'Previously on...'

Most times those two words are annoying to hear when you start to watch a television show.

You rushed to make sure the popcorn was done and you were in front of the TV right at the top of the hour only to have a few extra minutes to waste while the show catches people up on what happened previously.

I am guilty. I get really annoyed sometimes.

That is until Jan. 20. The last new episode of "Fringe" to play previously was more than a month ago. That, plus it showing after "American Idol" meant a lot of new viewers were going to watch "Fringe" for the first time or a lot of us have forgotten what happened.

It starts... with no catchup, just right into the show. As the show progressed I kept asking myself "Who is that?" "What happened to him before?"

Now I have seen every episode and I was kind of lost, imagine new viewers.

Note to self: Stop complaining about stupid, simple things because it might come back to bite you in the butt.

DVD of the week: "Moonlight" The Complete Series

If you needed more proof that CBS dropped the ball when they canceled "Moonlight," look no further than your local Best Buy or Target.

When I woke up this morning I was still buzzing about yesterday's events, but more than that I knew today was the day that I would finally be purchasing the long awaited DVD collection of "Moonlight."

For the uninitiated "Moonlight" is the excellent show starring Alex O' Loughlin as tortured vampire Mick St. John. The show follows Mick as he uses his vampire abilities as a private investigator and teams up with a reporter who he shares a unique history with.

What makes the show great is the way it focused on developing the relationship between Mick and his love interest Beth. It also featured a fantastic supporting cast of vampires who came from all walks of life.

A fan favorite was the friendship between Mick and his best friend, Josef Kosten, an ancient playboy vampire played by Jason Dohring of "Veronica Mars" fame. Mick and Josef may be polar opposites but they would do anything to protect each other.

The show was unceremoniously canceled by CBS after a single season, however it features one of the most rabid fan bases, so I knew I would have to be quick to get my copy.

However, I thought that the Inauguration would provide me with a one day cushion. I was wrong, as several stores were already sold out.

I wonder if this run on the DVD is giving executives an incentive to resurrect the show, it's not like they're showing anything else besides "CSI" and "NCIS."

Odd observation

While we wait for Thursday to see if "The Dark Knight" gets an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture, I had a thought about the history of the Batman films.

Apparently, villains in those movies all die in the same exact way. Yeah, I have noticed this before, but with all the hype and talk surrounding "The Dark Knight" and its awards chances it really stands out.

Let's take a quick look:

"Batman" (1989) - Joker falls off a REALLY tall building after Batman hooks his leg to a statue.

"Batman Returns" - Penguin dies after falling through the top of the aquarium building. He eventually dies from those injuries. Also, Catwoman's first life is taking by being pushed out a window of a tall building.

"Batman Forever" - Two-Face, about to kill Batman, flips his coin, to which Batman throws a bunch of fake coins in the air, confusing Two-Face, who then falls to his death.

"Batman Begins" - Ra's Al Ghul, fighting with Batman on a rail train, is killed when the train falls off the high tracks and explodes. I do count this because he was in the train when it fell that long distance. Still counts.

"The Dark Knight" - Taking a page from "Batman Forever," Two-Face again is about to kill when he flips his coin and is distracted enough for Batman to knock him off the side of a building. The Joker almost dies from falling off a building before Batman saves him.

So, morale of the story? If you are a Batman enemy... don't fight him near any building or anyplace high up.

Fight him in the desert or something.

Goodbye Grissom

The last episode of "CSI" was also the last episode for William Peterson, who has played Gil Grissom on the show for nine years.

As someone who has watched the show since day one (when it was on Fridays at 9 p.m. after the remake of "The Fugitive") and never missed an episode, it is a big loss to the show. He was the glue that held the show together and it will take a while for the show to recover.

But, I am not going to jump ship and stop watching. Why? Because of the way they handled Grissom's exit. On most other shows they come up with some lame reason for a character to leave (or die) or just not explain it at all. The producers made sure to make the first part of this season all about Grissom and building toward his exit.

The producers might have planned the exit for a couple of months, but if you look at the entire run of the show the exit for the character has been building since episode one.

• Remember in the pilot, the brand new Crime Scene Investigator Holly Gribbs was murdered on her first case. Grissom had to deal with that.
• Nick Stokes was kidnapped and buried alive, while Grissom tried to save him.
• Sarah Sidle (Grissom's girlfriend) kidnapped and left for dead.
• Warrick Brown murdered, Grissom always looked out for Brown (even saving his job a couple of times.).
• Greg Sanders, who almost died twice. Once beaten by a gang of thugs and the other time blown up in the lab.
• A "relationship" of sorts with Lady Heather, a dominatrix, who Grissom had a connection with. For many episodes he had to help her through some really horrible things.
• Murders who became his arch-nemesises of sorts and proved to be on the same level or higher than Grissom. Good examples include "The Wet Paint Killer," Paul Millander (who fooled Grissom in the pilot episode and two more after that.) and, of course, the "Minature Killer" who was responsible for Sidel's kidnapping and lasted 10 episodes!!

Now if all that crap happened to you in your current job, you would have left too! Probably after the first couple. So it makes a lot of sense.

And... SPOILER SPACE!

Grissom got a happy ending with Sarah.

Perfect.

Battlestar Galactica fraks me up

Last night marked the triumphant return of "Battlestar Galactica." It has been quite some time since we last saw our friends from the Galactica.

SPOILER ALERT: First things first, this post features several huge spoilers from last night's episode, so if you haven't watched yet, STOP READING NOW.

The last time we saw them the Colonial fleet had finally made their way to Earth. However, their joy was soon tempered by the fact that Earth was completely destroyed. We were also left with the question of who is the final cylon?

Producers Ron Moore and David Eick wasted no time, they immediately brought us right into the character's despair and desperation as they discovered that Earth was a nuclear wasteland demolished by war. Then they dropped the bombshell that Earth was a planet of cylons, featuring both "toasters" and "skin jobs."

As if that wasn't enough they decided to give us the heart-breaking last day of one of the show's best supporting players, Lt. Anastasia "Dee" Dualla portrayed magnificently by Kandyse McClure.

When Dee and her ex-husband Apollo hinted at the possibility of reconciliation I knew her time left was limited, but I assumed she would die in battle or in some horrible accident. Her day was just going too well and in the BSG universe that means bad things are about to happen.

The twist came when after experiencing what she admitted were her happiest moments in years she put a gun to her head and pulled the trigger. It was so unexpected and earth shattering that I was left speechless throughout the commercial break.

It seemed so senseless but at the same time so logical. The morale of the fleet was so low that even the President was at a loss. The only thing keeping them together was the promise of Earth and now that was gone.

McClure's restrained portrayal of Dee's transition from hopelessness to acceptance was nothing short of spectacular. When Dee had to will herself to keep it together while flying away from Earth that should have been a sign of things to come. Dee took what she thought was the rational way out of a unsolvable problem.

The other major story of the night was the reveal of the final cylon. After years of clues and guesswork, the winner is: Ellen Tigh. Really? Ellen Tigh. I don't think anyone had her on their list and frankly there are so many new unanswered questions that I'm not convinced she is the magical fifth cylon.

Other revelations that came up last night:

Starbuck crashed landed on Earth at some point and it was her beacon that led them back. In a very biblical scene, she had to burn her own corpse.

Apparently we are the descendants of cylons, because the war that destroyed Earth happened 2000 years ago.

"Battlestar Galactica" is the rare show that features all the bells and whistles of any great geeky sci-fi show, while at the same time providing stories so richly developed that it can take you on a complete roller coaster ride of emotions.

Judging by last night, these final episodes will keep fans riveted and guessing as the show takes its final bow.

A few moments with The Office

In last night's episode of "The Office" Andy finally found out about Dwight and Angela's affair. The revelation resulted in a hilarious confrontation that culminated in a ridiculous duel.

The genius of this show is the way the ensemble works together. We all know that Michael, Dwight, Jim and Pam are the stars, but, at the same time there would be a huge hole if there were suddenly no Creed, Meredith or Stanley.

Last night's best quote came when Meredith said, "I've had two guys fight over me before, but usually it's over who holds the camcorder."

I fell off the bed laughing.

In other great news coming out of the show, Tim's favorite Amy Ryan is returning as HR rep Holly. The producers have her signed for the finale, but, they really want to keep her around on a more permanent basis.

Also joining the cast in a short arc is Idris Elba. He will be playing a serious Dunder-Mifflin rep who is evaluating Michael and the Scranton gang. Elba is best known for his work in the HBO series "The Wire" and stars in the upcoming film "Obsessed" with Ali Larter and Beyonce. He is an extremely accomplished actor who hasn't shown his comedic skills yet, so I'm excited to see what he brings to the show.

