Best of the Week vol. XLVIII

Quote of the Week: If we lived in a world where slow moving xenon would produce light then you’d be correct. Also pigs would fly, my derriere would produce cotton candy, and The Phantom Menace would be a timeless classic. (Sheldon, The Big Bang Theory)

Song of the Week: Carry On Wayward Son – Kansas (Rubicon)

Big News of the Week: Superheroes Coming to the Small Screen: The 00’s were dominated by superheroes at the Cineplex thanks to the X-Men, Spiderman and Batman to the point Hollywood cranked out random funny book characters (Daredevil?). That really didn’t translate much to live action television. Sure the decade started out with Superman’s beginning, but a Batman-less Gotham themed Birds of Prey tanked and Aquaman couldn’t even find room on the laughable CW schedule.

But two Superheroes that are no strangers to television are currently in the pipeline. Earlier this month news broke that David E. Kelley, the guy behind L.A. Law and the upcoming Kathy Bates legal drama Harry’s Law, will team up with Warner Bros. for a Wonder Woman series. No word on who will fill Lynda Carter’s spandex, but if I were a casting director, I would definitely screen test the recently unemployed and currently brunette Tyra Collette (seen at right).

Not to be outdone, ABC and Marvel are looking about bringing The Incredible Hulk back to the small screen after being portrayed by three different actors over a nine year span (Eric Bana, Edward Norton, and the upcoming Mark Ruffalo) on the big screen. After being heavily CGI’ed in those movies, I do not see how you can go back to Lou Ferrigno in green paint (assuming that a television show would not have the budget to CGI Hulk). And if you go for green pain, who do get? An obvious choice would be The Rock who coincidently appeared in the only funny Barack Obama skit SNL has managed to produce as “The Rock Obama.”

Gratuitous Token Hot Chick Picture of the Week:




Free Download of the Week: Tom’s Diner – Suzanne Vega (Amazon MP3) – Most people know the song via DNA’s dance remix, but the song was initially recorded as an acapella song. Here is new version with Vega adding some music herself to the song which pays homage to the DNA version.

Deal of the Week: Haolloween Blu-Ray Under $10 (Ghostbusters, The Evil Dead, Frozen, Hatchet)

Video of the Week: Hollywood is littered with too many “What If” casting decisions to name, but it is extremely rare for there to be any photographic evidence. Like Eric Stoltz who was originally cast as Marty McFly in Back to the Future and they even filmed for five weeks before replacing him with Michael J. Fox. On the upcoming 25th Anniversary Edition of Back to the Future DVD we actually get to see footage of Stoltz as McFly.




Next Week Pick of the Week: How I Met Your Mother, Monday at 8:00 on CBS: Jennifer Morrison (Urban Legend: Final Cut) is the latest young moderately attractive guest star on How I Met Your Mother, Season 6 - How I Met Your Mother leading to speculation that she will turn out to be the titular character. Or maybe she will just end up as another notch on Ted’s bedpost like Ashley Williams, Sarah Chalke, Laura Prepon, Mandy Moore, Danica McKellar and Busy Phillips (at the same time!), Judy Greer, Carrie Underwood, and Rachel Bilson. After six seasons, honestly, I really do not care at this point.

Lyrics Quiz: Water

Petitions by Change.org|Start a Petition »

Today is Blog Action Day where thousands of Bloggers focus on one issue. This year we are focusing on water issues and the problems of scarce water across the globe. For more on the issue and support the UN’s Efforts to bring clean and safe water to millions, click the widget above.

Water is also the theme of this month’s lyrics quiz. Each song has something to do with some sort of liquid form. As always leave your guesses, both artist and song title, in the comment section or e-mail me. If you are correct I will un-bold the lyric. Please keep in mind the lyrics quiz is for entertainment purposes only so please only use your own meandering mind to guess them. Now onto the lyric quiz:


