I Hate Heidi Montag

...and not just her, either. The entirety of The Hills can ROT IN HELL as far as I'm concerned.



Pardon my out of the blue rant - apparently the hormones have caused my wife to pick up worse than normal TV viewing habits. Everyone knows that you don't argue with a pregnant woman, especially one that has her mind set on something - and Ally has somehow become hooked on The Hills.

Why must she inflict that torture on my unborn child?

I know I sometimes like to go against the grain - I've been a proud follower of some less than popular shows in the past. Like my stint hooked on the first 9 or so seasons of Survivor (i still swear that season 1 is the bar they could never hold a candle to) or my defense of Bob Saget and his role on America's Funniest Home Videos (let's not go there again, ok? but new Saget truely is awesome). I just can't take this MTV "reality" shit!

Please, God, don't let her find any reruns of Laguna Beach!

How do you give a rating to something that has taken braincells that you will never get back? Oh well, at least the cast is easy on the eyes...

Lost Season 4: Midseason Discussion

How about a Lost mid-season discussion thread? (you might want to stop reading now if you haven't seen the latest "Meet Kevin Johnson" episode)

What I really liked about last night's episode was that it provided closure to something that had previously been left wide open. It's the only episode that I recall where the flashback/flashfoward was the majority of the episode - not much jumping back and forth (which I'm still not sure if I liked or not)

So I thought we were still waiting to hear who the last of the "Oceanic Six" were. Did anyone else watch the trailer at the end?



"All of the Oceanic Six survivors have been revealed" ... so that means Kate, Jack, Hurley, Sayid, Sun and ... Aaron? I thought Aaron didn't count since he wasn't a passenger?

And what's with this "The Island won't let you die because you still have work to do"? If it kept Michael from killing himself, is The Island also responsible for Jack not killing himself on the bridge? Locke not killing himself when he was in the pit of death? Desmond from dying when he turned the key in the hatch? Were there any other suicide attempts? Thankfully The Island allowed for Charlie to die :)

And who killed off Karl and Rousseau? Was that Ben setting them up to be ambushed so that he could get Alex back (my suspicion) or have other others infiltrated the island?

Let's discuss...

Star Wars: The Clone Wars - can't Lucas just let go?

Reading through digg I came across this story about the return of Star Wars this summer.

Lucas offered a glimpse into the latest creation in his sci-fi universe at the theater-owners convention ShoWest on Thursday, showing a sequence from "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," a computer-animated movie due in theaters August 15. It will be followed by a TV series of the same name, to air on the Cartoon Network and TNT this fall.

I get it now - this movie really just a publicity teaser to get an early viewer base tied in to the TV series before it's debut.

"It's like 'Band of Brothers' in space, with Jedi," Lucas, 63, said. "You can tell lots of stories. They come up all the time."

And this quote makes me think Lucas has just gone nuts - Band of Brothers is one of the best TV series that I've ever watched - it received critical acclaim and won a handful of Emmys and other awards. Does he really think that riding out the previous success of the Star Wars franchise really puts this series/story in the same league as Band of Brothers?

Personally, I'd prefer to get my Star Wars fix with crappy youtube videos.

Indiana Jones IV Trailer

The wait ain't gonna be easy, either!

Speechless Campaign

If you haven't seen it already, head over to the Deadline Hollywood Daily blog over the US turkey holiday and watch the speechless set of shorts (soon to be on Speechless Without Writers) in support of the WGA strike - that's guild and not guide as some might confuse it ;)

I recall hearing somewhere that it would just take the likes of someone like Tom Hanks to come out and say that he won't make another movie until this strike is averted for the AMPTP to quickly settle. Maybe this is a first step in that direction...

24: Season 7 Trailer

Hey Fox: give it a break already!

PeterJ recently posted about putting shows on notice. 24 has been on my notice list for the last two seasons - I think the only reason I finished watching the last season was because I didn't cancel the PVR schedule. After watching the trailer for this season, I'm not sure I even want to give the premiere a chance.



They should have stopped after season 3, before the show really started to go downhill. On the other hand, after watching that trailer I feel the sudden urge to order me some DirecTV for their 100 channels of HD!

Understanding The WGA Strike

"On Strike! Shut It Down! Hollywood's A Union Town!"

Interested in what the Writers Guild is striking about? I encourage you to check out the United Hollywood blog and decide for yourself what side you are on.

Here's a nice little clip from The Office folks on the picket line...



I started digging deeper into this after reading this post on Jenna Fischer's blog - I didn't realize how the networks are screwing folks over with online distribution... to quote,

The big issue in this negotiation involves the internet. If you go to NBC.com right now, you can watch an episode The Office for free. The network runs advertisements while you're watching it, which gives them an extra source of revenue. The actors, writers, producers and director, the people who created the content you are watching, are not compensated in any way for this.

