Curb Your Enthusiasm – Singers and shorts don’t mix
What a weird little world Larry David lives in. Yes, it’s largely designed to seem as small as it does, but to have something as asinine as a guy sitting in shorts on an airplane come full-circle for Larry as he’s running from an angry boyfriend…? I only hope Curb is heavier on fiction than fact, for his sake.
I was wondering: the restaurant singer that Larry yells at and stops mid-song; was he doing it to prove to his friends that shushing Jeff’s daughter wasn’t a one-time thing, or is he seriously sick enough that he’d do that whenever, and wherever he encountered someone flexing their golden pipes (what’s up, Benny from E*Trade!)? Read the rest of this entry »
The Forgotten is forgettable … except maybe for the pilot’s ending
In case you haven’t heard yet, Christian Slater has decided to give television another go by starring in ABC’s upcoming drama, The Forgotten. The premise is this: a group of experts led by Alex Donovan (Slater) — who are not law enforcement, though work with them (think Bones) — assist in figuring out the identities of “John Does” (or Jane Does) by way of a bit of detective work, crime re-creation and forensics. It’s their hope that, by discovering who these “forgotten” people are, they can help lead to an arrest or, at the very least, give a sense of resolution to loved ones. In fact, it’s that resolution that may motivate them over anything else.
Overall the pilot episode did nothing for me. There’s little to no chemistry between the people in Donovan’s team, and for a pilot episode we get very little background into who these people are, what they are like and what drives them (well, a little bit of that last bit, but just a morsel). There are opportunities to throw a little fun into the show, but they are never used, and there’s a sad lack of suspense so far. Where things really got interesting, and perhaps excuse the lack of character depth, is how the episode ends, though I may be reading into it all wrong.
The West Wing got it right
With the 2008-2009 network television season in the bag, and a dreary 2009-2010 season to look forward to, I find my mind a wandering back in time. As easy as it is to stumble back on The West Wing anyway, my stroll was aided by a recent conversation being held over the highs and lows that West Wingers past have been hitting on USA Network’s In Plain Sight.
While the topic need not be revisited (I can only tell Ivey he’s wrong so many times), Modwild got me thinking about just how well some shows cast their guests. Not that certain actors are deserving of a certain level of quality parts, but rather, that there’s a fine art to assigning an actor to a role.
While there are countless examples of how to, and not to, do this right, The West Wing, in particular, stands out as an example of casting done brilliantly. Over its life, guest stars big and small took both short and long turns on the show, and in a world where most things fall into predictable percentages, The West Wing got it right more often than most.
A few of my most memorable: Read the rest of this entry »
Am I the only one who misses Medium?
I must not be, because the show has been enough of a hit to run for four seasons. So why has NBC been treating this fan favorite like dirt? I’ll give you a clue: they’re either douchebags, or idiots, or both.
First, they push Medium back to a midseason premiere in favor of Christian Slater’s ill-fated spy drama, My Own Worst Enemy. Well, that obviously backfired, and MOWE is now toast. So why is Medium still only coming back to its loyal viewers on February 2? Because it would get in the way of two hours of Superstars of Dancing, of course!
Apparently the bigwigs over at NBC are trying to compete with FOX’s American Idol this winter for the title of Most Useless Filler Squeezed into a Reality Competition. At least that’s my best guess as to why they would need not two, or three, but four hours on Sunday and Monday nights of what I can only imagine is Dancing With The Stars, sans the stars.
My Own Worst Enemy’s Mike O’Malley is the greatest treat
I am still mad that NBC has canceled the Christian Slater vehicle My Own Worst Enemy. Any time I like a new show, it seems, it gets canceled before it ever has a chance. Some examples include: Daybreak, Journeyman, Moonlight, and The New Amsterdam. I refuse to believe that I am some kind of a bad luck charm, but Tim Roth in the upcoming FOX show Lie to Me? Better watch your back.
Even though I have been a Christian Slater fan since he and I were both teenagers, Slater is not the only reason I am angry about the cancellation of Enemy. Mike O’Malley is the best-kept secret on that show. O’Malley plays the dual role of the happy, dumb-looking Tom Grady and the cold-blooded Raymond Carter.
My Own Worst Enemy – Hello, Henry
NBC
(Season 1, Episode 3)
What I like most about My Own Worst Enemy is the inner battle between Henry and Edward. The family life scenes and the missions are only a means to an end to put Henry/Edward in unfamiliar settings and situations that can create conflict. “Hello, Henry” offered just that: conflict between for the lead characters and that’s why I enjoyed the third installment of the new NBC show.
How my TV reminds me that I’m not a kid anymore
CBS
I wouldn’t go so far as to say that I’m getting old. I mean, I’m only 26, still in my mid-twenties and denying the fact that I am aging. However, it seems like the world around me is constantly reminding me that I am no longer a kid, especially my stupid TV. I don’t get why my TV feels the need to make me feel so old. I treat it well. I watch it all the time, tell it how much I love it. It’s my best friend! That doesn’t stop the big high-definition bastard from telling me how old I am almost every time I turn it on. I’ve threatened to turn it off, but it knows I can’t stay mad at it for long.
It’s depressing and makes me want to rip out all the hair that I can see turning gray. So how exactly does my TV tell me I am getting older? Come find out.
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