tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22924589499563661982024-03-05T19:09:51.904-08:00Across The AirwavesThis blog is dedicated towards giving news and opinions on the television industry.Rocketman2387http://www.blogger.com/profile/03399618585527355068noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2292458949956366198.post-79652002407466553942010-05-26T17:58:00.000-07:002010-05-26T18:00:27.808-07:00Across The Airwaves Has Moved<p><a href="http://acrosstheairwaves.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Across-The-Airwaves-Logo-21.jpg" mce_href="http://acrosstheairwaves.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Across-The-Airwaves-Logo-21.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-90" title="Across The Airwaves Logo 2" src="http://acrosstheairwaves.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Across-The-Airwaves-Logo-21-300x188.jpg" mce_src="http://acrosstheairwaves.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Across-The-Airwaves-Logo-21-300x188.jpg" alt="" height="188" width="300" /></a><br /></p> <p>Hi Everyone, it's Dan the original author of <a href="http://www.acrosstheairwaves.com/" mce_href="http://www.acrosstheairwaves.com">Across The Airwaves</a>. I'm back and proud to welcome you to the new and improved <a href="http://www.acrosstheairwaves.com/" mce_href="http://www.acrosstheairwaves.com">Across The Airwaves </a>(<a href="http://www.acrosstheairwaves.com/" mce_href="http://www.acrosstheairwaves.com">www.acrosstheairwaves.com</a> if you are reading this at our old home on Blogger). Although before we get into details about this new <a href="http://www.acrosstheairwaves.com/" mce_href="http://www.acrosstheairwaves.com">site</a>, I'd like to thank my buddy and soon to be Podcasting Co-Host Nico for posting on the Blog while I finished up my Film/Television Screenwriting degree at <a href="http://www.colum.edu/" mce_href="http://www.colum.edu/">Columbia College in Chicago</a>. In my opinion I think Nico did an excellent job and I'm psyched that you as in our loyal followers welcomed him with open arms.</p> <div class="mceTemp mceIEcenter" draggable=""><dl id="attachment_94" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 235px;"><dt style="text-align: center;" class="wp-caption-dt"><a href="http://acrosstheairwaves.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Across-The-Airwaves-Chuck.jpg" mce_href="http://acrosstheairwaves.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Across-The-Airwaves-Chuck.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-94" title="Across The Airwaves Chuck" src="http://acrosstheairwaves.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Across-The-Airwaves-Chuck-225x300.jpg" mce_src="http://acrosstheairwaves.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Across-The-Airwaves-Chuck-225x300.jpg" alt="" height="300" width="225" /></a><br /></dt><dd class="wp-caption-dd">Oh Nico, he's as loveable as Chuck</dd></dl></div> <p>As we delve into our <a href="http://www.acrosstheairwaves.com/" mce_href="http://www.acrosstheairwaves.com">new home</a>, I want to draw attention towards the fact that it contains all the old features of our previous stomping ground including a search engine, a monthly archive of previous posts, our Twitter Feed and a way for you to follow our <a href="http://acrosstheairwaves.com/" mce_href="http://acrosstheairwaves.com/">blog</a> using <a href="http://www.google.com/friendconnect/" mce_href="http://www.google.com/friendconnect/">Google Friend Connect</a>. However, now on the new site we have added a Categories section which divides our posts into News, Opinions, Retrospectives and TV Series Updates. Plus we've got a way for you subscribe to Across The Airwaves by E-Mail, links for you to communicate with us by <a href="http://twitter.com/AcrossAirwaves" mce_href="http://twitter.com/AcrossAirwaves">Twitter</a> or <a href="mailto:acrosstheairwaves@gmail.com" mce_href="mailto:acrosstheairwaves@gmail.com">E-Mail,</a> a new way to comment on our site and a list of links to the resources that help make each of our posts possible. Also the list of resources contains links to places where you can <a href="http://www.hulu.com/" mce_href="http://www.hulu.com ">watch your favorite shows online legally.</a><br /></p> <p style="text-align: center;" mce_style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="mceTemp mceIEcenter" draggable=""><dl id="" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 650px;"><dt class="wp-caption-dt"><img class=" " title="Watchtower" src="http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100214172422/smallville/images/thumb/b/b8/Watchtower2.png/800px-Watchtower2.png" mce_src="http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100214172422/smallville/images/thumb/b/b8/Watchtower2.png/800px-Watchtower2.png" alt="" height="360" width="640" /></dt><dd class="wp-caption-dd">Our new home is as well stocked as Watchtower minus the Kryptonite weapons</dd></dl></div> <p>As far as what's coming soon to the website we've got our official Across The Airwaves podcast hosted by myself and Nico. The show is going to be structured like <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/espntv/espnShow?showID=EOPT" mce_href="http://sports.espn.go.com/espntv/espnShow?showID=EOPT">Pardon The Interruption</a> but instead of Sports, it will cover our thoughts on current Television Shows on a weekly basis. These shows will include <a href="http://www.tv.com/chuck/show/68724/summary.html?q=%20Chuck%3A&tag=search_results;title;1" mce_href="http://www.tv.com/chuck/show/68724/summary.html?q=%20Chuck%3A&tag=search_results;title;1">Chuck</a>, <a href="http://www.tv.com/the-big-bang-theory/show/58056/summary.html?q=big%20bang%20theory&tag=search_results;title;1" mce_href="http://www.tv.com/the-big-bang-theory/show/58056/summary.html?q=big%20bang%20theory&tag=search_results;title;1">The Big Bang Theory</a>, <a href="http://www.tv.com/castle/show/75394/summary.html?q=Castle&tag=search_results;title;1" mce_href="http://www.tv.com/castle/show/75394/summary.html?q=Castle&tag=search_results;title;1">Castle</a>, <a href="http://www.tv.com/v/show/76298/summary.html?q=v&tag=search_results;title;1" mce_href="http://www.tv.com/v/show/76298/summary.html?q=v&tag=search_results;title;1">V</a>, <a href="http://www.tv.com/bones/show/33332/summary.html?q=Bones&tag=search_results;title;1" mce_href="http://www.tv.com/bones/show/33332/summary.html?q=Bones&tag=search_results;title;1">Bones</a>, <a href="http://www.tv.com/fringe/show/75146/summary.html?q=Fringe&tag=search_results;title;1" mce_href="http://www.tv.com/fringe/show/75146/summary.html?q=Fringe&tag=search_results;title;1">Fringe</a>, <a href="http://www.tv.com/supernatural/show/30144/summary.html" mce_href="http://www.tv.com/supernatural/show/30144/summary.html">Supernatural</a>, <a href="http://www.tv.com/smallville/show/1718/summary.html?q=Smallville&tag=search_results;title;1" mce_href="http://www.tv.com/smallville/show/1718/summary.html?q=Smallville&tag=search_results;title;1">Smallville</a>, <a href="http://www.tv.com/leverage/show/75367/summary.html?q=Leverage&tag=search_results;title;1" mce_href="http://www.tv.com/leverage/show/75367/summary.html?q=Leverage&tag=search_results;title;1">Leverage</a>, <a href="http://www.tv.com/white-collar/show/75381/summary.html?q=White%20Collar&tag=search_results;title;1" mce_href="http://www.tv.com/white-collar/show/75381/summary.html?q=White%20Collar&tag=search_results;title;1">White Collar</a> and a few others that will be added at the beginning of the 2010-2011 TV Season. Also in each episode we will discuss news and opinions about the Television Industry as a whole. So please keep an eye out on this <a href="http://acrosstheairwaves.com/" mce_href="http://acrosstheairwaves.com/">site</a> and iTunes for our first episode on Season Finales for the 2009-2010 TV Season.</p> <div class="mceTemp mceIEcenter" draggable=""><dl id="attachment_93" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 310px;"><dt style="text-align: center;" class="wp-caption-dt"><a href="http://acrosstheairwaves.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/pti_600x600_sponsor.jpg" mce_href="http://acrosstheairwaves.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/pti_600x600_sponsor.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-93" title="pti_600x600_sponsor" src="http://acrosstheairwaves.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/pti_600x600_sponsor-300x300.jpg" mce_src="http://acrosstheairwaves.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/pti_600x600_sponsor-300x300.jpg" alt="" height="300" width="300" /></a><br /></dt><dd class="wp-caption-dd">Pardon the interruption but the Across The Airwaves Podcast is coming to iTunes</dd></dl></div> <p>On a final note to give you, our followers on the Internet all the great things we have coming down the pipe Nico and I please ask that you give us your patience. Currently we have three posts without pictures or links due to setting up this new site and putting our podcast into production. The <a href="http://acrosstheairwaves.com/" mce_href="http://acrosstheairwaves.com/">site</a> at times might also be momentarily unavailable due to us making sure that its features are working properly so bare with us for one to two weeks as we try to give you the best experience when <a href="http://acrosstheairwaves.com/" mce_href="http://acrosstheairwaves.com/">visiting us on the web.</a> With that out of the way everyone put on your seat belts because <a href="http://acrosstheairwaves.com/" mce_href="http://acrosstheairwaves.com/">Across The Airwaves</a> is on the air and running full speed ahead.</p>Rocketman2387http://www.blogger.com/profile/03399618585527355068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2292458949956366198.post-39271370419115235862010-05-03T00:04:00.000-07:002010-05-04T00:08:24.212-07:00Chuck Returns with lots of Fun & a Jeffster SongThis last episode of Chuck was a lot of fun for everyone; the audience and the actors alike. Dan and I loved how much fun Chuck and Sarah were having in this episode being pseudo-spies and trying not to let the other one know that they were still acting like a spy and sneaking out to investigate i.e. the scene with Sarah in the bathroom and Chuck climbing along the outside of the train. Yvonne Strahovski, who plays Sarah, had some fun with that intentionally terrible Texas accent. Dan loved it.<br />
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Also, this episode played right into our theory that Team Bartowski will be like a family and that Morgan and Casey will continually team up for the remainder of the season. Also, Dan and I think that the Chuck and Sarah relationship will help Sarah to gain back some of her humanity that was stripped out of her through her spy training and living with a conman for a father. Who doesn’t have a favorite song? Sarah doesn’t because she’s never stopped to enjoy the little things in life like music, film, or comic books. Dan likes the idea that being with Chuck will bring out a geeky side of Sarah and in a future episode; she will surprise us all when she drops some super geeky knowledge on everyone. I envision it being one of those scenes where everyone stops what they are doing and stares at her and then goes back to work. It will be funny!!!<br />
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This episode answered a lot of questions on where the story is likely going for the remainder of the season. However, it left the question of whether or not Ellie & Awesome are gone for good. We think that they may return as guest stars in a later episode this season or even that Sarah and Chuck may end up doing a mission in Africa and running into them. This would be brilliant. It could also finally force Chuck to come clean with his sister about who he really is and what he has been doing for the last 3 years. This could make for a good season finale or just an awesome episode.<br />
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As I have said many times before, I LOVE JEFFSTER. This episode did not disappoint. John Denver’s “Leaving on a Jet Plane” was amazing. Not as good as “Africa,” but amazing nonetheless. I really hope they continue to do things like this in the future because, as I’ve said, this is at least one of this fan’s favorite things about Chuck. <br />
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Finally, in the words of General Beckman, “It’s about time!!!!”<br />
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<b><u>Smallville</u></b>:<br />
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The last two episodes of Smallville have been excellent. Last week’s episode was interesting for the future of the Clark and Lois relationship and yet was an excellent twist because they dealt with Clark’s secret getting in the way of the relationship completely differently than previously with the Clark & Lana relationship. I felt that the writers learned from the debacle that was Clark & Lana and did must better this time. Lois is in love with the Blur because it makes her feel like she is helping to save the world. Ironically, she is in love with Clark (as the Blur) for who he truly is, the character we have been following for the last 9 + years, and she does not know it is him and it is causing her to question her relationship with Clark. I feel like this is going to be an interesting storyline for the next season and two episodes (only two left this season, can’t believe the season is almost over).<br />
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Last night’s episode makes it seem like next year’s season will be about restoring Clark/Blur’s reputation because of human kind’s diminishing trust in superheroes due to the events that Zod will cause in the next few episodes. Clark will be forced to restore human kind’s faith in the Blur/Superman and superheroes in general all of next season as he finally becomes Superman. Dan and I both feel that he will switch back to the Red & Blue as part of this transition and that the Zod storyline will be resolved this season. However, I think it will be carried over to the season 10 premiere like they did in previous seasons where they ended the season finale with a giant cliffhanger. This is how I think they will end this season finale, but Dan thinks it will all be resolved in the finale.<br />
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With regard to the Zod baby, I was thinking that the plot was going to go a completely different way. I thought that Clark was going to keep the baby safe and keep him from Zod. This was going to be the final straw that led to Zod declaring war on humankind and Clark. Instead, as everyone saw, Zod unwittingly killed his own progeny and then lied to his fellow Kandorians saying that the human Checkmate organization killed his son. He used the death as a means to declare war on humankind. Zod’s destiny is to allow his ego to destroy himself and his followers. It is his need for followers and to rule them that will ultimately destroy him again as it did the last time when he destroyed Krypton just to prove a point. Each Kryptonian has a destiny, according to the comics, and they are destined to fulfill this destiny despite how they may struggle against that fate. Clark/Kal El is different/separate from this concept because he is both a Kryptonian and a human because of his upraising as a human on Earth. <br />
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In the comics, he realizes that he is different while living with the Kryptonians on the New Krypton. This difference makes Superman such a great ambassador to other alien races in the comics. This is why I love Dan; he knows all these great little things from the comics and educates me every time we talk about them.<br />
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Next week will be the return of Martha Kent!! Dan feels that she is going to say to Clark that she is proud of him and all he has accomplished, but that it is time to take off the gloves and take on the Kandorians. Dan is also hoping for a Martha Kent and Chloe scene where essentially Martha will say that Chloe needs to show the human race why she originally had such faith in Clark, how she saw him as a symbol of the entire human race and everything we can become. It will have to be Chloe who will help the Blur fix his reputation and fight the negative public image after Zod’s actions in the final two episodes this season (maybe Lois will be involved with this too if she gets her job back at the Daily Planet). The scene where Chloe and Tess were locked in Watchtower explains that Chloe has lost her faith in humanity and that seems to be why she has lost her faith in Clark. Dan and I feel that she has finally turned the corner as far as being frustrated or blaming Clark and has begun to regain her faith in Clark and thus, the human race.<br />
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Since Dan and I both have said that we believe that Zod will die in the season finale, the question remains how will Zod die? Oliver killing Zod is a real possibility, especially after Green Arrow told Zod that if he ever crossed him again, he would change his mind on not killing him. Dan and I think that Zod may be on the verge of killing Clark and thus Oliver would be justified in killing Zod to save Clark. Oliver will say something like, “The world needs Clark Kent.” We think that it needs to be a human that kills Zod because Clark will not intentionally kill Zod. Think about Doomsday! Even to the bitter end, he could not intentionally kill Doomsday. Dan and I threw around the idea that if Zod killed Chloe (remember our earlier theory that she may die in the finale) and Oliver may kill Zod because of this. I argued that this would be less justified for Oliver because if he kills Zod because of Chloe’s death, then it is revenge and that would not be a justified reason. Despite the fact that Clark gave Zod a second chance by saving his life by giving him his blood and Zod has wasted that second chance, neither of us can see Clark killing Zod.<br />
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We shall see how the huge fight at the finale goes. Rumor has it that Michael Shanks makes a return as Hawkman. Awesome!!!<br />
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<u><b>Fringe</b></u>:<br />
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I was surprised by how much I actually enjoyed this last week’s episode with the detective noir theme. I usually do not like these gimmicky episodes, but this one was surprisingly well done (well except Olivia). What was interesting about this episode was that it was told from the Walter’s perspective on everyone in his life and how he sees them and sees the world. The episode was random because it was created from Walter’s head and he was stoned off his rocker. Olivia (Anna Torv) was terrible in the noir setting, showing her lack of acting range. She is just not a good actress! Dan felt that this episode was written as it was because the storyline needed a show where Peter was gone for a time, but Olivia is so terrible that they could not do an episode without Joshua Jackson (Peter). Dan and I can’t think of another show that we have ever seen that is as successful as Fringe where so many fans hate one of the main characters/actress. Dan and I are not alone in our distaste for the quality of acting by this leading lady. I imagine many of you agree with us on this matter as well.<br />
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Going back two episodes to where Peter figured out who he was and where he came from, Dan loved the fact that the writers did not make Peter look stupid, but rather brilliant to be able to piece it all together and realize he was from the other side on his own. Peter reacted exactly like we would expect his character to react, by getting pissed off and disappearing. We both feel that he will return after next week’s episode where he works a Fringe case by himself and realizes that he can do it on his own, but it is better when he is working as part of his team with Walter and Olivia. It will be a long time before things get back to where they were two episodes ago before he knew, but I think that Peter and Walter will eventually get back to a good relationship and Olivia and Peter may even get together romantically...though they need to work on building this relationship instead of just forcing it on the characters. It needs to feel organic, not rushed.<br />
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<u><b>FlashForward</b></u>:<br />
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I LOVE JANICE!!! I love that she is actually a double agent working for the CIA. This allows me to root for her again and proves my previous theory/assessment that Janice and Demetri are the best developed characters on the show. But will she really kill Mark to keep her cover? I don’t think so; she’ll have to find a way to delay killing him until she can get out of it.<br />
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This last episode needed more Demetri. I was especially surprised to not see Demetri after they saved him last episode. Where was he; off recuperating? I guess I just missed the second best character on the show.<br />
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This episode was very much like a LOST episode with this being a Janice centric flashback episode exactly like LOST is famous for doing. This change in storytelling is going to save FlashForward. Dan and I have been harping on the idea that this show needed to be more character centric and these flashback episodes allow for greater character development than a purely linear timeline. Next week’s episode will be a Simon centric flashback episode where we will learn about his past and his relationship with his sister. I anticipate it will be a great episode.<br />
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Gaius Baltar returns, sort of. The addition of James Callis as Gabriel McDow was perfect for the storyline, which is another plot device that will give us insight into Olivia’s back-story. Dan and I anticipate flashback episodes for each main character and feel that a Simco episode needs to happen soon to do some character repair because many fans hate this character and feel he’s expendable. Each week, I’m liking this show more and more and can only hope that ABC will give it a second chance second season. <br />
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Well that is all I have for this week. Enjoy the week of TV and in the words of General Beckman, “It’s about time!!!”CReifstehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10064207890514516502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2292458949956366198.post-64827117050912767152010-04-25T12:29:00.000-07:002010-04-26T12:48:13.776-07:00Smallville Return of Metallo: Why so much Red Kryptonite?Sorry for not posting last week. I had some post-operative issues from my recent throat surgery and was not feeling up to it last weekend, so I hope you’ll forgive me the lack of a blog post last week.<br />
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<strong><u>Smallville</u></strong>:<br />
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The Checkmate episode was a good episode despite being a Tess centric episode. It really was a good episode for Oliver to have the final scene where he shuts Tess down, shuts the door on that chapter of his life and removes her from his life. Despite my hatred for the character of Tess, Dan and I both agree that the scenes with Tess and Oliver were much more palatable than the scenes with Tess and Zod. Those scenes are terrible and make me want to change the channel, or in reality fast-forward because I usually watch on my DVR. I really cannot wait till the Zod plot line is complete and they kill of the Tess character. I may even throw a party the day they kill Tess off the show! Is that terrible to say? Naw.<br />
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The last two weeks the blogosphere was all a twitter with the question of whether it was Clark’s or Chloe’s fault that she was captured. I propose that it was in fact a combination of the two. It was Chloe’s fault because she would never have been on Checkmate’s radar if she had not been doing all the illegal hacking and surveillance with the Watchtower. But it also appears that Checkmate knew enough about Clark to know that they could use Chloe as leverage to force Clark to join them. Thus, it was a little of both Clark and Chloe’s own fault that Checkmate abducted her in this episode.<br />
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Speaking of Chloe, Dan and I both agree that we are getting a little sick of Chloe constantly holding a grudge against Clark for turning his back on her and Oliver at the beginning of the season. We’re over the betrayal, she needs to get over it as well. Dan loves Chloe, and Alison Mack for that matter, but really does not feel that her character would hold this grudge against Clark for this long and thus the writers need to cut this out. As a plot device and a means to move the story forward, we feel that Chloe being captured was a good storyline, but there is no need for the bloggers to be assigning blame.<br />
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Dan really enjoyed this episode visually and said that the slow-motion flash scenes made it feel like a comic book. My feelings on the use of the slow-motion was that it was excellent and very well done for the scenes with Clark and seemed appropriate for him and his super speed and being a superhero. For that same reason, I felt that the use of the slow-motion/flash scenes for the opening scene with Tess was unnecessary and even inappropriate. She is not a superhero and thus should not be given the superhero treatment with the special effects. That being said, the effects were visually stunning and Dan and I enjoyed them greatly.<br />
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It was nice to see the Martian Manhunter using his powers in this episode. I was unaware of his ability to wipe people’s memories, but it was very useful in this episode. Dan informed me that this is indeed one of his powers that he’s used on two or three occasions in the comic books… yet again exposing my ignorance of comic books. I was a little concerned with him being aligned with someone other than Clark. Dan says there is a rumor that it may be that the Martian Manhunter is partnered with Clark’s Mom, which would be awesome. He should be loyal to Clark, but seems not to trust Clark enough to tell him who he is working with. Martian Manhunter has orders from Jor El to protect Clark, so should he not also trust Clark? Dan thinks that the clone of Jor El may have contacted the Martian Manhunter and maybe gave him new orders in order to keep Clark safe and keep the other Kryptonians secret and thus safe as well. This could be a viable theory, but I’m not so sure because the clone of Jor El was not aware of Clark until he learned of him on Earth, so he probably had not given orders to Martian Manhunter or may not even have known of him at the time he was cloned. I do like the theory that it is Martha Kent that the Martian Manhunter is aligned with and feel that this would be much less of a betrayal to Clark if it turns out to be true. Not to mention that this would give an excellent plotline for the return of Martha Kent later this season.<br />
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The Metallo episode last week was excellent and Dan and I both were happy to see the return of Brian Austin Green. Neither of us was very happy to see the use of Red Kryptonite and indeed I told Dan that when I first saw it, “it really pissed me off.” The show has done this too much already and I am sick of Clark being affected by different colors of Kryptonite. Dan pointed out to me that every major turning point in the show has involved Red Kryptonite. After he said this we looked back and indeed this is true:<br />
1) In season 2 it was used to hold off the Clark & Lana relationship from progressing<br />
2) In the season 2 finale it was used to have Clark run off at the end of the season and learn how destructive his powers can be if used incorrectly<br />
3)In season 4 it led to Chloe learning of his secret when he caught the car in front of her<br />
4) In season 6, Lana learns of Clark’s secret when he attacks her and Lex and Lex hits him with the crowbar<br />
5) Now Zod learns of the Fortress of Solitude and also gives the Kryptonians powers… potentially leading to the war we all saw in the future.<br />
