That's right... I marathoned Jack and Bobby this week. What is it with shows about Presidents that pulls me in? Could it be the power, the significance of even the smallest decisions, or the strategy games being played? Or is it that I just have a thing for white houses with oval rooms?... whatever the reason, it is definitely true that I watch (and fall in love with) way too many shows about the Presidency.
Jack and Bobby, for those of you that have yet to watch this masterpiece, was on the WB for one season in 2004-2005. The show has an interesting format - It is a biography about former president McCallister, who served from 2041-2049. Interspersed with the biography (talking heads of important people in the president's life and political figures) is a narrative from the president's childhood.
Stop reading if you don't want spoilers!!!
I remember watching the pilot with my mom in 2004 and sobbing. The set up is just emotional. I think it was originally marketed so that you would assume that it was going to be a show about the Kennedys. But, it isn't Jack and his brother Bobby were given their names after their Father (Juan Roberto) and not after the political figures, which is funny since their mother is a History professor at the local college. The pilot does such a great job of making the audience think that Jack became president. However, by the end of the episode you know the truth, Bobby (the geeky little brother with asthma) became the President of the United States!
What a whirlwind of emotions, and that was just the pilot!
Later you learn that Courtney, Jack's love interest when they were kids, ends up as the Former First Lady, meaning Bobby's wife (ew). Bobby was known for his sex scandals... and he became both a Republican and a Reverend!
Some not so believable things happen in the 2030s-2040s - Jack becomes a Democrat Congressman (after being a war hero and a public defender) and then has the most ironic death possible (being the victim of a crime analogous to the one his father is serving a life sentence for in another state). After Jack's death, since he wasn't married, the Democrats decide to give his seat to his Republican little brother, the Reverend Robert McCallister. As if that weren't enough, after being a Congressman, Robert decides to run for president and when the Republican party does not support his nomination, he runs and wins as an Independent! (Oh, and his VP is a woman... his mistress.)
Things I had forgotten about the show that I wish I had remembered, because they were awesome:
1. Christine Lahti is a phenomenal actress. (She plays the mom, Grace McCallister. She is crazy!)
2. There was a great episode about the fallout after Jack's former best friend commits suicide because he does have anywhere to turn when he realizes he is gay. The episode even ends with one of those Trevor Project messages. This was in 2004... good job, WB! (My only qualm is that this was a stand alone episode and the only other gay character in the entire series was the deadbeat uncle. Though it was apparent that most of the main characters had no problem with accepting gay people and the gay characters were not stereotypes, which are good messages to be sending.)
3. An entire story line related to one of the main characters, Jack's former girl friend, Missy, getting an abortion. This was also important because Missy's father was a Minister. Hearing his speech at the funeral later (Missy dies a few episodes later of unrelated causes) was just so moving (he says g-d punished her for her misdeeds!). There are a lot of feminist messages in this series that are great, as well as counter arguments that need to be made.
4. Neil Patrick Harris' (Doogie Howser and How I Met Your Mother) and Justin Kirk's (Weeds) single-episode appearances (both complete with horrid hair styles)! NPH played a Professor who when he was still in school, wrote a paper about Grace McCallister when assigned to write about a President's mother. He uncovered facts about her lies regarding who the president's father was, which was a big scandal during the campaign. Justin Kirk played Henry McCallister, the second of four boys of President McCallister. The oldest son was killed while McCallister was still president, by driving drunk.
Perhaps the thing I wish I had remembered most was that there was a character named Robert McCallister who is a Republican with a not so secure marriage to a woman named Courtney and with a son named Jack, because that is the character Rob Lowe played on Brothers and Sisters only a year or two after the end of Jack and Bobby.
- The Inner Mind of Dramawiz
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Friday, December 24, 2010
In Reality This Never Happened... But in the Inner Mind of Dramawiz...
Yesterday I went to a concert during the day. It was sort of a Broadway (and a few other) performers showcase. It was a day concert at a place like the Hollywood Bowl.
I was sitting off to the side about halfway back with nobody right around me. My parents were somewhere else in the audience.
Katy Perry had performed earlier in the show and taken a seat in the audience by the time the encore began. They were singing one of her hit songs (Baby Baby Baby Oh). The performers tried to get Katy to sing with them by seeking her out in the audience but she kept hiding.
She eventually sat down beside me. Needless to say, they found us and gave her a mic. She turned to me and said, "You are going to help me through this." (I couldn't get myself to tell her that I didn't know her song...)
