Burn Notice: Dark Road

After a five month hiatus, Michael Westen is back to finish the third season of USA’s hit Burn Notice, a show built from the foundations of classic 80s adventure series like Magnum P.I., MacGyver, and The A-Team but updated for the new millennium with a style drenched in cheeky postmodernism. I’ve missed him and the sunny Miami locales he goes hand-in-hand with.

If you’ll recall, the summer finale ended with Michael saving Fiona from a guy from her past with a grudge named Thomas O’Neill. Fiona had been planning to leave Michael behind forever and move back to Ireland, but Michael’s saving her effectively stopped her from going. That and the fact that O’Neill took steps to ensure that neither Michael nor Fiona could ever go back to Ireland without a whole army of angry goons waiting to kill them.

This could be a new start for Michael and Fiona, as almost losing her forced Michael to confront his feelings for her…but he still has a lot on his plate. His agency contact, Diego called Michael in a panic after discovering that Michael had been involved with a guy named Strickler. Strickler was acting as Michael’s agent and was going to get him back into the agency, but his evil means did not justify the end for Michael so Michael killed him. The problem? Somebody else killed Diego, and now Michael may be in more danger than ever before—and that’s saying something.

The winter premiere picks up right after the finale, with Michael tending to Fiona’s wounds. But Fiona isn’t someone who enjoys being taken care of, and after losing patience with the pain Michael was causing her as he sewed up her arm, she punched him in the face. What a woman.

Sam meanwhile, being the trusty buddy that he is, busily tries to dig up anything he can find on how Diego was killed and who was involved. With Diego gone, all of the progress Michael was making toward getting his old job back has been lost, and if he and Sam don’t figure out who killed Diego and why, they might become corpses themselves. Then the show would be over and we all would suffer. I didn’t quite catch how he made the connection, but Sam gives Michael the name of someone in a hotel who might know who helped Diego learn how to fly. Michael goes to the hotel room, and with his prescient and ever-articulate voiceover narration, explains that “In the world of espionage, there are a lot of ways to introduce yourself…whatever the method, that first contact tells you a lot about a person…especially when someone introduces themselves by fire-bombing a hotel room.” That’s right, the room erupts in flames and barely leaves Michael enough time to escape before the authorities come.

Back at the loft, Sam tells Michael that he thinks someone was trying to send Michael a message about being involved in Diego’s murder. Uh Sam, I love beer too, but you might want to cut back just a bit because I think the stuff is impairing your ability to be helpful and not state the obvious.

Like it always is with Michael, something else comes up that gets in the way of him dealing with his own problems. In this case it comes courtesy of Fiona, who asks Michael to take the lead on a job she set up that was to be her last before she left for Ireland. A recently-widowed mom lost her husband in a five-car collision not long ago…but it wasn’t an accident. She found insurance documents that were filled out before the accident, indicating that some scam was set up to pay the husband to say he hurt his neck in the accident. Except when the husband actually died, a bad dude came to the house and threatened the widow and her son, demanding that she sue the city for wrongful death and give the bad dude all the money.

This setup didn’t quite make sense to me, and I have no idea how Fiona came across this person, but it doesn’t matter. Burn Notice is a formula show and I mean that in the best sense. Every week you know Michael & Co. are going to get involved saving a client from bad people. Like with any procedural, the details aren’t truly important. It’s all just a setup for some fun action and light entertainment, and Burn Notice continues to deliver.

Matters get complicated when Michael needs to access county insurance records. He tells Sam to use his “Sam magic” to get access to them, but Sam craps out after failing to charm the 65-year-old woman at the county clerk’s office into giving him the files. This woman is played by Tyne Daley, who starred with Sharon Gless on the seminal 1980s police drama Cagney & Lacey, which changed the television landscape by offering two complex starring roles for women. Gless of course now plays Michael’s mother Madeline on Burn Notice, so getting her back with Daley allows for a pseudo Cagney & Lacey reunion.

When Sam fails, Michael cajoles a reluctant Madeline into charming Daley into forking over the sealed files. He figures that since they are the same age and smoke the same cigarettes (and starred in a television show together) that Madeline can make friends with her and get the files. Madeline succeeds, but problems arise when she becomes friends with Daley for real. Michael warns her that getting attached to an asset—even a former asset—can get dangerously complicated (he should know obviously), but she doesn’t listen. Later on Michael asks her to betray Daley to serve the greater good. Yikes, I thought my family had problems.

The action comes in when Michael tracks down the scam crew that got the widow’s husband killed and takes the husband’s place after showing off his precision-driving skills. The plan is to take down the whole operation by getting them caught by the cops in the middle of a scam. From there, expect the usual: car chases, guns and even an acetylene torch. The cast is still game, there’s a great dramatic scene between Michael and his mother towards the end, and all signs point to a worthy new villain/puppet master being built up. Welcome back.

Season 3, Episode 10: A Dark Road (Originally aired January 21, 2010)

For more on Burn Notice, click here.

Thursdays at 10/9c on USA

Photographs courtesy of NBC Universal and Glenn Watson

American Idol: Scoop Up Shania Please!

Chi-town is like my home away from home. I spent four, very formative, years of my life on Lake Michigan, and I’m always excited to see what talent will pour out of this hidden gem. So you should have seen my face when barely anything trickled out. Really, it was that bad! Luckily, Orlando saved some Idol face.

