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ABC kind of missed with FlashForward, can V make up for that? Program: V Timeslot: Tuesdays at 8 PM on ABC Starring: Elizabeth Mitchell, Scott Wolf, Morena Baccarin, Logan Huffman, Joel Gretsch, Morris Chestnut
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>I never thought I would say this: Ease up on ESPN. Once the spunky, irreverent sports network defined by the great combination of offbeat humor and sports reporting, ESPN is now an ubiquitous presence in all things sports. Certainly things have changed since the mid-to-late 1990s when “SportsCenter” was product-placement-free, Keith Olbermann was not yet a liberal twit and Geocities was still alive and well on the Web. Now the “World Wide Leader” more or less sets the sports agenda every day, raising ethical questions like “If Ben Roethlisberger is accused of sexual assault and ESPN doesn’t cover it, did it really happen?” And there’s also Chris Berman and Stuart Scott, who suck.However, even as someone who frequents sports blogs every day, I think ESPN has been given a raw deal. Major blogs like Deadspin and, to a lesser extent, The Big Lead seemingly take great pride in publishing random rumors and half-truths about ESPN talent that would make Perez Hilton blush. And while a number of the stories end up being at least partially true – like in the recent case of baseball analyst Steve Phillips’ sordid affair with an ESPN production assistant and subsequent drama involving a restraining order, panicked 911 calls from Phillips’ wife and ultimately Phillips’ firing – the damage done to ESPN’s image is too harsh. Yes, Phillips’ situation is sad for his family and disappointing for a company that has faced issues like this previously with other on-air talent like Harold Reynolds and Sean Salisbury, but the projection of an image onto ESPN based on the actions of a select few isn’t quite fair. Sexual relationships between co-workers are not to be taken lightly but what worth does the knowledge really have to us? How is ESPN supposed to control the actions of all its employees, especially when they are scattered all around the world at all times? It’s not as if these sorts of melodramatic inter-office dramas don’t happen elsewhere (which still doesn’t make it right), and yet no media outlet gets criticized as much as ESPN. Thus, while so many Web sites focus on the off-air comings and goings of the “World Wide Leader,” they fail to recognize how ESPN is slowly changing its actual content. Take the 30th anniversary-celebrating documentary series “30 for 30”: The usually hands-on media power gave 30 filmmakers the chance to make whatever sports documentary they wanted as long as it was about something that happened since 1979 and clocked in at less than 52 minutes. The results so far have been fascinating; far better than any documentaries ESPN has done in the past and exponentially better than the 25th anniversary celebration that gave us Stu Scott preaching about how awesome ESPN was – or in other words, everything we had grown to hate about them. So sure, Chris Berman is still awful, the incessant Yankees/Lakers/Brett Favre coverage is vomit-inducing. But ESPN is doing some good things, and even if it was not, we should spend more time criticizing the on-air product instead of the off-air drama.
In the latest episode of the podcast, host Cory Barker is joined the WEEKEND Watchers blog representative for each of NBC's Thursday night comedies 'Community,' (Chad Quandt) 'Parks and Recreation,' (Brad Sanders) 'The Office' (Adam Lukach) and '30 Rock' (Megan Clayton) debate about the highs and lows of each program.
Cory Barker reviews Cartel's latest album, 'Cycles.'
