Ramblefest Returns
Let’s make one thing perfectly clear right off the bat: I have nothing much to say really…I just need to get a lot of stuff off my chest and I figured this was the eaisest route to take. So, without further ado, let’s just start rambling on about everything that’s been going on in my life lately.
First off…I’m finally preparing to quit my job so that I can return to studying full-time. At least for a little while. Honestly this not only terrifies me to a great extent (mostly because I’m afraid that I won’t be able to handle studying again and I’ll actually miss the job!) but also makes me uneasy about life in general right now. It’s gotten to the point where I’m unsure of almost everything and second-guess even the most mundane decisions. Just imagine taking more than 5 minutes to decide what kind of shampoo to buy and you get a fair idea of my thought processes these days.
One of my most beloved cats — Icey — died of cancer two days ago. I actually took it a lot harder than I thought I would. No, that doesn’t mean weeping or whatnot…just an intense feeling of sadness and a need to be alone for a while. Of course the latter bit isn’t even THAT big a problem. Thanks to the insane timing of the job and my worrying need to sleep for longer and longer periods of time, I have little or no social life anymore anyway. And with said habits, I have very little to talk about as it is so I prefer to keep to myself as I hate to be a bore. (Yeah, yeah…I’m boring you with the violin music right now…deal with it! My blog, my rules!) Unfortunately that seems to lead to more troubles as the few people I did talk to seem to think I’m ignoring them on purpose and well…it’s a vicious cycle.
I just finished Mad Men Season 2. (I know…I’m jumping through topics faster than Palin trying to convince the world of her sincerity to Roe v Wade) Excellent series and I adore each and every single character. I mean, who saw the Pete-Peggy revelation coming? I thought that considering a whole season’s worth of storylines, that would just be swept under…but it really stood out. Very well done. Of course, that’s nothing compared to what happened an episode earlier with Joan. (I’m purposely being vague here…don’t wanna give away any spoilers) That scene was heart-breaking. Especially considering that it happened to someone with the strength and resolve of Joan. Scenes like that keep me coming back to this show…truly brilliant writing and cinematography. Kind of worried that Reiner will leave the show…I think he’s vital to the series brilliance…but we’ll see.
I have just gotten into Boyce Avenue. Now the band’s original stuff is bland, Lifehouse-lite crap. But their acoustic covers are excellent. Especially worth hearing are their covers of Rihanna’s Disturbia and Coldplay’s Viva La Vida. Excellent stuff and don’t be turned off by the poppy origins. Very, very good. Available on both itunes and youtube, btw.
I am, as of today, exactly 2 months behind on my comics reading. Kind of sad, I know. But hopefully I will catch up in the coming weeks. I’ve just been so busy with books and old trades/singles that I’ve had no time to read the new stuff. Hell…I just finished Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane #2 last night so you can well imagine how long it could take for me to catch up at this point. But I’m working on it. Although, honestly, I’m sorely tempted to go trade-only. I’ve dropped a large number of books I used to read so I think I can manage it now. (Cost was always the concern previously).
Btw…as much as the allusions to a divine power annoy me…I am loving the new season of Eli Stone. Very well-written, funny and keeps me on my toes. Good stuff…definitely recommended.
That’s it for now…expect more rambles shortly. This is the mode I have shifted to for now since its more comfortable. Oh…and fret not…Butt-Shots will return soon. Not in the same format…but they will. Instead of weekly books…now I shall focus on random comics I read and happen to find Butt-Shots in. I think that shall make it much more interesting, don’t you?
Veronica Mars – The Bitch Is Back
Damn…this is why I hate pictures that don’t take up the whole width of the page…now I have to come up some form of an intro before I start the spoiler-heavy actual review. Very annoying. So, uh…interesting how this blog started out as a place for me to vent on, evolved into a comic blog, became a music/personal angst thing, then back to comics, and now apparently we’re going through a TV phase. I don’t expect to completely leave comics behind (as is obvious from yesterday’s Cassie Sandsmark post) but I think this is more in keeping with my current free-time. I am probably going to start more books soon though (the best thing about summer? Very little TV to watch) and then I wouldn’t be surprised if this blog starts to evolve into a book review place…not to mention I’m reading Chariot of the Gods? right now and it has really made me renew my deeply buried belief in aliens manipulating humanity during its infancy. So…maybe something on that soon? Anyway, yay…on to the review…
Heroes – How To Stop An Exploding Man
Awful. Awful finale. Conclusive ending my $#!@. I would say the worst one this year…but well…no one can beat out Grey’s on that one.
Scrubs – My Point of No Return
Awww…that was probably the sweetest and least contrived season finale we’ll see this year. But did it work? Damn right it did…
Ugly Betty – East Side Story
In the battle of the season finales, Ugly Betty is definitely beating Grey’s Anatomy right now. Does that mean I have changed my mind and actually want to see the next season now? Maybe…
The CW Upfronts 2007
I cannot believe Veronica Mars is cancelled (Toldja I would be saying that a lot this week…) Ok…let’s see which shows The CW is bringing in to replace VMars.
