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(10/20/09 7:14pm)
____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.
(10/16/09 1:38am)
____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.”
(10/14/09 10:59pm)
____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.
(10/13/09 9:03pm)
____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.
(10/13/09 8:50pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Long mislabeled as a “Christian band,” Relient K have churned out sweetly satisfying pop-rock albums since 2003’s “Two Lefts Don’t Make a Right ... But Three Do,” and their newest effort “Forget and Not Slow Down” is their best yet. “Forget” combines the lyrical potency of the underrated “Five Score and Seven Years Ago” with the hook-laden composition of the band’s most popular release, “Mmhmm.” Vocalist and songwriter Matthew Thiessen works out a life-altering break-up throughout the album’s 15 tracks. Like any break-up, there are ups and downs, as Thiessen tries to move on with “Therapy” while still holding on to what he lost in “Candlelight” and “Savannah.” Thiessen’s internal waffling also leads to variation in the band’s sound on “Forget.” While Relient K’s typical infectious sound is found on “Part Of It” and “I Don’t Need A Soul,” a number of quirky, low-energy interludes help the album ebb and flow just like anyone’s heart does when they lose the love of their life.As with its previous two albums, Relient K have crafted a pop-rock gem, and though some of you might have forgotten about them post-“Mmhmm,” they show no signs of slowing down.
(10/07/09 9:45pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Goth punk legends AFI have gone progressively more mainstream in their last two albums, dropping some of the grit from earlier releases while adding more hooks and pop sensibilities. And by the time their newest effort “Crash Love” ends, it’s clear AFI is now a well-oiled pop-rock machine. The key-powered industrial sounds of 2006’s “Decemberunderground” are gone, but crisp, melodic guitar work that resembles 2003’s “Sing the Sorrow” helps create hook-heavy efforts like “Beautiful Thieves” and “Medicate.” Though many of the songs follow the same slow-building, verse-to-explosive-chorus structure, the clap-happy “Too Shy To Scream” and New Order-esque “Veronica Sawyer Smokes” keep the ears guessing in the middle of “Crash Love.”Despite the major success of their previous two albums, AFI has never quite been thought of as a high-quality rock band due to their eyeliner-infused history. If there’s any justice in the world, that should change with “Crash Love.”
(10/06/09 10:51pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Now that’s more like it. With last week’s effort leading to middling
results because of the increased focus on the ever-boring Eric Foreman,
a shift to Chase and Cameron propelled this week’s effort into a much
better place. Even better, a heat-of-the-moment decision by Chase will
certainly alter coming episodes, a welcome bit of serialization House needs every now and then.Check out the full recap of this week's House on the WEEKEND Watchers Blog.
(10/05/09 11:46pm)
Cory Barker recaps this week's Mad Men.
(10/02/09 2:25am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>This week, CNN released an application for the iPhone with a $1.99 price tag attached, which begs the question – will the world’s mainstream media outlets ever learn? Haven’t we been through this before with major media outlets attempting to charge us for the same information that we can get from so many other place for free?For better or for worse, the news media cannot really go back. The door to free content was opened long ago, and nothing is going to help close it. And yet, even though this is a subject that has been discussed, debated and beaten dead, they keep coming back to the well with hopes it is not as dry as it was last time. CNN argues that its application is so much better than the applications from the likes of MSNBC, The New York Times and the Associated Press that we should have to pay for it. However, it is hard to imagine that CNN’s general stories on the application will be as interesting as those from the Times or the AP and it doesn’t have as many crazy personalities as MSNBC.CNN’s app decision comes on the heels of three other news media outlets throwing up pay walls over the past week. In an even more expensive move, the Wall Street Journal announced that it will begin charging $2 per week for the use of its mobile application. Though that could make sense considering the WSJ’s successes at getting its readers to pay for digital content in the past, the publication abandoned that strategy nearly two years ago. Early last week it was reported that the entertainment industry’s trade publications, Variety and the Hollywood Reporter, were both considering pay walls for content as well. Obviously, these major news outlets have to try something. We’ve all heard the dire stories about the death of the newspaper, dwindling advertising revenues and depleted newsrooms. Moves like this are completely revenue based, but I think everyone knows what the news media is trying to do – it’s the why and how that confounds us. With a recent study by the American Press Institute finding that nearly 60 percent of newspapers are strongly considering some sort of pay wall or fee system and 22 percent of those newspapers thinking about putting up the wall by the end of 2009, we’re going to see even more of this. But for it to work – for people to actually accept pay walls – the news media is going to have to band together. Some have – 1,000 newspapers have signed non-binding agreements to create a fee system under the Journalism Online LLC banner and Google, Microsoft and IBM are on-board for something, too – but all it takes is one major media outlet to undercut the whole thing. And in a today’s media-excessive world, a competitive advantage might be more crucial than the revenue and subsequent backlash that comes along with pay walls.
