Monthly Archives: January 2007

January 31, 2007 · 10:20 pm

Time for a ‘House’ Call

I said in my TV sidebar on Tuesday that I was starting to lose interest in House, and I must say that it was with some reservations that I sat down to watch this week’s episode, the first since early January. The first episode of the season to benefit from the American Idol lead-in, it garnered huge ratings. And, I have to wonder what people really thought about the episode, because it was different from its usual formula. And, for this reason, I viewed it as an example of how good House can be, how strong this character is, and how he continues to flounder somewhat within the unfortunate circumstance that is the nature of procedural TV shows.

I love Hugh Laurie’s portrayal of Gregory House. I believe that he is deserving of the awards he has received, and of the praise that has been placed upon him. And, episode that allow House to deal with his own issues, or ones that allow for him to remain in his element of humour and attacking patients verbally, are something to look forward to. They can be a bit heavy-handed, and last night’s episode certainly headed in that direction, but it worked out in the end.

I didn’t miss the weekly mystery; in fact, I was almost disappointed where it appeared that it might be popping up early in the episode. Written by show creator David Shore, it made me wish that he could write more often. He was also responsible for Three Stories, the episode where we learned the details of House’s injury, and I think that this type of episode is what House does best. The problem is that, in other episodes, there isn’t enough there to sustain it.

In those episode, House is buoying a plot that eventually gets solved in its usual contrived fashion. The plots are good, don’t get me wrong, but they never really go anywhere. Episodes that simply show House being his usual self are fine, but it’s so tough to watch after the beginning of this season.

We opened the season with House jogging. He was getting better, he was feeling better, and the show stopped dead becausse of it. House wasn’t a liability anymore, and the show’s dynamic was thrown out of balance. And, like most dramatic shows, things all went back to normal. House got worse, got hooked on drugs, and then the cycle continued. They even then recycled a plotline from before, having House challenged by someone not charmed by his actions and who thought him dangerous. The entire storyline with Tritter slowed things to a crawl, and House appeared unchanged through almost the entire arc. He was flawed, almost too flawed, and came out looking sterling.

How often can they do this? How often will they be able to reset this show? Future storylines are apparently heading back to the aborted Cameron/House romance, which isn’t exactly filling me with excitement, because I’m really looking for something new. I want to see House head to a new direction, but this week’s episode didn’t really give me much hope for the future. I seriously doubt we’ll suddenly see a changed House, and chances are we’ll head back to another mystery of the week and a flawed House who can’t empathize with his patients. And, if this is the case, I shall have to be entertained by House himself, and wait until we get another episode that dares to go deeper into his character.

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January 30, 2007 · 1:48 pm

The Superpower Bauer Hour Showdown: Week Two

Another week, another showdown to the death between Heroes and 24. Today’s Rounds are Overall Quality, Ratings and our rotating Third Round goes to “The Weakest Link” which will be explains as it pops up.

Round One: Overall Quality

Well, Heroes picked up a bit compared to last week’s episode, but we’re still knee deep in a transitional period. It threw us some more Christopher Ecclesten (“Doctor Who”), and a rather fun little appearance by George “Sulu” Takei at the end of the episode.

All of this being said, I am getting concerned about the core mythos of the show at this point. Sylar has been out of action for too long, Mohinder might as well die already, Claire’s search for her parents is cute but still lacking the spark (Even with the introduction of Jessalyn Gilsig), Peter is still a little too whiny, Niki/DL lacks connection, and while I love Hiro dearly, he hasn’t had much important to do since “Save the Cheerleader, Save the World” and the dinosaur. He’s been consistently the best part of every episode, this one included, but he needs to recover his purpose. The pieces are in place for this mythos to work, but it just isn’t quite there yet. Even a transition episode needs to do something more to connect to and extend the mythos, and this episode didn’t do it.

 

 

24 is also entering its first transitional phase, and about now is when people start whining about the show’s quality, spoiled by the amount of action in the last five episodes. We have an episode where Jack didn’t really get to torture anyone, where there were no bombs or explosions, and there was very little of the action that has made the character of Jack Bauer so popular with the kids.

