Seattle’s Best: Paul Secrest (No Relation To The Other Guy)

Poptimal.com’s sole Featured Writer west of the Mississippi, Paul Secrest is a born and raised Californian living in Seattle.  He  discovered Poptimal.com during his post-college job hunt and has been happy to have a regular outlet for his pop cultural rantings.

Paul dreams of becoming a modern day Don Draper with his freshly minted marketing degree, but the economy currently finds him living a more Chuck Bartowski-esque lifestyle, although sadly lacking the spy stuff.

He loves trivia in any form, exploiting several bar quiz nights per week for supplemental income and dreams of dethroning the Jeopardy! records of personal idol Ken Jennings (whom Paul has met).

Paul loves few things more than a night out at the movies, the older the theater the better. He thinks 3D is here to stay, believes Pixar to be a profound force for good in the world, and wishes somebody would man up and finance the rest of the timeless Narnia saga into movie form, if for no other reason than to keep hearing Eddie Izzard tear it up as the voice of Reepicheep.

While movies are definitely a big deal for Paul, TV is often a bit stronger obsession (6 hours on Thursday alone, he’s ashamed to admit). In the hours not consumed by DVR backlog, Paul also loves Rock Band, books, hiking, mountain biking, and discovering all the quirky wonders Seattle has to offer.

His favorite movie genres: Epic blockbusters, smart comedies, and anything resembling the work of Quentin Tarantino and Kevin Smith.

His favorite TV genres: Serialized action/sci-fi drama, comedy, and competitive reality (but never Big Brother).

His current coverage: Fringe (more to come pending a few changes in the real world)

In his own words: — Paul’s thoughts on . . .

Having an infamous last name: I am assuredly in no way blood related to Ryan Seacrest (although I do work with Kenneth Briggs, notable crazy-eyed wannabe of 2007). Ryan doesn’t even spell his name right! That “A” is completely extraneous and has no bearing on the pronunciation. At least it’s better than 4^th grade when Seaquest was popular. Try living that down on the playground.

A lack of respect for a certain Transformer: Where’s the love for Jetfire? The derelict geezer-bot who gave his life for Optimus was far and wide the best part of the erratic Revenge of the Fallen, yet he is almost nowhere to be seen in the inescapable abundance of toys and merchandise. I loved Jetfire enough to make him the namesake of my derelict Subaru but can’t find a proper $9.99 action figure anywhere? For shame.

The year it all went sideways: I always enjoyed two or three favorite shows per week growing up, but ever since the fall season of 2001 brought the simultaneous debuts of 24, Alias, and Smallville, TV has become an ever expanding black hole of quality programming that demands more and more of my time and devotion. At least I cut loose Grey’s Anatomy (I was just watching for the money shots of the Seattle skyline before I moved anyways) and the ever declining Heroes, but here come a new wave of faves like Modern Family, Community, Flash Forward, and probably V that’ll keep the addiction fresh.

My love/hate relationship with Mad Men: Sometimes I’m not sure if I actually enjoy Mad Men, or if I’m just along for the ride because the entertainment journalism machine tells me it’s so great. The acting is peerless, I’m dying to know what’ll become of Betty finding Don’s box of relics from his former life, and I can’t wait to see how the writers will deal with the JFK assassination, but sometimes I just wanna roll my eyes at the molasses-paced pretentiousness and switch to a rerun of The Soup.

Favorite movies ever: I love such a variety of everything that I’m horrible at picking favorites. Lord of the Rings, Men In Black, and a select variety of Star Wars and Matrix movies are totally untouchable, and I do have that Kevin Smith and QT obsession (especially Dogma and Pulp Fiction) but I have to give special props to The Princess Bride for being such a perfect mix of humor, romance, swashbuckling, whimsy, irony, nostalgia, and just about anything else you can want from a movie. Bonus? It’s family friendly and can be appreciated on different levels depending on your stage of life.

Favorite TV shows ever: These are a little easier to pinpoint, and I’ll stick to one comedy and one drama: Arrested Development and Lost. They share attributes like unforgettable characters, labyrinthine self referential plot structure, and a team of crazed geniuses in the writers’ room. I will both praise and mourn Lost’s upcoming final season, and I’ll be first in line at the midnight show whenever Ron Howard and Co. get the Arrested movie up and running.

You can Read Paul’s articles here.

Learn about our other writers, Jaimie Campos and Cameron Cubbison.

Gossip Girl: The Noble Experiment

Happy Halloween, Upper Eastsiders!  Rufus is designing KISS-themed Jack O Lanterns and Lily’s wondering if Jenny wants to get rid of her old fashion designs.  For whatever reason, Blair and Chuck are speaking again after yet another fight; she apologized and he says he forgave her.  Anyway, he’s more focused on establishing himself as a legitimate businessman.

Nate smuggles Dan Olivia’s vampire movies and Nate, who’s up on the Endless Nights blogs, knows all about Olivia’s paramour co-star at the time of shooting.  He thinks Dan shouldn’t watch the films as it may ruin their impending intimacy (that’s Dan and Olivia, not Dan and Nate).  And then Nate and Dan watch the movie, Olivia’s orgasm and all.  So when Olivia calls, Dan fakes the flu to avoid seeing her.

Anyway, Gossip Girl spots Olivia grabbing a handful of free condoms and her publicist, Casey, wants Serena to fix the situation between Olivia and Dan . . . but first she needs to deliver James Franco a new pair of underwear.  No word on why he needs a new pair.