The Writers Guild has taken the position that the writers should receive residuals if the show re-airs on the internet just like they receive residuals if it re-airs on television since in both cases the studios are making money. The issue is a huge deal, because the internet is clearly where the future of entertainment lies.

Right now, a number of successful shows (like Lost for one) have stopped showing repeat episodes on TV at all, and have replaced them with ad-supported streaming video on their websites. If you're a Lost writer, or actor, or director, or a teamster that's no residuals at all for that show, and that's a big pay cut.

I totally agree - the internet *is* where the future of entertainment lies. My TV viewing is probably about 30% from online content, 70% from cable - and the online portion has only been growing.

Heh - how appropriate is it that I resurface from my recent blogging hiatus to comment on the Writers Guild strike? I guess timing is everything. The WGA picked a fairly reasonable time to strike - just as the fall shows are starting to pick up (ie: Heroes), winter shows are on the horizon (ie: Lost) and US Thanksgiving is right around the corner.

Canadian content could be the short term winner in this strike, as people are going to be turning somewhere in the primetime hours to fill the rerun void.

Chuck: "Chuck Versus the Helicopter"

Since I first reviewed Chuck a week ago, I've thought about the show and it's premise a little bit more. The plot is pretty thin, really - random geek has government secrets downloaded into his mind. Even if the acting is decent and the writing works out - how far can we really go with this plot?

So this week's episode wasn't revolutionary. Chuck is still working at Buy More. His government handlers are a good cop/bad cop combination: the pilot sets up some assumptions, like Sarah as the hot good cop and John as the bad cop. This episode is really about questioning that premise - but it feels like a really transparent attempt to buy more time in order to figure out the shows real plot.

Near the end of the episode, there's a hint that Chuck may only have 6 months of utility. Will they take Chuck out of the Buy More setting and into the field?

There was a classic moment that made me chuckle (pun intended?) as Chuck was recalling the government secrets and blurted out Oceanic flight 815 was shot down by the US government. Ha! I hope the show can continue to hide little nuggets like this one - and that it finds a real plotline soon!

Is it Grey's Anatomy or Greys' Anatomy?

Now that there's a second Grey in the hospital, shouldn't it be Greys' instead of Grey's? Or would it be Anatomies instead of Anatomy?

Oh, and I do not like this show. I do not like this show.

Well, there is one good reason to watch this show...


...anyways - like I was saying - I do not like this show.

(if i keep repeating it, does that make it true?)

Chuck: "Pilot"

Every now and then a new show pilots and you think "hey - this might actually be good". Anybody remember Little Mosque on the Prairie? Yea, me neither... (they can't all be winners)

Anyways, tonight I watched Chuck. Fearing the show was going to be as boring as its name, I wasn't really sure what to expect. Ally had it dog-eared as one of the shows to record in the fall lineup - since we didn't have conflicts with the other recordings tonight, Chuck happily made itself some room on my PVR.

I'm not really sure how to describe the pilot - it might be brilliance, but it might be coincidence, too. The show has an Alias meets The Office sort of vibe to it, which is very sexy and geeky at the same time. I actually had to do a double-take - I thought that Chuck himself was being played by John Krasinski for a minute - as Chuck has a very Halpert sort of way/look about him.

Here's a quick plot synopsis that doesn't really give anything away... Chuck works at Best Buy Buy More as the lead geeknerd/supervisor for the Geek Squad Nerd Herd. Parodies aside, Chuck comes across as your average nerd, preferring to spend more time with motherboards than on dates and has his own unique awkward/uncomfortable sense of humor. Unfortunately, Chuck happens to find himself in possession of some pretty secretive information. Information that certain individuals don't want public. Information worth killing for. I'm betting Chuck wishes he marked that email as spam ;)

The pilot was a really well executed and thought out episode - I think NBC might have another winner on their hands, here. Chuck is blessed (or maybe cursed) with having the lead slot to Heroes, too. That's sure to pull in a viewer or two!

According to NBC's website, Chuck is getting a replay on Saturday night at 9pm... I suggest you schedule your PVR, because this one might just work out.

Rating: (7.3512+π)/11.333

Jon Stewart to host Academy Awards

Just recently announced, Jon Stewart has signed on to host the upcoming Oscars in February.

I think Jon's performance a couple of years back was verging on brilliant - not quite as good as some of the early Billy Crystal performances, but certainly better than some of the other hosts we've seen recently (like Ellen DeGeneres, Steve Martin, Chris Rock, ...)