And yet, I count myself among those who think that these episodes are often what 24 does best. We received further intel into the state of affairs with McCarthy, we gained new insight into Nadia’s character (Milo’s got to be banging her), we dealt quickly with the White House related tension (Any bets on how many show hours it takes Karen to get to CTU?), and the episode did a good job of easing into its final act featuring James Crowell as Phllip Bauer. In the end, the episode remained compelling drama that introduced and advanced storylines in a way that still contributed to the overall plot without action sequences or interrogations.

 

Round Two: Ratings

Things are fairly similar to last week here, but with some slight differences.

From PIFeedback.com:

At 9 p.m., leadership was mixed between NBC’s Heroes and Fox’s 24. Heroes won the hour among adults 18-49 (6.1/14) with a second-place finish in total viewers (13.57 million); while 24 was the most-watched (14.05 million) and a competitive second among adults 18-49 (5.4/12).

While Heroes might still have the advantage out of young viewers, the bad news here is that 24 took over the lead in total viewers and managed to stay steady amongst those younger viewers while Heroes well. It’s pretty much a tie, because of this, but 24 is definitely in the best position, especially heading into its 2-hour event in two weeks.

Round Three: The Weakest Links

Yes, every good show has its weak links, and Heroes and 24 are currently suffering from a storyline a piece that is compelling me to fast forward through them. This category will be able to judge which link was weaker, and how each episode handled that problem.

In the case of Heroes, the character of Matt Parkman has a lot of potential. I love Greg Grunberg (Alias, Felicity, pretty much everything JJ Abrams has ever done), and I think that his power has great possibilities. But, dear god, the man needs something to do. He has entirely lost his purpose after being suspended, and with it everything that made him entertaining. His banter with his partner was charming, his searches for the truth allowed him to connect with the main storyline. But, after last week’s failure at Primatech Paper, the character has become utterly worthless. Heck, I half expected him to decide to take up plumbing full time.

His wife is pregnant, she knows he can read her mind, and their marriage remains more or less irrevocably damaged. There is no path for this character to follow right now. I think Mohinder is the least interesting character of the bunch, and was certainly the show’s weakest link while soul searching in India, but he at least has returned to New York with a purpose. Every time we turn to Parkman, I honestly stop caring. It pulls me out of the show’s core storyline, and that is when you have to consider killing some people off and consolidating the existing characters into a tighter arc that would make for less of these problems.

And, let’s face it, 24 has long had the same problem, balancing multiple storylines with tenuous connections to the overall plot. It is those that lack that connection, in a real manner, that hurt the show’s ability to have these transition episodes. And, for 24 this season, this weakest link has been Sandra Palmer and her boyfriend Walid. She’s a tad bit annoying, he’s a bit too passive, and the entire scenario at the holding facility continued for too long past our point of interest.

But, it still connected with the main plot, and in this episode it was unceremoniously ended. It involved CTU, so that there was a connection to our main storyline, and then it ended, allowing Sandra to head off and protect our civil liberties. While she may be grating, at least she has clearly been given a sense of importance that can translate into something new, and they are transitioning her into that role now.

And, based on these three categories, the winner of Superpower Bauer Hour Showdown Week Two is… Continue reading →

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January 29, 2007 · 2:20 pm

Cultural News Bytes – January 29th

Television:

The Muppet Show Meets The Office: The Return of Kermit to Primetime?

The Elder sent me this a link just now that some part of me knew about, but I forgot to head to Muppet Central recently and thus missed out on the details. It seems as if the Muppets may well be returning to television, as their Disney overlords are shopping around a 10-minute pilot featuring everyone’s favourite puppets.

The short pilot uses the television syntax of a documentary (think “The Office” meets “The Muppet Show“). The series revolves around Kermit the Frog as he attempts to reassemble the Muppet troupe and launch a new Muppet show. The mockumentary mini-series would feature fictional English filmmaker Ian Bascombe who, with his film crew, follow the daily happenings Kermit and the Muppets, both on and off stage. Bascombe finds that many of the classic Muppets have gone off to other venues since we last saw them and follows Kermit as the frog attempts to track them down and get the whole troupe back together.

Now, it is just a preview of a proposed mini-series that could then launch into a series, but there is some promise here. There is a sense of wit about a show like The Office that the Muppets have been lacking lately, and I think that it could bring broad comedic possibilities. That being said, I also think that it’s basically ripping off The Muppet Movie (Not the worst source material, but still) and that it will need to find some more ground to work on.