And is it me, or has this season’s number of sob stories sky rocketed? If you skinned your knee on the way to the audition, it’s reason enough for an introduction package! Let me be clear. Right now, I just want to know if you can sing. All the other stuff can be filled in later, please.

As a guest judge, Shania Twain raises the bar. She wasn’t mean, but she didn’t seem like a pansy. She was unafraid to make fun of herself and laugh at the ridiculous. And she provided realistic musical and performance critiques. Now that I see her, she would have been a perfect Paula replacement or, better yet, Kara swap. Joining the judges on the second leg, Kristin Chenoweth brought a big bright, shiny ball o’ sunshine. She didn’t fare as well as her predecessor, but nothing will reach the low of Victoria Beckham’s non-existent contribution.

WATCH OUT FOR….
Katelyn Epperly, 19, may not want it as much as her mother does for her, but the girl has a beautiful, mature voice. It’s nice to have a breath of fresh air, right out of the gate. She sort of looks like Adrianne Palicki (Friday Night Lights). She has that cheerleader sheen but rocks a huge, very visible tat on her right shoulder, so she may turn out to be that girl next door girls with edge. And Idol, please no more stories about sad divorced families. My parents are divorced, but that doesn’t mean I deserve a ribbon.

Charity Vance, 16, is a little timid, but that can be worked on. You can’t duplicate her intriguing and unique voice. Her parents own a salon, where she sings and sweeps. I’d suggest she branch out and maybe try some community theater musicals, but whatever works.

Angela Martin, 28, has a sob story if I’ve ever heard one. Her father had recently been killed the first time she made it to Hollywood week, and last season, she made it to the top 50, only to be sidelined by a court date. The beautiful thing is a hospital saw her story and her disabled daughter during her first audition and offered to take care of her baby until she turned 21. So, Idol does truly inspire people more than one night a year. She’s proven her vocal skills in the past, so I don’t doubt that she’ll go far.

Jermaine Purifoy, 24, had a nice swagger and a killer voice. He didn’t even look like he had an ounce of nervousness in him. For the first time this season, I can see a little star. Now, I’m excited.

Shelby Dressel, 18, lost the use of the jaw muscles on the right side of her face, and you can see her insecurity at times. She’s nervous, forgets her words and drops a holy expletive. But it made her more endearing. The judges liked her personality and felt she had potential, but I kind of loved her.

Matthew Lawrence, 25, has a raw and untrained voice. The sweet, big lug looks like he wouldn’t hurt a fly, but we learned he robbed a bank with a BB gun at 15 and got four years behind bars. Idol represents a chance to regain the things he lost, and he deserves it. Yes, he needs to work on his follow through and pronunciation, but some people are just born with it and only need a little fine tuning.

NEED FINE BUT NOT FAB? CALL…
John Park, 20, is the kind of talented, a cappella singer who can woo the women but makes the guys go, “what’s the big deal?” He has a great voice but is overshadowed by Shania’s comments (which weren’t intended to sound dirty but, well, did) and the madness they invoked. At this point as Randy pushes Shania down the dirty mind well, I realize that I would love to see her as a judge. She’s sweet and upbeat but a little bit sassy. FOX, are you writing this down?

Paige Dechausse, 21, almost died when she went into anaphylactic shock due to her asthma. The cherry on the cake was this happened while in a singing lesson. The doctors said she’d probably die or have brain damage. She‘s good but Simon thought she was indulgent and sang to herself. Paige intrigues me only because she’s the first person the judges have really been torn over. Simon says no, but Shania and Kara team up to convince Randy that she needs another chance.

Let’s not forget those flashes in the pan who the judges deem too boring for camera time. Kasi Bedford, 19, and Brittany Starr James, 22, were both cute and bubbly. Justin Ray, 20, should have been told by one of his family members or friends that his awful hair might overshadow his good voice. Keith Semple, 27, has that indie rocker voice that often fits in better in a smokey, dive bar than on the Idol stage, but he could add a different flavor to the show. And Marcus Jones, 18, seems likeable and confident with an easy voice.

BE GLAD YOU MISSED…
I thought it could never be true, but I found a musical I could never like. It’s titled “Amy Lang. Amy Lang! AMY LANG! The Musical.” Amy accomplished many things during her audition. She practically molested Ryan, had the audacity to attempt Aretha Franklin’s “Dr. Feelgood”. She, also, faked passing out and then she displayed her greatest talent, pectoral popping. Or was it boob boxing?

Curly Newman proved why no one but Maxwell should sing Maxwell‘s mostly falsetto “This Woman’s Worth”. It’s utterly comical, that’s why. I usually hate when the judges just crack up uncontrollably and pretty much humiliate the contestant, but there are those few, like this big, round man, who should sound more like Barry White than a munchkin, that brings out the giggles in you.

Harold “The Champion” Davis believes he’s talented, but he couldn’t come up with a better excuse for his poor performance than the overused allergies bit. Allergies don’t make someone with a good voice act like a total creeper. I didn’t feel bad about laughing with the judges until he burst into tears. He made me really feel uncomfortable before, but when the tears started rolling, I had a sudden compulsion to fast forward. Phew, awkwardness averted!

Theo Glinton wants to be a chain salon owner, a superstar and a fashion designer. His best friend is also his assistant. He wore tiny mirrors and feathers on his face and couldn’t find his way out of the room without help. He’s very special.

