Weekend Rant – Pre-Olympics Blitz

Things have been very busy and I haven't had the time to do much updating, and with the Olympics just around the corner it may be a while before I have time to rant, I love this kind of competition and since it happens only every few years I will be taking in as much as possible.

Here's a quick run down of the past while:

The Good:
I was surprised, shocked, confused, dazed and so pleased with the beginning of the last season of Lost, and really like the new alternate timeline that it has created. The writers were very smart with maintaining all of the plot line with the gang on the the Island, yet showing the results of their time ripple. This whole time-space continuum thing is very confusing and makes your brain hurt, but only in a good way.

The return of Project Runway to New York has brought back the right balance and the gang in the natural habitat. I think this is the last season I want to see Heidi pregnant (the woman is incredible the way she just keeps popping them out) and I hope to see more of the Challenges that take the designers way out of their comfort zone. It's nice to see Michael and Nina there each week.

RuPaul's Drag Race hit the airwaves with all it's ferocious fabulousness and if the first episode is only the tip of the iceberg then I can hardly wait for the rest of the season. As you can see from the image, the first challenge was quite a breezy one with that wind machine and not all the girls were ready to be blown that hard, all in good taste.

Burn Notice is right back on track and the first episodes of this season have been spot on with Michael playing all dark, mysterious, sexy and damn funny. Seeing the Cagney & Lacey reunion was hysterical, but the chemistry between Fiona & Michael is too hot for TV. I love this show.

Caprica has held my attention so far and I really like the story that is developing. Here's hoping that the writing remains strong and the plot development consistent, it could turn into another sleeper hit.

I am hitting myself for not putting Tracey Ullman's State of the Union on my Top Ten list as the show is so damn funny and well done that it deserves more accolades than it is getting. Tracy pulls out the most astounding characters and I love her imitation of celebrities. There should be more with her.

The Bad:
I hope Heroes ties up a lot of loose ends cause this may be their last shot. The writing has been choppy and the plot lines are too stretched and I just want it to end. Such a shame.

The Maybe:
Smallville has been doing some good work, but the JSA themed special was only so-so. The storyline was a tad too overworked, and for big name heroes you would think that people would remember someone like Dr. Fate or Hawkman. My biggest beef was with the Hawkman costume and the crappy effects as the other characters seemed better done. It was still good and I had tons of fun and geeky moments but it was unsatisfying. They really have got to get him into that costume soon.

The Human Target started off okay but I am not sure that I am hooked enough to hang around. I will give it a couple more episodes before making a decision. The character is not enough like the comic book one, and it is not really grooving with me.

Shear Genius started off okay but is still on probation with all the changes that they have introduced this year with a new host, main Judge and mentor. The contestants seem talented and there is attitude for days so it bears further investigation.

Coming Up:
This week I am hyped for Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains and can hardly wait to see some of my favourites take another shot at the prize. I am pretty sure the Villains will fight amongst themselves and watch for big players like Russell to be eliminated early on. I am pretty sure the biggest threats will self implode early on.

As mentioned earlier, the Olympics are starting! I will be glued to the tube in my spare time watching all the incredible athletes and cheering for the home teams.

Enjoy the games!

Weekend Rant - Holiday Time

Having already past Canadian Thanksgiving (last month) we are now at Turkey Time in the USA and the holidays are just around the corner. Things are starting to wrap up for the Fall season, and some of the shows won't be back until February.

I am still not completely sold on the remake of V, but curious enough to want to see more and how things will develop. I still think they missed out on creating more buzz, and they should have shown more of the aliens and their dastardly plans for the Earth to keep everyone hooked, but there was some plot development and I like some of the actors so I am hoping to see more.
Dancing with the Stars surprised me with Donny Osmond winning the big prize (that Osmond Family is huge after all and the whole bunch of them must have voted) instead of Mya. It was a fun season full of surprises and lots of fun to watch, so I am looking forward to the next round.

Heroes is still crawling along (this storyline is taking wayyyyyyyyy too long to get anywhere) and with the ratings in the gutter it is pretty sure that this is the last season. Too bad for that... the show had potential but is just flushing it down the toilet. I am looking forward to when Chuck is back.

Survivor is still churning out one of the best editions yet, with one of the best villains, Russell, who seems to be able to find Immunity Idols like no one's business. I have never seen another player be so sneaky and literally run circles around the other competitors. If the rest of them don't wake up soon, and get him out, he risks to be the big winner. Dave seems to be pretty slow for a genius and the game is going to start getting really nasty over the next few weeks.

Glee is still one of the best things ever on TV and I love the combination of geek and music. More of the club has been showing their singing chops over the past few episodes, and I have been more than surprised by some of the mash ups that have been put together. I am looking forward to the rest of the season and pray for a pick up and another season.

So you think you can Dance? has finishing culling the herd and we are now in Top Ten territory. I am not happy with their final cuts (I would have rather seen Victor and Karen stay and see Nathan and Mollee hit the road), but they are all talented dancers. I have high hopes for Jakob, but this show is not noted for letting gay dancers win the title. Some of the numbers have been quite surprising and I am starting to warm up to some of the new choreographers.

Modern Family is still one of the funniest things on TV, and it's nice to have some hilarious, complex and well written gay characters. Cameron has been stealing the show, and I am completely in love with the snarky Alex. I am still surprised that we haven't touched on a gay issue in Big Bang Theory, but that will more than likely be around the corner, Sheldon seems pretty uptight about a lot of things and I wonder how Mr. Asexual would react to a guy coming on to him.

I am looking forward to the return of Scrubs and catching up on a few series that have been put aside for the holiday season, and will be working on my Top Ten choices for this year. I can't believe how quickly this year has zipped by!

