Some may dismiss The 80’s: The Decade that Made Us as a cheap I Love the 80’s rip-off, but if you enjoyed the VH1 series, the National Geographic Channel version, airing Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, is a can’t miss series. Even if the subject matter is the same and utilize interviews from those that lived through it (David Hasselhoff! Robin Leach! Ronald Reagan’s doctor! Sorry, no Michael Ian Black), The Decade that Made Us take a more macro look at the decade. Instead of short, three minute segments about a singular topic, most subjects last about ten minutes and weaves its way as to why it is still important today, not just a simple trip to nostalgia.
And what launched the eighties? Hockey. More specifically the Miracle on Ice at Lake Placid and as silly as it may seem (I personally would have went with the election of Regan) the show makes a persuasive argument about how the gold medal changed the perception of ourselves after the gloomy seventies and even launched (allegedly) the “U.S.A.” chants that we still obnoxiously use everywhere we can to promote patriotism. Also in the first episode are segments on the rise of electronics and Jane Fonda’s fitness tapes (which were the highest selling VHS tapes of the decade), MTV and the start of the rap phenomenon Run-DMC, and what would the eighties be without a little greed, most exemplified by Dallas. Who knew J.R. Ewing brought down Romania, if you do not know what I am talking about, you must see how.
The second episode airing Sunday opens with the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan (recently also focused on by an episode of The Americans) which is believed to be the launch of CNN. It is wild now to look back at the reports with anchors talking on the phone live on television with reporters on the scene with one newsman actually reading a report wrong about the condition of the president with his co-anchor correcting him right then and there. Ted Turner and CNN is not the only “hippy capitalist” featured as this episode also focuses on Ben and Jerry, Steve Job, Calvin Kline, and Tony Hawk. Fear not conservatives, the Gipper is not completely surrounded by liberals in the episode because Alex P. Keaton also gets his own segment.
The 80’s: The Decade That Made Us is required viewing for anyone who lived through threw those ten year (and anyone who was not an want to know just how un-cool their parents were). My only complaint is that it is just six hour over three days. They really should had made a full series out of this with each segment its own half hour episode. And come to think of it, why has VH1 not done part four of I Love the 80’s?
The six-part series will roll out over three nights in the United States, beginning Sunday, April 14, 2013, at 8:00 and continuing Monday, April 15, and Tuesday, April 16, at 9:00 on the National Geographic Channel.
Revenge: Booooooo!!! How dare they kill off Rebecca Logan? Seriously Creepy Initiative Dude, why keep her alive six weeks only to kill her? This show really trying my patience. C’mon, they kill of Rebecca Logan and Charlotte is still around, slapping people at parties?
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Revenge on iTunes.
The Walking Dead: Clearly the scariest zombie the popped up on screen this episode was the commercial for the walking corpse that is The Killing. Truly horrifying that the show is returning for a third season. But anyway. After giving Andrea her own episode two weeks ago they actually killed her off. Good riddance. I guess it was artistically cool that she basically went out like her sister, even by her own hadn again, but it is hard to care when you have never cared about the character. This leaves only five original actors from the first season. Who would have guessed Carol would outlast everyone? But it looks like they are going to get an influx of new red shirts for next season when they literally bussed in a bunch of old folks and children who were too weak to fight from Woodbury. Yeah, that will turn out well. Much like Peter, Bjorn, and John, I don’t really care about the young folks taking about the young stuff. And I don’t care about the old folds talking about the old style too. And why go back to the prison at all?
You can download The Walking Dead on iTunes.
Shameless: They are not really going to kill off Steve are they? Not that I would mind that much, I am beginning to think the show would have been better had he stayed on the lamb. And who knew Frank had it in him to take the fall for Carl. Did not see that coming.
The Voice: There is nothing I hate more then when people whine about semi-professionals being on the show because they think those contestants have an unfair advantage. I watch the show because the semi-professional makes the show much better than the armature competitions out there. And the unfair advantage argument does not hold because the three most successful people to ever have auditioned failed to get anyone to turn a chair. Last season one hit wonder Cupid and Christopher Trousdale, who sold a million records as part of Dream Street went home early. And this week Julie Roberts, who has a gold record, could not even get her acquaintance Blake Shelton to turn around. Personally I am disjointed that I have not recognized any contestant this season. Where is the token Warped Tour Chick for the season (granted Cassadee Pope did not show until the last week last season.
One complaint I do have had about The Voice is that it lacked a true rock judge (Adam Levine is more a pop-RnB guy even if his band has a guitar player). Maybe Shakira will fill that box. This week she picked up Brandon Rouch who looks like he fronted a band from Seattle twenty years ago as well as returning rock singer Garrett Garnder (who almost did not get anyone to turn around two straight seasons until Sharika pushed her button at the last second). And who would have guessed Seven Nation Army would become the standard from The White Stripes library? This is the third straight season someone perform the song. I would have guessed We’re Going to Be Friends would be their song most likely to become a standard.
Oddly they cut down the Blind Auditions by three hours this season, with only twelve contestants per team, down from sixteen last season but back to season two numbers. This makes me wonder if they are already getting rid of the useless Knockout Round. But does that also mean are they getting rid of The Steal because I do not see them having seven or eight contestants from each team in the Live Round. My guess is they will have the Battle Round with a Steal (Shakira already mentioned stealing people), the Knockout Round (which hopefully they introduce another steal) with four or five contestants per team making it to the Live Rounds.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download songs from The Voice with the widget at right.