Jarrod Norrell gave it up to God before he started his rendition of “Amazing Grace,” but he devilishly snapped after Kara likened his voice to a lawnmower and then the judges rejected him. I didn’t think security would come back so soon, but crazy contestant #2 had to be escorted out, this time forcibly with handcuffs.

WRAP IT UP
“That Don’t Impress Me Much” was the theme song of the Chicago rounds, and not only because of Shania. Only 13 move on to Hollywood while Orlando produced the mirror opposite with 31. The good news is that this week was the first time I actually got excited about contestants. And that eagerness to see what someone will perform next is what Idol is all about.

PARTING SHOTS
“Do you find that when you sing at home a lot of animals turn up outside the house?”

“No…Tip toe that way.” – Kara

“Yes, you have a beautiful bottom end…You have nice lips.” – Shania

“I am the next American Idol, and if I’m not the next American Idol, I am going to be in the bottom three.” – Theo

“You walked in like a cocktail stick, and then sang as if you sat on a cat.” – Simon

“You’re crazy nodding when you were listening to your sister like Whitney [Houston] being reborn. And, like, she hasn’t…” – Simon

Season 9, Episodes 3 & 4: Auditions: Chicago & Orlando (Originally aired January 19 & 20, 2010)

For more on American Idol, click here.

Photographs courtesy of Fox Broadcasting Company and IMDbPro.

White Collar: The Boys Are Back

The last time we saw our dynamic duo was during the superb White Collar fall finale with its shocking cliffhanger. Well, the boys are back and I’m thrilled. The episode was better than I imagined. It had a little bit of everything: suspense, intrigue, funny lines, and Neal’s gorgeous baby blues.

The episode begins with Mozzie and Neal playing chess and discussing Kate and Peter. Neal is adamant that Peter is not Kate’s captor; Mozzie’s not so sure. They agree that Neal must find the ring to discover if Peter has Kate.

Meanwhile, a new FBI case emerges: a boiler room scam that sells bad stocks leaving buyers out of thousands of dollars. The FBI already has an agent, Madison Cookler, on the inside, tapped their phones and created a fake pharmaceutical company that the scam has been targeting.

The plan is to send Neal undercover, sans his tracking anklet, as Nick Halden, to find out who is behind the scam. Neal wins Brad, a supervisor, over at his interview and continues to be so impressive that the boss, Avery Phillips, asks to meet him. While there, he observes Avery in a disagreement with his business partner, Daniel Reed.

After meeting Avery, Neal goes to Peter’s house to update him and for a little investigating of his own. Neal announces, “I’m going to go rummage through your drawers and steal your most precious belongings,” translation…he is going to the bathroom. As he makes his way upstairs, Neal looks at pictures on the wall and sees one with Peter wearing the ring!

Later, during another chess game between Mozzie and a visibly upset Neal, Neal explains that he found a photo of Peter with the ring on. Mozzie tells him that since his anklet is off he could run; an idea Neal appears to embrace.

Back at the FBI, the team strategizes on how to procure evidence on Avery. They decide to send in the CEO of their fake pharmaceutical company to tell Avery that he knows what he’s doing with the shares and wants a cut of the profit or he’ll call the Feds. Neal suggests Peter should do it because “he looks like someone you could trust but could also be bought.”

Agent Burke, undercover as the CEO, confronts Avery and gains an invite to his party, to discuss their business arrangement, which Neal will also be attending. At the party, Avery shows Peter a vault filled with comics, his most prized possessions. The party continues smoothly until Peter and Neal witness Madison being brought into Avery’s house. They realize that Avery must have discovered she was undercover and her life was in danger! To save her, Peter asks Neal to “back my play” but instead Neal decides to confront Peter about Kate. Peter quickly tells Neal, “trust me, I’ll explain later” and then tells Avery that Neal is a spy. Neal is forced to go along with Peter’s plan and explains he is a corporate spy hired by Reed. Instead of killing Neal, Avery decides to use Neal to his advantage against Reed.

At the Burkes’ house, Peter, Neal and Elizabeth discuss the Kate predicament. Peter explains that the ring is a ten-year FBI pin, which many agents have and most men have made into rings. Our duo make up and Peter promises to help him figure out who has Kate. After Neal leaves, Elizabeth asks Peter if he is going to tell Neal he met with Kate. Peter’s reply—he’ll decide after the case.

Next, Neal meets with Reed to try to exploit the lack of trust in their partnership. Neal gets Reed to confess that Avery keeps a ledger of his financial records, the information the FBI needs to put him away.

Peter concludes that the ledger must be in Avery’s room with his comics and Neal must find it during Avery’s upcoming party. However, it is a room with a fire suppression system and when triggered, a door shuts, all the oxygen is sucked out, killing both the fire and anyone in the room. Neal is given a mini breather containing five minutes of oxygen, just in case.

During the party, Neal slips into the comic book room and spots the ledger. Unfortunately, Reed shows up to confront Avery, throwing a wrench into the plan. Reed and Avery, with a shotgun, search for Neal and unfortunately, BOTH Neal and Peter are locked in the room. Peter wants to share the mini breather but Neal selflessly gives it to Peter and tells him that he trusts him. Peter and Neal scramble to find the kill switch, which luckily Neal finds, and shows to Peter just as he passes out. Peter pulls his gun to protect Neal from Avery and hits the kill switch just as other agents appear behind Avery to arrest him. Peter then revives Neal.