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Music fans are damn fickle. On top of the pop-punk world with its widely respected debut, “Chroma,” Cartel saw fans turn on away when the band recorded 2007’s follow-up in a bubble sponsored by Dr Pepper and broadcast on MTV. But armed with a rediscovered underdog complex and a refined sound, Cartel are in a position to bat away all the flip-floppers from the bandwagon with “Cycles.”Whereas the recorded-in-a-bubble, self-titled release had no heart or energy, “Cycles” is kinetic and emotive, as efforts like “Conventional Friend” and “Retrograde” see frontman Will Pugh let loose to prove he has one of the best voices around. Though nothing here stands up to the pop-punk near-masterpiece that is “Chroma,” Cartel have nuzzled into a very solid and polished pop-rock niche. Even repetitive lyrics cannot keep “27 Steps” and “Only You” from being instantly catchy.With hopes of radio success long gone, Cartel have found an identity with “Cycles” that should keep fans from ditching the band ever again.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Since a tiny version of my face is found next to the word “TV” once a week, the first thing random people ask me is, “What shows should I be watching?” Seriously – this isn’t just me posturing or creating a false sense of importance. People ask! Thus, the following paragraphs discuss the three shows you should absolutely be watching, even if it means going back and catching up on DVD immediately. Plus: a must-see newbie hits the airwaves this week.SHOW: “Fringe”EPISODE: “Earthling”WHEN: 9 p.m. Thursday on FOXAfter a rocky 10-or-so episodes, “Fringe” kicked things into a whole new gear last spring, delivering one tremendous mythos-based episode after another and probably last season’s best finale. Season two has legitimately been even better than that, as the writers have intelligently pushed Josh Jackson’s Peter to the forefront and have been able to slowly develop the most intriguing overarching plot this side of “Lost” in a way that is so damn tense and intriguing. Whereas last season there was a clear divide between the “case of the week” and mythology episodes, those elements have been smashed together pretty well in every episode, meaning even the mythos-light efforts propel the story forward in some way.SHOW: “Friday Night Lights”EPISODE: “After The Fall”WHEN: 9 p.m. Wednesday on DirecTV 101Cable programs like “Mad Men” get the awards-show love and “Lost” is heralded by the geek crowd, but for my money, it is hard for any television program to touch the brilliance of “Friday Night Lights.” The chemistry between the cast members, specifically Connie Britton and Kyle Chandler at the center, is ridiculously perfect, and when paired with the always-solid writing (let’s just forget that the season two murder plot didn’t happen), scenes crackle with energy and emotion. NBC more or less gave up on this show two and a half years ago, but give them credit for at least paying for some of the production costs while DirecTV covers most of it. With season four just beginning, the episodes won’t hit NBC until 2010, but surely you have a friend who has DirecTV or can procure it by “other” means.SHOW: “Supernatural”EPISODE: “Changing Channels”WHEN: 9 p.m. Thursday on the CWI have harped on people to watch this one since early 2006, even before I had a stupidly popular television-centric column. As good as the mythology of “Fringe” is and the chemistry between the actors on “Friday Night Lights” is, “Supernatural” does both of those things better. Though the show was always really, really great, seasons four and five have been humorous, self-referential and yet intelligent and deep. I hate to sound like some hyperbolic fanboy and I would also never undercut the quality of “Lost,” because I think it is the best program on the air right now. However, “Supernatural” seriously gives it a run for its money. They will never get the credit they deserve because they are a genre show on the CW, but Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki have better chemistry than any other two actors on television – period. New show alertSHOW: “V”EPISODE: “Pilot”WHEN: 8 p.m. Tuesday on ABC“V” has been marred by a slew of production problems – script delays, production stoppages and showrunner changes – and insane rumors, such as ABC won’t let the show use the word “alien” because it might turn away women or non-geeks, that led ABC to plan on airing season one using the “pod system” that worked so well for the third season of “Lost.” Great, remember how annoyed we all were with those damn polar bear cages? However, the “V” pilot was nearly universally loved by critics. Sure, it’s a remake of a campy ’80s series about aliens infiltrating our culture by pretending to be our friends, but it also stars the best performer of “Lost” season five, Elizabeth Mitchell, and looks to be headed in a darker direction than its predecessor.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Watching “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” the first go-around was a sick chore. I thought maybe Michael Bay had inadvertently made a 150-minute torture porn flick, it was so awful. But four months later, I was ready to give it another chance – and my God, it’s even worse. The smaller screen might curb possible seizures caused from watching a beyond-words amount of robots smashing together, but it also makes things even harder to follow. It turns out the DVD cut of the film still includes the ridiculously racist twin Autobots, terrible acting from nearly everyone in the cast and no lack of LeBeouf yelling “No!” (didn’t Bay see the YouTube video?), meaning “Revenge” is still the worst movie of 2009. I am far from a film snob, but what this film’s success means for the medium’s future is troubling. Always eager to one-up the previous year’s big-time box office bait, Hollywood is bound to go even dumber and even bigger in the coming years – meaning we are screwed.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In the latest episode of the WEEKEND Watchers Official Podcast, host Cory Barker is joined by sports media scholar Travis Vogan for a discussion about the ESPN documentary series, "30 For 30."Check out the podcast on our Multimedia Page.
In the latest episode of the podcast, host Cory Barker is joined by sports media scholar Travis Vogan for a discussion about the ESPN documentary series, "30 For 30."