Aliens in America is a show I don’t expect to survive for very long because a) it’s a single camera sitcom and b) it’s about a Pakistani Muslim living in Wisconsin. I guess it could work, but I’ll wait until it has atleast 13 eps in the can before I check it out. Gossip Girl is one of the two new Josh Schwartz (The O.C.) shows starting up this year. This one sounds kind of interesting and I’ll definitely check it out…plus it has Kristen Bell providing the voice-overs…can’t wait. Reaper is about Satan’s bounty hunter…and it sounds kind of like The Collector which had a great premise but just didn’t deliver. I’m gonna have to hold off on hearing more about this before I decide if I wanna watch this. Life is Wild, Crowned, Online Nation, Farmer Takes a Wife and CW Now are all new reality shows so I don’t give a damn about any of them.
Next up, the returning shows: One Tree Hill is going to jumping forward 4 years and all the characters will have graduated college. Online blogs will reveal what happened during the ‘missing’ years and it actually sounds like a kind of interesting premise for a new season. Supernatural I really want to see this season…and if its good I will definitely be interested in the next season. Also returning are Everybody Hates Chris, America’s Next Top Model, The Game, Girlfriends, Smallville, Pussycat Dolls, and WWE Smackdown. Don’t really give a damn about any of these.
Finally, the *sigh* cancellations: All of Us, Runaway, Reba and Seventh Heaven. These are the ones I don’t give a damn about. Then there’s Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars. Girls I used to love until around season 4, and have heard good things about this final season so will be checking it out on DVD this fall. Mars I will be missing for a long, long time and I just cannot convey in words how much I hate that this show is ending. I’m incredibly thankful that this got 3 seasons and it introduced me to so many new actors that I will always appreciate it for that. I hope Rob Thomas comes out with something else soon, and I expect to see Bell in a lot of movies. I hate, hate the fact that this show is ending…really.
Fox Upfronts 2007
Well…moving on from the worst cancellation possible. Let’s look at the Fox Upfronts (or as I like to see it…the list of shows that will not show more than 4 eps before they’re cancelled)
Let’s start with the cancelled shows: The O.C., I already said all I’m gonna say about this here. Drive, I still haven’t seen it because I expected it to get cancelled. Once the two unaired eps are shown, I’ll watch the six together. The Winner, Standoff, The War at Home, Justice, Happy Hour, The Rich List, Vanished, The Wedding Bells and The Loop are also cancelled. But I watched none of them…so whatever.
Moving on to the new shows: K-Ville, is a show about cops in post-hurricane New Orleans. Not really interested. I don’t tend to like cop shows anyway. New Amsterdam is a show about a cop who is hundreds of years old and wants to die. I don’t see this lasting for very long for obvious reasons apart from Fox’s penchant for cancellations, and well…it sounds boring. The Sarah Connor Chronicles is probably the show with the most potential to last. I don’t think it sounds very interesting, but I’m willing to watch the first couple of eps just to see what happens. Back to You is a sitcom starring Frasier and Deborah from Raymond. Don’t care and will not be watching. Return to Jezebel James I’m kind of inclined to watch for Amy Sherman-Palladino but it sounds incredibly boring and I just can’t seem to work up any enthusiasm about it…so I doubt I’ll be checking this out. Rules for Starting Over is another sitcom. Sounds boring and I don’t expect it to last. So…I will not be watching unless it actually exceeds one season. Canterbury’s Law is yet another lawyer show…and you’ve guessed it…I will not be bothering with it. Finally, Kitchen Nightmares and Nashville are new reality tv shows so I don’t even need to bother with them. So apparently I’ll only be checking out one new Fox show…the rest will be on a strictly wait-and-see approach.
Finally, the returning shows: Bones is a cool show and I enjoy watching it whenever I can get to it. Will probably watch season 2 during the summer. House I’m pretty much ready to give up on. It’s too much of the same old-same old and I’ve basically had enough. It’s good…but there’s too much repetition. Prison Break I dropped with the end of season 1 so unless I watch season 2 during the summer, I don’t plan on watching this. American Idol I shall probably be watching unless it’s even more boring than this year’s in which case…no. ‘Til Death, The Simpsons, Family Guy, King of the Hill, American Dad, America’s Most Wanted, Cops, Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader and 24 are also returning but I’ve either given up on them or don’t watch them.
Coming soon, the CW upfronts. They’re late because well…I’m still not over Veronica Mars (you will be hearing that a lot in the coming week.)
Veronica Mars Is Cancelled
The Upfronts update will be a little late…sorry, but I’m still reeling over the fact that Veronica Mars is in fact cancelled. Once this season finishes up, the show will never return.