As the next verse began, which was when she was going to join in, she told me to 'harmonize with her.' We started to sing and realized neither of us new the lyrics. We abruptly stopped and started laughing. The song continued without anyone singing until we got it together by the chorus and started singing "baby baby baby oh"s back and forth. She eventually got up and walked around the audience as the she finished the song.
The concert ended and everyone began filing out. I knew that I wanted a picture with Katy after that whole experience so I made my way to the front of the stage. When I got there my parents were the first to find me and my dad said it was time to leave. Reluctantly I agreed and we turned to head out of the Bowl.
But as we started to walk out I heard Katy shout, "Hey, hold up!"
After getting the nod from my parents that I could go back, I went to Katy and we started walking in the other direction together away from the crowd. We ended up walking out of the Bowl the other direction and the beach was on one side.
She invited me to see a 'modernized performance of Avenue Q with her and Russell' that evening. She suggested that we 'grab dinner first though.' I told her that maybe my dad would be willing since it was his favorite show.
She turned sad for a second and said that she wasn't sure she could get an extra three tickets instead of just the one for me. I understood and told her that I should just head back with my parents then.
We talked about random things as we walked. At one point I apologized for not knowing her song. I tried to lessen the blow by saying that I knew some of her other songs, but she could easily see through that lie.
As we started walking back to the Bowl Russell caught up to us. Katy had to get going, likely to change from her performance clothes, so Russell escorted me back.
My dad found us on the way and I asked Russell if I could get a picture with him. He agreed and so we let my dad act as our paparazzo for the rest of the walk.
The End.
(The Inner Mind of Dramawiz creates some awesome dreams!)
I was sitting off to the side about halfway back with nobody right around me. My parents were somewhere else in the audience.
Katy Perry had performed earlier in the show and taken a seat in the audience by the time the encore began. They were singing one of her hit songs (Baby Baby Baby Oh). The performers tried to get Katy to sing with them by seeking her out in the audience but she kept hiding.
She eventually sat down beside me. Needless to say, they found us and gave her a mic. She turned to me and said, "You are going to help me through this." (I couldn't get myself to tell her that I didn't know her song...)
As the next verse began, which was when she was going to join in, she told me to 'harmonize with her.' We started to sing and realized neither of us new the lyrics. We abruptly stopped and started laughing. The song continued without anyone singing until we got it together by the chorus and started singing "baby baby baby oh"s back and forth. She eventually got up and walked around the audience as the she finished the song.
The concert ended and everyone began filing out. I knew that I wanted a picture with Katy after that whole experience so I made my way to the front of the stage. When I got there my parents were the first to find me and my dad said it was time to leave. Reluctantly I agreed and we turned to head out of the Bowl.
But as we started to walk out I heard Katy shout, "Hey, hold up!"
After getting the nod from my parents that I could go back, I went to Katy and we started walking in the other direction together away from the crowd. We ended up walking out of the Bowl the other direction and the beach was on one side.
She invited me to see a 'modernized performance of Avenue Q with her and Russell' that evening. She suggested that we 'grab dinner first though.' I told her that maybe my dad would be willing since it was his favorite show.
She turned sad for a second and said that she wasn't sure she could get an extra three tickets instead of just the one for me. I understood and told her that I should just head back with my parents then.
We talked about random things as we walked. At one point I apologized for not knowing her song. I tried to lessen the blow by saying that I knew some of her other songs, but she could easily see through that lie.
As we started walking back to the Bowl Russell caught up to us. Katy had to get going, likely to change from her performance clothes, so Russell escorted me back.
My dad found us on the way and I asked Russell if I could get a picture with him. He agreed and so we let my dad act as our paparazzo for the rest of the walk.
The End.
(The Inner Mind of Dramawiz creates some awesome dreams!)
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Skip Wuznum... realtor... is old.
Just had to put this out there. I was watching Modern Family just now and right as Jay got up to give his speech at the engagement party I paused the program. I literally thought that if I just stopped it, the embarrassment wouldn't happen. I quickly realized that if I wanted to watch the rest of the episode, which I did, then I had to unpause the program and watch the embarrassing scene.
Why is it that we get so invested in TV characters that we feel for their embarrassment at such a striking level? Jay is nowhere near my favorite character on Modern Family, but the thought of what he was about to do (make a speech at a party for people he thought worked for him but really didn't) was so bad and I had no way to physically stop him (besides pausing the video of course), that I just needed a breather... a second away from my virtual life with these characters.
