Back With a Vengeance | March 01, 2008
Given the title, you might think I'm referring to Deann's return to the blog. In fact, I'm referring to this week's episode of Lost. At its best, Lost is science fiction for people who don't like science fiction, and at its worst Lost is science fiction for people who really like science fiction. Last night's episode, "The Constant," was undoubtedly the former, wasn't it? I'll try to continue without giving too much away for those who haven't seen it or are waiting to watch it online.
This Thursday's episode gave us a little more insight into Desmond, allowing us to finally understand the clairvoyance Desmond has displayed over the previous two seasons. In fact, this episode replaced Desmond's supernatural gift with a basis grounded in "science." Flying with Sayid to make contact with a nearby ship, Desmond's flashes back and forth took on a manic manner after passing through a thunderstorm. He starts oscilating between the present--2004--and 1996. Once on the ship, Desmond is taken to the sick bay for examination where he and Sayid meet the medically restrained George Minkowski, played by TV perennial Fischer Stevens. Sayid makes contact with Daniel Faraday--new to the island, back on the island, via satellite phone. Faraday commands Desmond to seek him at Oxford the next time he flashes back to 1996. Desmond obliges, and it is there that we learn that Faraday is uncovering the secrets of time travel. We learn that Desmond's urgent pursuit of communication with Penny stems from this meeting, where Faraday informs him that he needs to keep a constant between his past and present selves. Desmond's contast is Penny.
The MVP of this season, and certainly a highlight of this episode, is Daniel Faraday played by Jeremy Davies. Part Dennis Miller-part Charlie Manson, he's been one of the biggest mysteries this season. With this episode we finally learn why he was so desperate to get to the island but content simply to run his experiments once there. He has always seemed to be near the edge of something, about to fall over, and we finally learned why in this episode.
With such a large cast, many of the characters run the risk of becoming part of the island's scenery. Desmond was one of those characters. He was always around but, lately, often seemed to exist for utility more than for anything else. It was wonderful to get a little more insight into his character. Hopefully, we'll learn a little more about Jin, soon.
This week was especially welcome after last week's episode, "Eggtown." "Eggtown" was one of the most soap operatic episodes of the series, and I hope it isn't a harbinger of things to come. Does Jack love Kate? Even with Sawyer's baby? Her mom has just six months to live? Da-da-duuummm. No, this episode put that stuff in its place. There was romance, but it was handled with the assured grace that is common in Lost. Lost has been so good for so long that you can find yourself taking its excellence for granted. I guess it takes an "Eggtown" to help praise a constant.
What did you think of this week's episode?
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Hulu invites! | December 20, 2007
These are going fast, but if you act quickly, you can grab one of the 2500 Hulu invites Techcrunch has available. Hulu is the new website from NBC and Newscorp that offers full episodes and clips of television shows currently on the air and from years past. I'm talking as old as Alfred Hitchcock Presents! The quality of the streaming video is extraordinary, but you'll need a fast connection to make best use of the site. If you love television, Hulu is what you've been looking for!
http://www.hulu.com/beta/techcrunch
Tags: hulu
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From the picket line | December 19, 2007
Picketing is on hold for the holidays as writers return home for a very Merry Christmas. Here's a pic of the picket line from my cell phone. I'm causing the shadow on that guy's sweater.
Tags: WGAstrike
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Kid Nation: A Post Mortem | December 15, 2007
When CBS unveiled its Fall 2008 lineup, it didn't have many new shows that seemed interesting. The bright spot in that murk was Kid Nation. It was a simple concept whose potential seemed enormous: forty kids running their own world for forty days. At first, that sounds a little Lord of the Flies. Kid Nation had a directive, though, that would preempt Survivor-style viciousness. The kids of Kid Nation were given a common cause; they were to create a world that lacked all of the problems that plagued the adult world. That world was Bonanza City, a ghost town that the kids would repopulate. That positive trajectory made the show sound incredibly appealing. Unfortunately, before the show ever made it to air, Kid Nation ran into problems with bad press.
Reports of potential child labor violations started a conversation about the show that distracted from the show's actual content. Before Kid Nation could even air, newspapers and blogs around the country were tsking CBS's exploitation of the kids on the program. Worse, the show's integrity was called into question when reports of reshoots surfaced. Of course, the reshoots were of little more than the confessional portions of the show. It wasn't as if, they were faking entire scenes ala The Hills. As a result of the controversies, Kid Nation limped out of the starting gate. I don't think it garnered anywhere near the audience it should have.
Kid Nation was a kinder reality show than most. As horrible as spending forty days on the frontier sounds, most of the dangers seemed benign. The most dangerous situations to arise were the large dust storms that would force the kids into their bunks. Also, the producers' hands were seen all over the town. From the outset, the kids were given order in the form of a town council comprised of four of the kids' peers. Further, the council had access to a journal they read each day that gave the city goals to be achieved: establish education, put on a show, hold elections, and plenty more. Every couple days, the kids competed in contests called Showdowns that determined what jobs they'd be assigned. Anarchy was never an option.
None of this would have been worth watching if not for the narrative placed over the show: Could these kids create a utopia? Of course not. What made the show worthwhile though was watching their struggle to achieve that higher purpose. At every Showdown, where the kids competed for their jobs, an extra prize was offered if all of the kids completed the task during the allotted time. They were usually given the choice between something every kid would want--like an arcade--and something every kid would need--toothbrushes, for instance. Almost every time the town council was presented with that choice, the council chose something they needed rather than something they wanted. The kids also policed themselves, taking to task those who weren't trying to make the town a better place to live. There was an incentive for this good behavior. At every town council meeting, the council awarded a 20,000 dollar gold star to the kid who was most deserving, something no real town could ever afford to do! That about a third of the town would eventually receive the award instead of just one person kept the kids from de-evolving into the kind of alliance-building reality show stars who populate the other shows. These kids strove to grow.
Although the show was about the growth of the kids, my favorite moments were when the kids were... well... kids. When the kids were let loose in the arcade they won, when they ran around Bonanza exploring, and even when they were brats, they showed just how far they had to go to fill out the personalities they were beginning to build. My single favorite moment, though, probably was Justin, the town's young genius, musing on building a quantum matter transporter. The town councilman, DK, had no idea what Justin was talking about and wanted to award Justin the $20,ooo gold star just so that Justin could get started on building his quantum matter transporter!
