Set phasers on “Eh?” – Star Trek movie review
Unless you have been living on Rigel 3, you are no doubt aware there is a new Star Trek movie in theaters today, directed by every geek’s favorite, J.J. Abrams. As a fan of all things Trek, I was really looking forward to this movie. I didn’t care that it featured an all new cast, and was finally going to be the “How Kirk & Spock met” storyline that has been shopped around for a while now. I just needed my Trek fix.
I was disappointed. Maybe my expectations were too high.
Me v. Man v. Food
Last Sunday was the first perfect Spring day. Sunny, temperatures in the high 50s, and a delightful breeze. It was the perfect day to get out for a nice walk, do some yard work, or just enjoy being outside after the brutal Winter we experienced here in the Northeast.
Naturally, I spent it indoors watching the Man v. Food marathon on The Travel Channel.
For those of you who have not seen the show, it stars Adam Richman, a big, friendly “New Yawker” type of guy with an appetite that would make Galactus envious. Every episode features Adam traveling to a different American city and exploring the different “big food” options that the various restaurants in the city have to offer. Think of it as Bizarre Foods with less insects and bigger portions. Each episode culminates in Adam facing off against some local restaurant’s “food challenge”, which usually entails eating eating insane amounts of ginormous portions of bar food. Sometimes, impossibly spicy foods are thrown in, for good measure.
Keeping it real with reality TV
Admit it — you all watch at least one reality show. During the doldrums of winter TV, I have enjoyed (okay, watched) American Idol and Kitchen Nightmares. There are so many out there, though, and the question keeps coming to my mind: where are these contestants coming from, and what are they thinking?!
I can understand trying out for American Idol, with the chance of achieving fame & fortune, or any of the other shows where you can make a few bucks while you make a fool of yourself on national TV. What’s up with all the other shows, though?
Muppet Love
Last November, I was trolling this very site, when I saw a post by our own Debbie McDuffee alerting all of us Clackers to the new product at FAO Schwarz: The Whatnot Muppet.
I love the Muppets, as does everyone, I hope. (If you don’t love the Muppets, I’m sorry for you. Scroll down for a review of House, or something.) I have always wanted a REAL Muppet, not one of those crappy felt Elmos or the like. I wanted a real Muppet, like the ones I saw on TV!
The Whatnot Muppet Workshop at FAO Schwarz has finally filled that void, albeit about 30 years later than I would have liked. If you live in NYC, you can simply pop into FAO Schwarz and design your own Muppet! You get to choose from three different body types, then you can choose from a wide variety of eyes, hair and clothes. You can even “pick” the nose. Apparently, the employees there love that joke. In 20 minutes, you will have your own professional-quality Muppet, made to order. You even get a plastic bag to carry it in, in the event you’d like to walk around the town square with your Muppet.
My Name is Earl – Whither the Crab Man?
(Season 4, Episode 16 – “Darnell Outed, Part 2″)
It’s just a plain fact that one of the funniest shows on television right now is My Name is Earl. Everything about it is practically perfect: from the writing, to the direction, to the casting. The whole cast is absolutely wonderful, but for me (sorry Randy fans), the highlight of the show is Eddie Steeples as “The Crab Man,” Darnell, the husband of Earl’s ex-wife, Joy. His go-with-the-flow mellow character is a wonderful contrast to the other over the top characters on the show (not that there’s anything wrong with any of them!). His devotion to his pet, “Mr. Turtle,” is also touching.
Last night’s episode was a special treat for us Darnell fans. The conclusion of a two-parter, it concerned the Crab Man having his witness-protection identity blown, when his wife auditioned for a reality show. The show was, “Estrada or Nada,” a show where contestants competed against CHIPS star Eric Estrada in a series of competitions. On the show, “Eric Estrada” was actually played by the real Eric Estrada, proving he has a sense of humor and doesn’t mind making fun of himself. Or maybe he just needs cash. Another good sport was Brian Dunkleman, the former American Idol co-host spoofing his former job. Although, I’m pretty sure he needs the cash.
If you didn’t see the show, I won’t spoil it for you (check out iTunes later!). The scenes of Joy & Darnell and their two kids getting their new identities from the witness protection unit were priceless. They became “The Rosenstiens,” Marty and Phylis, and their boys Ira and Lenny, and began living the Jewish faith. Politically incorrect? For sure, but still funny.
The episode ended with the Crab Man’s fate up in the air, so we fans will just have to wring our hands in anxiety until next week’s episode.
Not to beat a dead horse, but this is a great show, and with Earl as the lead-in, NBC — with Earl, The Office and 30 Rock — almost has another night of “Must-See TV” on their hands.
As soon as they cancel that dreadful Molly Shannon show.
American Idles
Admit it, you watched last night. For those who have been hiding in your cellar for the past few weeks, FOX’s mega-hit American Idol premiered season eight (!) last night. Seemingly shoving all the shows on Fox’s regular schedule aside to an “EXCITING NEW NIGHT!”
This year’s go ’round, coming to us from lovely Arizona, featured all the usual elements we’ve come to expect from these Idol audition episodes; It was way too long, we got to see dozens of shots of the teeming masses of hopefuls screaming, shots of the judges arriving, lots of crazies (not including Paula Abdul), Simon being mean, tears, screams, and all the rest.
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My Name is Earl – Faith Ford plays a babysitter
(Season 4, Episode 14 – “Got the Babysitter Pregnant”)
My Name is Earl is a joy of a show. It’s hard to even classify it as a sitcom. Each episode is so rich with great performances and laugh-out-loud moments, the show is more like a little Cohen Brothers movie every week than a TV program. It’s actually sorta hard to believe this show was created by Greg Garcia, whose previous credit was creating the odious Yes, Dear, a sitcom that makes According to Jim look like Citizen Kane.
Thursday night’s episode was another gem. I won’t spoil the plot for you if you haven’t seen it. Knowing NBC’s scheduling, it will most likely be re-run in a week or two, anyway. The story featured Earl trying to make amends to his former babysitter. It seems back in the day, he was jealous of his babysitter’s boyfriend, so he fixed her by punching holes in his condom (plotlines like this make the conservative old man in me wonder what this show is doing on at 8 PM, but it was funny, so what the heck.) It turns out the babysitter and her boyfriend turned out fine, but the child they had, thanks to Earl, is a slacker. Earl resolves to fix this, but ultimately his brother Randy does the fixing in this episode.
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