Dallas: When the babies flat lined last week, I did not give much thought to it because assumed they would revive them by this week. Wow, they actually let the twins die. I not sure if that was the right decision because the storylines might be much better tying Christopher and Pamela forever. But in the short term, it will be interesting if Pamela will eventually find out her father was behind the explosion.
You can download Dallas on iTunes.
Castle: I knew from the beginning that Castle’s imagination was getting the best of him by thinking his across the street neighbor killed his girlfriend, but I have to admit by the time Beckett went over there, I starting thinking that maybe he was a murderer. And that was a great reveal that the whole thing was an giant birthday present. Which was a good thing because the other plot was a bit boring.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Castle on iTunes.
Justified: A good episode, but it seemed to be lacking something as a season finale. The scene with Raylan telling Augustine he would not leave the limo alive, even saying he had not left the limo yet as he exited it himself to like Sonny Tonin gun down Augustine was classic Raylan, and would have been a great moment for a middle of the season episode, but I wanted more. And it was weird that a season about getting Drew Thomson the finale lacked Drew Thompson, and the reason the FBI wanted Drew Thomson, Theo Tonin skipped town to the extradition free country of Tunisia. I wonder if Alan Arkin was unavailable all season and if this season would have been any different had he would had made an appearance.
So no Drew Thompson and no Ellen May (also conspicuously absent: Johnny Crowder who I am surprised made it out of the season alive) but Boyd and Ava had to spend the episode trying to clean up Ellen May’s confession, ultimately failing. I do not think it was a wise decision for the funeral director to let Boyd to stay out of jail, that will come back to bite him next season. Hopefully Ava gets sent to a co-ed prison where she can bunk with Dewey Crowe and Dickey Bennett.
You can download Justified on iTunes.
Survivor: Caramoan: When I compiled my list of The 25 Dumbest Survivor Contestants Ever list fout seasons ago, number one was a no brainer to the point of being the most obvious number one of any list I have ever compiled: Erik giving up his Immunity Necklace. Though Brandon Hantz came close, Erik would still grab the top spot if I were ever to update the list. So it was quite amazing that the rest of this season rested in the hands of the ice cream scooper. This led to one of the most heart racing Tribal Councils in recent memory as you tried to figure out which way Erik (and to a lesser extent Sherri who took a defeatist attitude at tribal council).
Thankfully he chose wisely because had he gone with the alpha male alliance, it would have been a slow slog to the finale as the vote out their former Favorites tribemates. Instead now you have a solid alliance of four (Cochran, Dawn, Andrea, Philip), their lackeys (Brenda, Erik), two people completely on the outs (Sheri, Michael), and what’s left of the alpha male alliance (Malcolm, Douchebag #1, Douchebag #2) who would seem like the first three to go, except they have two Immunity Idols between them. So the solid alliance needs to keep Sheri with them AND recruit Michael (I told Philip it was a huge mistake to let Corrine keep Michael over Julia) to have enough people to split the votes. And even then, what if the two people the split the vote with both use an Idol? And what if the two lackeys and the Fans team up with the final Alpha Male Alliance member. So not only was the fate of the season in Erik’s hands once this season, it may not be the only vote where Erik becomes the deciding vote. God help us all.
You can stream recent episodes over at CBS.com. You can also download Survivor: Philippines on iTunes.
Modern Family: Wait, Hayley grows up to be Justine Bateman? What?
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Modern Family on iTunes.
Nashville: I find it interesting that during the Ho Hey sing-along, Deakon chose to shout the former instead of the latter at Rayna. And with all the interaction with Maddie this episode (he even told her she looked more like her mother than her father, who is not even her real father), I wonder when exactly is Deakon going to find out that she is his daughter.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Nashville on iTunes.
The Americans: Before I talk about this episode, for those who watched via DVR and had the final eight minutes cut off, you can re-watch the episode at fxnetworks.com until May 15.
I still think of the Jennings children the same way I do Chris Brody and Bobby Draper (not at all) but I did love the daughter’s reaction to the potential big news (mom’s too old to be pregnant) and the son’s history report (America won). But it was a nice tension breaker in what turned out to being the shocking plot twist that Philip inadvertently killed Stan’s partner. A real game changer of an episode.
You can download The Americans on iTunes.
Community: Uh oh, Allison has some Brie competition with the arrival of Larson to the show. But it was very disappointing that did not have a Brie off.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Community on iTunes.
Hannibal: I feared with the serious subject manner that Bryan Fuller’s trademark wit would somehow get lost in the adaptation, but those fears were put to rest when Lawrence Fishburn yelled at someone to use the ladies room so he would continue to yell at someone without being bothered. And Dr. Lecter and his patient was pretty humorous too.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Hannibal on iTunes.
Big News of the Week: A Melancholy Happy Trails to Roger Ebert: Every critic of every medium, amateur of pro, holds Roger Ebert in high regard. For people of my generation, there was a good chance that he, along with his partner Gene Siskel, were the first critics we ever saw growing up. And they made it look so easy, when it came to it, a movie was given a thumbs up or a thumbs down, no shades of grey (well the thumbs would go way up or down occasionally) or extremely specific grades like Pitchfork’s decimal system. But his actual reviews were anything but simple, it was clear he really loved watching movies and never got tired of it, giving critiques right up to the end.