Now, everyone who watches VMars knows that it has always suffered from poor ratings. A show that is quite possibly one of the most original, most unique shows on tv today just hasn’t been embraced by audiences and it will be no more. To be honest, I’m still in a state of shock. I really thought the show would return for at least one more season in the FBI format that had been touted for a while. But, I guess it wasn’t to be. At this point, I’m only hoping that the season finale won’t end on a cliffhanger because I don’t want another Joan of Arcadia. The show had 3 excellent seasons and as long as there is some form of conclusive ending, I’ll be…satisfied I guess…although I will definitely not be happy.
Anyway, I’ll post on the Upfronts for Fox and CW soon. But it is truly a sad day when I don’t have more Veronica Mars to look forward to next year.
CBS Upfronts 2007
NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! Babylon Fields was not picked up. Damn you CBS!!! First you kill Joan of Arcadia, now you don’t even give its thematic sequel a chance. Damn YOU!!!!That alone makes me inclined to not watch any of their output this year, so be warned…heavy anti-CBS bias throughout the rest of this post.
First, the returning shows: How I Met Your Mother, the last, truly great ‘sitcom’ returns for another season and makes me forgive CBS just a little bit for not putting Amber Tamblyn on our tv screens again. The next season should truly be “legendary!”. Also returning, The Amazing Race, Cold Case, 60 Minutes, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Two and a Half Men, Rules of Engagement, CSI: Miami, NCIS, The Unit, Criminal Minds, CSI: NY, Survivor, CSI, Shark, Without A Trace, Ghost Whisperer, Numb3rs, 48 Hours Mystery…but I don’t watch any of them…so ha! CBS. Take that! I will probably only be watching one of your shows this year! Mwahahahaha!
Moving on to the cancelled shows: The Class, decent show that was finally begining to become enjoyable when it got the axe. I don’t think the way they stretched out the whole blonde-italian guy romance worked and probably had something to do with the dwindling ratings. Not to mention the fact that they couldn’t really figure out how to make all the castmembers interact in any given episode, so…meh. King of Queens, Jericho, Close To Home, are also gone…but I didn’t watch any of them. Good riddance.
Finally, the *new* shows: (Damn you CBS!) Viva Laughlin, a musical drama? Ha! I don’t care if Famke Janssen, James Marsden and Patrick Stewart join the cast alongside Hugh Jackman…I refuse to watch something so patently stupid. Swingtown, actually sounds kind of interesting…I mean a whole town filled with swingers is just a funny concept but in my protest against CBS, I’m going to boycott this. Nyah! Moonlight, a vampire detective…where have I heard that before? Sorry…never gonna be as good as Angel and I don’t care to watch non-Whedon penned vampires in love. Bye-Bye show. Cane, Big Bang Theory, Power of 10, Kid Nation are also new…but I don’t care. at all. So I won’t even bother writing about them.
Tomorrow…we do Fox and maybe the CW as well…and I rail against Dawn Ostroff for cancelling Veronica Mars (it’s only a matter of time). Watch me skewer CW shows (many of which I actually watch) as I Hulk out over the lack of Kristen Bell.
ABC Upfronts 2007
Today we do the ABC Upfronts!! (Yay!!)
Anyway, the ABC upfronts are one I was kind of looking forward purely because I wanted to know if Pushing Daisies got picked up (It did!) since I’m a big ol’ fan of resurrections and this show will probably have more per episode than Buffy did in her whole series.
Anyway, sticking to the format already established, let’s start things off with the shows that have been cancelled: The Nine sadly had great promise…I think one of the best pilots of last year (which goes to show that pilots aren’t everything) but it fell flat and failed to deliver on its promise so quickly that it was dead in the water by episode 9 I think. I also don’t think it helped that it had Tim Daly, the leading king of failed shows as a lead (I love the guy, but let’s face it…no show he has headlined in the past 3 years has actually survived…watch out Private Practice!) Six Degrees has also been cancelled. Another show that had excellent promise but for one reason or another just couldn’t live up to it. Sadly, the show was actually becoming very good around episode 6 when it got the axe and I’m kind of sorry that we’ll never get see the complete story. The Great American Dream Vote, Show Me The Money, Day Break, In Case of Emergency, The Knights of Prosperity, What About Brian, George Lopez, According to Jim are also all cancelled but I wasn’t watching any of ‘em so damned if I know if they’re a loss. I have heard a lot of people are disappointed about What About Brian but unless I happen to decide to watch it, I’m not gonna decry something I’ve never even seen.