Anyone know what I'm talking about?
The Inner Mind of Dramawiz
Why is it that we get so invested in TV characters that we feel for their embarrassment at such a striking level? Jay is nowhere near my favorite character on Modern Family, but the thought of what he was about to do (make a speech at a party for people he thought worked for him but really didn't) was so bad and I had no way to physically stop him (besides pausing the video of course), that I just needed a breather... a second away from my virtual life with these characters.
Anyone know what I'm talking about?
The Inner Mind of Dramawiz
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
For a while I thought you were a robot.
Another week, another episode of Glee.
This week the theme was duets (or as Brittany so eloquently defined them, blankets). In my honest opinion most of the duets were quite bad. Though Rachel and Finn's Grease 2 performance dressed as religious persons and singing about being born again was a highlight even if it was meant to offend. And, while I still do not think Mercedes' and Santana's voices blend all that well, their number together this week was a great improvement over their song with Puck from last season. My favorite performance of the night easily goes to the mashup at the end with Rachel and Kurt. There was something about how their voices meshed in this number that just made me smile along with them.
And now to the dreaded Glee plot...
Luckily there wasn't much going on. Not that there ever is. Puck disappeared (for an undertermined amount of time) after driving his mom's volvo into a bank and driving away with the ATM. Really?!? If I cared at all, then I would have been googling the actor and finding out if he was still on the show or not... But, I don't and so I didn't. I'm sure someone else did and I'll find out by tomorrow as it is. With Puck out of the picture, Schuester seems to have convinced Sam, the new blond boy, to join glee club.
Basically there was a duet competition that pitted everyone against everyone else for the coveted prize of dinner for two at Breadsticks (was this the place that Finn took Santana and Brittany last season?). Rachel decided that the only way to win Nationals was to make sure Sam stayed in glee club. To achieve this, she made the sacrifice of letting him win the duet competition. (This is where the great Grease, Grease 2 conversation came in! And she is wrong, some of the songs from Grease 2 are classics!) The first step in operation make Sam a star was to stop him from singing with Kurt.
Ok, let's take an aside --> Glee season 2 seems to be suffering from the problem that I can best describe as the Glee phenomenon. Last year, people became obsessed with this little show that could. This year, the writers of said show believe they can do no wrong. They are mistaken. They seem to be taking what some loved most about this show and overemphasizing these aspects, creating an unbalanced mess. True, in the first half of last season everyone was pleading for more of the ensemble characters. And, it is great that Kurt and his dad seem to be the main plot of the season (though I'm starting to think it is going to get old no matter how much my heart aches every time there is a scene between these two). But, there was no need to force us to watch Mike Chang attempt to sing. Or even push a relationship between Tina and Mike just to give them something to do (because that is what it is starting to feel like). It is awesome that more people are getting a chance to shine on this show, but at least make sure the quality of the product doesn't diminish in the process. I'd gladly add 5 Lea Michele numbers to my iTunes playlist every week, than the current songs the show is producing.
And the rant is behind us... moving on:
Kurt, after talking with his Dad, graciously bows out of singing with Sam. And, instead Kurt sings with himself (a form of vocal masturbation according to Santana, with whom I agree). The number wasn't bad, but the tassel on Kurt's right side kept annoying me. (I'm picky... That is something I already know about myself.) Santana and Brittany appeared to be having a fling in Puck's absence, but Santana chose to sing with Mercedes in order to win the competition. (Did she forget how awesome Brittany is post-Britney Spears hallucinations?) Without her first choice of partner, Brittany spotted Artie. Even if she once believed he was a robot, she had no qualms duetting and bedding him. (Why were we not treated to at least a rehearsal scene of their duet?!? We did establish how awesome Brittany is two weeks ago, and we already know that Artie nails his vocal numbers!) Instead, we were allowed to witness the singing premiere of Mike Chang. Tina convinced Mike to duet with her so that they could go out on a normal date (one that does not include his mother or dim sum). Sam ended up singing with Quinn and it was bland, but good enough to will the competition. Sam claims to be straight and uses lemon to bleach his hair in order to be cool post-his time at an all-male boarding school. Oh, and he and Quinn are apparently dating now.
Yup... that's what happened this week on Glee!
Oh and the saddest moment of the episode was the cut to Brittany trying to do the Lady and the Tramp scene without a partner.
