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:
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
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 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.
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!
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."
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
Examiner.com
It's a sad day in my house and, I presume, in many others: the great comedic actor Leslie Nielsen has died today at the age of 84. According to the Associated Press, Nielsen passed away from complications from pneumonia, surrounded by his fourth wife and friends.
Nielsen will always be known around these parts as Frank Drebin, the main character of the horribly short-lived TV series Police Squad! and its feature film counterpart, the Naked Gun franchise. Police Squad! remains one of my favorite TV comedies of all time. (You can watch its uproarious intro sequence here.) It remains a timeless classic, once invoked by Family Guy, and that's in large part to the affable Nielsen and his ability to play the most oddball things seemingly straight except for a knowing wink or a smirk to the audience.
In everything I ever saw him in, he was not only delightfully hilarious, but he seemed the kind of guy that it'd be cool to live next door to. In my opinion, the world is a much less funny place without him around.
Nielsen is survived by his wife and two children.
Rest in piece, Leslie, and thanks for all the laughter you brought to our lives.
Here is Sean Furfaro's recap of The Amazing Race, Episode 10.
With Chad and Stephanie being eliminated last week, the ‘domineering boyfriend count’ was cut by 33%, as the final four teams headed to Hong Kong for a predictable non-elimination leg. Would Jill and Thomas be able to maintain their huge lead on the other teams, or would there be another airport equalizer? Why is Brook dancing like a fool? And who’s puking over sushi?
My Random Thoughts:
- I had wondered for the past couple of seasons about the off-leg rest periods, and what happens to the teams. In the past, Phil always methodically told us that they had “a mandatory 12-hour rest period that allows the teams to eat, sleep, and mingle”, but there has been no mention of that for a couple of seasons now, just the times that the teams depart the Pit Stop. Tonight, we heard Jill and Thomas talking about their big lead (which rapidly evaporated at the airport), saying that they haven’t seen the other teams. I guess that answers that.
Looking for more on tonight's Dexter? My review of "In The Beginning" is now available. Here's an excerpt:
Dexter Morgan's in an increasingly tougher place after last week's Dexter: not only is his newest target, self-help guru Jordan Chase, starting to get suspicious of Dexter's attention, but Dex was also reminded that his family life can't always be handed off to others, when Astor brought an abused friend to his doorstep. The list of demands being placed on our favorite serial killer has never been a short one.You can read the full review here. Full show coverage is available in the Dexter category at Digital Airwaves (though there may be a slight delay as the site comes back from a post-holiday tidying up; should those links not work, you can also view the review at my Examiner column here).
Looking for more on tonight's Law & Order: UK? My review of "Hidden" is now available. Here's an excerpt:
This week's Law & Order: UK, an adaptation of 1995's "Bitter Fruit," sees Brooks and Devlin find the body of a missing ten-year-old girl, which is a situation just rife with drama. It's a crime that always invokes no small measure of outrage, which only means more weight on their shoulders, and there's no shortage of suspects. In other words, it's the thorny kind of case that's quintessential Law & Order.You can read the full review here. Full Law & Order: UK coverage is available in the Law & Order: UK category at Digital Airwaves. (You can also check out my column at Examiner.)
Rainbow Coalition
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Disclaimer: If you like Katy Perry and sofas, you may be offended, so please skip the following.
For everyone else with a taste in music and maybe furniture, hello and welcome to the thanksgiving dinner with the extended Cobb family.
As per usual, Jules is hosting. This time though, Grayson is co-hosting with her. This doesn't mean he actually does anything, but gets sex afterwards. Hooray for him. Beforehand, though, there's a small obstacle when he has to tells Jules that her hugs are too intense to give to strangers, and that her bones are hurting. Although she shuts him out with a make out session, it doesn't stop her from hugging Travis' african-american roommate, who obviously has a real name, who comes to inhabit the sofa. She says she is doing it, because it's like hugging a sofa. Apparently, that's fun.
Meanwhile, among the other part happy part grumpy couple, Andy has lost his cell. He doesn't care though, because despite being married to the anti-christ, he believes in the goodness of the human heart, and is certain that someone will bring it back. Laurie is astonished (if only she knew this word!) to find out that he doesn't care that he lost his phone, as she couldn't possibly live without Zach Braff telling her what appetizers to order, and that he is infuriatingly optimistic.