(10/01/09 2:40am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Long labeled the heroes of the scene after their 2003 album “Deja Entendu” became a life-changing and seminal release for so many fans, Brand New has done all they can to avoid that responsibility ever since. After the intended follow-up to “Deja” was derailed by the leaking of all the demos online and a series of personal tragedies for the members, it was late 2006 before any official new material hit. That album, “The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me,” was exponentially darker, heavier and less personal – but still pretty amazing. Now another three years have passed and Brand New has become more detached from the excessively fervent fans that follow them, while mentioning this new album, “Daisy” might be their swan song. And if it is, it’s one hell of a way to go.Though “Devil and God” was partially devoid of conventional hooks, most of the tracks still built to a crescendo or some sort of epic point. The music on “Daisy” however, is crunchier, clunkier and pricklier. “Gasoline” thumps along aggressively with Brian Lane’s drum work, sounding like a repeated slap to the ears while Jesse Lacey crafts a vicious vocal that’s somewhere between a traditional scream and a growl.Even in the only track that has any commercial appeal, first single “At The Bottom,” the sound is rough, dark and uninviting. The somewhat bouncy verses build to another loud and hostile chorus, with Lacey spouting far-from-uplifting lyrics like “There’s a lake and the bottom you’ll find all my friends / But they can’t swim because they’re all dead.” And yet, “Bottom” is somehow catchy as hell.Like on “Devil and God,” Brand New might rely on the quiet-loud-quiet-loud composition too much here, but a number of them are so fantastic and it’s easy to forget. The soft “You Stole” and title track are hauntingly beautiful while the obvious quiet-loud’ers “Bought a Bride” and “In a Jar” are heart-pumping. With Lacey chanting “I’m on my way to hell“ in the closing effort “Noro” and then it finishing with an old gospel hymn that when appropriated here makes things half-compelling, half-frustrating, “Daisy” comes to a fitting end. Brand New have compelled and frustrated their fans for years now, and if it all ends this way, this is the best way they could have ended it.
(10/01/09 2:35am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>We all know that cable television is a little different than broadcast network television. Usually better written, more artistically free and slower-paced, cable television always gets labeled as “something more” like HBO’s “it’s not TV, it’s HBO” slogan. Though recent years have been unkind to cable power HBO, its failures allowed for other cable outlets like USA, Showtime and AMC to develop amazing content. And with HBO on the up-and-up and those other cable networks chugging along, cable TV is in a great place right now.What to watchSHOW: “Mad Men”EPISODE: “Souvenir”WHEN: 10 p.m. Sunday on AMC“Mad Men” won the Emmy for best drama series for a reason. Typically slow-moving, the beginning of season three was paced at even more of a crawl in the early going, frustrating some viewers and critics. But in the last three weeks, the pace has quickened immensely, with all of the characters facing some interesting realties. With Don now officially under contract but refusing to talk to Roger and Duck’s persistent professional (and now sexual) pursuit of Peggy, times might be a’changin’ for Sterling Cooper just like they are in the world outside of it in 1963. SHOW: “Curb Your Enthusiasm”EPISODE: “The Reunion”WHEN: 9 p.m Sunday on HBOThis “Curb Your Enthusiasm” episode is one of the most anticipated half hours of the new fall season, because as the