The Inner Mind of Dramawiz
This week the theme was duets (or as Brittany so eloquently defined them, blankets). In my honest opinion most of the duets were quite bad. Though Rachel and Finn's Grease 2 performance dressed as religious persons and singing about being born again was a highlight even if it was meant to offend. And, while I still do not think Mercedes' and Santana's voices blend all that well, their number together this week was a great improvement over their song with Puck from last season. My favorite performance of the night easily goes to the mashup at the end with Rachel and Kurt. There was something about how their voices meshed in this number that just made me smile along with them.
And now to the dreaded Glee plot...
Luckily there wasn't much going on. Not that there ever is. Puck disappeared (for an undertermined amount of time) after driving his mom's volvo into a bank and driving away with the ATM. Really?!? If I cared at all, then I would have been googling the actor and finding out if he was still on the show or not... But, I don't and so I didn't. I'm sure someone else did and I'll find out by tomorrow as it is. With Puck out of the picture, Schuester seems to have convinced Sam, the new blond boy, to join glee club.
Basically there was a duet competition that pitted everyone against everyone else for the coveted prize of dinner for two at Breadsticks (was this the place that Finn took Santana and Brittany last season?). Rachel decided that the only way to win Nationals was to make sure Sam stayed in glee club. To achieve this, she made the sacrifice of letting him win the duet competition. (This is where the great Grease, Grease 2 conversation came in! And she is wrong, some of the songs from Grease 2 are classics!) The first step in operation make Sam a star was to stop him from singing with Kurt.
Ok, let's take an aside --> Glee season 2 seems to be suffering from the problem that I can best describe as the Glee phenomenon. Last year, people became obsessed with this little show that could. This year, the writers of said show believe they can do no wrong. They are mistaken. They seem to be taking what some loved most about this show and overemphasizing these aspects, creating an unbalanced mess. True, in the first half of last season everyone was pleading for more of the ensemble characters. And, it is great that Kurt and his dad seem to be the main plot of the season (though I'm starting to think it is going to get old no matter how much my heart aches every time there is a scene between these two). But, there was no need to force us to watch Mike Chang attempt to sing. Or even push a relationship between Tina and Mike just to give them something to do (because that is what it is starting to feel like). It is awesome that more people are getting a chance to shine on this show, but at least make sure the quality of the product doesn't diminish in the process. I'd gladly add 5 Lea Michele numbers to my iTunes playlist every week, than the current songs the show is producing.
And the rant is behind us... moving on:
Kurt, after talking with his Dad, graciously bows out of singing with Sam. And, instead Kurt sings with himself (a form of vocal masturbation according to Santana, with whom I agree). The number wasn't bad, but the tassel on Kurt's right side kept annoying me. (I'm picky... That is something I already know about myself.) Santana and Brittany appeared to be having a fling in Puck's absence, but Santana chose to sing with Mercedes in order to win the competition. (Did she forget how awesome Brittany is post-Britney Spears hallucinations?) Without her first choice of partner, Brittany spotted Artie. Even if she once believed he was a robot, she had no qualms duetting and bedding him. (Why were we not treated to at least a rehearsal scene of their duet?!? We did establish how awesome Brittany is two weeks ago, and we already know that Artie nails his vocal numbers!) Instead, we were allowed to witness the singing premiere of Mike Chang. Tina convinced Mike to duet with her so that they could go out on a normal date (one that does not include his mother or dim sum). Sam ended up singing with Quinn and it was bland, but good enough to will the competition. Sam claims to be straight and uses lemon to bleach his hair in order to be cool post-his time at an all-male boarding school. Oh, and he and Quinn are apparently dating now.
Yup... that's what happened this week on Glee!
Oh and the saddest moment of the episode was the cut to Brittany trying to do the Lady and the Tramp scene without a partner.
The Inner Mind of Dramawiz
Friday, October 8, 2010
That's what Inception was about?
Betty White made a surprise appearance at the end of Community this week. But even so, the highlight of this well-crafted episode goes to a group of extras [UPDATE: Abed and extras]. During the oil wrestling match between Britta and Annie, the camera turns to Shirley. Behind Shirley there is movement in a car in the parking lot. It is a birthing scene. Taking place right there in the community college's parking lot. The camera turns away before you can really believe what you think you just saw. But, at the end of the episode, the new mom and dad are cradling the newborn in their arms behind Jeff, Troy and Pierce.
How amazing!
