Three reasons I might like 'Wolverine and the X-Men'

Already blogged about how the X-Men are splitting into two groups.

As with that blog, I think it was obvious I wasn't really excited about any of it.

Until now...

So Wolverine is building a school for mutants back in New York, where they started.

OK, cool. But, the name is kind of cool.

The Jean Grey School of Higher Learning.

Not only is that a pretty nice name, but you have to figure it's going to piss Cyclops off.

And then we get a tease of what the school is going to look like:

I am really digging the futuristic and sci-fi take on it. Plus, a place for Iceman to chill.

And this last photo just sealed the deal that I will be picking up the first issue:

Count me in!

'Glee' has hit 'Heroes' territory

Once upon a time "Glee" was a fun, heartwarming show about a group of misfits who sang and danced their way into our hearts. Now, it's this ridiculous parody of what it once was.

There was a time when the character's differences were celebrated, but last night Quinn was constantly berated for being different. Sure she was hanging out with a bad crowd, but did she really have to change her look back into the blond perfect princess to be acceptable.

Also, her scheming to get back her happy child from Shelby undercuts the maturity and selflessness of her original decision.

It was great to see Will call her on her selfish behavior and ungratefulness.

In a completely ridiculous, over the top moment, Kurt auditions for Tony "West Side Story" by singing Barbra Streisand's "I'm the Greatest Star." I'm sorry but someone as into musical theater as he is would never choose that song to audition with. He would know better and sing something from the show.

And I get that he's upset that Blaine is a better Tony, but shouldn't he be happy for the boy he loves so much.

At this point "Glee" has become a chore to watch and is only still palatable because of the musical numbers. Not since "Heroes" has a show gone from so good to so terrible so fast.

Every joke, so-called sweet moment and most of the dialogue feels forced. The really bad news is that the ratings have begun to reflect the diminishing quality of the series. Unless Ryan Murphy and Co. want to become the next "Heroes" they need to consider making some changes.

Everything else:

What is the point of Sugar and her anti-glee club? Cut this storyline now.

That Idina Menzel/Lea Michele duet was explosive.

Darren Criss is too talented for this sinking ship. "Something's Coming" was fantastic.

The casting session with Artie, Emma and Beiste was hilarious. The show needs more scenes like this. They are what made them a hit.

'Playboy Club:' Too little, too late

In its second outing, "The Playboy Club" improved in quality, but continued to disappoint in the ratings.

"The Scarlett Bunny" continued to unravel the somewhat interesting story of Maureen (the bunny who killed a mobster with a stiletto) and her cover up of the crime.

Her accomplice Nick made up with his girlfriend Carol-Lynne, even though he and Maureen are still keeping this terrible secret.

The subplot revolved around a Playboy magazine cover contest and how that led to some of bunnies secrets being revealed.

Last night's episode garnered a weak 1.3 share in the 18-49 demographic and had around 4 million viewers. Compared to "Castle" which had around 14.6 million viewers and "Hawaii Five-0" which had 11.1 million viewers.

All those numbers translate into "The Playboy Club" possibly becoming the first show canceled and NBC replacing it with "Dateline NBC."

However, NBC should give it a chance on a less competitive night like Friday, or maybe even move it to one its cable channels such as USA or Bravo.

Tim's DC new 52 week four thoughts

With week four (I'm counting "Justice League" as week one) I got a hold of three comics.

But not ones I was eagerly waiting for. More like, well I guess so.

Since I enjoyed "Detective Comics" a few weeks ago I decided to stick to the character and go with "Batman."

Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo are the creative team on this one and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I kind of liked it.

It starts off with Batman talking about how people describe Gotham City in two words. We get the usual "cursed," "hopeless" etc. But the action kicks off at Arkham where Batman starts describing Gotham through certain villains.

Like Two-Face means Gotham is at odds with itself.

Then a big twist of sorts, Batman teams up with The Joker to kick the crap out of all the villains.

Of course it turns out to be Dick Grayson inside, but still kind of fun.

The big part of the book deals with Bruce Wayne attempting to make Gotham into a better place by modernizing and cleaning up the city.

I've always wondered why he never did that before.

The dialogue is the best part of the issue with a lot of snappy lines and great character moments.

Best line saw Bruce with all three Robins (past and present). He had just put in this special contact lenses that are hooked up to the Bat-computer.

Tim Drake: "Tell me he's not using facial rec for the party."

Damian Wayne: "The party? He's using it to remember who YOU are, Drake."

Grayson: "And...zing."

For the most part I didn't have an issue with the art. Some panels looked a little rushed, but overall it still looked and felt like a Batman comic.

Speaking of former Robins, "Red Hood and the Outlaws" was another one I picked up.

It starts with Roy Harper in some foreign jail and escaping with the help of Red Hood and Starfire.

I read a great description for the book online, someone called it "The Expendables with capes." And it's true, a lot of people die in the first few pages.

Now Jason Todd and Harper have a great chemistry together so the book works, but the glaring sore thumb is Starfire. Especially when it's explained that her race has a very short attention span and she doesn't remember a lot. She doesn't even remember her time in the Teen Titans.

