Showing posts with label Kings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kings. Show all posts

Sunday, March 29, 2009

57 Channels and Only This Is On vol. LXXIII


Enter the My Boys Giveaway ContestBefore I get into this week’s 57 Channels, let me remind you that you can enter the My Boys Giveaway contest, click the banner at right to see the rules and how to enter.

Kings: Silas’ continual flip flopping on if he is pro or anti David is really going overboard. In three hours he has flipped about ten times already. But let’s move on to what may be the best part of the show in the palace guards who are turing into the Rosencrantz and Guildenstern of the show. You can stream current episodes over at NBC.com. You can also download Kings on iTunes.

Chuck: Two things about the past episode; 1) How dare the general besmirch Reagan. 2) Not only do I not think that Orion is dead but I would put money on Orion being Chuck’s long lost dad. You can stream current episodes over at NBC.com. You can also download Chuck on iTunes.

Survivor: Stupid recap show. Actually I didn’t mind if the guide had not said someone was going to get voted off. You can stream current episodes over at Innertube.

Survivor on iTunes


Lost: Oh my God, Sayid killed Ben! I know Bed should be stopped, but I thought kidnapping and/or brainwashing would have been sufficient. Of course not that I believe for a second that little Ben is actually dead or at the very least remain dead. And here’s a new theory for you: The reason why Locke, Ben, Sun, and Lapidus are not warping is because they were all “reborn” on the island at sometime. You can stream current episodes over at ABC.com.

Lost on iTunes


My Name Is Earl: Now there was a plot twist I didn’t see coming even if after it was revealed a Joy I realized that the young Joy actress had portrayed her before (sans the pink hair). And it was nice for Randy to get some lovin’ on the show for once. You can stream current episodes over at NBC.com. You can also download My Name Is Earl on iTunes.

Friday Night Lights: I cannot count the number of goose bumps I got during this episode, from Lyla getting into Vanderbilt, Riggins taking her to church, Riggins blocking the punt (not that he would ever be part of the punt rush), to coach confronting Mr. McCoy in the rain and I am sure I am missing some scenes. And to juxtapose all that drama against things like Mindy’s quite literal wedding shower and Buddy and his crew doing their own redistricting (which should make for a great fourth season plot point). With all the goodness I am willing to overlook Dillon playing the State semi-finals in the rain again. You can stream current episodes over at NBC.com.

Friday Night Lights on iTunes


DogTown: If you are interested in the dogs featured this week, you can check out their profiles on the Best Friends website. Click the link to go to their specific page. Mei Mei (the Chihuahua from the puppy mill), Charro (the Labrador with cancer), and Gertie (the Shih Tzu also saved from the puppy mill).



Saturday, March 21, 2009

Best of the Week vol. XIII


Quote of the Week: Please, Dateline could use it to attract predators. (Howard; The Big Bang Theory)

Song of the Week: I Put a Spell on You – Creedence Clearwater Revivial (My Name Is Earl)

Big News of the Week: Is the Obama Honeymoon Over?: It seemed like the new president had a longer grace period than most considering our economic problem seems to get deeper and deeper. But it looks like people are realizing that Barack Obama is still acting like he is campaigning instead of actually being presidential by still touring the country with his Chicken Little routine about the economy, sharing his bracket with ESPN, and appearing on The Tonight Show where he made a not so funny joke about the Special Olympics bringing the ire of Special Olympian bowler Kolan McConiughey who responded, “I’ll beat you.” But Obama is spending less time in Washington than George Bush.

But all the extracurricular activities look like they are starting to backfire. In response to the president’s bracket, Duke Coach Mike Krzyewski responded, “Somebody said that we're not in President Obama's Final Four, and as much as I respect what he's doing, really, the economy is something that he should focus on, probably more than the brackets.” And speaking of the brackets, of which Obama spinelessly picked chalk which would have gotten him ruefully mock any pool across the country, he also shamefully favored swing state schools (according to FiveThirtyEight.com) the few times he took a higher seed.

And the networks are taking note of his affinity of appearing on television, the latest bumping the highest rated show on television this coming Tuesday. An unnamed source recently said, “These repeated interruptions, and the rumor of even more to come, really make it difficult to build audience flow and loyalty. We will all lose one or two million dollars for this." Another mentioned: “These frequent primetime requests are wreaking serious havoc with our schedule and our advertisers. Ratings are down everywhere and the airtime is costing us all significant dollars when we can least afford it.” And if Chuck does not come back next season, Ben Silverman says you have Obama to thank for killing its post-Super Bowl momentum. But Silverman is a douche, so take anything he says with a grain of salt.

And most damning is that people are actually putting two and two together and realizing something is fishy that AIG donated more money to the Obama than to all but one Congressman in the past twenty-five year and their employees just happened to keep their bonuses. And when it got out, he proposes an unconstitutional attempt of taxing those bonuses at 98% making it seem like he is upset but not actually being able to exact a punishment.