"The Office" is the funniest show on television right now and these additions along with the anticipation of the post Super Bowl episode are just enhancing its already legendary status.

New episode up... and an editor's note

OK, in this episode I talk of my "Slumdog Millionaire" frustration. I didn't have a lot of time to go into a lot of specific detail on why I didn't like it. So, to be open and honest, here is the e-mail I sent to Stephanie about why I didn't like the movie:

*Editor's note: We usually hold off on telling each other specific details or opinions as to get a genuine reaction out of each other. In this case Tim couldn't contain his feeling or wait until a new episode was filmed. So, to show the true story, Stephanie's reaction will be posted as well. SPOILERS to follow*

I didn't like it at all. It was waaay too predictable. The most annoying part? The answer to every single question he was asked on the game show was directly related to some super important part of his life. My eyes hurt from rolling so much. Then when the finale question came I let out a sound of disappointment so loud that people turned around in the theater to look at me.

Throughout the movie he kept talking about the "Three Musketeers" and how him, his brother and the girl were the three musketeers, but they never knew the name of the third one. Well, guess what the freaking last question was? It had a scene that was worse than the one in "Zack and Miri," the little kid had to escape a portapotti by jumping in a vat of crap then was running around covered in crap for a while. Yeah, that moment led to an answer to a question too.

It really wasn't a love story at all, it was more a story of two brothers and their relationship. The girl just so happened to keep getting between them. So, false advertisement.

I read a great quote that someone said. This movie is a Hipster version of "Forrest Gump." Exactly right. Don't believe the hype.

Stephanie's e-mail response:

So you didn't like it then?

Sad day to be a nerd

Jan. 14, 2009 will go down in history as the day nerds and geeks everywhere had a reason to be sad.

Early in the morning the news was reported that Patrick McGoohan, who most nerds would know from the 60s sci-fi television show "The Prisoner," died the day before. He also starred in "Braveheart." Most newer nerds might remember that episode of "The Simpsons" where Homer started his rumor Web site and was sent to a weird island. Yeah, that's "The Prisoner." McGoohan even reprised his role for that episode.

He now will not see the upcoming remake of "The Prisoner" being put together by AMC starring Jim "Hey, I played Jesus" Caviezel and Ian "Magneto" McKellen. Well, that might not be a bad thing...

Another classic geek icon died today, Ricardo Montalban, who played KHAAAAAAAAAAN! in both the classic "Star Trek" series and the movie sequel "The Wrath of Khan." Every geek who loves "Star Trek" loves "The Wrath of Khan." It is such a great film in the franchise and Montalban is a big part of that. He played a great villain and foe for Kirk. Other nerds might love him from "Fantasy Island." The original, not the crappy remake.

And then we had the biggest, Earth shattering, bring out the Kleenex, sad news of the day...

Wait...

Spoiler alert!

Don't say I didn't warn you.

Today, Batman died. Bruce Wayne, the dark knight himself, died heroically stopping uber Superman foe Darksied. This all went down in "Final Crisis" No. 6. Darksied had enslaved the Earth and most of mankind.

Darksied was almost unstoppable.

But, as every "Batman vs. whoever" debate goes, Batman always wins. Just as Darksied unleashed his "Omega Sanction" (super powerful eye beam blasts), Batman fires a gun carrying a God killing bullet. Darksied falls first, Batman has the last laugh then gets fried by the "Omega Sanction."

Superman finds the body and, boy, is he pissed.

As with most comic deaths, Wayne will be back eventually. But, for now the world will need a new Batman. Of course DC Comics is ready with its storyline "Battle for the Cowl" with many Batman supporting characters aiming to be the next Batman.

Time for a nerdy moment of silence.

Stargate Atlantis: The Final Mission

Friday night I watched with great sadness as one of my favorite shows ended a spectacular five year run.

"Stargate Atlantis" aired its final new episode on the Sci-fi channel, bringing an end to the adventures of the crew operating the ancient city of Atlantis.

For five years I have traveled with Col. John Sheppard and his team as they have explored the Pegasus galaxy.

The episode was centered around protecting Earth from a powerful and evil alien race know as the Wraith. The show featured the series' best ever special effects as the entire city of Atlantis was flown back to the Milky Way to engage the Wraith in an awesome space battle.

There was never any doubt that our heroes would defeat the Wraith, however, there were several questions about how the characters would fair.

In a very anti-climatic finish no one died and there was no big cliffhanger. This may be because the producers are planning to continue the story in a series of TV movies.

The show also felt rushed since producers were not given very much time to plan for cancellation. I imagine they had a more complex finale in mind.

The "Stargate" franchise has been a part of the Sci-fi channel for almost 15 years so I think they could have given the fans a real send off.

For five years these characters have excited us with action, broken our hearts in tragedy and kept us laughing through it all with a wicked sense of humor.

To the cast and crew of "Stargate: Atlantis" I say thank you for all the thrills and can't wait to see what comes next.

Globes pre-shows

For more on my thoughts on the actual awards show itself, watch the next episode of Viewpoints On...

But, I wanted to take a second to talk about the Golden Globes pre-shows on E! and NBC.

The one on E! was two hours long so I caught a little of it before the real pre-show started. I don't expect much out of Ryan Seacrest, especially in the journalistic integrity department, and he didn't disappoint. E! is really good at kissing famous butt. How about you just interview the people? Or Giuliana Rancic proclaiming "Slumdog Millionaire" the greatest movie of the year in the presence of the film's stars.

And of course "Viewpoints On... D-bag of the year" Ben Lyons had to show up and annoy me.

The best, and sad, part was Seacrest doing his best stalker impersonation trying to "score" an interview with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. They ignored him so much that he was standing there on camera just calling their names (a foot or two away from them) until he just walked away. NICE. Then after that debacle, Rancic, announced on camera that "Brad and Angelina" were right behind her and she had to go try to get them to come over.

Try and guess what they did?

As the "official" NBC pre-show started I kept repeating "Please no Billy Bush, please no Billy Bush." Of course Nancy O'Dell had to host it. Brooke Burke was also a host, I know she has a little bit of experience interviewing people so that was alright. And then she went to Tiki Barber, "great, a football player" I thought.

Boy was I wrong. He was the best interviewer of the night! He kept eye contact with each person he was interviewing, didn't keep looking at his note cards (coughhahanancyo'dellcough) and had a great personality to interact with each star. He really made O'Dell look bad.

And in turn, made me happy.

Golden Globes pre-thoughts

I won't bother with predictions. The Golden Globes and I are never on the same page and I hate being wrong. I think Stephanie made some brave choices and also some safe bets.

Rather than predict, I will just name some that I THINK deserve to win:

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama:
Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
Angelina Jolie – Changeling

Best Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy
In Bruges

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy
Colin Farrell – In Bruges

Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Marisa Tomei – The Wrestler

Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight

Best Television Series - Drama
House (FOX)

Best Television Series - Musical Or Comedy
The Office (NBC)

So, I look forward to being completely wrong when the show is over tonight, except for Heath Ledger winning of course.

The People's Choice Awards Part 2

I also watched the People's Choice Awards and it occurred to me that it was a very star-studded event for a show so low on the award show totem pole.

I can't say with absolute certainty that the winners are notified in advance, however, it seemed a little suspicious that every big name star showed up to accept their award.

I too wondered about all the awards for "The Secret Life of Bees" since Queen Latifah was hosting. I also wondered how "the people" were voting on movies that have literally just come out.

I know it's just the People's Choice Awards, but come on, they could at least try to look legitimate.

The "People's" Choice Awards?

So the other night I attempted to watch the People's Choice Awards on CBS. I usually don't bother because most times the things nominated are stupid and the winners are even worse.

Well, this year's show didn't disappoint!

I was really jazzed that "The Dark Knight" won a bunch of awards, it deserves every single one. But, a movie that made $500+ million dollars domestically is pretty popular. Hence, the people's choice. No surprise there.

That line of thinking went right out the window for "Favorite Leading Lady" which, by the way, I don't know the difference between "Favorite Leading Lady" and "Favorite Female Movie Star." Sounds like the same thing to me. Other than the fact that there were different people nominated in the two categories. "Ah ha! Instead of getting three famous people to show up to our awards, we can get six!"

So "Favorite Female Movie Star" had Angelina Jolie, Reese Witherspoon and Cate Blanchett.