Afterwards, Neal and Peter talk about how they’ve got each other’s backs. Peter explains that he knows what “the man with the ring” wants from Neal because he met with Kate. Peter received the same photo—of “the man with the ring” with Kate, the same day that Neal did and because he recognized the ring, knew it was someone from the FBI. Peter started investigating around the same time Agent Fowler started bugging his phone and keeping tabs on him. Both Peter and Neal agreed Fowler must be “the man with the ring.”

Finally, we witness the meeting between Kate and Peter. He tells her to leave Neal alone and asks her what she wants from him. Peter goes on to defend Neal saying, “He’s good. He is the smartest guy I’ve ever met and I am tired of seeing you twist his heart around. He’s my friend.” Awww! Kate names her price: a music box that Neal stole. Neal immediately defends Kate saying Fowler is controlling her but Peter tries to explain to him that she doesn’t really love him. Neal explains that the music box was made of amber and belonged to Catherine the Great. Neal and Peter conclude that there must be something inside the music box that Fowler and Kate desire.

The episode ends with Mozzie and Neal discussing the music box. Neal confesses that he doesn’t have it, that everyone just assumed he stole it. So the next step Neal says, “I find the music box.”

I LOVED this episode!! Three of my favorite lines were “I’m the bishop, if you were wondering” (Mozzie referring to chess pieces), “You could sell light switches to the Amish” (Peter to Neal) and “I’m going to go rummage through your drawers and steal your most precious belongings” (Neal).

If you didn’t get a chance to see it yet, you must! The chemistry is still there and it is extremely captivating! I was so relieved that Peter was not the dreaded “man with the ring” and their partnership was not destroyed, dare I say it is now stronger. Looking forward to seeing them work together to take Fowler down!

Season 1, Episode 8: Hard Sell (originally aired January 19, 2010)

For more on White Collar, click here.

Tuesdays at 10/9c on USA Network

Photographs courtesy of USA and Myles Aronowitz.

Free Advanced Screening: When In Rome

Poptimal Fans.  You’ve asked for it and we’ve listened. Yup that’s right we are giving you a chance to win more free movie tickets and guess what, its not in D.C.  This time we scored some Primo tickets to see Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel ‘s new movie When In Rome. If you live in one of the following cities, or really like to drive, keep reading to see how to enter for a chance to pocket free passes in:
Date: Wed Jan 27, 2010@ 7:00 pm
Location: Spokane, WA

Date: Wed Jan 27, 2010@ 7:00 pm
Location: Seattle, WA

Date: Wed Jan 27, 2010@ 7:00 pm
Location: Portland, OR

Date: Wed Jan 27, 2010@ 7:00 pm
Location: Center Valley, PA

Date: Wed Jan 27, 2010@ 7:00 pm
Location: Pittsburgh, PA

Here’s how to enter to win (No Purchase Necessary).

1. Post your comments about at least one (1) of our front page articles

2. Pick your favorite Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel imaginary team up from the list below (really cool write-ins will be accepted):

* Major Lennox and Elle Bishop or

* Tad Hamilton and Sarah Marshall or

* Danny McCoy and Veronica Mars

3. Email your name, email address and name of the post you commented on to contests@poptimal.com.  Put “When In Rome” in the subject line.

***Make sure that you supply a valid email address. This is the email where the passes will be sent, if you are chosen.

Heroes: Seriously Shakes Things Up

Did I just enter the Twilight Zone? I couldn’t stop asking myself this question because the episode felt like a completely different show. It was aptly title “Pass/Fail” because it was a little bit of both, and it’s one that’s got me completely torn. The major plot points included Hiro facing the consequences of his time meddling, Samuel and Vanessa strolling down memory lane and Claire and Sylar facing off. But everything from the writing, to the direction and just the overall tone of the episode was out of the ordinary. There was action and romance, tension and witty banter. It was pretty much everything I’d be hoping to get from Heroes for the past two seasons.

The plot moved forward, characters deepened and things surprised me. I couldn’t  have asked for more, except that this came out of nowhere! Did some assistant in the writers room decide to go on a blog after boycotting technology for 2.5 years and then muster up the balls to tell his boss that people have been tearing the show a new one? Oh, and wait, boss! Here are some nifty ways you can actually make the show interesting. Or is it the “Dollhouse/Lost” phenomenon? Must all science fiction shows flounder around in storytelling confusion without an end in sight? (Though the word is that this season’s early February season finale is a huge cliffhanger.) I’m sure I could have gone on wondering, but I really needed my brain cells to focus really hard on the TV so I wouldn’t get lost.

And that’s the part that really irked me since television is as much entertainment as it is comfort, for me. I don’t like to be messed with or teased by a show I’ve invested time (and DVD money!) in. And inconsistency is intolerable to a consistent viewer. So what was so jarring you say? I would be a bad recapper if I didn’t, at least, clue you into this week’s feature presentation, so here’s a quick return to our regularly scheduled program.

“The basic building blocks of our lives, and we have the same blocks, yet here we are. Content college coed and me. How did we end up so different?” – Sylar
Gretchen tries to comfort Claire, who’s still depressed, but heads off to class when things get a little to touchy for her liking. Thankfully, for the my viewing pleasure (though not for Claire), Sylar’s the substitute teacher. He wants to know why Claire is the one who can help him and shows her his new tattoo. He says he’s holding Gretchen hostage to force her hand. Sylar uses this time to give a lecture, pointing out on the board how similar their pasts are. She spits back that the difference is Sylar’s a psychopath and attempts to storm out, but Sylar won’t let  her leave. Instead, he telekinetically holds her down and plants one on her.