A lot of people were pissed off by this, but my thought is that it is some sort of a plot point. Maybe she lost her memory somehow or it's not even Starfire.

I really dug the art in the book by Kenneth Rocafort. It's very gritty at times, but it fits perfect with the book.

And last, but not least is "Green Lantern Corps."

If "Green Lantern" was a bad first issue for new readers, then this book is the perfect jumping on point.

The whole book is about Guy Gardner and John Stewart on Earth doing regular things.

Gardner is answering questions about being a Green Lantern (all the while answering questions new readers might have) and trying to get a job as a high school coach.

Stewart, who is also an architect, is trying to explain to some building developers how they can make their building safer.

You get a sense of how each Lantern is and who they really are before they go back into space and into the world of the Lanterns.

Of course there is a bad guy in the book. This mysterious one is killing various Lanterns and whole worlds. So, perfect for Gardner and Stewart to handle.

'Doctor Who' goes back to the beginning

After three weeks of scary dolls, creepy hotels and heartbreaking goodbyes, it was nice to have a good old fashioned romp with old friend Craig (James Corden), who was now a father to the endlessly adorable Alfie.

The Doctor shows up to say goodbye to Craig, but is of course drawn into a mystery at a local department store. It turns out a long dormant Cybermen ship has been awakened and is capturing people to rebuild its fleet.

Craig and Alfie help The Doctor investigate and are put in harm's way, but Craig very quickly lets The Doctor know he still loves him because "you can't pick your mates."

The Doctor is reeling since his death is imminent and he's feeling guilty about all the people who have died or suffered around him. Turns out visiting Craig is what spurred him into spending his last day with Amy, Rory and River. He borrowed the blue envelopes from Craig.

What catapulted "Closing Time" into brilliant territory was the last five minutes.

Before he leaves, The Doctor takes a moment to talk to some children, which segues into River reading their accounts in a library. Suddenly the woman with the eye patch shows up with two Silence aliens and they kidnap River and force her into the astronaut suit and seemingly brainwash her to kill The Doctor. Thus, bringing the season full circle and back where it started.

Steven Moffat is so fantastic at unraveling a story at the perfect pace. He gives enough answers to keep fans happy, while adding more questions to build suspense. It's something Russell T. Davies could never get quite right.

The best of the rest:

• In a very quick scene we find out Amy is now a model. You know that drives Rory crazy.


• The Doctor speaking baby to Alfie was so sweet. Matt Smith is at his most adorable when he has scenes with children.


• As usual, The Doctor trying to be normal was hilarious.


• Turns out Craig gave The Doctor his Stetson.


• The store cashier who misunderstood companion and thought The Doctor and Craig were a couple was cute.

Next week's finale "The Wedding of River Song" should be a doozy, since hopefully we'll finally find out what the "one question" is and why these people want to kill The Doctor so badly. And of course how will The Doctor get out of dying since it's his show and well, he can't die.

Fall TV: 'Person of Interest' makes a strong debut

CBS' new drama "Person of Interest" was the show I was most excited about seeing. Thankfully, it completely lived up to expectations.

Michael Emerson plays a mysterious billionaire who hires Jim Caviezel's ex-special forces operative to help him fight crime. A lot of the investigative work is based on the premise that since 9/11 the government has been watching our every move. It even uses surveillance footage as transitions between scenes.

What made this series work was the superb performances of Emerson and Caviezel. Their chemistry and the slow reveal of their characters' past really lifted the show above that of a normal procedural.

The pilot revolved around a conspiracy of corrupt cops and while the story was pretty standard, there were a few twists that helped establish how dangerous Caviezel's character really is.

Overall, "Person of Interest" featured compelling acting and a fascinating, timely story that set it apart from the rest of the fall schedule.

Inscaped for Sept. 22

So this made my day

Joel McHale from "Community" took to Twitter to advertise for the show's premiere tonight.

And did so in a hilarious way, poking fun at the other shows in the same timeslot:

"Simon Cowell has not trimmed any body hair since Idol & calls himself “The Chest Factor” on set. #Community season premiere 2nite 8/7c nbc"

"Tonight on Big Bang Theory: Some dork wears a Flash t-shirt. There. Now you can watch COMMUNITY's premiere TONIGHT 8/7c #Community"

"The Vampire Diary isn't a diary at all. It's a journal. Liars! Catch the COMMUNITY season premiere instead. TONIGHT 8/7c NBC #Community"

Inscaped for Sept. 15

DC New 52 halfway point

This Wednesday marks well into the halfway point of DC's New 52 relaunch.

On the menu for today's comic purchases for me?

"Green Lantern Corps" for sure. Also going to try out "Red Hood and the Outlaws." "Nightwing" is another huge purchase.

If I have extra money to spend I'll take a look at "Batman."

Since we are at the halfway point I thought I'd share what are my top five favorite issues so far:

1. "Batgirl"

2. "Red Lanterns"

3. "Justice League"

4. "Animal Man"

5. "Detective Comics"

Why "Batgirl" as my No. 1? Simple, the story was great, dialogue was funny, the art was fantastic, it was reader friendly while at the same time respectful of the character's history. It doesn't get any better than that.

