Best of the Week vol. XLIV

Quote of the Week: You know what Buddy, you need to polish that ring of yours, its looking a bit tarnished. (Coach Taylor, Friday Night Lights)

Song of the Week: September – Earth, Wind, Fire and Rain (Chuck)

Big News of the Week: No More Lost After Tomorrow: 119 hours down, two and a half more to go until I no longer have to watch Lost. I am sure I will have a lengthy series review up next week (definitely not by Monday though, will need a full day to sleep on it). Interestingly enough HBO also wants you to DVR the Lost series finale because the premium channel will be premiering a new True Blood promo for its third season. Then embedded in the promo will be a special QR code for an exclusive clip entitled Eric and Sookie. To access the clip, simply take a picture of the QR code on your smartphone. This will need a QR reader, and if you do not have one, try Inigma.

Gratuitous Token Hot Chick Picture of the Week:



Free Download of the Week: Sittin’ on the Hitz - Digital Underground (Amazon MP3): I do not think there was a bigger Digital Underground fan than me circa middle school. I even tried to get busy in a Burger King bathroom before I really knew what that meant. So the nostalgic side of me may have even paid for this track, but thankfully Amazon is giving away the track for free. Now if you excuses me, I have to go grab somebody in the biscuit even if I am still not entirely sure what it means.

Deal of the Week: Final Days: Save up to 58% on Spotlight Deals (Sons of Anarchy, Damages, How I Met Your Mother)

Video of the Week: Living in the Cleveland area such. Business has been fleeing for years and really all we have going for ourselves is that at least we are not Detroit. We haven’t even won a major sports championship in the state in my lifetime, or in the lifetime of anyone under the age of forty-six. Which could explain why local celebrities (including our governor, a senator, a Real Worlder, and Carl Monday who is sort of the Cleveland version of Chris Hansen) resorted to making this video below in hopes that it will sway LeBron James to stay in his hometown. And yes I am a little offended that I wasn’t asked to participate.

We Are LeBron


Next Week Pick of the Week: Chuck, Monday at 8:00 on NBC: I was actually under the impression that last week was the season finale due to the lack of “Next Week” promo at the end of the episode, but not only is there one episode left of Chuck this season, it is a two hour episode. Which means it will conflict with the season finale of The Big Bang Theory.

Around the Tubes vol. LI

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on Friday Night Lights, Gulf Oil Spill, World's Toughest Fixes, Johnny B. Homeless, Pretty Little Liars, NBC.com, and TNT Upfronts.

- If you ever watch Friday Night Lights and find yourself enjoying the music in the show, you will want to check out the video below featuring music director Liza Richardson and executive producer Jason Katims. You will want to also check out Friday Night Lights Soundtrack vol. 2 which was recently released (especially The Avett Brothers If it’s the Beaches which was featured in the second season.



- For those following the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico (which you should) The National Geographic Channel will be airing a special program next Thursday at 10:00 featuring never before seen footage from the fire that ensured the blowout.

=- Also next Thursday on the National Geographic Channel an hour earlier is the latest episode of World’s Toughest Fixes where Sean Riley will stay in Las Vegas to fix a roller coaster 900 feet over the city. Check out a preview below:



- With SNL done for the season, do you find yourself going through Keenan Thomson withdrawals? Then today’s your lucky day, well actually June 15 will be your lucky day because that is when Keenan’s nine episode web series Jonny B Homeless hits Atom.com. Below is a trailer:




- The latest ABC Family program Prtty Little Liars is coming next month. Here is a character profile of Aria played by Lucy Hale:

- Enjoy NBC shows and have a social media profile (Facebook et al)? Well you can get rewarded just for being a fan of a show like Chuck, Parenthood, Community and/or Friday Night Lights. Every time you talk about a show or watch a video you get points that you can redeems for exclusive access to early previews of new and returning shows, NBC merchandise, discounts at the NBC store, show-themed virtual goods and badges and entry into a sweepstakes to win huge show-related prizes. Head over to NBC.com/fanit for full details.

- Where the major networks got most of the attention, the Turner family of networks also had their upfronts this week. Here are the things that came out of it that piqued my interest:

Conan O’Brien gets a debut date: November 8.

Don Cheadle is getting his own medical show on TNT.

The long talked about Steven Spielberg series starring Noah Wiley finally has a name, Fallen Skies. Bust still do not expect the series to hit your television until 2011.

The guys behind Leverage and The Librarian films are teaming up for a detective show described as “old-fashioned (and recently demoted) detective as he teams with four brilliant but socially awkward, sheltered academics to help him solve crimes” called Brain Trust for TNT.