Weekend Rant – The Week in Review

Things have already started finishing up for this season and this past week brought the end of the season (and possibly the end of the road) for Chuck and Heroes. Heroes has completely bored me this season and it really felt like the writers were grasping at straws before ending this season with a whimper and nothing that particularly interesting. I can not understand how and why they have decided to make the characters all caricatures of themselves, and the only bright spot in the last episode was the reappearance of Tracy (at least her story had an interesting twist) but I hate what they are doing with Hiro and the rest of the gang. Why have the big fight scene with Peter and Sylar if nothing was shown? The whole death of Nathan and resurrection via Sylar was stupid. What a waste of characters.

Chuck fared much better and I love the multiple storylines with the gang at the Buy More, Ellie and Awesome’s wedding and the whole Chuck/Sarah dynamic. I was in hysterics at the end when Chuck got all Intersect 2.0 and suddenly had ninja skills. It was a great way to continue the series and I really really hope that the show will be back for another season. There is way too much of a wealth of characters to ignore or to waste. Good writing – it’s just too bad that some of the viewing public has jumped ship.

Bones had another astounding episode with The Beaver in the Otter (and no it is not some new fancy food preparation) that delved in frat life and it has to be the scenes with Booth and Brennan that kill me each time. Temperance is so clueless (yet curious) and her dismissal and apparent fascination with Sweet’s methods of deduction had me on a roll. I still say that our psychologist is up to no good and I bet you that our dweeb that was helping out the Beaver with hacking into the database is a potential new acolyte for the Gorgoman, the guy seemed too impressionable and there is something about Sweets that gets the hair standing up on the back of my neck when he is on screen sometimes, I may sound repetitive but I am still convinced that he is up to no good. In our rotating intern position, the Muslim guy was hilarious and I loved his reasoning to why he was willing to work with Hodgins on his banned experiment. The episode was more brilliance and the whole Beaver was banging a Cougar was hilarious…. the writers do an amazing job. It was great seeing Booth’s brother again and Booth hit the nail on the head when he got Brennan to “Dine & Dash” in an effort to get her to lose some of her good behaviour and harden her frontal lobe. Booth has some pretty funny theories sometimes and I love watching Brennan’s head explode at the threat of non science. This show is so under rated it’s ridiculous.

Lost is blowing my mind with all the twists and turns that we are learning concerning our scientists that Widmore hired to come to the Island, and more information about Daniel (and his very cool mother) and the big revelation that Mr.Widmore is also dear old dad to our nerdy scientist. I am still not sure what the whole scoop is with the Hostiles and why Eloise left as well (it seems that many of the residents on the Island decided to leave at one point) and it looks like we might be getting more of a reveal to some of the big secrets as this season starts wrapping up. There is still a lot of unanswered questions and I am wondering how Mom shooting Daniel is going to work out.. the death tally on these scientists is stunning and I wonder if Miles will survive also.

Survivor Tocantins is as amazing as any of the good seasons of Survivor, and I am really digging how the game is coming together for some of the players. It’s a shame that the know Coach won immunity this round, but I have the impression that lots of the gang are getting tired of his yapping and I can’t believe how utterly disposable his morality is. All bark and no bite it seems, the way that things are going I am starting to get the impression that one of the more subtle players (like Taj) will win it all. The alpha players seem to be all about getting rid of each other right now and not looking at the more subtle threats. I was sad to see Sierra go, but it depends on how you play the game but I loved how she was fighting to the very end.

Smallville is prepping for the end of the season (and breathing a sigh of relief knowing that they are coming back for another season) and I can’t believe that after all this time that Clark is such a knob that he doesn’t realize that Chloe is trying to protect him. I don’t completely understand the dynamics with Jimmy and Oliver (seemed like filler to me) and Clark needs a super kick in the butt to realize what Doomsday is. It’s all going to hit the fan with only 2 episodes left this season and I am looking forward to seeing how it all ends. I still say that Clark and Doomsday bite the big one at the end of the season and we will have to wait for next season for the big resurrection. Time for more heroes!

Supernatural was quite the episode and explained more about Angels than previously know ( I had no idea that they used vessels while on our plane of existence) and the back story to Castiel was interesting. I am not sure if they are building up to the same kind of finale that we have had for the past couple of years, but Sam is in some big kind of trouble with that demon blood monkey on his back and his detox could be interesting. I am looking forward to the last 2 episodes of the season but finding that suddenly the season seems short and the ending snuck up on us. The storyline has not developed as clearly as I first thought and I almost feel like we have missed a chapter. I am glad that we already know the Winchester boys will be back next season, but I think that might have cheated us out of a more dynamic last few episodes.

Weekend Rant - The Week in Review

The past week was not bad with some surprising episodes of Lost and Bones, while a few shows fumbled the ball (Smallville - again) and Project Runway Canada is really beginning to get on my nerves, but there were shows like Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Dollhouse that have really surprised and shocked me.

The Amazing Race is still as amazing as ever, and it was a shame to see Mike & Mel hit the road but you know that once one team gets way behind the others there is never that much of a chance to catch up. It's all about how you play the game and our 2 stunt men got perilously close to hitting the road after sabotaging the other teams. This game is really about fair play and you have to out perform to win -- not try to trip up the other teams. The teams are really pushing themselves and Tammy & Victor seem to be the leaders at this time.

Dancing with the Stars dumped Holly and the Woz (finally) and I hope that Steve-O gets his act together soon or he will be leaving soon.Lil' Kim was amazing and looks great, and you can really tell that Cheryl wants to win this year so she pulled out all the stops (and probably a roll of duct tape) to get her cleavage into that outfit and tangoed Gilles into a frenzy. Ty is still impressing me and Shawn is adorable.