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In the latest episode of the WEEKEND Watchers Official Podcast, Cory Barker and John Barnett discuss season six of 'Lost' and also touch on 'FlashForward.' Check out the episode of the podcast.
Cory Barker reviews the latest album from Sherwood, "QU."
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With Halloween almost upon us, many of us will be looking for any sort of media that could scare us half to death. But instead of dipping into the DVD collection for your copy of “Let the Right One In” or heading out to see “Paranormal Activity,” stay in and watch television. There are a number of programs this week that will deliver the scares – because they are so bad. I will not suggest a division between live watching and DVR’ing, as 20 minutes of these programs will have you covering your eyes.SHOW: “Heroes”EPISODE: “Strange Attractors”WHEN: 8 p.m. Monday on NBC“Heroes” jokes usually come fast and furious in this space, but mocking has given way to ambivalence this season. Well, until now. The program is just as poorly written, horribly acted and terribly paced as it has ever been, and do not let some deranged fanboy tell you differently. Most of the plotlines this season either don’t make a whole lot of sense (the whole Sylar-is-Nathan thing) or are ripped straight from other sources (Hiro’s bucket list, the traveling circus), which means it’s just like any other season of this atrocity. Of course NBC wouldn’t cancel it.SHOW: “Brothers”EPISODE: “Mike’s Comeback”WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday on FOXI think we all knew giving former NFL’er Michael Strahan his own sitcom was a horrible idea, but it’s even worse than imagined. It might not reach “According to Jim” levels of unfunny, but it’s damn close. Strahan and his on-screen brother Daryl “Chill” Mitchell have absolutely no chemistry, the plotlines blatantly follow sitcom-by-the-numbers frames and, unsurprisingly, Strahan is horrendous. HORRENDOUS!SHOW: “The Forgotten”EPISODE: “Canine John”WHEN: 10 p.m. Tuesday on ABCChristian Slater’s second straight dramatic flop (along with last year’s “My Own Worst Enemy”) is much like “Brothers” in the sense that there is absolutely nothing original about the way its stories are told. Sure, “The Forgotten” features regular citizens solving crimes instead of police officers or crime scene investigators, but it follows procedural archetypes to the T and is simply boring. I would say more, but I cannot remember anything else about the program – aptly titled, I guess.SHOW: “Gary Unmarried”EPISODE: “Gary Tries to Do It All”WHEN: 8:30 p.m. Wednesday on CBSWait, “Gary Unmarried” is still on? Jay Mohr has never been funny, and putting him through the CBS old-people-friendly filter, he’s even unfunnier. Get it? Unfunnier is like unmarried. If you think that joke was bad, I dare you to watch this. Rant of the weekAfter an extremely uneven and at times, unfunny (see, I did it again) third season, “30 Rock” returned last week with a solid effort, which is hopefully a sign of many good things to come. Though the season four premiere was propped up by the great chemistry between Alec Baldwin and Jack McBrayer and one funny Tracy Morgan scene, the B story with Liz was awful and Jane Krakowski’s Jenna is still as annoying as she was in the pilot.However, after a slew of guest stars and an attempt to cram more one-liners into 22 minutes than any show ever has before bogged down season three (and really the second half of season two as well), the focus on the economy and the state of NBC is a welcome sort of return to form. If the writers are willing to let characters other than Jack or Liz develop while staying on-point with the somewhat serialized story of the company’s downfall during this economy, things should improve for what used to be the best comedy on television.
In the latest episode of the podcacst, Cory Barker is joined by John Barnett for a discussion about 'Lost' spoilers and 'FlashForward.'
