Weekend Rant - Making up for Lost Time

Things have been running fast and furious for several weeks now, and as I continue playing catch up with a few shows (24 is one of those), I have been making sure that I keep up with my Best in Show favourites such as Lost and Battlestar Galactica. This has to be one of my favourite times of the year as both of those series are rolling out phenomenal seasons and the writing has been incredible. It is nice to see some complicated and enthralling story lines and both series have been keeping me on the edge of my seat.

Dollhouse has really sucked me in with after only 3 episodes and I salut Josh Whedon for creating another fascinating universe. Eliza Dushku is really having a chance to show her acting chops with her portrayal of each of the different persona's and as her fugue Echo in her Tabla Rasla state. The premise is intriguing, I am loving the stories so far and the back story with Alpha and the massacre at the Dollhouse. Casting Amy Acker as the resident doctor for the Dolls is more Whedon brilliance and is totally geek pleasing stuff seeing one of my favourites from Angel (Fred/Illyria) as the scarred Dr. Claire Saunders, and I have been thrilled to see Tahmoh Penikett (Helo from BSG) cast as the FBI agent trying to uncover the Dollhouse. This strange melding of both the Buffy and Galactica universes has me hooked and I can hardly wait to see more.

Lost and The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham has my head spinning watching John Locke getting manipulated by all the different players surrounding his quest to return to the Island, and it's hard to tell who is actually telling the truth.Is it Richard (and Christian?) that are working together on behalf of the Island, or is Widmore and his quest to get the Island back or does it have something to do with Ben? The big reveal that John was going to commit suicide after visiting and being rejected by the majority of the Oceanic 6 in an effort to get them back to the Island, only to be stopped at the last minute by Ben. Of course John made the error of revealing a bit too much information and then was killed by Ben who staged John's suicide. Now that we have John waking up on the Island with a new group of people and an injured Ben makes me wonder what John did in a past life that he needs to make up for it now, or what is so damn special about him that has been alluded to by all the players. One thing is certain, they all seem to need him. The only thing that I can say is that the return to the Island was astounding with all those convenient coincidences.... but I can hardly wait to see Sun and Jin meet again once we figure out When everyone is. Damn this show is astounding.

Battlestar Galactica has me completely sucked in to the last few episodes and I am on pins and needles waiting to see how they will end things with our survivors. Will they finally find home? Is Hera truly the salvation they are looking for? Is Starbuck a clone or hybrid? Something else? Will Galactica hold together long enough to find a new home? Will the President live long enough to see her people safe? So many questions and so little time left...

Heroes is still boring me senseless with the current story line and if the ratings keep dropping like this we may not see any more after this season. Unfortunately this series has fallen victim to the biggest problem that hits sci fi shows ... it seems that it is a problem to try maintaining good writing or well developed story lines that keep the viewers coming back, and I have been bored silly since this story arc started. Wake me up when this snooze is over as they keep just rehashing the same things over and over. At least Chuck is still hanging in there quality wise, but it really has to be Medium which is the most gripping show of the evening. This show is an example of good writing that has made for some great stories so far this season. I love Alison being a bit more out of control and this past body snatcher/possession storyline is making me think that hubbie Joe is going to have a major meltdown soon if Alison keeps putting the kids in danger.

I wish the scheduling would get back to normal and shows like Bones and Big Bang Theory get back to airing new episodes,the occasional new episode is not enough and don't get me started about wanting to see the final episodes of Pushing Daisies. Some shows get no respect and I am furious with ABC for holding on to the last episodes and not even giving the crew a chance to tie things up with the storyline. MADtv finally had a new episode this week, and it was great to see the gang doing their very funny schtick after several months of repeats and compilation episodes. I hope they will air all the final season and let the cast say their farewells. It would be great to see some of the old gang to tie things up but I am not really holding out too much hope for any hooplah. For all we know, all the stuff has already been taped and we are just waiting for it to air.

Project Runway Canada is starting to become too predictable with pretty much the same formula being used over and over. Iman looks fierce, Challenge, at least one designer freaks out and is on the verge of a complete meltdown. There is tons of bitching and usually the biggest whiner goes home, and Sunny wins. Repeat. I bet ya Sunny wins the competition...