Both Chuck and Heroes missed the boat this week with episodes that felt too repetitive (again) but I am looking forward to seeing the story arc with Chuck's dad. Heroes has completely lost it's way and feels like the same story done over and over.... I am just waiting for the next version of Ally/Niki/Traci to show up and get killed. My interest and hopes of a 3rd season are fading quickly, and I can't believe how the writers have dropped the ball on this series. What was once very promising has turned into an test of endurance.

Project Runway Canada has me waiting for Sunny to win and nothing more. This season was too dull for my taste and this crop of designers is too straight and bitchy. I can hardly wait until the US version returns (the legal issues are getting settled finally) and I will have to check out the new Bravo replacement The Fashion Show when it hits the airwaves. I need a Heidi and Tim fix.

The only thing that has been fabulous enough on TV recently was RuPaul's Drag Race (one of my favorite Guilty Pleasures this year) and I was like a little boy Christmas morning when I heard they have already booked a second season. The only thing as fun as that is this season of Make me a Supermodel, which has all the gorgeous people and the craziness of the Janice Dickinson Modelling Agency with out the psychopathic Janice and some astounding photo shoots. I think Jonathon has a great chance of winning and is really impressing me. The cast is less gay this time around, but as enthralling as ever.

Lost has my head spinning with possible temporal paradoxes and I absolutely love that Hurley asked the questions that we all had to know... and I was literally peeing myself laughing as he and Miles had their "nerd off" to see who had the right theories. I love how they are tying up some of the mysteries (what Sawyer whispered to Kate) while starting more and Ben being taken by Richard to be healed. Seeing our modern day Ben wake up to John Locke was a hell of an ending and I am literally on pins and needles waiting to see what happens next. One hour per week is not enough of this show.

Bones pulled off a surprisingly serious episode that was very Cam-centric, and was almost too different as it was not as humorous as the usual episodes. I was pretty sure that Cam's new adopted daughter is none other than Monica from Heroes, so I am glad to see her getting more work but wondering how this all fits into the series. I think I am just in shock because the episode was so different than the usual episodes of Bones and it was interesting to see one of the other characters in the spotlight. It was nice to see Tamara have the chance to show her acting chops.

Survivor: Tocantins is great and I love how we are getting up to the merge and the Hidden Immunity Idols are starting to come into play. I think that if anyone finds an Idol now they better be sceptical, because it seems that everyone who has found one of the Idols tries the Fake Idol fake out now (and it's a good idea) and it might keep people on their toes. Rule of thumb, they have to be played occasionally as well as it's great to have one but useless if never used. I would really like to see that tool Coach hit the road though, and hope that happens soon.

Smallville has me wondering why Clark is such a tool most of the time and why Chloe is still the poster girl for bad choices this season. I thought that after the previous episode she was being more proactive about things, but this Davis/Doomsday thing is getting out of hand. Tessmacher surprised me with blowing up Davis, and I saw an interesting twist on her personality that makes her psycho and dangerous, but nothing like Lex. Her idea of testing Clark is a good one and am waiting for the big fight at the end of the season. More adventure and less angst please.

Supernatural churned out another great episode and I loved the slant on the print version of Supernatural with our boys being all romance novel inspired. Angels, demons and prophets -- it seems the end of days is coming up and I expect an Apocalypse of a finale this year. I am glad that the show is coming back and feel better going into finale season knowing that there will be a follow up, but still wondering how they are going to try to tie up this major storyline in the next few episodes.The series has been even more thrilling this year and the writing has improved over last year.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles shocked me this week with the very unexpected death of Derek in a move that I really did not see coming. No one is safe on this show (except John) and it is really starting to tear him apart watching everyone die for him. There is some very interesting developments with the storyline and I am loving the tension. I just hope that next week is only the season finale and not the series finale. I expect a pretty big body count after the next episode and when the dust clears I hope to see Cameron still around. This show is not getting the credit or attention that it deserves.

Dollhouse is continuing to be another brilliant brainchild of Joss Whedon, and although I am having a bit of a problem getting past the whole "pet" angle of the Dolls (and am still not sure of the whole human traffic element of the show), the writing has been great and Eliza is as phenomenal as ever. I love seeing the Dolls bond, and the underlying story of our very hunky FBI agent Paul Ballard (loved our Canadian guy in Galactica) and the apparent chemistry between Echo and Ballard. Hot stuff... and the insights into what makes Echo, Victor, Sierra and November tick makes the show even more fascinating. Josh is all about writing great characters, and his work is shining here. I just hope that the ratings are enough to get another season, things are starting to get very interesting and this better not be another Firefly.

Weekend Rant - The Week in Review

This week went by in record speed (I think losing that hour had a bit to do with it but just as much was the release of Watchmen in Imax which I thoroughly enjoyed. If you want to see an amazing and complex film -- I highly recommend checking it out, the film blew my mind.

It was a great week for the tube ( or the LCD to be a tad more modern) and I was impressed with the quality of some of the shows and the great writing. Monday nights are still ruled by The Big Bang Theory and the hysterical nerds. My other nerd fare for the evening, Chuck and Heroes are not hitting as many balls out of the park this season (although I do have to say that Chuck has been improving the past couple of episodes), but Heroes is really leaving me lukewarm and wondering why they have gone in this direction more than anything else. Medium is still the best bet for the evening and with such a daunting schedule, I am still running way behind on 24. I'll catch up eventually.

RuPaul's Drag Race is the fiercest show on the airwaves at this time and I can't get over the way over the top outfits, the fabulous make up or the brutal honesty of our girls. Bebe Zahara Benet is the hottest thing and my choice for Queen of this Ball, but dear little Ongina was so real and honest that I was heartbroken when she was let go. I can only dream for a better world. You may be gone from the competition Ongina but you will survive and only one thing to say - you better work it!