Preview Picture of the Week:
Archer "Sea Tunt Part 2" featuring Jon Hamm, Thursday at 10:00 on FX
Free Download of the Week: Hurricane – Charles Bradley (iTunes)
Deal of the Week: Great Albums On Sale for $3.99 or Less: Get albums on the cheap from A Tribe Called Quest, Ray Lamontange, Rage Against the Machine covers, and Bill Withers Greatest Hits.
New Album Release of the Week: Paramore - Paramore
Video of the Week: Ever want to see Ryan Gosling pull somebody on the floor by their teeth? Get you tickets for Only God Forgives now. Or just watch the red band trailer.
Next Week Pick of the Week: Mad Men, Sunday (Tomorrow) at 9:00 on AMC: When we last saw Don Draper, a young lady asked him if he was alone before the season faded to black with Don looking into the camera. We did not get to see the answer which meant Don managed to make it through an entire season without committing adultery (unless the fever dream where he killed his former conquest was not actually a dream like I theorized). Elsewhere Peggy left Sterling Cooper Draper Price, as well as Lane who left in a completely different circumstance. But he did get to punch Pete Campbell, who got a love shack in the city, before leaving this mortal coil. And Roger Sterling discovered LSD. In true Mad Men fashion, we know absolutely nothing going into season because creator Matthew Weiner like secrecy as much as forcing his son into his show.
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 50 Children: The Rescue of Mr. and Mrs. Kraus, Counting Cars, Being Human, Esquire Network, The King’s Skeleton: Richard III Revealed, Going Blind, Cycling High: Doping to Win, Nine Days, Lyfe Jennings, Mad Men, Conan, and Siempre Mujer.
- HBO will be premiering its latest documentary Monday at 9:00 50 Children: The Rescue of Mr. and Mrs. Kraus which tells the dramatic, previously untold story of Gilbert and Eleanor Kraus, a Jewish couple from Philadelphia who followed their conscience, traveling to Nazi-controlled Vienna in spring 1939 to save a group of children. Amidst the impending horrors of the Holocaust, they put themselves in harm’s way to bring what would become the single largest-known group of children allowed into the US during that time. Check out the trailer below:
- The second season of Counting Cars returns to History Tuesday at 9:00. This season, the heat is on as the boys buy, trick out and re-sell classic cars, bikes and more. Danny’s love for cars and his eccentric personality are on full display this season as he works with people from all walks of life – from Ziggy Marley to a custom car for our troops. Check out a preview below:
- Stephen Sondheim, Liza Minnelli, Angela Lansbury, Christine Ebersole and other great stars of American music and musical theatre share the spotlight with the country’s most passionate music preservationist as Michael Feinstein’s American Songbook returns to PBS for a new star-studded, three-part season tonight at 9:00.
- Monday is the season finale of Being Human on Syfy and here is a preview to hold you over until then:
- Later this month, G4 is turning into the Esquire Network and the new channel has some new shows already lined up including The Getaway: “Anyone can be a tourist, But to experience a city like a local? That takes a great guide. Created by executive producer Anthony Bourdain, The Getaway explores the world's most amazing cities, guided by a revolving cast of travel-loving celebrities. Honk Kong with Aziz Ansari. Belfast with Joel McHale. Paris with Aisha Tyler. And that's just the first leg of this worldwide adventure.” And on Tuesday April 23, new cooking show Knife Fight is premiering at 9:00. Here is an extrended first look:
- Smithsonian Channel has secured the exclusive North American program rights to tell the inside story of the astonishing discovery of Richard III’s remains, recently found just a few feet under a parking lot in central England. Considered one of the great villains of history, the notorious king of England’s gravesite was a mystery for more than 500 years, until the unearthing of his remains made international news when revealed in February. The King’s Skeleton: Richard III Revealed is produced by the only team allowed access to the scientists, the archaeological dig, and the scientific tests to determine the skeleton’s identity, which were carried out in complete secrecy. The new two-hour special will premiere on Smithsonian Channel on Sunday, April 21 at 9.
- Going Blind is a unique documentary about sight loss and low vision issues told through the personal story of Joe Lovett, a Peabody Award winning director and journalist who discovered he has glaucoma, a disease which robs 4.5 million people of their vision worldwide. It will be available in most of the country on Public Television World channels. A complete list of stations airing the film can be found at: goingblindmovie.com.
- Profiling one of sports’ most high profile scandals that created a media frenzy, National Geographic Channel, along with Peacock Productions, dissects the story of the science and scheming behind the saga of what’s been called “the most sophisticated and successful doping scheme in all of sports.” Premiering on NGC on Sunday, April 21 at 7:00, Cycling High: Doping to Win documents Lance Armstrong's epic fall from grace, using infographics, re-creations, archival footage and new interviews.
- Long Island, NY's own Nine Days, best known for their smash hit song Absolutely (Story of a Girl) which hit #1 and topped the radio charts back in the year 2000, has just announced that the five original members of the band who performed on their classic Gold sales certified album "The Madding Crowd" (Epic) have reunited to play a string of East Coast dates this Spring and Summer 2013. The band has also been working on songs for a new album which is set to be recorded in Nashville, TN this Summer and is scheduled for a Fall release. For more information on ninedays please visit ninedaysmusic.com.