Moving on, the returning shows are: Grey’s Anatomy, this is the show that I’m about to give up on, but am sticking with purely out of loyalty. The Gizzie fiasco, the over-bloated cast and the horrible, horrible way they keep dragging Meredith through the mud just doesn’t work for me anymore and if the season finale fails to deliver I may very well be saying goodbye to Seattle Grace. Ugly Betty is the show I have given up on. It’s just too much of the same-old, same-old now and I don’t really have any type of loyalty to this…so I shall not be watching season 2. Season 1 was ok though, for what that’s worth. October Road is another show I’m giving up on. Season 1 was barely watchable and the only reason I stuck by it was because it was only 6 episodes. I’m not about to repeat that mistake just for Laura Prepon (who look stunning in this). Men in Trees and Brothers and Sisters are shows that I enjoy, but I haven’t grown to love yet. Will be watching the last few eps I have saved up of both (something like the entire last half of B&S actually) to decide if I’m gonna stick around for season 2 of both. Lost is thank God back and I shall be watching it without fear for the remaining 3 seasons. Can’t wait. Also surviving are Notes from the Underbelly, Wife Swap, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Desperate Housewives, The Bachelor, Dancing with the Stars, Supernanny, America’s Funniest Home Videos, Boston Legal, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and 20/20 but as always, don’t watch ‘em, don’t know anything about ‘em.
Finally, the new shows: Big Shots, from what I can tell this is like a male Sex and the City…uh no Thank You. I couldn’t stand the original source, I’m sure as hell not gonna bother with the version with dicks instead of tits (sorry to be crass). Carpoolers, sounds like a bad Blondie strip. I doubt I’ll be checking this out…have enough sitcoms to watch and don’t really need another one for the list. Cashmere Mafia, I’ll definitely be checking this one out. It has Lucy Liu in it and it kind of sounds like a network version of Sex and the City (hell…this even has Darren Star in it…actually never mind…I will not be watching this after all) Eli Stone, eh…will give this a shot because it’s Greg Berlanti and has a pretty decent cast. Of course, it’s a mid-season replacement so we may never ever see it…but let’s be positive, eh? Dirty Sexy Money, a lawyer for the filthy rich…sounds vaguely interesting so gets a pilot viewing at least. Plus, Peter Krause is a good actor and deserves a hit… Cavemen, God no. Miss/Guided, maybe…the Ashton Kutcher label turns me off though. Private Practice, nope. Didn’t like the stupid pilot and don’t care to watch old people having sex (sad, but true) Pushing Daisies, I’m supremely interested in, but I don’t see it lasting. Sounds like a watered down version of Dead Like Me, Wonderfalls and Joan of Arcadia. Although the whole concept of a guy bringing people back to life…awesome! Sam I Am, definitely watching this one. The whole changing someone’s personality because they realize they person they used to be was awful sounds like My Name is Earl somewhat and has Jennifer Esposito in it. Woohoo! Women’s Murder Club, nope. Don’t really like procedurals and doesn’t really have a cast I care about. Oprah’s Big Give…uh yeah…not happening.
Tomorrow we do CBS (and I weep in the corner if Babylon Fields is not picked up) Be here to witness the spectacle!
NBC Upfronts 2007
It’s that time of the year again, when we find out whether our favourite tv shows are going to get another run for the next year, or whether they are going to disappear into the ether and be relegated to DVD-land. As is evident from sporadic posts on TV watching, I tend to have a lot at stake during this week. I find out which tv shows I shall never to hearing from again (no matter how good!) and which tv shows I may be checking out come this fall. So…I figured since I’m spending so much time looking for news on the Upfronts anyway, I may as well turn it into a post(s). Yep…I shall be running through all the TV shows that got cancelled, all the ones that got picked up, and all the ones I wish were in the category they aren’t in. So, without further ado…let’s start off with NBC Upfronts 2007!!
First off, the cancellations: Unfortunately Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is gone. I know a lot of people will be ecstatic about this, but it was a show that was just begining to find its footing when it was yanked off the air by the capricious powers-that-be. I’m sure it didn’t help that the show cost huge assloads of money to make and just wasn’t returning enought of a profit (It had solid ratings of 8 million viewers a week…but I guess that just isn’t enough anymore). Also leaving us are Crossing Jordan, The Black Donnellys, Kidnapped, Raines, Andy Barker P.I., and a whole slew of reality tv shows that I don’t watch so I have nothing to say about them.
Now, the shows that will be around next year: Friday Night Lights is still around, but it’s in a new time slot of Fridays at 10…a time and night when all the people who would watch it are probably out watching “real” friday night lights or, y’know…having a life. I think this is NBC giving the kiss of death to a show that has slowly become one of my favourite teen dramedies on tv. Hopefully, I’m wrong…but I don’t expect FNL to even make it past the first 13 eps before we get the cancellation notice. The Office, which I just started watching, is also returning and once I catch up to season 4, I should be very happy about this…nice remake of the British classic. Heroes is of course returning…I’m interested in seeing if the show can maintain the momentum it created this year. Quite frankly, I’ve found more and more people deciding to wait “for the trade” or in this case, the DVD for this show and based solely on the comic market, I can see that trend really cutting into ratings. My Name is Earl, and Scrubs (with a reduced 18 episode season) are also returning and are two of favourite ‘sitcoms’ so I’m happy. Finally, Law & Order, Law & Order: CI, Law & Order: SVU, Deal or No Deal, 30 Rock, ER, The Biggest Loser, Las Vegas, 1 vs. 100, Dateline, Football Night In America, Medium, and Saturday Night Live, are also all returning, but since I don’t watch any of them I have no clue whether that’s good or bad news.