title suggests, Larry decides that he’s finally ready for a “Seinfeld” reunion. “Reunion” will be the first of a number of re-appearances for each of that program’s main cast – Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Alexander, Julie Louis-Dreyfus and Michael Richards – and even if you are not a fan of “Curb,” this will hopefully be a cool thing to see. What to DVRSHOW: “Bored to Death”EPISODE: “The Case of the Missing Screenplay”WHEN: 9:30 p.m. Sunday on HBOThis dryly comedic, hard-boiled detective story is about what you would expect from the Wes Anderson-type of humor: It’s not overly funny and the characters are intensely neurotic, but it’s still pretty enjoyable. As good as Jason Schwartzman is in this role as a novelist-turned-Craigslist-detective, he’s really playing a role we’ve seen him do before. But awesome work from co-stars Zach Galifianakis and an on-fire Ten Danson really bring the show to life when it drones on a little with Schwartzman, his wispy hair and his problems. SHOW: “Psych”EPISODE: “Let’s Get Hairy”10 p.m. Friday on USAFor whatever reason, “Psych” is consistently forgotten when people discuss television comedies, and that’s a major mistake. Like “How I Met Your Mother,” “Psych” is what it is – a pop culture reference-powered, sometimes-goofy procedural comedy – but no show does it better. The electric chemistry between James Roday’s Shawn and Dulé Hill’s Gus is so natural at this point and the cases – like this one where a guy thinks he’s a dangerous werewolf – are almost always entertaining. Any show that’s willing to constantly reference the other program that stole its concept and then became much more popular – in this case “The Mentalist” – is one that’s good by me.Rant of the WeekNot to beat a dead horse here, but two weeks into the new season and I already have to lambast the CW. By continuing to push its “teenage girls only” agenda that led to the creation of three new shows – “The Vampire Diaries,” “Melrose Place” and “The Beautiful Life” – that were nearly identical to ones they already had and the banishing of “Smallville” to the Friday night deathslot, the CW brass solidified themselves as the dumbest execs in the industry. Now, “The Beautiful Life” has been canceled after two episodes, “Melrose Place” is a critical and ratings disaster and even “Gossip Girl” is seemingly losing buzz. “The Vampire Diaries” is the only ratings bright spot and two shows that don’t actually hit their target demographic but that the CW is unwilling to cancel because they are the net’s most popular – “Smallville” and “Supernatural” – are hemorrhaging viewers because they’re getting little to no promotion and not scheduled together for the first time in about four years. These CW jokers make NBC brass look intelligent.
(09/24/09 1:20am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Though they were always more talented than their peers, 2005’s “Vheissu” and the subsequent four-part “Alchemy Index” helped Thrice go from great to the greatest.Their newest effort, “Beggars,” combines the lyrical potency of “Vheissu” with the raw production of the “Earth” portion of “Alchemy” to create a dense and poetic release.Whereas “Vheissu” was more obviously aggressive, “Beggars” thumps along with mid-tempo sophistication in “All The World Is Mad,” “Doublespeak” and “The Great Exchange.”“The Weight” features a blues-tinged bass line, Dustin Kensrue’s smoky vocals and some of the best lyrics he’s ever penned that are surprisingly about love – “A ring don’t mean nothing if you can’t hold the weight / And some of them won’t even try.” This is the album’s clear highlight.Thrice will never get the respect they deserve from the mainstream or critical elite, but one listen to “Beggars” proves they don’t really care.