My biggest guilty pleasure at the moment has to be RuPaul's Drag Race, which is turning into one of the best shows ever. Not only are our contestants fierce from A to Z, but they are all such lovely and different creatures that you can't help but want all of them to win, except for the one that they are shamelessly promoting as the biggest bitch because the show has to have one. This show hits so many of the right notes with its over the top spoofing of other reality shows and having the balls to show the guys as much as the boys they are as their Drag counterparts. It's a shame that a couple of the more marginal girls have had to go, but I am routing for Angina. Drag is about being a parody or being a character and not necessarily about being a female impersonator. You go girl!

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.

Weekend Rant - Emotional Roller coaster

Talk about an emotional roller coaster of a week on the tube. Things started off great with (finally) the elimination of our Divorced girls (with way too much baggage) from the Amazing Race and an interesting episode of Desperate Housewives that brought some stories around full circle and showed some new guest stars ( I love Lily Tomlin) and you know that it is all on the verge of hitting the fan.

Later in the week, the departure of Maurice from Dancing with the Stars was kind of predictable but I was screaming at home when my faves Lance & Lacey got through to the next round. I can't believe that Julianna was back to dance (wow) and loved seeing Lacey with Benji. I can't believe how much exposure some of the So you think you can Dance? participants are getting and it's so nice to see some fun dance numbers on the show. I am glad that Cody survived to get his partner back, and this week will show who if he is really a contender or the next to go. I preferred the dance solo part of the competition to the crappy team thing they did last week.

This week there was a great episode of Heroes (neatly renamed Villains for this round) that used the Lost flashback method to show why some of our characters are evil. While I applaud the occasionally use of the flashback method I hope that Heroes is not moving in that direction as I can't handle having too many shows that are either in the past or future instead of the now. Mama Petrelli is such a fascinating character (and not quite as Villainous as she seems to be portrayed) and I am really liking her character development. I loved seeing how some of the characters are related (and have similar powers) and the interaction with Linderman. The story is nice and complicated, is getting very interesting and I can hardly wait to see how Hiro saves himself with that big cliffhanger ending.

South Park made me laugh my ass off this week with their spoof of High School Musical that was ridiculously funny, and was probably the funniest episode so far in this season. The writing is still good but I haven't been gobsmacked by any episodes until now. The South Park gang needs to have at least one musical episode per season and I am still hoping for a great Holiday themed episode this year but it probably won't happen with the season finale around the corner.

Smallville continued one of it's better seasons and although I did like seeing the Brainiac storyline move forward , I hate the idea that Chloe is no longer in on Clark's super secret, and am really crossing my fingers and hopefully that will change and become just a bad idea. It was cute to see Clark and Chloe as kids and sharing their first kiss, even if Chloe knew from even that early time that they were intended to only be friends. We know the storyline is not over after seeing Brainiac take over the Fortress and got some new information about Doomsday (handy things those Kryptonian symbols) and the apparent link with our bad computer and Paramedic guy Davis. We will have to see how weepy it all gets next week with Chloe's wedding, Lana will be there and maybe we can see a cat fight between her and Lois for Clark.

There was another outstanding episode of Supernatural that has me on the edge of my seat with the conflict between the Angels and Demons. I love the storyline with our reluctant psychic who hears Angels, and appears to be a liability for the "good" side and needs to be silenced. Those archangels are pretty Rambo about things and don't think twice about the "greater good" and it makes for some pretty heavy stuff ... getting to see the flashbacks with Sam (and the development of his relationship with Ruby and her current body) explained some of his behaviour and filled in some gaps (and gave us a hot peak at his bod -- someone has been working out) and the big ending to this week's and sneak peek at next week certainly have my attention. There is some really good writing on the show this season.

Things were great on the last episode of Survivor: Gabon and I knew that Charlie was not going to be heartbroken if he got eliminated and sent off to the Ponderosa with bromance Marcus. If you check out the Ponderosa on the CBS Survivor site you can see our happy couple together and even planning their outfits together for their next appearance as the Jury.

As far as the game goes ... Sugar is really running things more than people realize (and it seems that there is some sort of collective amnesia that makes everyone forget that she has the Individual Immunity Idol) but I have to applaud Bob on his fake out Immunity Idol that he put together that may let him bluff his way out of a situation if used on the right people. It was great work and I can't get over how well he is playing.. he may be the guy to sneak through now that things have merged and there are less and less big physical threats. I am really enjoying seeing the show in HD and loved the reward visit to the village. The show is such a visual treat and this location in Gabon has been astounding.

