Game of Thrones Review: Deception and Direwolves
April 25, 2011 by Josh Hatala
Filed under Television
Game of Thrones isn’t a bad show, I just don’t think it’s necessarily a great one. Hear me out before you draw your swords, I actually don’t have that much to nitpick about the series. It’s just that for something so hyped that held such promise, I’m just slightly underwhelmed by what I’ve seen so far. It feels kind of like seeing Fight Club for the first time when you already know the twist. It also manages to be both different than any sword and sorcery story that’s come before, yet treads little new ground for the genre.
After the events of last week, we pick up with Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) and her brother Viserys (Harry Lloyd) traveling with the Dothraki clan across the shadowlands. They pause to make camp, and that night Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa) comes to his new wife’s tent to engage in their married couple activities. Daenerys cries out and finds the three dragon eggs she received as a wedding gift.
Some time later, being attended by three ladies, she asks about stories of dragons, which have been long thought extinct. One servant informs her she was sold to work in a pleasure house before coming to serve her. Daenerys asks her for instruction on how to please Drogo. In a moment surely meant to evoke eroticism yet ultimately seeming somewhat creepy, she shares with the child-like Daenerys ways to engage her man that a Dothraki would not be expecting. Daenerys uses her new skills later with her husband.
Back in the north, Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) awakens in a stable. Word of the Bran’s fall has spread and he instructs the young prince Joffrey to show his sympathies to Lord (Sean Bean) and Lady Stark (Michelle Fairley). Tyrion then informs his brother Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and sister Queen Cersei (Lena Headey) that the child survives and may still wake, clearly not good for keeping the lid on their incestuous affair…oh, and that Jaime threw Bran out of the castle window.
Meanwhile, Tyrion and Jon Snow (Kit Harington), Stark’s illegitimate son, join the Night’s Watch, an order that guards the farthest wall of the kingdom. In a touching moment, and one of the only scenes they share, Lord Stark tells Jon how proud he is.
Catelyn spends her days and nights watching over Bran in his bed. Cersei and Jon each pay a visit before leaving the castle. One night, while a fire in the woods distracts most of the castle guard, an assassin arrives and attempts to kill Catelyn before Bran. She struggles and, in a brutal scene, grabs the blade with her bare hands. She’s losing the battle when Bran’s Direwolf puppy, now grown much larger, rips the attackers throat out and perches itself on the bed next to its master. This is the first time a Direwolf saves the day this week. Catelyn grows to suspect the Lannisters are somehow involved, and that Bran’s fall may not have been an accident. She decides to go after them, accompanied only by one older advisor.
Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner), betrothed of Prince Joffrey, takes a walk with him down by a riverbank
where her younger sister Arya (Maisie Williams) is practicing her sword skills with the local butcher’s son. The butcher’s son apologizes to Joffrey for engaging his future wife’s sister in such a form, which launches the intolerable, whiny prince into quite the display. He cuts the boy’s cheek and Arya strikes him with a reed.
Joffrey wildly swings his sword before lunging towards Arya with it. Her Direwolf launches at him, grabbing his arm and then running off. This is the second time this week we see that Direwolves are kind of awesome pets.
Arya takes off and throws a rock at her pet, forcing it to run away so that she won’t have to watch it be killed. She stays hiding in the woods until found by watchmen that night and taken before the king. Joffrey accuses the butcher’s son and Arya of ganging up and attacking him, which Sansa refuses to either confirm or deny. Queen Cersei lashes out in protection of her son and scolds Lord Stark for his daughter’s behavior. King Robert tells Stark to see that his daughter is disciplined and scolds his son for his own lack of discipline, but does order Sansa’s Direwolf be executed instead of Arya’s missing pet. Stark agrees to do this himself, and sends his girls home. He sees the dead butcher’s son on his way to carrying out the task. Back at the castle, Bran opens his eyes.
I don’t know if it’s just not translating for me, or if I’m waiting for something bigger to happen, but Game of Thrones hasn’t convinced me it’s a series worthy of the barrage of praise it’s received after just two hours. Still, I don’t think it’s a bad way to spend an hour of your Sunday evening. I’ll admit it took me almost an entire season to be convinced True Blood was going to be something worth sticking with, but I feel like two episodes in, not much has transpired for the people of Westeros.
It can be noted that actual events laying the groundwork for future confrontation have occurred, but with only a few episodes in this first season it seems almost too literal a translation to this fan of the books. Perhaps it’s because George R.R. Martin spends much of his time immersing the reader in a world not entirely unlike they’re own that this viewer just isn’t responding to when presented visually. Hopefully the weeks ahead hold some surprises.
Season 1, Episode 2: “The Kingsroad” (Original Airdate April 24, 2011)
Game of Thrones airs Sundays at 9/8c on HBO.
Images courtesy of Nick Briggs and HBO.
Top Chef Masters Review: Let Them Eat Bugs!
April 25, 2011 by Gabe Callahan
Filed under Television
Top Chef Masters does not waste time crying over the departures from the week before. Rather they jump right into the Qucikfire Challenge with Curtis Stone telling the hopeful restaurateurs, I mean, Master Chefs that they will be working with bugs for this challenge. When I say “working with” I mean cooking and feeding to people. The bugs these professionals will be sauteing are horned worms, crickets, nightcrawlers, beetles, and scorpions. I told you they were going to be cooking bugs! But does anybody listen to me?