(09/24/09 1:03am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>By this week, most of the season’s new programs will have aired at least one episode. We watched a number of them, but a pilot episode can only tell us so much. Some programs get much, much better after the pilot. Others ... not so much. Never one to avoid making premature judgments, I will go out on a limb and say the following four shows are the ones we will hear about for the rest of the year – and even further into the future.What to watchSHOW: “Community”EPISODE: “Introduction to Film”WHEN: 9:30 p.m. Thursday on NBCThe critics love it. The season premiere drew huge ratings. And it’s legitimately good. This Joel McHale vehicle about a study group of misfits at a fictional community college delivered more laughs than “The Office” or “Parks and Recreation” premieres, and with Ken Jeong (“The Hangover”) coming aboard as a Spanish teacher, the solid jokes should keep coming easily. Compared to the mocking, marginally depressing slants its other NBC brethren take, “Community” features a sarcastic optimism that is a clear offshoot of the charming McHale.SHOW: “FlashForward”EPISODE: “White to Play”WHEN: 8 p.m. Thursday on ABCNo, it’s not the next “Lost” and no, the first episode doesn’t even air until tonight, but this high-concept program just feels right. What I’ve seen has been very, very solid and the care with which executive producer David S. Goyer seems to be handling the show – pre-planned arcs, emphasis on character, online presence – is so on point. If subsequent scripts can live up to the scope presented in the pilot, this should be the season’s breakout hit. What to DVRSHOW: “The Vampire Diaries”EPISODE: “Family Ties”WHEN: 8 p.m. Thursday on the CW“Diaries” is a clear cash-in on the vampire craze by the CW and the writing – led by Kevin Williamson of “Dawson’s Creek” fame – feels outdated and simplistic at times. However, the ratings were massive for the premiere (the best in CW history), and it still features vampires, so people are going to watch and talk about it. This show is simply mediocre any time that Ian Somerhalder is not on the screen devouring dialogue – which is too often. At least there are hints at a greater mythology, and it’s not about rich white folk on one of the coasts, I guess.SHOW: “Modern Family”EPISODE: “The Bicycle Thief”WHEN: 9 p.m. Wednesday on ABCABC never does comedy well (see: “Caveman” and “Carpoolers” as recent disasters). This year, however, that could change if “Modern Family” takes off like it should. This is another program loved by the critics, which features a sold cast lead by Ed O’Neill and uses the documentary style of filming. We are in need of a new, great family-oriented sitcom in the traditional sense, and “Modern” could bring that to us, even if the families are not as traditional as they were 25 years ago. And really, who better to rejuvenate the complicated family sitcom than Al Bundy himself?Rant of the weekOh, Emmys – how you confound me. After a string of really boring (read: so, so awful) hosting choices the last few years with Ryan Seacrest in 2007 and then a bevy of reality show hosts last year, the festivities were much improved with Neil Patrick Harris at the helm. NPH was on fire per-usual, dryly reading the off-the-wall “you know her from ...” intros with a smirk, and he even turned his honestly surprising loss in Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series into a solid running joke.But as solid as the show itself was for the first time in a while, the docket of winners was far from impressive. Not that everyone who won or who was nominated didn’t do great work, because they obviously did – well, except for Jon Cryer. His win against Harris and Tracy Morgan, along with a number of repeat winners – Bryan Cranston and Glenn Close for Leads in a Drama Series, “30 Rock” and “Mad Men” for Best Comedy Series and Best Drama Series, respectively – was slightly disappointing. Obviously past winners deserve a chance to win again, but it would have been nice to see at least one of the four major categories change.
(09/17/09 12:40am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Boys Like Girls’ self-titled debut featured soaring, sugary songs that were more sophisticated than usual generic power-pop.Everything found on their second effort, “Love Drunk,” is not. Generic, over-produced and full of the most Bon Jovi-aping seen since “Slippery When Wet” went platinum, “Love Drunk” is a major disappointment.Bon Jovi should investigate Boys because both the album’s opener “Heart Heart Heartbreak” and “The Shot Heard ‘Round The World” could be confused for most of Bon Jovi’s catalogue. When he isn’t ripping off successful hair bands, Boys frontman Martin Johnson immaturely whines about love – “This is the real thing / Love changes everything” on track “Real Thing” – while a ridiculous amount of production makes the album worse. Though his lyrics were far from ground-breaking on their debut, Johnson is clearly phoning it in here because the bombastic hooks are enough to rope in even the tweens. Save an appearance by Taylor Swift, there’s not much to respect here. The songs are overly-catchy, but Boys Like Girls have more to offer than penning lame efforts that relate directly to their name.
(09/17/09 12:30am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Though not as sharp as it once was, season five of “The Office” was an enjoyable return to form after a disappointing fourth year. NBC might want the writers to focus on the love lives of Michael Scott and company, but doing so makes the show much less enjoyable. After dragging down season four, the Dwight-Andy-Angela love triangle did the same here until finally ending mid-way through. All characters (and us) were better for it.Once the attention turned back to the workplace with Michael’s departure and subsequent new business venture, season five improved immensely. Workplace humor returned while Michael and Dwight felt more like complicated characters instead of broad, be-whoever-the-plot-needs-them-to-be archetypes. Like all “Office” DVD sets, this one features great deleted scenes and commentaries but also presents a “100 episodes, 100 moments” feature that looks back over the program’s first five years.Despite its issues, “The Office” remains one of television’s best comedies and signs are present that the show is back on the upswing after a year of downsizing in quality.