The Big Bang Theory cable rights were bought by TBS and will start airing in 2011.

An eighties themed series set at college called Glory Daze will be coming to TBS and will featuring the acting talents of SNL alum Tim Meadows and the “stupendous” Juilanna Guill from Friday the 13th, the recent one, not from the eighties classic.

Scooter's Fall 2010 Television Schedule

It seems like I say this every year, but I cannot said I am that excited with any of the new shows the networks have to offer this year. Of course looking back to last year, Modern Family and Community delivered some decent laughs (especially the former) and Parenthood lived up to its pedigree. Though you may have to look to cable to find the best new show of the last year, Justified. Here the shows recently announced that I am most looking forward to (granted most are slated for midseason which tends not to be a good sign for longevity).

1. No Ordinary Hero (Tuesdays at 8:00) – You would think the Heroes debacle would keep me away from a show that already featured a guy who ruined The Thing, but it does come from the guy who gave us Everwood and Eli Stone.

2. (Tie) Mr. Sunshine and Next (both midseason): Both star comedy gold of decades past, Matthew Perry as a sports arena manager and Paul Reiser apparently playing himself. But I have a bone to pick with the promo going around where he says he only gets noticed as the dude from Mad About You, c’mon, I will always remember his as the neurotic half of My Two Dads (and if we are remaking every eighties television show, how about that one, or will no one get by the easy DNA issues at the heart of the show?).

3. Better Together (Wednesdays at 8:30) – Time for an admission, I actually enjoyed Committed which I think lasted a month on NBC a couple years back where Jennifer Finnigan and Josh Cooke played mentally unstable potential companions with Tom Poston living in the closet. Now the duo is back (sans Poston in a closet) for another comedy round. It may last just as long, but I’ll be watching.

4. Outsourced (Thursdays at 9:30): If done right, this will hopefully be the feel good racist comedy of the year.

5. (tie) Perfect Couples and Friends with Benefits (both midseason) – Sure they look like your typical situation comedies, but one has Olivia Munn and the other has Dick Casablancas (albeit with very WASPy hair).

Here is a full rundown of the shows I plan to be watching next fall with CBS really testing my limits with all its changes (I hate change so much I refused to vote for Barack Obama because of it, not that I would boycott my first Russell-free Survivor in a year because of it).

Mondays
8:00 – Chuck
8:00 – How I Met Your Mother
9:00 – The Event (Maybe, depends how much Lost leaves a bad taste in my mouth)
10:00 – Castle

Tuesdays
8:00 – No Ordinary Hero
10:00 - Parenthood

Wednesdays
8:00 – Survivor
8:30 - Better Together
9:00 – Modern Family

Thursdays
8:00 – The Big Bang Theory
8:00 - Community
9:30 – Outsourced

Friday, Saturday and Sunday

I got nothing.

Take My Badge, but My Heart Remains

When The Black Keys debuted Frank the Funkosaurs Rex, I didn’t think they could top themselves, but their higher budget version of Tighten Up is just as awesome. For those that missed the Frank version of the song, I have included it below along with his follow up in Next Girl. And if I do not get the chance to review their latest album Brothers which dropped yesterday, let me quickly say it is worth checking out.


Tighten Up




Next Girl

Young Love: Full of Promise, Full of Hope, Ignorant of Reality

Valentine’s Day is a polarizing holiday, well mostly for women. If they are in a relationship, they love it; if not they hate it and hate everyone that is celebrating. Guys on the other had hate it if they are in a relationship, will those that are not could have thee day pass and not even know it. And Valentine’s Day the movie (out today on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD, On Demand and for Download) may be just as polarizing where female loving romantic comedies will eat up this star studded affair while the boyfriends they make them watch will just be happy it isn’t as bad as He’s Just Not That into You.

The movie runs every gambit of love from school boy crush to young love (Taylors Swift and Lautner), couples ready to take the next step (Emma Roberts), a new relationship (Anne Hathaway and Topher Grace), a longer one (Jenifer Garner and Patrick Dempsey),a long distance love (Julia Roberts), the newly engaged (Jessica Alba and Ashton Kutcher), the old married couple (Shirley MacLaine and Hector Elizondo), a guy ready to find love (Eric Dane) and yes there are even the woman who hates the holiday because she doesn’t have a date (Jessica Biel) and a pair of guys that could care less the holiday is happening because they are not in a relationship (Jamie Foxx and Bradley Cooper). Also in the cast playing auxiliary roles to those in or about to find love include Kathy Bates, Queen Latifah, George Lopez.