So everybody decides to fry the hell out of the creepy-crawlies and then serve the hot mess on a pile of leaves. You seriously don’t want me to describe to you what they made. The worst of the “dishes” was actually Suvir’s Himalayan jungle salad with a jar of live hornworms. Because Suvir can’t willingly kill any living thing he just set the bugs out on a dish with the salad like some sort of nightmarish garnish. Most disgusting cop-out ever.
Curtis ain’t eating s#%t, rather he introduces Ruth England and Michael Hawke the hosts of Man, Woman, Wild as the lucky people that are going to be eating the bugs, apparently because they like it. Good for them. Through some totally arbitrary tasting and judging Hugh wins the challenge with cooked crickets. He gets $5,000 for the Wholesome Wave Foundation and immunity for the week. The Quckfire challenges are disappointing me so far.
Next up, of course, is the Elimination Challenge!
Each chef is going to make one “hundred dollar” dish for a ten-course menu. The diners, after eating all the delicious food, will contribute a hundred bucks to the charity of the chef that makes the hundred dollar dish. Curtis then tells everybody they should expect a few surprises to pop up while preparing their meals.
The chefs quickly discover they have no running water to work with, and then they loose 30 minutes of cooking time. The third surprise is that the waiters aren’t showing up, so the chefs will be serving their dishes to the dining room themselves. Curtis is seated with the critics, James Oseland, Danyelle Freeman and Allen Sytsma,the editor of Grubstreet.com (who name-drops James because he was an intern at Saveur).
Back in the kitchen they are feeling the pressure, but not really. They handle everything the show throws at them like pros, because, well, they’re pros. Though all of these chefs are used to calling the shots in the kitchen, most of them clear the way for Naomi and Hugh to lead them in the challenge.
Naomi coordinates which chefs are making what dish and gets most of the service details squared away.
Hugh takes a lead role too, his confidence rising because he cooked some crickets really well, but the show decides to highlight his frustration with Naomi’s bossiness ( I think his unibrow was giving him a headache). Suvir is really starting to annoy the chefs and the audience with his sanctimonious remarks in the kitchen and to the camera.
James Oseland seems to be in a pissy mood and and for the entire dinner contradicts everything Danyelle Freeman and Allen Sytsma have to say about the food. This really makes me love James, he’s one of the best and most entertaining judges Top Chef has. He’s like the Dick Button of food shows.
When the best dishes of the night are reveled, with over 80% of the diners votes, it’s Suvir’s chickpea-potato-yogurt chaat salad and Naomi’s celery soup with salsa verde and lemon oil. People seemed to be taken away to another dimension of flavor with Naomi’s soup and she says it only has 5 ingredients. I need that recipe. Naomi wins, and she seemed pretty happy about it.
The judges bring in the three losers of the challenge: Mary Sue’s under-flavored ceviche, John’s boring risotto with shiitake and prosciutto and Celina’s gritty but delicious sounding pudding with a ginger doughnut. John quickly gets kicked off the show for making a perfectly good risotto and James Oselan tears up. Weirdest judges table ending ever.
Next week contestants from The Biggest Loser are coming on, it’s kind of like when the Jetsons met the Flintstones.
The Frontrunner: I am going with Naomi the rest of the season. She is a leader in a room full of leaders and seems to be enjoying the Top Chef experience. Plus she doesn’t wear those white smocks, she wears a red one.
Season 3, Episode 3 “Diners to Donors” (original air date April 20, 2011)
Top Chef Masters airs Wednesday nights at 10/9c on Bravo.
Images courtesy of Nicole Wilder and Bravo.
NBC Universal Summer Press Day: Alphas is Not Your Typical Super Hero Drama
April 25, 2011 by Gabe Callahan
Filed under feature overlay, Television
Last but not least, Syfy is taking on a new show…about super heroes!
A show that has been getting a lot of hype lately is SyFy’s new original series Alphas. Alphas is a procedural drama that revolves around five people with extraordinary abilities investigating crimes committed by other such gifted “alphas.” Creator and writer Zak Penn (X-Men: The Last Stand, The Avengers) didn’t want to make your typical super hero show.
“I think super heroes have a lot of trouble on T.V. in general. This show from its very conception our mantra was we’re not doing a super hero show. It’s not people dressing up in costumes and fighting crime. And someone just suggested — one of our executives suggested it’s really more about super humans, about people who have extraordinary abilities, and we’re firmly in the science fiction universe in terms of where we’re coming from. It’s not — you know, it’s not a comic book movie. It’s not about a group of heroes who band together to fight crime. So I do think that, you know, since the show was conceived in that way no one will mistake this show when watching it. I don’t think you will confuse it with any of the movies I’ve written certainly. It’s coming at it from a completely different angle.”
There are questions about the super hero genre that Zak wants answered, and he tries to answer them with Alphas.
“In terms of coming from the “X Men” world, one of the things I can tell you is, I have worked on a lot of the comic book properties, and when you start to talk about like what’s it like before the “X-Men” get on the plane? I mean, do people have to go to the bathroom? How do they go to the bathroom in those outfits, you know? Really, they are running a school there? Who are the teachers? And if so, like where’s their smoke break? Those questions are not really up for discussion when you do an X-Men movie or any of those movies, and believe it or not, that was very important to me going into this show that, I mean, when these guys go to a crime scene they need to find change for the meter. I mean, that’s always a pet
peeve of mine on T.V. Everyone always has a parking spot. Not on this show. They work in an office, but they can’t agree on who gets what office.”