The "Favorite Leading Lady" category had Anne Hathaway for "Rachel Getting Married," Kate Hudson for "My Best Friend's Girl" and Queen Latifah for "The Secret Life of Bees."

Really?

REALLY?

Never mind that Latifah was hosting the awards show, which made the nomination a little dubious, but only one of those movies was a"hit" in the general sense.

"Rachel Getting Married" has made a little more than $10 million, "My Best Friend's Girl" made $19 million and "The Secret Life of Bees" made $37+ million (budget was $11).

I can KIND OF see Hathaway, but maybe for "Get Smart" which made $130+ million!

Hudson won, shocking considering the Rotten Tomatoes rating for "My Best Friend's Girl" was 16% (ouch.)

So either no one really voted or the people would have voted for Hudson even if she starred in "Crap: The Musical!"

Yay! and Nay!

Just a bit ago Heath Ledger won Best Supporting Actor at the Critics Choice Awards! Woot!

But, then "Slumdog Millionaire" won Best Picture. Boo!

New episode, kinda, up!

Golden Globes predictions

With the Golden Globes fast approaching I thought it was time for a few predictions. Keep in mind that I am predicting who I think will win, not who I am necessarily rooting for, (cough"30Rock"cough.)

Remember predictions are based on a complicated system that includes hours of endless TV watching, hundreds of dollars spent on delicious movie theater popcorn and of course, guessing.

Best Picture Drama: "Slumdog Millionaire"

Best Actor Drama: Mickey Rourke-"The Wrestler"

Best Actress Drama: Angelina Jolie-"Changeling"

Best Picture Musical/Comedy: "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"

Best Actor Musical/Comedy: Dustin Hoffman-"Last Chance Harvey"

Best Actress Musical/Comedy: Emma Thompson-"Last Chance Harvey"

Best Director: Ron Howard-"Frost/Nixon"

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger-"The Dark Knight"

Best Supporting Actress: Viola Davis-"Doubt"

Best TV Drama: "Dexter"

Best Actor TV Drama: Hugh Laurie-"House"

Best Actress TV Drama: Kyra Sedgwick-"The Closer"

Best TV Comedy: "30 Rock"

Best Actor TV Comedy: Alec Baldwin-"30 Rock"

Best Actress TV Comedy: Tina Fey-"30 Rock"

Writer's Guild nominations surprise

Just a few minutes ago the Writer's Guild of America unveiled the nominations for its Writer's Guild Awards and there are some surprises, both good and bad, in the list of nominees:

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

• "Burn After Reading," Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
• "Milk," Written by Dustin Lance Black
• "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," Written by Woody Allen
• "The Visitor," Written by Tom McCarthy
• "The Wrestler," Written by Robert Siegel

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

• "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Screenplay by Eric Roth; Screen Story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord; Based on the Short Story by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
• "The Dark Knight," Screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan; Story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer; Based on Characters Appearing in Comic Books Published by DC Comics.
• "Doubt," Screenplay by John Patrick Shanley, Based on his Stage Play.
• "Frost/Nixon," Screenplay by Peter Morgan, Based on his Stage Play.
• "Slumdog Millionaire," Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy, Based on the Novel Q and A by Vikas Swarup.

So, that sure is a wide variety of films there. The best one, of course, being "The Dark Knight" which really needed a WGA nod to help it's chances of getting an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. It missed out on the Screen Actor's Guild equivilant of Best Picture, but scored a Producer's Guild nomination for Best Picture. The clincher will be the Director's Guild nominations, announced tomorrow. If Christopher Nolan is nominated then "The Dark Knight" has a really great chance of getting a Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards. Just think about that for a second, a comic book movie nominated for Best Picture.

Bad surprises; I fully expected to see "In Bruges" get an Original Screenplay nod. The script was the best part of the film. Maybe the Guild didn't like the "One F-word every 1.18 minutes" ratio. Well, f-that.

I was happy with the nominations for "The Wrestler" and "The Visitor," which I saw last night and it was good.

In Adapted Screenplay, "Doubt" scored a nomination and maybe shouldn't have. That was my main problem with the movie was the script. Well, that and the funky camera angles. "Slumdog Millionaire" is riding a wave of hype all the way to the bank and that doesn't make me happy. Watch the next episode of Viewpoints On... for my feelings on the film. Just a hint, it's not in my top ten (or 15) of 2008.

So, I have seen five out of the 10 nominees. That is pretty good for me. That number will go up by one, hopefully, if "Frost/Nixon" ever gets released around here.

Visual Effects finalists

So, the Oscars just announced the seven finalists for the "Best Visual Effects" award. Yeah it's a little odd the way they do it, but it's good to see their way of thinking.

“Australia”
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“The Dark Knight”
“Hellboy II: The Golden Army”
“Iron Man”
“Journey to the Center of the Earth”
“The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor”

This list will be narrowed down to the final three official nominations when the entire list is announced on Jan. 22.

A few thoughts:

I have seen four films on that list; “The Dark Knight,” “Hellboy II: The Golden Army,” “Iron Man” and “Journey to the Center of the Earth.”

“The Dark Knight” should be on there, I bet it will make it to the final three.

“Hellboy II: The Golden Army” has really great costume and creature designs, but when it comes to the CGI-fight scenes they look CGI. That is a bad thing in my book.

“Iron Man” is a strong candidate. I watched some behind the scenes footage from the film and there were parts of the movie, like Robert Downey Jr. just standing around in parts of the armor which I thought were not CGI, but a really good costume design person, but turned out to be total CGI. I was really impressed. The only downside is the scene where he really uses the armor for the first time against the terrorists. That scene didn't have the greatest CGI, the filmmakers probably didn't send in that scene to be judged. Smart move.

“Journey to the Center of the Earth” is the weakest of the four, in my opinion. There were some clever moments, but mostly everything was overly colorful and bright. My eight-year-old niece loved the movie, I was just somewhat impressed.

One major omission is "Cloverfield" which I thought had the best CGI this year. My whole arguement is that normally is has to be hard to make good special effects on normal movie cameras. How harder is it to make great effects on handheld cameras?

Other films taken off the original 15 movie shortlist; “Quantum of Solace” (Which had good CGI),
“The Spiderwick Chronicles,” “The Incredible Hulk,”
“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" (The CG gophers killed it I bet), “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” “Hancock” and “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.”

Worst movie of the year explanation

In our most recent episode of "Viewpoints On..." (coughlookbelowcoughcough) we ran down our best and worst things of 2008.

To refresh some memories, or for you lazy folk, Stephanie and I stated that "Indiana Jones" and "The X-Files 2" were the worst movies of the year. We both had many, many reasons for those claims and I am sure many moviegoers would agree with us.

But, what about "The Hottie and the Nottie?" Or "Disaster Film?" Those movies HAD to have been worse than both of those picks. I will give you that. And I am sure there were dozens more that stunk up the box office in 2008. There is only one problem... we didn't see those movies.

I can't speak for Stephanie, but I can most times see a bad movie coming from a mile away. Did anyone really think that "Over Her Dead Body" was going to be an instant classic? Or that "The Love Guru" was going to make $400 million dollars?

I know I didn't.

So when I say this is the worst movie of whatever year, what I am really saying is "This is the worst movie I SAW this year."

And no I didn't see "Saw" this year...

New episode... year end edition!

In this episode Stephanie and I discuss the good and the bad of Pop Culture in 2008. We had a lot to talk about and there was some good stuff that we just couldn't fit into the show (You can see by the show being four parts is one example.)

So, over the next week or so we'll be blogging about some of our other best and worst of 2008 thoughts. But, for now, and as promised in the episode, a few more of Dan's 2008 thoughts.

Worst movie of 2008: "Hellboy 2"

I took my girlfriend to see it, building it up: "I sear, the first one was really cool! It was fun! There was this ninja made of sand, and Ron Perlman was really funny, and it was just awesome! You'll like it, I promise!" Well, lo and behold, Guillermo Del Toro must've dropped acid with Tim Burton and Frank Miller, because this movie was a hefty, never-ending pile of crap. As they trudged through reintroducing EVERY CHARACTER, my girlfriend stared at me. "No, no, it'll get better, they have to do this for people who didn't see the first one." Then they hammed up the dialouge, threw in some random characters like a German doctor made of smoke (ripping himself off??) and a legless demon and... well, it was just a never-ending onslaught of useless garbage. By the time Hellboy killed the giant monster that turned into flowers, covering the street in greenery like a Nissan commercial, I was standing, yelling at the screen "Why would you do this to me??!!" So, all in all, Hellboy II makes you wonder why an original that was good but only got mediocre fanfare would inspire Del Toro to make another, but so... so so so much worse.