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I have to agree with Dan’s assessment. In the past, Red Kryptonite was used by Jor El as a training device to show Clark the devastating power of his abilities. He learned this lesson in season 2 and again in season 6. So why now? Was the Red Kryptonite used by the writers because Clark’s confidence in himself was shaken last season when things went all wrong and he needed to get his mojo back? Isn’t the show past this? Dan and I felt that it was used to fuel Clark’s teenage angst and he is past the teenage years and is an adult now. This week’s use of Red Kryptonite was a mistake by the writers. Red Kryptonite was a teaching tool and Clark should be beyond teaching tools at this point in his journey toward becoming Superman. If Clark needed to learn something, it should have been how to fly or at this point in his life he should be learning like most adults learn, from their mistakes. This is how we all learn in our lives, why does Clark need Red Kryptonite as an adult to learn in his life?<br />
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Dan and I both loved the first Metallo episode, but felt that the writers made Metallo too much of a hero in this episode. He was a sympathetic villain in the first episode and we felt that this worked very well for the talented Brian Austin Green, but this episode the writers crossed the line from sympathetic villain too far toward a hero, which Dan and I both feel is too much of a departure from the comic book villain that is Metallo. One of the most compelling things about John Corbin becoming Metallo was the whole issue of him seeking revenge for the death of his sister and this episode completely ignored this topic. Red Kryptonite was the culprit for why they were unable to address this matter in this episode. There were just too many other plotlines going on to focus on John Corbin’s sister, despite it being such a compelling storyline. In my opinion, this was yet another missed opportunity by the writers in this episode. Dan and I were both disappointed with how small of a role Brian Austin Green played in this episode. We both have become unabashed fans of him in recent years after his work on Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles as Derek Reese and as John Corbin/Metallo. His skill as an actor was grossly underused in this episode and greatly frustrated me. <br />
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The writers have an opportunity to redeem themselves from the portrayal of Metallo as a hero in this episode because they gave him a Red Kryptonite heart at the end of the episode… the only good use of Red Kryptonite in this episode. Metallo will become the villain he should be because the Red Kryptonite will corrupt his brain and cause him to do something terrible that he will be unable to live with when he is no longer under the influence of the Red Kryptonite and rather than dealing with the terrible thing he had done, it will drive him insane and he will become a supervillain to escape the guilt.<br />
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Finally, The Rumor of the Week: Lois Lane will learn Clark’s secret before he becomes Superman. This could be by the end of this season or a major theme/plotline next season.<br />
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<strong><u>Fringe</u></strong>:<br />
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Two weeks ago episode was great, especially for Dan who loves the Dr. Bishop character. I do not normally enjoy episodes that do the Time Warp phenomenon, but this episode was very well done and I enjoyed it.<br />
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Dan loved the scene where Dr. Bishop was speaking with Dr. Alistair Peck (Peter Weller) about the consequences of going back in time. We both feel that this may have been the best scene to date in the entire series. The emotions of both Dr Bishop and Dr. Peck made this scene amazing. Dr. Bishop expressed that he wants forgiveness from God, which surprised many viewers because they don’t expect a scientist to be a religious man. As a Catholic and scientist myself, I know that Dr. Bishop and I are greatly in the minority of scientists these days. Dan really commends the show’s creators that they were not afraid to go the religious route… much like Battlestar Galactica did (which we both loved and discussed weekly when it was still on TV). <br />
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The ending of this episode was amazing. Dr. Peck worked it out that the only way he can go back is to be in a secluded area with no humans around and that he cannot save his fiancé and thus chooses to die with her rather than live without her. Also, sending Walter the White Tulip was an amazing ending of the episode… got to love time travel episodes for the little things like that.<br />
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Fringe may not return this fall and rather we will have to wait all the way until January 2011 for new episodes after the season finale coming up on May 20th. The show runners for Fringe felt that the momentum for the show this last fall was greatly hurt by the frequent breaks and lack of a consistent schedule due to the baseball postseason and other interruptions to the schedule. With a January start, the show will be able to run virtually straight through to the end of the season with only a two week break for sweeps. While this is probably better for the show and building momentum, I’m not sure I will want to wait until January for new Fringe episodes. <br />
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<strong><u>FlashForward</u></strong>:<br />
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It has been a while since I talked about FlashForward on the blog, so I will merely hit the high notes today. First off, the two moles was a brilliant move both from a writers standpoint and from a strategic standpoint of the bad guys. Brilliant! When I saw the mole episode, however, my first thought was that maybe Janis was not really a mole, but had somehow learned that Simon had killed his uncle and was messing with him to get leverage on him and that she was not truly a second mole. Dan thinks that this is a possibility, but not likely. Either way, it made for a great discussion point and because Janis is one of the few characters that Dan and I actually care about, sort of turned us on our ears. I really enjoyed this twist. <br />
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Mark was better in the episode two weeks ago and Dan and I both loved his speech to the new agents on their first day. It was also great to see how Demetri and Mark became partners; very cool that Demetri respected him so much that he traded to be his partner. Had a very Lost-ish feel and thus, I loved it. <br />
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Dan and I both agree that we would not be opposed to the writers writing Olivia and Simco off the show. I actually yelled at the TV, “Oh! You stupid slut,” when she kissed Simco. I loved Sonya Walger as Penny on LOST, but am not liking her as Olivia on FlashForward and really would not bat an eye if they wrote her off the show… this also stems from my feeling that besides Janis, Aaron Stark and Demetri, I am not really vested in any of the characters on this show and they could kill any of them off and I would not care. Also, the line about Simco being Lancelot and Olivia being Guinevere was pure cheese.<br />
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Dan thinks (prior to this last week’s episode) that Demetri is the father of Janis’ baby. I think that this would be great for the story, but do not think it is actually the case. I think this because when Janis told Demetri about her being pregnant, he was still offering his services (as it were). As I said, it would be great for the plotline to push the story forward, but I’m not so sure it is going to happen. Can’t wait to see where they go with this plotline.<br />
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<strong><u>V</u></strong>:<br />
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Dan and I are becoming more and more convinced that Lisa is going to turn against Anna. Our theory that her relationship with Tyler was causing her to have true feelings was all but confirmed this last week when she failed Anna’s emotions test. Dan really wants to see Lisa turn against Anna and “really stick it to her.”<br />
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Dan asked an important question that I could not answer. Can the Vs make their human skin appear like an actual living human (clone themselves to look like someone on earth)? Dan was proposing that maybe Tyler’s dad was replaced by a V that looked exactly like him for the night in which Tyler was conceived and that is why the blood work comes back that Tyler’s dad is not his true dad but Erica has never been with anyone else. I love this theory that Dan has come up with and think it is a great explanation of the situation. This theory builds on our earlier theory that Tyler is a hybrid. There are some holes in this theory, the most glaring one being that Erica was the human mother and to our knowledge was not dosed with the necessary potassium to bring the birth to full term… like Ryan and his fiancé. We’ll just have to wait and see where this storyline goes in future episodes.<br />
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Dan and I both are big fans of the Doctor Joshua character on the V ship. He is the defacto leader of the Fifth Column aboard ship and Dan and I both fear that he will eventually become a martyr to the cause. He will only be able to keep his actions secret for so long before he is exposed and Anna will make an example of him for his betrayal.<br />
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As for Georgie, I felt that he needed to die in the episode before this last episode to show the Vs really mean business and cast them in a scary, evil light. The death of Georgie also acted to accelerate the conflict on the side of the resistance. Ryan, Fr. Jack, and Erica were enraged by the torture and death of Georgie and decided that “the next blood to be spilled will be theirs.”<br />
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Dan and I have a theory that since the show is called V, there is the potential for the death of many characters without hurting the entire concept of the show. Despite that, we believe that Erica, Fr. Jack, Lisa, Tyler, and probably Anna and Chad Decker will be around for the long haul. Ryan, the terrorist, Ryan’s fiancé, etc could all die to progress the show forward. I wonder if Anna could die before the eventual series finale… I hope not, because Morena Baccarin is amazing as Anna.<br />
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Well that is entirely too much for a single blog post, so I’m going to end it there. Keep up with the emails, tweets, voicemails, and comments. Until next time, <strong>NO MORE RED KRYPTONITE!!!!</strong>CReifstehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10064207890514516502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2292458949956366198.post-15478715548503554822010-04-11T20:03:00.000-07:002010-05-03T18:20:37.098-07:00Shaw is finally Dead; Across the Airwaves Rejoices<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://chucktv.net/gallery/albums/screencaps_season3/screencaps_313_3/normal_Chuck_313_1490.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="http://chucktv.net/gallery/albums/screencaps_season3/screencaps_313_3/normal_Chuck_313_1490.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Everybody sing: ding-dong the Shaw is dead, the wicked Shaw, the Shaw is dead!</span><br /></div><br />Dan and I cannot be happier that <a href="http://chuck-nbc.wikia.com/wiki/Daniel_Shaw">Shaw</a> is dead and gone from the show. Those of you that read this blog regularly know we have been calling for the removal of Shaw from the storyline for the last few weeks and are ecstatic that it has finally happened. We were a little surprised that it was <a href="http://chuck-nbc.wikia.com/wiki/Chuck_Bartowski">Chuck</a> that actually shot and killed Shaw but we understand that it was all heroic and everything… still just surprised by it. Dan and I both understand why Chuck did it and agree we would have made the same decision if someone was threatening the love of our lives. Chuck felt bad about what had to be done, he hesitated and tried every other option, but ultimately it was the only way it could go down and Chuck did what had to be done. Last week when we were discussing how we thought this <a href="http://chuck-nbc.wikia.com/wiki/Episode_313:_Chuck_Versus_the_Other_Guy">episode</a> was going to go, Dan thought that if Chuck killed Shaw that it would be an accidental shooting or that <a href="http://chuck-nbc.wikia.com/wiki/John_Casey">Casey</a> would do it. I agreed about the Casey thing because we both thought that Chuck killing Shaw would ruin Chuck and <a href="http://chuck-nbc.wikia.com/wiki/Sarah_Walker">Sarah</a>. I like the way things went down and realize that the only reason Chuck went through with killing Shaw was for Sarah and that he tried to avoid it multiple times. All that being said, Dan and I loved the “shut up and kiss me” scene at the end of the show and felt that it tied the whole episode together.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://chucktv.net/gallery/albums/screencaps_season3/screencaps_313_3/normal_Chuck_313_1472.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="http://chucktv.net/gallery/albums/screencaps_season3/screencaps_313_3/normal_Chuck_313_1472.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Did anyone see this coming?<br /></span></div><br />Dan and I throw out quite a few crackpot theories each week and many of them are dead wrong. So when we actually get something correct, I have to mention it. We totally called the fact that Casey and Morgan would team up to save the day and this week’s episode was just the first in a series of times that this will happen. In fact, it was Casey who recommended Morgan become a permanent member of <a href="http://chuck-nbc.wikia.com/wiki/Team_Bartowski">Team Bartowski</a>, which shows that Casey has some genuine feelings for Morgan and Chuck. Also, now that Morgan is an official part of the team, we think that this will allow for some great scenes and a lot of fun between <a href="http://chuck-nbc.wikia.com/wiki/Morgan_Grimes">Morgan</a> and <a href="http://chuck-nbc.wikia.com/wiki/General_Diane_Beckman">General Beckman.</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://chucktv.net/gallery/albums/screencaps_season3/screencaps_313_3/normal_Chuck_313_1104.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="http://chucktv.net/gallery/albums/screencaps_season3/screencaps_313_3/normal_Chuck_313_1104.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Morgan and Beckman, a match made in heaven. Not!<br /></span></div><br />This last week’s episode was originally scheduled as the season finale in case the show was canceled and because they were not originally scheduled to return until after the Olympics, but now they have been given an <a href="http://www.tvguide.com/news/chuck-gets-six-1011352.aspx">additional 6 episodes</a>, which is probably the reason for the 3 week hiatus that we now have to suffer through. Things Dan and I expect to see in the next 6 episodes include: <a href="http://chuck-nbc.wikia.com/wiki/Stephen_Bartowski">Chuck’s Dad</a> will return, we will see how Morgan fits into the picture and becomes a member of the team, neither of us is really thrilled about the whole Chuck being insane… taken to the asylum preview snippet, and are excited to see how <a href="http://chuck-nbc.wikia.com/wiki/Jeff_Barnes">Jeff</a> & <a href="http://chuck-nbc.wikia.com/wiki/Lester">Lester</a> will fit into the team. We both agree that <a href="http://chuck-nbc.wikia.com/wiki/Jeffster">Jeffster</a> will not be on the team in an official capacity like Morgan is now because they are not really CIA material, but they will play an important role nevertheless.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YwHqxIIQvxs&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YwHqxIIQvxs&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="640"></embed></object><br />Check out this video for what's coming down the pipeline on Chuck.<br /></span></div><br />Being a romantic at heart, one thing that makes TV interesting, but I hate about the way TV shows deal with relationships, is that when two main characters finally get together, they invariably throw some plot twist into the mix that screws everything up. I’m not sure Chuck is going to follow this pattern because I think the fans, myself especially, might riot. I think Chuck & Sarah are going to be together for the long haul (few episodes at a minimum), but the writers will have to find a way for Chuck & Sarah to work together without being all emotional and coupley (yep, I made that word up) while on missions. Dan thinks that Chuck and Sarah will be much looser, have more fun, and work better together now that everything is out in the open and they can be together. Chuck is still going to be Chuck, both the character and the show, but Chuck & Sarah is a good thing and the fans really want them together. Dan and I want to emphasize that this is not going to be like the <a href="http://smallville.wikia.com/wiki/Clark_and_Lana">Clark & Lana</a> catastrophe with them constantly fighting and all the secrets.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://chucktv.net/gallery/albums/screencaps_season3/screencaps_313_3/normal_Chuck_313_1676.jpg"><br /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://chucktv.net/gallery/albums/screencaps_season3/screencaps_313_3/normal_Chuck_313_1676.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 184px; height: 103px;" src="http://chucktv.net/gallery/albums/screencaps_season3/screencaps_313_3/normal_Chuck_313_1676.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://chucktv.net/gallery/albums/screencaps_season3/screencaps_313_3/normal_Chuck_313_1676.jpg"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.smallvillededication.com/gallery/albums/14requiemb/normal_requiem959.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 186px; height: 104px;" src="http://www.smallvillededication.com/gallery/albums/14requiemb/normal_requiem959.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://chucktv.net/gallery/albums/screencaps_season3/screencaps_313_3/normal_Chuck_313_1676.jpg"><br /></a></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Let's hope the relationship on the left doesn't end up like the one on the right.</span><br /></div></div><br />While any couple will have disagreements and I’m sure we will see a few between the happy couple in future episodes, this will not be the out-of-control fighting or anger we saw in the later stages of the Clark & Lana saga. Dan proposes that the Chuck writers will use the <a href="http://marvel.wikia.com/Fantastic_Four_%28Earth-616%29">Fantastic Four</a> comic model (not the movies) of a family like team centered around the <a href="http://marvel.wikia.com/Reed_Richards_%28Earth-616%29">Reed Richards</a> and <a href="http://marvel.wikia.com/Susan_Storm_%28Earth-616%29">Sue </a><a href="http://marvel.wikia.com/Susan_Storm_%28Earth-616%29">Storm</a> relationship. The characters on Chuck seem to have a similar family feel. The team members may have fights, like any family has, but the Chuck & Sarah relationship at heart will keep this family together. Over the next 2 seasons, Dan and I believe that the storyline will build to a Chuck & Sarah marriage and feel that this will be an amazing ending to the series and an opportunity for them to walk away from the spy game. I like this possibility.<br /><br />Finally, Dan thinks that there is going to be a new focus on Morgan’s love life, especially with the return of <a href="http://chuck-nbc.wikia.com/wiki/Anna_Wu">Anna</a> in last week’s previews. Also we believe that Morgan will be in every episode for the remainder of the season… no more of these episodes where he is missing in action.<br /><br />Needless to say, this last week’s episode was an amazing episode and we will all have to suffer through the next 3 weeks without our beloved Chuck.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.tv.com/smallville/show/1718/summary.html"><u><b>Smallville</b></u>:</a><br /><br />Last week’s <a href="http://www.tv.com/smallville/escape/episode/1326054/summary.html?tag=ep_guide;summary">episode</a> was an OK episode, but nothing special in the scheme of things. Dan does not like the <a href="http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Silver_Banshee">Silver Banshee</a> villain from the comics and felt that <a href="http://smallville.wikia.com/wiki/Siobhan_McDougal">it was really forced</a> in this episode of the show for very little payoff. The best part of this episode was that <a href="http://smallville.wikia.com/wiki/Clark_Kent">Clark</a> and <a href="http://smallville.wikia.com/wiki/Chloe_Sullivan">Chloe</a> were finally acting like friends again, having conversations like real friends should have, which we have not seen in a while. For example, the conversation about Clark’s issues with having sex shows how great of friend <a href="http://smallville.wikia.com/wiki/Clark_and_Chloe">Clark & Chloe</a> really are to be able to discuss such intimate details. Also, the bathroom scene was great. Dan described the embarrassment between Clark & Chloe like a brother and sister moment. Yeah, I’ll pass on seeing my sister naked. Dan and I felt that the character material from this episode was excellent and that we will see more <a href="http://smallville.wikia.com/wiki/Oliver_Queen">Oliver</a> & Chloe in the next few weeks (which was correct if you have seen this week’s episode). This could make for an interesting subplot for the remainder of the season.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://devotedtosmallville.com/gallery/albums/userpics/normal_smallville-escape-10.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 373px; height: 248px;" src="http://devotedtosmallville.com/gallery/albums/userpics/normal_smallville-escape-10.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">What do you think of Chloe and Oliver in a relationship? Let us know.<br /></span></div><br />I was rooting hardcore for <a href="http://smallville.wikia.com/wiki/Major_Zod">Zod</a> to kill <a href="http://smallville.wikia.com/wiki/Tess_Mercer">Tess</a> in the scene in Clark’s barn where he was holding her up by the throat, but of course it did not happen. The Tess and Zod scenes this week were even more annoying than usual for a Tess scene and were completely unnecessary to the plot line for this week’s episode. Dan brought up an excellent question… why are they meeting in Clark’s barn? That is kinda silly. Why not meet at the mansion? It made much more sense for Zod to be at <a href="http://smallville.wikia.com/wiki/Kent_Farm">Clark’s house</a> at the end of the episode because Zod sees Clark as his enemy/competition and he was doing recon on his enemy.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://tvscreencaps.com/albums/uploads/smallville-season9/916/normal_01034.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="http://tvscreencaps.com/albums/uploads/smallville-season9/916/normal_01034.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">After almost ten years of Meteor Freaks, Luthors and whatever else, this barn really needs a security system.</span><br /></div><br />Zod wants to become a version of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman">Superman</a> or a perversion of Superman… what he sees Superman/<a href="http://smallville.wikia.com/wiki/Red-blue_blur#The_Red-Blue_Blur">Blur</a> to be. Zod wants the worship of the humans, but does not necessarily want the responsibility of being the Blur/Superman and will use his new powers to attempt to usurp Clark as <a href="http://smallville.wikia.com/wiki/Red-blue_blur#The_Red-Blue_Blur">the Blur</a>. Dan and I believe that Zod will act as the Blur and that will be what ultimately causes the conflict between them to come to a head and lead to Zod's death in the season finale.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.tvovermind.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/smallville1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 216px; height: 215px;" src="http://www.tvovermind.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/smallville1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Will Zod posing as The Blur return our Hero back to his red and blues? Tune in Fridays at 8/7c.<br /></span><br /></div>Zod is going to reveal himself to the world as the Blur and attempt to usurp Clark’s role in protecting <a href="http://smallville.wikia.com/wiki/Metropolis">Metropolis</a> and the world and we believe that in this struggle Chloe may be killed as a result. Dan suggested that since Chloe is Clark’s only tie to <a href="http://smallville.wikia.com/wiki/Smallville">Smallville</a> and his life back there, that Zod may kill her in hopes that this will remove his motivation to be the Blur. If this occurs, it will more likely be the event that forces Clark to become Superman in Season 10. That will be a great final season!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.tv.com/flashforward/show/76455/summary.html?q=FlashForward&tag=search_results;title;1"><u><b>FlashForward</b></u>:</a><br /><br />FlashForward from <a href="http://www.tv.com/flashforward/better-angels/episode/1333617/summary.html?tag=ep_guide;summary">two weeks ago</a> was excellent. I really enjoyed this episode because it pushed the plot forward. We learned about the original test in Africa, that they killed all the original subjects of that experiment to keep it secret, we learned that <a href="http://flashforward.wikia.com/wiki/Demetri_Noh">Demetri</a> might be the father of <a href="http://flashforward.wikia.com/wiki/Janis_Hawk">Janice’s</a> baby (some thought <a href="http://flashforward.wikia.com/wiki/Stanford_Wedeck">Stan</a> or <a href="http://flashforward.wikia.com/wiki/Simon_Campos">Simon</a>, but Demetri could be awesome). Dan and I thought from the <a href="http://flashforward.wikia.com/wiki/Charlie_Benford">Charlie Benford</a> vision that <a href="http://flashforward.wikia.com/wiki/Marshall_Vogel">CIA Agent Marshall Vogel</a> might be the mole, but I soon realized that this is unlikely because he wasn’t around in the early part of the show; however he shot the guy in Africa and prevented his vision from coming true. (NOTE: For those of you who have seen this past week’s episode, you know who the mole is and we will discuss this in detail next week).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20091020045506/flashforward/images/f/f6/S1_Stan.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 108px; height: 207px;" src="http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20091020045506/flashforward/images/f/f6/S1_Stan.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20091020050045/flashforward/images/b/b8/Simon1.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 106px; height: 204px;" src="http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20091020050045/flashforward/images/b/b8/Simon1.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20091020045727/flashforward/images/7/72/S1_Demetri.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 104px; height: 200px;" src="http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20091020045727/flashforward/images/7/72/S1_Demetri.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Between these three men, who do you think is the Father of Janice's baby?</span><br /></div><br />Dan and I have the theory that the FlashForward visions that everyone had were possibilities of the future and the show is the whittling down of possibilities to the actual/true timeline and that this theory makes for a very viable plotline for the remainder of the season. However, the future is not going to magically happen on its own, rather you still have to make your future happen. This seems to be the theme of the show as we go forward. If you see your future, you can always change it. This is a classic science fiction theme and every SciFi plot that has dealt with the future has shown that the future is always in motion… the future can always be changed. Dan and I call this the Back to the Future idea. Mark and Demetri’s futures do not have to play out the way they have seen them.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://elfmoogle.net/gallery/albums/bttfii1/bttfii1_0971.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 351px; height: 224px;" src="http://elfmoogle.net/gallery/albums/bttfii1/bttfii1_0971.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Need help in understanding the the cause of the Flash Forwards? Then call the Doc.<br /></span></div><br />We still feel that the show is failing to get us interested in the characters and Dan is specifically worried about the lack of consistent character development. We are both worried that if the FlashForward plot is resolved at the end of the season (by stopping the next FlashForward or finding the perpetrators), there will be nothing to keep the show going because the audience is not vested in the characters. This could cause the show to run into a Heroes scenario where the audience asks… How many times can we save the world? 