Now, the new shows: The Bionic Woman, is one I’m interested in only because I want to see if lightning strikes twice and the people behind the GREAT Battlestar Galactica remake can also update this show to make it more relevant and fun in today’s world. The IT Crowd, I don’t really know about, but I’ve heard good things about the British version so I guess I’ll check it out atleast. Chuck, I wanna see…but I don’t expect it to last very long. It’s about this guy who manages to download the entire CIA database into his head. It’s by Schwartz, who created O.C, so I’m definitely gonna give it a chance…but not till atleast 3-4 episodes have aired. Journeyman, is basically Quantum Leap with a twist…the guy’s dead wife is also travelling through time and will presumably be popping up every once in a while. I LOVED Quantum Leap as a kid, so I’m definitely gonna watch this…but based on the fact that this is a direct copy…I give it 13 eps max. Life, don’t care…a cop who is wrongly accused of a crime and spends years in prison before being freed sounds too hokey and I’m just not interested. Lipstick Jungle, pseudo-Sex and the City crap. Don’t give a damn. I hope the women who this is targeted towards are happy though. The Singing Bee, and World Moves, are reality tv shows about, you guessed it, singing and dancing. Yeah…I’m not touching them with a ten-foot pole. Finally, Heroes: Origins, which sounds like Who Wants To Be A Super-Hero, taken to its logical conclusion. Don’t care. Will probably watch it if I’m bored but I doubt I’ll be participating in the voting process…unless a very hot woman is involved.
That’s it for NBC….tomorrow I’ll do ABC, and subsequent days will be FOX and The CW.
American Idol: All Encompassing Review
I don’t like to talk about American Idol on this blog because I just discuss the thing on Augie De Blieck’s blog: Various and Sundry in the comments on a regular basis. But, since I only do short comment style posts there…I wanted to examine this year’s AI in more detail as well…and how better to do that than through my own blog.
First my current favourite that I don’t expect to win (this becomes much easier when there are only 3 people left) Blake Lewis. I like Blake. He’s fun, energetic and brings something new to a show that had gotten fairly stale after 6 seasons of overly poppy singers. His beatboxing is a welcome relief in a season that has been dominated by Divas, nasally-singing and whatever the hell Phil and Haley were. (He Who Must Not Be Named doesn’t count…plus I refuse to accept that he even existed much less acknowledge his “contribution” to this show) Admittedly, it took some time for his brand of music to grow on me. But, I guess around the time of the JLo week…I think he was singing that Marc Anthony song…I really started to appreciated the guy’s voice and style. He is truly talented at composing and mixing…much moreso than he is at singing. I figure if all else fails after this show, he can easily become the new Timbaland. Plus, that Bon Jovi number…insane!
Moving on to the person I expect to win, Jordin. Jordin is a great singer. She has the power to rival the much more experienced divas and has the all-important youth factor going for her that I personally believe will get her an awesome amount of votes. As long as she stays away from the rock songs, I have no doubt she will do very well after this show. I don’t really have much to say about her because everything I could say has probably already been said.
Finally, as far as the top 3 are concerned, Melinda. What need be said about the most professional, most focused and by far the most polished singer Idol has ever seen? She is criticism proof, because not only does she always pick the right song, but she sings it…she doesn’t shout like a lot of other high-power female singers do…she actually sings…and sings incredibly well. Melinda is someone I root for based on her background (as a backup singer…nothing is worse than being invisible) but I don’t think I would really get her album. She’s a great singer, but her brand of music doesn’t really do anything for me. Jordin is the same, but the younger-skewing music might give her a shot. Blake is the most marketable of the three, let’s face it. Whether he can build on that is something else entirely though.
Now for the bygones: Chris was decent. I think the nasally voice worked heavily against him and the fact that he looks like Justin Timberlake did not do him any favours on that stage (well…I’m sure it got him the girl vote, but otherwise it didn’t really help that people were subconciously comparing him to Timberlake) He did have a couple of very good performances and although I don’t really have any intention of looking up his solo album whenever it comes out, it should be interesting to see if he sticks with the nasally thing.
Next, Phil or as he is better known; The Lord of the Undead. Phil’s biggest problem was of course that he developed far too late into the show. He was ok, but nothing special until Country week when we [the audience] finally realized that “Damn! That guy can sing!” and it was too little too late. By that point in time most people had already decided on their favourites and if there’s one thing AI teaches us, its that favourites count a lot more than actual week-to-week performances.