Getting another Sylar-Claire pairing is truly magical. He always pushed Claire to be more powerful and fearless, and we get treated to Sylarific quips. He uses powers acquired from Lydia to, basically, read Claire’s soul and figures out that she’s like  him. She doesn’t let people in or allow herself to be vulnerable. He points to the Gretchen memories he read and tells her there’s something significant between them. She takes his pause as a chance to escape by jabbing a pencil into his eye. No really, there was a pen jutting out of his bloody eye! She reaches Gretchen and confesses that Sylar was right, and she wants to step out and be more like her. Gretchen says that maybe Sylar will become human if he loses his powers. But it’s not really her lady love because Gretchen morphs into Sylar, and it becomes apparent that her friend was never in danger. However, this little scare does propel Claire to take a leap and hold Gretchen’s hand for all to see, including Sylar.

“I saved the world… Twice.” – Hiro
Mohinder plans on returning to India to make things right with his old girl Mira. He says goodbye to Noah, Ando and Hiro and is completely self-absorbed and oblivious to the fact that Hiro’s not looking so good. After Mohinder leaves, Hiro passes out and ends up at the diner. But how? Is this real or not? It’s never clear, but I’m just going to assume it was one of those “at death’s doorstep” cerebral moments. In the real world, Ando is rushing Hiro to a hospital where they say they have to operate even though the procedure is risky. But in LaLa Land, the dead Adam Monroe greets him and says that a judge will declare his fate in the case Hiro vs. The World. The judge turns out to be his father who says that Hiro broke the Heroes code by altering time for his own gain, a crime punishable by death.

We take a trip down the Heroes rabbit hole, so forgive me if things get a little crazy. My brain had a hard time trying to understand why they fit some random movie into the middle of a TV show, and then I realized that the movie was kind of cool so why not enjoy it. Hiro’s past is paraded before him, usually in ways to dispute his hero-worthiness. Ando is his attorney, and witnesses include the young pairing of Ando and Kimiko from the fair. But the best part (besides more of the devilishly, charming Adam) was a cameo by the old Sylar from Season 1 and getting to see him rattle off the names of all the heroes he’s killed. Hiro asserts that the world was better with Charlie in it, but when it is his turn to testify, he changes his tune. He owns up to the fact that his motives changed. He used to follow a strict code, like when he wouldn’t bend time to save his father, but as time went on he wanted to right the wrongs in the world. He says that he may, in fact, be guilty. And his father doesn’t argue with him.

Back in the real world, will Hiro make it through the surgery? This is mirrored by his imaginary journey. Speaking of imaginary with his family and friends besides him, Hiro walks towards the bright white light where he’s greeted by  his mother. He wants to leave with honor and changes his plea to guilty, but a katana materializes and his mother urges him to fight Adam. A crazy, awesome, but “huh?” kind of moment ensues as the two sword fight. Hiro eventually kills Adam, and his mother kisses him and tells him she’s proud. He says he’s ready to go, but she tells him he has a destiny to fulfill.

“This is your fantasy, and it’s beautiful, and I’m happy for you. But it isn’t me. My life isn’t here.” – Vanessa
I have to say kudos to the director Michael Nankin for some of the most beautifully shot scenes of the season. Samuel and Victoria reminisce, but she’s already out the door. The wordsmith weaves her right back in, and what unfolds  is a true love story. It isn’t melodramatic and, for just dropping a bomb on us, it felt very organic. I believe this is achieved mostly because Kate Vernon and Robert Knepper acted their pants off.

Samuel’s stories of their childhood really loosen Vanessa up, and by the end they’re enveloped in their old dreams and old feelings. Samuel decides to show her what he’s been planning, and it turns out to be the cottage she always dreamed of in the middle of nowhere. He tells Vanessa that it was all for  her, but even though she clearly cares for him, she can’t leave her life. It’s too much for Samuel to handle, and he tells  her it’s time to get her home. And you know he’s not the type to sit in his room and cry about it, so instead he heads to the diner where they shared a milkshake earlier and flips out on the waitress. He pins all his pains on this one, poor woman and then levels the place and the home he built for him and Vanessa.

WRAP IT UP
If I could liken “Pass/Fail” to any other episode, it’d be the bomb episode of Grey’s Anatomy or the entire Denny Ghost arc or the one where she drowned and saw her mom who was able to forgive her. Is it so hard to believe that a new intern would manage to have a one night stand with a man who turns out to be her boss? Or that a doctor would cut the L-Vac to ensure her patient, who she happened to fall in love with, would get a new heart? Hey, I think not. But a doctor sticking their precious hand into a patient with a bomb in their gut? WHAAAAT?! That’s when my eyes squint, I scrunch up my nose and suddenly, I’m a little weary.

Even after writing this article, I feel a little more love towards the episode than I felt when I started. And I realize a lot of my issues were because it left a feeling that the writers haven’t spent anytime trying to figure things out until this moment. And then there’s the fact that they crammed so much awesomeness into one episode when they could have applied the crescendo effect over the course of the season. There’s also the feeling that this is just a fluke and they won’t be able to hold this up over the handful of episodes we have left, but I welcome the jolt it gave me, no matter how jarring.

PARTING SHOTS
And tonight’s winner is….Adam Monroe

“And as long as you saved his girlfriend, you could kill some more, willy nilly?”