24 anyone? How many times can they prevent another FlashForward?<br /><br /><u><b>V</b></u><br /><br />This week’s introduction of Tyler’s father to the plot was significant because both Dan and I believe that the dad storyline is going to play a big part in the future of the show. We learned from this episode that Tyler’s dad, played by Nicholas Lea of X-Files fame, is not the jerk that we were led to believe from earlier episodes. He left Erica and Tyler, but now we don’t know why and are greatly intrigued. (NOTE: I’ve been misnaming Tyler and calling him Kyle for some unknown reason so looking back at the last few posts substitute Tyler for where I accidentally called him Kyle).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/da/Alex_Krycek.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 258px; height: 145px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/da/Alex_Krycek.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100413231837/v/v/images/2/2b/Joe_.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 148px; height: 148px;" src="http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100413231837/v/v/images/2/2b/Joe_.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Nicholas Lea as Agent Alex Krycek on the X-Files (left) and Joe Evans on V (right).<br /></span><br />I have a crackpot theory that Tyler is half V and half human. This would mean that he would have to have been adopted by Erica and Joe Evans and that he may actually be the son of John May and a human woman who did not survive the pregnancy… we learn about the issues from Ryan and the V doctor. This theory has plenty of holes in it, but I still think it has some validity, especially after the comment between Erica and Joe about telling him who he is, where he comes from. What exactly does that mean? Does Anna know? (No, and likely he is not half V or it would have come to their attention when doing those tests on him, unless him being a hybrid rather than a V in human skin hides him from their scans… see some validity). What is Anna’s plan for Tyler? Dan and I discussed the obvious assumption that she wants Tyler to father a child with Lisa that would be a hybrid half human half V child. We also discussed the possibility that Lisa will have be carrying a hybrid child with emotions and wondered if maybe she would be overcome by the emotions of the fetus (like Darla in the Angel series was overcome by the soul of Conner while she was pregnant with him because his soul was inside her and made her feel all the evil she had done as a vampire).<br /><br />Lisa maybe already becoming susceptible to human emotions and Dan thinks that this may become more apparent as she spends more time off the ship at Tyler’s dad’s house. I think their romance will lead to both of them realizing that Tyler is not fully human and she may begin feeling emotions and rebel against her mother because she realizes the power and goodness of having these emotions. Both Dan and I think regardless of how it happens, both Tyler and Lisa will become intricate in the resistance against the Vs.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://gallery.v-fans.net/albums/V-2009/Screencaps/Season1/1x03-ABrightNewDay/ariane179254_V_2009_1x03_ABrightNewDay_1033.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 395px; height: 221px;" src="http://gallery.v-fans.net/albums/V-2009/Screencaps/Season1/1x03-ABrightNewDay/ariane179254_V_2009_1x03_ABrightNewDay_1033.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Will this romance save the world?<br /></span></div><br />Villains inevitably show their Achilles heel and we believe Anna’s will be emotions. As the resistance grows and the fifth column grows bolder and stronger, she will become angrier and angrier and will lose the control over her own emotions. Anger will be Anna’s downfall.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://gallery.v-fans.net/albums/V-2009/Screencaps/Season1/1x06-PoundOfFlesh/ariane179254_V_2009_1x06_PoundOfFlesh_0317.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 405px; height: 228px;" src="http://gallery.v-fans.net/albums/V-2009/Screencaps/Season1/1x06-PoundOfFlesh/ariane179254_V_2009_1x06_PoundOfFlesh_0317.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Emotions, an evil V's brand of Kryptonite.<br /></span></div><br />Finally, it was good to see Fr. Jack reach out to the report Chad Decker. Dan and I both think that Chad will eventually come over to the resistance side once he sees the light. We think that he may stay in his position as the “patsy reporter,” but stealthily feed information to the resistance. He will continue to act as Anna’s patsy on TV, but actually will be working against her and for the resistance… once he finally get wise to what they are actually up to.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20091107184954/v/v/images/thumb/c/cf/Chad.jpg/250px-Chad.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 230px;" src="http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20091107184954/v/v/images/thumb/c/cf/Chad.jpg/250px-Chad.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Chad Decker, what's this guy's deal? </span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Will they kill Georgie off or rescue him? I think they will rescue him, but it may be too late and he will have caved to the torture and exposed at least one of their identities, but I don’t think they all will be exposed. Georgie may surprise us and not give in to the torture or will provide false intelligence and completely lead the Vs on the wrong path. We will just have to see on Tuesday.<br /><br /><u><b>Human Target</b></u>:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100417085017/humantarget/images/3/32/1x12_Episode.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 304px; height: 203px;" src="http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100417085017/humantarget/images/3/32/1x12_Episode.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Mark Valley as Christopher Chance and Amy Acker as Chance's lost love, Katherine Walters.<br /></span></div><br />This week’s show is going to be awesome!!! Amy Acker will be guest staring… I LOVE HER. We will finally see Chance’s origin story and see how he went from hitman to hero/protector. Also we will see the origin stories of Winston and Guerrero. Amy Acker is going to be the Katherine character we have heard so much about in the last few episodes and the love interest that changed Chance’s life forever. Dan and I are both very excited to see this week’s episode.<br /><br />Well that is way more than enough for this week. Keep up the participation. Until next week, “shut up and kiss me!”CReifstehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10064207890514516502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2292458949956366198.post-69908359109947734082010-04-03T20:36:00.000-07:002010-04-12T18:08:59.152-07:00Fringe Returns in Retro Style<object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/reaIcN61M-M&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/reaIcN61M-M&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="640"></embed></object><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Check out the awesome retro intro for this week's Fringe.<br /></span></div><br /><a href="http://www.tv.com/fringe/show/75146/summary.html">Fringe</a> returned this week with the story of how <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Bishop">Peter</a> came to be in our reality. This was an amazing <a href="http://www.tv.com/fringe/peter/episode/1332893/summary.html?tag=ep_guide;summary">episode</a> from the retro intro to the realization that it was Peter’s mother that convinced Dr. Bishop not to return him to his parallel dimension. This episode provided great insights into the character of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Bishop_%28Fringe%29">Dr. Walter Bishop</a>, a character that is especially beloved by both Dan and Nico. In fact, Dan loves Dr. Bishop and was worried about this episode because it seemed like the Dr. Bishop we were going to meet tonight was a complete jerk from all the things that Peter had alluded to in previous episodes. Thankfully, the Dr. Bishop we were presented with in this episode was roughly the same character that we have both grown to love, just not quite as goofy yet because he has not had his brain dissected by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Fringe_characters#William_Bell">Dr. Bell</a> (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000559/">Leonard Nimoy</a>) yet. There were no random comments about food cravings at inappropriate times… Dan and I love that stuff.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://icecreamgal.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/root-beer-float.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 252px; height: 190px;" src="http://icecreamgal.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/root-beer-float.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Root Beer, one of Dr. Bishop's favorite cravings.</span><br /></div><br />From this episode, we also gain some understanding as to why Walter acts the way he does toward Peter, why he acts so over-protectively toward his grown son. We understand that he lost him once and does not ever want to lose Peter again. It was interesting to see that it was the mother who ultimately made Walter break his promise and keep Peter in their dimension. It was when she asked him not to take Peter away, that he realized that he could not keep his promise to the mother in the other dimension because he could not bear to lose Peter again. This episode showed Dr. Bishop to be a good father; a caring father and we will still yet have to see why the present day Peter believes him to be something different. Was the falling out between them after this point? It most obviously must have been and I theorize that it occurs after William Bell removes the pieces of Walter’s brain and makes him go insane that this change occurs.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://gallery.fringetelevision.com/albums/episodes/215/Fringe215_053.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 428px; height: 240px;" src="http://gallery.fringetelevision.com/albums/episodes/215/Fringe215_053.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Speaking of alternate realities, did you know that the <a href="http://www.esbnyc.com/tourism/tourism_facts_2.cfm?CFID=37823527&CFTOKEN=69114491">Empire State Building</a> is used as a docking station for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeppelin">Zeppelins</a> on the other side?<br /></span></div><br />This was a great episode, but Dan thinks that the show may have been better served to air this episode earlier in the series. I am of the opinion that this would have been a mistake. We needed this episode to follow directly after the last episode when <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivia_Dunham">Olivia</a> realizes that Peter is from the other side. This episode would not have had as much of an emotional impact had it not followed as I just described. Dan and I really liked how the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Fringe_characters#September_.28The_Observer.29">Observer</a> (credited as September) fit into tonight’s storyline. It was essentially the Observer’s mistake that led to the entire Walter crossing the dimensional bridge and bringing Peter back to our dimension. It’s interesting that the Observer’s screw-up led to the dimensional war that is coming. Finally, the casting for the young Peter character was excellent and looked very much like a young <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005045/">Joshua Jackson</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://gallery.fringetelevision.com/albums/episodes/215/normal_Fringe215_592.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 201px; height: 147px;" src="http://gallery.fringetelevision.com/albums/episodes/215/normal_Fringe215_592.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.josh-jackson.net/images/pages/biography/josh09.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 180px; height: 150px;" src="http://www.josh-jackson.net/images/pages/biography/josh09.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Do you think the kid on the left works as a younger Joshua Jackson? Tell us your thoughts.<br /></span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.tv.com/chuck/show/68724/summary.html?q=%20Chuck%3A&tag=search_results;title;1"><u><b>Chuck</b></u></a>:<br /><br />Next week’s <a href="http://www.tv.com/chuck/chuck-versus-the-other-guy/episode/1319734/summary.html?tag=prev_episode;title">episode</a> has the potential to be the best episode of Chuck yet. Finally, next week we will see the end of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Shaw">Shaw</a>. Will <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Bartowski">Chuck</a> be forced to kill him to save <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Walker_%28Chuck%29">Sarah</a>? In our opinion, Chuck will not kill Shaw, even to save Sarah, but Dan and I both think that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Casey_%28Chuck%29">Casey</a> will probably once again end up doing the dirty work for Chuck so that he can maintain his no kill policy. Dan and I still believe that Chuck will be leaving the CIA before the end of this season and maybe this situation with Sarah being ordered to kill Shaw’s wife as her “Red Test” might just be that issue that pushes Chuck to leave and start Team Bartowski.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://chucktv.net/gallery/albums/screencaps_season3/screencaps_313_1/normal_Chuck_313_0011.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="http://chucktv.net/gallery/albums/screencaps_season3/screencaps_313_1/normal_Chuck_313_0011.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Will Sarah murdering Shaw's wife force Chuck to kill?</span><br /></div><br />Team Bartowski may be the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buy_More">Buy More employees</a>, Chuck, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan_Grimes">Morgan</a>, Casey, and Sarah working together as we’ve previously described. Dan and I loved the inclusion of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffster%21">Jeff & Lester</a> in this week’s episode as the “master stalkers” and think that this is how Chuck will use them in the future. They will be oblivious to why Chuck is asking them to follow people or to hold down the Buy More, or create a diversion, but will do these things for their own crazy reasons. This will allow for hilarity to ensue…often. Casey will probably remain a civilian for the foreseeable future, especially if Team Bartowski happens. Dan likes the way this story arc is progressing and I have to agree that it makes sense for where we believe the plot of the show is headed. Best part of next weeks show will definitely be the end of the Shaw character. Can’t wait till Monday.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://chucktv.net/gallery/albums/screencaps_season3/screencaps_312_3/Chuck_312_1146.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 406px; height: 229px;" src="http://chucktv.net/gallery/albums/screencaps_season3/screencaps_312_3/Chuck_312_1146.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Does Jeff and Lester have a future in espionage? Keep watching Chuck to find out.<br /></span></div><u><b><br /><a href="http://www.tv.com/castle/show/75394/summary.html?q=%20Castle%3A&tag=search_results;title;1">Castle</a></b></u><a href="http://www.tv.com/castle/show/75394/summary.html?q=%20Castle%3A&tag=search_results;title;1">:</a><br /><br />Well we were completely wrong with our theories for this <a href="http://www.tv.com/castle/boom%21/episode/1324758/summary.html?tag=ep_guide;summary">last week’s conclusion</a> to Castle… <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Beckett">Beckett</a> was not kidnapped, the FBI agent was not killed. The story worked regardless of us being completely wrong. However, we wish there had been some time where <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Castle">Castle</a> thought Beckett was dead. It would have made for an opportunity for a more dramatic reaction than what occurred. Dan mentioned that the scene went to goofy too quickly with Beckett being naked in the tub and making Castle turn around.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.cosmopolis.ch/images/tallinn/the_three_sisters_hotel/bathtub.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 157px; height: 237px;" src="http://www.cosmopolis.ch/images/tallinn/the_three_sisters_hotel/bathtub.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(Sigh) Did Beckett have to be naked in the bathtub?</span><br /></div><br />I suggested that the scene could have been better if Castle had found Kate unconscious in the tub, rescued her, wrapped her in his coat, carried her out of the burning building to the ambulance where she woke up in his arms and then realized that she was naked an he had seen her naked. That would have made for a more heroic scene and then he could tease her about having seen her naked later when it was appropriate to joke about it. Also, the FBI agent not dying was consistent with the tone of the show, but does not fit with my theory of secondary characters and too much personal information being revealed. Oh well, even I am not perfect.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.tv.com/v/show/76298/summary.html?tag=page_nav;main"><b><u>V</u></b>:</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.tv.com/v/welcome-to-the-war/episode/1313128/summary.html?tag=ep_guide;summary">The return of V was good.</a> I love where this show is heading and will be looking forward to each week’s episode. Dan mentioned in an earlier blog post about the original series having a famous alien V birth scene and this new re-imagination show will be recreating that scene in a future episode. Dan is not thrilled about this decision, despite knowing that it is a necessary throwback to the original show and fans, but he doesn’t think it is needed in the new show. He does not believe it works in the modern TV model, though he admits that this is his only problem with the show. I think that if they use the V hybrid baby story as a plot device that moves the overall story forward and not as a rating gimmick or merely for shock effect, that it could be very successful. Dan agrees with me on this point and feels that a possible storyline might be that the V’s will become aware of the Hybrid Baby after the birth and will abduct him leading <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V_%282009_TV_series%29">Erica</a> (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0593310/">Lost's</a> <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0593310/">Elizabeth Mitchell</a>) and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V_%282009_TV_series%29">Ryan</a> (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004820/">Morris Chestnut</a>) to bond over the V’s having “abducted” their children… Ryan’s baby literally and Erica’s son <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V_%282009_TV_series%29">Tyler</a> through brainwashing. This would be an interesting development.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUB0ILAHqWM5Xbhykf32bvUV5cwpc4Zi2aykPoZ7fdC5VfwgIvQV1U9rsz78CMQMaGnjgUAZvlzEkym5vSW8hZjwCARkgHNtt9CyaVCtCk5awCBCjcobhRWqVB8WVqRncood6vyD5WcWqC/s400/Alien+Baby+Full+Screen+V.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 377px; height: 227px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUB0ILAHqWM5Xbhykf32bvUV5cwpc4Zi2aykPoZ7fdC5VfwgIvQV1U9rsz78CMQMaGnjgUAZvlzEkym5vSW8hZjwCARkgHNtt9CyaVCtCk5awCBCjcobhRWqVB8WVqRncood6vyD5WcWqC/s400/Alien+Baby+Full+Screen+V.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">If the alien baby on the new V looks anything like the one on the original (above), I'm changing the channel.<br /></span></div><br />Dan and I discussed the possibility that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V_%282009_TV_series%29">Lisa</a> (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0888882/">Smallville's Laura Vandervoort</a>) could betray her Mother <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V_%282009_TV_series%29">Anna</a> (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1072555/">Firefly's Morena Baccarin</a>) in the future storyline. Dan thinks that because of the way she reacted to seeing Kyle’s emotions and reactions when in the memory machine that she might feel differently than Anna about the “efficiency” of not having emotions. However, what might cause Lisa to betray her mother is that she will fall in love with Tyler. This means that when he finds out the V’s are a threat to humanity and confronts Lisa about it, she will have to choose between the human she loves or her mother’s plan. Lisa will betray Anna and join the Fifth Column/resistance fighters to be with Tyler, who will join his mother (Erica) when he learns the Vs are up to no good. On the other hand, Lisa may be the ultimate villain because her innocent nature might be concealing the fact that she could be the real villain, as in the mastermind behind the whole scheme with her mother, Anna. That would be an awesome plot twist.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://blackchristiannews.com/news/v-laura-vandervoort-as-lisa-01-crop.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 164px; height: 240px;" src="http://blackchristiannews.com/news/v-laura-vandervoort-as-lisa-01-crop.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thetvaddict.com/blogpics/supergirl_new.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 239px;" src="http://www.thetvaddict.com/blogpics/supergirl_new.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Is Lisa capable of being a hero like her <a href="http://smallville.wikia.com/wiki/Kara_Kent">Kryptonian counterpart?</a> I guess time and V getting a 2nd season will tell.</span><br /></div><br />Well that’s all I have for this week. Keep up the comments, <a href="mailto:acrosstheairwaves@gmail.com">emails</a>, tweets, and voicemails. Still waiting for the first quality voicemail to include in the blog! Also watch Fringe Thursdays at 9/8c on Fox, Chuck Mondays at 8/7c on NBC, Castle Mondays at 10/9c on ABC and V Tuesdays at 10/9c on ABC. Until next week, Stay Classy San Diego.CReifstehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10064207890514516502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2292458949956366198.post-12983510423178612782010-03-27T23:27:00.000-07:002010-03-31T16:39:13.326-07:00FlashForward Returns with a Fizzle, but Castle Ends with a Bang<a href="http://www.tv.com/flashforward/show/76455/summary.html"><b><u>FlashForward</u></b>:</a>FlashForward returned two weeks ago with a two hour episode. In this episode, we finally got some more information about Mark’s FlashForward. Dan thinks that they used the fact that <a href="http://abc.go.com/shows/flash-forward/bio/mark-benford/229641">Mark</a> was drunk in his FlashForward to reorganize the show and fix some of the problems and plot holes by adding some new items to the board and using Mark being drunk as a reason for it not being clear on the board previously. I tend to agree with Dan’s assessment because of the whole Red Panda and the Hydra things, and a few others that we will discuss in the coming weeks. Also, they added the whole <a href="http://abc.go.com/shows/flash-forward/bio/lloyd-simcoe/318657">Simcoe</a> and Mark discussion about D. Gibbons, but Dan and I agree that this change was probably always intended and was not part of the re-organizational changes previously discussed.<br /><br /><object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/25kXHgWg938&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/25kXHgWg938&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="640"></embed></object><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Here's a video to explain FlashForward in case you haven't watched it. For a better recap go <a href="http://abc.go.com/watch/flashforward/235637/254388/what-did-you-see">here.</a><br /></span></div><br />One thing that really pissed me off about the mid-season premiere was the lack of informatn about the whole <a href="http://abc.go.com/shows/flash-forward/bio/demetri-noh/229635">Demetri</a> death storyline. The lack of addressing this topic was inexcusable and lazy writing. It was such a huge part of the story at the mid-season finale that not addressing it in this two hour episode was an unbelievable letdown. Dan tried to explain it was because the timeline was out of sync and that the story was no longer in real time, so we had not reached the March 15 date of Demetri’s death yet despite being there in real life. This is the problem faced by shows when they try to do things really interesting like this. Ultimately the network and circumstances always seem to intervene and screw things up. <a href="http://www.disneyabctv.com/web/index.aspx">ABC</a> usually does not screw up like this, but the <a href="http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/live/3872/hope-for-haiti-now-the-telethon/">Haiti tribute</a> and a few other circumstances prevented them from sticking to their initial spring schedule and essentially FlashForward is paying the price. Thankfully, this last week’s episode started to address the Demetri storyline and I am thankful for that.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-weight: bold;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v698/Leuthen2/FlashForward/Screencaps/S1E2_TheBoard001.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 416px; height: 234px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v698/Leuthen2/FlashForward/Screencaps/S1E2_TheBoard001.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The clues on this board explaining what caused the blackout are suppossed to be pieced together on April 29th, will the writers pull it off? </span><br /></div><br />The ratings for FlashForward are not where they need to be for this show to be secured for a long run. Dan and I both think that it is an excellent show that we both enjoy watching and discussing, however we feel that it just has not found its audience yet and needs an opportunity to catch on to a wider audience. <a href="http://www.tv.com/lost/show/24313/summary.html">LOST</a> is one of the best shows of last decade and Dan and I both felt that FlashForward had the potential to have the same success as LOST. We still feel that it could have the same success if the show progresses as we expect that it can. The problem is that LOST is very <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Characters_of_Lost">character driven</a> and the audience was drawn into the storyline because we could relate to and root for the characters. This same thing can not be said about FlashForward. FlashForward is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FlashForward">plot driven</a> and most of the time I can not wait to see where the story is going, but feel that the show is really lacking the character driven element that made LOST such a success. There is not one character on FlashForward that really grips my attention and thus, while I am excited to see where the plot goes, I am not vested in any of the characters. This could be a problem that ultimately spells <a href="http://www.calgaryherald.com/technology/Long+hiatus+hurt+FlashForward/2723211/story.html">doom</a> for the show despite the great concept and plot. Dan describes FlashForward as an old fashion slow grow show, which is a great technique, but it needs to get moving and get into gear or it will be canceled before it can really reach its potential. I hope this does not happen because I really want to see where they are going with the storyline.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.yourmomsbasement.com/RescuedByNerds/archives/LOST%20logo.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 208px; height: 157px;" src="http://www.yourmomsbasement.com/RescuedByNerds/archives/LOST%20logo.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://murdon.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/flashforward-logo.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 210px; height: 141px;" src="http://murdon.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/flashforward-logo.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Do these shows compare? Tell us your thoughts.