- Want to name Lyfe Jennings upcoming summer album? Follow him on Twitter and tweet him your title suggestions. One lucky winner will have the chance to meet Lyfe and hangout at an upcoming concert.
- In renewal news, Conan has been extended by TBS through 2015.
- The April issue of Siempre Mujer (on stands April 10) contains a candid conversation with Natalie Morales about motherhood, her path to journalism, and the importance of her Latin roots.
The first season of Men at Work did not win any awards, get any critical acclaim, or create a rabid fan base, but I have to admit, I did laugh occasionally during some of the episodes I watched. Even more so then some award winning, critically acclaimed comedies with rabid fan bases. It reminded me of the sitcom I grew up with which put the situation in sitcom. Sure it seemed a little silly to set a modern day television show in a magazine office, but shouldn’t sitcoms be silly?
There are no major changes going into the new season except Peri Gilpin (Frasier) has been brought in as the magazine’s new editor, but her presence is not felt that much after she is hired. Other guests who pop up this season include Seth Green as a homeless nemesis for Milo, Jason Lee as an annoying office mate, whle J.K. Simmons reprises his role as the magazine owner and father Neal’s girlfriend Amy.
Some of the other situations the boys get themselves into include Milo trying to scam a girlfriend with a misleading online personal ad. Tyler dates a single mom, but ends up bonding with her ex-husband. But the best episode of the season, which I believe is also the season finale (assuming there are only ten episodes this season), involves two wedding, moonshine, and Zach Morris.
Men at Work airs Thursdays at 10:00 on TBS. You can download Men at Work on iTunes. Check out a preview of the second season below:
In this month’s induction into the Scooter Hall of Fame, I only talked about “Weird Al” Yankovic’s parodies and the polka because many of his originals are pretty forgettable. But there are a few good ones like You Don’t Love Me Anymore about a a boyfriend that just not get a clue that his girlfriend does not want to date him anymore (making fun of break up songs is a Al specialty because One More Minute is his second best original). But for the video, Al does get to parody one of the bigger videos of the time, Extreme’s More Than Words which features the janitor from Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit video (and Al’s parody Smells Like Nirvana). So if you only know “Weird Al” for his parodies, you should check out some of his originals too.
There have been a couple of videos that have caught my eye lately so I thought I’d give them some love since the death of Musical Television left a void for a forum on the art form. If you are interested in buying the video through iTunes, click the title link (where available). If you are interested in buying the song, look for a link in the analysis.
A couple weeks ago on Community, Chang Kevin revealed some Memento-style tattoos which made me wonder why the show never did a full Memento homage, telling a story backwards. Really no one has tried the telling a story in reverse until the Yeah Yeah Yeahs latest music video. You would think it would be more popular type of storytelling than it is. On a side note, Lily Cole should be a bigger star than she is.
When watching their comeback video, I was thinking to myself, I really wonder how Fall Out Boy got in the back of that van, well now I know. Okay, I did not really care. And how do you do a prequel without 2 Chainz?
Rilo Kiley recently went on hiatus, possibly a permanent one depending on which member you ask and when you ask it, but if this is the end, the band is cleaning out their vaults for a album full of rarities including this catchy track which is good enough that it could have made one of their proper albums.
There are fewer artists with better timing than "Weird Al" Yankovic. A novelty act who made funny parodies about food. His first album was quality entertainment by lampooning the likes of The Knack and even landed him a couple minor hits. But instead of becoming a musical footnote like the guys who sang My Sharona, his second album launched at a time when two cultural phenomenons collided, and he benefited from both. In 1984 MTV finally started airing music videos by black artist, most notably Michael Jackson whose video took him from being that cute kids from the Jackson 5 to the biggest act in music since The Beatles.
Enter “Weird Al” Yankovic to who took Jackson’s Beat It and, like My Sharona before it, turn it into an anthem about food. It was catchy as the original, but what made Al a household name was the accompanying music video with Al visiting the same tropes that Michael did in his video, ending up at the same West Side Story knife fight at the end, but all down with a Weird bent and rubber chickens. It became a template for Al where the video was almost important as the parody itself.
The only other music video Al made from "Weird Al" Yankovic In 3-D, this month's induction into the Scooter Hall of Fame, was almost as entertaining and is now underrated compared to the others that came afterward. Based on his other love. television (the album also featured an ode to The Brady Bunch to the tune of Safety Dance), I Lost on Jeopardy is set to the Greg Kihn song about boring love and turned into a song about the worst contestant ever in the history of game show, a contestant so bad, he did not even get take the Home Game with him. For the video, Al even wrangled Art Fleming, the original host, Don Pardo and Kihn himself. I have no proof to this claim, but I would like to believe it was this song that led to the Alex Trebeck reboot of the game show.