Best TV of 2008:

"LOST"- Of course. This was my first season watching it on TV since I was shown the light through a week-long intensive of the first three seasons. And I wasn't disappointed! This show still has the best writing on TV, and some of the best acting. Michael Emerson (who plays Ben) came in on Season 2 and has really stolen the spotlight as the enigmatic and always crafty Benjamin Linus.

"HOUSE"- Another show I recently picked up the adddiction to. It's consistantly interesting, educational, and hillarious. At times, it can get formulaic, but with the addition of a new staff last season, including Kal Penn, the show knows how to keep it fresh. Hugh Laurie is most likely to win a Golden Globe for being the most consistantly amazing actor on TV.

"HEROES"- It only gets number three for coming back from a horrible season 2. I'm not saying it's by any means fantastic, it's still running on "E" and the car's shaking, but it just might get to the gas station in time. I don't know where Tim Kring is getting his actors, but if I had to hear Papa Petrelli READ another line, I would've put one between his eyes to. Once again, Sylar saves the day. :-) ** Tim and Stephanie note: The island sun must have fried Dan's brain a bit. "Heroes" not only was running on empty, but also ran someone over, went off a cliff and exploded. **

"FRINGE"- Thank God there's at least one new show with potential! I've been watching at a slow pace, btu I've come to the conclusion that if a stronger storyline is formed, Fringe could be the next X-files. By the way, did anyone else notice that the kid from the Mighty Ducks is in it, and his dad sounds like Hans? ** Tim note: I agree. **

"THE OFFICE"- For a show that's NEVER really been bland, The Office is kind of juggling the ball. It still gets about one roaring laugh from me every now and then, but with Pam going away for a while, Angela getting married, etc, too many changes start to take th elife out of the show. Very nice bombshell in last week's episode, though! ** Tim note: Referring to the outing of Angela/Dwight having sex **

New episode up and an issue with movie soundtracks

In this episode I talked a bit about "Yes Man" and how I enjoyed the music in the movie, especially the Zooey Deschanel parts. I knew she could sing from "Elf" but I had no idea singing was going to be a part of her character in this film.

Here is an example of one of the songs from the movie:



Funny stuff. But, here is my main issue with actors singing in movies. If it rocks and is cool, why aren't the movie companies releasing these songs ahead of time? Put them on some radio stations or release them as ITunes singles. Get some real buzz going. Heck, put out an official YouTube video and watch the hits rack up.

This move would have been perfect for "Walk Hard," but it wasn't until after I saw the movie that I fell in love with the music. Who knew that John C. Reilly could sing like that? I didn't.


I first felt this way with this gem of a video from the Hugh Grant movie "Music and Lyrics," which we watched in the newsroom at least two dozen times (a lowball estimate):



Click on the video to take you to the main page and look at the number of hits on that video alone: 5,764,723! A vast majority of those hits were AFTER the movie was released. Imagine how much more money "Music and Lyrics" would have made then?

Just a thought.

New Viewpoints On... videos!

Here are some of our recent episodes of Viewpoints On... (The first parts, following the links while watching for other parts.)

Tim's thoughts on Leno in primetime

We ran a little long in the show today and had to cut some stuff on the fly. One bit was my main issue with Jay Leno getting a prime time 10 p.m. slot Monday-Friday on NBC.

Really?

NBC is so far is last place that this is its big idea?

How about stop making crappy shows? Yeah, "Kath and Kim" I am talking about you.

And while we are on the subject of crappy and NBC, that stupid chime thing they do to promote the different shows is BEYOND stupid. Like someone thought "Hey, that's cool, I guess I'll watch 'My Own Worst Enemy' after all!"

They made it a point to say they know Leno won't beat shows like "CSI." Well, why bother then? Since when do we do things to not be first place? "I know we'll be last place, but it'll be a funny last place!"

And either the "Law and Order" shows are moving to 9 p.m. or getting cut.

The other issue I have is that no matter what he says, it is a giant slap in the face to Conan O'Brien who is set to take over the Tonight Show in a few months. So you expect people to watch Leno, then a half hour of local news, then watch O'Brien? And boy is Jimmy Fallon screwed. He was set to take over O'Brien's old time slot.

So, bad move NBC. Be more creative.

Tim's Black Friday memories/pickups

I hate Black Friday shopping with a passion. I used to work for Wal-Mart in the electronics section and always had to "open" on Black Friday, which meant I had to wake up extra early and deal with throngs of deal seeking "people." I use that term loosely because for some reason cheap TVs and other crap bring out the worst in people. I have seen it all from yelling, fighting, tugs of war over clothes to shopping carts being rammed into heels for people not moving fast enough.

During one year you could hear the rumbling of feet and carts coming from the front of the store. It sounded like a stampede, as if it were the Perris California running of the bulls or something. Another year all I did was fill the row in front of the department with 19 inch televisions, go to the back, load up more and repeat... for 3 hours. And, I apparently, wasn't going fast enough.

This, and an aversion to super large crowds, has helped me avoid going out for Black Friday door busters or sales only from 5 a.m. to noon. One exception is Target, who has done away with door busters in favor of two day sales. Meaning I can stroll in say around 10:30 a.m. get what I want and leave, without having to wait in line... like what happened this morning.

I picked up season 2 of "Psych" for $13.98, which I believe, is a great deal. The Target receipt says it normally costs $39.99. A good basis for comparison is the uber-cheap Web site Deep Discount DVD, which lists "Psych: Season 2" for $39.96. I'll take a $25 savings any day.

Another good deal, sort of, was the "I Am Legend" DVD for $3.98. I say sort of because it is the bare bones version with no real extra features other than some comics. Target lists it as originally costing $13 and Deep Discount DVD has it for $6.58. So I saved about $3.


Now you must excuse me so I can go watch Shawn and Gus perform "Shout."

Goodbye to the best show on television

So last night was the series finale of "The Shield" and wow it was a blockbuster of an episode to end the seven year run of the show.

For a show that started with one cop killing another in cold blood, "The Shield" is known for not pulling any punches and shocking viewers by going further than most shows would dare.

Last night was no different. If the shocks and plot twists throughout the span of the show were slaps across your face, then last night was a steel toe'd boot kick to the gut (including the wind being knocked out of you).

Characters died, some in shocking ways, and in the end everyone got what they deserved. For the real main characters (The Strike Team members) who were just bad people, well, they were basically really evil people, each in the end went out in ways they probably deserved.

I won't spoil it for those who watch it on DVD or have it saved on DVRs, but the last few minutes are both reflective and satisfying.

At a time where there isn't much on television that is worth watching (Yes, I am talking to you NBC) "The Shield" is a reminder that great television is possible and that there is Emmy worthy acting in strange places.

Best Bond girls

To many a Bond girl is just the woman James Bond sleeps with on his way to catching the bad guy, but the best Bond girls are the ones who can hold their own against Bond and don't always fall right into his arms.

Hands down the best Bond girl ever is Honor Blackman in "Goldfinger." She could win just for her name alone, Pussy Galore, however, she is also a pilot for Goldfinger who isn't charmed by Bond. She's not a blind follower of the villain, she just enjoys being paid well. You can't help but admire her independent spirit. She does eventually succumb to Bond's charms, because, well, he is James Bond.

Running a close second is Michelle Yeoh in "Tomorrow Never Dies." She plays Bond's Chinese counterpart Wai Lin. Yeoh is probably the only Bond girl to kick butt better than Bond. When she uses her extensive martial arts skills to take down several bad guys in a Chinese safe house, it is one of the best Bond fight scenes ever.

Finally there is Famke Janssen as Xenia Onatopp in "Goldeneye." As villainous Bond girls go, she is the best. She uses her sex appeal to lure unsuspecting victims and she takes a lot of pleasure in her job. When she and Bond face off, he gets the upper hand, but I always assumed it was because she wanted him to have it. She completely steals the spotlight from Izabella Scorupco.

I'm sure there will be plenty of arguing, but then again, it's not exactly a bad topic to argue about.

Bond, Bauer or Bourne

There was a time when James Bond was the only secret agent that mattered. However, now his crown is being challenged by new heroes Jack Bauer and Jason Bourne.

So the question is, who's the best secret agent? Let's start by examining their qualifications.

James Bond is a oo-agent with MI6, he has a license to kill, a gadget for every occasion and can make any woman change sides with just a wink or a smile.

Jack Bauer is a former Counter Terrorist Unit agent who has stopped assassinations and nuclear threats and has sacrificed himself and his family for his country.