(09/17/09 12:27am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After a surprisingly impressive summer that gave us a much-improved second season of “True Blood,” continued excellence from “Burn Notice” and a slew of guilty pleasures (hello, “Big Brother” and “Design Star”), the new fall television season has a lot to live up to – especially after the disaster that was the 2008-09 season. We previewed all the newbies in last week’s massive fall television guide, so this week it’s all about those returning favorites that are doing big things during the unofficial premiere week. If you’re new to the column or simply forgot, this is how things go: each week, I’ll provide you with two programs I think are must-watch in the coming week and two programs that are DVR-worthy. Basically, I do all the work so you don’t have to.What to watchSHOW: “House”EPISODE: “Broken”WHEN: 8 p.m. Monday on FOX For the first time in the program’s history, “House” airs as a two-hour event-type episode. Though last season struggled to find the right balance between medicine and relationship drama, this effort, which will depict House’s (Hugh Laurie) time in the mental institution he checked himself into at the end of the finale last year, looks to be fantastic. House and Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) are the only members of the regular cast that will appear here, so expect an excellent examination of their relationship as House’s psyche continues to break down. SHOW: “Dollhouse”EPISODE: “Vows”WHEN: 9 p.m. Friday on FOXAfter barely surviving cancelation due to porous ratings last season, Joss Whedon’s buzzworthy program about humans with imprinted memories returns – with even more buzz. Whedon produced a burn-off, after-the-fact episode on his own dime that never aired on FOX last spring, but foreshadowed where the show could lead if it survived. Now, those of us unimpressed by the first handful of episodes are ready to be amazed. Thankfully, Echo (Eliza Dushku) and Ballard (Tahmoh Penikett) are working together in this one, and the plot should move quicker with Whedon playing with house money. What to DVRSHOW: “Dexter”EPISODE: “Living The Dream”WHEN: 10 p.m. Sunday on ShowtimeFor Dexter (Michael C. Hall), the battle between his personal connections and private desires has always brought him much stress. But this season, things are going to get worse, because Dexter cannot really stalk and kill a criminal when he’s busy wiping his newborn baby’s bottom. Though last season took a little longer to build, Season 4 of this Showtime hit looks tremendous thanks to the addition of John Lithgow as the newest mass murderer and the return of Keith Carradine’s awesome Agent Lundy. SHOW: “How I Met Your Mother”EPISODE: “Definition” WHEN: 8 p.m. Monday on CBSWhile “The Office” and “30 Rock” get all the mainstream love and critics have fallen in love with “The Big Bang Theory,” “How I Met Your Mother” remains the most consistently enjoyable comedy on television. It is what it is – a traditional sitcom about friends – but no one does it better. Neil Patrick Harris’ Barney Stinson is one of television’s best characters, and here Barney begins his relationship with Robin (Cobie Smulders). The events should make him more rounded than Dwight Schrute or Tracy Jordan could ever be.Rant of the weekKudos go out to the “True Blood” writers and producers for creating one hell of a second season, but for also ending it on a more subdued note. After one of the craziest, most intense and most thoroughly entertaining string of 11 episodes, the program’s finale delivered on every level – but ended much quieter than most of us probably expected. Showrunner Alan Ball and his staff (plus the awesome casting choices of Alexander Skarsgard and Michelle Forbes) helped “True Blood” make marked improvements in year two, taking what was little more than another somewhat compelling artifact in the vampire craze through season one and turning it into a quality program that is enjoyable for those of us who don’t swoon over everything with fangs.