As far as the final week I am beyond excited for "Green Lantern: New Guardians." I might also pick up "The Savage Hawkman," "Flash" and "Aquaman."

Awesome 'Castle' moments

My favorite show on television is back tonight: "Castle!"

I don't think I've been this excited for a show to come back as I am for this one. Every commercial that comes on has me counting the minutes. My brain almost went into overload during the TNT marathon when they showed a commerical during each break.

By now we don't need to talk about how much love Stephanie and I have for this show; we just do. We have the DVDs, books and even got to interview them at Comic-Con. And I sat right next to Stana Katic... and she touched my arm!

A week or two back this photo was released from the season opener tonight and I was jumping up and down:

Alexis going after Josh, this could potentially be another awesome "Castle" moment. That got me to thinking about other great moments from the show.

So, let's talk about some of the spectacular moments from "Castle." Now I'm not ranking them because in my mind they are all equally amazing.



From one of my favorite episodes, "Sucker Punch," Beckett saves Castle but in the process has to kill her mother's murderer without answers. This clip shows how excellent the show is with acting, script and even song choice. The Pearl Jam track was the perfect song to play during this scene. And I noticed that "Castle" timeslot competitor "Hawaii 5-0" also used the same song for one of its episodes and it wasn't nearly as compelling.



This clip from the great terrorist bombing two-parter shows off the great chemistry between Katic and Nathan Fillion. It also shows off that Fillion makes the BEST faces ever. Yes, we knew that they wouldn't die in a bomb explosion, but the end was still suspenseful and out of nowhere. I think I've watched this clip at least three dozen times.

On the show, detectives Ryan and Espisito are usually the comic relief types, but Seamus Dever and Jon Huertas have had great dramatic moments. And this next one was a little of both:



Espisito's line about the killer's mother was pretty funny too.

There are hundreds of other great moments from the show, but those were just a few I love.

Here's to adding some new great moments tonight and the rest of the season.

Wait, one more!

Fall TV: What we'll be watching

It's time once again for Tim and I to split up the new fall TV schedule. It's our version of a fantasy football league.

So here's how things shaped up.

Tim:
Unforgettable," "A Gifted Man," "Prime Suspect," "Grimm," "Pan Am," "Once Upon A Time," "Man Up," "New Girl," "Terra Nova," "American Horror Story" and "Hell On Wheels."

Stephanie:
"Person of Interest," "How to be a Gentleman," "Up All Night," "Free Agents," "The Playboy Club," "Hart of Dixie," "Ringer," "Revenge," "Suburgatory," "The X Factor," "Homeland" and "Enlighened."

Vetoes are shows neither one of us could even fathom watching, however, they are still up for grabs if one of us changes our minds.

Vetoes:
"2 Broke Girls," "Whitney," "The Secret Circle," "Charlie's Angels," "Last Man Standing," "Allen Gregory" and "I Hate My Teenage Daughter."

Look for us to begin blogging and tweeting about these shows, as well as our returning favorites like "Castle," "Glee," "NCIS," "Supernatural," "The Good Wife," "Community," "Parks and Recreation" and "Fringe."

Tim's DC new 52 week three thoughts

After a successful first two weeks of the New 52, DC Comics was looking to keep the momentum going with the third week (and second week of full releases).

I was mainly excited due to the start of the "Green Lantern" releases with the flagship title and "Red Lanterns." I also threw Stephanie for a loop with deciding at the last second to not buy "Grifter" and go for something else.

If all the other titles in the New 52 were about grabbing new readers, then "Green Lantern" No. 1 was about keeping existing readers.

While the other books started over with new story lines, this book picks up literally minutes after the last issue. Sinestro was chosen to be a Green Lantern again and helped Hal Jordan defeat Krona. And Jordan just didn't defeat Krona, he killed the unkillable Guardian. That freaked the other Guardians out enough that they booted Jordan back to Earth and out of the corps.

The book picks up with the Guardians telling Sinestro that the ring chose him for a reason and he must protect his sector and home planet, which he finds out is now being enslaved by HIS lantern corps.

Meanwhile Jordan is on Earth, ringless, and directionless. His life is a mess. He has no job, no way to pay rent and no car. That Green Lantern ring sure made life easier, eh?

I won't go into it more, but needless to say that it's not really new reader friendly. But, considering that this book is one of DC Comics best selling titles, there is no need to rock the boat. That's like completely changing a highly rated television show. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

"Red Lanterns" on the other hand is very new reader friendly... and quite good.

Where the Green Lanterns' power source is willpower, the Red Lanterns are powered by rage. The book starts with some evil aliens torturing people until a Red Lantern shows up.

And not just any Red Lantern, but the most popular one:

Dex-Starr, the seriously pissed off Earth house cat.

Readers are then introduced to other Red Lanterns, including the leader Atrocitus. Almost everything about the Red Lanterns is explained to readers in an interesting way. In fact, even long time readers learn something new, which was very cool.

The goal of the book was even explained, the Red Lanterns will go around the universe seeking vengeance against those who do unspeakable evil. But, not the "you're going to jail" type, but the "I'm going to spit napalm vomit all over you" type.