Jason Bourne was an assassin for the CIA, since losing his memory he has used his skills to evade the government and get at the truth behind his past.

Best Kill: Bourne, he once killed a guy during a fight with a magazine. Honorable Mention: Bond has the most kills, so he does have the longest list to choose from.

Best Interrogator: Bauer, if you need information from the enemy, nobody tortures a guy like Jack. Honorable Mention: Bond's techniques are more fun if a woman is involved.

Best Undercover Agent: Bond, he will always find a way to infiltrate the villain's organization, whether it's by sleeping with the bad guy's girl or just knocking someone out and stealing their uniform.

Best One-Liners: Bond by a mile, Bauer takes himself very serious and Bourne doesn't even talk half the time.

Better Villains: Bauer, in this new world, his bad guys are more realistic.

The Winner: Bond, while Bourne and Bauer are a little single-minded during their missions, Bond always has time for some romance or maybe a little gambling.

His ability to multi-task while saving the world makes him the clear choice, plus he has the experience having been a spy a good 40 years longer than the other guys.

He should watch his back though, because Bauer and Bourne are closing in on him.

Best James Bond villains

As much as I enjoyed Goldfinger in "Goldfinger," my favorite old-school James Bond villain is Jaws from "The Spy Who Loved Me" and "Moonraker."

He was superior to Bond in both size and strength which made him a menacing opponent, much more than Mathieu Almalric's screaming like a girl Dominic Greene from "Quantum of Solace." Plus, as a child I was scared of Jaws' metal teeth. Those kinds of things stay with you. Yes he was a bumbling idiot, but he also was sort of Jason Vorhees like where no matter what happened to him like falling from great distances he would always just get up and keep going.


More recently, I would say that Sean Bean's Alec Trevelyan from "Goldeneye"
was my favorite. He was a former 00 agent like Bond and was a formitable foe by being Bond's equal in brains and athletic ability. I think that is what the Daniel Craig versions are missing, one main person to stand up to Bond and not get killed in a few seconds. And no Mr. White does not count.

Best James Bond movies

Without a doubt my favorite James Bond movie is "Goldfinger." Great action, plot, Bond girl, henchman Oddjob and evil villain Goldfinger. It was the most well-rounded of those pre-90s Bond films. It also has one the coolest deaths and iconic scenes in the Bond films where Shirley Eaton was covered in gold paint. So iconic in fact that the new Bond film "Quantum of Solace" does their own version of that scene.

Of the more recent films I like "Goldeneye." Seems as if I have a facination with gold in the titles. Note to producers, make the next Bond film have the word gold somewhere in the title.

Best James Bond Actors

For me you can't really beat Sean Connery at all. But, I believe that Pierce Brosnan gets really close. His performance in "Goldeneye" was great and he nailed it right out of the gate. He could pull off the action and make you smirk at the things that were kind of funny.

Sure "The World is Not Enough" is a stinker of a Bond film, but it was not due to Brosnan as Bond. He did the best with what he had to work with, kind of like George Clooney in "Batman and Robin." He also had great chemistry with the Bond girls and Judi Dench as M.

Let the hate mail begin!

'Heroes!'

This week on "Heroes" we saw...

Wait, really, I am just going to bash it again.

Is there a point of continuing to kick someone while they are down? Beating a dead horse?

'Happy' Halloween?

I don't know if it's just me, but wow has Halloween changed since I was a child.

Sure we still carve pumpkins and people still hand out candy, but everything else just seems to be wonky.

Some Halloween night observations from me sitting out in front of my house:

1. A lot of children/teenagers with no costumes trick or treating. I even saw two 10-12 year olds with no costumes, but chatting on their cell phones. Can have a cell phone, but no costumes?

2. Two older ladies trick or treating, no costumes.

3. A teenage girl wearing a skimpy maid outfit. She wasn't carrying a bag, so she lifted up her skirt up to carry the candy around. Very inappropriate. Sad thing? Her parents were with her...

4. A car pulls up, a kid in a "Scream" outfit jumps out and runs up to get some candy. He runs back to the car, the car pulls away and stops two houses down. Rinse and repeat a few more times. My jaw was on the floor. I have never witnessed lazy trick or treating before.

5. Wearing a mask over regular clothes is NOT a costume!

One thing that did impress me was the amounts of "Thank you's" that I got. That, for sure, made up for all of the above annoying things.

Viewpoints on... "The Office'

Check out the staff members of Viewpoints take on the latest episode of "The Office." Join the funniest panel of writers covering the funniest show on television! And not sad funny like "Heroes."

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Viewpoints on 'Heroes'

Check out the staff members of Viewpoints take on the latest episode of "Heroes." Nothing is safe from making fun of, even time traveling heroes!

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E for All Video Game Expo

I'm live from the E for All gaming expo where the emphasis this year is on accessories. Don't get me wrong there's plenty of video games to be found, but it seems as though manufacturers have decided accessories are where the money is at.

All the top games are represented here somehow, with "Guitar Hero 3" and "Rock Band 2" being the most popular. These games are made for someone like me who likes to hang out and play with friends, but has no hand-eye-coordination.

As a matter of fact I just tried out "Guitar Hero 3" and it was loads of fun. It includes a lot of the songs that you always wished were on "Rock Band." For about three and a half minutes I really thought I was the lead singer of Bon Jovi.

E for All isn't just about playing games, there are several colleges here with information on Gaming development and graphic design programs. There is also a full day of career seminars about breaking into the gaming industry.

Apparently in these uncertain times one thing never changes and that is the public's desire to become a rock star and blow stuff up.

Why America needs Ricky Gervais

After sitting through the atrocity that was the Emmys, one thing became abundantly clear. America should steal Ricky Gervais from Britain.

Gervais was the only funny thing in an extremely unfunny show. Now there are rumors floating around that producers want Gervais to host the Oscars.

Having watched his hilarious job hosting the BAFTA's (Britain's Oscars,) all I can say is someone offer him any amount of money he wants to make this happen.

Right now Hollywood is saturated with remakes and updates of old properties and Gervais is one of the few actors doing original material. From "The Office" to "Extras" everything he does is funny, so why not have him put his unique slant on a ridiculously long and boring show. You know the Academy does not want the kind of reviews and bad press that the Emmys had to deal with.

By the way if you haven't seen the British version of "The Office" you should immediately head to Netflix and put it at the top of your list.

NBC is ruining the Olympics

Several years ago NBC paid an exorbitant amount of money for the exclusive TV rights to the Olympic games. With its stable of cable channels and 24 hour Internet access NBC advertised that they would have 3600 hours of coverage. They failed to mention that it would be 3600 hours of awful coverage.

First of all I understand that NBC can't control a 15 hour time difference. What they can do is show me live events as they happen. They had the entire Olympics rescheduled just so they could televise gymnastics, swimming and other top sports live. Unfortunately, they meant only live on the east coast. For those of us on the west coast, we get a tape delay.

This is nothing new for us west coasters, we generally get everything on tape delay. Everything but top sporting events and the Oscars. If only the Olympics were important enough to equal the Oscars. They only happen every four years, that's not that special.

So while the rest of the country was enjoying Michael Phelps amazing feats live, I was watching ESPN waiting for an update about an event that I would have to wait three hours to see. By the way, NBC has the audacity to leave that "Live" marker in the corner to mock me. The only time anything is ever actually live is at 2 in the morning when they're showing women's handball.

I love the Olympics. I love the spectacle, the sports, and the stories. All I want is for NBC to consider allowing me the privilege of enjoying it live.

Alicia Sacramone, Olympic champion

Women's gymnastics has always been the headlining attraction during week one of the Olympics. In recent years the men's competition has gained more exposure, making it just as fascinating. At these games head to head battles with China have made gymnastics one of the most anticipated events of the games.

Monday night the US men won bronze paving the way for the women to defend their World Champion titles. The women were literally doing direct battle with China because they were competing on the same rotation. The US started off strong on vault and uneven bars, but then came the balance beam. At just four inches wide it is considered the make or break apparatus. The Chinese were up first and they were really shaky, leaving the door wide open for the US. Unfortunately, team captain Alicia Sacramone fell off the beam during her opening move. Just like that the US's hopes to strike back against the Chinese were gone. It should be noted here that even with all the mistakes they made the Chinese were still given remarkably high scores. While the host country always receives a bump, these scores were out of control. Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson recovered enough to keep the US in contention, but they would need a huge effort in the floor exercise.