If the show exhibited a major flaw it was that there were too many kids to keep track of. Some characters were present from the beginning of the show, their strong personalities dominating the scene in Bonanza City. Others would show up out of nowhere only to disappear again. We got to know Justin, the town genius; Greg, the bully with a heart of gold; DK, the passionate one; Sophia, the iron fist in a velvet glove; and all of the council members. On the other hand, on the final episode, I was seeing people I'd long since forgotten had even lived in Bonanza City!
Maybe the reason the show didn't resonate with America was that the kids weren't, for the most part, selfish brats. The worst behaved kid, beauty pageant princess Taylor, wouldn't work but was coerced into working by her cohorts. We always say that we want, for instance, positive news from our newscasts, but it's blood and salacious material that wins ratings. I think its unlikely to happen, but I'd like to see another season of Kid Nation on CBS. It deserves another shot at finding an audience.
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Dexter: Left Turn Ahead | December 12, 2007
What an apt title, Left Turn Ahead, for Monday's episode of Dexter. The episode ended with everyone in some kind of jeopardy with the kind of complications that point to a necessary third season to resolve the issues from this one. Here's where we find ourselves as we roll into next week's season finale.
Dexter, our psychopath with a sharp wit and killer smile, had finally prepared to turn himself in, ending the investigation that has dogged him all season long. A pleasant dinner of steaks and beer with his sister, though, changed his mind. His reversal, however, came on the heels of the FBI's seeming-reversal as Agent Lundy learned exculpatory evidence that might clear Dexter's captive and potential patsy, Sergeant Doakes. Removing Doakes as the primary suspect in the Bay Harbor Butcher murders would return Dexter to square one. That would almost be a step up from where it appears he will be, as our episode ended Dexter's spurned lover, Lila's, discovery of the cabin Dexter is using to cage Sergeant Doakes.
Dexter had decided to remain at-large in order to protect his sister, girlfriend, and her children from the horror that knowing he was a serial killer would bring. The second half of this season has seen Dexter deal with the what that revelation meant for the most important person in his life, his father. Doakes' potential reemergence threatens to force the issue Dexter had decided to forestall.
That's a lot, isn't it? Well, believe it or not, I don't think that rundown addresses even half the issues raised this episode and this season. There's no way to put a bow on this season as neatly as it happened last season. With one episode left, it seems we're being set up for a third season in much the same way that The Wire set used the fourth season to set us up for the fifth. In both cases, we were given a wonderful story to follow. With The Wire, our story was the adventures of the quartet of kids, and, with Dexter, it has been Dexter's careful evasion of the FBI's investigation. Dexter has never had a clear way out of the life he has led, having been governed by his father's guiding principle: Don't Get Caught. Where could he possibly go from here, having decided to remain outside the clutches of the law?
By the way, if not having Showtime has kept you from being able to watch Dexter, rumors are circulating that it may be shown on CBS. It wouldn't be as difficult to edit as The Sopranos. Sex is minimal and, believe it or not, so is the violence. Should Dexter reruns make the leap to CBS, do yourself a favor and watch.
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I Walked The Line | December 11, 2007
Last Friday, I arrived in the land of limos and Priuses. I moved back to Los Angeles to pursue my dream of writing for television. Since I've been here, I've talked to old friends, applied for jobs, and looked for apartments. Today, though, I did something a little more important: I picketed.
My friend and roommate is a writing student at USC, and one of her professors is a former writer of The Cosby Show. If you know nothing else about me, you should know that I revere The Cosby Show. It is as near perfection as any sitcom has ever reached. When Amy told me that her professor was going to be picketing at the 20th Century Fox studios, suggesting that I go there to meet him, I leapt at the opportunity.
Perhaps leapt is the wrong word. It implies velocity, and since I was taking the freeways, traveling 25 miles per hour, my velocity was as low as my current income. When I reached Fox, I saw an intense looking bunch of folks clustered near the entrance to the studio. They all were hoisting signs and chatting about the biz. I joined them, glancing around for anyone remotely resembling Amy's professor. I never saw him, but I kept up the picket, anyway. I marched with them, round and round, soliciting honks from the fancy cars on the streets. I noticed that most of the honks we received were from older people. I appreciated their gestures of solidarity, and I'm sure they were proud of the young whippersnappers. HONK! HONK! "You know, we protested once, too! Against the British. We called it the Revolutionary War."
As I was picketing, I made a friend, a woman named Mary who, like me, was not a member of the guild. She was showing her solidarity. Mary informed me that she'd be moving her picket to the Sony studios once our line folded. About five minutes later, at two o'clock our line closed down, and we pledged to meet up at Sony, about ten minutes from Fox.
The Sony picket was a little more boisterous. The crowd was larger and more vocal. Not only that, but this picket had choice snacks! The organizer of this picket was Sybil Gardner who was kind enough to chat with me as we marched back and forth across Sony's entrance gate. Mary soon showed up, and I felt welcome, and it was here that my reasoning for marching with the striking writers changed. Initially, I wanted to use the strike as an opportunity for networking. As I talked with Mary and a film writer about the strike, I realized that I needed to be a part of the strike. I explained to Mary how I watched almost all of ABC's programming online and how Gary Marshall had written in his autobiography that residuals from writing for the Lucy Show had helped put his children through college. As I was connecting those threads to the idea that shows were going to be rerun, on demand, more often on the internet, depriving writers of a income stream from revenue that was enriching the studios' bottom lines, I realized that I needed to be there on that picket line. I want to write for TV, and though I'm not yet a member of the guild, these issues will effect me as much they effect current TV writers. I'll definitely be back on the lines, tomorrow.
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Celebrity Rap Showdown | October 05, 2007
Is anyone watching MTV's Celebrity Rap Showdown? I was eagerly anticipating this Dancing with the Celebrities knockoff, and I have not been disappointed.
In Celebrity Rap Showdown, a handful of D-Listers get one week to learn and perform a rap. Each of the performers is "assisted" by a rap legend. The rappers are supposed to work with the celebs to help them with their flow, but how much help can they possibly give? Blogger Perez Hilton was teamed with Tone Loc, and I couldn't identify one thing that Tone ever did to help out Perez.
The rappin' celebs this first season have been blogger Perez Hilton, actress Shar Jackson, actress Countess Vaughn, reality guy Jason Wahler, rocker Sebastian Bach, football player Jamal Anderson, and actor Efren Ramirez, and playmate Kendra Wilkinson. That's a pretty so-so who's who. The judges are a bit more nameworthy. The judges are Big Boy (a popular radio DJ), da Brat, and the legendary DMC. All the judges have been refreshingly honest in their assessments of the performances, all of which have improved.