Big props to writer Peter Milligan and artist Ed Benes for putting out one of the best New 52 books yet.

This was my big impulse buy: "Suicide Squad."

For those who don't know, the plot behind this book is super villains offered the chance to get out of jail in return for doing suicidal missions for the government. The book has been around for a long time, this reboot just has a new team.

The big addition is Harley Quinn, otherwise known as the Joker's girlfriend.

The entire plot of this first issue is just setting up the team and explaining who the various members are through flashbacks and such. That also proves to be a bad thing as Deadshot's "Secret Six" history seems to be a bit changed.

Other than the two, the team also includes Rick Flag, El Diablo, Voltaic, Black Spider and King Shark.

King Shark shines a lot in this first issue and will be a fan favorite. I think it helps that Gail Simone made him awesome in "Secret Six."

The book ends on a GIANT cliffhanger. Like a "how the heck are they going to do that" cliffhanger.

Out of the three I think "Red Lanterns" was the high point of the week for me.

'Ringer:' Five minute first impressions

Sarah Michelle Gellar made her much hyped and long awaited return to TV last night in the series premiere of "Ringer."

The twist filled drama stars Gellar as estranged twin sisters Bridget and Siobhan. When they reunite after years of not speaking, Siobhan disappears, is presumed dead and Bridget assumes her identity.

Though the premise seems thin, there are enough secrets and mysteries floating around to make the show interesting. The problem with the pilot is that there were too many secrets established. There's also the fact that besides Bridget none of the characters are likable.

Ioan Gruffudd is underused as Siobhan's rich yet mysterious husband Andrew, while Kristoffer Polaha overwhelms with smarminess as her lover Henry.

It came as no surprise when Siobhan showed up in Paris alive and well with her own mysterious plans.

Apparently viewers will need a "Lost" style flow chart to keep track of all the secrets and lies in the "Ringer" universe.

Other observations:

• Nestor Carbonell is wasted in the pilot, but hopefully he'll be given more to do in upcoming episodes.
• Bridget's only friend is a Narcotics Anonymous sponsor she confides in on the phone. She needs someone in her current world to trust.
• Her twin sister dies and Bridget's first reaction is to take over her life. That's far fetched even for The CW.

Overall, the pilot was intriguing enough to justify watching more episodes, but this show is going to have to get real good, real fast to sustain interest.

Quick review: 'Everything Must Go'

Unlike "Hall Pass," this movie I wanted to see and pay for.

"Everything Must Go" stars Will Ferrell as a man who is having possibly the worst day ever. First he gets fired from his high paying job, then his wife leaves him and puts all his stuff outside of their home. You see she also changed the locks and alarm codes.

But, he's not the average kind of guy. He has a drinking problem. And it has plagued him for years. It's also the reason for everything going wrong in his worst day ever.

So in a haze of a Pabst Blue Ribbon binge marathon he decides to live on his front lawn. It's then he meets a new neighbor played by Rebecca Hall and a kid from down the street played by Christopher Jordan Wallace.

Before I get any further I want to say that while Ferrell is great in this movie, Wallace is even better. He plays a kid with an absent mom and no friends. So the two characters sort of strike up a friendship, with Wallace's character helping take care of Ferrell's stuff.

Here's the even cooler thing. Wallace is the son of Faith Evans and rapper The Notorious B.I.G.

The main crux of the story is that in order for his life to go on, he has to get rid of the baggage. Not just personal wise, but all of the junk sitting on the front lawn with him.

Here's the downside. Ferrell's character is drunk for about 90 percent of the movie. It's hard to feel sorry for him. In fact, the only real people you care about are Hall and Wallace's characters. Plus you wonder why they waste so much time dealing with Ferrell's character.

Don't rent this expecting a comedy. There are a few moments of comedy, but this is pure drama. That is not to say that Ferrell isn't good in this, he really is.

The film is adapted and directed by first timer Dan Rush, but you couldn't tell. This film feels and looks like someone has been in the business for quite some time. It's based on a short story by Raymond Carver titled "Why Don't You Dance?" You might remember his material was made into the Robert Altman movie "Short Cuts."

The themes in the film are easily relatable. We don't realize how great our lives were until everything is taken away, how time just passes by so quickly and how we take people for granted everyday.

I would advise watching this if you feeling even the slightest bit down. I was in a funky mood when I watched it and felt a little worse afterward. Nothing against the film, just the themes really hit home.

Guess that means they accomplished their goal, eh?

'Spartacus' star Andy Whitfield dies at 39

Andy Whitfield the star of season one of "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" passed away on Sept. 11, 2011 from non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.

The actor, who played Spartacus, was initially diagnosed just as shooting was set to begin on season two. Starz network and producers gave the actor time to fight his disease by putting together the prequel series "Gods of the Arena."

Whitfield's cancer went into remission and he greeted fans at comic-con 2010, letting them know he was ready to go.

Unfortunately, the cancer returned and Whitfield was forced to withdraw from the series.

In a unprecedented classy move, the actor gave producers his blessing to recast the part so the show wouldn't be canceled. He then went on to personally call Liam J. McIntyre and spoke with him about the part and gave him his blessing as well.