Tuesday is still a mostly Canuck TV night, and the regular mainstays like the Rick Mercer Report and This Hour has 22 Minutes are as scathing and hilarious as usual, but Project Runway Canada is boring me with the same formula over and over in their second season. Unless some huge disaster happens, Sunny is going to win the competition as he is miles above everyone else, is not saddled with the ego problems that seem to be a requisite for the majority of the competitors and is the highlight of each runway. Sure, Jessica may have gotten the top nod this week (I didn't really care for her design and can not understand her whole urban vibe that she is trying to pull off, the girl is from Toronto and not some hood in southern LA) and Jeff got the boot for being a bad designer and by his bad executed reversible (wtf?) disaster. When you have to start glueing pieces together or drawing on stitching then you might think you are in the wrong competition. It's a shame though, I did like him at the beginning but quickly realized that he (and several of the other designers), are way out of their element and the competition has this weird symmetry to it.

Lost has my head spinning in different time paradoxical ways with the gang being back in the 1970's and part of the Dharma Initiative. I can see more why Daniel's mom was so reticent about the Oceanic Six being on that last plane as it seems to have drawn all of the players back together on the Island, albeit at a different time and in different circumstances and it opens up a whole new can of worms with Ben being there. There is of course all the issues of Locke dealing with Ben (who killed him), the new identities of the Jin, Sawyer and Juliet and the rest of the motley crew that have now become part of the Dharma group, the ever mysterious and ageless Richard and the sudden arrival of the Oceanic Six. Things are complicated, interesting and making my brain hurt. I literally had kittens when our gang was time shifting and we saw the giant statue for a few seconds before they shifted again and it was gone once again. I wonder if there is some ancient people behind all the unique properties of the Island (Atlantis maybe?) but still have the feeling that it was aliens and possibly a crashed ship that has been on the Island for a very long period of time. This season has been astounding and I can't believe how great the writing has been.

Make me a Supermodel came back with it's second season, and it is as addictive as ever with mix of competitors, great challenges and sexy boys and girls. I am really liking Sandurst and it's nice to see one of the boys out and married (Shawn), and it think of Clark Kent kind of guy, Colin is completely adorable. The very very very androgonous Chris is a bit too much, and our good Mennonite girl Salome is reminding me alot of last year's winner, Holly. I don't think it will be the same kind of girl winning this year but am looking forward to the competition. Let the games begin!

Survivor Tocantins is barreling along and I really like the mix of characters this year. Taj is really growing on me and I love the sneaky alliance that she has going with Brendan, Sierra and Stephen. Coach and his minion Tyson are starting to get on my nerves and I hope that their team wakes up and gets rid of Coach soon, he talks big but sure as hell has not been walking the walk that goes with all his talk. Tyson is just turning into a jerk that likes to see people suffer, that is a bit too sociopath for me and we'll have to see what happens when and if things are shaken up. Our hidden Immunity Idols should be coming into play soon (it looks like they are hidden the same spot as the first Immunity Idols) and they are sure to shake up the game soon. I love it when we get to merge time and it's everyone for themselves, let's just see if they can get rid of some of the deadwood before that time. The location is stunning and I can't believe how amazing this show looks in all of its HD glory. Nice work Survivor.

Burn Notice finished up the season and redeemed it's self over the past few weeks with episodes that ended up the current storyline and brought the series back to the fun and dangerous feeling that it had is season one. It's great having Fiona and Michael back together (and they make such a hot couple) and I love how well Sam and Michael's mom are playing off of each other. Here's hoping they bring the show back for another season as it is still Top Twenty at the least and no one else has such a great voice over explaining the tricks of the spy trade. Michael Westen is the sexiest spy on TV at the moment (not to mentioned best dressed) and it would be a shame to miss out seeing more of his adventures.

Battlestar Galactica is amazingly good and I can't believe that in a couple of weeks it will all be over. I know that the finale will be atleast 3 hours long but have the nagging feeling that it will leave more questions than answers and possible/probable sequel or follow up to the series. It's heartbreaking to see Adama losing all of his important women at the same time, Galactica and Roslin. There is so much going on but you can feel the impending sense of finality with all things, the end of Galactica, the end of the quest for a new home, the end of their current way of life. I think we are in for a huge final blow out, with the winners picking up the pieces and creating a new race of Cylon/humans. All I know is that I can only hope for something to follow this (in the spirit of Galactica 1980), showing the new home.. and I have the feeling that the other Cylon homeworld " The Colony" is a key to all of this. It will be a trip to see this all play out over the next couple of weeks. All good things must come to an end eventually.

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 - The start of something new

Things will be returning to normal after next week and I will have time to do more than one posting per week. There have been several times during the week that I have cheered for joy or been completely flabbergasted by something that happened on my viewing schedule. This past week was actually a pretty good one and I can't say that quality was lacking in the shows that I checked out.

Heroes returned with a sputter and has me completely bored with their return after the winter break. If this is the beginning of new storyline I am going to hate to see how it develops, they better get their writers in order soon as the show is really loosing it's luster. Maybe they will make up for it next week and get the ball rolling, but it appears stalled at the moment... I am not digging the start of this round and how we seem to be starting over again.

Chuck disappointed me with the 3-D episode, I watched it and just felt completely meh after ... it's a shame because I am a huge fan of the show, and I thought that if any show could pull of something fun it would be these guys since they are so geeky.... but they missed the ball on that one and took the attention away from an otherwise good story. It's kind of funny that our hobbit and dead ex-druggie rocker from Lost, Dominic Monaghan (Charlie) was a guest star playing another rocker... me thinks someone may get typecast if he is not careful.