Also, Ellie proves that she is wasting her talents on being an evil bitch, when clearly she could be an evil bitch pantomime.
Next up, Bobby finds out no one understands him when he speaks. They never told him that. He thinks they don't care to hear what he has to say. He is offended. He decides to lock his mouth but has no way of swallowing the key. He figures out a way to swallow the key. He tries to speak differently in a very disturbing British way. He and the sofa inhabiting roommate bond on the fact that they are both un-understandable. Bobby goes back to mumbling stuff no one cares enough to understand.
Back at the thanksgiving dinner preparation, Jules drags (I assume) Grayson food shopping with her. But when they both confide on their allergies, and Jules isn't paying attention, Grayson spots his ex-wife. Jules thinks it's a good idea to give her a bone-stabbing hug, while Grayson thinks it's a good idea to follow her around to show her he is not pathetic, only insane, and tells Jules that with her he is the happiest he has ever been. This makes Jules burp a love confession, which is only a sign to trouble when Grayson can't say it back.
Laurie is worried over Andy's phone situation, so she encourages him to try and call it. He does, and they find out it was brought back by a small chinese man who also gave him a free head massage. Optimism make good things happen. It also makes Andy think he is Bob Marley.
This is the last straw Ellie and Laurie are able to take and they (finally!!!) bond over a pact to take over the world. No? Well, at least to make Andy less of a care bear and more of a panda. This should be the start of a beautiful cult.
Then Jules decides not to lose her mind (is that even an option?) over Grayson not answering her, and birth it out of him gently in a romantic thanksgiving dinner (it's like getting the stuffing out of the turkey). Although Ellie tries to make her see it's a stupid idea, Jules already sends the boys to dress up like mob members, while she dresses like a valentine – betty boop - hooker. In order to make it all romantic, obviously.
Laurie takes this opportunity to try and beat Katy Perry's record of singing well. No, I'm only kidding. She tries to outwear the number of outfits she wore at the MTV music awards.
As part of the lesson that Laurie and Ellie are trying to teach Andy, Ellie steals his wedding ring. But when they see they can't break him and want to give him his ring back, they realize that Laurie actually lost it. But even that doesn't break Andy's spirit. He sees it as an opportunity to get new rings with less stupid sayings, or to remarry Ellie (why?!?!?!?!?!?!). Fortunately, it did happen for a reason. Later, after Jules poisoned Grayson with oysters forcing him to make love to the toilet bowl, while she made love with Big Carl, instead to each other, Jules decided to end her relationship with him by asking him if he loves her, and Andy was the only one who could stop her. The lost ring put him in the bushes, and in Jules way.
At dinner time, we discover Laurie didn't beat Katy Perry (next time she tries, maybe she should punch her in the face? No no. I'm only kidding. She should just burn her CDs).
At last, Grayson still doesn't say he loves Jules back, but he shows her it's a good thing she didn't pressure him to do it.
Interactivity is gone of course due upload on youtube.
See http://lostgirlseries.com/motion-comic for full interactivity. that only works for Canadians right now though.
For those of you unaware, and I was one of those until about an hour before air time on the East Coast, tonight's episode of Survivor (November 24) was a Recap show of the first half of the season. I hate Recap shows, as I'm sure most of you do as well...as a matter of fact, that picture above shows my level of excitement over this episode.
We didn't really learn anything new tonight, except that Jimmy T. was even more annoying than we saw in the early episodes, apparently there was a sale on pink underwear before the Survivors left for Nicaragua, Jane didn't always look like a witch (and she starved herself in advance of the show!), Fabio rubs his eyes after touching hot peppers, and NaOnka's on-screen confessionals now warrant the theme from Jaws.
