Weekend Rant - Starting off the New Year

The arrival of the New Year heralded the beginning of new and exciting things, but unfortunately it also signaled the end of a few of my favorite series.

Just leaving the airwaves on New Year's Eve and after an incredible 16 years on the air and a total of 35 years of history,  The Royal Canadian Air Farce (a fun play on words of our air force) finished things up and it was a bittersweet finale. I will miss their parodies and political mischief and hope that some of the comedians will be seen in other shows or maybe another weekly variety show. It's always hard when you lose an institution like Air Farce and I will miss seeing Roger Abbott, Don Ferguson, Luba Goy, Jessica Holmes, Craig Lauzon, Alan Park and Penelope Corrin each week. There has rarely been a week that has gone by that they have not had a scathing commentary on the current political scene or some brilliant insight to Canadian Issues. They are as important to culture as Second City Television (SCTV). May the Farce always be with us!

It was also announced that MADtv is ending it's run after an impressive 14 seasons, surviving in a time slot that has seen many a pretender come and go and it has been the only viable competition to the long running SNL. I have been a huge fan of the show since day one, and have marveled at the brilliant parodies that they have pulled off over the years. No other show has been as biting and sarcastic as this crew, and they have had some very funny people that have stayed on for multiple seasons. The list of favorites is practically endless, but Mary Scheer, Orlando Jones, Bryan Callen, Michael McDonald, Aries Spears, Debra Wilson, Mo Collins ,Bobby Lee, Nicole Sullivan, Alex Borstein,Will Sasso, Stephnie Weir, Frank Caliendo, Phil LaMarr, Ike Barinholtz, Nicole Parker, Paul Vogt, Crista Flanagan,  Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Arden Myrin and Josh Meyers all made me laugh my ass off at some time and I will really miss having this show around. I always found it to be consistently funny and edgier than the last decade of SNL. They have also done some of the best music video spoofs out there, and I hope the rumors are true that they are trying to shop the show around to some other networks. If anything, I would just like to thank all the cast and crew for many years of funny stuff and hope to see them around in some form or another.

Wrapping things up, Stargate Atlantis ended with a whimper (not even close to a bang) and I am just happy that it is finally over. It's unfortunate that the series lost direction (and I have never liked it as much since the Doctor Elizabeth Weir character was written out of the series), and they really lost their direction with casting and interaction between the characters. I just hope the next series that the spin off of SG1 will fare better. I will miss  Joe Flanigan but imagine that he will pop up elsewhere (or so I hope).

Sanctuary finished up it's first season and I still keep waiting to get really interested. I haven't found the characters that interesting or enthralling and I am completely on the fence about future episodes. The concept is great, it is once more a question of writing, and getting some interesting and gripping story lines down.

I heard over the holidays that NBC has decided to pull the plug on American Gladiators and I am heartbroken. I was really enjoying the series and the herd of new Gladiators (there go favorites like Hellga, Crush and Toa) and still hold out hope that it might be picked up as a summer series .... one can dream. I can't believe that they keep Knight Rider and not this.

Starting back up this month are Battlestar Galactica and Lost, two of my favorite series and I am waiting with much ... (say it!) ...  anticipation to the series premiere this Friday of Galactica. I absolutely love the series and can hardly wait to see where it takes us in the final 10 episodes. The big reveal of the final Cylon model should be something, I bet the writers have been making us think that it is Starbuck but it will turn out to be Roslin. Lost has left a ton of questions in the air since last spring (it's a long time in between seasons of Lost), and I can hardly wait to see how things develop and I am thrilled that Bones is back this week, but hate the fact that it seems that almost everything is on Thursday night. Thank god for technology that enables you to record 2 things at the same time, but it means that I have to play catch up on the weekend to see some of my favorite shows.

Thursday is going to busy with Smallville and Supernatural coming back this week (I can hardly wait, both series have been great so far this year) and then the big return of America's Best Dance Crew, which is better than the almost tolerable ( I question the judging and what they qualify as dance) Superstars of Dance, which is filling a hole in the schedule and has enough good content to counteract the bland hosting and bizarre format. I have no idea who that South African Judge is, but I just want to reach out to my HD TV and smack him. Damn that man is irritating.