As long as we don't have a repeat of the Letterman appearance. I can still hear the train wreck noises from his "Oprah, Uma. Uma, Oprah" jokes. Oh, but to fail in a spectacular way!

I wonder if Stewart's politically charged commentary will really make it's way to the show or if he will (be) show(n) control ... it *is* an election year, after all. Heh, I can almost hear it now ... Obama, Rudy. Rudy, Obama.

Indiana Jones and the WTF???

Apparently the newest Indy movie has recently received its official name. It has been titled Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Is it just me or does that sound more like a Harry Potter title than an Indiana Jones one?

I've been looking forward to this movie for a long time, ever since it was first announced. So here's a little note to the director: Hi Steve, thanks for reading. On behalf of all of us who have enjoyed this movie franchise - please, please don't let us down. For my money, this title sucks. I can overlook that though, as long as the movie doesn't suck, too. Please don't let the movie suck. TIA!

Film Critic Movie Quiz

I probably could have done a little bit better - there were a couple that I just had no idea on.

80%The Movie Quiz
What's your movie quiz score?

mikem's Top [grumble] Movies Circa Now-ish

I'm with PeterJ. I certainly couldn't give you a ranked set of top 20 movies without some real serious thought. But here's 10 that would certainly be there, off the top of my head...

• A Clockwork Orange
• Natural Born Killers
• Hackers
• Empire Records
• The Matrix (just the first one)
• The Gods Must Be Crazy
• Weekend At Bernie's
• Lawrence Of Arabia
• The Usual Suspects
• Breakfast At Tiffany's
• When Harry Met Sally

A Clockwork Orange is probably my number one, though.



Yes, I am slightly deranged.

TVTMEB

Or better known as TV That Makes Eyes Bleed.

One of the side effects of having a laptop is that you can't control it and the remote at the same time! All too often I find myself immersed in something to look up and ask Ally "what the hell is this crap that you're watching?!"

Tonight it was Army Wives. Oh, yes.. the show is clearly as boring as the title sounds. What's the opposite of good? Oh yea, that's bad. Let's write a show about bad. I guess the byline "from the executive producer of Grey's Anatomy" should have tipped me off.

Maybe I'll actually do a real post about this series sometime, but right now I cannot stand thinking about it any longer. Kim Delaney officially makes me want to cancel my cable.

We've posted a lot of picks over the last month, but what about some pans?

HD Wars

Maybe I should have used the title The Return of the HD DVD. Or perhaps The HD DVD Strikes Back. Meh.

Both Paramount and DreamWorks Animation SKG today announced their backing of HD DVD, which will entail exclusive use of the HD DVD format. The decision will see movies from Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Nickelodeon Movies and MTV Films available in standard definition DVD and HD DVD, exclusively.

via ars technica

Can someone please explain to me why this format war even matters? Are these decisions being made in dark rooms behind layers of cigarette smoke by crooked execs that are trying to kill off both emerging technologies? Is the DVD industry doing the same thing that the car industry did with the original hybrids, doing their damnedest to kill off any appeal for the majority of consumers?

Here's a very next-next-gen idea for you... maybe we should go formatless and just agree on a codec and distribute content electronically. Or perhaps the industry could go with BOTH and allow the consumer to decide! In reality, how much more would it cost to publish in both formats?

Bah, maybe I should just secretly patent a player that handles both and live off of the royalties. Or maybe HD DVD and Blu-ray will both go the way of the laser disk for a better alternative.

Review: Weeds (Season 3 teaser)

Hi, my name is Mike and I'm addicted to Weeds.


Croptop takes credit for introducing me to the show. I had never heard of it, but he spoke so highly of the show that Ally and I decided to catch up on it during the summer void last year. We were hooked right away.

Weeds is one of those shows where you could watch a handful of episodes in a given sitting and then watch them again. The one thing I'll hold against the show is that the episodes are disappointingly short, just shy of 30mins long w/o commercials. Likewise, the seasons are short, only about a dozen episodes each. Sure, it's quality over quantity - I just want more quantity of the same quality! Aside from that, the writing is top notch, the dialog is very edgy, the characters are engaging, the story is completely off the wall, and the show has one of the best opening credit sequences I've ever seen in a series.

Mary Louise Parker (drool) does a great job as the leading lady. Sure, sex sells, and her ba-donk-a-donk certainly doesn't hurt the show. Her acting is great, too... she seems to have a great sense of timing. Yea, timing. :)


(sorry, i couldn't resist posting the above photo once i found it)

But, IMO, Weeds really marks a comeback for Kevin Nealon, as I think he steals a lot of the show. I heard somewhere that Nealon refuses to let his family watch - he doesn't want them to see his character. Ha! There's an outrageous scene in season 3 where Nealon and one of his friends challenge each others' manhood and... well.. you just have to watch it. I guess I wouldn't want my family to see that, either!