I think that the idea has potential, and I hope they at least go through with a mini-series. The Muppets deserve a chance to reconnect with today’s viewers, and this seems like the best concept to come along yet in terms of doing so. It is certainly better than the defunct America’s Next Muppet pilot they shot a few years back. There might already be two shows covering the backstage tomfoolery of variety shows, and there might have already been two versions of The Office, but I think that the Muppets can work it out.

Reality TV Gone Bad

So, for anyone who might be following the state of entertainment journalism on the internets, this might be repetition for you, but there’s an interesting little war brewing surrounding the amount of nostalgia being pumped into reality TV programming.

Reality Check for a Generation That Knows Best – Alessandra Stanley

New York Times TV reporter Stanley is basically arguing that reality TV, despite its apparent appeal to young audiences, tends to cater more to the nostalgic baby boomers.

“The larger cruelty of Fox’s “American Idol,” its NBC look-alike “Grease: You’re the One That I Want,” “The Apprentice” and even “Armed and Famous” (Erik Estrada?!), is a generational snub. Reality television, which was originally created as a thumb-nosing alternative for the young (“The Real World”), has been co-opted by the baby boomers, who never miss a chance to assert their hegemony on popular culture.

It’s not so much that they watch the shows, though many do. It’s that reality television aims for younger viewers, 18 to 34, while subliminally underscoring and cementing their fealty to the relaxed-fit generation.

Whether it is a firing by Donald Trump or a personal attack by Mr. Cowell, each rejection is a symbolic re-enactment of an inter-era struggle in which the bullies always come out on top.”

Now, at first I wasn’t sure I necessarily bought that this struggle existed to the degree she claimed it did, and I was somewhat siding with Michael Slezak, who over at Entertainment Weekly’s Pop Watch noted the following:

“If I ever got 30 seconds to bend Stanley’s ear, I’d tell her this: Sometimes, TV is just TV… or occasionally, it’s HBO. And that’s not going to change — no matter how much highfalutin’ philosophizing people do about it. So please, for the love of Paula Abdul, stop trying to beat the fun out of my favorite programs, especially Idol. Thank you. That’s all.”

Perhaps it was my general appreciation for reality TV, but I somewhat agreed with his general statement if not his bashing of analyzing reality TV in general. I, of course, had not actually read the article in question. Or, as it turns out, seen the most recent episode of Grease: You’re the One That I Want.

If there was no generational battle going on there, I’m blind and deaf. You have young singers preparing for a role in a broadway musical, and what do they do? They have them singing popular music. And, not just somewhat popular music that works as broadway. There was a version of KT Tunstall’s “Suddenly I See” that almost made be wretch. There was a version of “Summer of ’69” that honestly made me throw things and hope that they never try to stage a Bryan Adams musical in Toronto. But really, at this point in the competition who exactly is this show aiming for? The kids are going to be the ones voting, but the judges are indeed baby boomers. It was a difference that resulted in some absolutely terrible performances.

Because, really, they should be singing SHOW TUNES. It’s a BROADWAY MUSICAL. COME ON, PEOPLE! It’s not that hard to figure out that when judging someone’s ability to deal with broadway material, you shouldn’t be testing their ability to turn George Michael’s faith into something even more theatrical. Rather you should be testing their range with the type of song they’ll actually have to sing.

But, Show Tunes wouldn’t continue their charade of youth, would it? Really, if they didn’t allow for popular music, why would the kids watch it? The reality is that they wouldn’t, and there’s the problem. And, it’s why I’m on the side of the New York Times, all outside of one little quibble.

See, I like Ivanka. She’s attractive, intelligent, and good-humoured. Her comments are usually pointed, on-topic, and well-stated. This week’s lack of Ivanka was most depressing. In the end, she is surely overstated as she has to give her horribly staged “It was a tough decision, but you made the right one” speech, but I personally continue to see her as the actually intelligent one. I think that there is the ability for some of us to see through the power, see through the annoying hair, to those elements that are actually somewhat enjoyable.

Weekend Box Office Results

The predictions were a bit off this week, no question. People seem to be tired of the Oscar-nominated films, opting instead to head in droves to the two new popcorn releases. Here are the early estimates, along with their difference from my predictions in parentheses.