I will check out the season opener of 24, but if it is as dismal as the TV movie last month (24 - Redemption) that didn't really bridge the time span and missed season due to the strike last year. The end of the previous season (from a couple of years ago) had Jack taken hostage by the Chinese and the storyline was not really resolved. It was a crappy season anyways and is the reason I am looking at the big debut this week with a bit of trepidation. If the storyline is not gripping or interesting enough (or just plain stupid), I will not be continuing. The only thing that I have seen that was good and  24 related over the past while was a part of the Les Parent this past week on Radio-Canada. The whole real time feeling and incredible multi tasking done by mom, all while ranting about the impossible amount of things done by Jack Bauer in one hour was hilarious and great use of a camera. The writers have really been impressing me on this series and they deserves a shout out for that sketch.

Reality Round Up - Winning Week

Things got wrapped up this week for this edition of American Gladiators and what a ride this past season has been. Not only have they added tons of new events and gladiators, but the original events are back and the pantheon of Gladiators have been getting their groove on in a serious way.

Crush has become one of our favorites at home, and we are always in complete awe as she decimates competitor after competitor. Not only is she one tough cookie, but drop dead gorgeous and has a certain twinkle in her eye and that sly little grin. She has passed Hellga as our favorite female Gladiator. Don't get us wrong, we love Hellga but find Crush more exciting to watch. We are still waiting for the gender confirmation tests before we give our opinion on Steel. Something just doesn't add up for some reason.

Gender issues aside, the competitions have been great and the finale was a great example of athletes pushing themselves as far as they can go. Seeing all those bangs and bruises all over the competitors brings the reality a bit closer home, and considering that all the finalists were smaller guys and girls, the sheer size difference between the huge hulking gladiators and them was bound to leave a few marks. There have been many a night that we look at how huge the Gladiators are and realize that the are twice the size of us mere mortals. Here's hoping we get even more next year.

Make sure that you don't miss the spoof of American Gladiators (the aptly named Almost American Gladiators) Thursday night on this week's edition of Reality Bites Back on Comedy Central. If it is any where near as brilliant as their other spoofs it will be a real hoot.

I Survived a Japanese Game Show found it's survivor last night, and it was the charming Justin Wood (who reminds me of Joel McHale of The Soup) who survived all the wacky challenges and took home $250,000 for his time. The Japanese certainly have some weird challenges in their game shows and I am almost ashamed to say that I loved the Squishy Squishy challenge last night, which had the finalists collecting Squishy juice in a giant Sumo sponge costume, running an obstacle course and then squeezing the juice out at the end. The Japanese seem to like things that are embarrassing or that seem to mimic bodily functions, or go for the bizarre like the Bug Splatter on Windshield challenge. The show was weird and different and I thought it was an interesting look at Japanese culture and the behind the scenes of one of their most popular shows, Majide. It probably won't be back for another season, but I enjoyed the competition. Hai? Majide!

Reality Round Up - Overlooking Perfection

My favorite ("Squinty" as I like to call her), didn't take home the win last night in this season`s finale of the Next Food Network Star, but I am still really impressed with runner up Lisa Garza and think that she still has a chance to go far in her chosen career.

Lisa is such a perfectionist that she came with 3 complete concepts to the table when it was time to shoot a pilot for the final judging. I sure as hell didn't see the other 2 guys thinking that far ahead, and really think that they went more for personality than content. When she did her pilot promo and emphasized that her sauce was not intended to drown the fish but to accessorize it she had me completely sold. Not only does she know her stuff, but has a great way of getting it across in a fun way that combines fashion and food.. and I don't think you can go wrong with that. Here's hoping that someone wakes up and gives her a show.

I was still surprised that it was "Big Daddy" (Aaron) that won it all as I never really found his food sensibility that interesting and always looked at him as in last place. Adam had better personality and his concept was more interesting, but Judges are Judges and it appears that they know what they are doing, I just don't think that I will watch a show with Aaron hosting it.

Things have almost wrapped up on HGTV's Design Star, and if I hadn't made the commitment to see it through to the end I wouldn't be watching at this point. Matt has talent as a carpenter and designer, but he hasn't "wowed" me in weeks. The other finalist, Jennifer, hasn't impressed me on any level but keeps my attention (I am usually screaming at the TV -- NO! Don't do it!)by continually painting beautiful natural wood furniture glossy white. The competition has been dull to say the least and I would rather watch paint dry. At least we find out who wins next week ... I still feel things are being manipulated by the Judges and that Jennifer got the more likeable family to design for and that will make a difference in voting. I am more excited about seeing the new HGTV Summer Showdown series and seeing some better design work. I have to say that Bravo's Top Design was wayyyy more interesting than this last competition and am looking forward to seeing more of that before another run on this show.

