SpoilerTV - TV Spoilers

In anticipation of his guest appearance on tonight's Raising Hope, check out my colleague Jenn's interview with Jason Lee about reuniting with show creator Greg Garcia, and what it took to make him into an aging rock star. Not to mention, the possibility of a third Alvin and the Chipmunks film?

Lee guest stars in tonight's episode, "Burt Rocks," which airs at 9:01 (yes, 9:01) PM ET/PT on FOX.


Brittany Frederick
DigitalAirwaves.net
Examiner.com

It's Tuesday, which means time for new DVD reviews. Here's what's in my column this week:

• Deadwood: The Complete Series [Blu-Ray]
• Parks & Recreation: Season Two

You can find all of my past TV on DVD coverage in the TV on DVD column archives. Stay tuned, because next week I'll have one of my favorite shows to share with you.

One tidbit on my way out: if you're like me and don't own it yet, Amazon.com has Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series as its Deal of the Day. It's $120 on Blu-Ray and $81 on DVD. I just found my Christmas present...


Brittany Frederick
DigitalAirwaves.net
Examiner.com

It's officially Christmas time! Tonight, NBC is airing their Christmas In Rockefeller Center special, and to get you ready, my colleague Holly has just posted her interview with host Natalie Morales and performer Josh Groban.

Christmas In Rockefeller Center, which includes performances from Groban, Mariah Carey, Jessica Simpson and a whole host of other stars, airs tonight at 8 PM ET/PT on NBC.


Brittany Frederick
DigitalAirwaves.net
Examiner.com

Episode 8.13 will be called "Freedom"

Ever since I saw the trailer for this episode of Chase, I've been reminded of the second-season premiere of Boomtown, which saw Rebecca De Mornay and Kelly Hu as a pair of thieves. Chase gives us Yara Martinez (Annie, the love interest of the late Hector Williams, in Season 3 of The Unit) and Cherilyn Wilson (Morgan on the new 90210), who play Karen Nelson and Ivy Collins, a pair of dangerous women whom you may remember from "The Comeback Kid" (episode 1.03). I don't, because I was too busy focusing on Robert Knepper's performance as an unhinged ex-mobster, but the two are credited as playing the same characters in that episode.

Karen and Ivy have a preference for robbery-kidnappings targeting small regional banks. This allows the Marshals to counter with their own "girl power," putting Annie and Daisy at the fore of the episode. The former is expected, but the latter is certainly welcome, given that we haven't seen much of Daisy since she disarmed a bomb in "Havoc." It's sort of ironic how Annie talks about how little she knows about Daisy's personal life, as if the writers are winking at how overly focused on Annie the series can be. Unlike Human Target (which seemed to do the same last week regarding the new cast additions), it comes off less as a constructive exercise and more a not-so-helpful reminder of one of the show's flaws. And really, did the show have to go for the pointless lesbian kiss just because the two villains are women?

The preview for this episode advertised it as much faster-paced than it was; by the fourth act, there's a lot more talking than action, unless you count Karen shooting people. (Actually, as much as I have griped about it in the past, this episode of Chase has a refreshingly low body count.) A lot of talking is not necessarily a bad thing, as long as it's engaging; the Homicide: Life on the Street episode "Three Men and Adena" centers entirely around one interrogation, and it's probably one of the show's best episodes. With Chase, however, all the dialogue hurts the pace. The show's been sold to us as, well, a chase...and there's not a whole lot of actual chasing going on this week.

Speaking of action, I'm still wondering if Annie and Jimmy managing to jump from one rooftop to another is plausible. If anything, I think Kelli Giddish must be one of the hardest-working women on TV, at least when it comes to stunt work. Every week, Annie seems to do something physically demanding and/or completely ill-advised; this week, however, putting that action at the beginning means the episode''s best action sequence (and it is a good one) is done before the credits roll. The final confrontation between the Marshals and Karen is a grand total of four minutes long, and not surprising whatsoever, unless you count that it's Jimmy who gets to haul Karen off the edge of a cliff.

Thinking back to that episode of Boomtown, I have to say that while that was another show I had a love-hate relationship with, Boomtown did this plot better.

Next week, two great things happen: Dark Blue's Omari Hardwick goes bad, and we finally get to meet Jimmy's oft-mentioned girlfriend, Natalie. I'm not sure which I'm more interested in, but I'm definitely interested. Alright, Chase, you've hooked me for another week, but I hope you make it worth my while.

Looking for more Chase? Full show coverage is available in the Chase category at DigitalAirwaves.net.

Brittany Frederick
DigitalAirwaves.net
Examiner.com

Looking for more on tonight's Lie To Me? My review of "Smoked" is now available. Here's an excerpt:

Lie To Me is coming up aces in the guest star department of recent. Last week it was Annette O'Toole, and this week, it's John Amos (The West Wing's Admiral Fitzwallace). He plays Jim Weaver, a terminally ill man who wants to find his daughter Kira's killer. Detective Wallowski (Monique Gabriela Curnen) makes her welcome return asking Lightman to take Weaver's case, after last being seen with her badge on the line in "Dirty Loyal."