There have been surprises. Could there be a more wonderful TV moment than seeing Sebastian Bach rap "I wanna see some panties droppin'" from Doggy Dogg World? On the opposite end of the scale, Jason Wahler couldn't be bothered to learn his lyrics and spent two of his three weeks embarrassing himself on stage. Here he is on the first night of the show.
When my friend, Amy, heard that I was moving to LA, the first thing she did was order tickets to the show to celebrate. She loves Sebastian Bach, and I love D-List reality competitions. I love this show, and I hope some of you are watching it, too. If you are watching it, who are your faves? Hopefully it will be back for a second, slightly longer season. Celebrity Rap Showdown airs live Thursday nights on MTV.
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Just another Manic Monday | September 24, 2007
Well, it's finally here--the unofficial start of the new season! A handful of shows debuted last week with Fox and the CW getting an early jump on the other networks. Tonight, though, is the night of champions. My DVR is already having panic attacks.
Tonight's competition is cut-throat with ABC premiering Dancing with the Stars, putting it up against NBC's Chuck and CBS's How I Met Your Mother. Dancing with the Stars doesn't have the same must-see weight that American Idol does since ABC does this more than once a season, but there's something undeniable in Dancing with the Stars-- it's as much fun to see the excel as it is to see them fail. That makes Dancing with the Stars a must-DVR show. And I do believe you guys already know my feelings for Chuck and How I Met Your Mother.
Round Two, tonight, pits the second hour of Dancing with the Stars against Heroes. Against Heroes? I wouldn't put my wedding up against Heroes! I think my friends like me, but people love Hiro!
Of course there are other shows airing tonight. Prisonbreak has quite a following, and K-Ville, at the very least, seems interesting. CBS is debuting two new sitcoms and bringing back Two and a Half Men. And I can't help but feel guilty for not mentioning The War. PBS is airing the new Ken Burns World War II documentary this week. Scanning past it on the TV listings feels a little like walking the length of the salad bar to get to the desserts. Just as you try to make up for that by jogging a little more, you'll be able to watch The War in its entirety on DVD later.
As I mentioned earlier, my DVR is all set for tonight's superpower summit. There are more alternatives than there ever have been for seeing these shows, though. You can DVR shows, stream them online, download them from Itunes. If none of these alternatives existed, what would be your priorities for tonight?
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Have you seen Chuck, yet? | September 10, 2007
September 24th is going to be a big night for TV lovers. CBS premieres its new night of comedy. The stalwarts How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men (seriously, why is it popular?) will be joined by newcomers The Big Bang Theory and Rules of Engagement. I'm sad that The Class isn't returning on the 24th, but How I Met Your Mother is reason enough to rejoice.
Monday nights are what DVR's were invented for. NBC has also marked the 24th for premiering its Monday night shows. Heroes, of course, is the strong man in NBC's Monday night picture, but two other series are debuting Monday, one of which I have already fallen for. Journeyman debuts on Monday, and I have little interest in it. I never was a fan of Quantum Leap back in NBC's day, and this just seems like one of countless variations on that idea. It premieres after Heroes. Before Heroes is when you want to make sure that you're firmly adhered to your sofa, futon, tatami mat, or whatever seating arrangement you've gone with. That's when Chuck premieres.
If you're like me, you were ready for Chuck from the very first time that you saw the Batman promo for it, the one where Chuck's friend says "Stop the presses--who is that?" Chuck's response, from Prince's Batdance: "Vicky Vale, V-V-Vicky Vale" as Chuck finds himself face-to-face with the beautiful woman in question. The pilot was directed by McG, and if you've seen his big screen adaptation of Charlie's Angels, then you already know what you can expect from Chuck. McG doesn't skimp on action sequences, and he loves a good joke. In addition to the Vicky Vale scene, there's a fight scene with a ninja that is hilarious.
Here's the rundown. Chuck is a twenty-something computer geek who works for NerdHerd, a computer repair company similar to Geeksquad. He has no significant other, and his support system consists of a geek co-worker, a well-meaning sister, and her equally well-intentioned husband, dubbed "Captain Awesome" due to his affection for the word Awesome. For Chuck, his life is defined by a breakup from a girl in college, a breakup made worse by the girl's taking up with Chuck's overachiever roommate Bryce. Chuck resents Bryce's success, unaware that Bryce is even more successful than he knows, working as a secret agent for the CIA. Our show opens with Bryce stealing all the CIA's and NSA's secrets, encrypted in pictures, sending them to Chuck through E-Mail. When Chuck's computer fails, Chuck's brain is the only hard drive in the world that maintains a catalog of those secrets, meaning that both the CIA and the NSA want Chuck either dead (NSA's stance) or alive (CIA's).
I encourage you not to wait for the fall premiere to see Chuck. It's good, and NBC knows it. As part of its pre-season marketing strategy, NBC has made its pilots available from a number of outlets, including ITunes and Blockbuster. I checked out the NBC Fall Pilots DVD, free, from Blockbuster. You may also download it free from Amazon.com. Go and get it now!
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Summer Viewing | August 04, 2007
I think this is a pretty poor summer for TV viewers, especially considering that previous summers have given us American Idol, Survivor, Project Runway (last season), and It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia. It's not that I expect big blockbuster shows, but summer, lately, has been where one could find some new treat of a series that would get big later. Not so, this summer. Here's what I'm watching, in order of importance:
So You Think You Can Dance
Entourage
Flight of the Conchords
The Soup
Baldwin Hills
Best Week Ever
I also think I'm going to try to get into Damages. Having Glenn Close is reason enough to give something a shot. I also watched the last episode of Big Love and discovered that I actually enjoyed it. I had thought that Big Love would be too heavy on drama for me to enjoy, but this last episode was pretty funny. So my question to you is... what am I missing?
I did learn recently that The Wire is currently shooting the last two episodes of its next season, which means that I can be hopeful that HBO will schedule it for this year, instead of making everyone wait the usual epoch that we have to endure.
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Baldwin Hills | August 02, 2007
I've watched all three seasons of Laguna Beach, and most of The Hills. If MTV continues to churn them out, I'll probably continue to watch. That isn't to say that I'll watch any teen reality-drama that MTV throws on the air. I've opted out of more Laguna Beach knockoffs than I can remember. Thats why it's been such a surprise to me that I've gotten hooked on a show that can only be described as a Laguna Beach knockoff.