The emotion and power he brought to Spartacus is a major reason why the show became so popular.

He was a truly talented actor who was lost too soon.

Quick review: 'Hall Pass'

Oh, thank you Redbox for your random free rental coupons and not a lot of choices at the location by my house.

With not much to choose from, I settled on "Hall Pass."

The new "comedy" from the Farrelly Brothers. Remember "Something About Mary?" That was a funny movie.

This one?

Not so much.

Under normal circumstances I would say about a bad comedy, "all the funny parts were in the trailer!"

Well, the trailer wasn't even funny so what does that tell you?

At first you think it's a funny relationship comedy starring Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Jenna Fischer and Christina Applegate.

It's supposed to be funny because they can cheat on their wives! HAHA!

But, toward the end the movie takes a real dark turn with someone trying to murder the guys and a character getting into a car accident.

If it were funny up to that point I would have called it a buzzkill, but it was more like taking a quick left turn into a ditch.

In the end I didn't laugh, but I felt really bad for the actors involved. They deserve better.

A different kind of story today

Back in 2001 there was a reality competition show that I just loved.

It was called "Murder in Small Town X" and aired on Fox. And it was probably ahead of its time.

The basic premise was a group of contestants would go to this town where a murderer was on the loose. They would need to become investigators and figure out clues to the identity of the murderer.



This was a huge production with an entire town, actors and tons of props. At the end of each episode two people would be sent off to seperate locations; one would come back with a clue, one just wouldn't come back and become a victim of the killer.

Just like any reality show there were annoying people and those who were jerks who "play the game."

But, there was also that special reality competition rarity: a truly good person.

In this show's case it was Angel Juarbe Jr. a firefighter from New York.

You could tell he was a great person and he never resorted to reality show fights. He even befriended Kristen, whom everyone else on the show hated. Seriously, they sent her up for elimination five times in a row.

So it was also a nice and rare thing to see a good guy win a show like this. Juarbe won the $250,000 prize on the show's last episode that aired on Sept. 4, 2001.

It wouldn't be the last time Juarbe would be in the news.

Exactly one week later he, along with numerous other New York firefighters, bravely went into the World Trade Center towers after the planes had hit them.

He never made it out.

Eagle eyed viewers of the Concert for New York City saw Jim Carrey holding up a picture of Angel during his appearance on the show.

DC new 52 week two: Steph's impressions

Week two of DC's new 52 relaunch featured some big name titles. I checked out four of the top books released and put together this quick review.

In "Batgirl #1" Gail Simone had the unenviable task of plausibly reintroducing Barbara Gordon as Batgirl. Having written the character as Oracle in "Birds of Prey," Simone is intimately familiar with the inner workings of Barbara's mind. This familiarity has helped her craft an ingenious first issue that not only introduces a new version of an old character but also ties into Barbara's past storyline from "The Killing Joke." The instantly interesting story has made in the best of the relaunch so far.

Grant Morrison is one of the most prolific and popular comic book writers working today. When it was announced that he would be writing "Action Comics," it made it an instant must have. However, the new Superman origin story had a few too many changes to feel comfortable. Superman now wears jeans and combat boots, lives in the poor neighborhood, punishes the rich and is a bit of a douchebag. Even in the midst of a relaunch, Superman should remain the most stable character. The changes do not enhance or update the classic hero, therefore the book felt like it was too much, too soon.

"Justice League International #1" introduces a new team of heroes that works within the system in conjunction with the UN. The original League is still off saving the world, but this League is different in that in features team members from around the globe. The group includes Fire, Ice, Guy Gardner, Rocket Red, August General in Iron, Vixen and Godiva. Its leader is Booster Gold, while Batman shows up uninvited. The initial culture clashes provided a lot of humorous lines, and it will be interesting to see how Booster fares as a leader. This was perhaps the most unexpectedly funny book of the bunch.

"Static Shock #1" didn't stray too far from its already established character traits. Virgil Hawkins is the same wise-cracking teenager with a nice family who uses his electromagnetic powers and scientific intellect to stop criminals. In the first issue, Static is targeted by a mysterious organization when he stops a robbery at S.T.A.R. Labs. The one major change so far is that Virgil and his famil have moved to Metropolis. Other than that, it was great to read that the humor and style of the characters were still in place. This could possibly replace "Action Comics" on the pull list.

'Doctor Who:' The ballad of Amy and Rory

After a scary episode like last week's "Night Terrors," most shows would take the week off and throw on a fun filler episode.

Not "Doctor Who."

"The Girl Who Waited" was the most emotionally charged episode of "Doctor Who" since "The Impossible Astronaut."

Amy, Rory and The Doctor are travelling to the second most popular planet among discerning space travelers (because everyone goes to the first) when Amy is separated and trapped in a quarantine facility that uses multiple time streams.

The Doctor tells Amy to wait, then sends Rory to rescue her. Unfortunately he gets the time streams mixed up and Rory discovers a Amy who waited 36 years for them to come back.

This Amy is jaded and bitter that they left her, and doesn't want to have anything to do with The Doctor.

However, when push comes to shove, she still loves Rory and wants to be with him.