At the Met, Jenny’s holding her first day at court and, per Eric, looks queentastic.  After sending her minions away for not skinning the almonds on her yogurt, she “reluctantly” asks Eric to move down a few stoops so she can reign supreme.  Of course, Jonathan doesn’t like that and sits above her; Eric joins in and all but tells Jenny to lighten up.  Jenny sics the girls on Eric, which translates to pouring that yogurt all over his head, skinned almonds and all.

Chuck’s planning the opening of his new club and enlists Serena to help with publicity, only she needs to keep Blair away from it all, which is interesting because Blair’s in the room hearing the whole conversation.  Obviously Chuck hasn’t forgiven Blair yet for her deception, but he’s too busy trying to get a liquor license in time for the opening.  With a little unknown help from Blair (and Uncle Jack), the license comes through.

In our Dorota moment of the week, she’s getting a pedicure/foot massage with Blair in the NYU dorm, but Chuck breaks it up (after Dorota gushes over not going out with Vanya the doorman much) and gives Blair a gift to apologize for keeping her out of the loop.  But it all goes sour when Chuck learns that Jack was involved with the deal, at Blair’s initiation.  He still doesn’t trust her, now more than ever.  And she’s no longer invited to his party.

Back at the apartment, Rufus is trying out his Ramones costume and is excited about handing out candy at his new apartment.  Lily breaks the bad news that she just doesn’t get trick-or-treaters and he doubts her.  Eric breaks up the conversation by coming home early and putting the blame on Jenny, which leads Lily to have a talking with Jenny and order to go to the party with Eric and to have her so-called friends apologize to Eric.

And now, it’s party time!  Chuck’s speakeasy is opening with a Prohibition theme, natch.  Dan and Olivia are going together, sort of: he’s going in through the backdoor so she can have her co-star pretend to be her boyfriend (and get some good publicity).  Blair’s stuck in the door, while she plays chess with Dorota (who can also clean the floor at the same time); they’re interrupted by a flower delivery . . . not from Mr. Chuck. She’s heading to the party to apologize to Chuck.  Somehow she learned the license is a fake, but Chuck already knew this and called the cops himself.

Jenny and Eric, who’s dressed like the accountant from The Untouchables, have a heart to heart, but Jenny may have a plan.  Outside, we see her minions throw eggs at Jonathan, reminding us of the famous baptism scene from The Godfather.  She is good because the key is to always have an alibi, but Eric know she’s behind it and doesn’t want to play these duplicitous games anymore.

Back at the club, the police arrive to close down the club.  They’re seizing the alcohol, which seems odd to me.  Serena doesn’t understand but Blair explains that she and Chuck planned this together and she used Serena to get celebrities there.  I guess the feud between these two is back on.

Because deception is king on this show, Olivia comes clean with Dan that her co-star was really her boyfriend but that it’s over between them.  As they’re going in for the makeup kiss, Serena stops them and drags them in front of the paparazzi.  Feeling left out, Serena says she’s the ex’s girlfriend and then they make out.  Happy Halloween!

Chuck and Blair, the Justinian and Theodora of Manhattan, are thrilled at the increased reservations at his club.  Of course, no one mentions how he’s going to get a real liquor license after having operated without one; the ABC guys don’t look kindly on that, as Horace explains.  But Chuck has an idea, he wants to create a real speakeasy, members only.

We end with Dan and Olivia doing the horizontal Monster Mash and Queen J throwing out her old designs and sewing machine.  God save the Queen.

Next week: Backstabbing, deceit, and mud-slinging.  That’s right, Election Day!

And since we’re a quarter way through the season, already, I must say I’m really enjoying the renewed energy and interesting storylines and character development on the show.  We’re almost back to the quality of the first season and with the impending return of the Serena-Blair feud, we’re on track for an awesome pool fight scene in the spring.

Listen to The J Factor with J.B. and Jaimie here or on iTunes.

Season 3, Episode 7: How to Succeed in Business (originally aired October 26, 2009)

For more on Gossip Girl, click here.

Mondays at 8/7C, The CW

Photographs courtesy of The CW, Giovanni Rufino

Heroes: Fun Filler

With most episodes, I can look at the title, listen closely to the opening voice over or just plain connect the dots, and I can figure out the theme of the week. We’ve already tackled the ideas of acceptance, redemption, and tabula rasa, but this week was all about some revelations that seem to be leading up to kick-butt, sweeps TV. Sure, not a lot happened and some points were far-fetched, but the key is in the setup. So while I have the option of sitting here and pouting over getting a filler episode, I choose to be excited about the big picture that’s beginning to form.

That is the second Parkman I made scream today. – Sylar
The best part of this Sylar-Matt storyline is Zachary Quinto. Though Heroes might not always be, Quinto is always at the top of his game. When he laughs, I’m completely creeped out. While I’ve always like Greg Grunberg, Matt Parkman might currently be my least favorite character. He has this dope power that just happens to backfire on him every time he uses it to do something cool. He can control people’s minds! Shouldn’t he be plotting world domination or something?

Alas, his powers once again crippled him. Now, Sylar can subconsciously control Matt? Obviously, he can since he gave Matt’s wife the best sexual night of her life and her true husband can’t even remember it, but really? And once again, Matt is forced to completely tweak out his wife. I’m not sure what I’d do if my husband started screaming at the invisible voices in his head.