This time the Americans would compete first and once again Alicia Sacramone would lead the way. She appeared ready to redeem herself until a disastrous second tumbling pass where she landed on her back closed the door on the gold. As she left the floor team coach Marta Karoly seemed unable or perhaps unwilling to comfort Sacramone who looked for a private moment that the cameras would not give her.

The US won the silver and the Chinese took gold, leaving Russia with the bronze. Many will call this a failure by the Americans, however I think it is an example in how to lose with class and grace. Sacramone, who at 20 is the oldest member of the team, took all the blame on herself and didn't fail to answer the questions of a rabid press ready to point out her every flaw. To me that is the measure of a true team captain and champion.

So while many will remember how Alicia Sacramone fell, I will remember how she stood up with her teammates as they won the silver medal.

Michael Phelps Backlash

Michael Phelps is great. There's no denying it, the guy can swim. However, he's not single-handedly saving the world or anything. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan, but according to NBC he's the second coming.

After the US's amazing comeback in the 4x100 meter relay all anyone talked about was how his hopes for 8 gold medals were still alive. I felt like this was a slap in the face to the other swimmers on the team. They didn't even have a shot at gold until Jason Lesak's fantastic swim on the anchor leg. Sure Lesak got some press, but it was still all about Phelps. No one even mentioned Cullen Jones or Garret Weber-Gale. They were the other guys on the team in case you were wondering.

Phelps is already being called the greatest Olympian ever, which is ridiculous when you consider the complete history of the Olympics. For my money I don't think he'd make the top ten at this point.

At the moment NBC is like a 13 year old girl who just met The Jonas Brothers. They can't contain their love for Phelps. My question is where is the love for the US men's gymnastics team or Togo's Benjamin Boukpeti?

The gymnastics team was spot on last night when they won the bronze medal. Everyone nailed their routines and there was a real camaraderie evident. Boukpeti won Togo's first ever Summer Olympics medal by taking the bronze in men's single kayak slalom. However, these stories are overshadowed by Phelps quest for 8 gold medals. If NBC isn't careful they will be ground zero for an outbreak of Phelps backlash.

Are the Olympics still relevant?

There have been a lot of questions recently about whether the Olympics still matter in today's world. Last night's opening ceremonies answered those questions with a resounding yes. Between athletes carrying in their countries' flags with pride and million dollar superstars experiencing a pride they don't get from their day jobs, these ceremonies had a story for everyone.

Generally the opening ceremonies are a chance for the host country to showcase why it was awarded the honor of putting on the games. China chose to showcase the beauty of its history and its people. The artistry and precision of an ancient culture was displayed with a nod to the advancements of a modern society.

As the parade of nations began commentators wondered if the politics of the world would impact the recepetion of certain countries. The answer to that question was no, as all 11,000 athletes were welcomed with cheers. Even countries like Japan and Taiwan, who China has long and storied conflicts with, were greeted warmly. Athletes from Iraq, Afghanistan and Sudan marched proudly, momentarily forgetting the war zones they left behind.

Finally the moment came that 1.3 billion people had been waiting for when the Chinese delegation entered the stadium. They were led by flag bearer and basketball superstar Yao Ming. He was led by a 9 year old earthquake survivor who not only dug himself out of the rubble but returned to free two classmates. When asked why he went back, the young hero replied that he was a class leader and hall monitor and that it was his responsibility. Stories like that prove how relevant the Olympic games are to our world.

The cauldron was lit in breathtaking fashion as gymnastics champion Li Ning danced around the top of the stadium on a LED screen that revealed the torch's progress to that spectacular moment. The majesty of that moment proved that the Olympic games gives the world reason to hope that our similarities can outweigh our differences.

Why TV executives are dumb

Recently the major networks held their upfronts. This is when they announce new shows and officially cancel failed shows from the previous season. With the invention of Tivo/DVR and the rise of original cable programming the networks have been in bad shape lately, and you can bet that writer's strike didn't help.

Of course all the hits are sure things, "Heroes," "Grey's Anatomy" and the various CSIs all get immediate pickups.

New shows with breakout stars or big numbers are also in. Shows like "Private Practice" and "Dirty Sexy Money," are also in.

There were a few high profile flops this season, among them "Bionic Woman" and "Cane." Upon first glance these shows seemed like sure things. They had casts full of big name talent and their respective networks were throwing tons of cash into them. Unfortunately, money can't buy success and they're both gone.

The most nerve wracking part of upfronts week is the wait to see whether your favorite show on the bubble will be renewed.

Because of the strike there was a lack of material and it was said that networks would be kinder to bubble shows. For fans of "Moonlight," "New Amsterdam" and "Jericho" this wasn't quite true.

Fox decided to axe "New Amsterdam" to make room for the future classic "The Moment of Truth." I suppose they have a one cult sci-fi show per season rule over there and this year "The Sarah Connor Chronicles" got the nod.

CBS canceled "Moonlight" and "Jericho" but kept "The Big Bang Theory." Are the inmates running the asylum over there? Oh and two more "Survivors" I can hardly wait. It's not like they've done the same show 16 times already. We get it they're in the jungle and there's backstabbing.

In a truly confounding move ABC is renewing "According to Jim." Has anyone ever heard another person say hey did you see "According to Jim" last night? I didn't think so. That makes me wonder who on this planet could possibly be watching that show. I don't think Jim Belushi is even watching.

NBC is trying to be different and claim that they have new programming all summer long. What they're really saying is that they're loading up on reality shows for three months until they can bring back "Heroes" and "The Office."

Another revelation discovered at the upfronts is that American TV producers have run out of ideas. Almost every network has at least one or two British shows being developed for America. British shows are great, BBC America is a fantastic channel. However, if I've already seen the original "Life on Mars" why do I need to watch ABC's copy.

The upfronts aren't all bad news. Some the new shows sound really interesting. FOX has the latest Joss Whedon project titled "Dollhouse." They also have J.J. Abrams's new show called "Fringe." The CW has already announced the return of a a little show called "90210."

The lesson of all this is to not get too attached because next year we may be talking about the failure of "90210," or how FOX pulled "Dollhouse" without airing the final six episodes.

I guess we could always turn off the TV and read a book, not likely though.

Huzzah!

I did it; I finally watched the entire second season of "Torchwood."

Unlike Stephanie I'm a Tivo junkie and spent the better part of my spring break catching up on Torchwood.

Things got a lot darker the second time around. But this doesn't mean they were all great ("Out of the rain")

Doctor Who: Partners In Crime

This was the first official episode of the new season and it felt great to see my old friend The Doctor back in action. After suffering some losses in the Christmas episode, it was time to lighten up. Cue Catherine Tate.

Last night's episode re-introduced Tate as The Doctor's new companion Donna Noble. Catherine Tate is very popular in England for her sketch comedy show and her comedic timing and sassy sensibility is a welcome addition to The Doctor's universe.

In the best scene last night, The Doctor and Donna get reacquainted from across a room using only hilarious sign language to communicate.

Based on this first outing and upcoming episodes Tate will bring a lot more comedy to The Doctor's world. She will also provide more balance as a companion because she will not be bogged down by hero worship like his previous companions.

I felt this was a great start to the new season, and with the surprise cameo at the end it appears we are in for a very interesting story arc.

Next week our heroes visit Pompeii and are faced with an impossible choice.

The Doctor is back

“I’m The Doctor, I’m a Time Lord, I’m from the planet Gallifrey, I’m 903 years old, I’m the man that’s going to save your lives and all 6 billion people on the planet below, do you have a problem with that?”

If you aren’t already watching the BBC’s “Doctor Who” that one statement tells you everything you need to know about The Doctor. Here in the States “Doctor Who” airs on SCI-FI channel and BBC America. In England it is a phenomenon that routinely sets viewing records and has turned its cast and crew into household names.

“Doctor Who” is a legendary television franchise that was regenerated in 2005. The Doctor is a Time Lord who travels through space and time in his TARDIS, a space ship disguised as a big blue police box. He often takes companions with him on these travels and he usually ends up saving Earth and the rest of the Universe from some evil alien threat.

Season four of “Doctor Who began in England on April 5 and then premiered in America on April 18. If you’re a patient, law abiding fan, you probably waited until April 18 for SCI-FI channel’s season premiere that started with the Christmas special “Voyage of the Damned.”

However, if you’re an impatient rule breaker like me, you’ve been online and have already seen “Voyage of the Damned” and the first three episodes of the new season.

This season promises to be the most exciting yet, as The Doctor will be joined by new full-time companion Donna Noble played by British comedienne Catherine Tate. In episode four Martha Jones rejoins the TARDIS crew, and later this season Billie Piper returns as Rose Tyler, the new Doctor’s first companion.