The good news for NBC was that I was thrilled that Medium came back to the airwaves this week, and it was so nice that things felt back to normal (as far as anything can feel normal in this series) after that awkward turn of events last season. A large part of the success of this show is because of the characters and their interaction with each other that makes this show sing. I just love the kids and they are always finding interesting ways of working "the ability" into their everyday lives. It was a great balance of vision and interpretation and the story line and all the twists and turns made for a great season opener. Welcome back Allison, Joe and family and the gang at the DA's office. It's nice to see you all together again.

Project Runway Canada has more than enough drama queens this time around, and there is tons of delicious tension and bitching between the contestants. The Challenge this week was to create a look for "their special celebrity muse - Canadian sweetheart and Hollywood A-list celebrity Elisha Cuthbert." I think the A Listing is a tad exaggerated, if anything she is a B List celebrity and hasn't really been in the spotlight recently. The show seems to want to pull out the big guns to get the viewers in and I hope they haven't shot their wad too early... anyways, this group of competitors is pretty whiney and yet another of them is on the verge of a complete meltdown with all the pressure and all. Just shoot me -- I am always agah when I see contestants that are surprised that the competition is difficult and that others don't play nice. Welcome to reality TV, just wipe that nose okay? It's kind of gross when you have been crying like a baby.

Anyways, it all reads like your typical good season of Runway, only there aren't enough over the top gay guys nor a decent representation from Montréal (I am ashamed of you Project Runway Canada - is this your new conservative agenda?) and the end results so far have pointed out the big talent of Adejoké, Sunny and Baylor. Brandon is the one getting on my nerves (there is always at least one) and my underdog favorite was Christie until she freaked this week. I'd would have liked to shown my favorite ensemble made for our Canuck B Lister, but alas the GlobalTV website is crap and I can't get episode photos. Margarita got the boot after her stretch fabric nightmare, but Brandon was put on notice for his trashy dress. Iman is a stunning as usual and a real tyrant on the runway, we need more of her. I loved her Ziggy Stardust t shirt at the beginning, fashionable, classy and fierce.

Smallville shined a light at the end of the tunnel with Lana getting all juiced up on Kryptonite in her new super powered invisible armor that gives her powers and the incredible ability to be able to have hot sex with Clark and break the frame of a solid oak bed with their shenanigans. It appears that she is armored inside and out.... anyways, in her "final appearance" she saves the Daily Planet but can never be by our hero ever again. It appears that Lex orchestrated all this and is supposedly dead (again ) and once more I meh and know that Lex will be back and can only pray that Lana is off being Kryptonite Girl elsewhere and helping out those in need. I can hardly wait until Lois is back and Clark grows a pair. Seriously, enough with the stupid angst, it is not necessary, it's time to get our boy suited up and doing the good deeds and becoming the hero and legend that he is supposed to be.

Battlestar Galactica literally knocked me on my ass with the past episode. I can not believe how much happened in that one episode and the pacing was great. All of the multiple elements working together, the mutiny and resistance, the tenacity of Adama as he took back his ship, Zarek and Gaita and their struggle for power and the incredible strength of Roslin as she rallied the troops. Laura Roslin was astounding when she put it all on the line with Zarek and told him that she would hunt him to the end of the universe for justice, I literally had chills as she was giving him her ultimatum. It was all just an astounding episode and you could feel for the first time in these final ten episodes, a glimmer of hope. After all the disappointment and heartbreak there were feelings of pride and duty and a change in direction. It was the start of something new, and I can hardly wait to see what happens next.

Weekend Rant - Holiday Blitz

Things have been zipping along this holiday season, and I wanted to get down some final thoughts before putting out my Top Ten lists of 2008.

First of all, congratulations are in order for the first winner of So you think you can dance Canada, the incredible Nico. It was not really a surprise, the guy deserved and easily won the title, and it was a phenomenal first season for the show. I am happy to say that the show exceeded my expectations and was more enjoyable than the American version.

Congratulations are also in order to Nick and Starr for winning this past edition of the Amazing Race, the brother and sister team were very impressive in this round and won many of the legs. It was nice to see a team that got along well, played hard and did a great run. It was an enjoyable season, and I am happy that the next one is just around the corner this February.

I am really getting into the final manipulations in Survivor: Gabon, and the wrench that Sugar threw in to the gears at the end of the last episode was priceless. I don't care what anyone else is saying, but I am convinced that Sugar is going to win it all. She has been under the radar a lot for someone who everyone knew had the hidden Immunity Idol, and her passing her idol to Matty at the last minute and ousting Crystal (thank god -- she really got on my nerves) has shifted the balance once again and Kenny better watch himself for the next round. I can hardly wait until the Finale this Sunday, and am still betting on the Pin Up Girl. She appears to be the accidental strategist but I am pretty sure there is more than that going on.

CSI is starting the departure of Grissom, and it's breaking my heart as much as the crew on the show. I bet the majority of tears on the show are the real thing and I can only imagine how emotional the scenes are. The introduction of our new (soon to be) level 1, Dr. Raymond Langston (Laurence Fishburne). I am happy it's not a quick in and out kind of meeting and that we get to see our new guy in his current job, but no one can replace Grissom. The big question will be to see what the chemistry will be like with the rest of the team, and how the new dynamics are going to play out. I am still interested but have quite a bit of trepidation.

Heroes is still not hitting all the right notes for me with the current storyline and I hope that things start getting back on track soon. I was disappointed that they decided to kill of Elle (one of the few interesting characters) and I am getting tired of all the back and forth with Hiro. At least it seems like he has his memories back but now is stuck back in time and powerless once again? I am starting to see Hiro as the joke here and never to be the actual Hero that he wants to be... at least the scenes with his mother were great but the time ripples from this particular event ( Hiro getting the catalyst instead of Claire) should be felt in modern time. This show is getting more confusing to watch but I am crossing my fingers that there will be something interesting that comes out of all of this.