1. I walk down every evening and stand on the shore. I try to cross to the opposite side so I can finally find what I've been looking for. (The River of Dreams - Billy Joel; guessed by Angie)
2. And the bags are much too heavy in my insecure condition. My pregnant mind is fat full with envy again. (Bathwater - No Doubt; guesse by Angie)
3. We’re after the same rainbow’s end, waiting around the bend, my huckleberry friend. (Moon River - Andy Williams; guessed by Mac)
4. ‘Cause when hard work don’t pay off and I’m tired. There ain’t no room in my bed as far as I’m concerned.
5. We all came out to Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline to make records with a mobile.
6. I’d like to hear some funky Dixieland and dance a honky tonk. And I’ll be buying everybody drinks all around. (Black Water - The Doobie Brothers; guessed by Angie)
7. Don’t ya think that you need somebody? Don’t ya think that you need someone? Everybody needs somebody. You’re not the only one. (November Rain - Guns 'n' Roses; guessed by Angie)
8. Now, now they can see the tears in our eyes. But we deny the pain lies deep in our hearts. Well, maybe that’s a pain we can’t hide.
9. Step on the stone. Flesh becomes water, wood becomes bone. (Walk On the Ocean - Toad the Wet Sproket; guessed by Angie)
10. The sixteen candles burning on my wall turning me into the biggest fool of them all.
11. High in the sky, the song that I’m singing a sweet little lie. I cry wolf cry. Rabbit out of the hat. Yes that’s what I’m bringing. Tricks up my sleeve for noticing me.
12. I’ll build heaven and call it home. (Don't Drink the Water - Dave Matthews Band; guessed by Angie)
13. You know your culture from your trash. You know your plastic from your cash.
14. You know I’d like to keep my cheeks dry today. So stay with me and I’ll have it made. (No Rain - Blind Melon; guessed by Angie)
15. I never wanted to be your weekend lover. I only wanted to be some kind of friend. (Purple Rain - Prince; guessed by Angie)
16. I would be your only dream, your shining autumn, ocean crashing. And did you say she was pretty? And did you say that she loves you?
17. I went down to Virginia seeking shelter from the storm. Caught up in the fable, I watch the tower grow.
18. I want to walk in the open wind. I want to talk like lover do. Want to dive into your ocean. (Here Comes the Rain Again - Eurythmics; guessed by Angie)
19. We’re coming to the edge, running on the water, coming through the fog; your sons and daughters.
20. I love to hear the thunder, watch the lightning when it lights up the sky. You know it makes me feel good. (I Love a Rainy Night - Eddie Rabbit; guessed by Angie)
21. Storm came and went like the times we spent hiding out from the rain under the carnival tent. (Mandolin Rain - Bruce Hornsby and th Range; guessed by Angie)
22. I’ve seen sunny days that I thought would never end. I’ve seen lonely times when I could not find a friend but I always thought that I would see you again. (Fire and Rain - James Taylor; guessed by Angie)
23. Baby, when I met you there was peace unknown. I set out to get you with a fine tooth comb. (Islands In the Stream - Kenny Rodgers and Dolly Parton; guessed by Angie)
24. Though your hurt is gone, mines hanging on, inside. And I know it’s eating me through every night and day. I’m just waiting on your sign.
25. When You’re weary, feeling small, when tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all. (Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon and Garfunkel; guessed by Angie)

Around the Tubes vol. LXX

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 Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura, Sanctuary, Boardwalk Empire, Pretty Little Liars, Ford's Warriors, Paranormal State, Psychic Kids: Children of the Paranormal, Danko Jones, and Condoleezza Rice.

- In a story I broke yesterday, Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura returns tomorrow and fans of the show can chat with Jesse after the show at TruTV.com.

- Sanctuary returns for its third season tomorrow on Syfy at 10:00. Here’s a preview:



- New Boardwalk Empire episode Sunday on HBO. Here is a promo for episode five:



- ABC Family fans mark your calendars, well first pick up a 2011 version, because two of their shows will return to the small screen in January. Pretty Little Liars and Greek return with new episodes starting January 3 starting at 8:00. The network has passed along the somewhat spoilery photo below for Pretty Little Liars (though I smell dream sequence).



- In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Ford’s Warriors in Pink are teaming up with CBS stars including Neil Patrick Harris to educate people about the disease. See below:



- Just in time for Halloween, two A&E shows with spooky themes are returning. This Sunday is the return of Paranormal State at 9:00 followed by Psychic Kids: Children of the Paranormal at 10:00. Fans of the former, head over to its Facebook page to enter to win a book written by Ryan Buell, the director and founder of the Paranormal Research Society.

- Danko Jones is in the middle of a trilogy of music videos (if you missed the first, head over to YouTube for Full of Regret, though Had Enough is a prequel) and below is the latest Had Enough featuring Ralph Macchio (The Karate Kid) and comedian Don Jamieson (That Metal Show).



- Look out for Condoleezza Rice’s interview with Ladies Home Journal about her memoir chronicling her childhood in the segregated South, Extraordinary, Ordinary People.

