobby!), and accosted his lawyer, it was extremely satisfying. Beneath Marshall's monotone, cool-as-a-cucumber exterior, he really is a force to be reckoned with. I'm excited to see more of that.

In less-satisfying news, the episode's B-plot was fairly unsuccessful at best. Mary's mother, played by Lesley Ann Warren (who has seriously cornered the crazy mother racket), and sister go on a wacky adventure in employment. The B-plot was forced and had basically nothing to do with anything at all. Before supporting characters can go off on their own B-plots, they need to be well-developed with relation to the lead characters. I found myself annoyed that they were cutting away from the reasonably-solid A-plot in order to focus on the completely pointless B-plot. Not that I think the mother and sister characters aren't viable, but they just aren't developed enough to keep me caring yet. Case in point, I can't even remember what their names are. Not the foggiest idea. I want to say the sister had a ditzy-girl name, but that could be anything from Tiffani to Kimberly to Jasmine to Bambi. Brandi!? I think it might be Brandi. Which... yeah... I still think there's hope for the supporting characters, but last night was a stretch at best.

In summation: I'm hopeful, but cautious. Unless the show can figure out a way to have some meaningful interaction between Mary and her family, I fear the mother and sister will be nothing but distractions and annoyances. I'm much more invested in Mary and Marshall and their dynamic than in any other relationship on the show, so I found it irritating to be sidetracked by the wacky hijinx of minor players. Although, all in all, I guess the fact that I care about any of the characters at all is a very hopeful sign for the show... Here's hoping.

Dollhouse Trailer

It's official. I'm giddy. ;) Joss Whedon's new project, Dollhouse, is looking to be as completely awesome as I would have hoped. It doesn't premiere until January 2009, but I'm gearing up for it now. Given that it's on Fox, I had my reservations initially, but I've heard rumor that TPTB at Fox have agreed not to screw Joss over this time, so here's hoping.

AND, there's finally a trailer out for it. Yay!

Cooking Show Round-up

I've only recently become a cooking show fan. In the past, it annoyed me to no end that I couldn't legitimately judge the competition, because, well, until taste-o-vision becomes as popular as cable, judging a show based on eating is nigh impossible. Then, fortunately, I stumbled on to the original Japanese version of Iron Chef and found that the drama and the anticipation is the tastiest part of all. (That, plus the fact that the English dubbings on Iron Chef were completely hilarious... "Ooh, I find this dish very complex. The flavors make my mouth happy!" Solid. Gold.)

Since then cooking shows have found their way into my regular rotation. I don't think they'll ever be appointment TV exactly, but they make for nice alternates (what I call the 3 or 4 other channels I can watch while I'm watching my main program) during commercial breaks and the last bastion of hope during a programming drought. The Food Network has all sorts of fine shows to offer, my favorites being Good Eats; Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives; and the ever-popular food network challenges. I only caught the last half of last season's The Next Food Network Star, but it was enough to suck me in.

Henceforth, The Next Food Network Star has made its way onto my list of summer shows. It's kind of a sad list, what with summer sucking the life out of TV and all, so it's sadly close to the top of the list. After Top Chef ends next week and until Project Runway premieres in July, it'll have to do. It premiered on Sunday and looks to have all the usual trappings of competition reality show. I'm not a huge reality show buff, but desperate times call for desperate measures...

The first competition spoke volumes to the character of each contestant and I think everyone who watched already has some people to hate, with Lisa "I like to think I know what I'm talking about, but actually don't" at the front of the pack. Oy. My first thought was, "What kind of an idiot thinks she's going to succeed with a cullinary approach that involves deconstruction and community service?" but my thoughts soon turned to, "What kind of an idiot cooks wearing high heels?" This idiot does. And she is proooud of it. "Not only did I cook a fantastic meal, but I did it wearing a lovely outfit and heels!" Umm, good for you? Do the heels make the food taste better somehow? They were the color of oatmeal, so I seriously doubt it. In the promo for what happens later this season, it looks like she takes a major spill in the kitchen thanks to those heels, so, yay. ;) Not that I'm anti-heels. Far from it, in general. But seriously? Who does that?

Aside from the criers, the whiners, and the bouncy blondes, there were a couple of genuinely likable people that I'll be keeping my eye on. That being said, the guy I liked the best seemed to think it was possible to make potatoes gratin and bake a meatloaf in under 30 minutes, so I'm guessing he won't be staying around too long.

I wasn't particularly impressed by Nipa, but it looks like she pulls and America's Next Top Model "I can't do this anymore" style exit, so that should be fun to watch. I kind of doubt she'll receive the same Tyra-style freak-out that Tiffany did in cycle 4, but one can dream.