“Objection, your honor! He’s reciting the opening to Quantum Leap.”

Season 4, Episodes 16: Pass/Fail (originally aired January 18, 2010)

For more on Heroes, click here.

Mondays at 9/8C on NBC

Photographs courtesy of NBC and Chris Haston

Jone Dome: The No Sh** Sherlock Review

Season 2 Episode 4: Sherlock Holmes.  Which is the better dynamic duo?  Sherlock & Watson or Ference & Double Edge

Show Credits:

Written & hosted by: Ference and Double Edge
Produced & Edited by: Zuberi B. Williams
Venue: Austin Grill (Silver Spring)
Intro: Sherlock Holmes Trailer (Warner Bros.)

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.

Free Advanced Screening: Edge of Darkness

Poptimal wants to shine a little light on the Edge of Darkness for you, by giving you a chance to be one of the first to see Mel Gibson get a little pay back for FREE!!!

EDGE OF DARKNESS
Tuesday, January 26
7:30PM
Regal Gallery Place
Washington, DC

Here’s how to enter to win (No Purchase Necessary).

1. Post your comments about at least one (1) of our front page articles and answer one (1) of the following Mel Gibson triva questions:

• Name three (3) Mel Gibson Films?

• Where was Mel Gibson Born?

• Where did Mel Gibson Grow Up?

• When was the last time Mel Gibson was in front of the camera?

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***Make sure that you supply a valid email address. This is the email where the passes will be sent, if you are chosen.

Synopsis:

“Edge of Darkness” is an emotionally charged thriller set at the intersection of politics and big business.  Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson) is a veteran homicide detective for the Boston Police Department and a single father.  When his only child, twenty-four year-old Emma (Bojana Novakovic), is murdered on the steps of his home, everyone assumes that he was the target.  But he soon suspects otherwise, and embarks on a mission to find out about his daughter’s secret life and her killing.  His investigation leads him into a dangerous, looking glass world of corporate cover-ups, government collusion and murder – and to shadowy government operative Darius Jedburgh (Ray Winstone), who has been sent in to clean up the evidence.  Craven’s solitary search for answers about his daughter’s death transforms into an odyssey of emotional discovery and redemption.

“Edge of Darkness” is directed by Martin Campbell (“Casino Royale”) and stars Academy Award® winner Mel Gibson (“Braveheart”), Ray Winstone (“The Departed”), Danny Huston (“X-Men Origins: Wolverine”), Bojana Novakovic (“Drag Me to Hell”) and Shawn Roberts (“I Love You, Beth Cooper”).

A GK Films Production based on the BAFTA Award-winning BBC miniseries of the same name, “Edge of Darkness” is produced by Academy Award® winner Graham King (“The Departed,” “The Aviator,” “Gangs of New York”), King’s business partner Tim Headington and Michael Wearing (producer of the original BBC miniseries).  The screenplay is by Academy Award®-winning screenwriter William Monahan (“The Departed”) and Andrew Bovell (“Lantana”), from an original story by Troy Kennedy Martin.  The executive producers are Dan Rissner, David M. Thompson, Suzanne Warren, Gail Lyon and E. Bennett Walsh.

The behind-the-scenes creative team includes director of photography Phil Meheux (“Casino Royale”), Oscar®-nominated production designer Tom Sanders (“Saving Private Ryan”), Oscar®-nominated editor Stuart Baird (“Gorillas in the Mist”), Academy Award®-winning composer Howard Shore (“Lord of the Rings”) and Academy Award®-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming (“Topsy-Turvy”).

“Edge of Darkness” was filmed on location in Boston, Northampton and other areas in Massachusetts.

Opening nationwide in Theaters on Friday, January 29, 2010, the film will be distributed nationwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company

Passes provided by Warner Bros http://edge-of-darkness.warnerbros.com/

Bachelor: Team Ali vs. Team Vienna

Pick now.

I’m clearly sporting my Team Ali shirt over here, but with that said, is she a bit of a bitch or is it just me? I guess it’s good that she just says it like it is to the other girls rather than talk behind their backs, but things are getting a little too rational on this show. It’s like ever since The Enforcer stepped in Jake and the girls have been no-nonsense about their intentions and their feelings. They do all know this is a reality show, right? With Jake knocking the crazies and the bitches out of the lineup, what do we have to look forward to?

Let’s back up to where this mess started: Vienna. You are Ashley Tisdale’s character in High School Musical. You look like her and in your “get to know me” intro you were on a yacht with a small dog and talked about how daddy pays for everything and everything around you is pink. Not cute pink, but Pepto-Bismol pink. The only thing that could possibly be redeeming about you was if you had a fabulous brother/sidekick like Ashley did in HSM so you could spontaneously break into song and dance. But you don’t. I was over you before I knew you. But unfortunately Jake picked you for a one-on-one date and I had to get to know you a little bit. Your date was the stupidest thing I have ever seen. Jake took you to go bungee jumping even though you are both deathly afraid of heights. You were getting that rose as long as neither of you crapped on one another or smashed your skulls into the boulders after the jump. You did a great job consoling Jake while he tweaked out, but so did the burly man that Jake had his arm around, so NO POINTS FOR YOU, VIENNA. Of course that was a bonding experience, because neither of you died while doing something terrifying together. But doing crazy stuff for ratings conquering your fears does not a couple make.