<br /><br />Finally, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0597480/">Dominic Monaghan</a> was amazing in this two part episode, especially the 2nd hour. I really like him as an actor and loved him as <a href="http://lostpedia.wikia.com/wiki/Charlie">Charlie</a> on LOST and am liking him as the pseudo bad guy <a href="http://abc.go.com/shows/flash-forward/bio/simon-campos/367438">Simon Campos</a>. Dan likes him too, but felt that his part in the first hour of the premiere was unnecessary and seemed a little excessive. He did not like the whole kidnapping and cutting his finger off parts and felt that they did not really move the story forward. I tried to explain that the amazing second hour with Dominic Monaghan would not have been possible without the setup in the first hour. Thus, while it may have seemed a little out of place or excessive to Dan, I think it was necessary to move the plot forward. We both agreed by the end of the discussion that the excessive first hour was ultimately needed to make such a killer second half.<br /><br />Watch FlashForward Thursdays at 8/7c on ABC. Dan and I will discuss it in our next week’s phone conversation and I will discuss the next two weeks worth of FlashForward next time on the blog.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.tv.com/chuck/show/68724/summary.html"><b><u>Chuck</u></b></a>:<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/imgs/media/Bill/ChuckPoster.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 303px; height: 399px;" src="http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/imgs/media/Bill/ChuckPoster.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:85%;">Chuck has been so great recently, it deserves a movie poster despite being on TV.<br /></span></div><br />This week’s Chuck was a good <a href="http://www.tv.com/chuck/chuck-versus-the-final-exam/episode/1319733/summary.html?tag=ep_guide;summary">episode</a>, but not the greatest of the season (probably <a href="http://www.tv.com/chuck/chuck-versus-the-beard/episode/1319732/summary.html?tag=ep_guide;summary">Chuck Vs.</a> <a href="http://www.tv.com/chuck/chuck-versus-the-beard/episode/1319732/summary.html?tag=ep_guide;summary">The Beard</a> was the best). It appears that the writers are attempting to do something in each episode to keep <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Bartowski">Chuck</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Walker_%28Chuck%29">Sarah</a> apart while they try to resolve the whole <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Shaw">Shaw</a> storyline. In this last episode, Shaw was pissing Dan and I off something wicked, especially when he was interjecting himself into the conversations between Chuck and Sarah when they were on the stakeout. Like I keep saying, Shaw has got to go!!!!<br /><br />Dan had a theory that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Casey_%28Chuck%29">Casey</a>’s family may return in a future episode and that this return will help with the return of Chuck’s Dad to the show. Rumors have been swirling about <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000836/">Scott Bakula’s </a>return as Chuck’s dad (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_J._Bartowski">Steve Bartowski </a>), but I believe Dan told me this has been <a href="http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2010/01/08/chuck-scott-bakula-returns/">confirmed</a>…maybe not. We’ll leave it as a highly likely rumor for now. Ultimately, the return of Chuck’s Dad may be the impetus that pushes Chuck to strike out on his own and form <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Bartowski_Supervisors">Team Bartowski, separate from the CIA.</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://blog.nj.com/entertainment_impact_tv/2009/03/large_chuck-predator2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 310px; height: 176px;" src="http://blog.nj.com/entertainment_impact_tv/2009/03/large_chuck-predator2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Will the Buy More staff join Team Bartowski to be a rogue spy group defending America's freedom?<br /></span></div><br />Dan’s Team Bartowski theory for how the show may be heading, seems to gaining some credence. My only question with regards to this theory is how will this work with all of the supporting characters? Will Chuck still work at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buy_More">Buy More</a> as a cover if he strikes out on his own? How will they keep <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Barnes_%28Chuck%29#Jeff_Barnes">Jeff</a> & <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lester_Patel#Lester_Patel">Lester</a> a part of the show if Chuck is no longer at the Buy More? <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffster%21">Jeffster</a> is so over the top hilarious and such a fan favorite (especially me) that the show can not lose them without losing a part of itself that makes Chuck the show that fans love. In reality, if the show is going to lose any supporting characters, unfortunately, the two that would be the least disruptive to the show would be <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellie_Bartowski">Ellie</a> & <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Awesome">Awesome</a>. I really would hate to see Awesome go and hope this is not the case. Also, this was a strange episode for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan_Grimes">Morgan</a> to be MIA. He should have been in this episode to be there in support as the best friend while Chuck took his big test, but alas he was not in this episode. His absence was strange. Dan and I both hope this does not mean that maybe Morgan is being squeezed off the show, which would be a travesty.<br /><br /><object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4fgmcqvwLH4&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4fgmcqvwLH4&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="640"></embed></object><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Here's another Jeffster performance for your viewing pleasure.<br /></span></div><br />Anyway, watch Chuck Mondays at 8/7c on NBC and I’ll leave the discussion this week with the best line from the last episode: “I’m a naked spy”<br /><br /><a href="http://www.tv.com/castle/show/75394/summary.html?q=Castle&tag=search_results;title;2"><b><u>Castle</u></b>:</a><br />Dan and I were correct in our hypothesis that the cliffhanger for this week’s <a href="http://www.tv.com/castle/tick-tick-tick-.../episode/1322861/summary.html?tag=ep_guide;summary">episode</a> would be the explosion and we would be wondering if <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Beckett">Beckett</a> is dead. Of course Beckett is not dead! Dan is coming around to my theory that the killer used the explosion as a means to kidnap Beckett. Actually, Dan and I both thought the scene where the guy committed suicide was going to be the explosion scene as we were watching the episode because just prior to that scene we learned that the FBI agent (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001127/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Guest Star Dana Delany</span></a>) was a mother. Her random declaration that she is a mother, which is unnecessary personal information about a guest star or secondary character, usually means that the character is going to die. Thus Dan and I both believed that the FBI agent was going to die in the explosion as she was arresting the guy in the building with Kate and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Castle">Castle</a> outside watching. This, of course, did not happen, but we both believe she is going to be killed in the <a href="http://www.tv.com/castle/boom%21/episode/1324758/summary.html?tag=ep_guide;summary">next episode</a> based on my theory of excessive information and based on the previews.<br /><br /><object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CyGiOCJC8Gc&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CyGiOCJC8Gc&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="640"></embed></object><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">A look at Part 2 of the Castle Television Event.<br /></span></div><br />Speaking of theories for next week’s episode, Dan believes that it is going to fall to Castle to solve the mystery and rescue Beckett. I agree with this theory. I still think that this killer could lead to a nemesis character and that they don’t need to necessarily catch him this week, but Castle will rescue Beckett. Dan believes we may see a little <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_Reynolds">Malcolm Reynolds</a> emerge from Castle this week…playful, but very driven demeanor… goof around to relieve tension, but very focused on figuring this case out and rescuing Beckett. Castle hit it off with the FBI agent in this episode so that it is not out of character for him to be his goofing around self whilst trying to find Beckett in the next episode.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://prisionerodelpixel.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/castle-8771.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 327px; height: 215px;" src="http://prisionerodelpixel.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/castle-8771.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Does Castle have a little Captain Mal in him? We'll see.<br /></span></div><br />Also, I think Castle was making nice with the FBI agent intentionally to make Beckett a little jealous… and jealous she got. Maybe she began to realize that she had more feelings than just annoyance and actually has turned to true fondness for Castle. I’m not saying romantic feelings (yet), but a true fondness and friendship has developed and thus she got jealous of Castle's interest and playfulness with the FBI agent.<br /><br /><object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qHCzCYLsNjw&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qHCzCYLsNjw&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="640"></embed></object><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">An example of the relationship dynamic between Beckett, Castle and the FBI Agent.<br /></span></div><br />Best scene from the episode: When <a href="http://abc.go.com/shows/castle/bio/kevin-ryan/179207">Ryan</a> & <a href="http://abc.go.com/shows/castle/bio/javier-esposito/179206">Esposito</a> are questioning Castle about why he was at Beckett’s apartment and Castle calls them in for a huddle to say, “Tell you guys a secret…. NOTHING HAPPENED!” Great stuff! Along those lines, Dan and I have a crackpot theory that Beckett and Castle will eventually get together and when they do, Castle will get writers block since he can no longer use Beckett as his muse. Castle will have to ultimately decide whether to kill off the <a href="http://abc.go.com/shows/castle/castle-novel">Nikki Heat</a> character or end his relationship with Beckett so that he can go back to objectively writing the character. We think this is an excellent 3rd or 4th season overarching plot line. Watch Castle Mondays at 10/9c only on ABC.<br /><br />Well, that is more than enough for this week. Keep up the comments, voicemails, and tweets. <a href="http://twitter.com/AcrossAirwaves">@AcrossAirwaves</a>, <a href="mailto:AcrosstheAirwaves@gmail.com">AcrosstheAirwaves@gmail.com</a>. The first good voicemail with a crackpot theory about any of the shows we discuss will be featured on blog, so please participate. Til next week, “I’m a naked spy!”CReifstehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10064207890514516502noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2292458949956366198.post-78686433964763675702010-03-22T18:35:00.000-07:002010-03-31T18:42:49.088-07:00Chuck vs Castle, the Battle for the Best Show on Monday NightsDan and I had mixed feelings about the ending of this week’s <a href="http://www.tv.com/chuck/show/68724/summary.html">Chuck</a>. We know that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Casey_%28Chuck%29">Casey</a>’s expulsion from the team does not mean he’s leaving the show, just that he’s no longer on the inside. Although, this development makes our prediction that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan_Grimes">Morgan</a> & Casey will need to team up to save Chuck and Sarah in a later episode. Dan likes Casey losing his position on the team because it keeps the show from getting stuck in a rut and becoming stale. In reality, from the previews of next week’s episode, Chuck himself may not be a member of the team for much longer if he doesn’t kill the guy that the CIA orders him to kill. The Chuck I know won’t kill anyone and that could lead to him going back to being “just Chuck.” Dan and I speculate that Team Bartowski may strike out on their own to make a difference. Dan thinks that the show may change to a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buy_More">Buy More</a> vs. a high tech, criminal enterprise (currently <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ring_%28Chuck%29">The Ring</a>, previously <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulcrum_%28Chuck%29">Fulcrum</a>) … in a sense the Nerds vs. Spies.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://chucktv.net/gallery/albums/screencaps_season3/screencaps_309_2/normal_Chuck_309_0936.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 203px; height: 137px;" src="http://chucktv.net/gallery/albums/screencaps_season3/screencaps_309_2/normal_Chuck_309_0936.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://chucktv.net/gallery/albums/screencaps_season3/screencaps_309_1/normal_Chuck_309_0482.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 185px; height: 137px;" src="http://chucktv.net/gallery/albums/screencaps_season3/screencaps_309_1/normal_Chuck_309_0482.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The Little Guy vs. The Man, a conflict that may cause WWIII or Chuck goodness.<br /></span></div><br />I really enjoy when a show dives into the back story of a favorite character and shed some light on what has led them to become the character they are today. Last season we saw the episode with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Walker_%28Chuck%29">Sarah</a> and her <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_minor_Chuck_characters#Jack_Burton">Dad</a> and Chuck and his <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_J._Bartowski">Dad</a>. Well this week we had another insight into John Casey’s back-story. Understanding the life and love that Casey gave up for his love of country made his comment at the end of the <a href="http://www.hulu.com/watch/135021/chuck-chuck-versus-the-tic-tac#s-p1-so-i0">episode</a> to Chuck about Walker being a good woman and that it was not too late for Chuck to let her know how he feels, but he needs to do so before it becomes too late. Throughout the series, Casey has acted as mentor on numerous occasions, but this was the first time Casey overtly gave Chuck any personal advice. I liked it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://chucktv.net/gallery/albums/screencaps_season3/screencaps_302_3/normal_Chuck302_1378.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 218px; height: 149px;" src="http://chucktv.net/gallery/albums/screencaps_season3/screencaps_302_3/normal_Chuck302_1378.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://woodenspears.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/who-was-on-home-improvement-earl-hindman.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 158px; height: 166px;" src="http://woodenspears.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/who-was-on-home-improvement-earl-hindman.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Is John Casey Chuck's Wilson? You Decide.<br /></span></div><br />Finally, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Shaw">Shaw</a> has got to go! I am going to be a broken record about this until he is gone. Unfortunately, my estimation is that Shaw will be around until the season finale, but mercifully that should be the end of the Shaw character. Dan and I both think the Shaw character was only created because <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0093589/">Matthew Bomer</a> who played <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryce_Larkin">Bryce Larkin</a> left the show to become<a href="http://www.usanetwork.com/series/whitecollar/theshow/characterprofiles/neal/index.html"> Neal Caffrey </a>on<a href="http://www.tv.com/white-collar/show/75381/summary.html?q=White%20Collar&tag=search_results;title;1"> White Collar</a>. The Sarah and Bryce relationship would make much more sense this season than this Sarah-Shaw crap we have to deal with right now. It was nice to see Sarah and Chuck working together again. It was huge that when Chuck took the drug to flash and was out of control, nearly killing the guy, that Sarah was the only one that could get through to him and save him from going over the edge. Sarah has always been his compass, and now she seems to be the only one who keeps him grounded and prevents him from losing himself to the intersect.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/00/DanielShaw_Chuck.JPG/270px-DanielShaw_Chuck.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 140px; height: 210px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/00/DanielShaw_Chuck.JPG/270px-DanielShaw_Chuck.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://smalltownbigstyle.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/whitecollar1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 164px; height: 211px;" src="http://smalltownbigstyle.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/whitecollar1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Daniel Shaw, a poor man's Bryce Larkin.</span><br /></div><br />Some good news is that Chuck is currently the <a href="http://chucktv.net/2010/01/22/chuck-vs-the-podcast-037-zachary-levi-in-ny/">second highest ranking scripted show</a> on <a href="http://www.nbcuni.com/About_NBC_Universal/Company_Overview/NBC_Universal_Television_Group.shtml">NBC</a> only behind <a href="http://www.tv.com/the-office/show/22343/summary.html">The Office</a>. In my mind that should secure Chuck’s place on the schedule for next year, but we are talking about NBC and their record for not being stupid is questionable at best. We won’t know for sure until May 17th when NBC will make the official announcement of which shows will be on the schedule next season and which ones are canceled.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.tv.com/castle/show/75394/summary.html?q=Castle&tag=search_results;title;2">Castle</a>:<br />Next week’s <a href="http://www.tv.com/castle/tick-tick-tick-.../episode/1322861/summary.html?tag=prev_episode;title">episode</a> looks awesome. We are looking forward to it like it is a premiere. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Beckett">Beckett</a> won’t be killed of course, but we may think she is for a while. Dan thinks we might see a darker side of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Castle">Castle</a> in this episode, I think we may see his true feelings for Beckett. The Superfan killer is trying to outwit the Master (Castle), which is a classic theme for a nemesis or super villain. For this reason, I believe that he could be a recurring evil character/nemesis of Castle and Beckett for the remainder of the season or could be the killer from her <a href="http://www.tv.com/castle/sucker-punch/episode/1308458/summary.html?tag=ep_guide;summary">mother’s case</a>, though I think this less likely. I am thinking that when Castle thinks that Beckett is dead, that his emotions will betray his true feeling for her and when he finally realizes she is OK, there may be a moment where things get physical.<br /><br /><object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GJg6kmnXoIQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GJg6kmnXoIQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="640"></embed></object><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Here's a sneak peek of the two night Castle Television Event<br /></span></div><br />Dan wants to see some drama with Castle’s character, needs to be pushed and challenged. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0277213/">Nathan Fillion</a> is such a great actor that he can definitely handle it. I wouldn’t mind seeing him put in some new situations, but I also like the way the show is heading, so I hope they don’t change the show too much. Well, since this post was delayed by a crashing computer until Monday and TV is about to start, I’m going to cut this short and we’ll pick up the Castle talk next week.<br /><br />Keep checking the Twitter, email your comments, and start leaving some voice-mails. See you next week. Also watch Castle Mondays at 10/9c on ABC and Chuck Mondays at 8/7c on NBC because it still really needs viewer support to ensure a 4th season.CReifstehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10064207890514516502noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2292458949956366198.post-2463829726339342942010-03-13T23:57:00.000-08:002010-03-23T11:19:19.670-07:00Across the Airwaves Returns<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bookpubnw.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/on-air-sign.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 283px; height: 283px;" src="http://bookpubnw.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/on-air-sign.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:";" >After a 3 month hiatus, Across </span><span style=";font-family:";" >the Airwaves is back. Now, some of you may be asking, “Who the heck is this new guy and where’s Dan?” Good questions</span><span style=";font-family:";" >! My name is Nico (pronounced Neeko). I am a nerdy scientist and TV geek and have been friends with Dan for the last 8 years. Dan is busy finishing up film school and has asked me to contribute to the blog to keep it going until May when he will return. Also in May, Dan and I will launch the Across the Airwaves Podcast and co-host a weekly show that will discuss our favorite TV Shows, rumors, and theories. Shows we will discuss regularly will include: <a href="http://www.tv.com/chuck/show/68724/summary.html?q=Chuck&tag=search_results;title;1">Chuck</a>, <a href="http://www.tv.com/smallville/show/1718/summary.html?q=Smallville&tag=search_results;title;1">Smallville</a>, <a href="http://www.tv.com/flashforward/show/76455/summary.html?q=FlashForward&tag=search_results;title;1">Flash Forward</a>, <a href="http://www.tv.com/v/show/76298/summary.html?q=V&tag=search_results;title;10">V</a>, <a href="http://www.tv.com/fringe/show/75146/summary.html">Fringe</a>, <a href="http://www.tv.com/castle/show/75394/summary.html?q=Castle&tag=search_results;title;2">Castle</a>, <a href="http://www.tv.com/leverage/show/75367/summary.html?q=Leverage&tag=search_results;title;1">Leverage</a>, <a href="http://www.tv.com/white-collar/show/75381/summary.html?q=White%20Collar&tag=search_results;title;1">White Collar</a>, <a href="http://www.tv.com/human-target/show/76613/summary.html?q=Human%20Target&tag=search_results;title;1">Human Target</a>, <a href="http://www.tv.com/supernatural/show/30144/summary.html?q=Supernatural&tag=search_results;title;1">Supernatural</a>, and <a href="http://www.tv.com/the-big-bang-theory/show/58056/summary.html?q=Big%20Bang%20Theory&tag=search_results;title;1">Big Bang Theory</a>. Dan and I are still working out all the details, but we envision having a website, a Twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/AcrossAirwaves">(@AcrossAirwaves</a>), email (<a href="mailto:AcrosstheAirwaves@gmail.com">AcrosstheAirwaves</a><a href="mailto:AcrosstheAirwaves@gmail.com">@</a><a href="mailto:AcrosstheAirwaves@gmail.com">gmail.com</a>), and phone number (773-8</span><span style=";font-family:";" >09-3363) that will allow listeners to participate in the show and we will have a Listener Feedback section that will include tweets, emails, comments, and play your voicemails as part of the show… so please participate. Just a quick warning, Dan & I will be discussing the plots of the shows and thus request you watch the show before listening to the podcast or reading the blog so there are no SPOILERS.</span><span style=";font-family:";" ><br /><br />Chuck:<br /></span><br /><span style=";font-family:";" >This week’s Chuck was amazing. Finally <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Bartowski">Chuck</a> is on his </span><span style=";font-family:";" >way back to the regular guy that we all know and love. Also, now that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan_Grimes">Morgan</a> knows his secret and Chuck has an outlet to talk with, things are going to be great the rest of the season and a lot funnier. Dan and I were talking and all we need now is for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Shaw">Shaw</a> to be gone and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Walker_%28Chuck%29">Sarah</a> to realize she is actually in love with Chuck, like he realized his continu</span><span style=";font-family:";" >ed love of Sarah this week and then everything will be right in the world of Chuck.</span><br /><span style=";font-family:";" ><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;font-family:arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.themusicninja.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/chuck-season-3-soundtrack-music.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 330px; height: 236px;" src="http://www.themusicninja.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/chuck-season-3-soundtrack-music.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Chuck and Sarah, a match made in Nerd Herder Heaven.</span><br /></div><span style=";font-family:";" ><br />Best scenes from this week’s Chuck were the <a href="http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/iwoflag.htm">Iwo Jima</a><a href="http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/iwoflag.htm"> pose</a> in the Buy More revolution scene, the <a href="http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1916">Fortunate Son</a> montage/ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffster%21">Jeffster Song</a> (I have been waiting all season for the Jeffster Song and it did not disappoint, though not quite as good as the performance of <a href="http://www.toto99.com/band/history/history.shtml">Toto</a>'s <a href="http://popup.lala.com/popup/504684646423468120">Africa</a> which was the best, but it was still great and made my day). <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Barnes#Jeff_Barnes"> Jeff</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Barnes#Lester_Patel">Lester</a> songs are comedic gold!<br /></span><br /><object style="font-family: georgia;" height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/nViWOd87oKY&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nViWOd87oKY&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="640"></embed></object><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">See Jeffster in their debut performance. </span><br /></div><br /><span style=";font-family:";" >Finally, here are a few Dan and Nico theories: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellie_Bartowski">Ellie</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Awesome">Awesome</a> look like they are out the door, maybe at the end of the season, maybe sooner. Neither of </span><span style=";font-family:";" >us is happy about this. I think Awesome is well, awesome. I will miss him if we are correct about this. Dan and my second theory is that at some point this season Casey & Morgan will have to team up to </span><span style=";font-family:";" >save Chuck and Sarah. Since we think Shaw will be gone, it will come down to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Casey_%28Chuck%29">Casey</a> and Morgan, and it will be incredible… and probably hilarious.</span><br /><br /><div face="arial" style="text-align: center;"><span style=""><span style=""><span style=""><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://chucktv.net/gallery/albums/screencaps_season3/screencaps_305_1/Chuck305_0454.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 342px; height: 192px;" src="http://chucktv.net/gallery/albums/screencaps_season3/screencaps_305_1/Chuck305_0454.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></span></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;">Casey and Morgan already making a great team.