Exerpt from an online conversation between my friend Baril and myself*:
Baril (2:14): lol
Baril (2:15): Shit I wanted to type "lol" and I typed "lost" instead
Benjh (2:15): lost
Baril (2:15): lol
By the way, you can read the amazing "blug", by Baril, by clicking right here!
* The following has been translated from the french for your reading convenience.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Lost goes local
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read this if you haven't watched the second episode of the third season of Lost.
Hi, I'm Ben, the other one, the not-other.
Confused? Read on...
GENERAL IMPRESSION
Let me say right off the bat: The beginning of this new season of Lost is absolutely fantastic. Not only do we learn a lot about the others, the episodes are also masterfully written and directed. I feel like the overall "quality" of the show has improved.
Talking about "direction", we have a lot less handheld camera shots, and a lot more creativeness (the aerial shot of Othersville, and this opening shot of the ballerina falling down - which was stunning). It seems obvious to me there's a lot more money going into the making of every episode, as it should considering the ratings...
THE RED SOX STORY
I'd like to talk some more about the ending to this second episode, because it combined so many good elements.
One: Jack (and ourselves) realizes the others have access to the outside world. To see a baseball game play in the world of Lost was just staggering!
Two: the acting was just amazing, with Michael Emerson bringing to Ben (Henry's real name) an edginess and crazyness that are compelling. And Matthew Fox is always perfect.
Three: the producers managed to include in the story a historic event we all remember, and that absolutely defines this time of Fall 2004: the Boston Red Sox victory at the world series. Not only was it funny, but it also places the series in our world, with references we all know (that also includes Bush re-election).
In a time where most series take place in an other reality (in 24 or Prison Break, the presidents have different names etc.), Lost, maybe the most "fantastic" of real series, decided to tell us: this happening somewhere in YOUR world. And it's great.
The only complaint I have has to do with the Red Sox. I said we all remember their victory, but actually, it's every American (and possibly Canadian) who remembers. To the rest of the world, the world of Baseball, not to mention the Red Sox's curses of the Bambino, is totally unknown.
When I watch american TV, I always wonder how an international audience will appreciate it. Until now, one of Lost's strength was how international, how not American it was: with its Iraqi, British and Australian characters. With its south-pacific location.
For sure, this episode will be greatly appreciated all over the world, for its quality, but the whole exchange between Jack and Ben about the red sox will go totally undercover.
If Jack ever has the chance to share this with Charlie, expect him to answer: "The Boston who have won what?".
THE OTHERS
Finally, here's my theory about the others. Scratch that, here's the truth about the other! It looks crystal clear to me.
There are two questions: "where do they come from?" and "what do they want?".
Honestly, where they come from has no importance. I expect it to be revealed sometime this season. Another crash, Dharma people or subject revolting, whatever.
What's really interesting is "what do they want?". Well, like Ben said, I'm convinced they're good guys. They choose to live on this island for reasons that are their own and are extremely happy about how perfect and suburban their life is (in a kind of Shyamalan's The Village -like scenario).
When the plane crashed, Ben immediately realized that adding 40 people to their little thing would screw everything up, so he decided they should be integrated over time. And so the whole thing is a process to integrate, few by few, our heroes into their world. - starting with Jack, Sawyer and Kate. They never kill unless their own life is in danger (and never asked Michael to kill anyone), and even captured all kids early so they don't have to go through the hardships of survival. I'm sure they're somewhere in Othersville, happy and being cared for. They even tried to make sure Claire would deliver her baby in all safety! Seriously, this is so obvious, you're all really dumb!
Why else would they let Walt (and its special powers) go, realizing he'd be happier with his dad? Of course, not everything went according to plan (Rousseau's daughter and her teen angst, Ethan going crazy), and not everything will (Jack is too stuborn - Juliette and others are obviously not that happy about Ben's leadership). But this is why we watch.
LAST NOTE:
We know now the show is not in-temporal. It take place (or at least starts) in 2004. For now, it's not a big deal. Let's just hope it will be the same 5 years from now, if the show is still running. Imagine them hearing about Katrina for the first time in a 2011 episode!
Anyone else noticed all big important characters have extremely simple names?
Jack, Kate, John, James (sawyer's real name), Micheal and now Ben. Wonder where this is going...
The other Ben, the not-other, out!
Hi, I'm Ben, the other one, the not-other.
Confused? Read on...
GENERAL IMPRESSION
Let me say right off the bat: The beginning of this new season of Lost is absolutely fantastic. Not only do we learn a lot about the others, the episodes are also masterfully written and directed. I feel like the overall "quality" of the show has improved.
Talking about "direction", we have a lot less handheld camera shots, and a lot more creativeness (the aerial shot of Othersville, and this opening shot of the ballerina falling down - which was stunning). It seems obvious to me there's a lot more money going into the making of every episode, as it should considering the ratings...