Looking for more on tonight's Human Target? My full recap and review of "The Wife's Tale" is now available at Digital Airwaves. Here's an excerpt:
Last week saw the debut of the revamped Human Target, and fan reaction has so far been mixed. I've seen people who are thrilled, and others who are up in arms. I can see both sides of the argument; anyone who knows me at all can say how passionate I am about this series. I suppose that also states my position in the debate for me; I haven't loved a show this much since 24, so I'm not going to give up on it without a fight. Especially not when the episodes so far are still the best thrill ride on television.Due to length, the full recap can be found here. You can also check out this week's installment of The Human Target File, where I provide a fact check and trivia for the episode.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Before we all slip into a turkey coma, I want to give you the latest from my TV on DVD coverage at Digital Airwaves. Here's what's new this week in the TV on DVD column:
Episode 6.14 of Criminal Minds will be called "Sense Memory."
A 'Taxi-Driver' with a habit for kidnapping women plays a big part.
The 'Taxi-Driver' features in 'flashback scenes' to a time at school.
Source: Adam Harris from Spoilertv
Feeling up for a challenge? We're currently looking for "Show Experts" in our Forums and on the main site to help take the whole site to a new level.
If you think you have what it takes and love your TV Shows, please see the details here.
Having seen the preview for once, I went into this episode with the utmost trepidation. It looked no less than the stupidest, lamest stunt Supernatural had ever pulled. And... well...
Children of the Corn... making children in the corn.
Two teenagers are making out in a cornfield. "There's something out there." In the corn.
Patrick disappears into the corn.
They wander, through the corn.
And what do they find in the corn? Is it... a spaceship? It beams up Scotty Patrick, and the female Canadian guest star is left standing in a very neat crop circle.
And then the credits roll and I realise:
THIS EPISODE IS GONNA BE TOTALLY AWESOME! PS The Truth is In There.
The X-Files style credits totally threw me off, and okay, I've never been a massive fan of that show but any intertextual postmodern episode such as this is enough to get my academic brain way overexcited!
A credit montage follows, with clips from old episodes (most notably hilarious 'Tall Tales' alien sequence). I was less impressed with this, it seemed choppy.
But the truth is in here, so let's find it. The town of something or other, Indiana, is ripe with excitement over the alien invasion, hoping to become the next Roswell. But one elderly lady calls bullshit on the whole UFO-nonsense: of course it's not aliens, it's fairies. Of course. Cause, spoiler alert, it was never really aliens in X-Files either. Allegedly.
By the way, it always strikes me as funny when characters in a supernatural environment refuse to believe in something supernatural they're unfamiliar with: we're vampires, but surely there can be no such thing as werewolves! We're witches and wizards and have seen all kinds of unbelievable things, but surely there is no such thing as the Deathly Hallows! We hunt demons and have previously fought fairytale creatures and GODS, but surely there is no such thing as fairies...... see what I mean?
Sam is offensive again like last week, and from all your comments I gather that some people find this amusing... I just find it annoying though. If Sam is so emotionless, why is he so damn pissed off all the time And rude? He's supposed to have no inhibitions, I get it, but being passive aggressive is emotional too. So to me, his behaviour makes his whole arc seem inconsistent. He's not possessed by something angry; the whole point is that he's possessed by NOTHING, not even himself. And based on what they said in the first few episodes, Sam should be emotionless, cold and calculating. What is calculating about screwing up investigations and making fun of the people they are investigating? It doesn't make much sense.
Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket on new adventures. Does that make Castiel Gepetto?
Dean tells him he has to care... and I can't help thinking, he must care about something if he's getting so upset about them taking this case. But whatever, Dean promises to act as Sam's conscience (now there's an interesting role reversal), which can never go well...
Meanwhile, in Brennan's Watchwork, something fairytaley seems to be going on.
Brennan acts all sad and worried when Dean and Sam are there, but as soon as they leave, he asks his clock if he did alright. Yeah, his clock. lol.
Dean warns Sam not to do anything without calling him first, but Sam is not happy about this (...). Dean goes off to check out the scene of the crime, and finds the UFO. I knew he was gonna be the Mulder.
Sam doesn't really care, which I have to admit, is a little funny. Scotty Dean is beamed up, and Sam has another beer. Oh how it hurts me.
I've got to strings, to hold me down...
Sam goes to find Dean's phone, and now he's left to figure out the mystery on his own - watch out, humankind!