They played an extended featurette for the show that, from the clips, looked pretty impressive. The cast includes Emmy winning and Oscar nominated actor David Strathairn, whose character has no special powers of his own. They actually broke down some of the different abilities the main cast possesses.
“Well, you can imagine, you bring in five people who are in many ways inept in their relationships because they have been compromised by their particular skills and gifts. You know, Malik (Yoba) has maybe a little anger management problems, but he’s also a great FBI detective. Laura Mennell, her powers of hypnotism on the spot probably got her into some trouble at some time. And Warren Hicks plays a guy who has hyperkinesias who can sort of be like a Wayne Gretzky, and he can triangulate projectiles before they even happen, you know, but that’s a guy who is probably hypersensitive to all sorts of things. You bring these people together, they are not going to be — you know, they are a family because of their particular similarities, but they have problems.”
A dysfunctional superhero team sounds like good TV to me. I know where I’ll this summer…sitting in front of the tube.
Alphas will premiere this summer on Syfy.
Images courtesy of Ken Woroner, SyFy, and Gabe Callahan
Event Pictures
King Of Comedy Cedric The Entertainer talks to Poptimal.com about his new show "It's Worth What?" at NBC Press Day
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Executive Producer Lara Spencer (The Insider, Entertainment Tonight) of "It's Worth What?"
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Lara Spencer, Cedric The Entertainer, Roy Bank talk about their new show "It's Worth What?"
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Executive Producer Lara Spencer And Producer Roy Bank
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Paris Hilton dishes about her new show, The World According To Paris
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NBC's The World According to Paris: Kathy Hilton, Paris Hilton, and Executive Producer Arthur Smith
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Mother Kathy Hilton and Daughter Paris Hilton discuss their new show, "The World According To Paris"
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Mark Burnett fielding questions from the press corps
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NBC's The Voice:
Cee Lo Green, Universal Badass/Coach Blake Shelton, Country Star/Coach Carson Daly, Host |
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NBC's The Voice's Mark Burnett, Executive Producer
Cee Lo Green, Universal Badass/Coach Blake Shelton, Country Star/Coach |
NBC's The Voice's Mark Burnett talks with Poptimal.com at NBC's Press Day
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The sometimes weird but undoubtedly talented Cee Lo Green (F-You)
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America's Got Talent: Piers Morgan (judge), Nick Cannon (host), Sharon Osbourne (judge) and Howie Mandel (judge)
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Nick Cannon's outfit rocked!
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America's Got Talent Judges Sharon Osbourne and Howie Mandel
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Nick Cannon dishing to Poptimal.com about this season of America's Got Talent
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"Love in the Wild," Chairman of Endemol North America David Goldberg (Producer), host Darren McMullen and Executive Producer Tom Shelly.
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America's Got Talent's Piers Morgan
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America's Got Talent Host Nick Cannon in the loudest suit we have ever seen!
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Fashion Police's Melissa Rivers and George Kotsiopoulos
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Fashion Police's Melissa Rivers chatting with Poptimal.com's writers.
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Fashion Police's Kelly Osbourne, Joan Rivers, Melissa Rivers and George Kotsiopoulos
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Fashion Police's Kelly Osbourne
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Fashion Police's Joan Rivers still getting it done and chatting it up with Poptimal.com
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Actors Azita Ghanizada (Psych, Veronica Mars) and Malik Yoba (New York Undercover, Why Did I get Married) discuss SyFy's new series Alphas
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David Strathairn (Good Night and Good Luck), Azita Ghanizada, and Malik Yoba discuss SyFy's new show, Alphas
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Malik Yoba (New York Undercover, Why Did I get Married) discusses SyFy's new series Alphas
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Paul Reiser hyping his new show!
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NBC Universal Summer Press Day: Red Faction:Origins Brings Gaming to the Small Screen
April 25, 2011 by Gabe Callahan
Filed under feature overlay, Television
Reason #2 to check out the summer programming offered by NBC…Red Faction: Origins.
If you are a gamer, you’ll be very interested in SyFy channel’s new original movie Red Faction: Origins that’s based on the popular Red Faction video game franchise. The movie, which premieres June 4th, bridges the gap between two Red Faction titles “Red Faction: Guerrilla” and the soon to be released “Red Faction: Armageddon.” If you’re a science fiction TV fan you will recognize the stars of Red Faction:Orgins. Brian J. Smith comes straight from Stargate Universe and is happy that he gets to act on an actual planet, Mars.
“Well, I spent most of Stargate on a rogue, runaway, crazy, ancient spaceship. So it was actually kind of nice to be on a planet for an extended period of time as a character. But the thing about the Mars and the way that we approach Mars is not to fall into any of the Mars cliché trap preconceptions. I mean, you see it. There’s some snow. There’s — it’s this huge industrial complex, almost Soviet bloc kind of city. It’s an interesting kind of untraditional approach to telling a story set on Mars and just trying to keep it grounded and real and not too out there.”
Translating video games into a scripted drama is not easy and has been done poorly in the past, but director Michael Nankin doesn’t think Red Faction falls into the “video game movie” label.
“Well, I think what attracted me to the film, aside from the script by Andrew Kreisberg, was it wasn’t really a movie about the game. It’s a movie about the core elements which inspired the game. It’s a movie about family. It’s a family drama. It’s about redemption, loyalty, sacrifice. And those, you know, juicy, archetypal, dramatic, and emotional elements are
what the movie is about and also what the game is about. They get to blow up more things than we can because they don’t have to actually build them. Other than that, really both things are about the same core issues. But it’s not really a movie about a game.”