THE RED SOX STORY
I'd like to talk some more about the ending to this second episode, because it combined so many good elements.
One: Jack (and ourselves) realizes the others have access to the outside world. To see a baseball game play in the world of Lost was just staggering!
Two: the acting was just amazing, with Michael Emerson bringing to Ben (Henry's real name) an edginess and crazyness that are compelling. And Matthew Fox is always perfect.
Three: the producers managed to include in the story a historic event we all remember, and that absolutely defines this time of Fall 2004: the Boston Red Sox victory at the world series. Not only was it funny, but it also places the series in our world, with references we all know (that also includes Bush re-election).
In a time where most series take place in an other reality (in 24 or Prison Break, the presidents have different names etc.), Lost, maybe the most "fantastic" of real series, decided to tell us: this happening somewhere in YOUR world. And it's great.
The only complaint I have has to do with the Red Sox. I said we all remember their victory, but actually, it's every American (and possibly Canadian) who remembers. To the rest of the world, the world of Baseball, not to mention the Red Sox's curses of the Bambino, is totally unknown.
When I watch american TV, I always wonder how an international audience will appreciate it. Until now, one of Lost's strength was how international, how not American it was: with its Iraqi, British and Australian characters. With its south-pacific location.
For sure, this episode will be greatly appreciated all over the world, for its quality, but the whole exchange between Jack and Ben about the red sox will go totally undercover.
If Jack ever has the chance to share this with Charlie, expect him to answer: "The Boston who have won what?".
THE OTHERS
Finally, here's my theory about the others. Scratch that, here's the truth about the other! It looks crystal clear to me.
There are two questions: "where do they come from?" and "what do they want?".
Honestly, where they come from has no importance. I expect it to be revealed sometime this season. Another crash, Dharma people or subject revolting, whatever.
What's really interesting is "what do they want?". Well, like Ben said, I'm convinced they're good guys. They choose to live on this island for reasons that are their own and are extremely happy about how perfect and suburban their life is (in a kind of Shyamalan's The Village -like scenario).
When the plane crashed, Ben immediately realized that adding 40 people to their little thing would screw everything up, so he decided they should be integrated over time. And so the whole thing is a process to integrate, few by few, our heroes into their world. - starting with Jack, Sawyer and Kate. They never kill unless their own life is in danger (and never asked Michael to kill anyone), and even captured all kids early so they don't have to go through the hardships of survival. I'm sure they're somewhere in Othersville, happy and being cared for. They even tried to make sure Claire would deliver her baby in all safety! Seriously, this is so obvious, you're all really dumb!
Why else would they let Walt (and its special powers) go, realizing he'd be happier with his dad? Of course, not everything went according to plan (Rousseau's daughter and her teen angst, Ethan going crazy), and not everything will (Jack is too stuborn - Juliette and others are obviously not that happy about Ben's leadership). But this is why we watch.
LAST NOTE:
We know now the show is not in-temporal. It take place (or at least starts) in 2004. For now, it's not a big deal. Let's just hope it will be the same 5 years from now, if the show is still running. Imagine them hearing about Katrina for the first time in a 2011 episode!
Anyone else noticed all big important characters have extremely simple names?
Jack, Kate, John, James (sawyer's real name), Micheal and now Ben. Wonder where this is going...
The other Ben, the not-other, out!
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
New Shows - Follow up
Let's start today with a few new shows I hadn't had time to blog about last time.
First and foremost:
Heroes (Monday, NBC, 9PM).
Let's get this straight: this new show can be awesome. The pilot WAS awesome.
For those of you who haven't watched, the concept is the same as X-men. Due to some genetic crap, some people find themselves with super powers. A blond and busty cheerleader can't be harmed. A cop (Greg Greenberg, from Alias) hears voices. A young New Yorker can fly. But the best character is Hiro, a young japanese worker who can stop time and teletransport anywhere he wants.
What's great about this show is that most of these "Heroes" are loosers, people who wouldn't accomplish great things in normal circomstances. It's also absolutely hilarious, and ethnicaly incredibly diverse. The plot, or what I understand of it after two episodes, seems good enough, with a drug-addict painter whose work describes the future, and everyone gathering in NY. It's a little like "The stand", by Stephen King, with the artist in place of the old woman, and a pre-disaster world instead of a post-one.
In any case, a show super original with its form, and the way it treats content, if not in the basic idea. Personally, I'm hooked!
Grade: 9/10
Ugly Betty(CBS, Thursday, 8PM):
America Ferrara stars in this adaptation from a mexican Telenovela, about a young and ugly girl trying to make it in the fashion industry. Kind of "the devil wears prada" as a TV-Series, except it's hard to picture a pretty Betty Suarez, when Anne Attaway was so obviously gorgeous since the beggining.