Haley and Chris S were ill-suited for the show. Haley just didn’t have the voice for the competition and I think she knew it. She overcompensated with the short clothes and trying to look sexy (She did succeed on that second count most of the time) and I think what killed her AI career was the fact that a lot of women started to resent her. I saw more than one comment about her being a “whore” because of the clothing and makeup, which I thought was a little unfair since she was just trying her best to stand out in a group that really overshadowed her. Chris S didn’t want to be there, period. I don’t think he was prepared for the grind that AI requires and you could tell he didn’t really care to be here. I hope he has a career beyond this, but his unprofessionalism does make one not give a damn about him.
Now for the obligatory conspiracy theory that all AI blogs should trot out every once in a while: Blake has been repeatedly in the bottom 3, right? And we all know that a B3 position boosts your next week’s rating because your fans are concerned about you? Well, this past week, dialidol (which I trust more than Seacrest) had Blake in a very comfortable lead over the Divas. And yet he was still presented in the B2. I think that is part of the show’s creators sneaky way of keeping Blake on the show longer…maybe trying to manipulate a Jordin/Blake finale even? Eh…who really knows…I am of course talking out of my ass. Still…can’t wait to see the remaining 2 weeks. Hard to believe the show is almost over for this year.
Wherein I ramble…
Sorry for disappearing off the face of the blogosphere but my new job timings have been insane. I don’t have nearly the amount of time required to blog regularly and I barely have time to do stuff I can blog about. Anyhoo…I’ve been meaning to comment on the difficulty inherent in comic organising. Yeah, yeah…I can see most of you yawning already, but it’s been really bothering me since I recently had to move my comics to a separate shelf-system to keep them clean from dust (I live in Pakistan…very few places there is no dust…we focus on minimising…not eradicating) So, I’ve been wondering…how do you guys organise the ‘minor’ parts of your collections? I mean I store the major portions of my collection (spider-man, x-men, thor, captain america and superman) in separate piles/longboxes of their own…because they can support that. But I only have about 3 issues of the ’80s Blue Beetle series and I think 1 issue of Hawkworld. So where would I put those? It’s been bothering me for two days and has left my new (vastly improved and bigger) room completely cluttered with these misc comics as I try to find places for them. I mean, I want to know where they are so they can’t be arbitrarily placed anywhere…yet at the same time I want to have them placed in positions where they won’t take up one longbox for 1 issue. Help Me!!
Also on the life front, I was watching Lost the other day (Juliet=most awesome character ever!) and I started thinking about the food situation. Now, apparently food gets delivered by Dharma every couple of months and they have loads of fruit and apparently an inexhaustible supple of Boars…but couldn’t the Others starve the Losties off the beach? They have (I think) superior numbers…and I’m sure they could intercept the Dharma offerings…and kill off the fruit trees and the boars. So…why don’t they do it? The pregnancy thing (as far as they’re concerned) was probably resolved by Claire and they don’t know that Sun’s pregnant yet…so why are the keeping the ‘evil’ people around anyway? It’s pretty confusing and is really, really making me look forward to next week’s episode when (in Lost time) the fight between the two groups should take place on some level.
Continuing the theme, I was reading the He-Man Movie comic adaptation today (yeah, I got it in a three-pack I bought for a Rom issue…) and it was the most godawful writing I’ve ever seen. Now presumably the comic is based off the movie and I haven’t really seen the movie (and after reading the comic, don’t really want to) so anyone who has both read the comic and watched the movie know how faithful the comic was? Or hell, how stupid the actual movie was? It was truly mind-numbingly awful.
Finally, I’m trying to start a regular blogging thing again…not guaranteeing anything but I want to try to actually complete the 30 days=30 posts thing that I tried to accomplish but couldn’t complete in the final 3 days (damn April Fool’s Day!!) But anyway…will probably be reviewing Drive soon and maybe the No Man’s Land novelisation by Greg Rucka (short review: Much better than the comic)
Battlestar Galactica: Crossroads (Season 3 Finale)
I didn’t want to do this earlier because I don’t want to put this under a cut. And well…if you still don’t know about the ending then screw it. I want to put this on the main page…spoilers be damned.
First off, interesting bit with the Cylon-reveal. I’m not sure I agree with Tory suddenly being a Cylon. Granted we should get more ‘new’ Cylons who we are not so vested in and who we need to learn more about. But Tory is such a cypher right now that I have no clue how she might be handling this whole situation. Anders I totally understand. He survived New Caprica when almost everyone else died…and obviously the radiation never really affected him (which screams Cylon! hell, I was sure he was a Cylon way back when but reversed that decision based on his actions as part of the resistance) But having him be one of the final five…a Cylon who is unaware of its true nature…makes the whole situation far more interesting and worthy, in my opinion.
Tigh…I’m very very happy about this. I always thought that the most interesting story point would be if Tigh were revealed to be a Cylon. He’s the one who has the most ties to Adama, Starbuck and hell, most of the entire crew of Galactica. Of course this also raises some interesting points; apparently (based on all we know) Tigh has been with Adama for 20+ years. If that timeline is to be believed…either Tigh the human died during the first Cylon wars and was converted to a Cylon…or the Cylons’ tech is far more superior than we have been led to believed. Tigh being a Cylon opens up more storytelling potential than any other character in the entire series (except maybe Lee…who would’ve really upped the danger level if he had turned out as one).