He goes to the alien hippie camp to talk to the believers - and delivers the funniest line of the episode: "My brother was abducted... it's fine, I've had time to adjust." Oh Sammy. You're gonna kick your own ass when you get your soul back.
Dean is beamed back, looking shaken but intact... and finds Sam um, hanging out with the nice lady from the alien hippie camp.
"Grabby, incandescent douchebags" - way to mix up SAT words with your hunter slang there, Dean, I like it. PGOTW leaves, and Dean is upset that Sam didn't freak out - I mean, I get it, but he can't really expect anything else. We find out that Dean lost some time while abducted. He starts to talk about it, and Sam is once again hilariously inappropriate with his "safe room" and attempt at reassurance. Bless him, even soulless he really is trying. Kind of like Spike trying to be good - you can't fault the guy from being evil, he's made that way, but seeing him fight back just shows how strong his humanity is... sigh. Okay, bad example, cause this is nowhere as moving as that was. Back to the safe room.
"I had a close encounter, Sam, and I won."
Dean may or may not have been heading for the probing table, but he managed to hack and slash his way out of the supposed space ship. It was all very funny, one of the more enjoyable interactions we've seen between the brothers for a while. It struck me while watching it though, that once again something is happening to Dean. I don't think anyone can argue that it's still the Sam and Dean show anymore, this is so clearly the Dean show, with Sam around only to trigger emotional reactions from Dean. Whether it will change when Sam gets his soul back, or whether we'll once again focus on how it all affects Dean, well... I'm skeptical of there being any change, frankly.
And funnily enough, in the next scene Dean says the very think I mentioned earlier in this recap, that on top of everything else they've faced, now there are aliens. What's next, hobbits? Haha, I wish.
Dean says to Sam: "Our reality is collapsing around us and you're trying to pick up our waitress?" And huh - in season 1, Sam could have said something very similar to Dean. When Dean was Hell-bound in season 3, Sam DID say something very similar to Dean. So careful with the stone throwing Mister, I know you've got some new writers backing you, but the fans are all the same and their memories are frightening.
Sam has some moral questions for Dean: "what when there are no more leads? Do you just sit there in the dark and suffer, even when there is nothing to be done?" Yeah, Dean says like it's the most natural thing in the world. But Sam, like a newborn baby unburdened by social semiotics (cha-ching!), is in a position where he can question the logic of this and make humanity seem a little weird. Ironic, in an episode supposedly about aliens.
"So you're saying that having a soul equals suffering."
Dude, did you watch Angel at all?! I can't decide if I'm excited or annoyed at how much SPN is ripping off the Buffyverse this season. I'll go with excited; some of it's unintentional after all, and some of it's just good TV.
Then OMG creepy guy in the window creeped me out! There's a homeless guy only Dean can see... but we'll get back to that.
They research aliens online... and the aliens come back to finish what they started. But instead of an alien, it's um, Tinkerbell? And Dean KILLS her with a microwave omg mean!!! But again, Sam doesn't see the splatter. I could have gone without it, too.
Sam connects the dust, and reaches a logical conclusion: smurfs fairies. And Dean KILLED one. :(
They go to the "crazy" lady - except she's not much crazier than Dean and Sam, considering they all believe in real things. She sings of a fairie dimension, where the little blighters probably skedaddle along happily, tinkering and blowing flower petals on each other... until a big ugly giant comes along and microwaves them. Sigh. Anyway, by fairy lady's logic, Dean can see fairies because he has been to their realm. And they only take first-born sons. Huh, imagine that. Honestly, I don't know why this is more plausible than aliens. To me it's like choosing whether to head down the sci-fi or the fantasy aisle in a book store. "Does make me wanna believe in UFOs again," Dean says, heading down the sci-fi aisle. No surprise there eh?
And now Dean is asking how to kill them, and at this point I'm thinking, if this turns into some giant Tinkerbell massacre I'm turning off my television. Sorry, I'm guess I'm just too girl to find fairy slaughter entertaining.
I do, I do, I do believe in fairies! And leprechauns! And Winchesters!