</span><br /></div><span style=";font-family:";" ><br />Smallville:</span><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:";" >Even though Smallville was not new last week, Dan and I always discuss Smallville. This week Dan informed me that Smallville has been renewed for a 10th season, which Dan and I both hope means he will have an opportunity to write for the final season or be involved in some way with a job on the show. Two major rumors for the upcoming episodes next season are 1) the <a href="http://kirbymuseum.org/biography">Jack Kirby</a> created character <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darkseid">Darkseid</a> may be a m</span><span style=";font-family:";" >ajor villain and 2) that the 200th episode (next season) may be when <a href="http://smallville.wikia.com/wiki/Lex_Luthor">Lex Luthor</a> <a href="http://www.supermanhomepage.com/news.php?readmore=7708#comments">returns</a><a href="http://www.supermanhomepage.com/news.php?readmore=7708#comments"> to the show</a> or a <a href="http://smallville.wikia.com/wiki/Clark_Kent%27s_powers_and_abilities">certain hero takes flight. </a>The rumblings that Darkseid will be appearing in Season 10 comes from new baddie <a href="http://smallville.wikia.com/wiki/Amanda_Waller">Amanda Waller</a> mentioning an oncoming Apocalypse or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apokolips">Apokolips</a> at the end of <a href="http://smallville.wikia.com/wiki/Lex_Luthor">Absolute Justice</a>. This is up for debate because <a href="http://www.geoffjohns.com/about/">Geoff</a><a href="http://www.geoffjohns.com/about/"> Johns</a> (the writer of the episode) commented on his <a href="http://twitter.com/geoffjohns0">Twitter page</a> that he spelled the word in the script Apokolips but the closed captioning listed it as Apocalypse. In other words, this means the appearance of the characters made popular by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Gods">New Gods </a>comics and the <a href="http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/WF/superman/">Superman</a>/<a href="http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/WF/jlau/">Justice League Animated Series</a> might be a Fanboy's fantasy.<br /></span><a style="font-family: georgia;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.smallvillededication.com/gallery/albums/14requiemb/normal_requiem652.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 216px; height: 123px;" src="http://www.smallvillededication.com/gallery/albums/14requiemb/normal_requiem652.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a style="font-family: georgia;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://butterflyliz32.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/darth-vader-face1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 168px; height: 127px;" src="http://butterflyliz32.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/darth-vader-face1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;font-family:georgia;"><span style=""><span style="font-size:85%;">If Lex Luthor returns to Smallville, it better not be as Darth Vader's Cousin.</span></span><br /></div><span style=";font-family:";" ><br />Now for some bad news for next season, well at least in my opinion, <a href="http://smallville.wikia.com/wiki/Tess_Mercer">Tess Mercer</a> (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2336905/">Cassidy</a> <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2336905/">Freeman</a>) has signed on for a few episodes next season. I can’t stand her character, but I’m not sure if it’s the character, writing, or the actress. Dan and I speculate that if Lex returns in the 200th episode, then she will be killed (hopefully) in that episode, maybe even by Lex for her failure to lead <a href="http://smallville.wikia.com/wiki/LuthorCorp">LuthorCorp</a>.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;font-family:georgia;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.smallvillededication.com/gallery/albums/9x09b/Pandora507.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 380px; height: 214px;" src="http://www.smallvillededication.com/gallery/albums/9x09b/Pandora507.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Will Tess Mercer die at the hands of Lex Luthor or someone else? Watch Smallville to find out. </span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;font-family:arial;"><span style="">Now, the word on the street was that <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0532928/">Alison Mack</a> was rumored to be finished at the end of this season, but both Dan and I are hoping that she will sign on for the final season. She as in her character of <a href="http://smallville.wikia.com/wiki/Chloe_Sullivan">Chloe</a> and <a href="http://smallville.wikia.com/wiki/Clark_Kent">Clark</a> (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0919991/">Tom Welling)</a> are the only original cast members still on the show. We feel that she needs to be there till the end, even if they end up killing her in the final episode as Dan and I speculate could happen in order to explain her absence in the Superman comics. We just hope Alison Mack comes to the same realization.<span style=""><span style=""><span style=""><span style=""><span style=""><span style=""><span style=""><span style=""><span style=""><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.smallvillededication.com/gallery/albums/06Crossfirea/normal_crossfire103.jpg"><br /></a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style=""><span style=""><span style=""><span style=""><span style=""><span style=""><span style=""><span style=""><span style=""><span style=""><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.smallvillededication.com/gallery/albums/06Crossfirea/normal_crossfire103.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 348px; height: 220px;" src="http://www.smallvillededication.com/gallery/albums/06Crossfirea/normal_crossfire103.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;">No Superhero can go without his cute, spunky Sidekick.</span><br /></div></div><br /><span style=";font-family:";" >Finally, I don’t remember if this was a rumor or just wishful thinking on our part, but <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0551346/">James</a> <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0551346/">Marsters</a> may be reprising his role as <a href="http://smallville.wikia.com/wiki/Brainiac">Brainiac</a> for next season as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainiac_%28story_arc%29">another clone</a> of the popular Superman villain arriving on Earth. I’m an unapologetic James Marsters fan and would love to see him back on Smallville (also look for him on <a href="http://www.tv.com/caprica/show/65632/summary.html">Caprica</a> this season).<br /></span><a style="font-family: georgia;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20060407165715/smallville/images/2/28/Brainiac.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 207px; height: 116px;" src="http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20060407165715/smallville/images/2/28/Brainiac.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a style="font-family: georgia;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/spike.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 128px; height: 172px;" src="http://thetorchonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/spike.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div face="georgia" style="text-align: center;"><span style=""><span style="font-size:85%;">James Marsters plays a great villain as a killer Robot or a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spike_%28Buffy_the_Vampire_Slayer%29">Vampire</a>.</span></span><br /></div><span style=";font-family:";" ><br />Well, I think that is good for this week’s blog. Look for new posts each week by Saturday and look for the podcast starting in late May following Dan’s graduation. Please participate, leave comments, check out the Twitter, send an email and help us grow the blog and eventually the podcast.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> By the way don't miss Chuck Mondays at 8/7c on NBC and Smallville Fridays at 8/7c on The CW starting April 2nd.</span><br /><span style=";font-family:";" ><o:p></o:p></span>CReifstehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10064207890514516502noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2292458949956366198.post-91789993226187352482009-12-13T18:14:00.000-08:002010-02-28T14:15:18.831-08:00Why TV Fans Have To Suffer Through HiatusAfter watching the insane cliffhanger at the end of <a href="http://www.tv.com/white-collar/show/75381/summary.html?q=White%20Collar&tag=search_results;title;1">White Collar's</a> mid-season finale, my younger brother was extremely frustrated because he had to wait until January 19th for a resolution. Well, for those of you who don't know this period of time or torture as my brother calls it where the Networks show reruns or reality shows until they start airing new episodes is known as a hiatus.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg170/Freshkid_55/to-be-continued.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 315px; height: 177px;" src="http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg170/Freshkid_55/to-be-continued.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Don't you hate it when this appears on your TV screen.</span><br /></div><br />The reasoning behind hiatuses which take place around the Holidays and over the Summer is not to make you angry, it's to give the cast and crew a well deserved break for all of their hard work. While watching TV it feels like the creators of your favorite shows deliver an episode on a 9 to 5 work schedule because it is sometimes put together so flawlessly that it looks easy. However it normally takes a <a href="http://sutterink.blogspot.com/2009/11/show-must-be-run.html">60-70 hour work week</a> for a cast and crew to bring entertainment into to your living room. Based on this fact, even though a TV show going on hiatus is annoying like being forced to put down a good book, you got to remember that the people who help you escape reality have lives too and they look forward to spending the time off with their families. This means that if you are a TV watcher complaining about a hiatus, just suck it up and let the people who put their all into entertaining you have their vacation.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/time-zone/usa/images/vacation-travel.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 315px; height: 209px;" src="http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/time-zone/usa/images/vacation-travel.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">This is what the creators of your favorite shows are doing while you're watching reruns.<br /></span></div><br />At the same time, there are circumstances when getting angry over a hiatus is warranted like when a show goes into reruns during a month where new episodes should be airing like October or March because that means it is going to get canceled. In this case you as viewers have every right to be angry because the people who helped you escape the stresses of school or work on a weekly basis are going to lose their jobs. Recently, fans of TV shows have been channeling their anger over shows being canceled into organized campaigns such as sending Mars Candy Bars to Network Execs at The <a href="http://www.blogger.com/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_CW_Television_Network">CW</a> for the purpose of keeping <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Mars">Veronica Mars</a> on the air. On some occasions these campaigns have worked like when the short lived TV series <a href="http://www.tv.com/firefly/show/7097/summary.html?q=Firefly%20&tag=search_results;title;1">Firefly </a>was made into the movie <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serenity_%28film%29">Serenity</a>, FOX put <a href="http://www.tv.com/family-guy/show/348/summary.html?q=Family%20Guy&tag=search_results;title;1">Family Guy</a> back on the air and <a href="http://www.tv.com/chuck/show/68724/summary.html?q=Chuck&tag=search_results;title;1">Chuck</a><a href="http://www.tv.com/chuck/show/68724/summary.html?q=Chuck&tag=search_results;title;1"> </a>is now coming back in January instead of March.<br /><br />Even though they make viewers like you and me scream at the TV screen hiatuses are extremely powerful marketing tools. This is due to the fact that if pulled off correctly a mid-season or season finale cliffhanger will cause the hiatus to be a period of time where audiences members hype a show by speculating what will happen next to everyone who will listen which will cause the anticipation for the premiere episode to be so high that the ratings will go through the roof. Digging back through TV History this concept worked the best with the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_shot_J.R.%3F">Who Shot J.R. </a>cliffhanger at the end of <a href="http://www.tv.com/dallas/show/543/summary.html?q=Dallas&tag=search_results;title;1">Dallas</a> season 2 because at its time the season 3 premiere was the highest rated episode in US History with an estimated audience of 83,000,000 people.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-GlWejfJhgo&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-GlWejfJhgo&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Here is more about the Who Shot J.R. cliffhanger phenomenon<br /></span></div><br />In my opinion even though the start of a hiatus at the end of a finale leaves me frustrated at first because I always keep wanting more, I totally respect them. Especially since they are just long enough to make me miss my favorite shows to the point that coming back to them is like reuniting with an old friend. As an avid TV watcher I love this feeling and I would not give up hiatuses for the world unless it foretells the cancellation of a favorite show.<br /><br />Make sure you check out new episodes of your TV favorites and posts on this blog in March after a short hiatus.Rocketman2387http://www.blogger.com/profile/03399618585527355068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2292458949956366198.post-73808153362377050182009-12-13T09:07:00.000-08:002009-12-13T13:52:12.008-08:00The Late Show with David Letterman: A Bowl Full of Fun<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://usefulchamber.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/lateshowsign.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 305px; height: 202px;" src="http://usefulchamber.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/lateshowsign.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />My favorite thing to watch when it comes to late night television is the<a href="http://www.tv.com/late-show-with-david-letterman/show/3015/summary.html"> </a><a href="http://www.tv.com/late-show-with-david-letterman/show/3015/summary.html">Late Show with David Letterman</a>. If you haven't seen it the Late Show is structured very much like <a href="http://www.tv.com/the-tonight-show-with-conan-obrien/show/75634/summary.html?q=Tonight%20show&tag=search_results;title;2">The Tonight Show </a>based on it featuring stand-up, a live band and celebrity guests. However, even though Dave's show is the same as the other nightly talk shows I tend to like him better than his competitors. I can't really pin it down to one thing but I prefer watching Dave because Conan comes across as arrogant to me and <a href="http://www.tv.com/the-jay-leno-show-/show/77316/summary.html?q=Jay%20Leno%20show&tag=search_results;title;1">Jay</a> feels unapproachable almost as if <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBC">NBC</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBC"> </a>is whispering conservative jokes into his ear.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://thethoroughfare.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/strike-conan-obrien_l.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 137px; height: 183px;" src="http://thethoroughfare.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/strike-conan-obrien_l.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://dascoop.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/jay_leno2401.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 165px; height: 197px;" src="http://dascoop.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/jay_leno2401.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"> Conan and Jay, the Late Show's competition</span><br /><br /><br />Then when I turn on Dave I feel like it's a completely different ball game because he gives me a sense of comfort by being brutally honest with me as a viewer. Through doing this watching Dave feels like I'm hanging out with an uncle who tells crazy jokes. Now don't get me wrong there has been times that Dave has gone a little bit overboard and I occasionally agree when the media calls him out on some controversial jokes. I can also see why some of you as TV viewers can't stand watching him because of the mistakes he has made in his own <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2009/oct/06/entertainment/et-cbs-letterman6">personal life</a> but I don't let that bother me. I'm not saying that I agree with what he did I'm saying that I enjoy watching Dave because his TV persona is highly entertaining and all about having fun which is shown by Dave laughing at his own jokes including ones at his own expense.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://joyerickson.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/david-letterman.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 216px; height: 273px;" src="http://joyerickson.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/david-letterman.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">David Letterman giving his nightly monologue </span><br /></div><br />The fact that Dave laughs at his own jokes like any other average person makes him stand out compared to his rivals at least in my mind because it shows he is focused on one thing making the average Joe laugh. Dave caters his jokes to the average American by having people just like them perform comedy in segments like <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DalB-CvO7Qc">Stupid Pet Tricks</a> or having a bunch of students come in to do bird calls or science experiments. Dave also interacts with average folks during the course of his show such as the man who lives in the apartment in the studio, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8d7aVmkAy4">his mom in Indiana</a>, and the guy in the Deli down the street. At times Dave even has to act as a translator between regular people and celebrities like when Joaquin Phoenix spaced out on the show.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/R2Mzp_1ndR8&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/R2Mzp_1ndR8&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Here's Dave's spaced out interview with Joaquin Phoenix </span><br /></div><br />Honestly when I think about it Dave interacts with everyone during the course of his show from the audience to the orchestra led by the talented <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Shaffer">Paul Shaffer</a> to the crew working behind the scenes. He even at times has had <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CSRLyPiQcY">Regis Philbin</a> run through the audience like a crazy man high- fiving people. Although Dave's fun with the audience doesn't stop there because he is always asking them silly questions that may earn one of them an entire pizza or cause the Horns section to proudly raise their hands. I guess out of all these examples the main thing I want you to get out of this post about the Late Show is to give Dave a chance because watching him is like going to a party where something fun is always happening.<br /><br />Check out the Late Show with David Letterman weeknights on CBS at 11:35/10:35c or <a href="http://www.watch-letterman.com/">online</a>.Rocketman2387http://www.blogger.com/profile/03399618585527355068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2292458949956366198.post-19126013737696495262009-12-12T15:28:00.000-08:002009-12-19T09:33:25.368-08:00Veronica Mars: My TV Crush<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe_ZJ1apjacbSdJ9nB2Mdt7XepFbvnFVsTJMLzIecGycCsD_u8vLFjby4VkF4rB7yu_J8WKtAzB_ebCLzaM82sju1e2SnSn89N0dhRghLdFch5CFSXNqphTOfODIlS4kpfhwhetTjoKPdq/s1600-h/VM3_cast_1280x1024.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 363px; height: 273px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe_ZJ1apjacbSdJ9nB2Mdt7XepFbvnFVsTJMLzIecGycCsD_u8vLFjby4VkF4rB7yu_J8WKtAzB_ebCLzaM82sju1e2SnSn89N0dhRghLdFch5CFSXNqphTOfODIlS4kpfhwhetTjoKPdq/s320/VM3_cast_1280x1024.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414552156340340850" border="0" /></a>One of my favorite cult shows is <a href="http://www.tv.com/veronica-mars/show/24272/summary.html">Veronica Mars</a>. If you haven't seen it the show's title character Veronica played wonderfully by<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0068338/"> Kristen Bell </a>is a girl that had a horrific Sophomore year of High School. Basically to some it up, <a href="http://marsinvestigations.net/characters.php">Veronica</a>'s <a href="http://marsinvestigations.net/characters/6/Neptune%20Families/KaneLilly">best friend</a> was murdered, her <a href="http://marsinvestigations.net/characters/5/Neptune%20Families/MarsKeith">Dad</a> lost his job as Sheriff and she was dumped by her <a href="http://marsinvestigations.net/characters/3/Neptune%20Families/KaneDuncan">boyfriend</a> which in turn caused her to get raped. Now if this was a normal teen drama the show would have Veronica contemplating suicide but what emerged from her tragedy was an incredibly smart, yet sassy girl with a concealed big heart who I still have a TV crush on til this day. Although, having a TV crush on Veronica is not the only reason why I was attracted to this show, it was the fact that Veronica Mars dealt with an universal issue everyone can relate to which is something bad happening to you in High School.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.vidiot.com/VeronicaMars/images/VM-2T5721-03.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 345px; height: 236px;" src="http://www.vidiot.com/VeronicaMars/images/VM-2T5721-03.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The event tha</span><span style="font-size:85%;">t turned Veronica Mars' life upside down</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">However, the show does not focus on that event in particular, it focuses on Veronica rising above her embarrassment by honing her teenage angst into a mystery solving ability which she uses to help fellow students who have been wronged like her and solve her best friend's murder. In fact I think Veronica rising above tragedy by helping people might make her an even stronger heroine than <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffy_Summers">Buffy The Vampire Slayer</a> based on the fact that she deals with issues and on occasion crimes that exist in the real world. At the same time, I could also make an argument that Veronica is stronger than Buffy because when I was watching Veronica Mars which was during my last two years of High School, I was overcoming my own High School tragedy just like Veronica and I think her using that event to become a better person played a part in helping me get over my own crap.<br /></div></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.buddytv.com/battleimages/usr100431082/100431082_ddd5bb60-9b7f-48c9-b434-b4a1550a0eb8-veronica-mars-20061213101138862.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 159px; height: 239px;" src="http://www.buddytv.com/battleimages/usr100431082/100431082_ddd5bb60-9b7f-48c9-b434-b4a1550a0eb8-veronica-mars-20061213101138862.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Buffy-Spike---Angel-buffy-the-vampire-slayer-677664_1024_768.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 321px; height: 242px;" src="http://images.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Buffy-Spike---Angel-buffy-the-vampire-slayer-677664_1024_768.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Who's a stronger heroine Veronica or Buffy?</span> <span style="font-size:85%;">You Decide.<br /></span><br />Sadly just as fans got to know her, Veronica Mars was taken away from us after three seasons for the purpose of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Mars#Cancellation_and_future">The CW</a> being impatient with the show trying to find its legs after moving Veronica to College which I didn't think took the show very long compared to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Buffy_the_Vampire_Slayer_episodes#Season_4_.281999_.E2.80.93_2000.29">Buffy season 4</a>. The show's creator <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0859432/">Rob Thomas</a> tried to save Veronica Mars by connecting her best friend's murder to an conspiracy and making a season 4 mini episode where Veronica joins the FBI but it left us with unanswered questions. Now I guess the only thing we Veronica fans can do is hope those rumors of a <a href="http://www.tvguide.com/News/Veronica-Mars-Movie-1001755.aspx">movie</a> is true.<br /><br />Check out the Veronica Mars season 4 mini episode below...<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LG_dqD9RrKM&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LG_dqD9RrKM&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />Get Veronica Mars Seasons 1-3 on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Veronica-Mars-Complete-First-Seasons/dp/B000SULWJA/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1261243777&sr=1-4">DVD</a> or watch it <a href="http://www.thewb.com/shows/veronica-mars/">online</a> and keep an eye out for Kristen Bell, she's going to become a very popular actress in the next few years.Rocketman2387http://www.blogger.com/profile/03399618585527355068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2292458949956366198.post-49341961307075815512009-12-08T19:27:00.000-08:002009-12-13T14:29:41.126-08:00My Thoughts On Kurt Sutter's Blog Post Why Network Scripted Drama Suck<span style="font-size:100%;">If you don't know <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Sutter">Kurt Sutter</a> is the man behind the TV hits <a href="http://www.tv.com/the-shield/show/8261/summary.html?q=The%20Shield&tag=search_results;title;1">The Shield</a> and <a href="http://www.tv.com/sons-of-anarchy/show/75303/summary.html?q=Sons%20of%20Anarchy&tag=search_results;title;1">Sons of Anarchy</a>, a show I have raved about on this <a href="http://acrosstheairwaves.blogspot.com/2009/11/sons-of-anarchy-its-born-to-be-wild.html">blog</a>. Recently my respect for Mr. Sutter has risen even higher level due to the post he put on his blog entitled <a href="http://sutterink.blogspot.com/2009/10/why-most-network-scripted-dramas-suck.html">Why Most Network Scripted Dramas Suck</a>. Basically in his post Sutter gives his two cents on the <a href="http://acrosstheairwaves.blogspot.com/2009/09/thr0.html">Leno debate</a> by expressing the belief that development execs create shows </span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-family:georgia;">based on what they think people want to see. Churning out clones of semi-successful shows or in other words looking for a hook to market instead of concerning themselves with story and character. Then Sutter goes on to praise <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FX_%28TV_channel%29">FX</a> for taking a chance on Sons of Anarchy by making the realization that the show's success rests on his shoulders not their own.<br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.collider.com/uploads/imageGallery/Kurt_Sutter/kurt_sutter__1_.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 276px; height: 208px;" src="http://www.collider.com/uploads/imageGallery/Kurt_Sutter/kurt_sutter__1_.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Kurt Sutter, the show creator that's causing a ruckus on the internet</span><br /></div><span style=";font-family:";font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />The main thing that needs to be taken from Sutter's post for the purpose of standing up with him on a soapbox is that I whole heatedly agree with his viewpoint. This comes from the fact that I have a variety of very different types of shows in my weekly TV watching schedule from teen dramas like <a href="http://www.tv.com/the-vampire-diaries/show/76739/summary.html?q=Vampire%20Diaries&tag=search_results;title;1">The Vampire Diaries</a> to crude off the wall shows like<a href="http://www.tv.com/family-guy/show/348/summary.html?q=Family%20Guy&tag=search_results;title;1"> Family Guy</a> simply because I get bored of the repetition that exists in the form of <a href="http://www.tv.com/csi/show/19/summary.html?q=CSI&tag=search_results;title;1">CSI</a>, <a href="http://www.tv.com/law-and-order/show/180/summary.html">Law and Order</a> and all of its variations that are aired during the week. In order to better demonstrate my point I thought it might be best to give all of you my current TV watching schedule.