Some more info on Vienna while viewers try to determine allegiances: all the other girls hate her. Michelle even dislikes Vienna for being the complete opposite of what she sees herself as, which is very attractive. That’s right, someone who just escaped a mental lock-up called Vienna ugly. If that doesn’t convince you all to dump Vienna, how about that fact that Corrie used her stand-up time at the comedy club as a platform for making fun of Vienna hard core, while all the other women more or less shouted “hallelujah” for Corrie speaking the truth. If that’s not enough, how about my girl Gia (no idea why, but I am suddenly obsessed with Gia?) calling her out for sucking and everyone hating her in a totally diplomatic (read: drunken) way, of course. If you aren’t buying your Ali buttons now, how about the heartless move of Vienna taking one-on-one time away from an emotional Elizabeth even though she already had a rose. That’s right, Vienna: -320948, Ali: 4.

Ok, so maybe Ali isn’t the perfect remedy to Vienna, but she is still the front runner in my mind. She is flirting with that bitch/strong line pretty heavily, but I am still going to maintain that she is just a confident, real girl who doesn’t like BS. Meh? So maybe it seemed like she picked a lot of fights this week, but she still gets my vote.

Let’s do a quick run through of the other notable gals this week:

-Ella: could there be one more helicopter date? I thought it was a little too much too soon with Jake bringing Ella’s son in for their first real date, but it seemed to be smooth sailing (get it, like a paper plane? because we are into aviation this season!!!!). Their date was perfectly blah, from the Sea World activities to Ella’s inexplicable outfit changes, it was all like watching the video part of the TV Guide channel… just kind of there.

-Tenley: couldn’t love her more right now. Unless she was Ali. She got all the ex-husband stuff out on the table and was so effing cute about it. This girl can do no wrong in my book.

-Ashleigh: you should have drank more on your date. Then maybe you wouldn’t have had a panic attack about the comedy thing. Truth be told, I would have cried too. But good thing you didn’t get trashed because you were composed and funny on stage. Or maybe that is just what you are like when you are hammered? If so, I like you even more. Touche.

-Michelle: I guess she couldn’t stay with us forever with the same psychotic gimmick. Who let her on this show? I don’t even think she knew who Jake was. She just sensed some male genitalia without a wedding band around and was hooked. She wanted a husband and grand kids for her mom and didn’t care who they were coming from. I thought it was hilarious how disappointed she was with her kiss from Jake, and I was a little shocked when Jake actually sent her packing after her multiple threats of leaving. Enforcer, this is the least dramatic season of The Bachelor ever. Everything is so civil! I will miss ya though, cray cray.

-Valishia: You were on this show?

-Elizabeth: Whew, dodged a bullet there, Jakey. I can’t believe Jake really got rid of Elizabitch after calling her out on being a tease. I thought she would be around for at least one more ambiguous episode. She totally missed the point of Jake’s frustration and thought that she should have just kissed him… or did she? I did not understand or like this girl.

And that’s all I got! Next week we have a bus ride down the California coast with Ali, Tenley and Vienna to look forward to. And in case you needed another reason to dislike Vienna (not that you do), but she says in the preview that being stuck on a bus with Ali and Tenley is hell. How could anyone hate a puppy?

Season 14, Episode 3 (originally aired January 18, 2010)

For more on The Bachelor, click here.

Photographs courtesy of ABC and Greg Zabilski.

Chuck Versus The Desperate Out of Work Actors!

Angie Harmon and Brandon Routh guest starred on Monday night’s Chuck, trying to make the most out of amorphous, contextless roles. It seems almost superfluous that they were given character names; they should have just been billed as Nefarious Sultry Athletic Superspook Babe and Rugged Secret Agent Boy. I guess they needed the work, with Angie’s Women’s Murder Club show getting canned and Routh’s failure to become the Silver Screen’s new Superman in Superman Returns (though to be fair, Bryan Singer shares in that failure quite extensively).

If you’ll recall, last week ended with Captain Metrosexual Gigolo…er, ah, I mean Captain Awesome…getting kidnapped. I forget who kidnapped him and why. That may have something to do with the fact that the writers never knew in the first place. So naturally, this week is all about getting him back before Chuck’s insipid sister Ellie calls the Whambulance. Chuck feels guilty because Angie Harmon’s baddie kidnapped Awesome and planted an explosive device on Awesome’s ear that she will detonate if he disobeys, all because she thought Awesome was Chuck. Personally, I think Chuck getting Awesome kidnapped (and possibly, hopefully killed) was the most selfless thing he has ever done. Imagine all the suffering that could be eliminated with that moron’s death. The world’s collective IQ would skyrocket based on his demise alone.

Alas, Chuck feels differently about the matter, so he implores Sarah and Casey to help him swing into action to save Awesome. Of course they want to help him (maybe just Sarah), but they also see the situation as an opportunity to learn who Harmon really is and who she works for and what they want (then they can tell the writers!). Routh’s mysterious spy Shaw comes into the fold, having been a target that Harmon wanted Awesome to eliminate. Turns out he knows all about The Ring (glad somebody does). But mostly, all Routh does is furrow his eyebrows, look pretty and try to pretend that he really has been visited by the Tooth Fairy. His character seems to be basically Bryce Larkin 2.0. Maybe the showrunners regretted killing him off last season so they essentially cloned him. Hey, maybe Shaw and his smoldering good looks can come between Chuck and Sarah to provide some conflict!