In 3-D was also notable for being the first album that featured the now routine polka where Al broke out his accordion to sing a medley of song from the sixties and seventies classic from Devo to Iron Butterfly. Had there been another video made from the video, it most likely would had been for The Theme of Rocky XIII, naturally a parody of Eye of the Tiger (theme to the third movie), it is a shame that he did not dust the song off for his movie UHF and the song gets only more relevant as Sylvester Stallone inches closer to his thirteenth installment of his franchise. Being such a fan of The Police, King of Suede (a parody of King of Pain) and always been one of my favorite in Al’s catalogue. It is weir to thing that “Weird Al” Yankovic first released his first song thirty-five years ago next year. Hopefully we do not have to wait until then to hear what food will inspire his parody of Call Me Maybe.
Once Upon a Time: The scene back from the last commercial break may have been the most absurd thing ever aired on network television. First off you had Pinocchio die from a taser, c’mon, how does someone made of wood be harmed by a little electricity? But of course before he died, he was able to crawl out of the police station utter a couple nonsensical words before going to the big wood chipper in the sky. But since he died trying to help someone (and failing at that), the blue fairy was able to turn him into a real boy (again). And by real boy, an actual ten year old who apparently has no memory of the past twenty years. So Pinocchio gets to live even though he helped no one. In fact they are in more danger because of him.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Once Upon a Time on iTunes.
Revenge: What a weird way to wrap up the foster brother storyline. Why not to tell Amanda your plan the whole time?
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Revenge on iTunes.
The Walking Dead: I guess it is surprising Merle made it this long. He probably should have never made it off the roof. Or out of Woodbury. Or in a prison with Michonne. But it became pretty clear that it is a worse punishment not to die, because instead of putting a bullet in Merle’s head, he sentenced him to a life of a zombie. That may have been the most evil of all of the Governor’s evil deeds.
You can download The Walking Dead on iTunes.
Shameless: So Jimmy has had two years of med school and only one more to go? Since when did becoming a doctor only take three years? I thought it took ten.
The Voice: If there was any question to if the new judges could successfully replace the former ones, it was answered when Shakira pulled out her English to Country dictionary. And Usher had a very entertaining moment when he called Nashville a state despite being born in the same state where the city resides. Even though the coaching panel turned out to be solid, I was a bit worried with the talent on the stage after the first episode because all the contestants were petty lackluster including the weakest four chair audition in the Morgan Sisters. Things turned around the next day (no pun intended, okay, maybe a little) with two artists that deserved all the coach’s button pushes in Midas Whale and Sarah Simmons, both who ended up on Adam’s team making him the early frontrunner (not to mention the Michael Jackson backup singer he picked up a day earlier who I found overrated; Judith Hill is no Amanda Brown). And they really amped up the sob stories this season between the dead bandmates and dead children (made worse by no one turning around). Of course there some absurd sob stories. When you look like a cross between Amanda Seyfried and Emma Stone and the worst thing that has happened to you is getting teased about a snaggletooth, you probably should not be singing Mean.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download songs from The Voice using the widget at right.
How I Met Your Mother: I would have liked this episode much better if the chopped off the last five minutes. The only way the ending could have been more depressing would be if they played a Ryan Adams song during it. And no, I will not tell you the ingredients of The Scooter McGavin alcoholic beverage that I created back in college because I am paranoid someone with plagiarize it. That and I may have forgotten the ingredients because I drank too many Scooter McGavin’s in college.
You can stream recent episodes over at CBS.com. You can also download How I Met Your Mother on iTunes.
Castle: When we saw Ryan at home I thought, oh goodness, I have zero interest following that guy home. And then he went and got himself slapped by a mobster. Unfortunately the rest of the episode was not as entertaining as him getting slapped.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Castle on iTunes.
Go On: Between this episode and Cougar Town, I am beginning to wonder if there ever was a time when Courtney Cox was ever funny.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Go On on iTunes.
Justified: It became pretty clear that Colton would not make it to the end of the season, most likely at Tim’s hand, it is a little surprising he got gunned down before the finale (was this Tim’s first on screen kill in the series?) Which makes me wonder who will they kill off in the finale, or how many? Mike O’Malley cannot possible survive after threatening the life if Raylan’s unborn daughter. And will Theo Tonin finally make an appearance or will they be saving him to be the big bad of season five? I cannot wait to find out.
You can download Justified on iTunes.
Survivor: Caramoan: Apparently Philip did not learn that much from Boston Rob because I image Rob would have cut Corrine lose last night. He would have at the very least given Michael the boot because Corrine was cozying up with him. And splitting the vote was silly. If Michael or whatshername actually had the Idol, they would have played it last week. It is a shame that a Favorite is going to win because these are some of the most inept players in the history of the game.
You can stream recent episodes over at CBS.com. You can also download Survivor: Philippines on iTunes.
Big News of the Week: FXX Coming to a Small Screen Near You: It was rumored a couple of months ago that FX wanted to split into two separate networks, one for dramas, the other devoted to comedy (much like the Turner networks of TBS and TNT). It sounded like a good idea at the time, and then FX announced this week that the rumor was kind of true and FX would continue to cater mostly to drama while its new comedy channel would be christened FXX. Umm, months of discussions, FXX was the best they could come up with? Did they not realize that not only does the channel not roll off the tongue very well, it would launch a million “When is FX going to launch their porn channel FXXX?” jokes?
