Oh, So Now Killing People Is a Good Time

After suffering through a chick flick last week (see She Did Not See My “A” Game), this week was more of a manly film with death, destruction, and nudity, not necessarily in that order. The Matador follows an assassin, Julian, and a business man, Danny, who have a chance meeting in Mexico City. The movie plays out like your regular odd couple with a few surprises thrown in. But when the fun south of the border ends, they both go their separate ways back to their separate worlds giving Danny what Julian calls the best cocktail party story ever.

Pierce Brosnan (Remington Steele) plays the out of touch assassin perfectly and nails every line especially the inappropriate on he delivers to Danny. There is even some extra entertainment value in seeing James Bond with graying hair, a beer gut and a cheesy mustache. And if Early Hickey has taught up anything is that mustaches are funny. As for Danny, Greg Kinnear (Talk Soup) looks like he is still trying to corner the neurotic middle age man market left by Garry Shandling, but doesn’t nearly does as good a job. Rounding out the cast is Hope Davis (nothing I’ve seen) as Danny’s wife who is basically just there. Also look out for Veronica Mars social studies teacher, Mr. Rooks, who was ousted for a little after school activity with a student as Danny’s business partner.

But the problem with The Matador is that it lags a bit at times throughout the movie, and a movie about killing people should never get boring. Then there were a couple inexplicable scenes that you just sit there and wonder why are they in the film like when Julian walks through the hotel lobby in a Speedo then jumps into the pool, alcoholic beverage in hand, only to find a shark. Was Julian just tripping? Was I tripping? There were a few scenes like this. Then the apex of the film went back to a scene earlier in the movie that I didn’t realize wasn’t resolved. They should have just done what the movie should have been in the first place, randomly killing anonymous dudes. Then this film may have been saved.

The Matador gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

I Don't Like Porn, Guns, I Don't Fit in This House

Like many reality shows VH1 rolls out, Supergroup didn’t really show up on my radar. But like reality shows on VH1, I seemed to catch every single minute. The premise was pretty basic and was pretty much Making the Band but with established artist. Well established artists and a dude from Biohazard. I guess there are not many marquee hard rock bass players as Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers is too busy still being relevant. Rounding out the rest of the group was Ted Nugent on lead guitar, who is always good for a one-liner my favorite being when he describe the new songs as, “so obnoxiously Ted Nugent, I may have to (expletive deleted) myself tonight.” Then there was Scott Ian of Anthrax on rhythm guitar, Jason Bonham, as in John’s son, behind the drum kit, and Sebastian Bach of Gilmore Girls fame on vocals, although they kept on mentioning some band he was apparently in before Gilmore Girls. Who knew?

Considering this was a rock group, there was plenty of sex, drugs and rock and roll, not necessarily in that order. The sex portion came when the wives arrived for a visit as the dude from Biohazard’s wife just so happens to be a porn star who convinced Mrs. Bach to join her in a pictorial. But the porn star wasn’t even the most surprising significant other as Ian just so happened to be engaged to Meatloaf. I have a feeling we may have a preview of the next VH1 reality series. And who wouldn’t want a little Anthrax on their Meatloaf?

The drugs part of the equation was interesting as the group included a member as clean as a whistle (for those who saw Ted Nugent Behind the Music will no his only addition has to do with a female species, he eats them raw like sushi), two recovering addicts, and two full on drinkers, one of which, Bach, went through a forced detox after his drinking got out of control leading to the most entertaining part of the show when the dude from Biohazard punched him.

But the real stars of the show were Valerie (who uttered this post’s title) and Jay, part of a PR team brought in to sell the band that went through names like Rawdog and Fist before settling on Damnocracy. It seemed like every one of their ideas were turned down from stylists to clothing designers and even tried to get Bach to cut his hair while the band became more disinterested with more with every suggestion. Then ever time a band member flat out told them no, they would stood they shocked, mouth open, that someone would reject their ideas. But nothing topped the look on their faces when they walking in of the wives very naked photoshoot. Who know whether there will be a second season or if that second season will be of Damnocracy or a group made up of entirely new members, but hopefully Valerie and Jay are back.