Even though the 2 hour movie stands alone, it could also possibly be a pilot for a Red Faction series, according to the head of original programming for SyFy, Mark Stern.
Also staring in the movie is Robert Patrick and Battlestar Galactica’s Kate Vernon. Kate describes herself as a “virgin gamer” but is still thrilled to be apart of a video game movie.
“This is my first — I haven’t even played the game. I don’t think I’ve ever played a video game. I’m very excited to be a part of this because this is all brand-new and exciting to me. So I’m going to play the game today. And I think the cool thing about this is that it’s going to bring the gaming world to this. It will bring your [Stargate] fans. It will bring Battlestar fans. And I think everybody is going to be really quite pleased. It’s a rich, tumultuous ride that’s quite deep and unexpected.”
Red Faction: Origins is set to air June 4th on Syfy.
Images courtesy of Syfy and Gabe Callahan.
Event Pictures
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King Of Comedy Cedric The Entertainer talks to Poptimal.com about his new show "It's Worth What?" at NBC Press Day
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Executive Producer Lara Spencer (The Insider, Entertainment Tonight) of "It's Worth What?"
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Lara Spencer, Cedric The Entertainer, Roy Bank talk about their new show "It's Worth What?"
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Executive Producer Lara Spencer And Producer Roy Bank
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Paris Hilton dishes about her new show, The World According To Paris
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NBC's The World According to Paris: Kathy Hilton, Paris Hilton, and Executive Producer Arthur Smith
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Mother Kathy Hilton and Daughter Paris Hilton discuss their new show, "The World According To Paris"
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Mark Burnett fielding questions from the press corps
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NBC's The Voice:
Cee Lo Green, Universal Badass/Coach Blake Shelton, Country Star/Coach Carson Daly, Host |
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NBC's The Voice's Mark Burnett, Executive Producer
Cee Lo Green, Universal Badass/Coach Blake Shelton, Country Star/Coach |
NBC's The Voice's Mark Burnett talks with Poptimal.com at NBC's Press Day
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The sometimes weird but undoubtedly talented Cee Lo Green (F-You)
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America's Got Talent: Piers Morgan (judge), Nick Cannon (host), Sharon Osbourne (judge) and Howie Mandel (judge)
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Nick Cannon's outfit rocked!
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America's Got Talent Judges Sharon Osbourne and Howie Mandel
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Nick Cannon dishing to Poptimal.com about this season of America's Got Talent
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"Love in the Wild," Chairman of Endemol North America David Goldberg (Producer), host Darren McMullen and Executive Producer Tom Shelly.
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America's Got Talent's Piers Morgan
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America's Got Talent Host Nick Cannon in the loudest suit we have ever seen!
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Fashion Police's Melissa Rivers and George Kotsiopoulos
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Fashion Police's Melissa Rivers chatting with Poptimal.com's writers.
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Fashion Police's Kelly Osbourne, Joan Rivers, Melissa Rivers and George Kotsiopoulos
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Fashion Police's Kelly Osbourne
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Fashion Police's Joan Rivers still getting it done and chatting it up with Poptimal.com
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Actors Azita Ghanizada (Psych, Veronica Mars) and Malik Yoba (New York Undercover, Why Did I get Married) discuss SyFy's new series Alphas
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David Strathairn (Good Night and Good Luck), Azita Ghanizada, and Malik Yoba discuss SyFy's new show, Alphas
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Malik Yoba (New York Undercover, Why Did I get Married) discusses SyFy's new series Alphas
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Paul Reiser hyping his new show!
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Enter to Win an “In Plain Sight” Prize Pack!
April 25, 2011 by Contests Manager
Filed under Free Stuff, Television
IN PLAIN SIGHT will air its fourth season beginning Sunday, May 1 at 10/9c on USA Network. IN PLAIN SIGHT stars Mary McCormack as Mary Shannon, a U.S. Marshal working in the highly secretive branch of the witness protection program (WITSEC), who relocates Federal Witnesses, most of whom fall into three categories: career criminals, whistle-blowers or innocents who had the misfortune of witnessing a crime. They all have one thing in common: someone wants them dead. Mary’s job is to see that doesn’t happen, while at the same time attempting to manage her own dysfunctional family. In the upcoming season, Marshall will have a new love interest; Brandi gets engaged to Peter, and Mary reluctantly helps plan the wedding!
Visit the official IN PLAIN SIGHT website at http://www.usanetwork.com/series/inplainsight/ for exclusive content and become a fan on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/inplainsight.
ENTER TO WIN an In Plain Sight Prize Pack! Prize pack includes:
Yellow Zippered Pouch
Tank Top
Travel Tumbler
Rumba Watch
Season 2 DVD
Season 3 DVD
Here’s How to Win (No Purchase Necessary)
1. Post your comments to at least one (1) of our front page articles.
2. Email your name, email address and the name of the post you commented on to contests@poptimal.com. Put “In Plain Sight ” in the subject line. If you choose to participate for an additional chance to win via Twitter, be sure to add your Twitter handle to the email.
3. Wait. The winner* will be notified after May 9th.
*Contest open to residents of the U.S. & Canada.
** If you’re on Twitter, you will have an additional chance to win. After you enter as stated above, follow us at @Poptimal and send the following tweet: “I entered for a chance to win an In Plain Sight Prize Pack @Poptimal” You will receive additional entries (limit one per day) to win the above prize.