It looks like Showcase has offset Weeds to the fall lineup from Showtime, which has just started airing the third season. Bummer! The first four episodes of Season 3 have been leaked online. Seasons 1 and two are there as well... but also available on DVD. The cliffhanger ending to season 2 is possibly one of the best season finales that I've ever seen - ever.

Rating: *** 1/2

It looks like Season 3 is going to be on par with 1 and 2! Now there's some real danger that it could fall short - one of the Olson twins has been cast to play Silas' girlfriend at some point this season. We'll see how that goes... *have faith in the writers*have faith in the writers*

Oh c'mon, you know you want some... maybe just a little? Once you start, you might not be able to stop.

Label clouds are cloudy!

You might notice that I've made a small tweak to our template in response to the prior post about formatting and tags. The Labels widget is now a Label Cloud widget, courtesy phydeaux3.

The formatting for this can be changed to show all labels (current configuration), labels with a given number of posts or greater, a limited number of labels, etc.

It was a simple edit to make (likewise simple to undo) ... whaddya think?

Review: Ugly Betty, Season 1 (2006-2007)

Ally and I have a new tradition of spending the summer catching up on a full season (or two) of a series that we haven't watched throughout the year, but wanted to. Thanks to bitmetv, we've been able to do this for a number of TV series. Last year it was Corner Gas and Weeds during the summer, with Lost in the winter. This summer, we've spent time catching up on Ugly Betty.

In a City Slickers meets She's All That meets My Big Fat Greek Wedding kind of way, Ugly Betty is a clear fish-out-of-water story where we follow Betty (America Ferrera) as she navigates her way through the saucy New York fashion magazine scene. The premise of the show itself is kind of thin; Betty is hired as assistant to notorious playboy Daniel Meade by his father Bradford, so that Daniel isn't tempted to sleep with his new assistant at the chic and hip Mode magazine in New York. I can almost hear the sighs in the boardroom during the pitch right now!

The geek in Betty is probably how I relate best to the show, but maybe that's one of the things that this show does best - it is very easy to relate to. I mean, who hasn't ever felt out of place before? Ugly Betty tries to go after them all... fashion, body image, sexual orientation, cultural background, etc. The show probably isn't for everyone, though, as I suppose I've absorbed some culture references (through Ally) that help me understand some of the quips in the show. The dialogue can be fast and sharp (in a Sorkin-esque sort of way) but remains easy to follow at all times. "You can't just come back from the dead" someone says, to which Wilhelmina (played fantastically by Vanessa Williams) responds "sure you can, Donna Karan does it all the time". Ohhh, snap!

While the cast of the show itself is very strong and carries great chemistry, I think that the writers are going to have to work hard to keep the series fresh in the future as the whole fish-out-of-water/ugly-duckling formula can become a little tiresome after a while. The mid-season addition of Rebecca Romijn certainly didn't hurt the show (wink, wink), but there's only so many times you can play that card. One thing remains clear, though - amongst the sea of superficial beauties, Betty is able to turn ugly into the new beautiful.

Rating: ***

Review: Hackers (1995)

Do you have one of those movies that you feel compelled to watch every time that it's on? Tonight I was flipping through the channels and stumbled across Hackers. I'd consider watching this movie a guilty pleasure, except that I'm proud of loving it. I'm not sure what initially attracted me to this film back in '95. Maybe it was the (over)glorified references to hacker culture. Maybe it was the exessive (mis)use of the word "elite". Who am I kidding, it was probably Angelina Jolie, you know, before she went crazy.

One of my favorite scenes in the movie is where Phreak, Nikon, Cereal and Crash sneak into Burn's room to check out her new laptop. In what was possibly one of the first onscreen Apple Fanboy moments, they drool over the "active matrix display" and "28.8 bps modem". Hey, I remember drooling over the first modem upgrade I bought: I went from 200 to 2400 baud! I am really quite glad that there are as many hardware spec references as there are throughout the film. Now, a decade later, it really hits the nostalgia factor - forever anchoring the movie in time. Can you believe that just over 10 years ago 28.8k modems were considered top of the line?

Sure there are references that just don't make sense, like the cheesy graphics used to visualize hacking the Gibson and navigation of a 3d filesystem. But compared to other cyber-flicks of the era, like The Net and Sneakers, Hackers is somehow timeless in how the movie dates itself. Perhaps the truly ageless part of this movie is the very apropos soundtrack: with songs like "Voodoo People" by The Prodigy and "Connected" by Stereo MC's, this album remains a regular on my iPod.

Hack the planet!

Rating: ** 1/2