The series is very well written, smart and witty in its description of the fashion world (which I know nothing about), and the characters are lovable enough.
It's very well directed, which can not be said of most of the new series. No stupid VO is already a change. But it's in its very realistic depiction of the Queens family, and of an ordinary girl's struggle, that the show excels.
It builds a plot around its character, instead of doing the opposite (Grey's Anatomy comes to mind). It asks: "what's a poor girl from Queen's problems, and how can we work around it?" Instead of: "What episode could we write so that we can end with a Coldplay or James Blunt song?"
Let's wait a little for a final appreciation, but for now, 8/10
FOLLOW UP:
Jericho seems to be on the dreaded Roswell slope. In each of the two episodes so far, they managed to build some stupid life-or-death situation drama that has nothing to do with the story. It reminded me of poor Kim BauerIf you can't manage an hour show during the first season with the character you already have, you're as good as canceled.
Give it another few months, then poof! Gone.
On the other hand, Studio 60 is on its way up. The ratings are fantastic, and so is the show. I'm amazed at how good are Matthew Perry and Brad Whhhithhhford, far from Chandler and Josh. The writing is great, of course, the world it takes place in very well defined. After only 3 episodes, I know and remember the names of maybe 10 characters, and that's a sure sign. How long can they keep it up is my only worry. Exciting! Looks like Aaron Spelling can't fail!
I stoped watching 6 degrees, Justice and Smith. I expect I'm not the only one.
Men in Trees keep being what it promised. A simple, not pretentious show. I'm not hooked - but then, I don't think I'm in the demographic target audience. Nice to put in the background while I work on something else.
Finally, The Class, is not as good as it promised. As I feared, too many easy jokes, not enough built-up situation comedy. A few genial moments, but a few (very) low-downs. The story line where ? (see, I haven't got their names here) is presenting the weather forecast was as lame as it gets. Like Jericho, if they need a feeler that early, it's no good sign. The difference is that the sitcom genre is dying, so quality doesn't matter any more. Expect it to stay, expect me to be watching something else.
That's it for now.
Friday Night Lights premieres tonight, and I can't wait! Stay tune for more!
First and foremost:
Heroes (Monday, NBC, 9PM).
Let's get this straight: this new show can be awesome. The pilot WAS awesome.
For those of you who haven't watched, the concept is the same as X-men. Due to some genetic crap, some people find themselves with super powers. A blond and busty cheerleader can't be harmed. A cop (Greg Greenberg, from Alias) hears voices. A young New Yorker can fly. But the best character is Hiro, a young japanese worker who can stop time and teletransport anywhere he wants.
What's great about this show is that most of these "Heroes" are loosers, people who wouldn't accomplish great things in normal circomstances. It's also absolutely hilarious, and ethnicaly incredibly diverse. The plot, or what I understand of it after two episodes, seems good enough, with a drug-addict painter whose work describes the future, and everyone gathering in NY. It's a little like "The stand", by Stephen King, with the artist in place of the old woman, and a pre-disaster world instead of a post-one.
In any case, a show super original with its form, and the way it treats content, if not in the basic idea. Personally, I'm hooked!
Grade: 9/10
Ugly Betty(CBS, Thursday, 8PM):
America Ferrara stars in this adaptation from a mexican Telenovela, about a young and ugly girl trying to make it in the fashion industry. Kind of "the devil wears prada" as a TV-Series, except it's hard to picture a pretty Betty Suarez, when Anne Attaway was so obviously gorgeous since the beggining.
The series is very well written, smart and witty in its description of the fashion world (which I know nothing about), and the characters are lovable enough.
It's very well directed, which can not be said of most of the new series. No stupid VO is already a change. But it's in its very realistic depiction of the Queens family, and of an ordinary girl's struggle, that the show excels.
It builds a plot around its character, instead of doing the opposite (Grey's Anatomy comes to mind). It asks: "what's a poor girl from Queen's problems, and how can we work around it?" Instead of: "What episode could we write so that we can end with a Coldplay or James Blunt song?"
Let's wait a little for a final appreciation, but for now, 8/10
FOLLOW UP:
Jericho seems to be on the dreaded Roswell slope. In each of the two episodes so far, they managed to build some stupid life-or-death situation drama that has nothing to do with the story. It reminded me of poor Kim BauerIf you can't manage an hour show during the first season with the character you already have, you're as good as canceled.
Give it another few months, then poof! Gone.
On the other hand, Studio 60 is on its way up. The ratings are fantastic, and so is the show. I'm amazed at how good are Matthew Perry and Brad Whhhithhhford, far from Chandler and Josh. The writing is great, of course, the world it takes place in very well defined. After only 3 episodes, I know and remember the names of maybe 10 characters, and that's a sure sign. How long can they keep it up is my only worry. Exciting! Looks like Aaron Spelling can't fail!