Naturally, like the more entertaining Love, Actually, all the players end up interacting in each other’s storyline but what it misses is the heart where you actually care about a bulk of the cast. Oh yeah, and it misses on the second half of the romantic comedy equation but that is what happens when you can based on a pretty face (Alba and Biel should consider leaving the genre altogether) instead of legitimate comedians of which there are only two unless you count Larry Miller who makes a cameo and Jamie Foxx’s camerman (Foxx plays a sports reporters who is forced to be a man on the street asking about Valentine’s Day) who has a few good laugh even if half were reduced to the Delete Scenes section.

Also Hathaway shows that she should return to the genre more often as her storyline was by far the most entertaining. And there are some other hilarious moments including the Taylors at track practice where Lautner has a run in with a huddle (which was supposed to be funny) and Swift’s running style (which I am not sure was supposed to be funny but was anyway), then the younger Robert’s boyfriend has maybe the funniest scene I the movie while Lopez and Foxx rattle off a few good one liners. But for a movie that runs just over two hours, you should expect more than five big laughs through the film.

The blu-ray (which comes in a combo pack with the DVD and a digital copy) is pretty thin in the bonus feature department. There are your usual blooper real (which half is less bloopers and more the crew snapping the time marker but it does lead to a funny call back to a previous Garry Marshall flick) and audio commentary (which is mildly entertaining because Marshall oversells almost everything). And for all you ladies out there, there is also an extended sneak peek at the new Sex in the City 2 movie. There are also two short featurettes with stars talking about their Valentine’s Day experiences and other about working with Marshall along with a music video from Jewel. But the twenty minute deleted scenes with introduction from Marshall are worth checking including a bit where Foxx interviews Denver Nugget’s Chris Anderson in a tattoo parlor and a PSA featuring Dwight Howard and Penny Marshall (yes, Garry cut his own sister out of his movie).



Full Disclosure Notice: This Blu-Ray was given to me on behalf of Warner Brothers Entertainment for the sole purpose of reviewing the movie.

King Arthur’s Journey Has Ended

I hate Russell Hantz. Not in a love to hate kind of way like some of his Villains brethren, but I hate him to the point that I wish he had never been cast on Survivor. After dominating the screen time last season by sabotaging his own tribe last season, he was back for another go around and weaseled his way to the end yet again thanks mostly for being on the receiving end of two of the top four dumbest moves ever in the history of Survivor (and this does not even incude the dumb move Amanda made by giving the Idol hint back to Danielle). Tyson changing his vote for no apparent reason, which would have sent Russell packing, instead Tyson gets his torch snuffed out. Then J.T. for some bizarre reason gives his Immunity Idol to Russell for no logical reason and promptly gets voted out at the hands of his own Idol. Keep in mind that J.T. didn’t make the dumbest move in Survivor history, Erick deserved that (dis)honor.

And Russell is wrong when he says there is a flaw in Survivor. No, Russell, you are the flaw and deserve the title as dumbest player in Survivor history because you are too dumb to understand the rules as they are presented to you. Just because you can bully your tribe mates to get yourself way to the final vote doesn’t mean you can bully Jeff Probst into changing the rule. There is a reason Big Brother quickly changed its rule after one season from America voting to the housemates, people vote are among our dumbest America has to offer (look at how some of our political elections have gone for the last couple decades). Russell put up two of the most pathetic final tribal councils and walked out of them with a paltry two votes in total.

Besides that, Heroes vs. Villains was surprisingly entertaining after the big dud of the first All-Stars season (with Fans vs. Favorites being not that much better). That was thanks to the players this time around actually acting strategically, not just spitefully voting out all the winners the first time they got. In fact this time around three of the four previous winners here made it to at least the jury with two at the final tribal.

And if Russell put himself in the discussion of the dumbest player in Survivor history, Sandra should be discussed as one of the best ever (and I didn’t even have her in my top twenty-five Greatest Survivor Contestants Ever list that I published right before the season). In her two wins, she has received twelve of the sixteen total votes cast at her final tribal councils. And Parvati shouldn’t be too far behind because she was the clear mastermind behind her and Russell’s alliance and still played in a way they managed her a few votes on the jury.

As Survivor has wrapped up the most recent All-Star season, I have a suggestion for their next one: Winners vs. Losers. You can take this idea a couple different ways, if you can get 8-10 (depending on how big they want the cast to be) former winners to take another go at it, have two tribes with the other being the greatest players to have never actually won (like your Rob’s Boston and Cesternino) or go big with the losers tribe and have everyone be someone that was voted out first (or second) their season. Or if you can only get around five winners, go four tribes: Winners, People who lost the final Tribal, a tribe of people who made it as far as the jury, and finally a rejects tribe of people who never saw a merge their season. No matter which way you choose, just do not bring back Russell.