The spy stuff is pretty standard—breaking into secret building penthouses, fake deaths, code words. No car chases, but Chuck does get trigger-happy with a tranquilizer gun thanks to his new Intersect skills. There was even a point where Chuck tranquilized a few guards by dropping to the floor and shooting between Awesome’s legs. I’m going to be polite and call that moment not theft but an homage to action master John Woo, who had Christian Slater do the exact same thing on top of a speeding train in the third act of Broken Arrow.

The Buy More shenanigans are typically pointless. Morgan becomes the new assistant manager, which creates friction amongst the underlings. There was a moment that made me laugh though. Lester is preventing Chuck from talking to Sarah in the Buy More. He wants Chuck’s opinion on a topical, ideologically complex and hefty query: who would win in a fight: Jean Claude Van Damme or Steven Seagal. Lester starts trying to simulate martial arts moves and Chuck’s Intersect skills take over and Chuck kicks Lester in the face. Pretty awesome. (By the way, if we’re talking about both men in their prime engaging in unarmed combat, it’s a tough call and one that I’ve considered many a time over the years, but I think Seagal would win). That’s all for this week.

Season 3, Episode 4: Chuck vs Operation Awesome (originally aired January 18, 2010)

For more on Chuck, click here.

Mondays at 8/7C on NBC

Photographs courtesy of NBC Universal, Chris Haston.

The Golden Globes: Step Child of Awards Shows

Ah, award shows…there is almost nothing that I have a greater love/hate relationship with than these yearly events that attempt to nobly bestow artists as “the best” of that particular year. It is both honorable and exciting to watch as you root for your favorites to win and frustrating as hell when that same person wins time and time again undeservedly. But for every ounce of enjoyment, there is for me and equal measure of anger at the whole idea of it all. What exactly does “best” mean and how can anyone seek to measure or compare performances or films that are not even remotely similar? For instance, how can anyone honestly compare Avatar to Precious? Or Mad Men to True Blood? Every film or series has a different goal or experience in mind for the viewer and to say one film out of a small group of vastly different ones is better than all others, is quite frankly silly. I won’t even begin to discuss the politics involved in voting for these things but to believe that all awards are based on actual merit is to believe that Mark McGuire was just a naturally talented athlete. It just isn’t true.

With that being said, I still get very excited around this time of year when nominations are released and critics’ awards start coming out in that countdown to the epic Academy Awards. One of the biggest steps on that road to the Oscars occurred just this Sunday night as the Hollywood Foreign Press Association handed out their annual Golden Globe awards for film and television. It is typically known as the more loose and fun award show but it also has a reputation for being a bit of a joke within the industry so the winners here aren’t always guaranteed to take home Oscar gold, but in many categories it’s a fairly clear indication of who the winner will be and this year is no exception.

Of the hundreds of films that were released in 2009 and in consideration for awards I saw slightly over forty of them (yes, I’m anal retentive and keep track) including a majority of the films up for major awards so I have a pretty strong opinion on most categories. But if I seem to gloss over it in my analysis below just know I probably missed it and will be checking it out on Netflix as soon as I can.

The big winner of the night was of course, Avatar, which took home awards for Best Picture – Drama and Best Director (James Cameron). I absolutely loved this movie and thought it was a visual spectacle unlike anything I had ever seen before, but it was not my favorite film of the year or the one that I considered “the best.” That honor belongs to Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds which was also robbed in the screenplay category by Jason Reitman for Up in the Air. Happily, Basterds was able to take home at least one award in the hands of Christoph Waltz for Best Supporting Actor and he couldn’t have been more deserving.

On the Best Supporting Actress front Mo’Nique was able to shine for her stunning role as the abusive mother from Precious and I can’t wait for her to repeat the feat at the Oscars as well. It is the leading actor and actress categories that are a little more mysterious this year. The winners have been all over the map with no clear front runner but I couldn’t help but react with disgust when Sandra Bullock won for Best Actress in a Drama for The Blind Side over Gabourey Sidibe from Precious. I fully realize that The Blind Side is an audience-pleasing, tear jerking blob of sentimentality but come on! Sidibe was a revelation and painfully realistic as the down-trodden Precious making this the most obnoxious upset of the night for me.

Other bright spots of the night included Up winning two awards for Best Animated Film and Best Score, Robert Downey Jr. winning Best Actor in a Comedy  for his hilarious turn in Sherlock Holmes, and Jeff Bridges finally getting some awards love after a truly stunning career thus far. Oh and Meryl Streep won another award. Shock.

On the TV front I could not have been happier to see Mad Men and Glee take the top prizes as Best Drama and Best Comedy respectively. They are both brilliant and deserve every bit of kudos that is thrown their way. I can’t get too nit-picky on the television awards since I spend most of my time watching movies instead but the one major gripe that I have is the loss of the amazingly hilarious Jane Lynch from Glee in the Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series category. I’m sure Chloe Sevigny is fantastic on Big Love, but is anyone on television really more convincing and memorable than the crude Sue Sylvester?  I don’t think so but there are always the Emmy awards!

All in all this year’s Golden Globes awards were pretty satisfying. The show itself was entertaining enough and the winners were certainly palatable. It will be interesting to see in two weeks how the Oscar nominations pan out with the newly minted rule of ten films being nominated for Best Picture. Will Avatar continue its winning streak or will smaller films like The Hurt Locker and Up In the Air have a chance of winning that coveted place in history? I for one, can’t wait to find out.

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