Supergroup 1.x gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

We on Award Tour: 2006 Emmy Nominations

If I had secondary headlines on this blog, this post’s would be, “Different Year, Same Results.” Much was made about the new nomination system for the Emmys this year where I believe all the nominators sat in a room and al watch each and every show’s entry. Yet looking through the nominations, it looks like the same old nominations with nods going to the old guard like West Wing. Will & Grace even got double digit nominations the most of any network show not named 24. I know I said this last year, and if the 9th Green was up a year before that, I would have said it then too, but seriously, Will & Grace is still on? I am now convinced that the Emmys are messing with my mind and the show really ended five years ago.

As for the former CW entities, they received a combined six nominations, two for Everybody Hates Chris (Costumes, Cinematography), Supernatural (Musical Composition, Sound Editing), Smallville (again, Sound Editing, CW will have a stranglehold on this category next year), and Reba (Cinematography). Wait seriously, Reba? No Veronica Mars, no Everwood, no Gilmore Girls, no Beauty and the Geek, but Reba gets a nod. To add more insult, even Kathy Griffin got a nomination. Okay that is officially reason number one why the new system failed, check out my analysis for many more reasons. But since I could care less about cinematography (sorry Reba), this is only an abridged list. For the excruciating long list, check out the Emmys site.


Comedy Series
Arrested Development, FOX
Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO
The Office, NBC
Scrubs, NBC
Two And A Half Men, CBS

Who Will Win: Curb Your Enthusiasm
Who Should Win: Arrested Development
Should Have Been Nominated: My Name Is Earl

So I will be complaining a lot today, but here is something the Emmys actually got right, no Desperate Housewives. Best Comedy Series should go to the funniest show on TV and even though it produces a few chuckles, anyway who actually laughs during Desperate Housewives should be checked into a mental institution. Also people who should be checked into a mental institution, anyone who thinks Two and a Half Men is funnier than My Name Is Earl. Earl, also Scooter Televistion Award winner for Best Sitcom, being snubbed is reason number two why the new system failed.


Drama Series
Grey's Anatomy, ABC
House, FOX
The Sopranos, HBO
24, FOX
The West Wing, NBC

Who Will Win: Grey’s Anatomy
Who Should Win: Don’t Care
Should Have Been Nominated: Veronica Mars

Reason number three that the new system failed, The West Wing here. All I have heard since Alan Sorkin left the show is how bad it is, yet it still gets nominated every year. And on that subject, everyone complained how much The Sopranos was down this year, yet it also gets its obligatory nomination. I’m sure a lot will be made about the omission of Lost here, but all they did was switch ABC’s big buzz show from last year to its big buzz show from this year. And much like last year this ear’s buzz show, Grey’s Anatomy will win. And hopefully like Lost this year, GA will fall off because I’ve never understood the allure of that show.


Reality-Competition Program
The Amazing Race, CBS
American Idol, FOX
Dancing With the Stars, ABC
Project Runway, Bravo
Survivor, CBS

Who Will Win: The Amazing Race
Who Should Win: Survivor
Should Have Been Nominated: Beauty and the Geek

I believe The Amazing Race has won this award every year and I doubt dudes sing karaoke will be able to change that. And Dancing the Stars gets the nod? Its has-beens and never-wills dancing. Where is the entertainment value in that? I’d take Beauty and the Geek, Real World/Road Rules Challenge and Flavor of Love over that show (or dudes singing karaoke) any day.


Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO
Kevin James, The King of Queens, CBS
Tony Shalhoub, Monk, USA
Steve Carell, The Office, NBC
Charlie Sheen, Two And A Half Men, CBS

Who Will Win: Larry David
Who Should Win: Don’t Care
Should Have Been Nominated: Jason Lee - My Name Is Earl

Probably the most pathetic category this year. And who in this category grew a 70’s gay porn mustache for their craft? Even if Jason Lee just stood there doing nothing for a half an hour, he’d still be funnier than any of these nominations. Seriously, Charlie Sheen and Kevin James? Reason number three why the new system failed. I could take Tony Shalhoub in a drama category, but not here. And where’s Jason Bateman? Again, much funnier than anyone here.


Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback, HBO
Jane Kaczmarek, Malcolm In The Middle, FOX
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures Of Old Christine, CBS
Stockard Channing, Out Of Practice, CBS
Debra Messing, Will & Grace, NBC

Who Will Win: Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Who Should Win: Don’t Care

Okay, so I was totally wrong, this is the most pathetic category. I wasn’t even aware that Will and Grace or Malcolm in the Middle were even still on. I though The Comeback got canned a long time ago. Stockard Channing most like was just nominated because the panel though she was still on The West Wing. The sad thing is I can’t even think of someone to put in here. Jamie Pressly and Tisha Arnold are more supporting roles. But when it comes down to it, Kristen Bell is funnier than all these nominees.


Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Christopher Meloni, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, NBC
Denis Leary, Rescue Me, FX
Peter Krause, Six Feet Under, HBO
Kiefer Sutherland, 24, FOX
Martin Sheen, The West Wing, NBC

Who Will Win: Keifer Sutherland
Who Should Win: Denis Leary

Here is possibly the only place where the new system didn’t fail with the inclusion of Denis Leary, not that he has a chance of winning. I have a feeling that Sheen will get the it’s his last season so lets give him the award treatment but since he’s nominated elsewhere, they may give him to it there. But let’s face it, Ice-T is that star of SVU and it’s a travesty that Meloni got the nod over him.


Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer, TNT
Geena Davis, Commander In Chief, ABC
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, NBC
Francis Conroy, Six Feet Under, HBO
Allison Janney, The West Wing, NBC

Who Will Win: Allison Janney
Who Should Win: Don’t Care
Should Have Been Nominated: Kristen Bell - Veronica Mars

There are two crimes against humanity going on in this category. To start with, and the fourth reason why the new system failed, ageism. Year after year, the over forty crowd routinely, and most of the time undeservingly, gets nominated over their younger counterpoints and the new system didn’t remedy this. Everyone should give up hope that Bell will never be nominated for Veronica Mars because the Emmys will never recognize high schoolers or people that play them. And this isn’t even solely a Veronica Mars rant, no Evangeline Lilly, no Emily Van Camp, no Eva Longoria (the only Desperate Housewife not to be nominated last year and the only one under forty), no one from Grey’s Anatomy. Maybe if Gilmore Girls is around by the time Lauren Graham gets on the wrong side of forty, she will actually get nominated. And taking up a nomination from the under forty sect, Geena Davis who just so happens to double as the union leader or something like that. Nepotism anyone?


Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Will Arnett, Arrested Development, FOX
Jeremy Piven, Entourage, HBO
Bryan Cranston, Malcolm In The Middle, FOX
Jon Cryer, Two And A Half Men, CBS
Sean Hayes, Will & Grace, NBC

Who Will Win: Jeremy Piven
Who Should Win: Will Arnett
Should Have Been Nominated: Doogie Houser - How I Met Your Mother

Reason number six on why the new system failed, the creator of the Lemon Law was denied. Two of the shows aren’t really on any more, then there is the inexcusable Jon Cryer nod. Those holes should have been filled by the other Arrested Development bit players David Cross and Jeffery Tambor.


Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Cheryl Hines, Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO
Alfre Woodard, Desperate Housewives, ABC
Jaime Pressly, My Name Is Earl, NBC
Elizabeth Perkins, Weeds, Showtime
Megan Mullally, Will & Grace, NBC

Who Will Win: Alfre Woodard
Who Should Win: Jamie Pressly
Should Have Been Nominated: Jessica Walter - Arrested Development

The only thing comical about this award would be if the only non-comedy actress actually wins it. Did Woodard actually do anything funny this year? Interesting how the show dominated the lead category last year, but this is the only nomination this year. But no female made me laugh more in the past year than Lucille #1. Well okay Pressly did, but she had twice as many episodes.


Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
William Shatner, Boston Legal, ABC
Oliver Platt, Huff, Showtime
Michael Imperioli, The Sopranos, HBO
Gregory Itzin, 24, FOX
Alan Alda, The West Wing, NBC

Who Will Win: William Shatner
Who Should Win: Don’t Care
Should Have Been Nominated: Ryan Hansen - Veronica Mars

Yet another category without any shows I watch. Should I even now who Gregory Itzin is? But there was no one more entertaining this past year than Dick Casablancas. Biggest snub of the year.


Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Candice Bergen, Boston Legal, ABC
Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy, ABC
Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy, ABC
Blythe Danner, Huff, Showtime
Jean Smart, 24, FOX

Who Will Win: Blythe Danner
Who Should Win: Don’t Care
Should Have Been Nominated: Diane Farr - Rescue Me

Yawn, another boring category. Lost in the shuffle of switching shows, Farr got lost in the shuffle as the lone female in the firehouse.


Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Patrick Stewart, Extras, HBO
Ben Stiller, Extras, HBO
Martin Sheen, Two And A Half Men, CBS
Alec Baldwin, Will & Grace, NBC
Leslie Jordan, Will & Grace, NBC

Who Will Win: Martin Sheen
Who Should Win: Ben Stiller
Should Have Been Nominated: Giovanni Ribisi - My Name Is Earl

Surprise, surprise, yet another category with shows I don’t watch. But I can’t imagine any of them were funnier than Earl’s not quite conformed old buddy Ralph.


Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Shirley Knight, Desperate Housewives, ABC
Kate Winslet, Extras, HBO
Cloris Leachman, Malcolm In The Middle, FOX
Laurie Metcalf, Monk, USA
Blythe Danner, Will & Grace, NBC

Who Will Win: Cloris Leachman
Who Should Win: Don’t Care
Should Have Been Nominated: Juliette Lewis - My Name Is Earl

Reason seven why the new system failed, did the Emmy people even watch Earl? This is really beginning to bug me.


Guest Actor in a Drama Series
Michael J. Fox, Boston Legal, ABC
Christian Clemenson, Boston Legal, ABC
James Woods, ER, NBC
Kyle Chandler, Grey's Anatomy, ABC
Henry Ian Cusick, Lost, ABC

Who Will Win: James Woods
Who Should Win: James Woods
Should Have Been Nominated: Michael Emerson - Lost

I was all ready to put Henry Ian Cusick in the "Who Should Win" column thinking that was Henry Gale. But when I double checked, that dude turned out to be Desmond. These people are moron. And in my obligatory Veronica Mars plug, I’d through Harry Hamlin into this category.


Guest Actress in a Drama Series
Kate Burton, Grey's Anatomy, ABC
Christina Ricci, Grey's Anatomy, ABC
Swoosie Kurtz, Huff, Showtime
Patricia Clarkson, Six Feet Under, HBO
Joanna Cassidy, Six Feet Under, HBO

Who Will Win: Swoosie Kurtz
Who Should Win: Don’t Care
Should Have Been Nominated: Lucy Lawless - Veronica Mars

Her verbal beatdown of Sheriff Lamb along should have warranted Lawless a nod.


Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program
Barry Manilow, Barry Manilow: Music And Passion, PBS
Stephen Colbert, The Colbert Report, Comedy Central
Craig Ferguson, The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson, CBS
David Letterman, Late Show With David Letterman, CBS
Hugh Jackman, The 59th Annual Tony Awards (2005), CBS

Who Will Win: Stephan Colbert
Who Should Win: David Letterman
Should Have Been Nominated: John Stewart - The Daily Show/Oscars

One of the few times didn’t screw up with Leno not being nominated this year. But Ferguson over Stewart and Conan? At least Conan has hosting the show to fall back on.


Directing for a Comedy Series
Michael Patrick King, The Comeback, (Valerie Does Another Classic Leno), HBO
Robert B. Weide, Curb Your Enthusiasm, (The Christ Nail), HBO
Dan Attias, Entourage, (Oh, Mandy), HBO
Julian Farino, Entourage, (Sundance Kids), HBO
Marc Buckland, My Name Is Earl, (Pilot), NBC
Craig Zisk, Weeds, Good S*** (Lollipop), Showtime

Who Will Win: Don’t Know
Who Should Win: Marc Buckland

I was going to delete this like every other technical category until I noticed Earl got nominate here.


Variety, Music or Comedy Series
The Colbert Report, Comedy Central
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, Comedy Central.
Late Night with Conan O'Brien, NBC, Broadway Video
Late Show with David Letterman, CBS
Real Time with Bill Maher, HBO

Who Will Win: The Daily Show
Who Should Win: The Daily Show

So what’s the difference between this category and Best Comedy Series? Technically couldn’t The Office et al also be nominated here too?


Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour)
Camp Lazlo, (Hello Dolly / Over Cooked Beans,) Cartoon Network
Family Guy, (PTV,) FOX
Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, (Go Goo Go,) Cartoon Network
The Simpsons, (The Seemingly Neverending Story,) FOX
South Park, (Trapped in the Closet,) Comedy

Who Will Win: The Simpsons
Who Should Win: South Park

What’s most interesting here is the episode South Park submitted here, Trapped in the Closet also know as the episode that made Isaac Hayes leave, also know as the anti-Scientology episode. I have a feeling the South Park guys submitted this episode as a joke.


Writing for a Comedy Series
Arrested Development, (Development Arrested), Chuck Tatham, Jim Vallely, Richard Day, Mitchell Hurwitz
Entourage, (Exodus), Doug Ellin
Extras, (Kate Winslet), Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant
My Name Is Earl, (Pilot), Greg Garcia
The Office, (Christmas Party), Michael Schur

Who Will Win: The Office
Who Should Win: My Name Is Earl
Should Have Been Nominated: My Name Is Earl (Y2K)

Wow, more Earl love and there is no episode on any show that made me laugh harder this past year than its pilot episode. The Y2K episode is a distant second.


Writing for a Drama Series
Grey's Anatomy, (It's the End of the World, As We Know It (Part 1 & 2)), Shonda Rhimes
Grey's Anatomy, (Into You Like A Train), Krista Vernoff
Lost, (The 23rd Psalm), Carlton Cuse, Damon Lindelof
Six Feet Under, (Everyone's Waiting), Alan Ball
The Sopranos, (Members Only), Terence Winter

Who Will Win: Six Feet Under
Who Should Win: Lost
Should Have Been Nominated: Veronica Mars (Donut Run, Normal Is the Watchword, Not Pictured)

Odd choose of Lost episodes here with the first Eko-centric episode getting the nod. I don’t think that was even the best Eko episode. But I’d put up the trio of Veronica Mars episode against any of the other one’s nominated.



Usually I prepare what I am going to write the night before and I had an anti-Desperate Housewives being included in the Comedy categories rant already to roll, but surprisingly only one supporting nomination this year so I was unable to use it in the individual nomination analysis. But since I thought it was a good idea, I’m still going to throw it out there to the people who run the Emmys: create a new Dramedy category. Back in the eighties and earlier, most shows were strictly in either in the drama or comedy column. But in the nineties and shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Ally McBeal, more and more shows are equal parts laughs and tears and have been routinely overlooked. And the addition of the category would benefit the award show because it would mean more stars to nominate. Had there been a Dramedy Series category, it may have looked something like this:

Desperate Housewives
Everybody Hates Chris
Gilmore Girls
Rescue Me
Veronica Mars

And to the Emmys people, if you do decide to use my idea, all I ask in return is to be included as one of the people that does the nominating. Oh and one of those gift bags you give out to all the presenters.

He Said “John Go Do My Will”

It’s always a touchy subject when releasing unfinished music posthumously. On one hand, you have the desire of fans to get their hands on everything an artist recorded, but on the other, you are hearing the music not necessarily the way an artist wanted you to hear it. But there is a sense of relief that the latest Johnny Cash album, American V: A Hundred Highways that Rick Rubin is at the helm just like the previous four American recording that have been recorded over the past decade. Notice I said latest, not last album as Rubin is currently working on more songs from the sessions for at least another album.

Much of this album was recorded in-between the five months between the death of his wife June and his own and the melancholy throughout the album starting with the album opener Help Me. If You Could Read My Mind is touching considering the context and even though the song isn’t about death and originally done by Gordon Lightfoot, you can’t but think he’s singing to June. As his voice starts to break at the end of song, so will your heart. But it’s not all heartache and loss as he later sings Love’s Been Good to Me.

The last song that Johnny Cash ever wrote and recorded is on this set too. Like the 309 is a bouncy song that is reminiscent of him as a young man hanging out at a train station. Oddly enough the song starts off with the line, “It should be awhile before I see Dr. Death.” As Cash recorded much of these tunes confined to a wheelchair and nearly blind, his own mortality is touched upon elsewhere on the album most notable on the Bruce Springsteen cover Further up On the Road (which was part of the 9/11 inpired The Rising album). The album closes with a rerecording of his 1962 song, I’m Free from the Chain Gang now which takes a whole new meaning after his death and now he’s free after spending his life being the voice of the voiceless and downtrodden.