UPDATE: Turns out there were earlier parts of this storyline that I missed. Check it out for yourself. Pay attention to what's going on in the background. It'll blow your mind!
The Inner Mind of Dramawiz
How amazing!
UPDATE: Turns out there were earlier parts of this storyline that I missed. Check it out for yourself. Pay attention to what's going on in the background. It'll blow your mind!
The Inner Mind of Dramawiz
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Musical Glee Recaps
Check out Jim Cantiello's musical glee recaps. He is awesome!
This is his one for last night's episode:
'Glee' Gets Serious And Heavy In The 'Grilled Cheesus' Episode: "Watch Jim Cantiello's musical recap of this week's 'Glee.'"
This is his one for last night's episode:
'Glee' Gets Serious And Heavy In The 'Grilled Cheesus' Episode: "Watch Jim Cantiello's musical recap of this week's 'Glee.'"
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Holy Cheesus that was emotional!
Well we finally got some plot on Glee.
This week the theme was belief. Finn made a grilled cheesus and after it granted his wish of a win in the first game of the year, he dedicated his music to it for the rest of the week. In glee club, Finn announced that everyone should sing songs on that theme, which led to Sue stepping in with a separation of church and state speech that I totally agreed with. She kindly remarked that if the students wanted to sing about religion, then they could, but not at a public school.
The real action surrounded Kurt. His father had a heart attack and was in the hospital, his condition unknown. When all the glee clubbers wanted to pray for him and his father, Kurt announced that he does not believe in G-d, and how could he since what g-d would make him live through a life of torment for being born gay. Sue reiterated that same argument when she told Emma that it was wrong for the students to be trying to convince Kurt that there is a g-d, since it is one that would never accept him and would instead condemn him for his lifestyle.
Each song, with the exception of Puck's song at the beginning of the episode, was emotional. I'm going to have to get a copy of them and rewatch those scenes. For instance, Rachel sang Papa Can You Hear Me? While no one can compare to Barbra Streisand, I did enjoy this cover. I still think Lea tries to hard to emulate the original singer of all her songs, but with this one it felt more like an homage to a great. I also liked that she started the song outside, though I wish it had not moved into the hospital. Why were the glee clubbers at Kurt's dad's bedside? This made little sense to me, and the throwaway line about how they were each a different denomination and so together they had a better chance of being right was just odd. I had already made peace with the odd fact that Will and Emma took Kurt to the hospital, instead of calling a relative or Finn's mom to take him. But, this vigil was just too much.
Kurt's rendition of I Want To Hold Your Hand was the most touching moment of Glee to date. I'd put it up there for best scene along with Kurt's dad shouting out Finn last season. (And no, it doesn't surprise me that all my favorite Glee seasons center around Kurt.) And the flashbacks! That kid got some of Chris Colfer's facial expressions dead on. And the smirk he gave during the tea party was adorable... This was easily my favorite song of the night. And the lower notes in the song were just icing on the cake.
But, the scenes that had me tearing up were Sue and her sister and then Kurt with his dad at the end. Both of these actors deserve Emmys, just in general. They are holding this show up week after week.
Maybe I read too many spoilers and let the hype build up a bit too much, but the church scene was a let down to me. It was great in theory, but it seems to have fallen short. I liked the Bridge Over Troubled Water, but it was less moving than the Clay Aiken version from a few years back. And, I just didn't buy it. Kurt, with his current beliefs, would not have gone to church with Mercedes and once there his attitude would not have shifted after less than five minutes. And, perhaps most outrageously, who addresses the church as 'church'... that was just odd.
Best joke of the night, and there were far fewer laugh out loud moments than normal: Brittany giving Kurt the paper she wrote on heart attack's so the doctor can read up on them.
So, these were my initial thoughts. Anyone have something to add? Feel free to leave a comment below.
The Inner Mind of Dramawiz
This week the theme was belief. Finn made a grilled cheesus and after it granted his wish of a win in the first game of the year, he dedicated his music to it for the rest of the week. In glee club, Finn announced that everyone should sing songs on that theme, which led to Sue stepping in with a separation of church and state speech that I totally agreed with. She kindly remarked that if the students wanted to sing about religion, then they could, but not at a public school.
The real action surrounded Kurt. His father had a heart attack and was in the hospital, his condition unknown. When all the glee clubbers wanted to pray for him and his father, Kurt announced that he does not believe in G-d, and how could he since what g-d would make him live through a life of torment for being born gay. Sue reiterated that same argument when she told Emma that it was wrong for the students to be trying to convince Kurt that there is a g-d, since it is one that would never accept him and would instead condemn him for his lifestyle.