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“Out of Ashes” is an album full of tracks that Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington couldn’t mold into his main band’s sound – meaning more straightforward rock that is far less interesting. Sure, “Dead By Sunrise” is an OK addition to the “rock” genre that is currently devoid of many acts with that much talent, as efforts like “Fire” and “Crawl Back In” deliver heavier-than-expected guitar work and a rougher vocal from Bennington. However, nothing here is lasting. Backed by what would-have-been-cool-four-years-ago atmospherics from Julien-K band members, Bennington growls on about “serious” issues in the most generic way possible in tracks like “End Of The World” (“When you can’t buy gas / And you can’t pay rent / And what you’ve got left is the government’s”) while the synthetic drum work on “Let Down” is mostly LOL-worthy.“Dead By Sunrise” is far from bad, but there’s a reason Bennington couldn’t work many of these songs into the next Linkin Park album.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>While most of their peers have drenched themselves in neons and synths, Sherwood’s Southern California-Beach Boys-esque pop sheen has put them on a whole new level since 2005’s “Sing, But Keep Going.” And with their latest, “QU,” the band only improves that sound, resulting in one of 2009’s better pure pop releases. The album’s highlight, “Ground Beneath My Feet,” opens with ridiculously infectious piano-twinkling before kicking into a high-energy explosion that dares you not to dance while vocalist Nate Henry croons deceptively poignant lyrics like “And I look around to see the ground beneath my feet / The final thrill, the quiet spill, the vile retreat / Do you see the waves running away from me?”Other efforts like “Worn” and “No Better” see Sherwood take things in a more sincere, slightly darker direction, but the results are the same.The former is a simple acoustic duet with guest Molly Johnson while the latter is a surprisingly deep look at divorce. More mature and sophisticated than their still-solid previous albums, “QU” is a must-listen for anyone who loves sunshine-soaked pop.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Oh boy. After a somewhat boring episode last week, the pace picked up again in this, the tenth episode of Mad Men’s third season. As bad as Don feels like his life has been lately — having to sign the contract, the frustrations with Hilton — it is about to get a hell of a lot worse. His latest sexual tryst Ms. Ferrell is about to lose her mind and Betty has stumbled upon the Dick Whitman secret. Oh shoot. Read the full recap on the WEEKEND Watchers Blog.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>New York, 2019 – The compelling civil suit, Barker v. NBC Universal/Grand Cane took another exciting turn today.Defense attorneys questioned former members of the massive media conglomerate in front of the jury about their part in the dismantling of the once-great NBC television network that fell to pieces in the early part of the 21st century.Former NBCU Co-Chairman of Entertainment Ben Silverman and NBCU CEO Jeffrey Zucker took the stand and seemed to struggle with identifying a clear rationale for many of the decisions the media power made from 2006 to 2013. Though Silverman and Zucker were questioned about poor programming decisions and failed marketing tie-ins, neither seemed very upset with the results of their action – NBC losing a number of local affiliates and eventually being sold to Grand Cane, a cane manufacturer, in a move that echoed the parodies of the network on 30 Rock, NBC’s last great show.When asked about his focus on creating new (and ultimately unappealing) advertising models, Silverman noted that although his inexperience could have gotten the better of him, he was still proud of a number of the initiatives he pushed through.“Without my revenue-centric thought process, audiences would not have seen the ‘Knight Rider’ reboot in 2008 or be accustomed to at least one product placement for every two minutes of content,” Silverman said. “For me, those things will always be remembered. People won’t remember what show was canceled or who got what ratings figure – they’ll remember the incessant Ford mentions in ‘Knight Rider’ or Chili’s mentions in ‘The Office.’” Zucker, who was eventually forced out of his post at NBCU when it was purchased by telecom giant Comcast (who quickly sold it to Grand Cane when it realized NBCU was being run primarily by highly-advanced apes and one giant artificial intelligence computer), took on more responsibility than his cohort Silverman. “Signing Conan up for ‘The Tonight Show’ without asking Leno if he really wanted to step down and then eventually having to give up 10 p.m. every weeknight because he actually did not want to leave wasn’t the smartest thing we did during my time at NBC,” Zucker said. “But, it wasn’t the worst either; remember when we canceled the one gritty cop show ‘Southland’ before even airing a second season episode, and therefore more or less flushed at least $10 million down the toilet in one instance?”The plaintiff Barker, who is acting as his own counsel in the proceedings, also took the stand and delivered yet another lacerating diatribe against the former media power. “NBC used to stand for something in this country, but now other world powers laugh at us because this is the network we let air the Olympics,” he said. “It might have started with ‘The Jay Leno Show’ in 2009, but it only got worse from there. Six hours of ‘The Biggest Loser’ per week, eight hours of ‘The Today Show’ daily and 11 awful volumes of ‘Heroes’ – this did not have to happen. If only someone would have stopped all this years ago.