Chief…so apparently there are two cylon-human hybrids? I mean Tyrol and Callie’s kid is a hybrid now, right? That means that the Cylons have more than a single baby obsession. This could be potentially interesting from Callie’s perspective. She HATES the Cylons (as has been driven into our heads repeatedly since the begining of the season) and knowing that she married one makes things very interesting.
Roslyn and Baltar: I’m intrigued by her cancer returning. If that is true (which I’m not 100% on btw) then shouldn’t it be treatable with conventional medicine now? The problem initially was that the cancer was too far advanced. Now it’s just returning…so shouldn’t standard chemo or any medicines Cottol may have lying around…take care of the problem? As for Baltar…uh, the whole messiah thing came out of nowhere didn’t it? I want to see more of the origin of the movement before I start spouting on the excellence of the character potential in that move. I do really like where this could go…but I have to know how it started before I even consider that.
Finally…Starbuck. Wha–? I can guarantee at this point that she’s not a Cylon. It makes no sense in light of everything that has happened. But how the hell did she recover a ship, manage to get to Earth and who knows what else from a cosmic storm??! The whole return business raises more questions than it answers, dammit!
Of course the worst part? No new Battlestar till 2008!!! The movie’s good and all…but I want more in Fall of this year dammit!!
Lost: Exposé
I’ve been watching Lost for what feels like a long time now. I think my first episode was Season 1′s 6th or maybe 7th…and then I just got hooked…bought the DVD…and well the story is pretty much the same overall for every Lost fan, y’know? So, suffice to say, I’m a fairly casual/quasi-interested fan of Lost. I don’t really form conspiracy theories unless they’re staring me in the face. And I don’t really like it when they try to prolong the story like they did during season 2. So anyway…that’s the history. What does it have to do with this episode? Read on…
Skins: The British O.C.
First off…the title of this post is sort of a misnomer. This show is only like the O.C. in that its main focus is on a group of teenage friends. Also, they get into a lot of trouble. The comparisons pretty much end there. Hell…if anything (as is somewhat apparent from the picture on the left there) this show is the O.C. done for HBO or Showtime. Nudity, swearing, underage everything is available in spades. In other words…Skins is real-life…or as close as real life you can get while still having an interesting show.
I want this post to serve as a introduction to the series so I’ll be running through each of the characters and identifying their traits. If luck holds out this post will be up while there is still one episode of the first series to go (or ‘season’ 1) and people will catch up on the series on DVD or through torrents…whatever. So, let’s start off with the character that the show used as an entry point for the audience: Tony. (more…)
Grey’s Anatomy has finally “jumped the shark”
I know, I know…the phrase “jumped the shark” has jumped the shark and should not ever be used. But I honestly don’t know how to express my horror at the developments that occurred in last week’s Grey’s Anatomy. Yeah…you all know what I’m talking about…the introduction of a British doctor!!
Buffy Season 8: Episode 1 (Act 1)
The wait is finally over! The first issue of Buffy Season 8 finally got published after the initial announcement over 2 years ago. (If I remember correctly, the rumours for this first started circulating around the time The Tales of the Vampires mini was coming out) I of course, had to review this. Actually I plan on reviewing this in 2 steps…single issues and how well they hold up…and again once the entire storyline completes. Maybe I’ll combine the two ideas…maybe not…but that’s the current plan. We’ll see how it goes.
Anyway…as can be seen from the previous posts on this blog, I’m a huge Buffy fan. I adored the tv series, I’ve read way too many books (many of which have been crap…but there have been some genuine gems in there too) and I’m slowly wading through the comic series as well. I own almost all the dvd sets (missing seasons 1 and 2…a ‘friend’ borrowed and never returned them) and I even used to buy the magazine on a sporadic basis. This was a no-brainer from me. But first, a few disclaimers: I’m coming as a huge fanboy of the show. There will be a bias in the reviews because of that. I also love Whedon’s television work, but have not been overly impressed with his comics work (apart from Fray). I thought Astonishing X-men was just average (many, many awesome moments…but not enough actual story). So I approached this with excitement mingled with more than a little trepidation. Fortunately, while I think the comic does have some flaws (many of which may disappear if this is read in collected form) it was overall a solid effort.
Massive Spoilers Ahead!