This hour was all about Am and Rory's love affair and how it can span all of time and space. It is thoughts of Rory that help young Amy convince old Amy to help. And when the time streams must be merged, it's their first kiss (during the "Macarena") that's the most powerful thought in the universe.

Arthur Darvill and Karen Gillan gave magnificent performances in this episode, solidifying themselves as two of The Doctor's best companions ever.

Rory has completely come into his own as a hero, saving the day and making the hard choice to leave old Amy behind to save young Amy. He even yelled at The Doctor for how old Amy turned out. Darvill has given Rory real depth, while holding onto the everyman charm that makes Rory so likable.

Meanwhile, Gillan was spot on in her portrayal of Amy's need to survive, while also letting viewers in on the heartbreak behind the bitterness. Amy becoming a kickass action hero is no surprise, but her hating The Doctor, that was shocking.

Gillan expertly had Amy go from scrappy companion to bitter cynic to a woman resigned to her fate. It was her best performance since she began on the show.

As good as the first half of season six was, "Doctor Who" has really been clicking on all cylinders in the second half. It's at a point now, where every week is better than the previous one, which is a real treat for fans.

Marvel asks 'What team will you choose?' pt. two

And just like that Marvel has fully announced the two opposing X-Men sides.

Without further blogsense here's Wolverine's side:

Not sure I'm happy with Quentin Quire being on Wolverine's team. The kid is basically a psychopath (yes, I know fits perfect on Wolverine's team...). Also looks like three people were hiding in Strong Guy's shadow including Multiple Man.

My first reaction is to say "meh." Guess I'm not #TeamWolverine.

Maybe Cyclops will have a better roster of people:

Wait, nope... never mind.

I am slightly intrigued by Psylocke being on both sides and Domino being on Jubilee's team, but not interested enough to drop down any money.

With DC's New 52 is full swing, Marvel needed to do something eXciting and cool. Yes I like the idea of fans choosing sides, but I think Marvel didn't think of another team that fans would choose.

#TeamDC

Inscaped for Sept. 8

Tim's DC new 52 week two thoughts

DC Comics big relaunch event continued this week.

As we've stated before, Stephanie and I are splitting both comics and formats up. We are not getting every issue, but tackling as much as we can.

This week my must-buys were "Detective Comics" and "Animal Man."

Both, as it turns out, are a bit on the horror side.

The entire plot of this issue is basically Batman tracking the Joker down. And seriously, isn't that good enough?

You get a number of scenes showing just how crazy Joker is and on the other side how methodical Batman is. I won't spoil the end, but the last page... man, I could hardly look at it.

The book is written and drawn by Tony Daniel (with additional art by Ryan Wynn) and I must say that I really enjoyed both aspects of his work. There is a four page fight sequence that is beautiful and most of the dialogue is Batman's thought process while he's trying to counter Joker.

Overall the dialogue was great, there were a few lines that made me roll my eyes like this Batman one:

"Forget about it Joker. You can't run. I OWN the night."

But for lines like those there are great exchanges like this:

Gordon: "And Gotham is a hell hole. Always has been. Always will be."

Batman: "Like hell it will."

My question about "Detective Comics" is if it's a prequel like "Action Comics?" Some things like Gordon being younger and the police shooting at Batman look prequel-ish.

But, the first lines of the issue seem to contradict that, where Batman states that the Joker has killed 114 people in the last six years.

Either way, I'm hooked.

One title I took a chance on this week was "Animal Man."

Just as a point of clarification, I never read Grant Morrison's run on the title. My entire Animal Man history is based on his appearances in "Justice League" and various crossovers.

But, I like the concept.

Animal Man is a grounded guy. He's got a great wife, two cool kids and a pretty nifty superpower. You see Animal Man can tap into the abilities of animals. Like in this issue he's getting shot at so he locks into the hide of a rhino. He then taps into a cheetah and gets super speed.

The book starts off in a great and meta way. The first page is a magazine article about Animal Man and when you turn the page it goes to him reading the same magazine in the kitchen.

The issue follows Buddy as he's juggling family life with his new job as an actor and wanting to go out and fight crime. He gets his chance when a grieving father holds kids hostage at a hospital. After saving the day he finds a crazy side effect, blood is pouring out of his eyes.

The end of the book deals with his daughter Maxine manifesting a superpower. And not the good kind of superpower.

I'm talking "straight out of a horror movie" superpower. And a pretty sweet cliffhanger if you ask me.

Writer Jeff Lemire has huge Morrison sized shoes to fill, but gets the character perfectly. You know a book is good when you can care about characters four pages in.

I am not a huge fan of Travel Foreman's art, but I am no art critic. I think his style fits with the horror aspect of the book, which looks like that's where the book is headed in future issues.

Marvel asks 'What team will you choose?' pt. 1

DC has a lot of comic fans buzzing with the new 52 relaunch. Just look at our site in the past few weeks and you can see that.

Marvel isn't taking things lying down.

In the current "Schism" storyline, Cyclops and Wolverine are headed toward a giant fight that is going to basically tear the X-Men in two.

The entire X-Men universe is headed toward a "Regenesis."

Little by little, Marvel has been announcing the rosters for the X-books based upon the two sides.

