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Did I Say There Was Nothing On TV?

So last week I complained that there wasn’t anything on TV. I also made a sacrifice to the TV gods and they answered. They provided me with four shows to watch. See, sacrificial prayer does work.

Windfall

I’ve officially stopped watching the show. I missed an episode because the cable signal was screwed up, and all I got was a few static images. Last week I realized that I didn’t care that I missed an episode because I didn’t care about the show.

It was bad, but in a boring way, not bad in an amazing way like Reunion.

I miss Reunion.

What I Watched Last Week

Monk (USA) – For the past few season I’ve caught the premiere of Monk and then trailed off as the season progressed. I can’t guarantee this season will be any different. That said this was a pretty good episode and a solid season premiere. I loved Stanley Tucci as a “Hollywood” actor, the way he praised the police in a self effacing way, it was a great performance. And when he actually “became” Monk is was funny, yet creepy.

I completely dug how they allowed Monk to make progress and before the episode was over he was back to the same old Monk. Clever, and it didn’t feel cheap. What did feel kind of cheap was how the actual mystery was almost the B story. But I could look past that because I was having a good time.

Psych (USA) – This was a show that I was looking forward to, and I wasn’t really disappointed, too much. It felt a bit lightweight, as Monk does at times, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

I really dug the character interactions and relationships that occurred throughout the episode. I was wondering how they were going to pull off his need to pretend to be a psychic, but I thought that it was played very well. And the flashback to how he honed his talent was a nice if heartbreaking touch. I’ll probably be back next week.

Lucky Louie (HBO) – This episode just didn’t click with me. Watching Louie eat the two donuts was funny, but watching him gorge on McDonald’s wasn’t. Again, this feels too “based on stand up”-y for my taste. But when it’s funny, it’s funny.

Entourage (HBO) – I know that I wanted more Ari, but the whole thing with the tween star hitting on his daughter is strictly a corny sitcom storyline. It’s annoying. The development in Turtle’s experience in managing seems forced, as it’s barely been addressed the entire season. But all of a sudden, Saigon is huge, despite Turtle doing absolutely zip. Boo.

But I do dig Vincent being torn about his obligation and his passion. It’s an intriguing storyline and one worth watching, finally. I do wonder what Paul Haggis got for appearing on the show.

Hustle (AMC) – I do love the glory of a con. And this one was a huge con, but it seems like one that could probably actually be pulled off, at least the stock market bit. I dug the back-story set in a black and white silent movie. It showed just how talented Adrian Lester really is as an actor. But I truly love how the gang got conned, and they were looking for it. A great episode.

Rescue Me (FX) – This was a very good episode. The funny parts were funny (Garrity on a sleep walking rampage) and the sobering moments were thought provoking (I can’t imagine how badly one must feel knowing that they led people into a dead end…in a burning building.)

I’m completely perplexed by relationship between Tommy and his ex. It’s disturbing enough that he raped her, and she seemed ok with that toward the end of the encounter. But the fact that she seems to enjoy their twisted relationship is scary. What’s even more frightening is that I know of relationships that are like this in the real world. Crazy.

Saved (TNT) – This is such a good show. I don’t know of any other character on TV that I root for more than Wyatt. He’s like me, if I was a paramedic and knew how to drive. And had a gambling problem. Ok, basically we both pine for lost loves, but the point is I relate to him.

I don’t think that I could appreciate the Mormon EMT on the show, if I didn’t know Mormons here in Vegas. The guy plays a convincing Mormon. But the character that I like the most is the gay bookie. I know that forcing him into every episode would kill the character’s appeal, but I just can’t get enough of him. He’s so menacing, yet enjoyable to watch on screen. What a great cast. I hope that more people are watching this show.

Brotherhood (Showtime) – I swore this was going to be a skim Sopranos and it might be for all I know; I’ve never seen an episode of the Sopranos. But I do know that I enjoyed this first episode. The show kind of reminded me of The Wire in that it showed two sides to how the city runs.

I loved how Michael resumes his life where he left off (I can’t wait for him to run into the girl that I’m sure he left behind). I loved how street-smart Tommy knew he was under surveillance. I loved how Eileen’s life isn’t what she wants it to be and she needs to feel alive in other ways. I loved how Rose was savvy enough to get rid of the counterfeit money. And you’ve got to love Michael giving the earring and the matching severed ear as a gift. This was a great show and it really could have been the greatest thing I watched, but it wasn’t.

City of Men (Sundance) – This season premiere was an amazing episode. Not only did we get to see Acerola and Laranjinha have a night out, but we also got glimpses into the (tragic) sexual experiences of some secondary characters. Plus we also got a peek at the club life and music scene in the slums of Rio.

This episode resonated with me on a personal level. Y’see when I went out in college my boys had the same mentality as Laranjinha while I was much more like Acerola. So I completely felt what Acerola was going through (and I loved the “Charlie Brown” moment where the situation did get worse by it raining.) This was a touching, heartrending episode and any other week it would have been the best thing on. But…

The Greatest Show Ever…this week Deadwood (HBO)

This was, hands down, the best thing on. And it’s really just because of the fight. The build up has been there for a while and the payoff was so worth the wait. The battle between the Captain and Dan was truly epic.