Jokes aside, FXX will launch September 2 in 74 million homes (mostly likely where Fox Soccer currently is on your channel guide until your cable provider moves it from the sports tier to the entertainment one). FX will actually be the same, airing comedies, dramas, and movies targeted at Adults 18-49 while FXX the 18-34 demographic. Also launching next fall will be FXM geared to old people (25-54) airing “prestige movies and related short-form original programming” and eventually limited series and mini-series. With the three channels, FX Networks plans to air 25 scripted original programs within the next three years, double of the programs that FX currently airs.
With the expansion, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and The League both have been renewed for two more season and will be movie to FXX along with Legit, which is renewed for a second season, and Totally Biased with Kamua Bell which will be airing five nights a week next fall (and a compilation episode Sunday nights). Justified (which was renewed for a fifth season), The Americans, Sons of Anarchy, American Horror Story: Coven, Louis, Archer, and Wilfred will all remain on FX.
FX Networks also announced a bunch of new shows coming soon. You may have already seen advertisements for The Bridge coming in July. FX also ordered a limited series order to Fargo inspired by the film of the same named and will be produced by the Coen Brothers who won an Oscar for writing the screenplay. Tyrant comes from the producing team behind Homeland and the pilot will be directed by two-time Academy Award winning director Ang Lee. And The Strain, written and directed by executive producer Guillermo Del Toro about vampires unlike any ever depicted on television or film. FX Networks also have two comedy pilots in the works including How and Why from Charlie Kaufman and animated comedy Chozen from Danny McBride. There are also other limited series in development from Sam Mendes, Paul Giamatti, Alexander Payne, and Shawn Ryan.
Interestingly enough, Anger Management, which FX is still on the hook for another eighty episodes, is only mentioned once in the very small print at the end of the press release ”The FX schedule will also include the acquired series Anger Management, Two and a Half Men and, coming in 2014, Mike & Molly” which I guess means that the show is also staying on FX. Either that or they are trying to figure out how to get out of those final eighty episodes. But that was one more mention than Brand X with Russell Brand.
Preview Picture of the Week:
The Americans, "Safe House" Wednesday at 10:00 on FX
Video of the Week: First there was The Bachelor spoof, Burring Love, which of course the second season making fun of The Bachelorette, and with that season just wrapping up, we now get a trailer for the third season Burning Love: Burning Down the House which take aim at Bachelor Pad with its $900 cash prize. All of your favorites from the first two seasons are returning (assuming your favorites were not Kristen Bell or Adam Scott), a Burning Love superfan and Jeffery Ross. And you will not have to wait long because the season premieres April 12.
Next Week Pick of the Week: Hannibal, Thursday at 10:00 on NBC: Much like the recent Norman Bates reboot, I had very little interest in a modern day prequel of Hannibal Lecter. But where Bates Motel is being helmed by the dude from Lost, Hannibal is being run by Bryan Fuller who has created some of the best television shows of the millennium. Unfortunately, much like shows that air on Thursdays at 10:00 on NBC, most of Fuller’s shows do not last very long. But on the bright side, if Hannibal does not last very long, the quicker we may get a Pushing Daisies or Wonderfalls Kickstarter funded movie.
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 Justified, Hannibal, Fall to Grace, Mad Men, Defiance, Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of Jurassic Park, The Kick, Beat Making Lab, Killing Jesus, The American Bible Challenge, Gigolos, Face Off, Continuum, and Cougar Town.
- Next week’s episode of Justified is not just the season finale; it is a “special event.” Drew Thompson is now in police custody and Ellen May may be safe, but there looks to be plenty still to be wrapped up with the Detroit boys still on the loose. And with a title like Ghosts, I have a feeling the dude that Ava killed will be the only one haunting the characters. Did Arlo have one last surprise for Raylan?
- Hannibal finally premieres next Thursday at 10:00 and NBC has just released a “red band” trailer, which is probably just a marketing tool because it is still airing on network television.
- For Jim McGreevey, August 12, 2004 was, in his words, “a train wreck.” That was the day the former New Jersey governor famously announced his resignation and declared himself “a gay American” on live TV. After his political downfall and the ugly divorce that followed, McGreevey found himself at an existential crossroads. Fall to Grace reveals how McGreevey moved through that painful period, reinventing himself as a spiritual advisor to women in prison. Fall to Grace airs tonight at 8:00 on HBO. Check out a trailer below:
- Just in time for the Mad Men premiere next week here is an interview with creator Matt Weiner and Saturday Evening Post.
- As we inch closer to the Defiance premiere April 15, here is the latest trailer from Syfy:
- Out on DVD next week include high-flying martial arts action The Kick.
- PBS Digital Studios’ newest series “Beat Making Lab” follows musicians and educators Stephen Levitin (aka producer Apple Juice Kid) and UNC-Chapel Hill Professor Pierce Freelon (who’s also front man for the jazz/hip-hop quartet The Beast) as they travel around the globe and provide enthusiastic young people in underserved communities with the training and tools to create their own original music. The third video in the series is posted on YouTube.
- After the success of Killing Lincoln, I predicted that the follow-up, Killing Kennedy would be made by next year. I was close. The National Geographic Channel announced they would make a film out of Killing Jesus next based on the book by Bill O’Reilly that is not even going to be released until September (I have a feeling the success of History’s The Bible is the reason why the skipped Kennedy). No work on if Tom Hanks or his mustache will be narrating the new film.