And now he sees them: little actual people (men, so they're dressed), busy little beavers in the clock shop. Now they believe that Brennan is using the fairies to make his clocks - but did he really trade his son for clocks? And yeah, the award for Stupid of the Year goes to... So because of Brennan, firstborn sons have been taken by the fairies and the leprechaun, supposedly to be eaten or in other ways servicing the king of fairies (it's best if we don't ask).
Dean once again sees creepy homeless man. He follows him down the obligatory dark alley, but instead attacks a poor little man and calls him a fairy. Haha, epic fail.
As Dean is taken into custody (for once I don't blame them), he calls to Sam to "fight the fairies!" And really, I thought Supernatural was more liberal than that!? In the prison, we're in for more hilariousness: "If this gentleman was a full sized homosexual, would that be okay?" the officer asks, trying to determine the nature of this hate crime. He tells Dean he'a all kinds of messed up, and well, we knew that.
Sam follows the Clockmaker into the fairies' den, but with the obvious disadvantage of not being able to see the fairies. Brennan is killed by a very visible enemy, however: the leprechaun, aka. crazy alien man. WHO SAW THAT COMING?!?!??!? I actually didn't. Too busy writing notes eh?
Dean has been marked by the fairies... he's theirs now. Heh heh heh. The leprechaun notices Sam's lack of soul (again, couldn't they have encountered all these knowledgeable creatures in episode 2 when no one knew what the hell was going on? Oh the wonders of linear storytelling. He does tell Sam something interesting though, that his soul is not completely out of reach. He can even get it back for him - for a price.
But Sam doesn't take the bait and takes a shot. Sadly iron isn't enough to kill him, and he fights back. Meanwhile, Dean fights Little Red Homeless Hood in his cell, and both brothers seem to be fighting a losing battle - unless Sam makes the leprechaun count some salt lol.
He dispels the fairies, back to their own reality where they belong - what a terrible metaphor - and the episode begins to close off. And I'm left thinking, a) so the fairies were actually just there making clocks and Dean actually killed one of them horribly, and b) the choppy credits very carefully included Misha Collins and he wasn't even in the fricking episode?! Double fail for the credits!
But definitely not for the rest of the episode - it's not going into the best episode hall of fame or anything of the sort, but Supernatural hasn't had quite the same level of comedic success in a while, and as random of a story and weak of a premise it was, it had some great gags and brotherly interaction not to be scoffed at.
In the final scene, Sam and Dean once again have a let's-wrap-up-the-remaining-loose-ends car hood chat with beer. Dean asks Sam why Sam said no to the soul... suspecting that maybe he doesn't want his soul back after all. Sam tells him he still does, but I'm betting he's lying. Seriously, we're headed for the mid season in a few eps - don't you agree it's soul time already?!
Don't forget you guys, you can find past SPN recaps and interesting entertainment blogging over at The Patchwork Blog, check it out.
I have a strange relationship with Chase; I'm never quite sure what to think about it. Not unlike the central relationship in this episode, which sees Jackson Cooper (played by Steven Strait, best known for starring in The Covenant and Sky High) disappear with his much younger girlfriend Corrina after offing her father (David Keith, most recently seen as con-man father John Allen on FOX's Lone Star, which should still be on the air). Being that she is a teenage girl, it's not hard to believe that he can get her wrapped around his finger by promising her everything she's always wanted, even if he's beating people to death in bathrooms. I think anyone can identify with how that entire period in life seems to make us all go vaguely stupid.
It's not long, however, before Jackson's true nature shows itself, and Annie and the team set out to track him down before he can make Corrina his next victim. The case itself is fairly straightforward, moving at a reasonable clip as Jackson continues to cut a dangerous swath from Texas to California, while the Marshals continue to close in on him. (What would we do without cell phones?) It's an interesting twist that he ends up on the doorstep of one of his past victims, with whom he's unknowingly fathered a child; unfortunately, it's dropped almost as quickly as it's revealed. It doesn't help that the two main guest actors are less than engaging; neither of them register at all. Chase has cast some pretty scary villains, but Strait is easily the weakest one.