I appreciate that the storyline played out in a different way for the first time. He didn’t run away from her and the baby, although he wanted to. And he didn’t go on to shack up with some new girl (maybe with lightning fast speed) who he “supposedly” loved too before returning to his fam. Instead he stayed in their home, and she left. He, then, proceeded to obliterate his brain cells and liver because he realized that Sylar got weaker with every drink he took. Matt did this until he disappeared, and then slurred with victory.

Of course, wifey came back, with sponsor in tow, to find her husband completely sloshed. Matt passed out, and when he woke up, he seemed better. In my head I’m thinking, ‘There’s no way he detoxed that fast. Something’s up!’ And as he walked away so nonchalantly, I knew I was right. That’s totally Sylar. I didn’t even need to wait for the big reveal to realize that Matt was now the one locked up and Sylar’s in total control.

I know you’ve been lost too. It’s your nature. – Samuel
Jeremy seems to have made an impact on Noah because he’s really putting himself out there for him. When Jeremy is brought in, the cops aren’t too keen on believing the neighborhood nutjob (killing animals and writing death poetry) doesn’t have something to do with his parents’ strange deaths.

We knew that Noah and Tracy would be reuniting sometime soon, but who else thought that it would be the Haitian to come to Noah’s rescue? I was a little shocked, but he called her because she and Jeremy have something in common. They’ve both killed people (albeit accidentally) and now have to live with the consequences. The young kid is having a lot of trouble processing things, and Tracy could help him as his mentor. They ran into trouble getting cops to release him so Tracy cashed in a Capitol Hill favor.

She ran into Samuel who takes her to the carnival. Tracy’s one tough cookie so she’s not happy about being whisked away or the mind games that Samuel’s tried to play with her. He told her that she should bring Jeremy “home”, even leaving her with the magic compass so she can find her way back, but she’s not ready to commit Jeremy or herself to such an abnormal life.

When she returns, her DC friend has pulled through and Jeremy is released. Don’t ask me how this small town hired all of LA’s paparazzi, but there’s a lot of commotion. When one of the looky-loos gets extra rowdy and charges at Jeremy, calling him a parent killer, he can’t control his emotions and kills him on the spot in front of the crowd. This leads to two of the officers taking Jeremy back into custody, then taking him to the boonies and tying him up to their car so they can drag him to his death. (The turn this storyline took was so powerful. It’s something big that will resonate with Noah and Tracy and make their future choices more believable. It reminded me a lot of Matthew Shepard’s tragic death and what can happen when small town ignorance and violence mix.)

So Noah failed. I’m not sure he had a good plan to start out with. Setting this young boy up in an apartment down the street from him, alone, isn’t the best way to take care of a lost teenager. Tracy is not only ticked off with Noah, asking him to never contact her again, but angry at herself for letting Jeremy down as well. Her path back to the carnival is crystal clear at this point.

“They have entire websites devoted to this.” – Claire
What, Claire? Do you mean websites devoted to cheap, lesbian porn ploys? Because you’re so right about that. I’m not really feeling this arc, but I can appreciate that the writers are being transparent about what’s going on. Claire has not had much time to figure out who she is, let alone what love is, which makes her a little bit more open to the possibility of some girl on girl action. I like that she and Gretchen aren’t acting awkward or dancing around the issue but being exceptionally frank with each other, though I was completely bored by the whole you’re a virgin (gasp) plot.

It’s the week of Halloween so someone had the burden of shouldering a scary-themed storyline, and it was aptly plopped onto Claire. As a kind of sorority, initiation hazing, Claire, Gretchen and two other nameless pledges are kidnapped by Becky and Co. and left in a slaughterhouse for a scavenger hunt. Since Claire has died a million times, she’s not so scared until she realizes that some unseen person is trying to kill Gretchen.

Claire began to put together all the strange occurrences that have come up since the beginning of the semester and realized someone else with powers must be on the campus. She has yet to figure out the “why would they be messing with me” part. In the end, Claire saved Gretchen but ended up kabobbed on a pole. (Of course, she heals up just fine.) Becky revealed herself as the invisible stalker but escaped, and the two random pledges witness a whole lot of unexplainable madness.

ON A SIDE NOTE
Nathan/Sylar totally noticed Tracy at the carnival, noting that he remembers helping her when she was sad and flying her away, but Samuel quickly reminded him that those memories aren’t truly his.

HUH?
So I figure that this is a great forum to express the things that completely shock or confuse me and ask you guys what your thoughts are. Claire thinks someone is about to kill Gretchen so they enter a room which has been labeled the “kill room”? Has she ever seen a horror movie? Is some sorority hazing all THAT important to her that she wouldn’t just trust her intuition and book it? And then there’s Sylar’s voice in Matt’s head. Did Matt really fall for the idea that Sylar can be quieted with some Coors Light and Jack Daniels? And foreva eva at that?! And really Noah, you’re so disappointed in losing Jeremy but what about all the other people you screwed over in your bag ‘em, tag ‘em days? I’m sure there are a ton of people you can truly help who aren’t. And Tracy, since when do you think that living out in the open would ever work? Don’t you remember being hunted down last season?!