<br /><br />Monday<br /><br />Heroes, Chuck, 24, Castle<br /><br />Tuesday<br /><br />V, Sons of Anarchy<br /><br />Thursday<br /><br />The Vampire Diaries, Fringe, Supernatural, 30 Rock, The Office<br /><br />Friday<br /><br />Smallville, Dollhouse, White Collar<br /><br />Sunday<br /><br />Family Guy<br /><br />*Shows are not all currently showing new episodes<br /><br />With this list I can see someone making an argument that <a href="http://www.tv.com/smallville/show/1718/summary.html?q=Smallville&tag=search_results;title;1">Smallville</a> and <a href="http://www.tv.com/heroes/show/17552/summary.html">Heroes</a> are similar to each other due to the superpowers concept. Although with something like <a href="http://www.tv.com/chuck/show/68724/summary.html">Chuck</a> and <a href="http://www.tv.com/24/show/3866/summary.html?tag=site-search;search_suggestions">24</a>, they both focus on a secret agent but one show is a <a href="http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=dramedy">dramedy</a> and the other one is completely serious. The bottom line with my TV schedule is that there are thousands of ways to explain how all these shows are all different from each other but what's important is that this line up keeps watching TV fresh. However with my schedule containing many fantasy based shows like <a href="http://www.tv.com/v/show/76298/summary.html?q=V&tag=search_results;title;1">V</a> or shows off the beaten path like Chuck I run the risk of being heartbroken because these are the types of shows that Network Execs see as risky. Then again I would much rather suffer the heartbreak of TV Show cancellation than having to stomach one of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000325/">David Caruso's</a><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000325/"> </a>cheezy lines he spouts off at the beginning of every formulaic episode of CSI Miami. With that being said I do have a friend who watches every form of CSI and <a href="http://www.tv.com/ncis/show/16772/summary.html">NCIS</a> during the week but I respect him for it because he also watches my TV schedule on top of those shows. On the other hand for those people who just center their schedule on just watching all the forms of CSI and Law and Order, you can do what you want but just know that I think you have no lives.<br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.students.stedwards.edu/lnaizer/csi.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 221px; height: 221px;" src="http://www.students.stedwards.edu/lnaizer/csi.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://visualcrack.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/law_and_order_criminal_intent.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 168px; height: 222px;" src="http://visualcrack.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/law_and_order_criminal_intent.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">CSI and Law and Order, two incredibly formulaic shows</span><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:";font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-family:georgia;">Going in the vein of Kurt Sutter's post I do feel like Network Execs need to put their faith in cutting edge shows like Sons of Anarchy instead of shows like <a href="http://www.tv.com/cold-case/show/16989/summary.html">Cold Case</a> where every episode starts with a cardboard box being taken off a shelf to be opened and ends with a box being put on a shelf to be closed. The reason behind this is that I believe Sons of Anarchy's success can be attributed to people's desire for a good story to escape the frustrations in daily life caused by the Recession or whatever else is going on in the world. So Kurt Sutter if you happen to stumble upon this post I want you to know that I would totally be interested in writing for Sons of Anarchy after I graduate from <a href="http://www.colum.edu/About_Columbia/index.php">Columbia College</a> in May because I would much rather work on a show that will knock an audience's socks off than </span></span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-family:georgia;">doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. </span><br /><br /></span>Rocketman2387http://www.blogger.com/profile/03399618585527355068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2292458949956366198.post-9830145508835748122009-12-06T22:16:00.000-08:002009-12-13T13:54:51.810-08:00Lions, Tigers and Mid-Season Finales, Oh My!When it comes to the TV watching season I really look forward to the weeks where they show the mid-season and season finales. Both of these occasions are incredibly bittersweet because it's the time where the cast and crew bring their A-games really sparking my imagination but at the same time the word finale means that I have to wait a few months for new episodes to come out. Currently this is the time of year for mid-season finales and I thought that in honor of this event I would give my opinion on what were the best <a href="http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080611190012AA5q8ew">mid-season finales</a> out of all the shows I watch on a weekly basis.<br /><br />However before we get into that I would like to give an Honorable Mention to <a href="http://www.tv.com/sons-of-anarchy/show/75303/summary.html">Sons of Anarchy</a> because even though the show's finale featuring a new rendition of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimme_Shelter">Gimme Shelter</a> was not as epic or shocking as the two finales that I chose, the show had the best first half of season out of everything on Television. I would also like to apologize if the reason why I chose these finales comes across as vague, I just don't want to spoil things for those of you who plan on catching up with these shows on your <a href="http://www.howstuffworks.com/dvr.htm">DVR</a> or waiting for it to come out on DVD.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG-PmdlnIpmhaLxG8HnW4XI2Nz0f7LLKLq9nFEEhPY-eVM-e6_Xhg0nsc7suAinq-TmR_Gu87AMLjR89w90uCVFlZuneFQkQIS3HkWdvN5zF17xhCZOliIn5yUuxWySshSwO_0PNJaRNHz/s1600-h/SoA_wallpaper_10_1280.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 306px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG-PmdlnIpmhaLxG8HnW4XI2Nz0f7LLKLq9nFEEhPY-eVM-e6_Xhg0nsc7suAinq-TmR_Gu87AMLjR89w90uCVFlZuneFQkQIS3HkWdvN5zF17xhCZOliIn5yUuxWySshSwO_0PNJaRNHz/s200/SoA_wallpaper_10_1280.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414157881312583666" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The best show of the Fall 2009 season.</span><br /></div><br />So without farther adieu here are the best mid-season finales of 2009...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.tv.com/white-collar/show/75381/summary.html"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">White Collar</span></a><br /><br />A few weeks ago I raved about the dynamic between Con Artist <a href="http://www.usanetwork.com/series/whitecollar/theshow/characterprofiles/neal/index.html">Neal Caffery</a> and FBI Agent <a href="http://www.usanetwork.com/series/whitecollar/theshow/characterprofiles/peter/index.html">Peter Burke</a> in the shows pilot. Today I can happily say that the show maintained the chemistry between these characters to the point that <a href="http://www.tvguidemagazine.com/matt-roush-daily-review/weekend-tv-white-collar-and-more-2926.html">TV Guide has called White Collar the best new show of the Fall TV season.</a> What made the mid-season finale one of the best of 2009 was the fact that it ended with a shocking twist that obliterated some major character back story and possibly changed the status quo of the series. This is an incredibly ballsy move for a show in its first season but it is also kind of smart because the twist will bring myself and I hope other viewers back to the show just to see how the heck the writers are going to pull this off.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gIFySyLynAk&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gIFySyLynAk&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">See what the Fall's best new show is all about.</span><br /></div><br /><br /><a href="http://www.tv.com/smallville/show/1718/summary.html"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Smallville</span></a><br /><br />I have said on repeated occasions with this blog that season 9 of this show has been epic to the point that it feels like the Producers are creating mini-movies every week that are on the level of the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078346/">Christopher Reeve Superman film</a>. In fact the mid-season finale <a href="http://www.tv.com/smallville/pandora/episode/1291559/summary.html?tag=prev_episode;title">Pandora</a> may have surpassed that movie based on the fact that the episode contained major character deaths and actually showed a fight between two super humans instead of having it take place off screen which is something I thought was impossible on The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_CW_Television_Network">CW's</a> budget. However before you Smallville fans get your tights bunched up there is a twist to the character deaths and no they are not a dream like on <a href="http://www.tv.com/dallas/show/543/summary.html">Dallas</a>. Instead the supposed deaths and the all out fight scenes that took place in the episode were just used as a way to tease the <a href="http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2009/11/11/exclusive-smallville-tv-movie-takes-flight/">Smallville TV movie</a> that is coming down the pipeline. Supposedly this TV movie penned by superstar comic book writer <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoff_Johns">Geoff Johns </a>might just be one of the biggest special effect extravaganzas in TV history and I think this mid-season finale did a great job of proving to Smallville's now growing audience that something like a two hour event filled with superhero guest stars is possible. Although on a personal level what impressed me the most about this episode was the fact that they took the classic superhero versus super villain story established by <a href="http://www.supermanhomepage.com/comics.php">Superman comic books</a> 70 years ago in a whole new direction.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4Sdh12a4d_A&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4Sdh12a4d_A&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">See what's coming down the pipeline for Smallville in 2010</span><br /></div><br />Now that I have given you what the best mid-season finales for 2009 are, at least in my opinion, the best thing you can do is watch these episodes of <a href="http://www.hulu.com/watch/113014/white-collar-free-fall?c=Drama#s-p1-so-i0">White Collar</a> and Smallville to get a better grasp on my thoughts about them or just because you might be interested in one of these shows.<br /><br />Check out reruns of White Collar at various times on USA and new episodes starting January 19th.<br /><br />Check out reruns of Smallville Fridays at 8/7c on The CW and new episodes starting January 22nd.Rocketman2387http://www.blogger.com/profile/03399618585527355068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2292458949956366198.post-84186341402159999042009-12-06T13:30:00.000-08:002009-12-11T15:39:39.774-08:00It's A Jungle Out There No More<object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/w759Hgr7VTs&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/w759Hgr7VTs&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="340" width="560"></embed></object><br /><br />I know that I posted about this a few weeks ago but last night USA's <a href="http://www.tv.com/monk/show/9130/summary.html">Monk</a> came to an end with an ending that was fitting for the Defective Detective. Now before any of you Monk fans get worried that I am going to spoil the finale, have no fear, in fact this post is barely going to touch the last episode because it is not a review, it's a tribute to the character and the show that was such an important part of my Friday night for the past eight years.<br /><br />Eight years ago I got into Monk because USA kept showing promos for the show while I was watching the movie <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112508/">Billy Madison</a>. At this point in time Cable shows were kind of a joke at the time unless they were on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HBO">HBO</a> because shows like <a href="http://www.tv.com/rescue-me/show/24321/summary.html">Rescue Me </a>and <a href="http://www.tv.com/the-shield/show/8261/summary.html">The Shield</a> were not in existence but for whatever reason I watched Monk anyway.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/v0jWU0JK8aM&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/v0jWU0JK8aM&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">An example of a promo that got me to watch Monk</span><br /></div><br />When I first met <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian_Monk">Adrian Monk</a> through the use of my Television I was uncomfortable with him just like the other characters on the show because I wasn't sure if it was right for me to laugh at his struggle with <a href="http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/anxiety-disorders/obsessive-compulsive-disorder.shtml">Obsessive Compulsive Disorder</a>. However after I watched my first episode of the show I realized the humor did not come from Monk's struggles but the inability of people around him to be patient with his desire to be clean and free of germs. In fact through the eyes of various villains on the show they felt that Monk was less than a man due to his many phobias but he always would prove them wrong by using his <a href="http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/anxiety-disorders/obsessive-compulsive-disorder.shtml">OCD</a> as a gift to solve the murders they committed. This is what caused me to identify with the character of Monk because as a person in a wheelchair I have run into a few people who have doubted my abilities and the fact that Monk deals with same challenges makes me want to root on the character in every episode. At the same time this plays a part in why <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leland_Stottlemeyer">Captain Stottlemeyer</a> is my favorite character on the show.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://l.yimg.com/l/tv/us/img/site/44/55/0000034455_20061020235019.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 223px; height: 298px;" src="http://l.yimg.com/l/tv/us/img/site/44/55/0000034455_20061020235019.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">My favorite Monk character Captain Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine)<br /></span><br /></div>When I was first introduced to the Captain I enjoyed the character because his frustration towards Monk's phobias and his dim witted partner <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Disher">Randy</a> made me laugh. However as time went on I began to respect the character tremendously because through out the course of the show the Captain goes from being the one who is most impatient with Monk to being the one who understands him the most. This story arc with the Captain is something that always made the show extremely unique because I feel that it opened the eyes of people who might be inexperienced with people who have disabilities and I don't think this type of character progression will be done for awhile because it was so well pulled off on Monk.<br /><br />Soon after I started watching Monk, my Dad introduced me to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbo_%28TV_series%29">Columbo</a> and I used that show as leverage to convince him to check out Monk. From there on out every Friday night in the Mid-Summer and Winter revolved around watching Monk. However like with any show Monk had it's bad phase which was seasons 4 and 5. The weakness behind these seasons came from the fact that Monk switched assistants which made the show not as funny and in the opinion of an instructor of mine at <a href="http://www.colum.edu/About_Columbia/index.php">Columbia</a> it made the writers forget Monk was a <a href="http://www.google.com/Top/Arts/Television/Programs/Dramas/Cop_Shows/">Cop Show</a>. The show was turning me off because they brushed the series long story arc of Monk solving his wife's. Then in season 6 Monk's new assistant <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natalie_Teeger">Natalie</a> began to click with the other characters to the point that I liked her better than his old assistant <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharona_Fleming">Sharona</a> by the time we got to the end of the series. Season 6 also ended in a two part story arc that helped hold me over on Monk solving his wife's murder until the final episode.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2251/2275143992_9a67bc7168.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 369px; height: 209px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2251/2275143992_9a67bc7168.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Monk_characters#Dale_.22The_Whale.22_Biederbeck">Dale "The Whale" Biederbeck</a>, a man involved with the death of Monk's wife and his <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professor_Moriarty">Professor Moriarty </a></span></div><br />Although, through the good and the bad, myself along with the rest of the show's audience became so attached to the character of Monk that we looked into the killer of his wife's eyes with the same amount of anger he felt and at the end of the episode we found it hard to say good-bye. On that note I would like to thank the Cast and Crew of Monk for gracing my living room on Friday nights for the past eight years and I'd like them to know that when I see anyone being a little compulsive or obsessive I will think upon Adrian Monk with very fond memories.<br /><br />Watch the USA stars say good-bye to the man who made their shows possible...<br /><br /><object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZJlF5UaS25c&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZJlF5UaS25c&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="340" width="560"></embed></object><br /><br />Check out Monk Seasons 1-7 on DVD and <a href="http://www.usanetwork.com/schedules/sched.php?search=monk&sdate=12%2F01%2F2009-12%2F31%2F2009&x=33&y=3">click here</a> to find out when you can check out reruns of Monk on USA.Rocketman2387http://www.blogger.com/profile/03399618585527355068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2292458949956366198.post-41958580307940933662009-11-17T14:27:00.000-08:002009-11-29T21:50:51.810-08:00Heroes: I've Got To Admit It's Getting Better, It's Getting Better All The Time<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.hip2b2.com/images/uploaded_images/heroes_title_card.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 369px; height: 208px;" src="http://www.hip2b2.com/images/uploaded_images/heroes_title_card.png" alt="" border="0" /></a>I know when I first started this blog, I really ragged on <a href="http://www.tv.com/heroes/show/17552/summary.html">Heroes</a> in comparing it to <a href="http://www.tv.com/smallville/show/1718/summary.html">Smallville</a> and I still maintain the fact that Smallville in its Ninth Season is much more consistent in quality than Heroes. However, I cannot get up on my soapbox without admitting that Heroes is getting better. If you haven't followed Heroes, it's a show that has had a strange past based on the show having the best first season in maybe all of Television history even getting an <a href="http://cdn.emmys.tv/awards/index.php">Emmy</a> nomination for best drama. Then the <a href="http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117999950.html?categoryid=1066&cs=1">Writers Strike</a> hit causing Heroes to ride off the rails on a crazy train in it's 3rd season with the introduction of a new villain played by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Forster">Robert Forster</a> that had lines which made him sound like the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicked_Witch_of_the_West">Wicked Witch of the West</a> and the use of plot lines so <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_characters_in_Heroes#Introduced_in_Season_Three">chocked full of characters</a> that it could cause your mind to explode.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://heroeswiki.com/images/1/14/Arthur_Petrelli.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 250px;" src="http://heroeswiki.com/images/1/14/Arthur_Petrelli.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Robert Forster as baddie <a href="http://heroeswiki.com/Arthur_Petrelli">Arthur Petrelli</a> who will get you my Heroes and your powers too<br /></span><br /></div>In the second half of this season Heroes became less complicated by the show going back to the character-driven stories that made the first season popular from the start. Although, the decision to have one of the <a href="http://heroeswiki.com/Matt">Heroes use his mental abilities</a> to permanently brainwash the shows main villain <a href="http://heroeswiki.com/Sylar">Sylar</a> to shape-shift into and believe he is <a href="http://heroeswiki.com/Nathan">Nathan Petrelli</a> a Hero who was killed during the 3rd season finale still left a bad taste in my mouth about the show.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://heroeswiki.com/images/0/06/Nathanpetrelli.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 250px;" src="http://heroeswiki.com/images/0/06/Nathanpetrelli.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://heroeswiki.com/images/d/d7/Sylar_face.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 250px;" src="http://heroeswiki.com/images/d/d7/Sylar_face.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">The guy on the <a href="http://heroeswiki.com/Nathan_Petrelli">left</a> is now the guy on the <a href="http://heroeswiki.com/Sylar">right</a>? That's seriously confusing.<br /></span><br />With the current fourth season Heroes the show seems to be getting better for one of two reasons. The first reason which was given to me by a friend of mine is the fact that Heroes has been so bad for such a long period of time that our expectations have been lowered to the point where the show appears as good. However with being an optimist, I want to go with the second reason which is the writers of the show finally realizing that Heroes is a drama about people who happen to have superpowers rather than an epic race to save the world. This has been proven by the introduction of a story line about a deaf woman named <a href="http://heroeswiki.com/Emma_Coolidge">Emma</a> whose manifesting powers and interactions with the other Heroes on the show have been used as a plot device to get her to take on the challenges caused by her disability.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://heroeswiki.com/images/b/b2/Soundblast404.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 362px; height: 281px;" src="http://heroeswiki.com/images/b/b2/Soundblast404.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Emma using her power to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_superhuman_features_and_abilities_in_fiction#Sound_manipulation" title="List of superhuman features and abilities in fiction">convert sound into physical force</a><br /></span><br /></div>The writers have also realized that Heroes is about people who have superpowers through the addition of a new villain named <a href="http://heroeswiki.com/Samuel_Sullivan">Samuel</a> played wonderfully by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0460694/">Robert Knepper</a> that is like the <a href="http://marvel.com/universe/X-Men">X-Men</a> character <a href="http://www.uncannyxmen.net/db/spotlight/showquestion.asp?faq=10&fldAuto=130&page=2">Magneto</a> in the sense that he wants the Heroes a.k.a people with superpowers to have a place in the world but he goes about it in the wrong way.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.tvfanatic.com/images/gallery/samuel-photo_558x510.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 244px;" src="http://static.tvfanatic.com/images/gallery/samuel-photo_558x510.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Robert Knepper as the villainous Samuel<br /></span><br /></div>Despite these great storytelling decisions Heroes still has some bumps in the road with this season's arc including continuing the plot line of Sylar being transformed into Nathan and having fan favorite character <a href="http://heroeswiki.com/Hiro_Nakamura">Hiro</a> travel back in time to undo a decision he made in the first season but these more unfavorable story threads including a few from the past are being phased out by what currently seems to be character deaths in order to establish <a href="http://heroeswiki.com/Peter_Petrelli">Peter Petrelli</a> as the show's protagonist surrounded by a cast of <a href="http://heroeswiki.com/Portal:Main_Characters/Season_Four">supporting Heroes.</a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images1.fanpop.com/images/photos/2200000/Heroes-S3-Wallpaper-heroes-2273656-1280-800.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 418px; height: 263px;" src="http://images1.fanpop.com/images/photos/2200000/Heroes-S3-Wallpaper-heroes-2273656-1280-800.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Peter Petrelli wielding the blue lightning, standing in front of the cast of supporting characters<br /></span><br /></div>Normally, character deaths bother me but in the case of Heroes, I don't mind them as long they are a step towards making the show compelling like it was in the first season. With all that being said, even though this post is helping me assure myself I am still bracing myself for the show to disappoint me like the second half of season three where it became good again only to let me down with Sylar being transformed into Nathan. However, if Heroes remains on its present course, it will keep me watching and maybe avoid the threat of cancellation.<br /><br />Check out Heroes Mondays at 8/7c on NBC or <a href="http://www.hulu.com/heroes">online</a> and I strongly recommend checking out the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Heroes-Season-One-Hayden-Panettiere/dp/B000QDLSR0">first season on DVD. </a>Rocketman2387http://www.blogger.com/profile/03399618585527355068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2292458949956366198.post-48004089938054482012009-11-17T00:07:00.000-08:002009-11-18T12:43:34.889-08:00Sons of Anarchy: It's Born To Be Wild<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.boiseweekly.com/images/blogimages/2009/10/20/1256068378-soa.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 424px; height: 316px;" src="http://www.boiseweekly.com/images/blogimages/2009/10/20/1256068378-soa.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />A show that I have really been enjoying during my TV watching week is <a href="http://www.tv.com/sons-of-anarchy/show/75303/summary.html">Sons of Anarchy. </a>If you haven't seen it Sons of Anarchy is a show about a gang of <a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/biker">Bikers</a> on the wrong side of the law who act as vigilantes in the small town of Charming, California taking on gang bangers, drug dealers and <a href="http://www.atf.gov/about/mission.htm">ATF</a> Agents. With this being said you may think Sons of Anarchy is <a href="http://www.tv.com/the-sopranos/show/314/summary.html">The Sopranos</a> with Bikers but in my opinion this show is much more badass and it draws it roots from something much older which is <a href="http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/hamlet/summary.html">Shakespeare's Hamlet.</a> Yeah, I know it sounds crazy but the show's protagonist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jax_Teller">Jax Teller</a>, the Vice President of the Biker gang is Hamlet complete with the ghost of his Father haunting him and a Stepfather who has taken over his Father's kingdom. However for this <a href="http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080903/LIFE/809030301">story</a> to fit into the realistic world of a Biker gang the ghost of Jax's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_characters_from_Sons_of_Anarchy#John_Teller">Father</a> exists in the form of a manuscript in which he explains how the gang fell from grace and Jax's Stepfather is the President of the Biker gang, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clay_Morrow">Clay Morrow</a> who you don't want to mess with in a dark alley.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.srotheater.org/HamletSkullHCSealous.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 219px; height: 214px;" src="http://www.srotheater.org/HamletSkullHCSealous.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.tvguide.com/MediaBin/Galleries/Shows/S_Z/Si_Sp/SonsOfAnarchy/season1/sons-anarchy07.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 255px; height: 214px;" src="http://static.tvguide.com/MediaBin/Galleries/Shows/S_Z/Si_Sp/SonsOfAnarchy/season1/sons-anarchy07.