Also on board this season, the fabulous John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness. This means The Doctor will be accompanied by four companions in one season. The TARDIS is sure going to get crowded, good thing it’s bigger on the inside.

While I may dream of being The Doctor’s fifth companion, I am dismayed by the news that once season four finishes there will be a year long absence before season five starts production. The truly amazing David Tennant, who plays The Doctor, will be playing Hamlet in a Royal Shakespeare Company production. This means the TARDIS will be temporarily shelved.

That means I will have to go an entire year without seeing The Doctor, Martha, Donna and Jack.

I guess I better savor every moment of season four. Well thank god for “Torchwood.”

Tim's instant "Lost" reactions for episode 3

So, more questions again!

I feel like the Riddler at the end of "Batman Forever" when he is babbling about "too many questions..."

They did answer a question that no one ever asked before, that the island is somehow 31 minutes out of sync with everything else. Even though that mystery is itself a giant question...

I have a theory about Miles, but you'll have to watch the next episode of "Viewpoints on..." to find out.

The ending, won't spoil, was surprising. That was a good part.

Dan's Review of Three of the Best Picture nominees

Juno almost topped Across the Universe as the Worst Movie We As A Civilization Will Have To Experience. I wouldn't care that I sat through unrealistic situations, obscure reference after obscure reference (by a 16-year-old?!), a father who is surprisingly ok with his young daughter being "bored one day" and screwing some guy, and the fact that JENNIFER GARDNER SAVED THE MOVIE (??!!??!!), if it wasn't nominated for awards. Obviously they just didn't want to nominate too many movies that would be heavy contenders, so they pandered to a movie that seemed like it was written by a 13-year-old about a 16-year-old. It's not Knocked Up Lite because Knocked Up actually dealt with all of the mature issues in a funny way. In Knocked Up, the pregnant woman was miserable and terrified. Cut to Juno, where the girl is close to half her age, and the pregnant GIRL is wisecracking, not even really knowing she's pregnant until the middle ofthe second trimester, throws up once, throws one little tissy fit over prom. Who can greenlight something so blatantly horrible? And Jason Bateman plays Jennifer Garner's husband, a 30-omething jinglewriter who is stuck in a marriage. So what does he do to escape? He watches old horror movies and listens to eclectic music with Juno, and eventually puts the moves on her! What 30-something will put the moves on a pregnant 16-year-old to Mott the Hoople?! Did someone lose their mind writing this? Has the world gone insane? My only explanation is that a producer said "Wow, we could get a lot of sub-par names in thi and make a bundle. Let's have someone add some maturity at the end." So the older couple breaks up and Jennifer Garner gets the baby. Couple of good scenes in that. But then, it's right back to the stupid race: Juno and Michael Cera's character go back to being together, keep wasting away their days together, and act like it never happened. How is it some movies don't get greenlighted for insensitivity and moral issues, but Juno is made, which basically says that a 16-year-old can get pregnant, her dad will be fine with that, she can find a couple in the Pennysaver (I kid you not) to take it, she doesn't have to care enough about it to get updates on it wants it's gone, she'll barely feel any effects, and life will go back to normal after she has a child? Oh, and one last thing... the soundtrack. It was as irritating and forced as Juno's cynicism and witty taste was. You can only take so many folk songs about "wanting to be a bumble bee" and "you and me" and "things to be across the sea" before you want to go home and listen to Slayer for seven hours. Juno was the most tasteless, boring, forced, unrealistic, inhuman film I've had to see lately.

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Last year was a year to some real throwbacks, most notably westerns, and most notably "There Will Be Blood."
Paul Thomas Anderson took an Upton Sinclair novel about oil in general and worked it into a powerful story about an oil man, Daniel Plainview, who is dark, envious, proud, distrusting, and brutal.
Before I go into the actual plot at all, I want to note a few things Anderson did and didn't do that should get him a lot more credit.
Anderson didn't give us recycled characters. We didn't see Bill the Butcher from Gangs of New York (though Daniel Day Lewis did sport the same mustache for both characters). He also didn't give us the young brooding man Paul Dano played in "Little Miss Sunshine."
What we got was two characters who come to feel like wrecking balls. One swings around screen most of the time, and when the other hits, you're genuinely terrified of what the outcome will be.
Another thing Anderson has done brilliantly is shot a film in a way you don't expect or realize. Several major scenes are one continuous shot; no cutting from person to person, place to place. Anderson puts on an oil field and gives you only one set of eyes to understand the situation.
Another wholly satisfying and fresh tactic was when Plainview is at the dealing table trying to negotiate. How many times have we seen the camera fire back and forth while they cut deals?Not this time. We are fixed on Plainview, seeing his eyes twinkle as he ropes in land owners, and see the predator look slide across his face as they contemplate.
HOLD IT! It's not just filmMAKING that sets "There Will Be Blood above other standard movies. The acting is easiy the best of the year. With only two major actors (well, one for now) in the film, the casting was set perfectly to not overwhelm the audience and fish for awards, but to feel real.
The scene-stealer is easily Paul Dano, who plays the off-putting and down-right eerie Eli Sunday. YOu don't expect anyone to rival Plainviews drive, force and brute manly demeanor. But, out of the blinding daylight comes the sheepish, akward Sunday, seemingly unafraid of Plainview's power and stature.
Many scenes of the movie built around these two leave open-ended meanings that will start debates outside the theatre. In one scene, Sunday makes a bold move, leaving you abosolutely baffled as to what is going on in his head.
In the soon-to-be-famous church scene, Plainview atones for his sins (for purely capital reasons, of course), and Sunday drives an emotional stake through his heart, leading to the clip some of you may have seen on the Golden Globes of Plainview breaking down as he confesses he has abandonned his only son.
Another puzzling, open-ended moment is immediately after Plainview is "saved," when he whispers something to Sunday. It cannot be understood by us, but it leaves a myriad of feeling on Sunday's face, from horror, to nervousness, to faux satisfaction.
All of this leads to an unforseen ending sequence. Everyone's left wondering if the two men of different industries will ever have closure, and it comes in the most shocking, unforgiving, and sickly pleasurable ways.
Daniel Day Lewis, who rightfully won the Golden Globe for Best Actor, is still a scene stealer. I first saw him in "Gangs of New York," and was mesmerized by his commitment and honesty in a character. Where last time he was an evil man on the prowl in brutal times, Day Lewis became an evil man with glaring weakness and humanity for his role as Plainview.
While Day Lewis caps the movie with a one-line knock-out punch, it's just as good (and a whole lot less spoilerific) as his praise of Sunday's evangelical church service: "That was a Goddamn helluva show in there."
So, when Oscar time floats around, make sure you've sen this film. I can't promise that cheesey, recycled crap like Atonement will finally be snubbed for not reaching out of Jane Austen's back pocket, but perhaps Day Lewis will hold reign as the greatest actor of our time and Dano may get his Best Supporting award.
Overall, this movie is a low-key powerhouse. There are at least a handful of scenes you will miss the beginning of as you try to comprehend what had just previously happened. Unnerving tension and sometimes unpredictable, frightening characters make this movie an action film with only 30% action.
At times it can be slow, but there's always an underlying air to every scene that makes you wonder when the next bombs going to drop... and it always does, right up to the last line.

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I truly had accepted There Will Be Blood as the deserving film of the year. But then I saw No Country For Old Men, a pulse-pounding game of cat an mouse that can only be described as... boom.

There's been a lot of talk of Javier Bardem's scene-stealing role as Anton Chigurh, a quiet, cold killing machine armed with some not-so-traditional weapons. Though the film is based mostly around Llewelyn Moss (played perfectly by Josh Brolin), a Vietnam Veteran who finds a bag full of money in the midst of a blown drug deal he stumbled upon. The only problem is that in the bag with the money is also a tracking device, putting Anton hot on his trail.

So begins an edge-of-your-seat scare fest. If Javier Bardem is on screen, you know bad things are about to happen. The only thing that makes it worse in when he is losing his patience chasing someone. At all times, however, he keeps his character calm, cool, and unexpectedly deadly.

Tommy Lee Jones gives a great performance as Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, a man who has taken up his post just like every ma in his family has. The only problem is that he seems very hesitant, even afraid to get really involved in the situation. Though he doesn't do much other than offer a great deal of excuses not to go to the rescue and some very good dialouge with his comrades, Tommy Lee Jones, as well as every character, finds his place eventually.