1. Epic Movie – $19.2 Million (+2.8)

2. Smokin’ Aces – $14.3 Million (+1.8)

3. Night at the Museum – $9.5 Million (+1.6)

4. Catch and Release – $8.0 Million (Not Predicted)

5. Stomp the Yard – $7.8 Million (+0.6)

6. Dreamgirls – $6.6 Million (-0.9)

All in all, I was too high on Dreamgirls and not quite high enough on everything else. Seems like people didn’t quite embrace the Oscar hopefuls as much as was expected, but Pan’s Labyrinth and The Queen each saw healthy returns so it was really only Dreamgirls that suffered greatly.

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January 28, 2007 · 11:29 pm

Talkin’ SAG: And the Winners are…

So, let’s take a quick look at how I did with my Screen Actor’s Guild predictions. All in all, the awards were basically an absolute redux of the Golden Globes outside of a few small differences, and it’s an interesting phenomenon. Last year, the awards that crossed over on the TV side of things were:

Best Drama / Best Ensemble in a Drama – Lost

Best Supporting Actress / Female in a Drama Series – Sandra Oh

Best Comedy / Best Ensemble in a Comedy – Desperate Housewives

Now, the supporting category is even more difficult for someone to crossover in, as the Globes lump Drama/Comedy/Miniseries together, and the SAG Awards mix Lead and Supporting. Thus, Sandra Oh’s victory in both is a strong achievement. However, this year was a whole different monster.

Best Drama / Best Ensemble in a Drama – Grey’s Anatomy

Best Actor in a Drama / Male in a Drama Series – Hugh Laurie (House)

Best Actor in a Comedy / Male in a Comedy Series – Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)

Best Actress in a Comedy / Female in a Comedy Series – America Ferrerra (Ugly Betty)

What makes this so surprising is that so many acting awards crossed over, where they normally haven’t in the past. There was only one similarity in the two years prior to last as well, which makes it quite an interesting anomaly for there to be three. Have we finally found the group of actors who will united the crazy Foreign press and the actors themselves? Delightful young actress, cantankerous British man and Alec Frackin’ Baldwin? Seems like a winning combo.

As far as film goes, I went 5/5 on a predictable and uneventful set of awards. Whitaker, Mirren, Murphy, Hudson, and Little Miss Sunshine continues to move towards an Oscar run with an Ensemble win.

The deviations from the Globes on the TV side were for the best, really. The Office takes the Ensemble comedy prize over GG winner Ugly Betty, and I couldn’t be happier about it. I had predicted Desperate Housewives, but my heart was always with the delightful group of folks who populate Dunder-Mifflin.

On the Drama side, the only difference was Chandra Wilson, woefully snubbed of even a nomination at the Golden Globes, picking up an award for Best Actress in a Drama. Her role deserves more attention, and I very much enjoy her picking up some kudos from her peers.

So, my overall totals:

Cinema

5/5 on Myles’ Picks

Total: 5/5

Television

1/6 on Myles’ Picks

4/6 on Dark Horses

Total: 3/6 (Yeah, I’m giving ½ pts)

Final Tally: 8/11

Not too bad, I’d say. The TV Awards were definitely a bit of a madhouse, although not a bad one by any means, just surprising.

I’d offer up some more details and analysis of the winners (Such as Steve Carell being robbed AGAIN, the terrible fate befalling Michael C. Hall) but I think that will wait until tomorrow afternoon. Battlestar Galactica is on.

For the full list of winners, Continue reading →

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January 28, 2007 · 2:16 am

Talkin’ SAG: And the Winners will be…

It is another year, and another chance for the various guilds to start awarding their own members in lavish ceremonies. While most of these are quite limited, what with their small number of awards, the Screen Actors Guild has the benefits of numerous awards, big names to parade down red carpets, and enough clout when it comes to Oscar predictions to be of importance. Plus, like the Golden Globes, it encapsulates both cinema and television, providing a great deal of variety for viewers. In short, of the various guild presentations, the SAG Awards are the only ones worth televising (8pm EST, TNT).

As a result, let’s take a look at the various nominees on both the Television and Cinema side of things. Also, yes, I just got Photoshop, and find it ever so much fun.