Previewing Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura 2.x

As the tagline to the television show Rubicon suggests, “Not all conspiracies are theories.” And former governor, wrestler, and navy seal Jesse Ventura is back for his second season of Conspiracy Theory to see if he can take the theory out of a few conspiracies.

On Friday, Jesse tries to uncover the secretness behind Plum Island off of Long Island where he suspects bio-warfare experiments are being held. You might remember a couple years ago the internets were a flutter of some sort of weird animal dubbed the Montauk Monster and Jessie thinks that it is a mutated animal that escaped from Plum Island. And our government holding secretive biological experiments seems a lot more plausible with the recent revelation that the US experimented with syphilis on Guatemalans during the forties.

Other theories Jesse and his crew will be testing this season include a secret billionaire’s club with the power to manipulate markets, government internment camps, the buying up of water rights by operations, whether the government is trying to depopulate Louisiana, and if it was really an airliner that hit the Pentagon on 9/11 or if it was actually a missile that did the damage. And Jesse will also will be digging up information on the two biggest conspiracy theories in American history this season: the Kennedy assassination and Area 51.

Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura airs Fridays at 10:00 on TruTV. You can also download Conspiracy Theory on iTunes.

They've All Gone to Look for America

It is a wonder how it took History so long to get around to making an anthology of the history of the United States of America. If the wait was to make sure they got it done right, the twelve part series America: The Story of Us that premiered back in April shows it was worth the wait and now it is available to own on three disk blu-ray. Sure there are gripes that can be made about what did not make the cut (apparently Americans had no leisure time as there are very few mentions of sports or entertainment), but they did do a good cliff-notes version cramming three hundred years of history into just over nine hours.

One complaint that is warranted is the reliance on commentary throughout the series. Sure newsmen like Tom Brokaw, national heroes like Buzz Aldrin, military men like Collin Powell, academic like Henry Lewis Gates, Jr. (yes the Beer Summit guy) usually add to the subjects being discussed. But vinaigrettes from random celebrities like Donald Trump, Sean Combs, Tim Gunn and Vera Wang just stick out like a sore thumb most of the time and these commentators make the show just too reminiscent of the less serious I Love the… series on VH1.

What America: The Story of Us is good at is find the root of what made America what it is today. The series does not start with Columbus or even the pilgrims but with the guy who brought Tobacco to Jamestown, turning the failing settlement into a prosperous farmland that made the new land a place where someone could successfully live. We get to see the start of such things that seems so innocuous today like the first mug shots to how the first mail order catalogue came to be.

Even in high definition, the visuals are not as eye popping as other television events like Life, but the dark grittiness does set the tone of America’s past from the Revolutionary war to blasting holes in mountains to put in a transcontinental railway. And the attention to detail to each era depicted is impeccable and you can tell History didn’t cut any corners in their reenactments, from the sets to the wardrobe. There is something here for everyone to discover, from grade school students to arm chair historians. The Blu-Ray does have little in the way of extras, just seven bonus scenes, most under four minutes in lenth.

It is also jarring how the series ends. After eleven hours of invention and triumph of the American spirit, the last episode is downright depressing: Nixon resigning, hippies, the Vietnam War, the Challenger explosion, the dot-com bust, 9/11 and the two wars that followed. Gave its blood and sweat into connecting the country with vast railroads and highways, we, as a country really haven’t done much lately. Once a war brought us out of a Great Depression but now war has sunk us into a Great Recession. Hopefully some people watch America: The Story of Us and are inspired to help create the next big American invention, the same American ingenuity that took the initial trip from New York City to Los Angeles six months to transverse to today when that can be done in a six hour flight.



Full Disclosure Notice: This Blu-Ray was given to me on behalf of A&E Home Entertainment for the purpose of reviewing the series.

Feed Your iPod vol. LI: How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?

It should be a requirement that every album have a Prince cover on it because let’s face it, very few artists today can write a song as great as even some of his obscure songs. Case in point, one of the stand out tracks on her debut album, Alicia Keys covered How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore? a B-Side to Prince’s 1999 single which is probably known to most casual Prince fans when it appeared on his three disk 1993 Greatest Hits/Rarities album. It is unknown as to why Keys retitled the song How Come You Don’t You Call Me, but the punchy piano and attitude remains and both versions are worth a download.

How Come You Don't Call Me - Alicia Keys



How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore? - Prince

57 Channels and Only This Is On vol. CLI

Rubicon: This was the episode that made watching the show worth it. Who would have thought a show about analyst would have such a fight scene (though how a trained military man cannot take out a fact finder is a little farfetched). And we got a huge piece of the puzzle when Will figured out that API was a front for people to profit off of tragedy. And I would be willing to bet that the guy Will’s tem has been tracking is meant to be the catalyst of the next big score for the cabal. You can download Rubicon on iTunes.