The episode manages to depart from, as a family member of mine put it, "the part where [Annie] singlehandedly takes off and catches the guy," by allowing Marco to be the one to make the arrest. However, it doesn't live up to the stated promise in the press release that Annie "must confront her own family history." She used it as common ground but she certainly didn't confront it. The show's teased us with the promise of Annie's backstory, and it's out there to be had, but it's not in this episode. Shame, too, because it probably would've spiced up an otherwise unremarkable episode. After this, I'm still trying to figure this show out.
Looking for more on tonight's Chuck? My review of "Chuck Versus Phase Three" is now available at Digital Airwaves. Here's an excerpt:
"Chuck Versus Phase Three" is the conclusion to the events in "Chuck Versus The Fear Of Death." It's been three days since Chuck's abduction. He's having strange visions, Sarah is wound, and Morgan is poking around where he shouldn't, like usual. The episode starts with fairly high stakes when Sarah and Casey abduct a known associate of The Belgian from the Thai embassy...You can read the entire review here. Full show coverage is available in the Chuck category on the site.
Looking for more on tonight's Hawaii Five-O? My review of "Heihei" is now available at Digital Airwaves. Here's an excerpt:
Hawaii Five-O has a tough act to follow this week. Last week, it gave us Max Martini and ways to turn your front lawn into a fireball. Yet after an awesome episode, there's always the question, "Now what?" Well, now we get people rappelling into frame and stealing an armored car in broad daylight. If that's not enough for you, we finally meet Danny's much-maligned ex-wife, Rachel.You can read the rest here. Complete show coverage is available in the Hawaii Five-O category on the site.
Looking for more on tonight's Lie To Me? My review of "Veronica" is now available at Digital Airwaves. Here's an excerpt:
I'm about to date myself here, but I've liked Annette O'Toole since she starred in USA's short-lived, underappreciated series The Huntress. She's another one of those people that I may not expressly be a fan of, but when I see their name in the credits, I'm interested. Tonight, she guests on Lie To Me as a woman with Alzheimer's who believes someone is out to kill her. Cal being Cal, he believes her, once again leaping first, and looking second.You can read the full review here. Full show coverage is available in the Lie To Me category.
The good news: Warner Bros. has said yes to a new Buffy The Vampire Slayer film.
The bad news: according to an article in the LA Times, the film is "moving forward without [Joss] Whedon."
Instead, the film is going with the relatively unknown Whit Anderson, who according to her resume at Internet Movie Database, has only a handful of credits to her record - as an actress. There's not a single writing credit to her name on IMDB. Not exactly confidence-inspiring.
Yet, according to another article at EW.com, Anderson is working with the support of Warner Bros. and producer Charles Roven, who also worked on the most recent Batman film, The Dark Knight. According to the EW article, their film - planned for a 2011 or 2012 arrival - "will not revisit the vampire slayer's high school days," perhaps wise to the fact that it will be hard to trump Whedon's TV version of Buffy in the eyes of devoted fans and TV buffs alike.
Details are still sparse, so it's hard to put together much of a picture at this date, but I can't blame fans for being skeptical. I'm a fan of the TV series myself, so like them, I appreciate how much Joss Whedon put into moving Buffy from a sometimes-lampooned Kristy Swanson movie into a television series that will now be a part of television history forever. I can't blame them for wanting him involved, even if he is working on The Avengers. Furthermore, I'm immensely skeptical of a writer who has apparently not written anything of note before (or even acted in much of note before, if IMDB is to be believed). I'm all for new blood, but I just can't help but feel with a project this important to a huge fanbase, they might have chosen someone more experienced.
UPDATE: E!'s Kristin Dos Santos scooped Whedon's reaction to the news, and it's quite frankly classic. In its entirety, from The Hollywood Reporter:
"Kristin, I'm glad you asked for my thoughts on the announcement of Buffy the cinema film. This is a sad, sad reflection on our times, when people must feed off the carcasses of beloved stories from their youths -- just because they can't think of an original idea of their own, like I did with my Avengers idea that I made up myself.
"Obviously I have strong, mixed emotions about something like this. My first reaction upon hearing who was writing it was, "Whit Stillman AND Wes Anderson? This is gonna be the most sardonically adorable movie EVER." Apparently I was misinformed. Then I thought, "I'll make a mint! This is worth more than all my Toy Story residuals combined!" Apparently I am seldom informed of anything. And possibly a little slow. But seriously, are vampires even popular any more?