TELEVISION

First things first, let’s get it out of the way. Due to, I guess, wanting to avoid weighing either TV or Cinema over the other, there are no Supporting Categories for the SAG Awards in Television. There is still a binary between comedy and drama, however, which makes for four awards total, but it makes it very hard for actors and actresses in supporting roles. I’m going to skip the TV Movie-Miniseries Awards, only because I find them slightly boring. Oh, also, because how can one go against Helen Mirren grabbing a SAG Award to sit next to her recent Golden Globe win for Elizabeth I? And, I can’t argue against comedy sensation Jeremy Irons for his work in the same film.

Best Actor in a Drama Series

James Gandolfini – THE SOPRANOS
Michael C. Hall – DEXTER
Hugh Laurie – HOUSE
James Spader – BOSTON LEGAL
Kiefer Sutherland – 24

This is a category that is probably the most difficult to predict, mainly because there is a great deal of precedent for each individual. Gandolfini is a perpetual nominee, Laurie just won the Globe, Kiefer just won the Emmy, and despite being snubbed by the Academy in September Spader won the Emmy the previous year. Which, really, just leaves Michael C. Hall without any sort of awards recognition. In fact, for all of his year’s on HBO’s Six Feet Under, he was never once nominated for his work.

Well, Dexter IS Michael C. Hall, perhaps even moreso than Kiefer Sutherland has become synonymous with 24. While Kiefer perhaps had his most hard-working supporting cast to date in Season 5 (Although sadly neither Gregory Itzin or Jean Smart are nominated here), Michael C. Hall has no such foil to work from, and Dexter works entirely because of his fantastically nuanced performance. Dexter is a killer who operates by his own code, independent from that of the world in which he lives. His performance is absolutely stunning, and I believe that he has a great shot at winning this award.

But, can I argue against Kiefer? I’ve got him as my selection to win, but he just own his Emmy, so people might feel he has enough awards. Perhaps, then, it would be time to bestow a SAG award on Mr. Laurie? I’m predicting they’ll stay clear of the good doctor, but you never know.

Myles’ Pick: Kiefer Sutherland (24)

Dark Horse: Michael C. Hall (Dexter)

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January 27, 2007 · 3:42 pm

Cultural News Bytes – January 27th

Where Dreams Come True – Disney Parks

It’s another year, another lack of a trip to Disney World. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am no longer expecting such a thing to happen, but it still pains me. It’s now been almost 10 years since I was last in Florida, and every year I think back to what’s there that wasn’t before. There’s two new coasters, the entirety of Animal Kingdom, and I can’t help but feel that there is something I am missing. I think I almost have more appreciation for Disney in my early 20s nostalgia than I did in my early teens strangely long-lasting fascination, so something continues to call me South pretty much every year.

But, I’m an easy sell, due to my life-long enjoyment of all things Disney. Disney is selling their parks to families, potential tourists who are looking for a way to be sucked into the magic. And, as a result, a new marketing campaign has been announced that is rather strange in its focus. It’s a delightful cross between the nostalgic and the recent.

These three photos are the first in a series, and cover a broad range of interests. We’ve got Beyoncé for the “hip” kids, Lyle Lovett for the older folks, Oliver Platt for the…hmmm, David Beckham for his cross-continental appeal, and Scarlett Johansson for her appeal with the twentysomethings.

But what is there for the kids, really? The references to Cinderella/Sleeping Beauty/Alice in Wonderland are certainly somewhat relevant, but not to an incredibly great degree, and Beyonce is the only star I can see young kids recognizing. Are parents really looking to have their dreams come true? I’m not sure, but I’m so there. Eventually. Give it time.

Friday Box Office Estimates

Well, it appears that I was a little bit low on the new releases, and a little bit high on the holdovers. Very simply, it appears that people are sick and tired of hearing about old movies, and instead wanted to find something new. This is perhaps unsurprisingly, but specifically a film like Dreamgirls was expected to do better. And, with teens and adult males the major targets of the two big openers, family favourite Night at the Museum held stronger than expected, and will see a big weekend bump into possibly third place.

Friday Box Office Estimates (c/o www.the-numbers.com)

1. Epic Movie – $6.8 Million

2. Smokin’ Aces – $4.7 Million

3. Catch and Release – $2.5 Million

4. Stomp the Yard – $2.3 Million

5. Night At The Museum – $2.2 Million

 

(Other Notables)

8. Pan’s Labyrinth – $1.2 Million

13. Blood and Chocolate – $790,000

So, it looks like my estimates will be pretty good again this week. Yay me! Enjoy the weekend, everyone. And seriously, go see Children of Men and Pan’s Labyrinth.