I stoped watching 6 degrees, Justice and Smith. I expect I'm not the only one.
Men in Trees keep being what it promised. A simple, not pretentious show. I'm not hooked - but then, I don't think I'm in the demographic target audience. Nice to put in the background while I work on something else.
Finally, The Class, is not as good as it promised. As I feared, too many easy jokes, not enough built-up situation comedy. A few genial moments, but a few (very) low-downs. The story line where ? (see, I haven't got their names here) is presenting the weather forecast was as lame as it gets. Like Jericho, if they need a feeler that early, it's no good sign. The difference is that the sitcom genre is dying, so quality doesn't matter any more. Expect it to stay, expect me to be watching something else.
That's it for now.
Friday Night Lights premieres tonight, and I can't wait! Stay tune for more!
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Monday, September 25, 2006
The new shows roundabout...
Well, 'tis the season. I've watched about 10 pilots last week, so here's the skinny on the good and the bad, according to my gospel.
6 Degrees (Thursday, ABC,9).
Let me be clear: this show is completely stupid. Here, I've said it. The concept is that anyone is connected, so we meet 6 people living in NY city, and by the end of the pilot. 1 knows 2 who knows 3 who etc, until 5 know 6. Oh my God, that's crazy!
Do they really think we're stupid? I mean, you can take any 6 people who know each other and use the pilot to explain how they met, and here you go? Is that a concept? Is that a story? Am I supposed to care is a limo driver is stupid enough to spend all his cash on tracks? Am I supposed to believe that picture of a woman crying on her front steps is beautiful?
I expected a little more from JJ. After MI3 and the Alias finale, the master is losing his touch.
6 degrees was shooting in my street the other day, so expect a shot of the manhattan bridge in Episode 5 or 6, if it's not canceled yet. (People take picture of that bridge everyday, and believe me, I've never seen a good one. You can see the same shot, for a fraction of a second, in the MP3-phone commercial).
Actually expect this show to be canceled after only 2 episodes.
Brothers and Sisters (Sunday, ABC, 10).
Wow, expect the unexpected!
Who knew this new show, with actresses as annoying as Calista Flockhart - remember Ally McBeal? Beuark- and Sally Field - among a million annoying roles, Abby Lockhart's mom on ER - who knew, was I saying, they could be the main actresses of such a good show? The concept of the large family with multiple branches, some of them turning into deamons, has been used so many times, I had given hope.
Brothers and sisters, though, is a real hybrid. Think Alias without the action. Cheers without the Humor. Doesn't promise much, does it? That's what I thought too! That's right, just a large family and all their secrets. No cheese. Think Soap Opera for Prime Time. 7th heaven without christian values.
But add a lot of wit and political satire (pronounce sat-tire, like ms Field - haha, ms Field), amazing direction, and Ron Rikfin (Sloane in Alias). Good stuff.
Expect an Emmy (if not golden globe) for the ex-Ally McBeal, whose next role should be Skeletor. Seriously, the number of jokes on her weight in the pilot was too astronomical to be subtle. This kid should eat (and leave Harrison Ford alone).
Grade: 9/10
Jericho (Wednesday, CBS, 8)
After Smallville and Roswell, I introduce today the new sci-fi-meets-everyday-life series-with-the-name-of-the-town-it-takes-place-in-as-a-title.
Pretty simple stuff here. The people living in Jericho, Kansas, realize big cities around them have been nuked. They don't know if they're the only survivors, or why. The story focuses on a few touching characters, the mayor, his son, a ex-cop that knows too much, etc.
I actually really liked the pilot. It has its cheesy moments, but as a fan of said faux sci-fi genre, I got my fix. Succeeds where Invasion didn't last year.
Now the big question is, what kind of show is it gonna be? If they let the sci-fi stories breathe, it could be really cool (a la Alias and X-Files). If they follow too much stupid WB teenage stories (Smallville, Roswell again), it will very fast become boring. Whatever, this will probably be around at least a full season.
I have to add: I love how very little is said when the nuking happens. You just see the mushroom, and understand, like the characters, what's happening. 60 years after the last civilian nuking, the stygma is still very much alive, and it plays on it beautifully - an awkward sentence if I ever wrote one. A welcome rest from all those shows who need a voice-over to explain (or confuse) their story-line (back to 6 degrees). And Skeet Ulrich (of Scream fame, duh!) rules.
Grade: 7 or 5, we'll see.
Studio 60 on the sunset strip (Monday, NBC, 10).