(09/17/09 12:17am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Joel McHale’s having a big week. “The Soup” host appears in the new Matt Damon film “The Informant!” opening Friday and his new NBC comedy “Community” starts at 9:30 p.m. WEEKEND’s Cory Barker and Chad Quandt recently had the opportunity to participate in a conference call with McHale, who discussed, among other things, the amazing comedic performers around him on “Community” and his future on “The Soup.”On transitioning from playing himself to playing a character:With any acting role you have to kind of go “How do I relate to this person and how do I communicate who this person is on screen?” “How is he similar to me?” I did everything I could not to work hard in school because I was much more interested in acting and trying to do that. And I always felt like I was just kind of clocking time at school until I could get out and do something and perform. It’s fun to play a guy who’s kind of reckless in how he approached life in that he just did what he wanted to do. People kind of let him get by with it. This is the first time that he actually has to do work. And it’s a change in his world completely.On living up to the expectation of success:The only thing that I can really control is that I look at the scripts and I say “How do I serve these jokes properly and tell the story of the script?” All we can do is deliver on the scripts and then it’s up to the editor. All I can literally control is just telling the jokes as well as they can be told and telling the stories. So in that sense I don’t feel much pressure at all. What it comes down to is that people watch it and they like it and then it will stay on the air.On the amazing ensemble of actors working on community:Every one of those guys – from Donald Glover to Danny Pudi to Alison Brie and Gillian Jacobs and Yvette Nicole Brown to Chevy (Chase) to Jim Rash to John Oliver to Ken Jeong – they all have the skills of an improviser, some of the best improvising I have ever seen. And on top of that the scripts are terrific. So it’s not like the scripts need any help. We could just do the scripts as is but the guys being who they are and the gals, they can reel stuff off.On his future with “The Soup”:I’m still doing “The Soup.” I’m actually in New York right now promoting “The Informant!” and “Community” and I’m going to do “The Soup” from New York. We’ve worked out the contract and the schedule so that I can do both. To NBC and E! — I am eternally grateful that they could accommodate it. I’m so happy and proud to be on “Community” and so excited to do what I’ve always wanted to do, which is act and do that stuff and at the same time do the job that I just have so much fun doing. “The Soup” staff is one of the best. And they’re all my friends.On being mistaken for E! co-hort Ryan Seacrest:When (my son) would see Ryan Seacrest on the air, my wife would go, “Hey Eddie, who’s on the TV right now?” And he would go, “Daddy.” Ryan is a very handsome man so I take that as a great compliment. Sure, he’s 4’11,” but still.
(09/10/09 1:38am)
Don't waste your time watching something that sucks.
(09/10/09 1:36am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>SundayW: “Amazing Race,” “Dexter,” “Mad Men”R: “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Bored to Death”O: “Californication,” “Brothers & Sisters”S: “Desperate Housewives,” “Family Guy”MondayW: “House,” “Gossip Girl,” “Castle”R: “How I Met Your Mother,” “Big Bang Theory”O: “Lie to Me”S: “Heroes”TuesdayW: “V,” “Sons of Anarchy”R: “The Good Wife”O: “Hell’s Kitchen”S: “90210,” “Melrose Place”WednesdayW: “Modern Family”R: “Glee,” “Top Chef”O: “Cougar Town,” “The Beautiful Life”S: “Mercy,” “Hank,” “The Middle”ThursdayW: “FlashForward,” “Fringe,” “The Mentalist”R: “Community,” “Supernatural,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”O: “30 Rock,” “The Office”S: “The Vampire Diaries,” “Grey’s Anatomy”FridayW: “Smallville,” “Dollhouse”R: “Southland”S: “Ghost Whisperer,” “Ugly Betty”Saturday – C’mon, no one watches TV on Saturday.
(09/10/09 1:34am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Oh, “Heroes.” Once the crowning jewel of television during its impressive-yet-overrated first season, horrible writing caught up with it, and now the program is nothing more than a washed-up hero trying to save people without powers. Fans want to like the show, but it keeps letting them down.After the train wreck that was season two, “Heroes” brass decided to split season three into separate volumes with the hope of making storylines tighter and more exciting. Alas, season three’s first volume, “Villains,” is an exercise in atrocious writing and plotting, as characters switch allegiances once per episode, die but don’t die and storylines are rehashed over and over, like Hiro going into the future and seeing something bad.If you’re brave enough to wade through those first 12 hours, you will notice a slight improvement in quality during volume four, “Fugitives,” mostly because Adrian Pasdar’s Nathan gets more to do and things make more sense. Horribly written and poorly acted on most fronts (save Pasdar and Zachary Quinto), “Heroes” no longer has the charm it once did.