WRAP IT UP
Even though it was a filler episode when it comes to the big picture, I was entertained this week. Overall, Heroes has been on a steady path, and these last episodes have really hit the mark. Next time, it’s all about Hiro and Charlie, and since we’ve already seen Hiro tackle the “save the waitress, save my heart” story, I’m interested to see how they’ll twist it around and make it new and different. Plus, I’m officially a Gleek, and more Jayma Mays will make me happy. Until then…

Season 4, Episodes 7: Strange Attractors (originally aired October 26, 2009)

Mondays at 9/8C on NBC

Photographs courtesy of NBC and IMDbPro

FlashForward: Gimme Some Truth … Just Gimme Anything

Another episode of the ABC thriller FlashForward and another episode in which we have gained zero ground on the mystery that is the worldwide blackout.  For some reason there is something about the show that keeps me interested despite its painfully gradual build-up of new discoveries and ‘potentially’ important information—it’s like the love child between Lost and a dozen other cable television original series.  Maybe it’s the universal practice of making sure to not provide us viewers with the only exciting scene in an hour’s worth of television until the very end that deludes me into believing that the full episode was the best yet and that each subsequent week promises to be greater than the last.

For this week’s episode, however, the best and worst moments of the show are courtesy of Agent Janis Hawk’s (Christine Woods) budding every-man’s-dream type of relationship with Maya (Navi Rawat) and their ensuing break-up. (I’m really hoping for this to be more of a movie star celeb break-up and not a real-world-career-in-the-way kind of break-up) Besides those brief moments, I spent the other 43 minutes or so trying to find the problem with Agent Benford’s (Joseph Fiennes) future involving booze and why exactly it invalidates the division’s search based on already concrete leads (Seriously, the guy has armed agents ready to take him out with some mean looking guns – you wouldn’t be able to stay sober either is my guess), how the President became a white guy from Harvard, why I was not watching more of Janis and Maya, why there was no mention of Charlie from Lost and Lloyd Simcoe’s (Jack Davenport) evil plan, and why John Cho (character – Demetri Noh) is in this show.

Actually, the majority of the episode seemed to completely ignore most of the interesting plot driving the show, besides a brief discovery of suspicious towers found on a map of Somalia before the crows dropped dead from a similar black-out incident years earlier.  Instead, we got to see Mark get picked apart by the voracious Hillary Clinton-like, Senator Clemente, and Agent Wedeck (Courtney B. Vance) blackmail the president after refusing a Director of Homeland Security cabinet position.  I don’t completely understand why exactly Congress seems to be taking this issue so lightly by threatening to discontinue Mosaic funding, but I guess that’s just for the sake of an extra aired episode.  As an added bonus I was forced to view a 4 minute shootout sequence to the tune of a slowed version of “Like a Rolling Stone” by Bob Dylan – MUSIC SELECTION FAIL.

With the intention of not giving too much away for those who have yet to catch this particular episode I would have to say that there is little to ruin as far as spoilers go.

All in all, I found the hour to be fairly extraneous in regard to what we have been learning in previous episodes (Please don’t let this be another Lost – I don’t think my brain will be able to realistically function should it be provided any more perpetually unsolvable mysteries).  Much like other shows I think that FlashForward has already fallen victim to the cliché story lines that make for a marginally successful TV series, culminating in a main character wounded by a bullet laying bloody on the ground as the screen fades out.  Oh well, next week will surely be better…

Season 1, Episode 5: Gimme Some Truth (originally aired October 22, 2009)

Thursdays at 8/7c on ABC

Photographs courtesy of ABC, Craig Sjodin, and Ron Tom

Mad Men: Am I supposed to feel sorry for you?

Wow. I’m pretty sure that was the first time we’ve seen Don Draper cry.

Here’s what happened this week:

Don and Suzanne Farrell exchange subtext-laden dialogue about pasta and plan a getaway to Connecticut. Betty confronts Don about his secret box, while Don lets Suzanne sit in the car outside, and Don’s eyes bug out for a while before he finally ‘fesses up his whole secret past. Betty, initially furious, can’t help but feel sorry for him and finally allows him to join the family trick-or-treating trip, but the resolution to all this certainly won’t be as simple as that. At work, a former client comes back to beg Sterling Cooper’s finest to resuscitate her dying dog food brand (the scandalous news that her food is made from horsemeat has driven her company into the ground, even though all dog food in 1963 was apparently made from horsemeat), but really she’s there to hook up with Roger, who she dated when they were young’uns in Paris in the 30s. Roger gets her drunk, then turns her down, and she turns down SC’s appeal in return. Meanwhile, Joan calls Roger for headhunting help, and he obliges. Greg is interviewing for psychiatric jobs, and badly; Joan finally runs out of patience with his uselessness and whacks him in the back of the head with a vase. Seriously! It looks for a second like Greg is going to retaliate physically, but instead he joins the Army and might have to go to Vietnam, “if that’s still going on.” According to Greg, this means Joan doesn’t have to work anymore. I suspect it may mean more than that.

So, let’s start with Don, since this quiet family confrontation is what the show’s been building up to for three seasons now. And let’s talk about those tears. It’s always weird to watch a character break out of his normal mold; for some reason, it always seems like a particularly huge deal when it’s Don doing it. We’re so used to seeing Don in control, to seeing him pissed, to seeing him going after something he wants, to seeing him bemused; it ranges from odd to bizarre to freakish to see him smile, to see him flounder, and, this week, to see him break down. He’s on the verge from the moment he realizes Betty’s found his box (which she keeps flinging around; dude, I understand where she’s coming from but I still wanted to yell at her right there) and then finally gives in for real when Betty probes to find out what happened to his younger brother (which was so long ago now, but really, in the scheme of things, was probably the biggest thing to ever happen on this show. Yes, even bigger than the lawnmower thing).