This movie is steady, dark, loud, and frightening. While some may think that it's just another "The Departed," it's actually a much more realistic look at the kind of men in situations like this; they aren't all courageous, or smart, or sane. They are all just men. The violence is graphic, but only because it would be in that situation.

No Country For Old Men is easily my favorite to win. Javier Bardem will no doubt get his chance to give an acceptance speech. But for what my opinion's worth, I'd say the Coen brothers will round out the night's festivities.

Chris Nolan's article on Heath Ledger

http://www.newsweek.com/id/105580

Give it a read, it is a great, great article.

Tim's instant "Lost" reactions

More new people...

More new questions...

More new mysteries...

Seeing a pattern here?

At least the Smoke Monster was revealed as... wait... Ben doesn't know either!?!

Is it just me or does every place off the island look like Hawaii too? I've been to Inglewood and it doesn't look like that.

$10 says the girl Locke captured is Ben's "man on the boat." Why would an Anthropologist wear a bullet proof vest when the other members of the team didn't? Kind of convienent?

LOST, Episode 4.02 "Confirmed Dead" Recap/Reactions!!!

First off, kudos to ABC for airing last week's episode. Great idea to give people another chance to get into this season. Kind of like saying "Yeah, we've been gone, and we know you're sketchy about coming back, but we'll give you one more chance to think it over."

I'm really excited to see Jeremy Davies (playing Daniel Faraday) on tonight's episode. He's an interesting actor, definately the kind of guy who belongs on Lost.

So let's begin watching LOST, Episode 4.02, "Confirmed Dead"...

Oceanic Flight 815 is found!.... Underwater?! The online game eluded to this. Apparently it has something to do with Desmond's girlfriend's father. So there's some sort of decoy coverup going on. Is it just to stop Penny from looking? I doubt it. Maybe Ben did it to keep people from looking for the island. Is Ben and Penny's father in cahoots?

Daniel Faraday is flatout WEIRD. Something just isn't right there. Is he just some weird savant, or is he hiding something? He's obviously not a covert spy; he just let that A-bomb drop: "Rescuing you....not our primary objective."

DUH. I think we all pieced that together. How about you tell us what you're there for?

Another piece of the insanedom is dropped when Locke shows off his wicked-cool bullet scar. If he hadn't been used and abused by his dad (including having his father con him out of a kidney), Locke would now be dead.

And another random theory from me: If Walt's back and taller, that means he's older, and he's aged fast. If time really is an issue, and Richard (the Other that doesn't seem to age) is still his age, maybe people on the island are in a sort of slowed down time space. Maybe people coming to the island have gone through a year missing Flight 815, when it's only been a month to them. That explains Jack's dad being dead in the flashforward as well.

Then there's Miles. The dude from X3 (I can't recall his name) is pretty good. Nothing really big from him, except how did he know Naomi was dead?!

So...... Miles is a medium..... huh? Was that necessary? Unless he can go to the caves and "speak" to Adam and Eve, I don't see the importance. The survivors already have Desmond for psychic entertainment. And as far as that goes, they have Locke to be weird. I guess they're just upping the antie.

****TIM NOTE**** Miles+Jacob=Answers! $20 Segraves bucks for Tim!

THERE'S the big eyebrow raiser: "The light here... it just doesn't seem to scatter right."

Daniel Faraday either is running around the jungle on shrooms or gave us a brilliant little nugget of a clue. Maybe another one of Dharma's experiments? Maybe altertering light to hide the island? Am I reaching to far?

Granted, I think Miles is a cool character, but the situation that Miles and Jack are in, and how quickly it turned, really makes you want to be Jack's wingman: "Yeah, Miles! HOW STUPID ARE YOU, PUNK?"

Wow, chick with a horrible accent in the desert. Is she British? I don't know. I've heard twelve-year-olds do better accents.

POLAR BEAR?! How did it get there? WHAT? Dharma Bear! AHHH!

I'm guessing a rouge group of polar bears were in route to save the last Dharma polar bear when their chopper went down. I wonder if Sawyer killing the polar bear will have any ill effects between the Oceanic Six and the United Polar Bears union when they get off the island....

Anyways, back to the actual show. Team Locke catches Bad Actress and they have a sort of question and answer segment with a whole lot of akwardness. That is, until John let's her know that they are the survivors who DON'T want to leave.

As Team Jack marches their new "friends" through the forest, hillarity ensues. The love triangle between Jack, Kate and Juliet just got way better. I just laughed really hard at the whole exchange where Jack's kind of caught in the middle. He's bonded with both of these women through their struggle to survive, now he's caught in between. POOR JACK, two beautiful women after him...

Faraday and Sayid have a pleasant conversation with some funny attitude from Miles tossed in. Great scene!

Cool old man. Plus a nice cameo from Greg Grunberg. Guess he has nothing better to do since Dissapointment... I mean, Heroes... is off the air right now.

Oooh.... not his body? That means... Flight 815 is not in the water! GASP! Yeah, let's move it along, we're all aware that there's some kind of hoax going..... oh. Cool Old Man was supposed to fly the plane. That could lead to some very odd things in the future, especially if everyone was predestined to be on the island.

COW! HAHAHAHAHA!!! Sorry, I find that hillarious.

CHOPPER! That's more like it. Now things will start to get desperate. There's a viable way out, so now there's not really a way to further that plotline. So we can focus on the island, right?

Well, there's yet another twist! The strange dude that was after Hugo sent Naomi and the mod squad to the island. What the h---?!

Oh, crap! There's a hit out on Ben! For what though? For killing the Dharma Initiavtive? But then Oceanic is in this with Dharma. It seems there's a whole lot of corporate shenanigans going on.

So, Ben's in danger, he has someone on their boat (Dharma Bear?), and there's a chance for actual rescue.

I'm confused. This episode threw a whole bunch of twists and information at me. They need to start organizing it out or I may end up like Faraday.

Will "Cloverfield" Change The Industry Or Start A Fad?

Fresh out of the theatre today, I was taken by surprise; "Cloverfield" knocked my socks off. Yet some actually were demanding their money back. Why? Because this is a controversial movie for all of the right reasons. Here are a few:

1. THE RETURN OF "SHAKEY-CAM"- The old (well, not really old) technique that gives film an amateur, onthe-spot realism that put "The Blair Witch Project" on the map. "Cloverfield is the triumphant return of this type of movie. The difference is that "Blair" made it a gimmick. "Cloverfield" commits on all levels.

Yes, the beginning was confusing, until you piece together that the movie is being filmed over footage of two of the characters earlier on. But as far as creativity and presence is concerned, this works. The idea of taping over another tape is realistic and makes for a genius way to do flashbacks.

As far as the shakey cam itself, it's just as legitimate and nessecary as a choreographer or color scheme in a movie; it's make the movie that much more believable. You'd be taken out of the scene if the characters were constantly stopping to get Scorcese-style panoramics.

2. UNKNOWN ACTORS HOLD SMALL BOX OFFICE DRAW- True, but with the name J.J. Abrams, who needs anything else? I wasn't a huge fan of Abrams until I started watching ABC's "Lost," but I will now give anything associated with Abrams a shot.

The actors aren't bad, either. If any second-year film student thinks about it, you would have to have unknowns. The closest actor to fame is Michael-Stahl David ("The Black Donnelys"), who plays Rob.

This is a "random" tape found after a disaster, and I doubt Tom Hanks chills with his friends in a swank Manhattan loft.

3. SHORT, POINTLESS EYE CANDY?!- Not... one... bit. The movie was a mere hour and a half, but as the credits roled, I felt like I had sat through two and a half hours of non-stop action. I was thrilled. Drew Goddard (writer) proved you don't need to write a saga, you just need to get the story out.

And "pointless" is the exact opposite description of this movie. I'll admit it right here: I teared up. Yeah. I, a 21-year-old male, almost cried in a monster movie. Why am I not ashamed? Despite not being macho, this movie was also not JUST a monster flick. It was a fast-paced story about how far a person will go for someone they love. The underlying story between main character Rob and his ex-girlfriend, damzel-in-distress Beth (played by Odette Yustman) really shone through.

So, which is it? Is "Cloverfield" an instant classic that will echo for generations or is it the first of a million knockoffs?

The answer is: BOTH. "Cloverfield" itself is a great film with the same shock value and fun of the monster movies of the golden age of film. It's also going to spawn absolutely disgusting followups from other companies, such as "The Poughkeepsie Tapes," a film made by a serial killer chronicalling his twisted work.

If you want to have a great time laughing, crying, screaming, jumping, and screaming, go see "Cloverfield." But be warned: this is only the beginning...