We wont get the final roster for a few weeks, but here are the teases startinbg with Wolverine's side:

The Uncanny X-Force team looks to be Deadpool and Nightcrawler, but isn't he dead? Look closely and see that red mark above his eye? I think that is the Age of Apocalypse Nightcrawler. It's also safe to assume the shadow above him is Fantomex.

Wolverine and the X-Men has Wolverine obviously along with Iceman, Shadowcat and Lockheed the dragon. If you look closely to the left of Wolverine you can see Toad in the background.

The X-Men Legacy team looks to be led by Rogue along with Gambit and Joanna Cargill. I have no clue who the person in the shadow is.

The X-Factor team looks a lot like the old, normal X-Factor team, just without Multiple Man. Havok leading the team could be pretty cool too.

Fall TV: Monday night specials

With the fall TV season just about to begin, we'll take a night by night look at the the shows we're most excited about. So, let's start with Monday.


Returning:

"Castle" - Last season's jaw-dropping cliffhanger, featuring Beckett getting shot and Castle declaring his love makes this the show Tim and I are most excited to see. Penny Johnson Jerald joins the cast as Captain Victoria "Iron" Gates and she is not as big a fan of Castle as Montgomery. Last season, the show finally gained enough traction in the ratings to be considered a bonafide hit and consistently won its timeslot. Season four premieres Sept. 19 on ABC at 10 p.m.

"Hawaii Five-O" - At the end of the first season, the team had been disbanded and McGarrett was framed for assassinating the governor. It's no secret that things will work out, but how all that happens is up in the air. The team chemistry and procedural aspects make this a fun show, but it got a little caught up in mythology last season. Season two should get back to the series' fun, action-packed roots. Season two premieres Sept. 19 on CBS at 10 p.m.

"How I Met Your Mother" - The long running comedy still hasn't told us who the mother is, but somehow it's ok since we get to pass the time with slap bets and Robin Sparkles. The seventh season will focus on Lily's pregnancy and the Robin/Barney relationship. With one of the best casts on TV, this consistently hilarious comedy is one of the best reason to watch television on Mondays. Season seven premieres Sept. 19 on CBS at 8 p.m. with back to back episodes.

New:

"Terra Nova" - FOX has put all its eggs into the basket of this sci-fi series about a group of people who travel back 65 million years when Earth is no longer habitable. The show was originally set to premiere last season but was delayed. The Steven Spielberg produced effects heavy drama is one of the most expensive on TV, however, the buzz hasn't been as high as FOX hoped, so they're really out on a limb with this one. Series premiere Sept. 26 at 8 p.m.

Goodbye Borders, it was fun while it lasted

Everyone knows by now that Borders Bookstore is closing.

I am a bit angry about it. For years I would see beyond idiotic things going on there and wonder "how do they stay in business?"

For a good example, take a look at the prices of Blu-ray discs there. You could regularly see new releases with "regular" prices of $30 or more. Even with a 30-40 percent off coupon the price of the disc would be a lot more than anywhere else.

It wasn't the employees fault, they were awesome people. At the Riverside location, near my house, they would talk to you about what you were buying, suggest new books etc. The cafe people were extra amazing.

Going into the liquidated store is borderline depressing. It's like a good friend is moving away.

I don't feel bad about getting some great discounts, after all I have spent a small fortune there over the years.

When they advertised prices at 60-80 percent off I decided, OK, I'll go in one last time and "say goodbye."

I was lucky enough to get the trade paper back of "Flash: Rogue War" for $7.

Then it hit me.

Back when the store first opened in 2005, on my very first visit, I purchased an ice blended Chocolate Javakula (man, I'm going to miss those) and a copy of "Flash" No. 224 (brand new off the racks).

What was the big storyline going on during "Flash" No. 224?

"Rogue War."

I had not remembered that fact until I got to that issue's point in the TPB.

I think that's a pretty cool first and last purchase at the store I loved.

'True Blood:' Everyone must choose a side

As "True Blood" heads toward the finale of season four it's ratcheted up the action. "Soul of Fire" brought a deadly, yet hilarious conclusion to the Marnie vs. vampires war.

Picking up right where last week left off, our favorite vampire team channeled by Michael Bay with a pitch perfect slow motion "we're about to blow something up" walk.

Unfortunately, Sookie was inside which rendered both Bill and Eric unable to finish the job. Jason then appeared and gave a hard dose of truth to Sookie's vampire lovers about how much she had sacrificed for them. They relented and decided to come up with a plan b.

Meanwhile, inside witch HQ Marnie and Antonia are having a lover's quarrel until Marnie forcefully binds Antonia's spirit to her. She then does the smartest thing ever and tells Bill and Eric to kill themselves or she'll kill Sookie. It's surprising no bad guys have been this direct with their plans before now.

Thankfully, Pam is thinking straight and uses a rocket launcher to break up the proceedings. This doesn't sit well with Eric, who banishes her from his sight.


Alan Ball, this will not do. Pam and Eric are the best couple on TV and need to make up immediately. Besides, she really was the only one thinking straight in that moment. Even Jessica questioned Bill with a placed "suicide, really?"