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January 26, 2007 · 4:09 pm

Cultural News Bytes – January 26th

Television

Now, I’m not usually one to pay any attention to Soap Operas by my own volition, but it was impossible to not catch a few minutes of General Hospital during my childhood. I would come home from school and it would always be on the TV, my mother watching along. And, honestly, it was a nice little distraction. The melodrama, the hostage takings, the train crashes, the hotel fires, and just about everything in between; I can’t argue with this kind of insanity. Check out the Wikipedia link and have a good laugh as you delve into the sheer madness of it all.

However, within that link, there is an interesting little blurb that I want to highlight:

“In February 2007, General Hospital will embark on yet another ground-breaking storyline for Sweeps as the entire cast will once again find themselves in a central storyline as a hostage situation takes place at the Metro Court hotel. The storyline which is set to take place over the 16 episodes of Sweeps will be set in “real time” much like the Fox drama, 24. According to the scribes at GH, an explosion will be set off at the Metro Court hotel on Friday, January 26th and then the show will fade to black as viewers are taken 16 hours back in time. Each episode will then represent one hour of the events that lead up to the explosion at the Metro Court hotel.”

Now, when I read a story about this over at PopWatch, I was kind of intrigued by this crossover between my mother’s favourite soap opera and everyone’s favourite Jack Bauer Power Hour, but I’ve started to think about it a bit more. And, I think that it’s an interesting example of the further influence of “serialized” television and its quick demise earlier this season.

For, you see, this season alone has seen the deaths of Smith, Kidnapped, Vanished, Runaway, and even the yet to debut Traveler had its episode order cut from 13 to 8. And yet, here General Hospital is turning to a basic theme that 24 made famous. It was the rise of 24’s ratings, as well as the success of shows like Prison Break, that led networks to produce so many serial dramas, and they struggled to find an audience.

And yet, really, Soap Operas are a perfect example of how to make a serial drama work. They have a plot that strings throughout, but yet they have characters so typical, so defined, that you can figure things out quite quickly. If I have my TV turned onto CTV and General Hospital comes on, I might not have seen a second of it for weeks and yet I can pretty much figure out what’s going on because I know enough about the archetypes at play.

And really, that was what made the first season of Prison Break so watchable, not the bullshit conspiracy stuff. And that’s what made Desperate Housewives work, and not its dumb plots (Which dragged the 2nd season into the doldrums of television). Even 24’s plots can sometimes let it down, but we keep watching because we idolize Jack Bauer. Without a hook like this, no show survives.

As a result, as much as General Hospital claims they’re going into a “ground breaking” exercise, the plots will be just as thing and just as silly as before. And yet, really, that’s what the people want. Maybe networks should see this as an example for making compelling serialized television.

 

Cinema

Box Office Predictions

Movies Opening This Weekend

Epic Movie

Smokin’ Aces

Catch and Release

Blood & Chocolate

We’ve got a farcical comedy based on fantasy/adventure films ala “Date Movie,” a bounty hunter film starring Jeremy Piven (“Entourage”), Ryan Reynolds, Ben Affleck and…Alicia Keys? Okay. And then we have a Romantic comedy starring Jennifer Garner and…Kevin Smith? Sure thing. And then some crappy horror movie with one of the worst titles imaginable.

Holdovers from Last Week

Stomp the Yard

Night at the Museum

Each should drop a bit, and a few spots each with the new releases in play, but their holdovers have been solid recently.

Oscar Movers/Shakers

Dreamgirls

The Queen

Pan’s Labyrinth

The Departed

Despite a lack of a Best Picture nod, Dreamgirls is currently leading the American Box Office, and will perform well into the weekend. The Queen, sitting in 3rd, also continues to perform strongly with weekday audiences, and expands slightly further along with Babel (Which has a little less audience appeal). The Departed launches itself a 2nd time with a major influx of screens, and Pan’s Labyrinth continues to expand further in its initial run. I would hope that Children of Men would see an increase, but Editing/Cinematography nods only do so much for a film.