- GSN has teamed up with the widely popular Bible App™ by YouVersion on its hit game show, The American Bible Challenge, which premiered for a 2nd season on Thursday, March 21st. The app, which is completely free, has been downloaded onto over 85 million smartphones and tablets, making it easier than ever to plug into chapter and verse anytime and anywhere. The American Bible Challenge airs on Thursdays at 9:00 pm ET/PT on GSN.
- Coming Thursday April 18 to Showtime, the fourth season of Gigolos with a new cast member and more action.
- In renewal news, Syfy is bringing back Face Off for a fifth season and Continuum for a second while Cougar Town has been renewed for another season by TBS.
Next month Public Enemy will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and it was announced yesterday that DJ Terminator X will be attended the ceremony (unlike last year when almost nobody showed up due to illness like Adam Yauch and Rod Stewart, or ambivalence like Axl Rose). I was not sure what surprised me most, that Terminator X left the group in 1998 or that he was been raising African black ostriches ever since. I guess it is easy to forget everything after the group released Apocalypse ’91… The Enemy Strikes Black as the follow up was a dud (though I do stand by the soundtrack to He Got Game despite the silly Stephan Stills collaboration). And thought Muse Dick-n-Hour Mess Age was underwhelming, the lead single Give it Up stands up with the rest of their more beloved hits. And if I am not mistaken, the song was the inaugural MTV Jam of the Week (which ironically discontinued right after Jay-Z mentioned it in Big Pimpin').
Noel Gallagher, who wrote all the songs for Oasis, once said the first line of every song is the most important and what he spent the most time working on. By that philosophy, the fist line in the first song off your first album must be the most important in a singer’s career (maybe not so much for Gallagher who started with “I live my life in the city, there’s no easy way out”). Kacey Musgraves came up a line to start off her major label debut album Same Trailer Different Park that really sets the tone for the next forty minutes when she sings on the opening track Silver Lining, “Woke up on the wrong side of rock bottom.” Do you even need to ask after that if this is a country album?
The next couple songs start out with a couple dozies of their own: “Who needs a house up on a hill when you can have one on four wheels?” (My House) and “If you ain’t got two kids by 21 you’re probably gonna die alone.” (Merry Go Round) But she does not stop with writing a good first line, Merry Go Round can be taken as either a biting commentary about small time life or a lament of it depending on which side of the Mason-Dixon Line you live with a chorus that goes, “Momma’s hooked on Mary Kay, bother’s hooked on Mary Jane” and if you guessed that “daddy’s hooked on Mary two doors down” get yourself a cookie.
But the best written song on the album is Follow Your Arrow which also starts off with a very memorable opening line, “If you save yourself from marriage you’re a bore, if you don’t save yourself for marriage you’re a (w)horrible person.” The be who you are anthem (“kiss lots of boys, or kiss lots of girls if that is something you’re in to”) is much catchier and a lot less annoyingly pretentious than the annoying pop songs with the same message of recent years by Lady Gaga or Ke$ha.
Musically, Musgraves comes across like a early female Ryan Adams with more traditional country influences and a much better sense of humor than someone who would stop a concert cold because someone request he play Summer of 69. But where Adams excelled at what he would call “sad bastard” songs (It Is What It Is is the best of these songs on Same Trailer Different Park), Kacey is much more adept at barn burners like on Stupid and Blowin’ Smoke both which could be one of the better songs if they found their way into Miranda Lambert’s catalogue (Musgraves wrote Lambert’s current hit Mama's Broken Heart).
Though Same Trailer Different Park sticks mostly to traditional country, the sleepy Back of the Map is one of the few times Kacey goes for the adult contemporary track that many pop-country acts shoot for these days, and turns out to be one of the best songs on the album. When it comes down to it, Same Trailer Different Park may be the best country album I have listened to since the last American album Johnny Cash released when he was alive.
There have been a couple of videos that have caught my eye lately so I thought I’d give them some love since the death of Musical Television left a void for a forum on the art form. If you are interested in buying the video through iTunes, click the title link (where available). If you are interested in buying the song, look for a link in the analysis.
Sure Rand Paul may fillerbuster me for making this statement, but I have no problems living dystopian society that quarantines all the teenagers in the land. Thanks for the idea Noah & The Whale.
Darius Rucker watches Duck Dynasty? Okay Hootie, we get it, you are really country now. Now how about trading the bowler hat for you Gamecocks cap and get back together with the Blowfish and make real music again.
As much as I would like RnB to return to the silver age of the nineties with the likes of Boyz II Men, Babyface, and Brian McKnight, this just is not going to cut it. And turn down the thudding, Brian; you are not a cheesy techno RnB act.
Once Upon a Time: Well that was the most boring Groundhogs Day homage ever. At least they let us now Ethan Embry was the young boy by the end of the episode because it was pretty obvious who the young boy would grow up to be. But this begs the question, is has his father remain in suspended animation like the rest of Storybrooke all this time or is old enough to join AARP now? Presumably he has been hanging out in the dungeon Belle was all these years.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Once Upon a Time on iTunes.
Revenge: So much for no more distractions. Now Emily has multiple distractions between her foster brother and whatever Jack is up to.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Revenge on iTunes.
The Walking Dead: The show really does not know its audience when it does an Andrea-centric episode.
You can download The Walking Dead on iTunes.
Shameless: The sad thing is, I do not think Frank becoming a gay icon even ranks in his top five most offensive scams.