Marnie, upset that Sookie ruined her plan to make the vampires walk into her sun-fuel protection barrier, surrounds her in a ring of fire. Sookie, with all her powers, just stands there screaming. No huge display a fairy magic, even though she had done just that, moments earlier. It was a rare unrealistic moment for Ball.

Finally, the intense, dark magic Jesus is working in the back kicks in and separates Antonia and Marnie, thus breaking the sun filled forcefield surrounding the Moon Goddess Emporium (A ridiculous name by the way).

Everyone rushes in and Marnie's lone, faithful disciple says the magic words "if you want Marnie, you'll have to go through me." Eric takes this literally and goes through his chest to his heart, then menacingly stands in front of Marnie eating her follower's heart. Bill then shoots Marnie with an automatic weapon, which seemed a little anti-climatic for someone who had caused so much chaos.

Almost immediately after the carnage cleared, the awkward high school love triangles kicked in with long looks between Sookie, Bill and Eric, and uncomfortable conversation between Jason and Jessica.

Here's the thing, fans of the books know who she chooses, so why not buck convention, save us from two more seasons of "will they, won't they" madness and have her make a choice at the end of the season, then deal with what that decision means.

The best of the rest:

• Sam and Alcide had the best revenge road trip ever, when they track down Marcus, kill him and Alcide coldly dumped Debbie.



• Does anyone else think Sam and Alcide should leave Bon Temps and start their own supernatural detective agency.



• Andy inexplicably runs into a random fairy in the woods and has sex with her. Was there a point to this?



• No crying Boyd this week, but that was ok. Will he be one of the many deaths Alan Ball talked about at comic-con?

Next week Marnie returns, first inside Lafayette, then harnessing Jesus' power.

Inscaped for Sept. 1

DC: Some of the 52 not interested in

To finish off our coverage of the new 52, these are the titles that we have absolutely no interest in buying.

In most cases it's just hard to afford to buy all 52 issues.

I don't want to just flat out bash a book or the writer/artist. I think they are all great and talented people, it's just the overall idea of these books that doesn't make me as excited as with "Green Lantern."

So, let's just get this over with.

Tim:

"Men of War" - A military themed book lead by a man named Rock (as in Sgt?). This unit will apparently be going after super villains.

"O.M.A.C." - The evil Brother Eye... yeah, lost me right there.

"Voodoo" - While I was happy that "Grifter" from WildC.A.T.S. gets into DC, this one doesn't do anything for me.

"I, Vampire" - Vampires, no thanks.

"All-Star Western" - Didn't see the "Jonah Hex" movie and have no interest in a Hex comic.

Stephanie:

"All-Star Western" - See Tim's reasons above.

"Hawk and Dove" - This is more a personal choice as I've just never been a fan of any incarnation of this duo.

"Swamp Thing" - There's a lot of buzz around this title, but it's just not my cup of tea.

"I, Vampire" - I really can't fit anymore vampires into my pop culture schedule.

Stay with us in the coming weeks as review new books when they come out and continue to discuss the progress of the DC relaunch.

DC: 'Justice League' No. 1 review

"Justice League" No. 1 is finally out in stores (and online)!

And I just have to say straight out that I enjoyed every single panel of it.

First off, the book starts off five years in the past where the heroes are meeting for the first time.

So in this issue we have Green Lantern and Batman meeting/arguing/teaming up against an alien threat. The dialogue between the two is spot on.

Yes, we are getting a lot of information that we've known before (who the Green Lanterns are, Batman is just a man) but a majority of people getting this issue might not be up to speed like the rest of us nerds.

That exchange also provides a great moment where Batman just figures out how to de-ring Green Lantern.

We get a quick glimpse of pre-cyborg Cyborg, so also safe to assume this arc will detail how he becomes a hero. You also get bonus points for finding the strange woman from the end of "Flashpoint" No. 5 in the Cyborg scene.

The end of the book has Batman and GL finding Superman, who knocks Hal Jordan out and a last page teaser says next issue "Batman vs. Superman."

The art in the book is perhaps the best thing I've ever seen. Jim Lee was born to draw this comic and he really solidifies the title (I gave him) of the best comic artist ever.

A lot of fans might be turned off by this re-telling of origins and first meet-ups, but like with other projects, I have faith in writer Geoff Johns. And let's face it geeks, DC wasn't making a ton of money off just us. They need to grow, grab and appeal to new readers.

Us longtime comic readers, like with the comic companies, have to adapt alongside them. If the comic industry dies, we ALL lose.

Plus, Batman is my favorite character. In sixth grade I even had Batman shoes!

This "version" of Batman isn't drastically different, it's the same old Batman we all love. He de-ringed Green Lantern for God's sake!

And what great exchange with that:

Green Lantern: "You won't do that again."

Batman: "Not unless I want to."

My advice for any angry fans? Just wait. It will all pay off.

For everyone else? Hold on because it's going to be an awesome ride.

DC's new 52: A retailer's perspective

To get a different opinion on DC's unprecedented relaunch, we spoke to Chris Brady, co-owner of 4 Color Fantasies in Rancho Cucamonga, about what how the big event is affecting him and his customers.