Prize courtesy of USA Network. Prize pack value: $130.
In Plain Sight returns to USA on Sunday, May 1 at 10/9c.
For television review and interviews, click here.
The Office Review: Michael’s Last Dundies
April 24, 2011 by Keith Kuramoto
Filed under Television
D’angelo Vickers’ (Will Ferrell) integration into Dunder Mifflin continues this week with “Michael’s Last Dundies,” which executes what The Office does the very best- marrying comedy and sentimentality without being ridiculous about it.
In true awards fashion, Michael and D’angelo are up at the butt-crack of dawn (6am to be exact) to surprise the nominees of the 2011 Dundies at their respective doorsteps, which is basically the entire office staff. Michael’s OCD is on overdrive since this is his last Dundies and he wants everything to go perfect, but converting D’angelo is proving to be the bigger challenge; he’s unsure of whether the tradition is something he wants to keep around, especially after Michael announces him as co-host for the event, putting Dwight (Rainn Wilson) further into a corner. Michael tries to appease D’angelo, saying, “the Dundies are like the Golden Globes, but less mean,” but D’angelo suffers from a crippling wave of stage fright he needs help to overcome. Michael tries to lend a hand, or an ass, by sitting on a prone D’angelo and putting him through a round of vocal exercises. Amazingly enough, no one seems to notice or care, which is one of the subtle, funniest aspects of the scene. That is, until Michael puts headphones on D’angelo and turns an ancient early-90s Walkman on full-blast in an effort to distract him while he reads cue cards- sorry – SCREAMS cue cards.
Over lunch, Jim and Pam run into Erin (Ellie Kemper) sitting in her car and she frantically asks them to quickly get in. She confesses that she is unhappy with Gabe and hiding in her car is the only time away from him that he has and doesn’t know what to do. “I can’t just dump him. I’m not like you, Pam- I can’t be mean.” Despite the backhanded compliment, Pam tells her to be firm and break up with him.
That evening, the Dundies gets underway, starting off strong with a completely hilarious video intro which finds D’angelo on the hunt for Michael so he can host the show. Along the way, he runs into office workers, all portrayed by Michael in costume. The Angela and Phyllis impersonations are great, but the Jim scene is the most off-base and funniest. Ferrell also reminds us how awesome he is at acting badly, which really is an art unto itself. Trouble looms when Michael and D’angelo take the stage, only to have D’angelo run off in a panic, headed straight for the bathroom. Michael chases after him and gives him a pep talk, complete with face slaps. It’s hard to tell what convinces D’angelo, the talk or the slapping, but he and Michael quickly return to the stage. Notable awards include “Most Promising Assistant Manager” going to Dwight, which he dedicates to a garbage can and promptly disposes of into said can; the “Diabetes Award” to Stanley; the “Cutest Red Head in the Office” award to Erin, where she uses her speech time to publicly break up with Gabe, “I just…I cringe whenever we talk…” , making for both the best and worst speech of the night. Michael even gives the “Best Dundies Host” award to D’angelo, who once again panics during his acceptance speech and turns to the aid of his Walkman, announcing full-bore, “THIS IS SUCH A SURPRISE. I WAS IN THE BATHROOM JUST VOMITING AND VOMITING,” at which point, the restaurant quickly shuts the show down.
Despite the setback, the team convinces Michael to finish out the show at the office, where in a night full of surprises, they give Michael the best surprise of them all- an impromptu (but secretly rehearsed) rendition of the Rent hallmark “Seasons of Love”, tailor-lyriced to Michael’s robust and storied career at the Scranton branch; “9 million 986 thousand minutes/that’s how many minutes that you’ve worked here.” Each person adds their own personal lyric to the song and it is quickly realized the effect that Michael has had on everyone, and more importantly, the effect everyone has had on Michael, good and bad. But mostly good. It’s an incredibly sweet, totally balanced moment- an “aw, shucks” realization that Steve Carell really is leaving for good and this isn’t just a Sweeps stunt. No doubt, the talent on the show are going to miss him as much as their characters and vice-versa.
Summing up the episode, in the eloquent words of Michael Scott, “Well, this is gonna hurt like a Motherfucker.”
Season 7, Episode 20: “Michael’s Last Dundies” (originally aired April 21, 2011)
Don’t miss Steve Carell’s last episode this Thursday, April 28 at 9/8c on NBC.
Images courtesy of NBC and IMDbPro
American Idol Review: A Kiss for Jennifer and an “Uprising” Moment
April 24, 2011 by Kelley Lynn
Filed under Television
Welcome to American Idol – where the cast loves fun, the judges love everyone, and the host loves orange foundation and tanning spray. This week was “Songs from the 21st Century;” although after hearing some of these contestants song choices; they should have the next theme be: “Songs that are Totally and Completely Wrong for your Voice, or that are very boring and not at all memorable in any way.” That would be a good theme. Moving on …
Let’s hear it for your judges: Randy “I’m wearing another bizarre, unexplainable outfit and a frilly doily for a shirt” Jackson, Jennifer “I have the worst, most 1980′s outfits on the planet but it doesn’t matter because I look so perfect in every one of them” Lopez, and Steven “Is the show over yet? I’m weary” Tyler. And your host, Ryan “soon I will be the host of every single show on television and there’s nothing you can do about it” Seacrest.