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">To be or not to be? That's the question these guys have got to ask themselves<br /></span><br />Even though the concept of Sons of Anarchy being a modern day retelling of Hamlet is interesting, it's not the reason why I am compelled to watch the show every week, its the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_characters_from_Sons_of_Anarchy#Sons_of_Anarchy_Motorcycle_Club">Bikers</a> themselves. I don't know if it is the sense of brotherhood that exists between them, their dark sense of humor or their love of riding on the open road but the show does a great job of making the Bikers which should be seen as bad guys come across as heroes that I can't help but watch every week in order to root them on.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/sonsofanarchy/images/6/65/Sons_Of_Anarchy_690348i.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 407px; height: 229px;" src="http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/sonsofanarchy/images/6/65/Sons_Of_Anarchy_690348i.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The members of the Sons of Anarchy, from counterclockwise Clay, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tig_Trager">Tig</a>, Jax, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Munson">Bobby</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chibs_Telford">Chibs</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opie_Winston">Opie</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-Sack_Epps">Kip a.k.a. The Prospect</a></span><br /></div><br /></div>At the same time, I cannot look past the show's raw, in your face feel fueled by an action-packed war between the Bikers and a group of Women raping <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_characters_from_Sons_of_Anarchy#LOAN">White Supremacists</a> because the fact it that just keeps going from bad to worse gives me a strong desire to watch the show just to see these Supremacists get what's coming to them.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.tvfanatic.com/images/gallery/ethan-zobelle.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 378px; height: 235px;" src="http://static.tvfanatic.com/images/gallery/ethan-zobelle.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0035060/">Adam Arkin</a> as White Supremacist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_characters_from_Sons_of_Anarchy#Ethan_Zobelle">Ethan Zobelle<br /></a></span><br /></div>Although, what made Sons of Anarchy gold was at least in my eyes was the end of the most <a href="http://www.tv.com/sons-of-anarchy/balm/episode/1297363/summary.html?tag=ep_guide;summary">recent episode</a> where a revelation is made that stemmed an unbelievable performance from <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0402271/">Charlie Hunnam</a> which gave myself along with the rest of the audience watching the show a deep look into the heart and soul of a Biker that might allow Sons of Anarchy to upstage <a href="http://www.tv.com/mad-men/show/74140/summary.html">Mad Men</a> for Best Drama at the <a href="http://cdn.emmys.tv/awards/index.php">Emmys.</a> We'll just have to wait and see but for now check out Sons of Anarchy for an incredibly driven and engaging Television experience.<br /><br />Watch Sons of Anarchy Tuesdays at 10/9c on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FX_%28TV_channel%29">FX</a> or <a href="http://vod.fxnetworks.com/fod/play.php?sh=soa">online</a>Rocketman2387http://www.blogger.com/profile/03399618585527355068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2292458949956366198.post-63611222041084782182009-11-10T14:52:00.000-08:002009-11-11T20:22:35.915-08:00Supernatural Pokes Fun At The Competition<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsAgauOFI-40BGAV67kOq6ahYh7f1XVMaUYkmHkacsKBkVsFiJicKx7VT-19gYZM2uZ5w23WlAy2H-UyJq4V20b_La25fYWxTz4_DvlAPiE4RdKLN8WhFEM0_IkWy1elEQEWifmYsNuApV/s1600-h/CM+Capture+15.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 377px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsAgauOFI-40BGAV67kOq6ahYh7f1XVMaUYkmHkacsKBkVsFiJicKx7VT-19gYZM2uZ5w23WlAy2H-UyJq4V20b_La25fYWxTz4_DvlAPiE4RdKLN8WhFEM0_IkWy1elEQEWifmYsNuApV/s320/CM+Capture+15.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403055031617716242" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Supernatural is filmed in front of a live studio audience, wait that isn't right<br /></span></div><br />I don't know how many of you that read this blog watch the hour long Drama, <a href="http://www.tv.com/supernatural/show/30144/summary.html">Supernatural</a> but if you are an avid TV watcher or think it has become too commercial (yes I am talking to you, Jeff Schiff in a nice way) you need to check out the most recent episode of the show entitled <a href="http://www.tv.com/supernatural/changing-channels/episode/1301966/summary.html?tag=prev_episode;title">Changing Channels.</a> In this episode my favorite Demon/Ghost Hunters <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Winchester">Sam</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Winchester">Dean</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Winchester">Winchester</a> are lured in to the world that exists on your Television screen by a reoccurring villain named <a href="http://supernaturalfanwiki.wetpaint.com/page/Trickster">The Trickster</a> where they are forced to <a href="http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-parody.htm">parody</a> TV Shows in order to survive.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.squidoo.com/resize/squidoo_images/-1/draft_lens5491502module41902402photo_1245828257trickster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 331px; height: 187px;" src="http://static.squidoo.com/resize/squidoo_images/-1/draft_lens5491502module41902402photo_1245828257trickster.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The Trickster, a Supernatural fan's favorite troublemaker<br /><br /></span></div>When it comes to parodying TV Shows, the <a href="http://www.tv.com/jeremy-carver/person/600497/summary.html?tag=content_wrap;cast_crew_list">writer</a> of this episode did not hold back making fun of the competitors in Supernatural's time-slot through a <a href="http://www.tv.com/greys-anatomy/show/24440/summary.html">Grey's Anatomy</a> spoof complete with sappy music knocked off from The Fray and Female Interns slapping Male Doctors. This episode also parodies Supernatural's other competitor <a href="http://www.tv.com/csi/show/19/summary.html?q=csi&tag=search_results;title;1">CSI</a> with the character who I believe to be the biggest hardass on TV, Dean Winchester comically bashing <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000325/">David Caruso</a> for his portrayal of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horatio_Caine">Investigator Horatio Caine.</a> However the writer of this episode doesn't stop with CSI and Grey's Anatomy, he also pokes fun at many types of Television Genres including commercials.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images2.fanpop.com/image/photos/8600000/Changing-Channels-Promo-Photos-supernatural-8647019-1450-966.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 285px; height: 189px;" src="http://images2.fanpop.com/image/photos/8600000/Changing-Channels-Promo-Photos-supernatural-8647019-1450-966.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJdpzWf1zUgRPwr_iULyC7w6j3BrlvnMxDuKARGj7-ylf7AciJm2xx3qSmq6cmBNHoIfXbLQwASfOJ3jwB5mcQIj6Or9J6PBUzeJd1A1WI0CZEG6xFmx1iVmwlBfk4_GWqdGd0uC1e0v7O/s1600-h/CM+Capture+14.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 189px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJdpzWf1zUgRPwr_iULyC7w6j3BrlvnMxDuKARGj7-ylf7AciJm2xx3qSmq6cmBNHoIfXbLQwASfOJ3jwB5mcQIj6Or9J6PBUzeJd1A1WI0CZEG6xFmx1iVmwlBfk4_GWqdGd0uC1e0v7O/s320/CM+Capture+14.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403050295097098050" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Sam and Dean Winchester as Doctors in a Grey's Anatomy spoof and Police Investigators in a CSI spoof.<br /></span><br />The other great thing about this episode besides the parody is the fact that the creators of Supernatural did not see Changing Channels as an excuse to run wild in their <a href="http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2009/08/30/will-supernatural-end-in-2010/">potential final </a><a href="http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2009/08/30/will-supernatural-end-in-2010/">season</a> they actually connected it to the show's overall story arc with a revelation about Sam and Dean that pertains to the season or series finale that may get the one time watchers who only turned on this episode for the parodies, hooked on Supernatural. With this last point I am going to stop with my discussion of this episode here because it was so good at least in my opinion that it should be able to speak for itself, which is a nice way of me saying drop everything you are doing and watch this episode, its well worth it.<br /><br />Check out the Supernatural episode <a href="http://cwtv.com/cw-video/supernatural/supernatural-changing-channels/?play=715-6840">Changing Channels here</a> and watch Supernatural Thursdays at 9/8c on The CW.Rocketman2387http://www.blogger.com/profile/03399618585527355068noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2292458949956366198.post-18860870895742567442009-11-10T11:54:00.000-08:002009-11-11T18:51:21.765-08:00Have The Vs Arrived In Your Home?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/61/V-2009_TV_series_logo.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 401px; height: 284px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/61/V-2009_TV_series_logo.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Recently I watched the Pilot for the new alien invasion drama <a href="http://www.tv.com/v/show/76298/summary.html">V</a> and it proved the show is all about symbolism especially since the first five minutes included a <a href="http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-crucifix.htm">crucifix</a> in a church being shattered as the Aliens' spaceships enter the Earth's atmosphere. Through using this powerful image the creators of V set the stage for the people of Earth in their fictional universe to see the Aliens or Vs which they are called on the show as Christ-like figures or saviors that will provide them with technology to resolve the <a href="http://www.worldbank.org/financialcrisis/">financial crisis.<br /><br /><object id="flashObj" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,47,0" height="412" width="486"><param name="movie" value="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9/6555681001?isVid=1&publisherID=769341148"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"><param name="flashVars" value="videoId=46077519001&playerID=6555681001&domain=embed&"><param name="base" value="http://admin.brightcove.com"><param name="seamlesstabbing" value="false"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="swLiveConnect" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9/6555681001?isVid=1&publisherID=769341148" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashvars="videoId=46077519001&playerID=6555681001&domain=embed&" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" swliveconnect="true" allowscriptaccess="always" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" height="412" width="486"></embed></object></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Clip of the Vs arriving on Earth<br /></span></div><br />Although in reality the Vs plan on annihilating the Human race through providing their own <a href="http://cthealth.server101.com/the_case_for_universal_health_care_in_the_united_states.htm">Universal Health Care System</a> ah la <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soylent_Green">Soylent Green</a> which is intended to execute the World's population. However according to the show's backstory the Vs aren't just showing up and dumping Universal Health Care on the Humans, instead the Vs have brought them to the point of needing Universal Health Care by setting up <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/06/08/terror/main700284.shtml">Terrorist Sleeper Cells</a> years before their arrival on Earth. In other words that means the show's creators have the Vs behind every global issue from<a href="http://www.september11news.com/WorldWebArchives.htm"> September 11th</a> to the financial crisis to justify why the Human race see the Vs as their saviors.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.assassinationscience.com/johncostella/jfk/intro/noblood1963.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 331px; height: 194px;" src="http://www.assassinationscience.com/johncostella/jfk/intro/noblood1963.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2005/08/28/september11_wideweb__430x287.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 272px; height: 181px;" src="http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2005/08/28/september11_wideweb__430x287.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The Vs were fictionally behind these events? Watch to find out<br /></span></div><br />With that being said some of you may roll your eyes at the concept of the <a href="http://www.september11news.com/WorldWebArchives.htm">Taliban</a> being Aliens but despite this I still found V highly compelling. I don't know if it was the idea of a <a href="http://abc.go.com/shows/v/bio/fatherjack-landry/275789">Priest </a>fighting Aliens, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1072555/">Morena Baccarin</a> being frightfully evil as the Vs leader <a href="http://abc.go.com/shows/v/bio/anna-/275793">Anna</a>, the fact that any Human can be a V or just trying to figure out how the Human race can get out of this mess, the Pilot of V had me at the edge of my seat and I think it will be that way with every episode.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://tucker.hostei.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/morena-baccarin-v-tv-series-promo-mq-03.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 185px; height: 248px;" src="http://tucker.hostei.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/morena-baccarin-v-tv-series-promo-mq-03.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.visitorsite.net/v-joel.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 195px; height: 248px;" src="http://www.visitorsite.net/v-joel.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Morena Baccarin as Anna and <a href="http://www.visitorsite.net/joelgretsch.htm">Joel Gretsch</a> as Father Jack Landry on V<br /><br />Based on this statement I would love to go into more detail about why I like V but I fear it would give something away so if you want a better grasp of what I am talking about I would recommend you to go ahead and watch the show.<br /><br />For kicks and giggles watch this clip of the controversial Alien birth scene from the <a href="http://thevisitors.info/intro.html">original V </a>just watch it at your own risk because it's kinda freaky.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/TufUH1T-F18&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/TufUH1T-F18&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />Check out V Tuesdays at 8/7c on ABC or <a href="http://abc.go.com/watch/v/240273/240461/pilot">online.</a>Rocketman2387http://www.blogger.com/profile/03399618585527355068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2292458949956366198.post-67775770525880291622009-11-02T19:45:00.000-08:002009-11-03T00:41:26.442-08:00A Halloween Post: Scooby-Doo Where Are You?<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/F31wlU-3ChY&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/F31wlU-3ChY&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Check this out for a trip down memory lane<br /></span></div><br />A show that I used to watch a lot when I was a kid was the classic cartoon <a href="http://www.tv.com/scooby-doo-where-are-you%21/show/826/summary.html?q=scooby%20doo&tag=search_results;title;7">Scooby-Doo, Where </a><a href="http://www.tv.com/scooby-doo-where-are-you%21/show/826/summary.html?q=scooby%20doo&tag=search_results;title;7">Are You?</a> If you haven't seen it or need a trip back down memory lane the show is about a group of meddling kids and their talking dog <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scooby-Doo_%28character%29">Scooby-Doo</a> who go around solving mysteries and I absolutely loved it. I don't know if it was the idea of driving around in a van with orange flowers painted on it called the <a href="http://www.autocult.com.au/Image.aspx?id=19907">Mystery Machine</a>, finding out who was underneath the mask of the monster that chased Scooby and the gang around in each episode, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3Eze6lMdy4">the chase sequences</a> accompanied by a Beatles knock off band or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaggy_Rogers">Shaggy</a> and Scooby's <a href="http://www.threestooges.com/bios/">Three Stooges</a> like antics, I had to watch Scooby-Doo before I went to school.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.gamezebo.com/files/_embedded/Features/DTDA%20Dev%20Blog/Scooby-gang-1969.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 303px; height: 227px;" src="http://www.gamezebo.com/files/_embedded/Features/DTDA%20Dev%20Blog/Scooby-gang-1969.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">From left to right the Scooby Gang, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daphne_Blake">Daphne</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velma_Dinkley">Velma</a>, Shaggy, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Jones_%28Scooby-Doo%29">Fred</a> and Scooby-Doo<br /><br /></span></div><br />Today, watching Scooby-Doo makes me realize that a strong case could be made that the Scooby Gang or Mystery Inc. are a <a href="http://www.debate.org/debates/Scooby-Doo-Encourages-Drug-Addiction/1/">bunch of Stoners</a> and the man in the monster costume who chased them around in every episode is a product of tripping out on drugs due to the fact Shaggy and Scooby have the munchies all the time.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://pet.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pPETS-4693156t400.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 194px; height: 194px;" src="http://pet.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pPETS-4693156t400.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">What exactly are in these Scooby Snacks?</span></div><br />However despite my outlandish theory, I still have respect for this show not because of the fact that Scooby-Doo movies, toys and episodes are still being made 40 years later, instead I have respect for Scooby-Doo Where Are You because it was one of the first Television shows to combine Horror with other genres such as Comedy and Mystery. Based on this information if it was not for Scooby-Doo and certain TV Show Creators watching it as a kid there is a strong possibility that shows like <a href="http://www.tv.com/buffy-the-vampire-slayer/show/10/summary.html">Buffy The Vampire Slayer</a>, <a href="http://www.tv.com/angel/show/12/summary.html?q=angel&tag=search_results;title;1">Angel</a>, <a href="http://www.tv.com/supernatural/show/30144/summary.html?q=supernatural&tag=search_results;title;1">Supernatural</a>, <a href="http://www.tv.com/the-x-files/show/61/summary.html?q=the%20x-files&tag=search_results;title;1">The X-Files</a> and <a href="http://www.tv.com/fringe/show/75146/summary.html?q=fringe&tag=search_results;title;1">Fringe</a> that blend Horror with other genres may have never come into existence. In fact the creators of Buffy The Vampire Slayer give a nod to Scooby-Doo inspiring their series by Buffy and her friends who battle the supernatural forces of evil referring to themselves as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scooby_Gang_%28Buffy_the_Vampire_Slayer%29">Scooby Gang.</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/030228/12129__1gellar_l.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 176px; height: 238px;" src="http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/030228/12129__1gellar_l.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.cinepaint.org/pix/scooby/Daphne_Banner.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 202px; height: 264px;" src="http://www.cinepaint.org/pix/scooby/Daphne_Banner.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001264/">Sarah Michelle Gellar</a> as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffy_Summers">Buffy The Vampire Slayer</a> and Scooby-Doo character Daphne Blake<br /></span><br />The bottom line that I am getting at is whether you love it, hate it or respect it Scooby-Doo Where Are You is apart of our culture and if it still exists today after 40 years it will still influence all types of media for many generations to come. Experience Scooby-Doo's influence through this clip...<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CH0KGq5eCTQ&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CH0KGq5eCTQ&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Check out <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Scooby-Doo-Where-Are-You/dp/B0001CNQVM">Scooby-Doo Where Are You the Complete Series on DVD</a> or check it out <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/ScoobyDoovideos123#p/c/1BA7B451EAB2A1FA">online. </a>Rocketman2387http://www.blogger.com/profile/03399618585527355068noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2292458949956366198.post-11477179653806156082009-11-02T19:43:00.001-08:002009-11-03T14:23:28.682-08:00A Halloween Post: The Buffyverse<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/92/Buffy_the_Vampire_Slayer_title_card.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 297px; height: 222px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/92/Buffy_the_Vampire_Slayer_title_card.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e2/Angellogo.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 345px; height: 194px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e2/Angellogo.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />With last Saturday being Halloween I thought I would use this weeks posts to discuss Horror-Themed TV shows. One of the shows in this genre that first came to mind is <a href="http://www.tv.com/buffy-the-vampire-slayer/show/10/summary.html">Buffy The Vampire</a> <a href="http://www.tv.com/buffy-the-vampire-slayer/show/10/summary.html">Slayer</a> and its spin-off <a href="http://www.tv.com/angel/show/12/summary.html?q=angel&tag=search_results;title;1">Angel.</a> These shows which make up what fans call the Buffyverse contains all the blood, haunted houses and the grotesque monsters that you would expect to see on a show about Vampires. However these elements of Horror are not the catalysts for the events that occur in this universe, instead the honor goes to the story of a High School Girl growing up and dealing with sacrificing <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_%28Buffy_the_Vampire_Slayer%29">the Vampire she loves</a> in order to take her place as the Vampire Slayer empowered to save the world. Buffy at its heart is a story about growing up because the battle between <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffy_Summers">Buffy</a> and the creatures that go bump in the night featured in every episode acts as a metaphor for everyday issues that teenagers face including <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reptile_Boy">under aged drinking</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pack_%28Buffy_the_Vampire_Slayer%29">being popular </a>and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phases_%28Buffy_the_Vampire_Slayer%29">puberty.<br /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phases_%28Buffy_the_Vampire_Slayer%29"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 235px; height: 337px;" src="http://i25.tinypic.com/2mnmbde.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Buffy and her love interest <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_%28Buffy_the_Vampire_Slayer%29">Angel<br /></a></span><br /></div>One of my favorite episodes entitled <a href="http://www.tvduck.com/frame.php?epi=17095&view=437552">"Innocence"</a> deals with the dangers of having sex in a way that would blow your High School Health Teacher out of the water. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joss_Whedon">Joss Whedon</a> the writer of the episode deals with this issue beautifully by Buffy having sex with Angel which causes him to lose his soul, thus changing the heroic Vampire into a creature of evil named Angelus. Through having Buffy make the decision to sleep with Angel, Whedon shares with his audience the consequences a teenaged girl may have to face after having sex pushed to the extreme with a battle between good, Buffy and evil, Angelus filled with teenaged angst that ends with a classic romantic tragedy. At the same time the shows theme of social issues wrapped around supernatural forces doesn't just stop with Buffy, it addresses her friends that are based on a variety of High School Stereotypes as well. For example, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Buffy_the_Vampire_Slayer_episodes#Season_6_.282001_.E2.80.93_2002.29">Season Six</a> of the show Buffy's friend <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willow_Rosenberg">Willow</a>, an overachieving student cracks underneath the pressures of College causing her to become addicted to performing black magic like it is a drug.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.sliceoftheslayer.co.uk/graphix/scooby.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 345px; height: 251px;" src="http://www.sliceoftheslayer.co.uk/graphix/scooby.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The characters of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. In the front from left to right <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xander_Harris">Xander</a> (the class clown), <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordelia_Chase">Cordelia</a> (the rich popular girl), Buffy (a teenaged Vampire Slayer), Willow (an overachieving student) and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oz_%28Buffy_the_Vampire_Slayer%29">Oz</a> (who's version of puberty is changing into a Werewolf). In the back, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rupert_Giles">Giles</a> (a fired Librarian going through a mid-life crisis) and Angel (A Vampire with a soul).<br /></span><br /></div>The spin-off of Buffy, Angel which deals with the title character leaving Buffy for Los Angeles due to his guilt over the actions he preformed as Angelus, takes this a step farther by dealing with supernatural forces that act as metaphors for adult issues such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expecting_%28Angel%29">rape</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/That_Old_Gang_of_Mine_%28Angel%29">gang violence</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphany_%28Angel%29">suicide.</a> On a personal level, this idea of wrapping a battle against supernatural evil around real life issues is why I enjoy stories that exist in the Buffyverse because if the characters on Buffy and Angel can deal with social issues pushed to the extremes of fantasy, then my problems in the real world are a piece of cake. I guess that's the interesting part of Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel for me because I don't see the shows as something made to scare me, instead I see them as a gift in which Joss Whedon and his team of writers share advice with their audience on how to deal with the trials and tribulations of life.<br /><br />For more on Buffy's influence on our culture look at this <a href="http://www.tv.com/video/3058/Buffy%3A+An+Unlikely+Role+Model+%28Exclusive+Clip%29?o=tv&tag=vid_carousel;vid;3">video clip.<br /></a><br />Check out <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Buffy-Vampire-Slayer-Collectors-discs/dp/B000AQ68RI">Buffy The Vampire Slayer Seasons 1-7</a> on DVD or watch it <a href="http://www.fancast.com/tv/Buffy,-the-Vampire-Slayer/88780/full-episodes">online.</a><br /><br />Check out <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Angel-Seasons-1-5-Collectors-Set/dp/B000TLTCU4/ref=pd_cp_d_0">Angel Seasons 1-5</a> on DVDRocketman2387http://www.blogger.com/profile/03399618585527355068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2292458949956366198.post-1747417863220560162009-10-26T19:19:00.001-07:002009-10-29T01:43:27.624-07:00Battlestar Galactica: A Grim and Gritty Thrill RideThe other day I heard the song <a href="http://www.goear.com/listen/e1f083a/All-Along-the-Watchtower-Jimi-Hendrix">All Along The Watchtower</a> and first it made me imagine <a href="http://www.jimi-hendrix.com/biography.html">Jimi </a><a href="http://www.jimi-hendrix.com/biography.html">Hendrix</a> rocking out on stage and secondly it reminded me of the sci-fi drama <a href="http://www.tv.com/battlestar-galactica-2003/show/23557/summary.html">Battlestar </a><a href="http://www.tv.com/battlestar-galactica-2003/show/23557/summary.html">Galactica.