Of course for all the good there had to be some sort of cosmic balance so I was then hit with the bad news that at least one but more thank likely a couple of my favorite shows are finishing up.

Pushing Daisies has not been picked up for more than it's initial order of 13 episodes, and my heart is breaking with the thought of yet another visual opus disappearing off the airwaves. I love Bryan Fuller's work and hope and pray to see more or at least the ending that he envisioned for his characters. Rumor has it that he may even consider doing a film or comic book to tie things up if necessary.

I can't believe that Fox is cancelling MAD tv after all these years, and think that their excuse of production costs to be complete bullshit. MAD tv has been one of my Saturday night staples for 14 years and has had some amazing comedic talent that have made their presence know on TV via the show. I really hope that one of the other networks will jump on it as viable competition for SNL and keep it on the air. This bad news was a downer on my week and I really hope it's only a bump on the road.

MADtv - Albanian Idol

More genius from this past Saturday's all new MADtv. Their spoof of Idol was brilliant for the characters and the hilarious translation of the songs. The subtitles are too much... I was in hysterics with the lyrics to that Titanic song.

MADtv does Project Runway

Since there is no new MAD tv at the moment, and the current Project Runway won't be back until the New Year (what was that all about?), here is the best of both worlds in a classic sketch. Crista Flanagan's version of Heidi is hilarious (catch the poses and the voice - OMG) and Michael McDonald kills as Tim Gunn ("gayer"). They have managed to catch the spirit of a Challenge in a short amount of time, and their Judges are pretty right on the money, from the Michael Kors to our resident bitch, Nina Garcia. Enjoy!

MADtv - 300th Episode

Featuring Debra Wilson as Whitney Houston



and there was a special appearance by the great Mo Collins as Lorraine wins a trip to Universal Studios. It was a shame there wasn't more of the original cast members that visited as I would have loved to see Nicole and Stephnie.

MADtv - Feist

Another brilliant musical parody of Feist and the I-Pod by the brilliant Nicole Parker. The gang at MADtv have been great so far this year and I hope there is still more to come.

MADtv version of Lesbionic Woman

Great minds think alike it seems... MADtv did a version of the Bionic Woman this week also and it was funny also in a different way... and how great that at MAD they kept the original sound effects which is something the crappy remake should have done.


This spoof was advertised last week, meaning it was developed around the same time as the version on AOTS. Even with the strike we get new MADtv which is a great thing.

MADtv Season Premiere

The 13th season was kicked off last night, so that means finally a new episode (hooray!), and most of the cast from last year have returned and they have a new venue this year, the swanky Musicbox Theatre.

Nicole Parker's Britney Spears imitation gets better each time, and her latest song was too funny... it looks like clips will be available on YouTube soon so something to keep an eye out for.... they do the best music parodies on this show.

The parodies and skits were as hilarious as usual, there was another edition of 24 with Bobby Lee (too hilarious) and without a doubt, way funnier than what I saw of SNL last night.

If you haven't seen the genius that is Nicole Parker doing Britney,
here is a sample of one of her earlier spoofs featuring the brilliant Mo Collins as Madonna:

MADtv - Best of

The past couple of weeks have been "Best of" episodes (it's about time) before the new season starts in a couple of weeks. I have been watching with much gusto, hoping to see some of my favorites from the past 12 Seasons which has not happened much. While I understand it must be hard picking the all time best moments, I was more than surprised last night (during the Pop Culture Best of.. hosted by the completely vapid Perez Hilton) that I did not see anything from Mo Collins, Debra Wilson or even Nicole Sullivan. Seriously MADtv... how could you not use some of the funniest musical spoofs ever with choices of Britney Spears, Shakira, Madonna and even Destiny's Child or Whitney Houston?

sigh.... maybe someday some marketing genius at Fox will realize they have some very, very funny stuff that they need to get out there ( SNL does tons of stuff like that ) and they could put out some music video compilations of Best of whatever comedian...

BUT I still love the show and can't wait to see what they do this year, it's almost always way funnier than SNL.