The show began with a forgetful performance of “So What?” by the rejects who have been kicked off so far: Karen, Naima, Thia, Paul, and Ashthon. It literally took me almost the entire song to figure out who the hell Ashthon even was. I had totally forgotten she existed. Like the song says – so what?
Let us get right to the debauchery:
1. Scotty “Baby Lock Them Doors” McDreary:
McSmirkypants sang “Swingin” by LeAnn Rimes and … seriously … who cares anymore? It is ALWAYS the same with this guy. Always. This week brought us more of his tilted head, more of his sideways microphone holding, and more of his stupid conceited smirk. This song also seemed to showcase his annoying low-voice in every other note; which made me want to kick a basket of cuddly bunny rabbits. Also, is this the longest song on planet earth or what? What was it, about 18 minutes? It sure felt like it. At least for once, the judges gave him somewhat negative comments. Sort of. They still had to make sure to remind him of how amazing he is, as if he needs to hear that again. He is already going to win the show; what else does he need? To vote for Scotty, text the word VOTE to LowVoicedDouchebag.
2. James Durbin:
I didn’t think it was possible for Durbin to take it up a notch at this point, because he has already given some very intriguing and risky performances, most of which have totally paid off. This week, he did it again by choosing the British band Muse, and their song “Uprising.” Durbin’s epic performance began with a complete drum line following him out to the stage, all dressed in military-like attire. What followed was some unbelievable vocals, and that is saying a lot, because James always delivers great vocals. However, on this song, Durbin took on a challenge from Muse lead singer Matthew Bellamy to take the song an octave higher on the last chorus. The result was a series of notes we haven’t yet heard come from Durbin, and it was sublime. This performance was probably one of the highlights of the season for me personally. Just the fact that he would perform a band like Muse makes him a true artist in my eyes. The fact that he performed it SO well is even more amazing. Fantastic really.
3. Haley Reinfart:
She had a couple of free weeks where she did pretty well, but now I am officially back to calling her Reinfart, because that is what she deserves. Haley performed Adele’s “Running In the Deep” and although it had some great moments, I just had a tough time getting myself into her style of performing with all the arm flailing and ragdoll weirdness going on. Here is a shocker: the judges loved it! Here is another shocker: Steven Tyler loved it and said nothing negative at all. Does he ever? Someone could get up there and stink up the place, and Tyler would still find some way to say: “I thought it was pretty great!” Perhaps he should have stayed on the drugs. To vote for Haley, text the word VOTE to DrunkPuppetWithAWeakBladder.
4. Jacob Lusk:
First of all, why do they always dress Lusk like he is a 70 yr. old man? Enough with the senior citizen beige and brown suits that look like they came out of Cliff Huxtable’s father Russell’s dusty closet. This guy has the voice of an angel, but he is NEVER going to win if you keep dressing him like he lives in a nursing home. Secondly, I agree with Randy (call the press because this never happens). Lusk needs to go back to that soulful, church-singin, gospel, bring the house down guy that we got more in the beginning. Lately he seems to always be holding back. This week, he held back with a gorgeous and very emotional performance of Luther Vandross’ “Dance With My Father.” Jacob was singing about his own dad, who died years ago. He also happened to be singing the song on Vandross’ birthday, and in the introduction video, he wished Luther a Happy Birthday. Here is my question: Luther Vandross is dead. So technically, it’s not really his birthday anymore, right? I don’t know. Can you have a birthday when you’re dead? And if so, saying “Happy Birthday!” to a guy who is dead just doesn’t seem right to me. What the hell is so happy about it? I’m dead! To vote for Jacob, text the word VOTE to RaidingHuxtablesCloset.
5. Casey Abrams:
Such a loveable “half stuffed animal – half serial killer”. That is Casey in a nutshell. He is so adorable, you just want to hug him. Then when he sings, every once in awhile, he gets this look on his face like he is a violent murderer. It is quite humorous actually. What is astounding is this kid’s endless talent, and, as Randy Jackson said (twice in one episode I’m agreeing with this guy – what the hell’s going on?), his ability to always “surprise” with every single performance. This week’s surprise was a guitar playin, rockin’ version of Maroon 5′s “Harder to Breathe.” I loved his manic energy, and his nuanced singing style. On the last few lines of the song, Casey went down to the judges table and sang right in Jennifer Lopez’s face. When she turned her face to him out of embarassment, he planted a kiss on her cheek. It was incredibly cute and innocent and sweet. And probably more action than that drone Marc Anthony has gotten in weeks. Seriously folks, could Casey Abrams be any more adorable? I think not. To vote for Casey, text the word VOTE to IKissedJenniferLopezandallIGotWasAThreateningPhoneCallfromMarcAnthony.
6. Stefano Langone:
What is up with this dude’s “slacks?” And what was up with the cheesy Doublemint Gum blonde twins doing backup voices? And lastly, what is up with J.Lo’s over the top obsession with this kid? She practically gets moist under the table whenever she hears him sing, and she keeps calling him “baby.” I’m going to be honest and just tell you all that I can’t even recall what he sang. I think it was Neo or something, but everything he does sounds kind of the same to me. He has a good voice technically, but I cannot deal with his weird facial expressions that make him look constipated. Plus, he just has that boring “every boyband in America” vibe that doesn’t really do it for me. Apparently J.Lo loves it though. Randy noted that Stefano “took his time” with the song. Really? That’s the best you can come up with? He took his time? Come on now Randy. You are getting paid some pretty big bucks for your opinions. I think you can do better than that. Tyler looked in the other direction and didn’t pay attention, then mumbled something incoherent and stared at J.Lo’s chest. To vote for Stefano, text the word VOTE to ….AhWhoCares?