As sure as Fox will be there to copy a reality hit airing on NBC, CBS, or ABC, you can expect BET to mirror any hit airing on its sister channel, MTV. Normally, I don't give their imitations the time of day. I had been interested in Baldwin Hills, though, from the first day that I'd read BET was developing it. It was to be Laguna Beach with black kids, and I had to see at least one episode to see how that would turn out. I did not realize that it would be so much more interesting than any season of Laguna Beach has ever been.
The third season of Laguna Beach attempted something different from the first two seasons. It explored an insider/outsider dynamic by following both the "popular crowd" and Tessa, a girl who was a former member of that clique. The problem was that the distance between Tessa and the popular girls was minute. What was the real difference between Tessa and the other girls? As far as I can tell, the difference was that Tessa was whiny and the others were rude. Baldwin Hills, on the other hand, has a real insider/outsider story that is interesting.
Baldwin Hills is an affluent neighborhood in Los Angeles not too far from many of LA's poorest neighborhoods. Most of the show's cast comes from that rich neighborhood. A couple of the characters, however, don't. One of the characters, Sal, has recently moved to Baldwin Hills from a less well-off neighborhood. He has a friend, Staci, "from the hood," who is also a mainstay. The way Staci and her wealthier counterparts interact has been a revealing display of the effects of class among blacks, something you rarely see on television.
Another difference between Laguna Beach and Baldwin Hills is the presence of parents. You see the parents far more frequently in Baldwin Hills than on Laguna Beach. Not only that, but you also see them intervene more often. I'm sure that's just an editorial choice, but I think it provides a richer picture of the lives of its characters.
There's also plenty of what you've come to expect and love about these kinds of shows. You're watching rich kids display the kind of behavior that is comical now but will be despicable in ten years. They're begging for impossibly expensive cars, throwing tantrums about parties, going on first dates. You're seeing a careless freedom that you lost years ago, that these kids will lose in just a couple years. Like Laguna Beach, Baldwin Hills is a high school yearbook with moving pictures, the kind you wish you had to help you remember just how stupid--I mean young--you once were.
Baldwin Hills season is almost half over, but you can still watch new episodes Monday nights on BET or anytime on BET OnDemand.
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"There is Truth on Television" | August 01, 2007
This article in the New York Times is one of the more amusing articles on television I've seen in a while. It's about the burgeoning impact of television in Afghanistan, a country where television viewing was illegal under the Taliban. Here are a couple of my favorite quotes from the article.
Each night, people in Kabul obey the beckoning of prime time much as they might otherwise answer the call to prayer. “As you can see, there is truth on the television, because all over the world the mother-in-law is always provoking a fight,” said Muhammad Farid...
We’ve just bought the rights to ‘24,’ the American show,” he said. “We had some concerns. Most of the bad guys are Muslims, but we did focus groups and it turns out most people didn’t care about that so long as the villains weren’t Afghans.
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Singing Bee vs. Don't Forget the Lyrics | July 12, 2007
I have watched both the NBC's Singing Bee and Fox's Don't Forget the Lyrics this week, and I don't know which of the shows I prefer. In fact, I'm not even sure whether I like either of them. Singing Bee was announced for NBC's fall schedule and had to be moved up to this past Tuesday after Fox announced that it would be ripping off the idea and premiering it during the summer (that's a standard play from Fox's playbook). Both of these gameshows feature ordinary Joes and Janes attempting to sing the hits of yesterday and today. Of course, minor complications are thrown their way.
The Singing Bee, hosted by Joey Fatone, is done in a more traditional gameshow format. The show starts with a group of contestants, who are wittled down, round by round, until one remains to participate in the final round. In the first round, the contestants compete to see who can sing correctly a missing line from a song. This round actually is a bit annoying because of how nitpicky the judging is. I grew tired of hearing "Ohhhh, you added an extra "ah" here." The second round is more challenging becuase the singers are given several phrases of a song and then they get a phrase where the words are jumbled on-screen, and they must unscramble the jumble of words and sing them. That's a bit more fun. In the final round the sole remaining competitor attempts to win 50,000 dollars by singing the missing lines from several songs in a row. It's sort of a lightning round, I guess. The set is bright and colorful. There are dancers dressed as bees. Yes, bees. In fact, there's an animated bee that makes an appearance in the show's logo. There's something about the show that feels very daytime TV.
Don't Forget the Lyrics uses a more modern, Millionaire-inspired, format. It's hosted by Wayne Brady, who guides one contestant on a journey to a million dollars. On Don't Forget the Lyrics, contestant have a choice of nine categories, and at each step up the ladder to a million dollars, the contestants have to choose a category and sing a song, filling in a line of missing lyrics. After the contestant sings the lyrics, Wayne asks if the contestant wants to lock in their lyrics. The contestant also gets three lifelines. Unlike Singing Bee, this is a thoroughly modern gameshow.
There are problems with both shows. Singing Bee, first. Joey Fatone is no Wayne Brady. I'm a fan of Fatone, but Wayne Brady is simply better at being quick-witted. That's a necessity in a game show host. The prize money on the show also seems ridiculous. I recognize that The Singing Bee is probably easier to win than Don't Forget the Lyrics, but fifty thousand dollars? That's all? I also feel that the game is a little too easy. I do like the variety that using the multi-round format provides. Don't Forget the Lyrics, on the other hand, has to rely too heavily on Wayne Brady to make the show interesting. Each round is the exact same thing. The songs do get appreciably more difficult (Walk Like an Egyptian?) as the contestants advance, but it's the same thing over and over again. I think these are two average shows that could learn something from each other. Of course, I'm left with one question: Is it fun to watch Karaoke when you haven't been drinking?
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Salt-N-Pepa, back Togetha | June 27, 2007
One of my favorite shows on VH-1 is Bands Reunited. On Bands Reunited, VH-1 VJ Aamer Haleem tracks down the scattered members of former bands, most of whom broke up under less than amicable conditions, and asks the members, one-by-one, whether they would be willing to reunite for a one-night-only performance. Notable reunions include Flock of Seagulls, Kajagoogoo, and Klymaxx. Not all attempts end in success, Aamer did his best to get New Kids on the Block back together, but he just couldn't get everyone one board. What I love about the show, though, is that it's usually clearly evident how much fun the groups had as a band. Watching the guys and gals reunite allows you to see why they were so popular to begin with, the bands' excitement at reuniting is as contagious as the energy they had when they were together originally. That's why I'm excited about the new VH-1 celebreality series, The Salt-N-Pepa show.