House of Lies: Wait, did Clyde actually develop a conscience? He would be the last in the pod that I thought would feel bad that he orphaned a kid.
Vikings: When the previews showed the Vikings invading English speaking countries I wondered how the show would deal with the language barrier. Two episodes later and the answer is a resounding not very well. Sometimes they both speak English and not understand each other and this week they have both parties subtitled and not understanding each other. They should have just kept the Vikings speaking English and just have the English speak Gaelic or some other dead language. But I do like the new relationship between Ragnar and the priest. He is a much more interesting foil to Ragnar than the Earl is.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Vikings on iTunes
How I Met Your Mother: If Barney’s bed was not supposed to be an homage to Remote Control, I am going to go ahead and pretend it is.
You can stream recent episodes over at CBS.com. You can also download How I Met Your Mother on iTunes.
Dallas: With the reintroduction of Gary Ewing and his wife, you have to wonder if TNT is toying with the idea of a Knot’s Landing reboot.
You can download Dallas on iTunes.
Deception: Not The Killing bad, but I am still a bit disappointed with the killer’s reveal. I long wrote off Robert because I could not see him killing his own daughter after the lengths he went through to keep his son out of jail. And we still do not know why he killed her. Ugg.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Deception on iTunes.
Pretty Little Liars: I have predicting since the beginning of the show that Allison was still alive and later she was under the red hood despite her body being identified, and this is the closest thing to a confirmation with both Hanna and Mona seeing a not so dead Allison pulling them out of the fire. But I am not totally convinced what they saw was indeed Allison. But if it was, then were the other time the Liars saw Allison in dream like sequences, like when Aria was being drugged by her dad’s girlfriend, or when Emily was trapped in the barn when she was looking for the psychiatrist? And if Red Hood did not start the fire, does that mean Jenna, Melissa and the random lesbian who showed up last week (is she just a stand in because the actor they wanted was not available?) did do it? And is the start of a war between The A-Team and what I would like to coin The Dukes of Hazard (the second best television show of the eighties) with the Liars caught in the middle? And what the frack was in the trunk? Or should I be asking who?
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Pretty Little Liars on iTunes.
Justified: When it was shown that Drew skipped down on the 4:30 train I tho9ught why did Raylan not go with him instead stay in the principal’s office where he could get gunned down by Tonin’s thugs. I realized quickly that was a stupid question because of course Raylan is going to stick around and taunt Boyd and Tonin’s boys because he is Raylan Motherfracking Givins. If there is a hard way to do something, Raylan is going to do it. And that ended up being the best scene in the episode. Well that and Constable Bob getting beat to the sounds of Love Train. Actually, now that I type that out, I realized that was an awesome foreshadowing.
You can download Justified on iTunes.
Survivor: Caramoan: It is hard not to think of Laura’s plea to her tribe two weeks ago saying they should keep her because strength would not necessarily translate to wins and you never know when there would be a twist. The next week the Fans lost the Reward Challenge even with Douchebag #1 and Douchebag #2 and were gifted Immunity when Brandon Hantz went, well, Brandon Hantz. Then the very next week, they switched up the tribes and now Sherri is stuck on a tribe with four Favorites and the only Fans with her are Douchebag #1 and Douchebag #2. Speaking of Brandon, all he had to do was keep it together another day or two and he could have joined up with some Fan in a new tribe either vote Philip out or be in a tribe with no Philip. But that is not the Hantz way. And it is interesting that Douchebag #1 and Douchebag #2 managed to be on a tribe with the two on the outskirts of the Favorite tribe which makes you wonder if they stay loyal to the Favorites or jump ship. But after the challenge, they may never have to make that decision.
I do not know what was more surprising: that Special Agent Philip Sheppard admitting he never went to college, what exactly are the requirements for the FBI, or Julia spoke for the first time and was not voted off. I pegged her as the token contestant this season that does not get any screen time until the episode they are voted off. Maybe that will turn out to be Brenda this season. One more thing, Corrine’s love for gay homosexuals really bordered on creepy. I was really hoping that after one of her numerous comments on the subject the camera cut to Michael, who I not even remember up to this point even talking about his sexuality, who would say something like get this crazy chick away from me.
You can stream recent episodes over at CBS.com. You can also download Survivor: Philippines on iTunes.
Subugatory: This season has not been as entertaining as the first mostly because they have chosen to focus too much on the adults (the show needs more Dalia) but it was almost worth the extra old people storylines just to hear George’s rock version of Bump N' Grind.
You can stream recent episodes on Hulu. You can also download Suburgatory on iTunes.
The Americans: Well that was an interesting plot twist with Philip all but asking Elizabeth for a divorse. Although I do not agree with him that the KGB would agree with him that it would be okay because they are not really married in their eyes to begin with so there is no need to get a divorce. But as they slowly become more American (Philip even faster), I have to wonder at what point, if ever, do they switch side like suggested in the premiere.
You can download The Americans on iTunes.
: Get albums on the cheap from A Tribe Called Quest, Ray Lamontange, Rage Against the Machine covers, and Bill Withers Greatest Hits.
- Paramore
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and the song gets only more relevant as Sylvester Stallone inches closer to his thirteenth installment of his franchise. Being such a fan of 
- Cold War Kids
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