OK, just so you know, Aaron Sorkin is one of my hero. West Wing is, simply put, the smartest show of the last decade. But can you apply the same witty and fast flowing dialogue to a show about Television, and what happens backstage at a late-night sketch show? I'm not convinced, yet, and I won't give up either. Brad Whhhithhhford - I never know where the h are, so I put 3 everytime I had a doubt. But let's call him Josh Lyman. Josh, then, and Matthew Petty are brilliant, Amanda Peet is a big casting mistake (thank you Dalton), the rest is pretty boring and nothing I haven't seen before. Hopefully this is all due to the need for exposition. The sets, at least, are cool. But I had such high hopes for this show, as a TV addict, I feel already cold about it. Now the Alias pilot, that was something!
Grade: Jury still out.
Men in trees (Friday, ABC, 9)
ABRAHAM BENRUBI ALERT!!!!!! Our favorite TV character actor ever (Larry Kubiak on Parler Lewis, Jerry on ER), is back, as, guess who? A big guy with a tender heart. Who knew?
But the heroine of the show is Marin, played by Anne Heche, a relationship guru who ends up in a small Alaskan Town after a break-up. Difficult to know, so early in the series, if the stupid advice given in the VO (yes, annoying VO once again) is to be taken seriously. But the characters are good, the atmosphere original (I never saw northern exposure), and it moves easily enough. As a cheap (thank God for Vancouver) friday night show (what's the jewish term for DVR?), Marin might just be here a while and even move to a better time slot. Here's to a new heroine (she won't replace Sidney Bristow on Alias, but oh well).
Let's also note that it was very smart for ABC to premiere the show on a Tuesday a week before any other new show.
Grade: 7/10
Smith (CBS, Tuesday, 10PM).
Here's an ovni. A heist series, with Ray Liotta as an anti-heroe and Virginia Madsen, his wife. I had no sympathy for the characters, the plot was boring, the pace slow, the actors disappointing. In a post-alias world, difficult to believe. I'll give it another try, but if the second episode is not awesome, Smith will return to anonymity. And someone get Ray Liotta some lips, god damned!
Grade: 2/10
Justice (Wednesday, Fox, 9)
A team of lawyers defend even the most disgusting suspects. Victor Garber (Jack Bristow in Alias) is their master.
I was actually pleasentely surprised, especially by the ending, where you get to see what really hapenned at the scene of crime. But this has been done so many times, I refuse to spend an hour every week on it. And procedurals are not my thing. I don't even watch CSI, so why bother... Stick to SVU if you like that stuff.
Grade: 5/10
The Class (CBS, Monday, 8):
We'll finish with a sitcom. I never expect anything from a sitcom, 90% of what's out there is horrible. I usually wait til October and see if anything stands out. But I liked the concept for The Class, and guess what? The pilot was pretty awesome.
The idea is simple, as it should be. Some guy organizes a reunion of his 3rd grade class 20 years later. The characters are interesting, and that's all you need for a sitcom. The first episode was hilarious, but that's because David Crane (of Friend's fame) made sure it had a joke every 5 second. The only way this is gonna be good on the long run, though, is if the writers build some situation comedy. If I want jokes, I'll go on humor.forum.quebec. If I want TV comedy, I'll tune to reruns of Seinfeld. And hopefully, to The Class, every Monday.
Grade: 8/10, if it holds...
OK, I've managed to mention Alias for every show, so I'm done. Stay tuned for Heroes, 30 Rock, The Nine, Knights and Ugly Betty, later this week.
6 Degrees (Thursday, ABC,9).
Let me be clear: this show is completely stupid. Here, I've said it. The concept is that anyone is connected, so we meet 6 people living in NY city, and by the end of the pilot. 1 knows 2 who knows 3 who etc, until 5 know 6. Oh my God, that's crazy!
Do they really think we're stupid? I mean, you can take any 6 people who know each other and use the pilot to explain how they met, and here you go? Is that a concept? Is that a story? Am I supposed to care is a limo driver is stupid enough to spend all his cash on tracks? Am I supposed to believe that picture of a woman crying on her front steps is beautiful?
I expected a little more from JJ. After MI3 and the Alias finale, the master is losing his touch.
6 degrees was shooting in my street the other day, so expect a shot of the manhattan bridge in Episode 5 or 6, if it's not canceled yet. (People take picture of that bridge everyday, and believe me, I've never seen a good one. You can see the same shot, for a fraction of a second, in the MP3-phone commercial).
Actually expect this show to be canceled after only 2 episodes.
Brothers and Sisters (Sunday, ABC, 10).
Wow, expect the unexpected!
Who knew this new show, with actresses as annoying as Calista Flockhart - remember Ally McBeal? Beuark- and Sally Field - among a million annoying roles, Abby Lockhart's mom on ER - who knew, was I saying, they could be the main actresses of such a good show? The concept of the large family with multiple branches, some of them turning into deamons, has been used so many times, I had given hope.