"I always hoped that Buffy would live on even after my death. But, you know, AFTER. I don't love the idea of my creation in other hands, but I'm also well aware that many more hands than mine went into making that show what it was. And there is no legal grounds for doing anything other than sighing audibly. I can't wish people who are passionate about my little myth ill. I can, however, take this time to announce that I'm making a Batman movie. Because there's a franchise that truly needs updating. So look for The Dark Knight Rises Way Earlier Than That Other One And Also More Cheaply And In Toronto, rebooting into a theater near you.
"Leave me to my pain! Sincerely, Joss Whedon."
What do you think? Are you excited at the prospect of big-screen Buffy?
Brittany Frederick
DigitalAirwaves.net
HOUSE’s leading lady Lisa Edelstein has seen an increase in her screen-time this season as the show has romantically paired her character, Cuddy, with the series’ cranky doc after six years of will-they-won’t-they antics.
But romance on HOUSE is never easy, as Edelstein teased when Give Me My Remote chatted with her this weekend. House and Cuddy’s recent trust issues won’t get wrapped up in a neat little box.
Read on for more from Edelstein on this, plus her take on her recent PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD nomination, the status of “Huddy” and working with upcoming guest star Candice Bergen…
First of all, congratulations on your PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD nomination for Favorite TV Drama Actress!
Lisa Edelstein: Thank you so much! It’s really exciting. It’s particularly exciting because it’s the audience that’s voting. I love that. I’m flattered and it feels great.
HOUSE certainly has some passionate fans…
LE: They’re not kidding, our fans. They’re emotionally invested. It’s both terrifying and wonderful.
Source: Full Interview @ www.givememyremote.com
In any country, Top Gear is fun. That's one thing this US version of the now-infamous UK hit gets right. Yet I wouldn't blame you if you came away from tonight's series premiere with a sense of deja vu.
As I said in my feature article last week, History found a solid trio of guys for the hosting duties. They're no Clarkson, Hammond, and May, but they're better than I think Jay Leno or Adam Carolla would have been. A name like Leno would have unintentionally drawn more attention to him and away from the show itself. Ferrara, Foust and Wood are engaging without taking the focus away from the content. They're the kind of guys I could imagine having a cup of coffee with. They don't yet have their chemistry working, and there are times when their banter seems forced for banter's sake, but I think they're a good team that will become better. I at least give Tanner points for using "bucolic" in a sentence. I'm not sure if most of the American public remembers that is a word.
The good news is that Adam, Tanner and Rutledge are working with a vehicle that deeply respects its UK predecessor. Unfortunately, it goes so far in doing so that it slides too far, passing spinoff and verging on remake. The set looks very much like the UK series, down to some of the same furniture. They have their own Stig. The titular attraction is a matchup between a Dodge Viper and a Cobra helicopter. The UK Top Gear already tackled that when they matched a Lotus Exige against an Apache gunship. You can argue that the UK edition's challenge is a few years old and the US audience might not remember it (it aired in May of 2004), but this isn't Law & Order: UK. We've seen the challenge before, and the US version doesn't enhance it. It was more fun when Jeremy Clarkson was having another trademark meltdown, although God bless him, Rutledge certainly does panic.
That's the fundamental problem I have with the US incarnation of Top Gear. I'd like to see it be unique, not recycle what the UK version has already done. At the very least, I want to see something in the recycled challenges that makes them worth rewatching. There's a lot of opportunity here. Even in the first episode, the three hosts show that they have a penchant for mischief and a willingness to try anything once, so why not let them? Let's blow up some motorhomes. Set things on fire. If the UK version can get away with things like that and still fit in regular content, there's no reason that the US version can't do the same. Unless - and I hope this isn't the case - History is trying to produce a more traditional, more "American" version. That's not Top Gear. Top Gear is about cars, yes, but it's also about why we love them and how much mayhem they can cause. If they really want to make a true Top Gear, make it less about looking the same, and keep it true to the adventurous spirit of the original.