</a> A show that used this song, originally composed by <a href="http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/bob-dylan">Bob Dylan</a> as a plot device to resolve its major conflict. However before I go too far ahead of myself and ruin the entire show we're going to take a step back to give some background. If you haven't seen it Battlestar Galactica the 2003 version not the <a href="http://www.tv.com/battlestar-galactica-1978/show/1253/summary.html?q=Battlestar%20Galactica&tag=search_results;title;2">1978</a>, is a show about a civilization of humans that live on a series of planets known as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_Colonies" title="Twelve Colonies">Twelve Colonies</a>. In the past, the Colonies had been at war with a cybernetic race known as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cylon_%28Battlestar_Galactica%29" title="Cylon (Battlestar Galactica)">Cylons</a>.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://go.webassistant.com/wa/upload/users/u1001065/pages/0609-44778411189tMQk97WCn/dna2_bestanden/cylon_bg_six_red.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 218px; height: 218px;" src="http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/ni/cylon.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://go.webassistant.com/wa/upload/users/u1001065/pages/0609-44778411189tMQk97WCn/dna2_bestanden/cylon_bg_six_red.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 208px; height: 188px;" src="http://go.webassistant.com/wa/upload/users/u1001065/pages/0609-44778411189tMQk97WCn/dna2_bestanden/cylon_bg_six_red.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The Cybernetic Beings known as the Cylons who can take robotic or human form<br /></span><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">However years later</span>, the Cylons launch a sudden <span style="text-decoration: underline;">ambush</span> on the Colonies, laying waste to the planets and devastating their populations. The handful of human survivors flee into space aboard any spacecraft they can reach creating a fleet led by the only the military ship to survive the ambush Battlestar Galactica. After these events most of the sci-fi elements fade leaving us with a drama about the crew of Galactica dealing with the tragic annihilation of their race and the search for a new home called Earth, which may or may not exist.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.toplessrobot.com/650px-Ship_Galactica1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 384px; height: 201px;" src="http://www.toplessrobot.com/650px-Ship_Galactica1.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Battlestar Galactica, the only military ship to survive the Cylon attack</span><br /></div><br />Based on this description Battlestar Galactica comes across as dark, dim and gritty which at points is true but what got me to watch every week was that amidst this threat of extinction the show still had its inspirational moments. These moments included the Commander of Galactica, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Adama">Bill Adama</a> giving his <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Adama">son</a> a command position, the crew of Galactica coming together to build a <a href="http://www.tv.com/battlestar-galactica-2003/flight-of-the-phoenix/episode/442921/recap.html?tag=episode_header;recap">stealth ship in order to boost morale,</a> characters sharing their feelings towards one another and the humans thwarting off Cylon attacks. The fact that these positive events were able to still happen for the characters on Battlestar Galactica despite losing everything gave me an emotional connection to the show because it showed that if these characters can stare down the barrel of extinction, then I can deal with a tough week of College Finals.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.zap2it.com/media/photo/2008-11/43248794.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 303px;" src="http://www.zap2it.com/media/photo/2008-11/43248794.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Think you're having a bad day? Try being Bill Adama, the man who stands between the human race and extinction.<br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The other great thing about Battlestar is that it is a show that already has a set ending. This means that each episode is about pushing the story to the Series Finale at the end of season 4, preventing Battlestar from have a long string of episodes where the characters don't move forward like with many Network shows. At the same time, the writers using this structure makes the show feel like a good movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat rather than a slowly building TV show. Battlestar even has the structure of a movie with season 1 being like act one by introducing the characters and conflict, season 2 and 3 exists as act two by following the crew of Galactica as they descend into a point of darkness and season 4 represents act three by showing the crew's rise out of the darkness leading into a somewhat happy ending.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.megatonik.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/battlestar_galactica.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 433px; height: 264px;" src="http://www.megatonik.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/battlestar_galactica.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The many characters of Battlestar Galactica who we follow on a four Season or three Act journey.<br /></span></div><br />Then, after following the journey through these three acts we are left with a action packed retelling of the story of creation that in my opinion will knock your socks off. However I can't go into more detail of how Battlestar is a retelling of the classic <a href="http://www.bibleontheweb.com/Bible.asp">Bible story of Genesis</a> because it will ruin your incentive to watch the show but if you really want an explanation check out Battlestar Galactica, believe me it's totally worth it.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0026RHR6K/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00005JM3C&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1QKYGVVCGEYBVV41AK6S">Battlestar Galactica Seasons 1-4 are available on DVD.</a>Rocketman2387http://www.blogger.com/profile/03399618585527355068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2292458949956366198.post-6109296030701062262009-10-24T14:30:00.000-07:002009-10-28T19:59:02.651-07:00White Collar: A Show That Guys Can Watch With Their GirlfriendsOn Friday night I checked out the first episode of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_Network">USA's</a> new drama <a href="http://www.usanetwork.com/series/whitecollar/theshow/overview/index.html">White Collar</a> and it was damn good. The premise behind the show is simple a con-man, <a href="http://www.usanetwork.com/series/whitecollar/theshow/characterprofiles/neal/index.html">Neal Caffery</a> (<a href="http://www.usanetwork.com/series/whitecollar/theshow/characterprofiles/neal/bio.html">Matt Bomer</a>) teams up with the FBI Agent who arrested him, <a href="http://www.usanetwork.com/series/whitecollar/theshow/characterprofiles/peter/index.html">Peter Burke</a> (<a href="http://www.usanetwork.com/series/whitecollar/theshow/characterprofiles/peter/bio.html">Tim DeKay</a>) to catch other White Collar Criminals. Now, with that being said I bet you all are thinking hasn't the premise of a Cop teaming up with a Criminal been done before? Well, the answer is yes, but the premise is not why the show is worth watching, it's the characters, which makes White Collar fit perfectly within USA's motto of <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i3.fc-img.com/fc03img/Comcast_CIM_Prod_Fancast_Image/13/488/1251745826948_32WhiteCollar_mif_640_320.jpg"></a><a href="http://characters.usanetwork.com/">"characters welcome".</a><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 420px; height: 218px;" src="http://i3.fc-img.com/fc03img/Comcast_CIM_Prod_Fancast_Image/13/488/1251745826948_32WhiteCollar_mif_640_320.jpg" alt="" border="0" /> <span style="font-size:85%;">Matt Bomer as Neal Caffery and Tim DeKay as Peter Burke<br /></span><br />Within the first minute of the show I could only describe the character of Neal Caffery as iconic through him paying tribute to <a href="http://www.bluesbrotherscentral.com/about/">The Blues Brothers</a> by blasting the <a href="http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/sam-and-dave">Sam and Dave</a> classic <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Sam%2B%2526%2BDave/_/Hold+On,+I%27m+Coming">"Hold On, I'm Coming"</a> on a truck radio as he leaves prison. Caffery, to make himself more iconic even takes on a <a href="http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/participant.jsp?participantId=18290%7C71928">Humphery Bogart</a>-like image complete with a double breasted suit and fedora which shows the audience that he is a romantic that men want to be and women want to be with. However, no one wants to be Neal Caffery more than Peter Burke. In fact, it seems as if Burke didn't spend years trying to aphrend Caffery based on a grudge, he spent years chasing him in the hopes that arresting Caffery would make him one of the cool kids which is made clear by Burke coming to Caffery for romance advice.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://content8.flixster.com/question/36/74/11/3674110_std.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 198px;" src="http://content8.flixster.com/question/36/74/11/3674110_std.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.barnahouse.com/images/galleryFilms/HumphreyBogart.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 144px; height: 200px;" src="http://www.barnahouse.com/images/galleryFilms/HumphreyBogart.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">What happens when you mix <a href="http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800010827/bio">Belushi</a> and Bogart? You get Neal Caffery.<br /></span><br />This concept of Burke going to Caffery for advice is what makes White Collar different than other Cop Criminal stories because the fact that Burke caught Caffery means that he doesn't need help catching criminals but he does need Caffery's help in sorting out his personal life. Actually both Caffery and Burke need each other to sort out their personal lives. This comes based on the fact that Caffery needs Burke's resources at the FBI to track down his long lost girlfriend, Kate who might be in danger and Burke needs Caffery to prevent his job from hurting his relationship with his wife played by <a href="http://www.usanetwork.com/series/whitecollar/theshow/characterprofiles/elizabeth/bio.html">Tiffani Thiessen</a> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelly_Kapowski">Kelly</a> from <a href="http://www.tv.com/saved-by-the-bell/show/457/summary.html">Saved By The Bell</a> but don't let it turn you away from this show).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.zap2it.com/media/photo/2009-08/48980858.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 197px; height: 282px;" src="http://www.zap2it.com/media/photo/2009-08/48980858.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/37/Kelly_Kapowski.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 169px; height: 283px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/37/Kelly_Kapowski.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Tiffani Thiessen as <a href="http://www.usanetwork.com/series/whitecollar/theshow/characterprofiles/elizabeth/index.html">Elizabeth Burke</a> on White Collar and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelly_Kapowski">Kelly Kapowski</a> on Saved by the Bell<br /></span><br />This dash of romance makes White Collar more acessible to audiences because it becomes a show that guys can watch with their girlfriends or wives, making it a great option for a Friday night when you might want to stay in. With that I would say check out White Collar and tell all your friends because it's one of the few Cop Shows out there that can be called fun.<br /><br />Watch White Collar Fridays at 10/9c on USA or <a href="http://www.usanetwork.com/series/whitecollar/video/fullep/">online. </a>Rocketman2387http://www.blogger.com/profile/03399618585527355068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2292458949956366198.post-72091684216406961062009-10-18T19:17:00.000-07:002009-10-24T14:26:59.705-07:00Mr. Monk Makes It On My Blog<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.streamingepisode.com/thumbs/monk.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 279px; height: 370px;" src="http://www.streamingepisode.com/thumbs/monk.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>What can I say? I love <a href="http://www.tv.com/monk/show/9130/summary.html?q=monk&tag=search_results;title;1">Monk</a> to the point that my Dad and I have never missed an episode. If you have not seen it Monk is a show about a former police detective Adrian Monk (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001724/">Tony Shalhoub</a>), who uses his intensified obsessive-compulsive disorder and a variety of phobias caused by the death of his wife to solve murder mysteries. However what makes Monk more entertaining than the run of the mill episode of <a href="http://www.tv.com/law-and-order/show/180/summary.html">Law and Order </a>is that the show features quirky characters including Monk's perky Nurse, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natalie_Teeger">Natalie</a>, Police Lieutenant <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Disher" title="Randy Disher">Randy Disher</a> whose idea of solving crimes is by making ridiculous theories and Police Captain <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leland_Stottlemeyer">Leland Stottlemeyer</a> who is constantly annoyed with Randy's stupidity or Monk dealing with his sometimes silly phobias.<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss97/DeeDeeLovely/monk.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 461px; height: 317px;" src="http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss97/DeeDeeLovely/monk.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">From left to right, characters Randy, Natalie, Monk and Stottlemeyer </span><br /></div><br />Through the existence of these characters Monk is more like a sitcom combined with a mystery drama making the show more accessible to audiences who cannot stomach the gore featured on <a href="http://www.tv.com/csi/show/19/summary.html?q=csi&tag=search_results;title;1">CSI.</a> The reason why I tune into the show every week is that each episode requires Monk to overcome one of his phobias in order to solve a mystery or save a friend's life. I'm not sure if it is because I have a disability but this idea of Monk facing challenges compels me to watch the show in order to root him on.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xCVnW_Ou470&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xCVnW_Ou470&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Check out this clip to get a taste of the Monk watching experience.<br /></div><br />This season Monk is going to confront the challenge that we have been waiting for, solving his wife's murder. Although the news of this event comes bittersweet because once Monk solves the case he will say good-bye after eight seasons. Currently there has been no clues given this season that will lead Monk to his wife's killer except for maybe the fact that the Captain's new girlfriend has the same name as Monk's wife. Despite the lack of clues the Producers of Monk have some very exciting things coming down the pike including the return of Monk's original Nurse, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharona_Fleming">Sharona</a> which may also mean return of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001806/" onclick="(new Image()).src='/rg/castlist/position-8/images/b.gif?link=/name/nm0001806/';">John Turturro</a> as Monk's brother, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrose_Monk#Ambrose_Monk">Ambrose.</a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://l.yimg.com/l/tv/us/img/site/27/36/0000002736_20060919193215.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 318px;" src="http://l.yimg.com/l/tv/us/img/site/27/36/0000002736_20060919193215.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.eviltwinltd.com/Monk/reviews/graphics/books/ambrose.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 321px;" src="http://www.eviltwinltd.com/Monk/reviews/graphics/books/ambrose.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /> <span style="font-size:85%;"> Sharona and Ambrose</span><br /><br /><br />Regardless of what's coming now is the time to watch Monk if you watch every week or if you have left for awhile because it's going to get good before it's gone.<br /><br />Watch Monk Fridays at 9/8c on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_Network">USA</a> or <a href="http://www.usanetwork.com/series/monk/video/fullep/">online.</a><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"></span><span style="font-size:100%;"></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leland_Stottlemeyer" title="Leland Stottlemeyer"></a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leland_Stottlemeyer" title="Leland Stottlemeyer"><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 0);"></span></a>Rocketman2387http://www.blogger.com/profile/03399618585527355068noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2292458949956366198.post-80972128713692174282009-10-17T13:39:00.000-07:002009-10-24T12:52:31.984-07:00NBC: A Cable Network?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.dabbledoo.com/ee/images/uploads/appletell/bill-comcast-logo-640x227.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 438px; height: 155px;" src="http://www.dabbledoo.com/ee/images/uploads/appletell/bill-comcast-logo-640x227.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ec.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/nbc.gif"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 212px; height: 189px;" src="http://ec.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/nbc.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />After 73 years of providing Entertainment, <a href="http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/N/htmlN/nationalbroa/nationalbroa.htm">the first television Network NBC</a> might become a Cable Channel. I know it sounds crazy and you might think you are misreading this post but due to <a href="http://www.deadline.com/hollywood/major-nbc-shakeup-ahead-network-wants-to-ax-teri-weinberg-hopes-ben-silverman-quits/">NBC's failing ratings</a> <a href="http://www.forbes.com/2009/10/01/comcast-nbc-ge-business-media-cable.html">Comcast has an interest in buying the Network</a> which might make the famed peacock a cable property. Currently it has not been announced what Comcast's plans are once they buy NBC but since this is such big news I thought I would make some predictions on what may happen if NBC becomes a Cable Channel.<br /><br />First off the most obvious thing that will happen when NBC becomes a Cable Network is that it will only be available to Comcast subscribers not people who own a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite_television">Dish.</a> This was something that Comcast did in my local area when they set up a Chicago based Sports Network called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comcast_SportsNet_Chicago">Comcast Sports Net</a> or CSN. When CSN came into existence a large portion of Chicago's Professional Sporting Events were shown on the Network which was bad news for people using a Dish because CSN was only available to Comcast subscribers. Eventually the demand for Cubs, Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks games became so high from <a href="http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/content/directv/what_is_directv">Direct TV</a> and <a href="http://www.dishnetwork.com/faq/about_dish_network/default.aspx">Dish Network</a> subscribers, these Satellite providers had no other choice but to pay their competitor Comcast to show CSN on their Television systems. Based on this information I would assume that Comcast will try to make the same move with NBC, the only problem is that it took about a year for the Satellite providers to decide that CSN should be one of their Channel options. In thinking about it, a year is a long time and I don't think that shows like The Emmy Award Winning <a href="http://www.tv.com/30-rock/show/58326/summary.html">30 Rock</a> or <a href="http://www.tv.com/the-office/show/22343/summary.html?q=the%20office&tag=search_results;title;1">The Office</a> will want to go that long without being easily accessible to audiences. Due to this issue I see these sitcoms jumping ship and moving to another network. NBC shows like <a href="http://www.comingsoon.net/news/tvnews.php?id=42884">Scrubs</a> and <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/20/AR2009052003381.html?hpid=artsliving">Medium</a> made the jump so why not 30 Rock and The Office. Besides both CBS and ABC would love to have their comedy line up supported by popular Comedy Actors like <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0136797/" onclick="(new Image()).src='/rg/writerlist/position-2/images/b.gif?link=name/nm0136797/';">Steve Carell</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0275486/" onclick="(new Image()).src='/rg/creatorlist/position-1/images/b.gif?link=name/nm0275486/';">Tina Fey</a>.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMjA5MDk5MTc4MV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwODU3NTg1MQ@@._V1._SX300_SY400_.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 287px; height: 383px;" src="http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMjA5MDk5MTc4MV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwODU3NTg1MQ@@._V1._SX300_SY400_.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://popshare.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/theoffice.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 390px; height: 382px;" src="http://popshare.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/theoffice.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Popular NBC Comedies </span><br /></div><br /><br />The other issue with NBC possibly making the switch to Cable is that local programming like the daily and nightly news may be removed. Current Cable Networks like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TBS_%28TV_channel%29">TBS</a> were once local Channels that had news programming but now that they are established on Cable the news has been done away with. If a Cable version of NBC does remove the local news that means people working at the Network's affiliate studios may lose their jobs. Again, this is all speculation but I did see an ad on a bus about <a href="http://blogs.suntimes.com/media/2009/04/wmaq-channel_5_cuts_staff_and.html">NBC laying off their affiliate employees</a> so I wonder if selling out to Comcast has something to do with that.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bittenandbound.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/jay-leno-hospitalized-but-joking-around.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 223px; height: 264px;" src="http://www.bittenandbound.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/jay-leno-hospitalized-but-joking-around.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Is this man responsible for the fall of NBC?<br /></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><br />The bottom line with this whole NBC maybe becoming a Cable Channel issue is that if a National Network can go down the tubes by just putting a <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/10/19/jay-leno-show-nbcs-prime-time-experiment-is-drifting-toward-fa/">talk show on at 10/9c</a> then can the same thing happen to another Network for a cancellation or moving around their schedule? At this point the other National Networks <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CBS">CBS</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABC_TV">ABC</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_Broadcasting_Company">Fox</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_CW_Television_Network">The CW</a> seem to be doing just fine and NBC might not become a Cable Network. However with all this going on the TV Industry seems like a scary place for aspiring writer like me.Rocketman2387http://www.blogger.com/profile/03399618585527355068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2292458949956366198.post-58799123133759204622009-10-11T22:51:00.000-07:002009-10-17T13:16:53.162-07:00Family Guy A Part of Our Everyday Culture<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://z.about.com/d/animatedtv/1/0/Q/R/FamilyGuyNight.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 481px;" src="http://z.about.com/d/animatedtv/1/0/Q/R/FamilyGuyNight.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The Griffin Family</span><br /></div><br />If you love it or hate it <a href="http://www.tv.com/family-guy/show/348/summary.html">Family Guy</a> is an Animated Sitcom about a stupid but lovable oaf named Peter Griffin and his family. Peter's family includes his wife Lois, his teenage daughter Meg; who is the butt of his jokes, his son Chris, who is a younger version of Peter, and his infant son Stewie; who's goal is global domination. Also living with the family is a martini drinking talking dog named Brian.<br /><br />The main thing to know about Family Guy is that it prides itself on integrating pop-culture references and parody to create most of the shows humor. However, as much as Family Guy uses the world of pop-culture, we too, the viewer, reference Family Guy in our everyday lives. For example; the other day my roommate said that he wanted to play the video game <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.callofduty.com/">Call of Duty</a>. </span>When he did this, I had to make fun of the fact that my roommate said "duty", just like in an episode of Family Guy. I don't know what it is about it, but everyday I hear a reference to Peter Griffin's antics from my 14 year old brother to my 32 year old cousin. You would think by now that I would get tired of hearing constant references to the show, but every time I hear someone use the name Will Ferrell, I think of Stewie going over to his house and beating the crap out of him because the movie <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0374536/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Bewitched</span></a> wasn't funny.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Qmuab2h-3nE&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Qmuab2h-3nE&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Will Ferrell takes a beating.<br /></span></div><br />In my opinion, I feel what makes lines of dialogue from Family Guy so catchy with the general public is that the writers of the show try to drive their comedy out of common knowledge references into jokes. This was exemplified by one of the episodes starting with Peter listing all the shows that were canceled by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_Broadcasting_Company">Fox</a> during the time Family Guy <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_Guy#cite_note-45">was off the air</a>. The reason why this was funny is that everyone had an idea that Fox had a reputation for canceling shows, and Family Guy took a chance by pointing this out. <a href="http://www.lolcenter.com/videos/TV_Clips/Family_Guy__Cancelled">See the clip here</a>.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.delawareonline.com/blogs/uploaded_images/familyGuy_Seth3_72-793334.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 357px; height: 232px;" src="http://www.delawareonline.com/blogs/uploaded_images/familyGuy_Seth3_72-793334.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Family Guy creator, Seth MacFarlane<br /></span></div><br />See, that's how Family Guy integrates itself into what would be considered as our every-day culture, because it points out things that we may witness while walking down the street that we are too afraid to admit that are funny. However, by creating his show Family Guy, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seth_MacFarlane">Seth MacFarlane</a> has given us the wonderful gift of actually being able to admit when certain things we see in our day to day lives are funny because we can connect them to a random Family Guy reference. Based on this conclusion, as long as Seth Macfarlene can give us the freedom to be funny, even about the most obscure topics, Family Guy references and the show itself could be around for a very long time whether some people like it or not.<br /><br />Watch Family Guy Sundays at 9/8c on Fox or <a href="http://www.fox.com/fod/play.php?sh=familyguy">online</a>.Rocketman2387http://www.blogger.com/profile/03399618585527355068noreply@blogger.com1