I loved seeing each character prepare for the fight. I loved how everyone realized what the fight symbolized. I loved how, like everything else on this show, it wasn’t a pretty fight. It was tough to watch Dan get beat down and counted as out, but seeing him muster the strength to overtake the Captain was so uplifting. I actually felt glad when he struck the killing blow. But I equally felt his pain as he regretted it later.

I also dug seeing Alma hopped up on opium. I loved how Elsworth really wasn’t trying to shag. It was touching and sad at the same time. I equally loved Bullock’s slow burn the entire episode. His confrontation with Hearst was possibly more dramatic then the fight between the Captain and Dan. And there you have it; three interactions by three pairs of characters and every one of them was a fine moment not to be missed. That’s why Deadwood was the greatest show ever.

I love the 70’s…or do I?

I’ll admit to being kind of excited when I heard that VH1 was going to do a follow up to I Love the 70’s. Those shows are by guilty pleasure. I secretly love them, but I’ll be damned if I let anyone know that I watch them.

But when it finally came time to watch the show, I slacked off. I didn’t even watch an episode until Thursday night, the second to last night it was airing. And you know what, I didn’t really have any sense that I was missing out. Until I watched an episode, then I felt the need to watch them all, so I could find out that I missed in the 1970’s.

I’ve come to the theory that if I can completely avoid VH1’s weeklong events, I won’t regret it. However, if I catch one, I’ve got watch them all. They’re like Pringles® or crackâ„¢.

Dissed by Cox!

So, last week I sent the following feedback to my cable provider, Cox Communications;

Why don’t we have Showtime On Demand? When are you going to add it? You could easly get rid of Cinemax On Demand and replace it with Showtime On Demand.

I’ve got a friend back East and his options for On Demand are amazing.
When are more things (Boomerang, Showtime, etc) going to be added to On
Demand options?

They promptly replied with the following;

Dear Valued Cox Customer:

Thank you for contacting Cox Communications. Cox is committed to providing the best Customer service possible.

We have no immediate plans to launch this channel. However, we are constantly evaluating our line-up in an effort to maintain customer satisfaction. We will be happy to pass on your request to our Marketing department for review.

We value your feedback and work very hard to offer a variety of channels
to meet the needs of our customers.

Please note that there are many factors we consider when choosing to add or delete programming. These factors include programming costs, programming ratings, customer requests and the effect the addition or subtraction will have on the remaining line-up.

Since they don’t really care about me I think that each and every one of you, my cherished readers should drop them a line (via this trusty link) requesting Showtime On Demand for the Las Vegas area.

I would consider it a personal favor if you could drop them a line on my behalf.

I thank you in advance.

Cribs!

Last week I posed the following scenario;

Good news; you’ve got a new job. Bad news; it requires you to move. Good news; you’re moving to a good neighborhood. Bad news; it’s all the way across town. Good news; it’s closer to were you work. Bad news; this place has had previous residents. Maybe they were all killed in a horrible mass murder. Maybe they were evicted for being destitute. Perhaps they just died of old age. Who knows, the point is the place is vacant.

So would you rather live in Jefferson’s Apartment or the Brady House?

Captain Spaulding fires the first shot;

The Brady Bunch…Alice could cook frickin anything and even though they all shared rooms, that damn house was huge.

Three Words: Card Castle Competition

And I hated everything about the Jeffersons.

Colin counters;

One thing I know is that I want nothing to do with a house that has astro turf in the backyard.

The apartment it is; plus, Bentley was the best wacky neighbour ever, aside from Kramer. If he was next door, that’d be some party.

This is a tough call, as both Captain Spaulding and Colin make strong arguments. The Card Castle Competition does sound enticing. But it really boils down who I want to be around. If I’m in the Brady house, I’ve got to deal with that white couple who adopt a white kid, a Black kid and an Asian kid in an attempt to rid themselves of white guilt. I couldn’t deal with that, as I’m sure they’d come over to the crib and try to bond with me over the principles of Kwanzaa.

I’ve got to go with the Jefferson’s apartment. First off it’s got better amenities; I’ve got a doorman, which means I won’t have to touch the filthy front door of the building. Secondly I’ve got better neighbors. Bentley might have a bad back, but he’s always got a story to tell. Plus I’d get to heckle a couple who’ve got “Jungle Fever.” (Of course with my luck it’d be my parents.) And really I’m much more of an urban guy, the burb’s would never work with me.

Of course this brings us to…

Good News/Bad News/Question of the Week

Good news; you’re back in high school. Bad news; you’re not back in you’re old high school. Good news; you get to make a fresh start. Bad news; and by “fresh start” I mean freshmen year fresh start. Maybe there’s some anomaly in the space-time continuum. Maybe Doc Brown was pissed that you didn’t feed his dog. Who knows how you got there, the point is you’re back in high school. Good news; the school is full of a quirky cast of characters. Bad news; you’re the “new kid.”

So, would you rather be “the new kid” on Parker Lewis Can’t Lose Ferris Bueller or Saved By the Bell?

Links

Matt has Mondays on lock!

Josh has a new Poll to check out!

Kevin suggests that I check out some poker and you check out some head butt.

Joe (Reid) Got a Shadfly Caught in his Hair

On his Blog Joe’s actress tourney continues, and continues to entertain.