Survivor: Heroes vs Villains gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

57 Channels and Only This Is On vol. CXXX

Quote of the Week: And I’m gonna give you a minute to extradite yourself out my face before I have to paint your office with your (expletive delete). (Toby – Justified)

Song of the Week: Eye of the Tiger – Survivor (as preformed by Hawaiian Wedding Band, Modern Family)

Big News of the Week: Early Pick Up’s All-Around: Usually we have to wait until Up Fronts before we know for sure what will be on the schedule, but NBC slowly tricked out their pick up’s and even ABC has even gotten into the early pick up business too. Cannot say I am all that interested with any of the shows, but I will wait for a final judgment when I get to see some promos.

Chuck: Christopher Lloyd appearing on an NBC show is making me start to lean towards him and the Christopher Lloyd who created Modern Family. And funniest scene of the week was when the patients came to Chuck’s defense. Too bad they got shot down before they could actually help. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Chuck on iTunes.

The Big Bang Theory: Why does Judy Greer always plays lose women? As soon as she showed up I though, she was going to sneak into Leonard’s room and of course it happened. What I didn’t see is her getting tossed around to all the friends, sans Sheldon of course. But Greer deserves better. You can download The Big Bang Theory on iTunes.

Lost: So Smokie isn’t really Locke or even Jacob’s brother (who turned out to be Adam), just an entity that used to be light and if it leaves the island, it will be some sort of Pandora’s Box situation. Alrighty. But much like the Richard Alpert episode, sure we got a lot of big answers, but I was still expecting much more out of this episode. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu.



Justified: After last week’s Deadwood reunion I thought we would get treated to a Eurotrip reunion this week except the guy from the movie in the cast didn’t bother to show up this week. And it was really had to think of the other dude from Eurotrip as some big bag former boxer. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Justified on iTunes.

Parenthood: Second funniest scene of the week: Zeke congratulation his granddaughter for not having intercourse with her boyfriend. Haddie’s reaction was priceless. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Parenthood on iTunes.

Mercy: Oh Mercy, it was a good, guilty pleasure run, but naturally NBC gave you the ax and now I will not get the enjoyment of watching Dawn Summers try to emote on a weekly basis. You will be missed. But not really because VH1 will always have much guiltier pleasure. Except for that offensive 100 Things Guys Do That Guarantee They Won’t Date or Have Sex. You know there won’t be a female version of this special because there is only one. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Mercy on iTunes.

Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains: Yawn. This should have been the week they did a double tribal council because it was rather boring. Even Sandra ruined what could have been an entertaining moment by not even letting Probst finish his Immunity Idol speech depriving us the chance for the usual ten second edit that the show likes to do in a will they or won’t they play the idol situation. And what was up with Colby this episode? He explodes at his brother because he cannot catch water, then at Tribal; he sits at the ends staring at the ground the whole time. I cannot believe this guy may actually win. You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com.



Community: The big problem this show runs into, maybe too often, is they rely too heavily on expecting everyone will get their pop culture references. I understand Troy’s storyline was one big homage, but I have absolutely no clue what it was paying tribute to. You can stream current episodes on Hulu. You can also download Community on iTunes.

Friday Night Lights: Holy Mike Leach sighting! I wonder if his pirate rambling was as unintentionally funny back in the fall for those watching on DirecTV as it was for those of us watching on NBC who now know Leach is unemployed. Maybe Coach Taylor can recruit him to the Lions staff next year. But my favorite part of the episode is when Tammy went to the boosters meeting and asked Joe McCoy infront of everyone if he still planned on exposing the mail box scam from season’s past. My least favorite is when Coach told Riggins he had something to show him, and we never found out what. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu.



Free Download of the Week: Die by the Drop – The Dead Weather (rcrdlbl)

Deal of the Week: Mega Savings on Mega Movie & TV Show Hits (Forgetting Sarah Marshall [Blu-Ray], Happy Gilmore, E.T.)

Next Week Pick of the Week: Lost, Tuesday and Sunday at 9:00: Here it is, the final three and a half hours of Lost ever and it cannot not come soon enough. Not because I am that eager to learn how it ends, but I just what to not have to worry about watching the show ever again because I am putting the chances of there being a satisfying ending in the single digits. For the fanatics, ABC is also running the two hour series premiere Saturday and there will be the prerequisite hour primer before the finale and a special Jimmy Kimmel Live afterwards.