Salt-N-Pepa was the first female rap group to become popular. Their music was fun, and Salt-N-Pepa had charisma to spare. I think "Push It" remains to this day a song that can get any party started, and if you watch the video, you can easily see how Salt-N-Pepa drew tons of fans. A victim of changing trends and Salt-N-Pepa's changing priorities, Salt-N-Pepa left the rap world in the mid-nineties. The Salt-N-Pepa show will track Salt-N-Pepa's attempt to break back into the rap game. I don't know whether they're writing new songs or putting together a tour with their old music. Either way, I'm euphoric at getting to see Salt-N-Pepa reunite to do what they really seemed to love to do. 10 episodes seems almost too short, but that's what VH1 is giving, and I'm thankful for even that much.
Are there any other 80's bands or groups you'd like to see reunite on VH-1, courtesy of Celebreality? I think it would be hilarious to see Shaq attempt to revive his rap "career."
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The Ice Truck Killa! | June 14, 2007
SPOILER ALERT: DO NOT READ THIS POST IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED DEXTER!
Thanks to a months-old passing mention of the show by DeAnn, I finally started watching Dexter about two weeks ago on Showtime OnDemand. I watched the pilot and immediately watched the next two episodes. A couple days later, I was halfway through the season. The show is fantastic, and I wholly recommend watching it. As I was watching the show, though, one thing kept nagging at me. I thought the series antagonist bore a striking resemblance to one of the Beastie Boys!
Continue reading "The Ice Truck Killa!"
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Didja Hear About That Sopranos Finale? | June 11, 2007
It's my own fault. I should've known that what I was attempting was impossible. I was naive. Having not been too excited about this last season of The Sopranos, I had not kept up with the show. Still, I thought that I would just watch the entire season this week via OnDemand, finishing up Tuesday at the latest. I thought that at the very least, I'd be able to make it through this evening, evading spoilers all day. Boy was I wrong. As I was opening my eyes, CNN's American Morning was already doling out the haps from last night! Too groggy to find the remote control, I was helpless to turn away before hearing the big news and the final scene. Ah well. To add insult to injury, as I went to the bathroom to take my morning shower, I turned on NPR's Morning Edition. NPR was kind enough to spare me a second recap of the finale. Instead, I was treated to a story on how impossible it would be to avoid having the ending spoiled. What a scoop!
On an entirely unrelated note, does anyone want a Joost Invite?
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Check Out Previews of the Fall Shows | June 09, 2007
In the spirit of openness with which many of the TV networks are now approaching the internet, ABC has made previews of its fall shows and mid-season replacements available from their website. ABC of course, has been at the forefront on internet video, allowing its audience to watch full episodes of its most popular shows online. In fact, for much of this season, the episodes of Lost would air without commercials if you just waited a couple days. The other networks are getting there, but they just don't get it the way ABC does.
NBC's fall lineup
CBS 's Fall Preview
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Flight of the Conchords | June 01, 2007
One of my life's pleasures is a videocassette my fiancee made of an HBO One Night Stand she'd captured on our DVR one night as she lay awake while I snored. That One Night Stand featured Flight of the Conchords, a musical, comedic duo from New Zealand. They had a wry, absurd sense of humor reminiscent of the best goofy British humor but distilled by their deadpan deliveries. Not only were their jokes funny, but the quality of their parodies was spot-on. Remember when Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg did that "Special Treat in a Box" (NBC.com's title) video, and it was parody perfection? That's how Flight of the Conchords are across so many different genres: hip hop, folk, R&B, etc.... Well, HBO has given Flight of the Conchords their own show. I don't think the first episode lives up to the show's potential, but it soars during the songs. Oh, I guess I should mention the show is a musical. How could it be anything else? You may already view the first episode online, and It will premiere on TV in a couple weeks. If you watch the show, and don't know whether you want to stick with it, let me tell you that the song, "I'm Not Crying," at the end of the show makes it entirely worthwhile. Below is a clip from the pilot, where the Flight of the Conchords are shooting a video, on a budget, for their song "Robots."
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Lost Is Coming to an End | May 10, 2007
It's old news by now, but ABC has announced a definite end date for Lost. Following this season, ABC will air three more seasons, each only 16 episodes long but airing without breaks or reruns. I think this is probably the best possible situation, for the network, for the production, and for the audience.
First, networks don't really need more than eight seasons of a series, ever. A popular show may run longer simply for the ad revenue it brings in, but syndication is where networks and producers hope to wring money out of their shows by selling reruns to other broadcasters. Other broadcasters never need more than eight seasons, though, in order to run a whole year of programming. Eight or more seasons, though, would have ruined Lost.
Does anyone think that the producers and writers could have plausibly stretched out the story of Lost over 100 more episodes and five years? Seriously? Instead, we're getting 48 more episodes in three seasons. HBO, Showtime, and FX are able to maintain the quality of their productions by never overextending their shows. The average series may run 12 episodes in a season, and the writers usually have a whole year to put their shows together. Network television is more demanding because the audience is used to year-long programming. This arrangement would seem to strike a perfect balance between the needs of the network and the writers.
Most importantly, we, the audience, benefit here. We know that Lost is heading to some kind of conclusion. We will have something to anticipate each year, knowing that February will bring the return of Lost, just as January brings the return of American Idol. Also, maybe we won't have to suffer through an embarrassing decline, hoping for a remarkable return (I'm thinking of you, Simpsons!).
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American Idol 5/9/07 | May 09, 2007
I write this with tonight's elimination episode of American Idol still looming a little over an hour away. Can I admit that this is probably the episode I'm dreading most? I think this is probably the strongest final four American Idol has ever boasted. In fact, as I watch American Idol Recap, the syndicated rerun of the first season, I'm shocked by just how much stronger the performers are now, down the board. Each of the remaining contestants has something remarkable about them to separate them from the pack. Melinda has smokey pipes that rival Tina Turner's, Lakeisha is a powerhouse who doesn't seem to even need a microphone, Blake has an ingenuity that could make for some fun pop music, and Jordin seems to have the best star potential since Kelly Clarkson. Though I'm hoping Jordin and Blake are our final two, it would be shocking to see either Lakeisha or Melinda go home.