Brothers and sisters, though, is a real hybrid. Think Alias without the action. Cheers without the Humor. Doesn't promise much, does it? That's what I thought too! That's right, just a large family and all their secrets. No cheese. Think Soap Opera for Prime Time. 7th heaven without christian values.
But add a lot of wit and political satire (pronounce sat-tire, like ms Field - haha, ms Field), amazing direction, and Ron Rikfin (Sloane in Alias). Good stuff.
Expect an Emmy (if not golden globe) for the ex-Ally McBeal, whose next role should be Skeletor. Seriously, the number of jokes on her weight in the pilot was too astronomical to be subtle. This kid should eat (and leave Harrison Ford alone).
Grade: 9/10
Jericho (Wednesday, CBS, 8)
After Smallville and Roswell, I introduce today the new sci-fi-meets-everyday-life series-with-the-name-of-the-town-it-takes-place-in-as-a-title.
Pretty simple stuff here. The people living in Jericho, Kansas, realize big cities around them have been nuked. They don't know if they're the only survivors, or why. The story focuses on a few touching characters, the mayor, his son, a ex-cop that knows too much, etc.
I actually really liked the pilot. It has its cheesy moments, but as a fan of said faux sci-fi genre, I got my fix. Succeeds where Invasion didn't last year.
Now the big question is, what kind of show is it gonna be? If they let the sci-fi stories breathe, it could be really cool (a la Alias and X-Files). If they follow too much stupid WB teenage stories (Smallville, Roswell again), it will very fast become boring. Whatever, this will probably be around at least a full season.
I have to add: I love how very little is said when the nuking happens. You just see the mushroom, and understand, like the characters, what's happening. 60 years after the last civilian nuking, the stygma is still very much alive, and it plays on it beautifully - an awkward sentence if I ever wrote one. A welcome rest from all those shows who need a voice-over to explain (or confuse) their story-line (back to 6 degrees). And Skeet Ulrich (of Scream fame, duh!) rules.
Grade: 7 or 5, we'll see.
Studio 60 on the sunset strip (Monday, NBC, 10).
OK, just so you know, Aaron Sorkin is one of my hero. West Wing is, simply put, the smartest show of the last decade. But can you apply the same witty and fast flowing dialogue to a show about Television, and what happens backstage at a late-night sketch show? I'm not convinced, yet, and I won't give up either. Brad Whhhithhhford - I never know where the h are, so I put 3 everytime I had a doubt. But let's call him Josh Lyman. Josh, then, and Matthew Petty are brilliant, Amanda Peet is a big casting mistake (thank you Dalton), the rest is pretty boring and nothing I haven't seen before. Hopefully this is all due to the need for exposition. The sets, at least, are cool. But I had such high hopes for this show, as a TV addict, I feel already cold about it. Now the Alias pilot, that was something!
Grade: Jury still out.
Men in trees (Friday, ABC, 9)
ABRAHAM BENRUBI ALERT!!!!!! Our favorite TV character actor ever (Larry Kubiak on Parler Lewis, Jerry on ER), is back, as, guess who? A big guy with a tender heart. Who knew?
But the heroine of the show is Marin, played by Anne Heche, a relationship guru who ends up in a small Alaskan Town after a break-up. Difficult to know, so early in the series, if the stupid advice given in the VO (yes, annoying VO once again) is to be taken seriously. But the characters are good, the atmosphere original (I never saw northern exposure), and it moves easily enough. As a cheap (thank God for Vancouver) friday night show (what's the jewish term for DVR?), Marin might just be here a while and even move to a better time slot. Here's to a new heroine (she won't replace Sidney Bristow on Alias, but oh well).
Let's also note that it was very smart for ABC to premiere the show on a Tuesday a week before any other new show.
Grade: 7/10
Smith (CBS, Tuesday, 10PM).
Here's an ovni. A heist series, with Ray Liotta as an anti-heroe and Virginia Madsen, his wife. I had no sympathy for the characters, the plot was boring, the pace slow, the actors disappointing. In a post-alias world, difficult to believe. I'll give it another try, but if the second episode is not awesome, Smith will return to anonymity. And someone get Ray Liotta some lips, god damned!
Grade: 2/10
Justice (Wednesday, Fox, 9)
A team of lawyers defend even the most disgusting suspects. Victor Garber (Jack Bristow in Alias) is their master.
I was actually pleasentely surprised, especially by the ending, where you get to see what really hapenned at the scene of crime. But this has been done so many times, I refuse to spend an hour every week on it. And procedurals are not my thing. I don't even watch CSI, so why bother... Stick to SVU if you like that stuff.
Grade: 5/10
The Class (CBS, Monday, 8):
We'll finish with a sitcom. I never expect anything from a sitcom, 90% of what's out there is horrible. I usually wait til October and see if anything stands out. But I liked the concept for The Class, and guess what? The pilot was pretty awesome.