High School Musical - Get in the Picture is in that phase of fishing for talent -- and Disney is so wholesome that I can't handle it and feel like I am drowning in niceness and although I might check it out once we get down to a Top 10 situation, it is more than likely my High School Musical experience will be kept limited to the films.

American Gladiators has continued being a great hit at home, and I love the fact that they have brought back most of the original games and added some great new ones. The pantheon of Gladiators is huge (I can't believe how HUGE the Beast is -- the guy is over 7 feet tall and weighs 310 pounds --yikes!) and I have never seen such a variety of Gladiators. Things are in the semi finals now and the competition is fierce, and the only way it can get better is to bring it back for more. Maybe some celebrity action could be fun too...

The Mole bored me so quick that it vanished off the Watch List in record time and I just realized that it is still on ... here's hoping they don't repeat that mistake again. Did anyone really understand what the competition was?

American Gladiators -- Now with extra Gladiators!

The second season of the `New & Improved` American Gladiators has been kicking some serious butt since it came back a couple of weeks ago. Hopefully the ratings will be going up after the past couple of weeks of `so-so` performances (due to stuff like American Idol and Dancing with the Stars) and we will be in for several more seasons of the show. I am not sure if it`s because it takes a bit of time to warm up to the characters (they are all new after all), but Crush and Toa (pictured-- what a man!) have been gaining points with me each week for their great performances. Crush is beautiful and tough as nails, and Toa is one big beefy tattooed hunk of a man that has a certain look that I find very appealing...

They have been adding some events this year, and Rocketball looks like too much fun (seriously-- I would love to try that one out) and I like some of the other games like Skytrack and Tilt and stuff like Vertigo that I checked out on the Australian version of the game.

I think it`s great that they also have a few smaller guys as Gladiators now (Zen and Rocket), making the games more accessible for smaller guys ( small being relative, most of the guys are still hulking beasts) and making it more about different strengths. The smaller Gladiators are used for the challenges that involve speed and it`s a nice balance to see on the show. The fun thing is that each week they are introducing new Gladiators, and each one seems to blend in well with the crew, and the challenges are getting harder and harder.

American Gladiators - Hellga ! Hellga! Hellga!

After only 3 episodes I am completely addicted to the latest incarnation of American Gladiators, and my fave absolutely has to be Hellga. How can you not love this hulking (6'1" 205 lbs) Valykrie that can crush your puny head and is just a hoot to watch. If you haven't seen it yet, check out the video for a Gladiator first. I have been really impressed with the competitors, and our Soccer mom from last night impressed the hell out of me, pulling in the fastest time to date and kicking some Gladiator butt. The new challenges are fun, the competition has been pretty fierce (already 2 competitors eliminated due to injuries) and the show is finding it's beat. They have already been picked up for a second season and this looks like a remake that worked for NBC. Now if we could just get some of the Gladiators to shut up it would be even better... somethings are better seen and not heard.

American Gladiators - Spandex Alert!

After more than a decade of absence, Gladiators has returned and I for one am a very happy camper. Not only do we get the return of some very big boys and girls strutting and flaunting all that muscle (grrr) but we get all the requisite bad names and equally bad attitudes.

I am not sure how it works in the tryouts, but probably you have to show up, be over 6 feet and 200 lbs (for the men) or be buffed and have a huge rack (for the women). If you have a real cheesy name (like say... Wolf....) and something that sets you apart from the others you might have a chance of being selected.

The competitions are similar to the original series and the new hosts are okay.... Hulk Hogan hasn't really been doing it for me so far but am willing to give him a try (I thought it was more brilliant having a sportscaster being the MC like in the original but this is another century...) and Layla Ali is growing on me more and more each episode. We have already seen 3, and my favorite Gladiators so far are Militia (oh my god) and Hellga (that's a lot of woman). I haven't seen codpieces this interesting since that terrible Batman & Robin film, but it's fun to see amateur athletes go head to head against these beasts. I just wonder why the contestants have to wear so much protective equipment and the Gladiators seem to be content in their spandex... not that I am complaining...