I want to make this public now so that Extra, or some other tabloid, can't dredge it up should I decide to run for office someday. I voted for Sanjaya. It was just once, and I never did it again. I just felt like he was the only contestant to connect with the emotion of his latin week song.
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Monday Night's Alright for Laughing | May 08, 2007
Why is no one watching How I Met Your Mother? Or perhaps a better question would be why are so many people watching Two and a Half Men but not How I Met Your Mother? When I was growing up, Monday nights were for CBS what Thursdays have been (until recently) for NBC. Mondays were CBS's big comedy night (check out this 1991 Entertainment Weekly article for nostalgic proof). Murphy Brown, Designing Women, Northern Exposure... that was an all-star lineup! In terms of quality, CBS has finally returned to form with its Monday Night schedule. It's got comedy from 7 until 9, starting with How I Met Your Mother and The Class. Those were two shows that featured strong writing with performances that were equal to the material.
I can't push How I Met Your Mother enough. Part of its appeal is that the characters are my age, so many of the references and situations on the show resonate with me. However, Neil Patrick Harris as ladies' man Barney Stinson is one of the funniest characters on TV right now. How I Met Your Mother was responsible for more than half of my biggest laughs this season, including this music video:
I was slower to embrace The Class, an ensemble comedy from one of the creators of Friends. The Class's premise seemed a little gimmicky. A bunch of ex-classmates get together for a birthday party and begin rebuilding their relationships. Not only did The Class's premise seem gimmicky, but its storylines seemed soapy, to say the least. We spent an entire season watching people attempt to hook up and stay hooked up. The Class was funny enough that it managed to step over every one of those obstacles that should've bogged it down.
Neither of these shows, though, seems to have found much of an audience. I feel like they should be the Murphy Brown and Designing Women of today. On the other hand, Two and a Half Men, airing later on CBS's Monday Night, regularly leaps into the top 10! I've watched the show and can't see anything special in it. I've always liked Charlie Sheen, but I don't really want to see him on a weekly basis, and has anyone wanted to see Jon Cryer on even a decadely basis? Does anyone watch Two and a Half Men, and can you tell me what I'm missing?
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Get your Shield fix | March 28, 2007
The Shield returns next week, and TVSquad.com has an interview with Walton Goggins, who plays Shane on the show. I can't help but get excited just reading even these general notes on the direction this sixth season will take. When we last saw the Strike Team, Vic Mackey was vowing to hunt down Lem's killer, unaware that it was his right hand, Shane, that killed Lem. This season promises more of the psychological attrition that makes us fans love it so. To get you even more excited, check out this "promosode" that takes place between Seasons 5 and 6, and set your DVR for the season premiere April 3rd!
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Golden Age of Television | March 23, 2007
My fiancee, Claire's, parents saw Janis Joplin on stage. Janis Joplin, of course, was a part of a select group of rock and rollers who personified what many consider to be a golden age of rock and roll, that period that seems to get kick started by the arrival of Beatles and ended by the abrupt departures of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and others. Claire's parents have their story of seeing Janis Joplin perform, and I'm riveted by it whenever I hear it. Apparently, we are living through a golden age at this very moment: a golden age of television. Don't believe me? Well, ask Ira Glass. So we're living though a golden age of television. What I'm wondering is... am I fulfilling some kind of civic duty by watching as many hours of tv as possible each week? Does this mean that my seven-day-a-week, sun-to-moon habit is actually edifying? I am beginning to think so. In fact, I'm starting to think of myself as a steward of history. I am a PhDVR whose main capacity in the future will be to regale my descendants with stories of the kinds of great things that were on television. I imagine a conversation going something like this:
Child: You mean there were more than 40 hours a year of this show called American Idol?
Me: Well, you've gotta keep in mind that those were wild and reckless times.
Child: And this Seacrest guy?
Me: Strangely captivating. Not especially funny but he definitely had something.
Child: You mean frosted hair?
This April, the Golden Age continues with the returns of Entourage, The Sopranos, The Shield, and the conclusion of this season of Lost, which I feel is as strong as ever. So of course, I'lll be there for the big shows, but are there some small shows that I'm missing out on? I will do you the favor of inviting you to check out Top Design. It isn't quite as compelling as Project Runway, but it's far better than Top Chef. My friend, Olivia, has suggested to me that what separates Project Runway from Top Chef is that you can validate the work on Project Runway but not on Top Chef. You have no way of knowing how the food prepared on Top Chef will taste, but you know what clothes you like. The validation theory works for Top Design, too. You can look at a room and tell whether you like the way it looks or not.
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The Shield is back! | February 13, 2007
I don't have much reason to dawdle around FX right now. They don't have any series on that interest me. However, while checking out Dirt recently, I did catch one of their promos for the new season of The Shield. I saw that promo and I knew that all was right with the world... for at least ten episodes starting in April, anyway. I spent many months fearing that The Shield might not make it back. Then I saw that Shawn Ryan was in talks to do the last season of the show, and, most recently, I learned that he actually got two seasons out of FX. I find that I'm both relieved and worried.
One more season, I begged, to bring about the destruction of the Strike Team because that's what has to happen. Shawn Ryan, however, begged for two more seasons both to finish off Vic and Shane's story and also finish telling the stories of Aceveda, Dutch, Wimms, and company. I'm all for that; I just want for the show to go out at the top of its game, as The Sopranos could have done back in season 5. Maybe five is the magic number. The Wire, which just barely edges out The Shield as my favorite police drama, also is headed into a fifth season, which I hope will be its last, too.
Anyway, I'm excited. During each episode of The Shield, I find myself dreading reaching the fifty minute mark because that means that soon the story will be over for the evening. When that episode is over, I look forward to having that same feeling the next week. The only thing I can liken it to, really, is being read to at bedtime as a child. What I'm afraid of is having that feeling ruined by having the show suffer even the slightest degradation in quality.
So for you Shield fans out there. What do you think of the new promos? And have you read The Shield's blog? I don't read many TV shows' blogs, but The Shield's blog offers so much insight and behind-the-scenes info that it's a must read for me after each week's episode. It is, in fact, one of two TV show blogs I read. The other is Barney's Blog from How I Met Your Mother. Are there any TV show blogs that you guys find worthwhile?