The idea is simple, as it should be. Some guy organizes a reunion of his 3rd grade class 20 years later. The characters are interesting, and that's all you need for a sitcom. The first episode was hilarious, but that's because David Crane (of Friend's fame) made sure it had a joke every 5 second. The only way this is gonna be good on the long run, though, is if the writers build some situation comedy. If I want jokes, I'll go on humor.forum.quebec. If I want TV comedy, I'll tune to reruns of Seinfeld. And hopefully, to The Class, every Monday.
Grade: 8/10, if it holds...
OK, I've managed to mention Alias for every show, so I'm done. Stay tuned for Heroes, 30 Rock, The Nine, Knights and Ugly Betty, later this week.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Reflection of the soul
OK, I gotta say a word about this new Survivor. As you may or may not know, I'm a huge Survivor fan. And when I say huge, I mean huge. I never miss an episode. Actually, you'll usually find me on Thursday nights, standing on my bed, jumping and screaming like Tom Cruise on Oprah, professing my love for the show.
I will sing the beginning credits (something like: "ooooheeee ohhaaaa oheee oheee ohaaa"), yell "No Way!" when there's a surprise elimination, and "come on"s and "you gotta be kidding me" during reward and immunity challenges. But my favorite part is definitely the end of the first episode's introduction, when host Jeff Probst usually stands on some whacky vehicles (what's it gonna be this time? Chopper? ULM? Air Balloon?) and declares: "20 Americans, 40 days, only one! Survivor!).
Oh my god, I can't wait for tomorrow!
And then, there's this season twist. As you know by now, starting Thursday, 20 Americans will be divided into 4 tribes by race. The whites, the blacks, the latinos and the Asians. When this was announced, it didn't take long for groups of all kind to start complaining. Racism! Voyeurism! Outrage!
Here's my take. Is CBS racist?
Of course not, their only point is to increase their ratings, and they will no doubt succeed. No season of the show has been so much discussed since its debut and Richard Hatch's bare bottom.
Will the show be racist?
I honestly doubt it. I can't imagine contestants insulting each other's races and religions on prime time TV. No, like Ken Tucker on Entertainment Weekly, I bet we'll, at worst, see some stupid but innocent stereotyping, and at best, learn some slang (when is the best time to use the word "brother" and when should it be "dawg"?).
What impact will the show have on America?
Now that's the big question. Cause if CBS and the show itself is not racist, that doesn't mean it won't influence the racist views of some viewers. CBS, like any media, holds a responsibility towards its audience. To entertain and educate. And it's not so much about what the message will be, as it is about how it will be perceived.
* I have no doubt that the anti-black and anti-Latino racists of America will see whatever they want to see, and be comforted in their views. At worst, things won't change. At best, an amazing contestant will stand out, some fantastic quote about tolerance will be remembered, or even better: an alliance, a friendship. Then, a handful of viewers will think about it. All in all, nothing much.
* Asians? Except if you live near the Chinatowns and Koreatowns of NY, LA or San Francisco, you probably know nothing about those communities. I see here a fantastic learning tool.
* I'm more afraid about the white tribe. I'm afraid they'll have content. I'm afraid they're so not used to face racism, they won't know how to handle their difference. I'm afraid of their blunders.
Some more about Survivor being a learning tool:
Already last Season, Bruce was a model of originality and respect of traditions and customs. This is true of all tribe: how will a religious and spiritually-guided person survive on the island without loosing his rituals? I'm Jewish, and the only reason I haven't already sent an application to the show, is because I don't know how I would keep shabbat and Kasherout on the island. We've seen contestant survive hunger, bad weather, mosquitos and sleep deprivation. It's time to see them survive an attack on their spiritual and religious soul. If they have one...
But back the racism. I think the show will be a reflections of its viewers, and of America. It's in the talks, the dinner arguments, the blogs, the magazine that we will discover, together, not if the show is racist, but if we are, if our society is.
As another reality TV host would say, the best thing to come out of it might be a reality check.
I will sing the beginning credits (something like: "ooooheeee ohhaaaa oheee oheee ohaaa"), yell "No Way!" when there's a surprise elimination, and "come on"s and "you gotta be kidding me" during reward and immunity challenges. But my favorite part is definitely the end of the first episode's introduction, when host Jeff Probst usually stands on some whacky vehicles (what's it gonna be this time? Chopper? ULM? Air Balloon?) and declares: "20 Americans, 40 days, only one! Survivor!).
Oh my god, I can't wait for tomorrow!
And then, there's this season twist. As you know by now, starting Thursday, 20 Americans will be divided into 4 tribes by race. The whites, the blacks, the latinos and the Asians. When this was announced, it didn't take long for groups of all kind to start complaining. Racism! Voyeurism! Outrage!
Here's my take. Is CBS racist?