Those scenes were hard because for the second time this season, even though I knew Betty had every right to be feeling and acting the way she was, I found myself on Don’s side. Even though it was wrong for him to lie to her, and to assume he could keep this huge part of himself locked up in a drawer forever without bothering Betty’s pretty little head about it. Not to mention the fact that this whole conversation took place while Don’s mistress was waiting outside in the car for a romantic weekend getaway. Still, still, I was watching the scene thinking, “Come on, Betty, you can see how upset he is, give him a break!” Because again with the show and the writing and the acting and the fact that Don is, you know, the protagonist. It doesn’t seem fair, but there you go. The only character that we, the viewers, have been set up to sympathize with as much as Don is Peggy, and in the rare occasions where those two have a conflict, it’s always obvious which of them is in the right. This Don/Betty thing is so much more complicated, with so many arguments on both sides and then the gender roles and rules of marriage of the era that hang over everything adding yet more complications… Betty has to prove adultery in a court of law to get a divorce, or Don gets the kids? Speaking of which, when Betty’s family lawyer asked her if she was afraid of Don, she said no, which – really? I’d be kind of afraid of Don, I think, if I lived with him. Everyone who works with him seems kind of afraid of him. And now that she knows his secret, including the convenient-sounding accident in Korea that led to him taking the original Don Draper’s identity – she’s still not scared. Which just goes to show that despite everything that’s happened, Betty still knows the real Don/Dick better than any of us.

Anyway, going back to the mistress in the car. I felt bad for all that complaining I did last week about Suzanne Farrell when we saw her climbing out of the car with her suitcase and walking home. But then I stopped feeling bad when she got that phone call the next day and all she cared about was how Don was. And then I started feeling bad again when she asked if she had to worry about her job, because that hadn’t occurred to me (so many things don’t occur to me with this show until someone points them out to me; it’s the only time I ever feel dumb anymore while watching TV) but Betty could easily get Suzanne Farrell fired. Then, I remembered Suzanne Farrell’s melodramatic line about going into this with her eyes open and I stopped feeling bad for her, because if she wanted to hook up with a hot older married man she probably could’ve found a way to do it without using her parent-teacher conferences as her own little 1963 version of Match.com. So, I’m glad to see her gone, but I bet she isn’t really gone for good, even if this is the end of Don’s extramarital adventures for the season.

And speaking of marriage… there are a lot of complicated relationships on this show, but Joan and Greg’s marriage is currently the hardest for me to wrap my mind around. I understand where Joan is coming from, of course, and when she whacked him with that vase my jaw dropped to the floor but I wasn’t actually surprised, you know? But then came the flowers and the apology and the significant-for-next-season decision to join the Army, and I was even more blown away. Because I really don’t know what marriages were like in 1963, so I don’t know if they really are in an unusual situation or if this totally happened all the time, where the jackass husband angered the wife so much that after years of quietly taking it and being supportive she finally lashes out with a potentially lethal blow to the head, and then he takes the gesture as a reprimand and apologizes and changes his ways? Because to me that whole thing was completely alien. But I don’t know, maybe that’s how it was for everyone and the adult version of Sally Draper would make fun of me for not knowing that.

And in our third complicated relationship of the week, we have Roger and his onetime true love, Annabel. Just like with Joan and the vase, it’s rather shocking, but not really that surprising, to learn that Roger was someone’s “the one” once. In her head, if not in reality. Now that Annabel’s husband has died of lung cancer (Don, being Don, lights up a cigarette at this news), Roger is very much on her mind. Roger, being Roger, wants to be on some people’s minds; some people’s he doesn’t. Roger claims to be unwilling to sleep with Annabel out of loyalty to Jane, but I think he’s just relishing the opportunity to reject Annabel the way she rejected him. I think if another adultery opportunity – say, one Mrs. Harris, for example – presented herself, Roger’s behavior would be quite different.

I guess this is as good a week as any to talk about Roger. He’s probably the funniest character on the show, along with Pete, and also arguably the most pathetic (although he’s got stiff competition on that front) thanks to his season 1 heart attack storyline. Now, he’s taking up space, spending his off-time with Jane and his on-time golfing, lunching, and sassing Don. I do think he had some interest in advertising at some point, the accounts side of things anyway, but he gave it up years before the show began. Now he doesn’t bother to put on a show of “working” anymore. He enjoys the social aspects of advertising, the excuse to wear fabulous suits every day, the parade of pretty secretaries in and out every year. He knows no one has the power to do anything to him; he’s the son of the founder of the company, and his name comes first on the sign even though the other founder happens to still be alive. It’s hard to feel anything but sorry for and annoyed by the character, especially since we see him from Don’s perspective, and although I found the Annabel plotline entertaining, I didn’t sympathize with either her or Roger. Nor do I sympathize with Jane, or Mona, or anyone who’s ever been a part of Roger’s life except Joan. All these people are, again, utterly alien to me. Funny, sad, but not remotely relatable.