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Ugly Betty leads the way | February 09, 2007
The telenovella is famous for tackling social issues, so much so that in Mexico they are seen as engines for promoting social change. Our own Ugly Betty, a translation of an already wildly popular telenovella from latin America, has been folding social issues into its cartoonish stories of a homely heroine working in high fashion. Those social issues are what keep the show grounded in reality. Watching Betty's father, the nicest guy on television, struggle with possible deportation reminded us that a fashion shoot gone awry wasn't the worst thing that could happen to a person.
Despite Ugly Betty's track record of being unafraid to deal with social issues--in fact, almost obligated--this Thursday's episode represented the shock and awe of social progress as Ugly Betty stormed up the front. In one episode, not only did the show underline Betty's nephew, Justin's, comfort with his less than masculine interests and personality, one of the show's central storylines revolved around Daniel Mead's coming to terms with his brother's transexuality. Brilliantly, Ugly Betty represented Justin and Alexis as people who were intimately comfortable with who they were, and it was other characters who needed to accept them. Justin's father, who has always been uncomfortable with Justin's personality, felt he needed to protect Justin from the cruelty the world had in store for him. He discovered he couldn't have been further from the truth. Daniel Mead, it turned out, was more upset at his brother, Alex, for pretending to be dead than for getting a state-of-the-art sex change, becoming Alexis. Ugly Betty covered all this territory while keeping the show fun, never becoming preachy.
I have to admit that I have had little interest in gay characters on television. There are so many underrepresented minorities on TV that I have felt that gay characters were just another line in the ledger of the unfairly absent. Through Ugly Betty, however, I find that I have become invested in the lives of several gay characters (Marc St. James is one of my favorite characters on TV this season) and also a transgendered character. That is the power of the telenovella. Scratch that. That is actually the power of television.
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From the Comments | January 22, 2007
I just wanted to quickly address a couple of the comments from the past week. Mentioning that Simon Cowell told Oprah that Seattle had the worst contestants ever, Darcy wondered whether that was a good or a bad thing. Well, I will be so bold as to say that it is awful for American Idol, based on the Seattle show. What makes the horrible performances on the audition shows fun is that you also get to see the talented individuals who really do know how to sing but haven't had the opportunity to do anything with their singing. It's the whole thrill of victory/agony of defeat thing-- one makes the other worthwhile. I thought that the Seattle show was pretty boring. And yet, it was still better than the Grease: You're the One That I Want, which I hope really picks up with the live shows starting next Sunday.
Also, Isabel wanted to talk about It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I have to admit that I begrudgingly admire the show. I didn't want to like it the first time I watched it. But the more I watched it, the more I wanted to watch it. I think it was the writers' fierce determination to hit every single taboo subject possible that kept the show funny this season. I think part of my initial disdain was that I'd read that they wanted to make an anti-Friends, and that really ticked me off. Friends boasted what was probably the best blend of physical and verbal comedy that we'll see in our lifetime, and I thought that harshing on Friends was just a way to get attention. Well, a much better way to get attention is to have a ferociously funny show, and the It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia gang, who also are the show's writers, have just that. I don't know why I get so defensive. I never listened to Eddie Murphy's standup until a couple years ago because he dissed Bill Cosby, who, for my money, is the best standup ever. But I digress. There's also a tale out there about the IASIP gang shooting their own pilot on a shoestring budget, and I do find that to be an inspirational story. In fact, thanks to this show, I have my own aspirations for shooting a TV pilot this year. Question: Do you think it was better with or without Danny Devito?
Could someone, very quickly,. give me a reason to like Veronica Mars, please? It seems like it has all the elements of a show that I should like, but the few episodes that I've seen have failed to pull me in.
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It's All in the Timing | January 19, 2007
A couple of days ago, I got dropped by a cold. My DVR is filling up, and this weekend I'm going to have to make some serious choices about what gets deleted, what gets saved, and what gets watched. One show that I never have to question is Ugly Betty, which has got to be one of the most consistent shows on TV. Last night's episode, started a new push with new storylines. Wilhelmina kicked her plans to take over the magazine into high gear. Betty made an important decision regarding her love life. Even Hilda had to turn over a new leaf as Herbalux runs into serious problems.
You can go on and on through the Ugly Betty's list of positives, and all of the critics and bloggers already have. There is one asset that I don't think has gotten the attention it deserves, and that is Michael Urie as Marc St. James. He has a supporting role in a cast chock full of wonderful, funny actors, but he never disappears into the fabric. His consistency is amazing. His delivery is always hilarious and the way he glides through scenes is wonderful. It is as if he is the oil that keeps the machine running.
Lost returns to ABC's lineup soon. Though they've taken the unusual but brave step of announcing their intentions to set an end date for the show, I feel that Lost could take a lesson from Ugly Betty. Ugly Betty wrapped up many of its mysteries while kicking new ones into place. Lost did that successfully in its transition from Season 1 to Season 2, but Ugly Betty has managed to do that going from the first half to the second half of its season. And with Lost disappearing from the schedule for months at a time, they might be served well by a willingness to give us meat to chew on while waiting for the next part of the season. Still, I admire ABC's willingness to set a closing date for Lost. Here's hoping that all the parties involved go through with it instead of dragging on as The Sopranos did. With The Sopranos, it was as if you could feel the stiff wind drop from its sails following the decision to go on for another season and mini season.
Speaking of TV series with a sense of timing. There is no show better than The Wire at knowing how to time its stories and storylines. Here's hoping that it does one more season and goes out as having been one of the best series TV has ever seen.
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It's ba-aaaaaack | January 17, 2007
Fox kicked off its annual mealticket, American Idol, last night, and may I just say that there is something that Fox just gets about the audition shows. The premiere lasted two hours last night and I watched all two hours with the same sense of fear, dread, shock, outrage, and hilarity that has been there every year that I've watched the show. Idol did not disappoint. Meanwhile, over on NBC, I'm praying that we'll enter a wormhole so that we can get to the actual contest portion of Grease: You're the One That I Want. The only thing that's made those auditions bearable has been--and I never thought I'd say this--Billy Bush. His honest reactions to the performances have been what's kept that show watchable.
Did you have any favorite performances last night? Nothing has compared to Mary Roach from a couple years ago, for me, but there were some gems in Minnesota. The promos for the Seattle show, tonight, really have me jazzed. I think it'll be as good as Austin was last year.