Per usual, my biggest highlight of the week was Pushing Daisies. This past episode, The Legend of Merle McQuoddy, was such a brilliant combination of all the things that I love about this show that it's probably impossible to list every single thing that I loved, but some of the highlights included the developing drama with Chuck's undead Dad Charles Charles, and his disdain for pie. The whole pie or cake argument is not only a pivotal part of the storyline, but it is completely reflective of the fact that the show has only a few episodes left and soon all of us will be with out pie. I wish that someone had the balls to keep a quality show like this running on the air, but it appears that the almighty dollar reigns supreme once more.

Charles Charles is not quite the man that Chuck thinks he is (and how different is he really after being dead for so long and then undeaded?). The fight with him and Ned was brilliant, and we'll have to see what happens now that so many rules are being broken. I am surprised that we haven't seen Digby recently and wonder if he will show up in the last couple of episodes before the end.I almost expected Digby to jump in at one point and help Ned.

Olive just kills me, and between her snippy comments back and forth with the Diorama Widow (sorry but every time I think of those two and their back and forth passive aggressive barbs I hear Olive asking " Are those cotton balls stuck to your ass?".) I was rolling on the floor over that one and all the other bitchy comments that were exchanged between our ladies. Once again, high five to the art direction team and their brilliant choice of rain ponchos for our characters, Olive's rain gear was covered in olives (naturally), Ned had Pies all over his and our dear Emerson had Sharks all over his rain poncho. Sheer brilliance on all levels. Bryan threw a little nod to Prop 8 in his addition to the storyline that our Mr.McQoddy was shipwrecked and rescued by a Gay Family Cruise ship (more brilliance), and I loved the allusions to Batman at the beginning with the lighthouse signal, and it was another fun mystery story that got Olive further into the detective business with Emerson and a possible career option. We even got treated to a bit more music this week, this show must be saved some how. We need a Christmas Miracle!

Weekend Rant - Cold Comfort

Pushing Daisies had to be the biggest highlight of this past week, and Comfort Food , had even more tasty goodness than our last episode. The cold comfort is the impending demise of the show and the fact that the stories are getting better and better. The art direction is still astounding, and I loved the whole "Bake Off" atmosphere and odes to characters like Colonel Sanders (Colonel Likkin), the sheer insanity of the Waffle Nazi and the surprise appearance of Muffin Buffalo, another shout out to Wonderfalls and the whole zany universe that Bryan Fuller has created. My dream of a cross over featuring George from Dead like Me, Ned and Jaye from Wonderfalls may only be realized in a dream (or comic book).

We got treated to another song by Olive (as beautiful and brilliant as usual), and the more we learn about our main characters and their past, the more I get attached to this show. I know it's not every one's cup of tea, but it has so much depth and is so unusual that I can help but feel cheated that it will not get to realize it's potential. As usual there was tons of witty quips and a hilarious slow motion run to the finish. Chuck's story with her un-dead dad and the repercussions of lying to Ned to keep dad alive (and conveniently saving her and Ned's life at the cemetery) just got to the crux of the issue at the end of this episode, and I can hardly wait to see what happens next week. Cold comfort indeed.

The Amazing Race got closer to the finish line and will finish up this run tonight -- I was a bit in shock when Dallas forgot their bag with their money and passports and ended up eliminating him and mom during the penultimate leg, and even more shocked that the Frat boys actually kept it together enough to finish and be finalists this week. Andrew & Dan may have snuck into the Top 3 but they are so dysfunctional that I can't honestly see them winning and it would be the biggest upset in Race history if they do. I am still betting on Nick & Starr to win the big prize but Ken & Tina might beat them to the finish line. It will still be fun to watch tonight and I am happy to hear that the next round is already scheduled for February.

Heroes is pushing things a tad with their never ending eclipse that temporarily took away powers only to be things back to where there were before. The saving grace is our comic book nerds who are helping Hiro get back his memories that he no longer wants now that he has looked in on events in the 9th Wonders comic book. I just get tired of Hiro always reverting and going back to who he was before instead of becoming the kick ass warrior that we saw in season 1. Some of the story has been lost along the way but I was glad to see more of HRG in action like we know and love. The show needs to concentrate more on what works and to stop rebooting things non stop.

Survivor: Gabon is proving that out witting the other players is the way to win the game, and Bob has really been stepping his game up these past 2 weeks with some killer Individual Immunity performances and not one, but two fake Immunity Idols. I still think the biggest danger is Sugar, and she seems to some stay under every one's radar, even when she is being quite the bitch and not playing that nice. She still hasn't played her own Hidden Immunity Idol and doesn't seem to be in danger (and it appears the rest of them are so into their own game play that they have forgotten about it) and seems to be in the right direction to make it to the final four. It will be interesting to watch how things play out over the next couple of weeks.

On a side note: enough was enough and over the past few weeks I have dropped Stylista (what a snore fest) and can hardly wait until Stargate Atlantis finishes. I am just not liking the stories and everything feels terribly forced. It sucks when you have a great series that goes downhill ( I still blame all of it on the departure of Weir) and try as they might, they just can't get that chemistry back that was there a few seasons ago. It's a shame.... maybe the next series will resurrect the franchise.

Weekend Rant - Week in Review

The holiday season is upon us, so the ranting may be a bit sporadic but come the end of year, I will be putting up my Top Ten in Reality and Best in Show for this season. Some series have already taken a break until the New Year, and the rest of them are on their way as things get wrapped up but I am a tad disappointed with the lack of Holiday themed episodes in some of my favorite series.

The Amazing Race was hilarious this past episode with our loser Frat Boys being total knobs in a Pit stop that required marching with the Russian Army. Dan & Andrew had another really bad episode riddled with errors and were saved by a non elimination round. I have never seen any one as uncoordinated as Dan in my entire life and I was praying for elimination. My favorites, Nick & Starr, had a rough round but managed to stay in the race and will hopefully get some ground back next round. It was nice to see Dallas & Toni win a round for a change.