Also this week: We get some fun class stuff where Roger’s horrified to learn that Don has eaten horsemeat, and Betty’s evidence that Don was once poor is that he doesn’t understand money (and Betty managed to make even me feel bad when she said that, and I was just watching it). Also, again, with the not enough Pete. And not enough Peggy, for that matter. Come on, I love Betty scenes, but there’s a reason those two are second and third in the credits. And not enough of any of the underlings, either. I mean, when was the last time we saw Ken? I never thought I’d miss Ken, but there you go. And finally, I would like to note that Sally gave her parents a look of concern the morning after the revelation, and that Don and Betty’s bedroom door was open for a big chunk toward the end. What does Sally know, I wonder? What does she comprehend? I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: Poor, poor Sally.

So with two episodes to go, the big revelation is already out there. We’ve got a presidential assassination to come, we’re still waiting for Peggy to make up her mind about her career path, and Sal is still MIA. And I kind of… don’t know where the rest of the season is going. Will Betty leave Don? Will SC get sold to Gray? Will Pete challenge Duck to a duel? Or will we all just mourn a president with the same conflicted feelings with which we mourned Grandpa Gene?

Well, I’m only betting on one thing: We haven’t, sadly, seen the last of either Miss Suzanne Farrell or Mr. Henry Francis. Ugh. Next season try and keep it in your pants, Draper.

Season 3, Episode 11: The Gypsy and the Hobo (originally aired October 25, 2009)

For more on Mad Men, click here.

Sundays at 10PM/9C, AMC

Photographs courtesy of AMC and Carin Baer

Jone Dome Ep. 19: The Beating People w/ Taped Up Surge Protectors Episode

Episode 19 (From Austin Grill) – The Show Were They Beat People Up With Surge Protectors:  Ference & Double Edge Rip Survivor’s Racist Ben, Criminal Minds, Beat People With Taped Up Surge Protectors, And A Rundown Pop Culture Happenings.

Episode Credits:

Written by: Ference, Double Edge, and V.A. Barracus

Produced & Edited by: Zuberi B. Williams

Intro Music: Empire State Of Mind, Jay-Z

Venue: Austin Grill (Silver Spring, MD)

Leopold Bros. Distillery

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(If the show does not play using the link at the bottom of the page, you can download it: Download|Podcast Alley)

T. Dubb is a lover of the arts and enjoys drawing, listening to music, and watching movies in her spare time. Originally from Los Angeles, she currently resides in Davis, CA.

Grey’s Anatomy: Mystery at Seattle Grace

I really enjoyed this episode.  The writers switched it up a little bit by using the classic whodunit mystery format of beginning the story with a death and then piecing together the facts, leading to the revelation of the culprit at the end.

Our docs finally see some action when a hotel fire sends an array of victims to the ER.  This mystery episode even takes place on a clichéd dark and stormy night.  We find out immediately that a patient has died unexpectedly, and the Chief will not rest until he sniffs out the physician at fault.  Patients die all the time, but apparently there was a gross degree of negligence involved, because the patient only had minor third-degree burns that were easily treatable.

Now that Seattle Grace has merged with Mercy West, the Chief’s actions are more heavily scrutinized, including his hiring and firing.  Gone are the days when sympathy clouded good medical and business judgment.  The hospital is under new management and that includes human resources.  Now when people screw up, heads will roll.  And that’s exactly what happens when a thirty-something woman in otherwise good health goes into organ failure and dies under the watchful eyes of no less than 7 or 8 doctors.

The Chief interviews the residents one by one, each giving their account of their interaction with the patient, whom no one wants to claim.  No one’s stories conflict in terms of truthfulness, although perceptions do vary.  We see that Alex was distracted the entire night, pre-occupied with Runaway Izzie.  Cristina was her usual high and mighty self, and the only doctors who were remotely interested in helping the patient were Lexie and her adversary, the particularly green-looking resident from Mercy West, April.  Most of the docs want the sexy, challenging patients, the ones who are all effed up, not a simple third-degree burn.  Lexie dressed the patient’s burn easily enough, and then was called by Arizona and Mark to help with a teenaged boy who was very badly burned.  April treated the patient after Lexie, but she too became distracted.  As the episode unfolds I wondered who would prove to be responsible for the patient’s demise.

This episode humanized the Mercy West group a little bit, and we as viewers will have to incorporate them into our mental framework of the show.  Right now they still feel like outsiders, in part due to the Oldhead’s interpretation of them, and in part because they feel like guest stars.  I don’t care about them as characters yet, and I’m not interested in them.  Except for this hottie right here, HELLO?!

Despite my prior apathy, I felt sorry for April when it is revealed that she inadvertently killed the patient when she became distracted from the most rudimentary task in a medical exam: looking in the patient’s mouth.  She was about to check it out but was sidetracked by a patient with an ax lodged in his chest.  If she would have examined the woman’s mouth she would have seen all the soot from the fire and given her the proper care.  Instead, a simple medical mistake lead to a great tragedy, and April has got to go, much like Izzie was sent packing last week.  This is a new era and incompetence will not be tolerated, though Cristina empathetically pointed out that the only difference between April and the rest of them was that their patients survived the mistakes they made.  Looks like this might be the beginning of a temporary truce between the Seattle Grace and Mercy West factions.  If they put the patients above competition maybe they can find common ground.  I can’t wait to see how it plays out next week, and so far I’m enjoying this season much more than the last.

For another take on this episode, check out The Blame Game by Allison Toner.

Season 6, Episodes 6: I Saw What I Saw (Originally aired October 22, 2009)

For more Grey’s Anatomy, click here.