Each song, with the exception of Puck's song at the beginning of the episode, was emotional. I'm going to have to get a copy of them and rewatch those scenes. For instance, Rachel sang Papa Can You Hear Me? While no one can compare to Barbra Streisand, I did enjoy this cover. I still think Lea tries to hard to emulate the original singer of all her songs, but with this one it felt more like an homage to a great. I also liked that she started the song outside, though I wish it had not moved into the hospital. Why were the glee clubbers at Kurt's dad's bedside? This made little sense to me, and the throwaway line about how they were each a different denomination and so together they had a better chance of being right was just odd. I had already made peace with the odd fact that Will and Emma took Kurt to the hospital, instead of calling a relative or Finn's mom to take him. But, this vigil was just too much.
Kurt's rendition of I Want To Hold Your Hand was the most touching moment of Glee to date. I'd put it up there for best scene along with Kurt's dad shouting out Finn last season. (And no, it doesn't surprise me that all my favorite Glee seasons center around Kurt.) And the flashbacks! That kid got some of Chris Colfer's facial expressions dead on. And the smirk he gave during the tea party was adorable... This was easily my favorite song of the night. And the lower notes in the song were just icing on the cake.
But, the scenes that had me tearing up were Sue and her sister and then Kurt with his dad at the end. Both of these actors deserve Emmys, just in general. They are holding this show up week after week.
Maybe I read too many spoilers and let the hype build up a bit too much, but the church scene was a let down to me. It was great in theory, but it seems to have fallen short. I liked the Bridge Over Troubled Water, but it was less moving than the Clay Aiken version from a few years back. And, I just didn't buy it. Kurt, with his current beliefs, would not have gone to church with Mercedes and once there his attitude would not have shifted after less than five minutes. And, perhaps most outrageously, who addresses the church as 'church'... that was just odd.
Best joke of the night, and there were far fewer laugh out loud moments than normal: Brittany giving Kurt the paper she wrote on heart attack's so the doctor can read up on them.
So, these were my initial thoughts. Anyone have something to add? Feel free to leave a comment below.
The Inner Mind of Dramawiz
Where's the poop, Robin?
So I just finished watching last night's How I Met Your Mother...
This episode was all about finishing what you've started or letting go. I really enjoy Ted's lectures. If I were one of his students, then I'd likely be lost or just very bored. But as an outsider, glimpsing bits of his likely more impressive professorial moments, they seem great. Ted lectured about Gaudi's Sagrada Familia, the unfinished church in Barcelona. Maybe it's because I have been there, seen the face of Jesus in one of its shadows, or just like Gaudi in general, but I thought the use of this church and its unfinished state was a great setup for the episode.
Basically, each character (except maybe Barney) has something that they need to either move on from or finish from their past. Ted is reoffered the contract for building the bank's headquarters. Lily needs to get the courage to face a young boy who stepped on her face at karate class. Marshall needs to let go of his legal funk band (seriously... though he should keep the cat-in-the-hat hat). And, Robin needs to move on from Don, who moved to Chicago for work after the two began living together.
Some fun tidbits from the episode:
- Getting a glimpse of Barney's moves when he works his magic on Ted to get him to say yes (they always say yes).
- Seeing Marshall's legal funk band's only public performance.
- And the best used reference of the night: Marshall and Ted discussing how the architect of the Death Star must have felt. This exchange started great and only managed to get better as Ted insisted that the design flaw must have been on the contractor's end.
The Inner Mind of Dramawiz
This episode was all about finishing what you've started or letting go. I really enjoy Ted's lectures. If I were one of his students, then I'd likely be lost or just very bored. But as an outsider, glimpsing bits of his likely more impressive professorial moments, they seem great. Ted lectured about Gaudi's Sagrada Familia, the unfinished church in Barcelona. Maybe it's because I have been there, seen the face of Jesus in one of its shadows, or just like Gaudi in general, but I thought the use of this church and its unfinished state was a great setup for the episode.
Basically, each character (except maybe Barney) has something that they need to either move on from or finish from their past. Ted is reoffered the contract for building the bank's headquarters. Lily needs to get the courage to face a young boy who stepped on her face at karate class. Marshall needs to let go of his legal funk band (seriously... though he should keep the cat-in-the-hat hat). And, Robin needs to move on from Don, who moved to Chicago for work after the two began living together.