This past week, I checked out the Stephen Colbert Christmas Special and it has quickly made it's way on to the Watch List as a regular holiday staple. I loved his irreverent look at things and the hilarious musical numbers. From the opening credits to the cheesy content, it covered all the essential elements of a Christmas Special, with the right amount of sarcasm and irreverent sense of humor to make it a truly enjoyable experience. Some of my favorites of the evening included his hilarious duet with John Stewart called "Can I Interest You In Hannukah?" and the very funny song by one of my favorite artists Feist, simply titled: Please Be Patient. I know I will be watching it at least one more time before Christmas and here's hoping it is actually an annual event and not a one shot like some of my other favorites.

Dancing with the Stars finished up this round with Brooke taking home the giant Mirror Ball Trophy and Lance finishing in 3rd place. I am pretty much sure it was the freestyle round that did him and Lacey in, as their performance just didn't have the oomph that Warren and Brooke did. I still applaud Lance for a great season and I had really hoped to see him come in second (in a worse case scenario) but was feeling kind of uneasy after their last performances. Warren did much better than expected and I really think it came down to style and music choice. No big complaints though, it was cute to see how excited Derek was about winning, and I am looking forward to seeing the next round.

Chuck finished up the storyline with his ex in a timely fashion and I loved the whole Thanksgiving vibe that they had going for the episode. I was a tad disappointed not to get the chance to meet the Awesome family (if they are all as hot as Captain Awesome then that would be completely awesome), but the storyline was hilarious and I loved the whole Black Friday thing at the Buy More. Big Al is under used but greatly appreciated, and it was nice seeing all the gang together at the end. The season is great this year.

Heroes is putting together a fascinating story, but I don't understand why an eclipse takes away powers (hopefully it will be explained) and no idea if the effect is temporary or permanent. Considering that an eclipse takes about 10 minutes to occur I am wondering how much time actually takes place during the episode. The development of things between Elle and Sylar is electric (sorry, I couldn't resist) and I liked the bonding time between HRG and Claire. We haven't seen enough of him this year and I am fascinated by his character. Mama and Papa Petrelli are really stealing the show for me and I am loving all their character development. The Petrelli boys are in trouble in Haiti and poof all of them are powerless (again I don't understand how eclipses work in this world) but the saving grace is Hiro and Ando in the comic book shop with none other than uber geek Seth Green and the return of the 9th Wonder comic books. I wonder what magic potion is going to set things right? The bad news, once we hit the holiday break there will be no new episodes until after January. Bad move NBC, the show was just getting it's mojo back and putting it on hold is not the smartest thing to do.

Bones absolutely killed me with the past episode The Bone that Blew that featured the return of Brennan's dad and a guest appearance by Gina Torres. I loved seeing dear old Dad once again, but was a bit taken back by his new role as a science teacher. I don't remember Max being into science but even with that he had the best line of the night when he asked Boothe if he was gay because he wasn't sleeping with Bones. It was a hilarious moment. The weirdest moment was seeing Booth interviewing Ezralow (Gina) and I had flashes of the Angel TV series and saw him with Jasmine. Disturbing yet welcomed feelings. The chemistry between the characters is still great, I loved the attempt at getting Hodgkins to play King of the Lab with one our rotating interns (Wendell) and I still have a gnawing feeling that Sweets is more than he lets on.

Finally, my heart is breaking as the episodes of Pushing Daisies start wrapping up. This week's edition, with a twist on a modern day Robin Hood and a hilarious appearance by Jennifer Elise Cox (Jan Brady from the Brady Bunch Films) as an Anna Nicole type character. The story was great and I loved the whole thing about Ned and trying not to touch anything in the Trophy Room full of taxidermy animals. Very funny stuff. The creepy stuff about digging up Chuck's dad at the end of the episode was disturbing and I hope that things have not deteriorated too much before the big reveal. I think it has been many years so not quite sure how Ned's ability works with rotted corpses, mind you they have made it seem like he has revived dead things in various states so we'll have to see how things work out.

As it stands, there are maybe 6 episodes left (sniff sniff) and I plan on revelling in each and every one of them before things end. How I wish ABC would change their mind about cancelling this brilliant series.

Weekend Rant - The Week in Review

This was another gut wrenching week in TV land and per usual for every high point there was something else to counterbalance. TV karma can be interesting at times.



Although I haven't mentioned the Big Bang Theory much this year (so far), the gang had me in hysterics with Sheldon's " Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock " and the explanation on how it all works together. The show is not missing a beat this season and is still one of the funniest things on the tube. I loved seeing Sara Rue again! I hope to see her around more but was really hoping for more of my favorite Sarah Gilbert and wondering if she is going to add more spice to the current love triangle.

Chuck broke my heart with Chuck vs the Fat Lady featuring the return of his Ex Jill and then the big reveal that she is an agent for FULCRUM. I could see that one coming a mile away but it just seems cruel to be tugging so deeply at Chuck's heartstrings. I loved all the inside nerd jokes and Sarah's jealousy and can see where they are going over the long term and I think that we will all be happy with the end result. Morgan got the Buy More back under control from new Assistant Manager Milbarge via a hilarious wine cooler induced drunken rant (Tony Hale is as brilliant as usual) and I have really been enjoying the flow of this season. Adam Baldwin kills me with his inane ability to communicate so much with a simple mmphh or some other grunt. Sheer brilliance.

Heroes current storyline Villains is much more adventure driven and making for a better story than the last ark, but there are parts that seem disjointed and I am having a problem understanding (and following) what they are doing with Hiro and his current regression to a younger mental age. Yes, I know that it is all due to mean Mr.Petrelli and all his awesome powers but I just feel that they are exploiting the Hiro character so that he can just repeat the fun things that made him interesting to begin with.