Thursdays 9/8c on ABC

Photographs courtesy of ABC, Ron Tom

Amelia Biopic Just Barely Stays In Flight

I am without a doubt, a self-confessed movie buff.  And the fact that I am writing movie reviews pretty much sends that fact screaming out even before you started reading. But I do have other passions in this world and one of them is history. I love to read, especially historical biographies and when that subject matter also makes it to the big screen I become absolutely giddy. I haven’t yet read a bio of the brave aviatrix Amelia Earhart, but when I heard that Mira Nair (director of films like “Monsoon Wedding”) was steering the project with Hilary Swank in the pilot seat, I immediately got excited.

“Amelia” begins with a glimpse of her mysterious final flight as we learn that she and her navigator, Fred Noonan (Christopher Eccleston), have less fuel than expected due to headwinds and may have trouble reaching their already hard to find destination. It is an ominous start but things lighten up when we fly back to her childhood and early career goal of being the first woman to fly across the Atlantic. Because of sexist views and doubt she is only allowed to be a passenger on that first voyage, but determination sees her through to completing that goal of piloting herself later in the film in addition to many other accomplishments.

An equal amount of screen time is devoted to her relationship with husband, George Putnam, played by Richard Gere in a role not all that dissimilar from the one he played in “Chicago.” Putnam acted as her manager and some of the best material in the film actually revolves around her celebrity status and the jumping through hoops that she had to perform to bring in enough money to keep flying. If the montage of the endorsements that she signed her name to doesn’t bring a smile to your face, I don’t know what will.

Those seeking a little personal drama will be happy to know that Amelia isn’t the ideal little wife and has a bit of a naughty streak with Ewan McGregor as the suave Gene Vidal (father of that wily writer, Gore Vidal). To be fair to her, she makes it perfectly clear to Putnam early in their romance that she has no intention of staying faithful to him so this affair certainly doesn’t hit him with shock but he is heartbroken just the same.

As you can probably tell from the description thus far, Nair attempts to squeeze a lot into the film’s two-hour running length and from that perspective it falls prey to the trap that many biopics fall into of merely becoming a list of accomplishments by the subject rather than a complete story with a beginning, a middle and an end. There is very little to tie everything going on here together and for that reason the relationship drama hardly resonates with anything else going on in the film. Instead the film must rely on individual and rather episodic scenes to hold our interest. Some of these succeed, some don’t.

The acting is a little bit all over the place. As the film began everyone was speaking like either Katherine Hepburn or an over the top radio announcer, which was distracting and phony. Luckily, this gets dialed down a bit as the film goes on and Swank has some good moments but I don’t think she will succeed in attaining that third Oscar, which she probably had her eye on when she started this project.

Where the film succeeds most is with the lush cinematography by Stuart Dryburgh and some truly thrilling scenes of danger in the air. And despite the fact that we all know how it ends, the final scenes of her flight across the world are well-staged by Nair to give the maximum amount of tension and a real glimmer of hope that maybe this time she’ll make it. Obviously she doesn’t but it never hurts to hope.

Overall this is a very hit or miss film. Fans of history and aviation will likely find something to latch onto and enjoy, but if you’re looking for high drama and revolutionary cinema, you should look elsewhere because “Amelia” is strictly by the numbers.

Grade: B-

Cirque du Freak – Another Vampire Movie!

Imagined conversation between Cirque du Freak director Paul Weitz and Universal executives:

Universal: Listen Paul how can we reach out to a younger audience while exploiting the same elements that we have used in other teen movies while incorporating John C. Reilly so that we may trick a few older kids into thinking we might have legitimately funny scenes throughout the movie or easing the pain on quietly hesitant boyfriends being dragged to the theater by their girlfriends?

Weitz: Wow guys, I don’t know.  That’s a pretty tall order.  What’s out there that everyone is irrationally interested in seeing despite questionable acting and gushy teen romances and can be easily transformed into a kid movie?

***Moment of Thought***

Universal Execs and Weitz: (In Unison as if a moment of clarity had just overtaken the group) Vampire Movie!

In a time where the likes of Twilight and True Blood are becoming more and more popular with every little shade whiter that Robert Pattinson becomes and every square inch of skin that Anna Paquin shows, what more do we need than another vampire movie?

It seemed obvious to me that movie executives involved with Cirque du Freak were trying to take advantage of the vampire craze our society currently seems fixated over in order to reach a younger generation.  Seriously everyone, I’m pretty sure we can expect this one is going to be milked until the very last drop runs dry.  We can only hope that the government quickly realizes the environmental damage that is occurring due to Pattinson’s abuse of hairspray, ultimately putting an end any teenage faith in vampire based romances.  Despite the valiant efforts by the folks behind the movie magic, Cirque du Freak could have just as easily been made into a Disney Channel Original and it would have been just as fine with me. (I guess John C. Reilly’s occasional funny joke – the only thing making the movie PG-13 and somewhat bearable – would have had to be cut)

From the onset of the film, we can pick up on the not so subtle hints of overbearing parents and the high school pressures that are felt by Darren Shan (Chris Massoglia).  Darren’s parents bark out their expectations for what Darren’s life should be “College, Job, Family … College, Job, Family” (They are clearly not understanding of the hiring freezes caused by our economic crisis – Good luck with number two buddy). To top things off, Darren’s parents disapprove of his best friend Steve (Josh Hutcherson) causing a delicate and gradual rift between the teen bromance.