If there is a downside to American V it would actually have to be Rubin. After single handedly resurrecting Cash’s career by pushing him to places he hasn’t been before musically, this album is pretty safe and sound like an album Cash would have made had he never met Rubin. The only song here that would fit on the earlier American recording is traditional gospel song God’s Gonna Cut You Down where a chorus of hand claps and foot stomps surrounds Cash’s vocals and sounds like a death march. But it’s not for Cash, instead it’s for the, “rambler, gambler, the backbiter” and all other sinners in the world. The rest of the album though sounds almost as if Rubin wanted to take the safe route in creating the music behind Cash’s previously recorded vocals as to not taint Cash’s legacy in turn making them afterthoughts in the Cash musical vault. But with that said, Johnny Cash afterthoughts are still better than ninety-five percent of the music made today.

Song to Download - God’s Gonna Cut You Down

American V: A Hundred Highways gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

You're Like Rich-Dude Kryptonite, Veronica

Over last summer, after Veronica Mars finished up, I really wasn’t wondering lad to behind the door that Ronnie was glad to see, instead I was thinking of how they could keep up the intensity of the first season going into the second. Both season long arcs, with Veronica trying to figure out who raped her and more importantly who killed her best friend, Lilly Kane, were very personal to her and you know she wouldn’t stop until she got her answers.

But my worries quickly went away with the second season premiere that rivaled the entertainment value of anything in the first season that came to the crescendo as Ashes started to swell up at the end with Veronica, riding on the back of Weevil’s bike, rode up to the scene where the bus she was supposed to be on went over a cliff. Adding to the guilt of that should have been her, the lone 09’er stood by her last year, Meg, who just happened to be upset with her for stealing her boyfriend, happened to be on the bus. And I’m not sure that Meg being the lone survivor, and by survivor I mean she needed a machine to breathe, maybe even upped the guilt factor.

In the first episode we also met Butters and Gia, who would show up periodically during the second season. Both of which grew on me as the season progressed and both shined in the third to last episode with Gia’s various monologues about her stalker and Butters in the elevator up to the alterna-prom. Hopefully both of them cross Ronnie’s path during season three. Oddly missing in the first episode was the newest cast member, Jackie Cook, even though even her father showed up in the opener having an argument with Mayor Goodwood. An argument I don’t think we ever really figured out was about.

As for the other major arc this season, this one really had more to do with Logan and how he dealt with it than anything. Not that Logan originally really cared about finding out who the real killer of Felix was, just that he beat the wrap. But once the witness came forward, it came clear that Logan would have to find out who was behind it if he wanted to clear his name. To do this he had to team out with his arch nemesis, Weevil who also wanted to know who really killed his number two. This unusual pairing lead to one of the best lines in the series when Veronica devised that the two were in cahoots prompting Vee to asked “do either of you have any experience being a horse’s ass?”

This storyline lost some steam near the end as it became apparent that it was either the Fitzpatrick’s or Thumper, only to find out it was both were involved with a few episodes still left in the season. But this gave Weevil time to plan his revenge on the PCH turncoat and poetically it was Logan who carried that out when he set off the trigger that imploded Shark Stadium where Thumper was in. But it looks like this will carry into next season as Lamb, in his biggest heartless act of the series besides blowing off Veronica’s rape allegations and listening to Big and Rich, picked the inappropriate time of graduation to arrested Weevil for the crime.

Throughout the season we met many suspects that you look at and think, yeah, dude’s psycho enough to blow up a bus full of high schooler including Mayor Goodwood, evil Indians, Not-So-Lucky, Papa Manning, Big Dick, and the Fighting Fitzpatrick’s. Even last season’s big bad, Aaron Echolls looked like a potential candidate via a proxy. But in the end it was Evil Beaver who did the deed to keep his dirty little secret that Mayor Goodwood touched his, um, Goodwood. I still don’t really buy the Evil Beaver doing I because even in his despair, I don’t see him killing innocents especially Meg. I’d be nice to think that Beaver would at least try to convince her to take the limo.