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Miss something? | January 16, 2007
Each week there's so much to keep up with. There's either a viral video here, a celebrity meltdown there,
or someone doing something on a reality TV show to remind you that evolution is still an imperfect process. Once upon a time, if you missed one of those seminal moments, you had no recourse except to force a laugh and pretend to know what your friends were talking about. I have to admit that that happened to me more than you would know. "...But what was Jim Bakker doing with Baby Jessica, and why didn't Tammy Fae do anything?" These days, though, you don't have to face the awkwardness. You actually have a couple choices to help keep you caught up. For weekly recaps of the awesomeness that went down during the week that was, you can tune into The Soup or Best Week Ever. For daily catching up, you can do Best Night Ever or Jimmy Kimmel. Here, quickly, are the strengths and weaknesses of all of them.
Jimmy Kimmel. I have to admit to having an admiration for Jimmy Kimmel Live. Besides doing a live broadcast each night, Jimmy Kimmel has the only of the late night shows that I feel really gets our modern youtube-tivo sensibilities. During his opening monologue, Jimmy will often show bits of absurdity from the day's TV. He also brought us Andy Milonakis when Andy was still just an internet phenomenon (I don't know whether that's a good or a bad thing). Jimmy isn't your best safety net for catching all of those great moments, though, because the monologue only lasts a couple minutes. Also, sadly, his jokes just aren't always four-star material.
Best Week Ever. Best Week Ever is a digest of awesomeness from the preceding week. A handful of B-to-C level comedians recap and rundown the week's best moments from the internet, TV, and the world at large. In fact, I think it boasts the best mix of internet and TV clips. The show's biggest strength is the size of its cast of about ten regulars. All those different voices mean that you're going to get a lot of different kinds of jokes about the week's best happenings. On the other hand, far too often too many of the comedians on the show just aren't that funny. Still, if something has happened and people are talking about it, you're going to hear about it here.
Best Night Ever. This is a daily podcast from the folks who bring you Best Week Ever. A five minute daily dose of whatever has been on TV or in the news, Best Night Ever doesn't quite measure up to Best Week Ever. While it's as topical as topical can be, the people who do the podcasts are not the same comedians who do the weekly show. I think the podcast hosts are just interns or production assistants or something. You're going to see the outrageous clips but without the outrageous quips.
The Soup. This is, to me, the gold standard. One host. 30 minutes. The best moments from TV, from all over the dial including the Home Shopping Network, with good jokes. It's definitely worthy of carrying on the Soup name. In fact, The Soup hasn't been so good since Greg Kinnear and company brought Talk Soup into existence so many years ago. The only drawback is that it is very light on viral video from the web.
Is there anything I've left out?
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Introducing Earnest Pettie | January 16, 2007
Hello, everyone, I would just like to offer a quick introduction. I'm a wannabe sitcom writer, living in entirely the wrong place: Tulsa, Oklahoma. I will be guest blogging while DeAnn is on vacation. Here's a quick rundown of my favorite shows:
Comedy:
The Office
How I Met Your Mother
Lucky Louie
Ugly Betty
Reality:
American Idol
Dancing with the Celebrities
Amazing Race
Project Runway
Drama:
The Wire
The Shield
Lost
Law & Order
That's it for my introduction, and I look forward to chatting with all of you.
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Lonely Channels in the Middle of Nowhere | January 14, 2007
In my neck of the woods, our cable company's digital cable channel lineup becomes ferociously uninteresting just after passing the sixties, where you can find Comedy Central and Cartoon Network, and doesn't really become worthwhile again until the premium movie channels start at 300. Sixty-five to 300 is the equivalent of flyover country. There are interesting stops you might make, but if you're a serious jetsetter you are just hitting the coasts, no stops in between. My fiancee, Claire, is a serious jetsetter. She won't even waste her time picking through the bargain bin of channels, and why should she? She bypasses 10 MTV's, 9 VH1's, 2 Turtledoves, and a partridge watching Catholic TV.
Far more willing to waste an hour on programming that shows the slightest bit of promise, I take my time browsing that vast field of channels that our cable company has chosen at random to coerce us into buying into their multiple tiers of programming. Observing all those extra channels, I have come across a number of diamonds in the rough that I will occassionally tune into to while away an hour or two.
Fine Living. I don't know what it is that appeals to me about the Fine Living Network. Their shows skew from wildly irrelevant to my daily life--shows about golf and wine-- to strangely entertaining fare like The Shopping Bags and Opening Soon. What I really like about this channel-- and I know this is going to sound kooky-- are Fine Living's interstitial promos that are usually fifteen-second informative spots telling me how to throw a party or choose a television or something to that effect. I love them more than the channel's actual programming!
VH1 Classic. This is how I know I am approaching that hill that I am expected to roll over sooner or later. I adore VH-1 Classic. I really don't care for much of VH-1's programming, but I will always love the Pop-Up Video reruns that air on the channel. Also on VH-1 Classic is Classic Albums, which is the kind of show I love. I love watching artists reminisce about the good old days, and this program's chief currency. Finally, I can't get enough of VH-1's The Alternative. I grew up on MTV's 120 Minutes and Alternative Nation, MTV's late night programming that trafficked in the post-college rock, post-grunge "alternative" music that spawned artists like Bjork and PJ Harvey. VH-1 is, for me, a healthy dose of nostalgia for those days when My So Called Life's cancellation was a call to arms and Mike D of the Beastie Boys didn't quite resemble a California Raisin.
Discovery Times/National Geographic. These might as well be the same channel. Most of their programming is repetitive and boring. Every now and then, though, something pops up that makes both of those channels worthwhile. It's as if something special materializes out of nowhere, is rebroadcast eighteen times in two days, and then disappears as quickly as it had materialized in the first place. National Geographic aired a special, The Dark Side of Everest, about the insanity and inhumanity involved in scaling Everest. You wanted to shake your head in pity but couldn't for fear you'd miss the next illustration of human depravity. Discovery Times aired Word Wars, a documentary about "professional" Scrabble players that was awesome. Every now and then, they re-air it, but trying to find it on TV is about as easy as scaling Everest.
The N. Although The N is an entirely different channel from what it was when I began watching it, I will always find my way to The N as long as it continues to air Degrassi reruns. What's Degrassi, you ask? Only the best teen-oriented drama to ever come out of Canada, a country that knows how to do teen programming right. It's so cool Kevin Smith did two episodes of the show a couple years ago. Come on! If those aren't hipster bona fides, what are?
So there you have it, folks. Those are the little channels lost in the middle of nowhere that I still manage to find my way to. What are your otherwise worthless channels that you find yourself tuning into for its peculiar programming?
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