The End Is Here… (An O.C. Retrospective)
I think I’ve mentioned my love of The O.C. here before. Well, I just got done watching the series finale. I am quite sad…
Let me put it into perspective…
Season 1: I was more than a little hesitant to watch this show because it reeked of typical teen drama and I usually tend to hate those (see: Beverly Hills 90210…uh can’t even remember any other right now…) A lot of people recommended it though and I figured…what the hell…and the show was awesome. It made fun of itself on more than one occasion (The Valley…) and the characters were fun to watch. The acting also seemed to improve every couple of episodes so everything was good. Best of all…the season finale was an actual ending. Sure it might have seemed like a to be continued thing…but to me the show had ended and if there had never been another season…I would have had no problem with it. I had had closure. Then came season 2…
Season 2: The return to status quo was too quick and well…just didn’t really work. Plus the hanging plot-line of whether Ryan had a baby running out there did vex me mightily for the remainder of this show’s existence…but I digress. The show suffered from the “season 2 hump” where your successful formula from the previous season needs to be modified but not changed so that the show becomes unrecognizable. It wasn’t a bad show by any means…I still enjoyed it and the storylines were fun…most importantly the actors had improved on their craft and things progressed nicely. Lindsay (Caleb’s illegitimate secret daughter who was dating Ryan…) was interesting but got boring too quickly and I think they waited too long to get rid of her. Same goes for Trey but at least he was used to advance a plot point. What plot point was that? Why, the Ryan loves Marissa one…again…Either way the season ended with a real cliffhanger and I was actually looking forward to season 3 because of the possible implications of Marissa’s shooting Trey.
Season 3: I really can’t say much about this since I gave up on the show sometime around episode 6 or 7 of this season. I still loved the characters and I really wanted to continue watching, but time was at a premium and I just couldn’t stick with it. From what I saw, apparently Ryan and Marissa were breaking up again…only to reunite near the season ender I’m sure (yep…season 4′s recap revealed as much), Seth and Summer were happy…as they should be, and Taylor was introduced! Taylor is the classic case of how a throwaway character can be completely redeemed with the right writers. Much like the redemption of Rachel Bilson in the latter half of Season 1, the writers managed to truly bring the character into leading lady status during I assume the latter half of season 3 (when they found out Mischa Barton would have to be replaced…I think) and all of season 4 of course. Either way the season ended with Marissa shuffling off the mortal coil and I think I was actually tempted to watch the episode but decided I didn’t want to torture myself…season 4 is making me rethink my decision though…
Season 4: I had washed my hands off Orange County. Ryan, Summer, Seth and the rest would always live on in the season 1 and season 2 dvd-sets I had, but I would never watch the show again. Or so I thought. Then I started hearing about how season 4 was a return to greatness. I was skeptical…naturally. I’ve been reading comics long enough to know that returns to greatness are almost always ridiculously over-hyped. But I missed the Fab Four. And while they were down to the Terrific Trio, I still wanted to watch the show again. I caved. I watched the first 2 episodes of season 4 in one sitting. It was like I never left. The show definitely wasn’t up to season 1 level…but it wasn’t the same show anymore. It was darker…a necessary result of a main character dying…and more fun at the same time. I found myself drawn back in to the world of Orange County. I found myself rooting for Taylor and Ryan to get together. I even hoped that Theresa and her baby would make some sort of appearance (no such luck…) But the show was fun to watch again. I loved watching the “new” lighter Ryan and the transformation of Summer from well-meaning air-head to eco-power woman. Which brings us to the series finale…finally. I actually got choked up while I watched the Cohens rebuild everything they had lost (no…I don’t cry at anything…I’m practically made of ice…but I did come close…) I felt like I was losing friends when I watched Ryan walk through the house that changed his life for the last time. The scene where he finally says goodbye to Marissa was heart-wrenching. And the ending was totally satisfying. The theme of the episode was coming full-circle. The end brought the whole show full-circle. When Ryan tried to help the boy that reminded him of himself as a vulnerable young boy looking for something to hold onto…the show’s purpose was completed. It had brought closure. It had truly ended.
Whew…wrote a lot more than I was planning on that topic, but I think I needed to get it out.
Oh…and this has been Day 3 of the planned 30.
Entourage Season 3 Continues…finally!
Well…it’s been a long time coming, but it’s finally been confirmed that the remaining half of season 3 of Entourage will begin airing on April 9th!!
http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/sopranos-entourage-return-on-april-9/
I could not be happier about this. It’s fantastic news about a fantastic show that doesn’t recieve the amount of recognition it deserves. This is one of the rare shows which I watch weekly when it’s on, and actually wait for it to be on. One of the reasons is of course the fabolous acting by both Kevin Donnelly and Jeremy Piven; those two are fantastic, and Piven especially never fails to elicit a laugh when he’s onscreen.
Hopefully the firing of Ari will be addressed right off the bat since that was one of the most unexpected, truly shocking season finales of the past year. Regardless, I can’t wait. Only 2 more months to go!!!
T.V. Year-End Review – Pt. 2
Annnd I’m back. A little later than I expected, but still fairly timely for my track record. Anyway, since I want to get to the rest of the year-end posts before January ends, I think I should jump right into the next night on the line-up; Thursday. (more…)