Chuck: Please do not bring back Nicole Richie ever again please. It was painful to watch the first time around. And it was a little disappointing that we didn’t get a longer showdown between former co-workers Stone Cold Steve Austin and Stacy Keibler. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Chuck on iTunes.

How I Met Your Mother: “Where’s the poop” has to be the worst attempt at a catchphrase the show has ever has. Maybe the worst idea for a catchphrase any show has ever had, or really anyone ever. You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com. You can also download How I Met Your Mother on iTunes.

The Event: During this episode I was thinking of last week’s The Big Bang Theory and thought, “what if The Others (I am not up on the fandom, does Sophia’s group have an official, or even unofficial name yet?) were actually from a future where The Singularity has already happened where nanobots have merged with the human body. This would explain why they age very slowly and maybe The Singularity is The Event (apparently I was wrong when I assumed the disappearing plane was The Event). Could the resurrection of the airplane people be the results of nanobots? I am intrigued enough for another week. But hopefully we get the timeline of what happened to Sean between the time he was on the cruise ship to where he got on the plane sooner than later. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download The Event on iTunes.

Castle: Evil Promo Monkeys strike again. We learn last week that the paper is actually a treasure map (not to mention spoil the hilarious gun showdown at the end) but have to wait for two-thirds of the episode for Castle figure it out. And I am disappointed that no one realized that Beckett’s buddy was using a photo with her as way to get a picture with the map when I knew exactly what he was doing as he was doing it. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Castle on iTunes.

No Ordinary Family: Ask and you shall receive. In my initial review of the show I suggested what the show need most, even more than killing off the annoying kids, was an addition of a nemesis. And who would have guessed it would end up being the dad from 7th Heaven? But why exactly is he resorting to murder to cover up the existence of people with super powers? You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download No Ordinary Family on iTunes.

Parenthood: Since she started appearing on the show, I thought something was off about Lyla Garrity that I could not put my finger on until I started rewatching Friday Night Lights on ABC Family, Lyla has the greatest ponytail ever in the history of the world and on Parenthood rarely utilizes that fact. It would be like having Lynyrd Skynyrd do a show and saying to them, “hey guy, why don’t you just skip playing Free Bird tonight.” You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Parenthood on iTunes.

Sons of Anarchy: Someone really need to explain what is going to me. Maybe something is getting lost in translation because I still have no idea why the Irish are still holding on to Able. I really need to watch the scenes in Ireland with subtitles on because I am certainly missing something. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Sons of Anarchy on iTunes.

Survivor: Nicaragua: It is never a good sign when the thirty second preview in more entertaining than the entire forty minute episode. But they switched up the tribes about two episodes too late. Here’s hoping that Marty and NaOnka end up on the same tribe and just vote each other out. But the big question is what is going to happen to the Immunity Idol just hanging up in the old person’s tribe? Will NaOnka rip off Kelly’s leg to get another one? Hopefully the Medallion of Power doesn’t stick around after the switch. You can stream recent episodes over at cbs.com.



Terriers: I am having a little trouble following the storyline here. So the sex tape guy has incriminating paperwork, so evil lawyer get him in on bogus charges, but it turns out evil lawyer wanted the incriminating paperwork to go public so his land would be considered to toxic to build? Maybe when we finally learn what is now going on at the fake toxic site I will fully understand what is going on. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Terriers on iTunes.

The Challenge: Cutthroat: The show finally discovered, twenty seasons in (wow, 20), what Survivor realized in its first season, Australian ballots make for a much more interesting outcome in the voting. I also like the three team twist because it never seemed fair that winning teams may lose a member of their team. But no sign from CT yet, though we learn from the season trailer that he brought Tina along who hasn’t been seen since pooping Beth a while ago when she was a Challenge staple for a while. Will they be replacing people who punched each other (which would be odd since they are of opposite gender) or just part of a challenge? MTV.com. You can also download The Challenge: Cutthroat on iTunes.

Community: What was up with Abed and the pregnant chick, he is in the background in a couple scenes and even mentions it at the end, but I just didn’t get the reference. The show just falls flat whenever I do not get whatever Meta in joke of the week is. Not that I am saying this episode fell flat per say because it is hard to complain about anything that involves Annie and Britta oil wrestling. You can stream current episodes on Hulu. You can also download Community on iTunes.