For my Box Office Predictions and Viewing Suggestions, Continue reading →

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January 26, 2007 · 11:08 am

Thursday Night TV Club – January 25th, 2007

So, let’s face it, it’s a pretty slow night for TV on paper. There are only three of Thursday’s big shows that are new, so in terms of numbers there isn’t much to go on. Despite this fact, however, there appears to be plenty to talk about nonetheless.

The worst thing for American viewers is that all three of the shows which are new all air at the same time. However, thanks to the joys of Canadian Simulcasting, The O.C., CSI and Grey’s Anatomy are all at different times through this evening. And thus, let us take a look at these three shows in terms of their performance last evening.

 

3. CSI – “Redrum”

While I will admit to not paying complete attention to this, it’s still interesting to see a procedural actually change a little with the introduction of a new character. Liev Schriber’s Keppler is no Gil Grissom, but I think that this is a good thing, as was shown here.

The reverse forensics approach (Hench the redrum, get it?) was a bit difficult to follow while watching only half-heartedly, but it’s something I like to see. It had these characters, usually working in relative harmony, pitted against one another, and then the happy reunion of everyone at the end.

Also, I haven’t watched much of CSI since the whole Grissom/Sara reveal, but even without Grissom on screen it felt weird. I’m definitely not shipping for those two, that’s for sure.

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January 25, 2007 · 1:03 pm

Dr. Baltar or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Embrace the Fact that Battlestar Galactica is Taking Over My Life

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Dr. Baltar or How I Learned…

I was sitting in a debating round following its end, and was giving my comments. The case had been about Nuclear/Non-Nuclear missiles on US submarines, and the argument was made that it was dangerous to have both on board since a country would have no idea whether it was nuclear or non-nuclear missile being fired, and would react similarly either way. In giving my comments, I was dumbfounded how they hadn’t thought about something. Here’s a paraphrasing of my comment:

“And, I might be wrong, but isn’t there some kind of radiological alarm that would let the other side know it was nuclear or non-nuclear?”

Well, I was wrong, and there isn’t. No, indeed, there is no such thing as a radiological alarm, as Chris pointed out to me. It exists only in the world of Battlestar Galactica.

I was reading a book just the other day, and it tells of how the author traveled through an archway in the middle of a clearing and found themselves in the Temple of Athena. I stopped thinking about nature and cancer, the actual topics of the book, and immediately took a trip to the surface of Kobol where there was the Tomb of Athena and where Gaius Baltar traveled through an archway in a clearing and ended up in the middle of a concert hall.

I was in another class when the professor noted how with the death of one character during childbirth it appeared that her spirit continued on into the body of her child. I didn’t immediately think of the literary or story consequences, but rather how similar this is to the Cylons. I figure Tricia Helfer could play a mean Catherine Earnshaw, as well.

It is in this way that I find myself constantly being brought into this television world, the world of Caprica, Starbuck, Adama, Cylons, and just about everything in between. This is the world of Battlestar Galactica. And, quite honestly, it is taking over my frakkin’ life. Continue reading →

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January 25, 2007 · 12:40 am

Tabula Rosa: The Blank Slates of American Idol

So, anyone who’s been watching American Idol this season may have noticed a slightly more dramatic tone to the proceedings, especially those auditions that would normally be laughed off. We’ve always seen the people who swear and become extremely angry, and they’ve always been good for a good laugh. However, for some reason, we’re not just seeing the angry ones anymore. We’re starting to see people who are honestly terrible, and who the producers must know are terrible, and yet they give them detailed introduction videos, detailed stories, and then absolutely destroy them from a singing perspective. We’re even starting to see montages of them all performing the whole song, which are clearly being created for the sake of producers. They give the bad singers these songs to learn overnight, and then have them sing them purely for the purposes of making people look silly.

We’ve never seen anything quite like this in the past. I don’t know if it’s that it was always edited out in the past, or if they’re coaching these contestants to be as delusional as possible, but it’s getting quite ridiculous. And, to an extent, one of those crazies (A girl named Sarah) is a perfect example of this, but within her craziness I think she pointed out something quite interesting.

Sarah was a normal girl at first, but then she started singing and was clearly tone deaf. Really, honestly, ridiculously tone deaf. And she knew it. She even said she was tone deaf. And yet, she said, she could still be the American Idol because she was trainable, an empty slate. Tabula Rosa. And she could win American Idol without even singing. Continue reading →

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