And then there's Top Chef.

Oh, Top Chef. I know ratings are nice and it always helps to have a bad guy in the finale, but keeping Lisa (wow, that name is just not winning any friends on cooking shows these days) around and sending Antonia home was just unforgivable.

Lisa, the surliest, bitchiest, least pleasant chef on the show, has been in the bottom two 6 times out of only 10 or 11 eliminations. That didn't tip you off to the fact that she sucks? Not at all? They both had a rough go in this last episode, so the tie should have gone to Antonia, and everyone knows it. But, Lisa makes for a good villain for the finale, so she gets to stay around. Admittedly, it will be nice to watch Stephanie and Richard destroy her in the finale, but still, it just wasn't fair to Antonia.

Oh, and the best part of all, Lisa's comments to Stephanie and Richard after Antonia left (Antonia telling Stephanie to "kick her ass" as she departed). Lisa actually had the gall to say, "I realize you both think the wrong person went home, but a 'Congratulations' would have been nice." Poor Stephanie and Richard are sitting there like they got punched in the stomach by the judges decision and she comes up with that! What a bitch. I hope she gets eviscerated in the finale. Which, is exactly what the producers were going for, I expect. Damn producers! And I played right into their hands!

I have no patience or pity for any contestant on a reality show who "isn't there to make friends" but who is there simply "to win," so clearly Lisa falls into that category. If she were any less pleasant to be around... actually, I'm pretty sure that isn't possible, so I'll just nip that sentence in the bud before I can't figure out a way to end it.

For shame, Top Chef. I really hope Lisa doesn't win. Come onnnn, Stephanie! Or Richard! Or the sound guy! Or the cameraman!

In Plain Sight

I watched USA's new drama In Plain Sight when it premiered on Sunday mainly because it's summer and there's very little else to choose from. I never hopped on the USA character-driven bandwagon before, finding fare like Monk, Burn Notice and Psych less than engaging (although I've heard Psych is actually quite good) and given that they all appear on USA, I just never had the motivation to keep up.

But, I saw promos for In Plain Sight and was vaguely intrigued enough to give it a shot. I watched it at the same time that I was watching Stonehenge Decoded (which was completely fascinating, by the way--it's on again tonight if you're interested) on the National Geographic channel, so admittedly, my attention to detail may be lacking...

In Plain Sight follows Mary, a US Marshall, as she sassily roughs up bad guys and corageously protects people who are in the witness protection agency. (I can just see the brainstorming in the writers' room: "Uh, let's see, cops, doctors, lifeguards, lawyers, crime scene investigators, drug enforcement agents, FBI, CIA, and everything else has been done.... Witness Protection Agency it is!" "Brillant!") While her character is formulaic, actress Mary Macormack actually comes across pretty well and at least does fair justice to the formula. In the vein of so many other main characters, Mary is sarcastic, snarky, and has no respect for authority, doing her job better than anyone else with the kind of reckless abandon that would get others fired. Like I said, it's formulaic. But, all that being said, it's a formula that works pretty well a lot of the time. Whatever would the world do without the cantankerous Dr. House?

Anyway, the basis for the show has some definite potential, but falters a bit in its execution. The acting is fairly solid for the most part, but uneven in places. Mary's kick-ass, tough girl act felt forced in certain areas (the bar scene in particular), but by the end of the episode, I found myself buying into her persona a bit more. Overall, her character has the potential to be well-rounded, exciting, and fun. I've heard from reliable sources that it takes through about episode 4 before one can really feel invested in the show, but that's what I would expect from any new series. I generally give a show at least 4 or 5 episodes before I kick it to the curb or devote my entire existence to it, so that's a commitment I'm comfortable making. I'm certainly not sold on the show yet, but I'm happy to give it a few more chances to really engage me. And, what with it being summer and all, it's not like I have anything better to do.

In summation, Mary is truly the center of the show and has to carry the weight of the premise squarely on her shoulders. The supporting cast is likable and her sidekick Marshall makes for a nice foil. Her mother and sister also contribute to the show in interesting ways, and her sister's apparent drug problem may lead to interesting entanglements in the future.

While it was no Stonehenge Decoded, it was interesting enough to watch to the end and I'll certainly give it a couple more episodes before I decide to throw in the towel or not.

Pilot episode grade: somewhere around a B-, I'd say. Stonehenge Decoded: Solid A-. It was really quite fascinating. So, if it comes down to one or the other, I'd take Stonehenge, but then again, it's considerably less sassy than In Plain Sight, so it all boils down to priorities, I suppose.