You can read the full review here, and check out full show coverage here. Like a lot of shows, Lie To Me is going into reruns over the holidays, so I'll see you with new coverage in January.


Brittany Frederick
DigitalAirwaves.net
Examiner.com

Looking for more on tonight's Chuck? My review of "Chuck Versus The Leftovers" is now available. Here's an excerpt:

For the Thanksgiving weekend, Chuck gets to cross paths again with his duplicitous mom and his new nemesis Volkoff. It stands to be even worse than the Thanksgiving where someone threatened to kill me. (I'm not kidding.) Of course, any episode that sees Linda Hamilton invoke the classic Terminator line "Come with me if you want to live" automatically gets brownie points in my book.

You can read the full review here, and check out full show coverage here. Chuck isn't new again until after the new year, so I'll see you then, Chucksters!


Brittany Frederick
DigitalAirwaves.net
Examiner.com

Well, it happened countless times on the original series, so it was only a matter of time: various sources are reporting that Law & Order: UK will see its first cast changes at the end of the fourth series, which is scheduled to air from late 2010 into 2011.

Simply Television and various other blogs are reporting that LOUK will bid goodbye to both Ben Daniels (James Steel) and Bill Paterson (George Castle) after Series Four. Simply Television cites an ITV press release which states Daniels and Paterson (at left, with fellow 'Order' cast member Freema Agyeman) will be replaced by Peter Davison and Dominic Rowan respectively. Jamie Bamber, Bradley Walsh and Agyeman will return.

Read on at Digital Airwaves to hear my commentary on the departures and preview the replacements.

Brittany Frederick
DigitalAirwaves.net
Examiner.com

Last week saw the debut of Top Gear US, and I found it fun but nowhere near as engagingly mad as the UK original series. However, ways to get a show on my good side? Add an Aston Martin and an actor I interviewed once.

This week's episode opens with Tanner taking a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution up into the Sierra Nevadas to race it against a pair of skiers. Once again, it's reminiscent of a previous UK challenge; Richard Hammond raced an Audi RS6 against skiers in the second episode of Series 11. Tanner is definitely the Hammond of the American hosting trio (what with the good looks and the being a sore loser), but his calling his opponents Skittles is nowhere near as funny as Richard's thinking that he speaks French. Watching Tanner handle a car, however, is a beautiful thing (unsurprising being that he did stunt work in two of the Fast & The Furious films), and he's very natural on camera. Not to mention, he wins the challenge, which Hammond didn't do. I'd love to sit down with Tanner and see what makes him tick; he's clearly the most charismatic of the bunch.

Being a James Bond fan, I've had a love affair with Aston Martins for years, so showcasing one on Top Gear automatically makes me a happy girl. Rutledge gets to drive the V8 and V12 Vantage models, and while he isn't too kind to the V8, he does a good job of taking the V12 and showing what makes people fall in love with the Aston Martin line. It's a nice little piece for Aston buffs like myself, but it's missing something that makes it truly memorable. Rutledge seems like he's more comfortable this week, but his metaphors need some work. Speaking of the writing department, someone needs to teach these hosts how to properly introduce The Stig. (And get rid of that needless track map, already!)

The US Top Gear does something the UK version doesn't this episode: the hosts rotate interviewing duties, with Adam giving up the chair to Rutledge for this week's chat with Dominic Monaghan. It's a great interview, if only because one gets the sense that Monaghan could host the show himself if he wanted to. I can say from experience that he really is that funny and outgoing, and he unintentionally makes Rutledge look like a wallflower.

The episode concludes with Tanner being challenged by his two co-hosts to a drifting competition. Maybe we're supposed to think Adam and Rutledge's cheap shots at drifting are funny, but as Tanner points out, drifting is something that takes a lot of practice and skill, so his cohorts end up coming off as more than a little ignorant. When they're bested by Adam's blind friend after just a brief tutorial from Tanner, it's less funny and more like "Well, they deserved it."

Top Gear US is still fun in its second episode, but it's still missing that extra something that would take it to the snappy, snarky level of its UK counterpart. The attempts at getting it there just fall flat; the jokes in the narration just aren't funny, and the banter between the hosts doesn't click yet. Fans of the UK version are used to Jeremy insulting Richard's height or James' wardrobe, but he's honestly funny when he's doing it, and it's an example of a bonhomie between the UK trio that you can feel. When the US boys do it, it's as if they're just taking shots at each other because that's the precedent. They're trying too hard, but all the same, I definitely appreciate that they're putting in the effort. I'd much rather have a Top Gear that tries too hard than a show that doesn't try hard enough.

Looking for more Top Gear US? Full show coverage is available in the Top Gear US category at my site, DigitalAirwaves.net.

Brittany Frederick
DigitalAirwaves.net