Of course not, their only point is to increase their ratings, and they will no doubt succeed. No season of the show has been so much discussed since its debut and Richard Hatch's bare bottom.
Will the show be racist?
I honestly doubt it. I can't imagine contestants insulting each other's races and religions on prime time TV. No, like Ken Tucker on Entertainment Weekly, I bet we'll, at worst, see some stupid but innocent stereotyping, and at best, learn some slang (when is the best time to use the word "brother" and when should it be "dawg"?).
What impact will the show have on America?
Now that's the big question. Cause if CBS and the show itself is not racist, that doesn't mean it won't influence the racist views of some viewers. CBS, like any media, holds a responsibility towards its audience. To entertain and educate. And it's not so much about what the message will be, as it is about how it will be perceived.
* I have no doubt that the anti-black and anti-Latino racists of America will see whatever they want to see, and be comforted in their views. At worst, things won't change. At best, an amazing contestant will stand out, some fantastic quote about tolerance will be remembered, or even better: an alliance, a friendship. Then, a handful of viewers will think about it. All in all, nothing much.
* Asians? Except if you live near the Chinatowns and Koreatowns of NY, LA or San Francisco, you probably know nothing about those communities. I see here a fantastic learning tool.
* I'm more afraid about the white tribe. I'm afraid they'll have content. I'm afraid they're so not used to face racism, they won't know how to handle their difference. I'm afraid of their blunders.
Some more about Survivor being a learning tool:
Already last Season, Bruce was a model of originality and respect of traditions and customs. This is true of all tribe: how will a religious and spiritually-guided person survive on the island without loosing his rituals? I'm Jewish, and the only reason I haven't already sent an application to the show, is because I don't know how I would keep shabbat and Kasherout on the island. We've seen contestant survive hunger, bad weather, mosquitos and sleep deprivation. It's time to see them survive an attack on their spiritual and religious soul. If they have one...
But back the racism. I think the show will be a reflections of its viewers, and of America. It's in the talks, the dinner arguments, the blogs, the magazine that we will discover, together, not if the show is racist, but if we are, if our society is.
As another reality TV host would say, the best thing to come out of it might be a reality check.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
A taste of luxury...
I knew there was another world, a world of fancy hotels, first class flights and little paper umbrellas in a glass of Tequilla sunrise. But I did not imagine what I'm experiencing now in my wildest dreams (ok, maybe in the wildest).
I'm today leaving NY for TLV (that's Tel Aviv for you non-flyer people), and flying Continental, of course, the airline I'm a frequent flyer of. Thanks to the guys at flyertalk.com I heard about a promotion where you could get a pass to enter the President's Club.
I'm sure you've heard of this, it's the kind of lounge where business and other kind of elite passengers can relax while waiting for their flights. Well, believe me, if this is not relaxation, I don't know what is. Leather chairs, TV room with stadium seating, showers and lockers, etc, etc.
I'm seating there now, and I can barely believe my eyes. But they say a picture is better than a thousand words, so here are 3 pictures, which are better than 3 thousand words (duh!).
By the way, pics taken with my new, awesome, Nikon D70s: a pro camera that's also, I gotta say, kinda luxurious :-)
Oops, did I mention the open bar? Vodka, Wine, Schnapps, Diet coke, whatever you want. A dollar tip is appreciated, but not required.
That would be where I'm seated right now. I finished my diet coke, I might try a screwdriver next (that's a Vodka-Orange for you frenchies).
The pompom, the showers. I know, crazy.
Next on the luxury list, I'm flying first class on my way back, the 27th (free upgrade, thanks continental!).
Wish me happy vacations!
I'm today leaving NY for TLV (that's Tel Aviv for you non-flyer people), and flying Continental, of course, the airline I'm a frequent flyer of. Thanks to the guys at flyertalk.com I heard about a promotion where you could get a pass to enter the President's Club.
I'm sure you've heard of this, it's the kind of lounge where business and other kind of elite passengers can relax while waiting for their flights. Well, believe me, if this is not relaxation, I don't know what is. Leather chairs, TV room with stadium seating, showers and lockers, etc, etc.
I'm seating there now, and I can barely believe my eyes. But they say a picture is better than a thousand words, so here are 3 pictures, which are better than 3 thousand words (duh!).
By the way, pics taken with my new, awesome, Nikon D70s: a pro camera that's also, I gotta say, kinda luxurious :-)
Oops, did I mention the open bar? Vodka, Wine, Schnapps, Diet coke, whatever you want. A dollar tip is appreciated, but not required.
That would be where I'm seated right now. I finished my diet coke, I might try a screwdriver next (that's a Vodka-Orange for you frenchies).
The pompom, the showers. I know, crazy.
Next on the luxury list, I'm flying first class on my way back, the 27th (free upgrade, thanks continental!).
Wish me happy vacations!
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