Thankfully it’s not all vampires and love stories in the cirque.  The decreased emphasis on romance makes it a little easier to hold back complete disdain for the abuse of a lasting theme loved by generation of teen girl after generation of teen girl.  The movie, instead, focuses on the struggle between two vampire factions and the impending apocalyptically enabled world take over by Mr. Tiny (Michael Cerveris).  As if puberty wasn’t an awkward enough time in a boy’s life, Darren is turned into a vampire by Larten Crepsley (Reilly) in order to save his friend Steve after he is denied vampire status and subsequently bitten by a poisonous spider.  Eventually, after about an hour of humdrum plot development, the movie culminates in a real letdown of a showdown between Steve and Darren– only to leave us with the opportunity for a sequel!

Not all was completely forgettable in Cirque du Freak however.  For one, the gorgeous Salma Hayek is always a pleasant viewing for a couple of obvious reasons (because her acting is great and her accent is somehow entertaining by itself – obviously).  Secondly, a surprising (at least for me) supporting role by Patrick Fugit, the kid from Almost Famous, as Ezra the Snake Boy.  Come on casting directors, how has the kid from one of the classic movies of the 21^st century been reduced to playing Ezra the Snake Boy?  Someone find this kid a decent role please…

Despite my inability to convince myself that it was worth it to go see this film in theatres post-matinee pricing, I was able to take solace in one small detail courtesy of Mr. Crepsley.  Something I think many of us have wondered for the longest time while watching people take bites to the neck and being turned into vampires.  As Darren prepares to be bitten, Crepsley gives a roll of the eyes, clearly frustrated with the stereotypical procedure.  “I’m not going to bite into your jugular, which would clearly kill you”.  Exchanging blood from the hand is all it took to change Darren into a vampire – maybe being bitten in the neck is why Rob Pattinson is always looking so depressed.  Someone tell the guy he’s doing it wrong…

30 Rock: Donaghy Saves GE, Marries Your Mom

Yay! Devon Banks is back on 30 Rock, which is fabulous news for just about everyone. Bum bum bum!

Devon, who was foiled out of his GE job by Jack last season, is now living it up in the Obama Administration (he had to find something more powerful than GE, and American Idol doesn’t start back up until January). So he bonded with Malia and Sasha. Does this mean Tina Fey is now blacklisted at the White House, I wonder? Well, in any case, Devon could’ve been the ambassador to Ireland, the world’s gayest country, but instead he offered to chair a secret task force on the deceitful practices of the microwave industry, and summons Jack to D.C. via Chinatown bus so he can wave around the gavel he brought from home. Jack, facing certain undoing now that Devon has weaked his testimony, attempts to revolutionize the microwave world by inventing the Pontiac Aztek, but finally descends into the crevasse: he taunts Devon into forcing GE to take government bailout money. Now Devon will be Jack’s boss. I didn’t quite follow the reasoning as to why this was good for Jack, but I don’t care because it means we get to see more Devon.

Meanwhile, Liz should be on top of the world with the release of her new book, Dealbreaker, but instead she’s having her usual round of problems with Tracy and Jenna. Tracy – and, actually, every man Liz encounters this week except Jack – is holding Liz personally responsible for his relationship issues. Hey, who is she to tell them not to have jobs that involve wearing nametags, or practice Jedi moves in the park, or own diamond necklaces that say “Open Marriage”? Given that a big chunk of the book is apparently based on Tracy, though, he takes revenge by moving into her apartment (well, what’s he supposed to do, he can’t find his houseboat), adopting a plethora of homeless dogs from Kenneth, and, finally, making a porn film based on Liz’s life story (don’t worry, he ultimately decides it’s disgusting and scraps it). And Jenna’s still angry about that whole new cast member thing from last week, even though said new cast member has yet to materialize, so she agrees to play a moon scientist in a student werewolf movie (spooky! scary!), i.e., a sexy supernatural werewolf movie in the vein of Twilight and True Blood that for tax reasons is shooting in Iceland. But since Iceland only gets a minute of darkness each night, they’re filming the movie one minute at a time. That’s about as far as that storyline goes, but we get an awesome scene involving Jenna and a flashlight and a dude in a werewolf suit that makes it worth it.

Other things we learned this week:

• The Obamas are making Sasha invite everyone to her party. Yes, even Zach S.
• Among the offenses perpetrated by GE employees uncovered by the task force investigation are Jack’s betting company money on horse races using a system based on horse penis size, an official company clown, and Devon’s own Cabaret-themed Halloween party on Fire Island.
• Dr. Spaceman, absent thus far this season, is at least succeeding in his professional life with his newly released book The Cigarette Diet.
• Jonathan (aka “that fancy little fellow outside”) has struck Devon’s fancy. This can only mean good things for us viewers.

Lines that I would really like to use in my day-to-day life, if I lived in a parallel universe where I had Tina Fey’s wit (note that 60 percent of these are Tracy’s):

• I mean the figurative elephant.
• I’m gonna kill you with a bazooka.
• The donkey died. You’re the donkey now.
• I will take the top half, for that is the part with the face.
• Also, my girlfriend is mad. In Canada.

Season 4, Episode 2: Into the Crevasse (originally aired October 22, 2009)

For more on 30 Rock, click here.

Thursdays at 9:30/8:30C on NBC

Photographs courtesy of NBC Universal, Ali Goldstein

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