But unlike other shows where a bad reveal would ruin an episode, if not the entire season or show, the finale, along with the whole second season remained thoroughly entertaining. Part of this is due to the excellent addition of Dick Casablancas to the cast. You know whenever Little Dick came across the screen, there was going to be a great one-line, including my favorite, “sometimes you don’t need the prettiest house, just one that will let you ride horseback.” (Sadly no one has complied all of them together for YouTube yet.) Who can forget when he not so subtly looked down Vee’s dress at the alterna-prom. And even though he makes for a good t-shirt, Dick himself was always seen sporting great ones of his own (I have candy). Hopefully Dick isn’t to depressed next season over Beaver’s death so he can deliver more one-liners and maybe he will even get Ronnie drunk enough to hook up with him.

Granted you can trace Dick’s greatness back to the writers who feed him the great one-liners. They are really the MVP’s of the show who can keep it entertaining even when they rehash older mystery of the week (more dead dogs) and guest stars that have no acting training (the chick from Laguna Beach). Even with the disappointment of the Evil Beaver reveil, the Aaron Echolls death scene (which could possibly have been the best death scene of the year) more than made up for it, then throw in Dick slapping Ronnie’s butt and it quickly turned into the best finale of the season. Thanks to the writers there was not a throwaway episode this season or for the whole series for that matter. Can you say that about any other show?

And even though I’m against acting awards because I believe most good acting is devised from the page (hey, even I was able to win an acting award) it’s obvious that Kristen Bell is one of few great actors today. She easily goes from snarky to emotional without missing a beat or being overdramatic like some of her contemporaries (i.e. the lead in a certain series created by a guest star this season). And she never takes a scene off even when she is not the focal point like when she’s hiding her face behind her hair while talking Hearst College with Wallace. A lot has been made of this new Emmy voting system so hopefully the voters can look beyond the sixth rate network and high school drama façade and not just relegate Bell to the Emmy Idol this year. But if they do, may I suggest she do The Facts of Life theme this year.


Unlike last year, there were quite a few unanswered questions at the end of this season (feel free to add any I left out in the comment section):

What were Terrence Cook and Mayor Goodwood arguing about?

Why did Lamb’s dad say the same thing that Mr. Manning said when Lamb went to check out Grace’s closet?

Who is Sally and why could Beaver hang her over Dick?

How and more importantly why did Not-Kendal and Logan hook up?

What happened to the dude the presumable killed Amelia Delongpre that Clarence Wiedman said he’d take care off? Did he go “CW” on him?

Why did Mayor Goodwood tell his daughter not to take the bus back to school?

Who leaked to the press that Terrence threw a baseball game?

When will Ronnie start sporting an “I (Heart) Dick” t-shirt?

Now that her husband isn’t around, will Logan’s mom come out of hiding or at the very least wash to shore?

And of course, what’s in Not-Kendal’s briefcase? (Am I too simple minded to think it’s just money, lots and lots of money?

Veronica Mars 2.x gets a on my Terror Alert Scale. It also won six STA's.





In related Veronica Mars news, some of the cast will be holding a Q&A session this year at Comic Con in San Diego. Yeah, I don’t know what the comic connection is with the show, but it is at very least a chance to ask the questions above. The panel will take place Saturday July 22nd from 4:30 to 5:30 and will include Creator Rob Thomas and stars Kristen Bell, Jason Dohring, Enrico Colantoni, Francis Capra, Ryan Hansen, and Michael Muhney are all scheduled to appear. The panel will be moderated by some dude from TVGuide.com.

Unfortunately I am, what the government considers poor so it looks as if I won’t be able to attend to grill Rob Thomas one more time. Although if the readers of the 9th Green chipped in, maybe I could make an appearance. So if you have and extra dollar to spare, well, donate it to one of the worthy charities on my sidebar or Ducky’s AIDS Ride. But if you have two extra dollars to spare, give one to the worthy charities and the other to the Scooter McGavin is Poor Fund. Where’s Warren Buffet when you need him?

And on a bookkeeping note, due to the impending holiday, there will be no new posts until the fifth when I may bring you the last album (at least of new material) of one of my personal favorite artists and maybe a review of one of my summer guilty pleasures.