I love Hiro and want to see him go to his potential and be the kick ass hero and not continually being bounced back and forth and trying to find his mission. I am still a tad peeved that Monica has not been around this season and thought that her character had great potential.

Some the pieces of the puzzle are starting to come together... and seeing Elle and Sylar getting all chummy is really interesting (even more so know considering their newly revealed history) and they are quickly becoming the most interesting part of the ensemble. Peter is returning to his old emo self and our flashback into floppy haired Peter territory didn't really help. We'll have to see what things look like after the mysterious eclipse (again?) that will take away every one's powers. Let's hope it works on both sides of the spectrum, and it's both the heroes and the villains that start shooting blanks or things are going to get very messy very quick. Time for the cheerleader to save the world?

Pushing Daisies had one of it's best episodes ever with " Oh Oh Oh . . . It's Magic" that was well, magical. Ned reluctantly agrees to help The Great Herrmann ( a fantabulous guest appearance by Fred Willard) who is the headliner and owner of the Conjurer's Castle, and his animal assistants are being mysteriously killed off in a series of freak accidents. I thought it was kind of a strange coincidence when we learn this episode that The The Great Herrmann has been a surrogate dad to Ned's half-brothers Maurice & Ralston ever since their father abandoned them and disappeared during a magic show at the Castle. Hermann felt kind of responsible and told the boys that dear old dad was off doing important things.

The character development was phenomenal as we learned more about Ned and his dislike of magic (more issues with dear old dad) and his bond with his half brothers. We also got more insight into Dwight Dixon as he gets to know the Aunts , and is apparently linked by military service. I love Aunt Lily and how she is instantly suspicious of his motives, and can see that he is after something more important. He knows a lot about the family and seems to be looking for a watch (that is supposed to be buried with Chuck but he discovers her empty grave) that maybe a clue to treasure or something. He is also looking at getting closer to Vivian. I think the most touching moment had to be at the end of the episode when Olive chatted with Lily and in a role playing scenario talked to her daughter for the first time (lived via listening device by Chuck) that was so touching and real that you could feel the emotions between all of them.

Damn you ABC for cancelling this show... I can only hope that some network would be willing to pick it up and give it the credit it deserves. Another example of a brilliant yet cancelled show.

Arghh!

Smallville left a cliffhanger at the end of an episode that won't be resolved until the new year (a tad early to finish this part of the season for my taste but you can't do anything about that) and there was this Cloverfield vibe that they had and it actually worked. I am not always a fan of the camcorder type footage but the the blurry looks and quick takes that they put together worked although I would have preferred a better look at Doomsday or better yet, seen Davis "transform" into the killer. There hasn't been a clear look at our boy in his destructo mode and it's going to be a hell of an episode when we have the big fight between our reluctant hero and the biological matter that came from Krypton. It maybe that Lex is around some where as well and I am not sure if that looks like some other Brainiac type equipment as well. It was a great visual to finish the episode.

It was nice to see the wedding, loved the stuff between Lois and Clark (and once again, Erica is such a kick ass Lois, I loved her in military mode getting the wedding put together) and liked how the writers handled the return of Lana (all dark and brooding) and the potential for some big tension between her and Lois. Lana opened Clark's eyes that maybe it wasn't the best idea that he had Chloe's memories of his super past suppressed (as did dear Ollie mention something similar) so I have hopes that after the big Doomsday/Brainiac storyline that Chloe will be our super BFF again. I loved seeing the preview for January and the appearance of the 3 founding members of the Legion of Super Heroes. I can hardly wait to see how they slip Saturn Girl, Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad (or whatever incarnations they will be) and the whole time travel thing into the history.

Supernatural is really good this year and the current storyline with Angels and Demons is astounding. I loved the surprise revelations this week and the whole concept of Angels falling and losing their Grace (which can be found) was an interesting twist on the mythos. This week we got treated to seeing Dean make out with our fallen angel, Anna (just as steamy as the previous week when we got to see Sam) and it looks like the boys have been working out. The story plays out epic and I loved the big fight scene and seeing the demons get toasted when Anna gets her Grace back. Learning that Dean has a Hell induced Stockholm Syndrome was a surprise (I just assumed that you get tortured and don't have any option) and I can understand his grief over the bad things that happened in a bad place. Jensen did a great acting job and I am looking forward to the rest of the season starting in January.

Survivor - Gabon is being completely manipulated by our pin up girl, Sugar, and if she keeps playing this smart (and she was damn vicious this week) she is definitely going to win this edition. I was in complete hysterics the way that she manipulated Randy and poor Bob (your time is numbered my friend) with the fake Idol fiasco and almost lost it during Tribal Council. i don't know if any of the other players are catching on, but she is running the game (in the most subtle way) and I love how everyone goes to her with their ideas and secrets. I just feel sorry for our Bromance couple of Marcus and Charlie who have to deal with Randy being on the Jury and being with them at Ponderosa. If things don't change soon expect Sugar to be the ultimate Survivor of Gabon.

On a final note, I have been checking out the new The Brave & the Bold cartoon series starring Batman and a new set of rotating guest heroes and I like the format and starting to adapt to the new look and style of Batman that they are portraying. I am finding it reminiscent of the 1960s style Batman, but the stories are more contemporary and the guest stars more current in the DC universe. It feels like the art direction has been influenced by The New Frontier movie by Darwyn Cooke. It is interesting that they have him working more and more with other heroes and hoping this will translate eventually into the film work and maybe even more animation. It's fun seeing a lighter Batman (not all dark and broody but definitely more of the the dominant and all knowing Batman portrayed in comics. It's some interesting stuff but I really miss the Justice League series from a couple of years ago.