Coalition Links of the Week:
GMMR asked if you were a network exec and could program TV for only one hour out of each day, what would the TV schedule look like? (Give Me My Remote)

Vance is enjoying the shows no one is watching. Like newbies Kings and Better Off Ted or old faves Ugly Betty and Lost amongst many others. (Tapeworthy)

This week, Jace talked to Joss Whedon about his "Man on the Street" episode of FOX's Dollhouse, why Dollhouse seems to lack the funny, and whether he would be leaving television for good. (Televisionary)

Sara celebrated the fact that Chuck was back to wearing ascots on the latest episode of Gossip Girl. (TiFaux)

Jennifer contemplated why Ugly Betty Suarez is such a man magnet. (Tube Talk)

Steve got his hands on a copy of next week's Gossip Girl and recapped it for your spoilerly pleasure (TVFanatic)

Ben celebrated the enws that BBC3 had bought the UK rights to the new murder mystery Harper's Island and took a look at it spin-off web series Harper's Globe. (TV Spy)


Free Download of the Week: Goliath – Kings (iTunes) - The season premiere was an odd bag but mostly enjoyable. If you missed it you can download it for free either on iTunes or at Amazon Video on Demand (see right). And you can also check out my First Impressions of Kings.

Deal of the Week: Sci-Fi Television Favorites & More: Save up to 56% (Buffy, The X-Files, Angel)

Video of the Week: Last night saw the season debut of Head Case and the new show from Rob Thomas (not the singer) and Paul Rudd called Party Down staring Dick Casablancas Vinnie Van Lowe, and Bill Haverchunk (also look out for guest appearances from Logan Echolls, Dean O’Dell, Keith and Veronica Mars). Not that I saw either on account that I don’t have Starz (but look for a review of season one of Head Case coming soon). But if you do, they are on Fridays at 10:00 and 10:30 respectively (and I presume repeated throughout the week). Below is a clip from Party Down:

Party Down: Kyle Discusses the Perks of the Job


if you are like me and do not have Starz, they actually uploaded the whole premiere of Head Case and Party Down to its YouTube channel.

Next Week Pick of the Week: Survivor, Wednesday at 8:00 on CBS: Notice the special day for Survivor thanks to March Madness. I originally thought this was going to be a simple recap show but the description says another contestant will be voted off. And if we are lucky it will be coach in a blindside.

Monday, March 16, 2009

First Impressions: Kings


The Cast of Kings

Can something be grandiose and boring at the same time? If so, than that can sum up Kings. The show has a look and feel like nothing currently on television and a scope not seen since Rome. But it is hard to not think the two hour premiere could have fit everything important into one hour to kill off some of the lulls.

Ian McShane of KingsThe show is a modern day retelling of the story of David (Spoiler Alert for the heathens out there: He goes on to become king) set in a parallel universe and the fake country Gilboa (isn’t that where Anne Hathaway is a princess?) who is currently at war with their neighbors, the equally bad named Gath. In Gilboa, there is monarchy les by King Silas played by the overbearing Ian McShane (Agent Cody Banks) who lives a tangled life; he marries into money to set up his kingdom (of whom his brother-in-law is the main profiteer of the war); his daughter cares too much about his subjects and continually lobbies for better health care for them; his son is a royal version of Paris Hilton, right down to the parting and having sex with dudes. And of course there is the mistress with a kid of her own.

I am pretty sure this is Mr. BostonOn the front line of the war is David Sheppard (who I cannot confirm is Mr. Boston from I Love New York, but I’m pretty sure it is him), an awe shucks country boy that can fix anything, including, apparently, wars. He gets tangled up with the king when he rescues the prince in one of the more laughable scenes as the soldiers of Gath acted like enemies is a crappy nineties video game. And as the preview promised, David takes the king up on his offer of half his kingdom by getting a dance with the princess.

Being based off of the Bible, there are plenty of religious references, many coming from then king’s personal guru, who naturally is not fond of the wars he wages and seems to be drawn to David (whom he creepily touches a few times in the first hour). And like most prophets he takes in vague terms and makes little sense.

Kings is ambitious but sometimes too ambitious for its own good. It has yet give a good enough back-story to the king and Gilboa, it is easy to compare it to America but under the surface seems to have little to do with this country besides New York City being the obvious standing for the faux the capital right down to Central Park overlooking the kings office. And the storyline of being in and out of war multiple times in a two hour frame was a little hard to follow. But once the show finds its footing, it could end up being the most compelling show on television.

Kings airs Sundays at 8:00 on NBC. You can stream current episodes at NBC.com. You can currently download the two hour pilot of Kings for free on iTunes and it is also free on Amazon Video on Demand (see below):