7. Lauren Alaina:
I have said this before, but I could listen to this girl sing for hours. I love every note, and her sound is always gorgeous, natural, and addicting to the ears. I just wish that she would give us MORE. More of everything. The judges agree with me here, and continue to beg her to choose a song that shows off that killer range everyone knows she has, but she never shows. She is a song-tease. This week’s choice was Sara Evans “Born to Fly.” As usual, Lauren kicked ass vocally. When Steven Tyler asked her to please sing some Alyson Kraus, I literally said “YES!” out loud, because I have been saying the same thing for weeks now. That is where her voice lives, and that is what we need to hear more of.
Results Show:
A bunch of boring filler stuff happened that doesn’t matter one iota, and then Stefano Langone was voted off the show. FINALLY!!! Let’s hope the Drunk Puppet is next to go.
For another take on American Idol’s Top 7, read “A Stolen Kiss Steals The Show” by Erin Biglow.
Season 10, Episodes 28-29: Top 7 Perform and One voted off (originally aired April 20-April 21, 2011)
For more American Idol coverage, click here.
Don’t miss American Idol Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8/7c on FOX.
Photographs courtesy of Michael Becker, Frank Micelotta, and Fox.
Fringe Review: Two Olivias, One Peter
April 24, 2011 by Trisha Leigh
Filed under Television
With the season finale just a few short weeks away, Fringe is ramping up the tension with each passing week. This episode gives us something we aren’t often treated to – simultaneous happenings in both universes.
Walternate (John Noble) and his crew of evil miscreants have stolen blood from Peter (Joshua Jackson) and AltOlivia’s son Henry, betting on the fact that the machine of doom will respond to him the way it does to Peter. It turns out they’re right, and as the machine turns on in our universe, holes start ripping apart all over the eastern seaboard.
Olivia (Anna Torv) goes to see Nina (Blair Brown) about containing the episodes with amber, like they do in the other universe. Meanwhile Peter, with Walter’s blessing, decides to try turning the machine off. Walter realizes that everything that’s happening is a result of him not being able to let his son Peter go after his death all those years ago. To save their world now, he’s going to have to do what he couldn’t back then…let Peter go. Without telling Olivia what he plans to do, Peter preps for stepping into the electric current created by the doomsday machine with the help of Broyles (Lance Reddick) and Astrid (Jasika Nicole).
In the other universe, we get to some lovely moments of AltOlivia bonding with her weeks old son (I guess the drugs they gave her to speed up the gestation period don’t affect the baby once born?). The Fringe team is called to Liberty Island after an event, but are sent away by Walternate. AltOlivia doesn’t buy that nothing is going on, and goes to find out if he’s managed to activate the machine. Walternate states that it’s none of her concern, and AltOlivia expresses concern for Peter and the people of the other universe. We are getting a little more expression, a bit more confliction from Walternate, but his feelings are affecting his actions. He still believes that he’s doing what he must to save their world, and that there is no way to save both universes.
AltOlivia feels differently, and makes the decision to try to cross back into our universe to get Peter. She believes he can save both worlds, or at the very least, he might be able to get Walternate to turn off the machine until they figure out a better way. She is unsuccessful in her attempt, ending up in the same cell that held our Olivia instead of in our universe, but it’s important we know she’s waffling, that she isn’t entirely sure which side is right, or if there is a right side at all.
As soon as Peter touches the machine he is thrown backward onto the floor, shocked into a coma. Doctor’s state nothing is wrong with him physically, but he refuses to wake up in the hospital.
Olivia and Nina have been searching for Sam (Kevin Corrigan), the strange man who runs the bowling alley and might have written the ancient volume of The First People, although no one knows how this is possible. He finds Olivia and asks her to come with him to the machine, that there’s not much time to stop what’s happening.
The night ends there, and we’ll have to wait until next week to figure out what Sam knows and if Peter is going to be okay.
At the beginning of the episode, Peter and Olivia share a short but sweet relationship scene, and for some reason I still feel uncomfortable in those moments. I’ve not yet decided if that’s the way they want me to feel, or if it’s just not working for me. At this point, and much to my surprise, I’m a bigger advocate of Peter and AltOlivia together instead. Don’t hate me. I can’t help the way I feel.
Season 3, Episode 20 “6:02AM EST” (original air date April 22, 2011)
Fringe airs Fridays at 9/8c on Fox.
Images Courtesy of Fox
Bones Review: An Entertaining Diversion
April 24, 2011 by Trisha Leigh
Filed under Television
I’ve been watching people discuss last week’s Bones on Twitter, and noticed several people express anger or disappointment over the “product placement,” which is how they’re referring to the cast of the as-yet-untitled Bones spinoff in the works.
I’m not sure this technically qualifies as product placement, nor did it bother me the way it did others…I mean, shows often do this when they are getting ready to create a spinoff. It’s not like we’re not going back to our regular Bones crew next Thursday, and I for one rather enjoyed the depth and character studies offered by the guest stars.
Booth (David Boreanaz) and Bones (Emily Deschanel) are called to the Florida Everglades when a body is discovered in the swamp. It turns out to be a security guard from an artifact museum, and he’s suspected of stealing a nautical chart that points the way to a sunken treasure ship belonging to the Catholic Church.
