Cable Bound: Law & Order moving to TNT?
This is the word according to Entertainment Weekly, via some published reports. Considering that TNT is currently simulcasting the hell out of Law & Order, being the home of original episodes wouldn’t exactly be outside of its comfort zone. I’m kind of proud of my 3,000 Word Epic on Law & Order’s fall from grace, and it’s interesting to see this saga continue. This is the 2nd show that NBC is faced with the question of renewal with where another network/cable station is waiting in the wings: the same situation goes for Scrubs, which ABC is interested in. Personally, I think that Law & Order has enough of a fanbase on TNT to make one final season worthwhile, and it would be interesting to see whether they might consider extending the franchise with small-scale original episodes after that point. With a much smaller budget, I think a weekly new episode featuring just some of the cast would be an interesting experiment for the cable network. This is also good new for Criminal Intent, which could get a pickup should the mothership find itself another home. I doubt that NBC is willing to give up to CSI: that easily, no?
Blake Picks A Modern Bee Gees song; Psychiatrist Called In
Let’s face it, even Barry Gibb was surprised by Blake Lewis‘ choice to perform “This is Where I Came In,” the title track from the Bee Gees’ album of the same name, on tonight’s episode of American Idol. It went nowhere as a single (Although I in all my youth actually remember it quite well), but apparently Blake saw an opportunity to turn it into a Ska beatboxing hit. I personally felt that all of Blake’s beatboxing felt tacked on tonight, but the fact remains that it’s at least original compared to LaKisha’s shouting.
But, for all of you who haven’t heard this Bee Gees song, here’s the video via YouTube (Which came in handy tonight, let me tell you).
However, before I go, one more video. Before Melinda’s show opening performance of Love You Inside Out, Barry Gibb said it was a challenge to take a song written for a group and turn it into a solo song. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that he is aware of the lovely Leslie Feist’s amazing rendition of the song (Retitled ‘Inside & Out’). She turned it into a hit, Juno-nominated single in Canada, and I think that her version is everything Melinda’s wasn’t: unique, interesting and nuanced. So, to end things, here’s Feist kicking Melinda’s ass.
Entertainment Weekly steps to the table with what is the 
Heroes deserves to be on the list for being the most unabashedly science fiction-esque of the three series, and certainly moreso than anything else on television today. The world of superheroes, of comic book universes, is something that has remained mostly out of network television realm in recent years; you’d have to go back decades to find shows like Superman, Batman, the Green Lantern, etc. in order to find a time when these types of shows were on the airwaves. And, much as superheroes have changed over those years, so has their television shows. Heroes comes to the table with intriguing powers, apocalyptic futures, and a collection of characters which bend the normal rules of human logic to a wonderful degree. In essence, it’s science fiction television for a new generation.
However, the problem is that Heroes hasn’t yet had time to really establish itself, so it is incapable of placing higher on this list. While it certainly has proven a sensation in this its first season, I’ve talked at length in the past as to whether it can continue on this path to success. Also, although I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing, I don’t think the show has proven itself capable of balancing normal television drama with its science fiction elements. Any good piece of science fiction needs to be able to both present abnormal themes and events and, when the time calls for it, create human drama that remains relevant and real to the viewer. For me personally, outside of Company Man (Dealing with the backstory of the pictured Mr. Bennet), Heroes had yet to do it. This is why, for now, Heroes must remain on the lower end of the Science Fiction hierarchy. The future, however, could prove more kind to the series.
Cultural Learnings 