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With almost a month gone by in the new season, it is pretty easy for people like me to point out the winners (“Modern Family,” “Community”) and losers (“Mercy,” “Hank”) from the pool of new programs. And amid all the hoopla or flaming of what’s new, we tend to forget our favorites. Thankfully, there are three returning programs delivering above expectations. If you left any of these after some weaker episodes last year, it’s time to come back, folks. What to watchSHOW: “Parks and Recreation”EPISODE: “KaBOOM!”WHEN: 8:30 p.m. Thursday on NBCThis Amy Poehler-powered “Office” riff was mostly a disaster last season, but much like its mockumentary-style cousin, it has improved immensely in season two. The writing staff has finally started writing for Poehler’s Leslie Knope, giving her more personality than just “a female Michael Scott,” and the supporting cast – Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman and Aubrey Plaza, specifically – has been on fire all season. Though the other NBC comedies are all doing well this season, I’ve found myself looking forward to “Parks” the most. SHOW: “Smallville”EPISODE: “Roulette”WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday on the CWI know, I know. We’ve been here before with “Smallville” – most recently the beginning of last season – but in its ninth (!) season, dare I say that the program is legitimately good for the first time in years? It has been banished to Friday night by a network that doesn’t care about it, but with star Tom Welling getting more involved on the production side of things and the chemistry between him and Erica Durance off the charts, “Smallville” is finally rewarding fans who’ve stuck around through all the missteps (Lex and Lana’s marriage, most notably) with true-blue Superman stories.What to DVRSHOW: “Lie to Me”EPISODE: “Honey”WHEN: 9 p.m. Monday on FOX“Lie to Me” was a solid procedural last season but failed to be as compelling as a show powered by Tim Roth should have been. But this season it’s spent much more time on the characters than the not-as-cute-as-they-think-it-is “human lie detector” gimmick the show is based on. And a lot of that has to do with former mastermind of “The Shield” Shawn Ryan coming on as the showrunner for season two. And if you’re thinking of getting into the show, this is a great time to do so, as the amazing Garret Dillahunt (“Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” “Deadwood”) guest stars. New show alertBut returning to new shows, USA brings us another surefire hit next week with “White Collar” (10 p.m. on Friday). This typical light, but certainly enjoyable USA drama stars Matthew Bomer (Bryce from “Chuck”) as a criminal who agrees to help solve white collar crimes for the FBI agent who captured him in exchange for his freedom. Critics are high on the pilot, and USA’s killed it with “Burn Notice,” “In Plain Sight” and “Royal Pains” so there’s no reason to doubt them now.Rant of the weekMuch like my diatribe against the CW a few weeks back, I didn’t want to have to take NBC to task already. But then it goes and cancels the fantastic, gritty police drama “Southland” before even airing one of the already- shot six episodes. NBC is hiding behind the “too dark for 9 p.m.” excuse, but it put itself in that position when it agreed to rent out 10 p.m. to Leno every weekday night. With the cancellation of “Southland,” NBC has soiled its relationship with major producer John Wells, who helped bring them “ER” and “The West Wing” – two of the best dramas of all time. Clearly NBC no longer cares about quality scripted drama.But even worse, this decision shows how dumb NBC executives are. What is the point of picking up “Southland” for a second season when everyone was wondering if it could keep its edge at 9 p.m. or be that big of a ratings success in the first place? Furthermore, why then let the show be in production for six episodes, costing the network at least, I’d imagine, $8 million to $10 million, and then just piss it all away for no reason? Because the people running NBC are beyond stupid – that’s why.
Cory Barker reviews the newest album from Relient K, "Forget and Not Slow Down"
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Mayday Parade’s 2007 effort “A Lesson In Romantics” took pop-punk fandom by storm, but songwriter and primary vocalist Jason Lancaster left the band amidst a flurry of hateful MySpace postings and he said/he said. Since then, fans assumed that follow-ups without Lancaster would be disappointing – but Mayday’s new record proves them wrong. Sort of.Without Lancaster’s gravelly vocals and distinctive writing style, “Anywhere But Here” is little more than a simplistic and typical pop-punk release. But damn if it’s not one of the catchiest releases of 2009. The opener “Kids In Love,” title track “Anywhere But Here” and “Center of Attention” feature ridiculously catchy choruses that are meant solely for windows-down, top-of-your-lungs sing-alongs while quality guitar work powers first single “The Silence” and “If You Can’t Live Without Me, Why Aren’t You Dead Yet?”Though Derek Sanders does fine vocally on his own here, the edge is gone – both lyrically and musically – from Mayday’s sound. But Lancaster’s gone and this is who the band is from now on. And though they could have been great, good will have to do.