They need to find the lost chart fragment, and Booth just happens to know the one man who can find anything – Walter Sherman (Geoff Stults). He, along with his pilot/bartender/friend Ike (Saffron Burrows) and quotation spouting “legal advisor” Leo (Michael Clarke Duncan) can find anything that has been lost.
Booth doesn’t seen to like Walter, and it turns out they served in the army together, and the MP sent Walter to find and retrieve Booth the night he went AWOL to witness Parker’s birth. Walter sustained a brain injury which turned out to be a double edged sword, as it resulted in his strange ability to find things, but also created a rampant paranoid that sometimes hampers his inability to enjoy life.
Bones, of course, doesn’t believe in the strange and supernatural type power to locate things that are lost, so she asks him to find a science fair medal she won in elementary school. When he locates it and returns the medal, along with a newspaper article featuring a photo of Brennan and her mother, Walter has won a fan for life.
On the trail of the treasure map, he encounters Brittany (Mini Anden), a pretty girl who’s gotten mixed up with some bad people. When he finds her dead body at the bottom of the ocean, Walter becomes obsessed with finding her killer. He continues to come to the same conclusions as the team at the Jeffersonian faster or at least as fast, as our cast with access to much greater data. It’s pretty amazing, what he does, and the interaction with Ike and Leo is entertaining and full of witty banter.
Walter locates the sunken ship after discovering, with the help of a cleric friend, that the ship’s captain was a Jesuit, not a Catholic, which changed the point from which they navigated back in those days. Walter also catches the killer, and delivers him to Booth and Brennan in a trunk. Bones helps Booth realize that Walter, like him, is trying to do the best he can with what he has, and maybe Booth shouldn’t hate him.
I honestly thought the show was a nice change, and the guest characters displayed depth and vulnerability while entertaining me as the viewer. No small feat, and one that bodes well for a spinoff should it happen.
That’s not to say I didn’t miss the team back at the Jeffersonian, especially Sweets (John Francis Daley) and our weekly dose of squintern. The ensemble cast is one of the reasons Bones works so well (when it’s healthy), and of course I wouldn’t want to deter from that formula on a regular basis. For one episode a season, though, I found “The Finder” to be a thought-provoking and interesting diversion. Well done.
Season 6, Episode 19 “The Finder” (original air date April 21, 2011)
Bones airs Thursdays at 9/8c on Fox.
Pictures Courtesy of Glenn Watson and Fox
Water for Elephants: Beautiful, Painful, and All Things Exquisite
April 24, 2011 by Trisha Leigh
Filed under feature overlay, Movies
I read the novel version of Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen, several months ago. I enjoyed the novel, though at times it felt hard to read in its gritty darkness, its reality, and its moments of pure, sickening terror.
The film version I saw today created similar emotions in me, and onscreen parts were even harder to sit through. The adaptation is beautifully done, and even though we miss out on the deeper connections with some of the supporting cast offered in the novel, the heart and vision of the story come through beautifully. The cinematography and costumes are perfection, for even as I never attended the circus during the Depression, it looks and feels as though I could step through the screen and into reality. Really, really lovely.
The story is told from the perspective of Jacob Jankowski (Robert Pattinson), a boy who leaves veterinary school without taking his finals when his parents, his only family, are killed in a car accident. On a whim he jumps a train, and lands a job as the vet on the Benzini Bros. Greatest Show on Earth. The circus’ ringmaster is August (Christoph Waltz), a man who can be charming one moment and despairingly cruel the next.
Aside: For those of you who haven’t read, the book describes August as a mentally ill man, with symptoms of both a bi-polar disorder and paranoid schizophrenia.
No one defies August, and performers and working men live in fear that he’ll run out of money and decide to “red light” them – throw them off a moving train to avoid having to pay them their wages.
Jacob is immediately taken with the woman who works with the horses, Marlena (Reese Witherspoon), but backs off when he learns she’s August’s wife. One of Marlena’s horses has taken ill, and Jacob knows the horse is in pain and should be put down. August insists he fix the horse up well enough to perform for a few more days, but Jacob puts the horse and Marlena above his own job – and maybe his life – putting Silver Star down.
It’s not the last time Jacob will do what he thinks it right in spite of what the increasingly violent and paranoid August orders him to do, and eventually August begins to suspect a sexual relationship has developed between his wife and his new vet. He’s not right, exactly, but he’s not wrong that the two have developed feelings for one another. They’ve spent time together working on their new act with Rosie the elephant, the show’s latest acquisition…and the latest punching bag for August’s angry outbursts.
I have to say, Pattinson really impresses me in this role. It’s not an easy one to play, and he really shines as the film’s hero and romantic lead. I’ve had trouble buying his onscreen relationships in the past, but that isn’t a problem for me here. Christoph Waltz is amazing, as always, and his August is frightening and unpredictable, capturing the essence of the character in the novel if not the full scope of his issues. Reese Witherspoon does a mediocre job, for me, though part of my problem is that she just doesn’t embody Marlena the way that she grew in my mind while I read. If you haven’t read the book, maybe she’s excellent, but I still feel as though something is missing from her character, that piece that makes you care about her for some reason other than our hero being in love with her.
The animal cruelty can be hard to stomach, but it’s necessary to the plot and not gratuitous.
Water for Elephants is a beautiful film, and one worthy of your money and time.
Photos by David James courtesy Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