Some fun tidbits from the episode:
- Getting a glimpse of Barney's moves when he works his magic on Ted to get him to say yes (they always say yes).
- Seeing Marshall's legal funk band's only public performance.
- And the best used reference of the night: Marshall and Ted discussing how the architect of the Death Star must have felt. This exchange started great and only managed to get better as Ted insisted that the design flaw must have been on the contractor's end.
The Inner Mind of Dramawiz
Monday, October 4, 2010
We Live In A Sad, Sad World
I just got some sad news via twitter... Ausiello is leaving EW.
I'm gonna have to change the links on the blog!
But, don't worry. He'll still be working in the entertainment news industry as he'll be helping to start up a brand new site. I've already sent him a tweet basically saying that I'll be more than glad to follow him to another site. It's not like I haven't already done so (anyone remember the amazing podcast days at TVguide.com?!?)...
The second bit of sad news is that Huge has been cancelled by ABC Family. While very few people watched the show (1.9M on average), it was a decent show especially for that channel. It was as well written as Greek and it was a summer show, so low ratings is already a given. I only watched it for the Hairspray and Firefly cast members, but I find myself sad that I will never know what happens to these characters. The summer hadn't even ended yet on the show. There will still weeks more of the fictional camp experience ahead, so there was no closure at the end of the already aired 10 episodes.
But, let's be honest. Ausiello will be great wherever he is as long as he has some online presence and communication with actors and writers. And, I'll soon forget about Huge, so no harm really done.
The Inner Mind of Dramawiz
I'm gonna have to change the links on the blog!
But, don't worry. He'll still be working in the entertainment news industry as he'll be helping to start up a brand new site. I've already sent him a tweet basically saying that I'll be more than glad to follow him to another site. It's not like I haven't already done so (anyone remember the amazing podcast days at TVguide.com?!?)...
The second bit of sad news is that Huge has been cancelled by ABC Family. While very few people watched the show (1.9M on average), it was a decent show especially for that channel. It was as well written as Greek and it was a summer show, so low ratings is already a given. I only watched it for the Hairspray and Firefly cast members, but I find myself sad that I will never know what happens to these characters. The summer hadn't even ended yet on the show. There will still weeks more of the fictional camp experience ahead, so there was no closure at the end of the already aired 10 episodes.
But, let's be honest. Ausiello will be great wherever he is as long as he has some online presence and communication with actors and writers. And, I'll soon forget about Huge, so no harm really done.
The Inner Mind of Dramawiz
It's definitely bigger on the inside.
I'm fading fast today. I blame the UK. Why? Simple - it has this little show called Doctor Who, which has this spin off called Torchwood, which had a 5 episode third season that I stayed up to watch last night.
And so my Doctor Who month (and a half) comes to a close.
It has been a roller coaster. An 7 season long ride that started off with low budget graphics and ended up with me balling my eyes out.
Doctor Who: A 'time lord' who travels through space and time in a time machine/spaceship that looks like an old British police box, called the TARDIS. The Doctor is his name and he is approximately 900 years old when this version of the show began. (There was an older version and this one just starts again assuming you know something about those previous seasons.) Basically, the Doctor meets people on his escapades and every once and a while he offers to have someone join him on his travels. My favorite of the Doctor's companions in these 4 seasons was the runaway bride herself, Donna Noble. From her first appearance I knew I liked her. She just never let the Doctor get a word in. Which is quite impressive cause David Tennant's version of the Doctor seemed to talk non-stop. (Which reminds me... the Doctor has numerous lives like a cat... this version of the series began with the 9th Doctor, and David Tennant was the 10th... when the Doctor is about to die, he can regenerate instead, thereby retaining his memories but changing personality and physicality... and he glows during the process.)
So I cried like crazy during almost the whole final season with the 10th doctor, including the specials. What is with British TV and the inability to have consistent seasons. Just make all seasons a certain number of episodes. And if you renew a show, bring it back the following year. Not a two years or so later, with a single episode or miniseries instead of a full season. Not cool, BBC... Not. Cool.
This show is sooo campy. Think Buffy. But, it has all the great science fiction folk lore of a world like in Star Trek. It is basically Buffy set in space. And no, that does not make it Firefly. It makes it Doctor Who.
When I finished with all the Doctor Who available on Netflix (which still leaves the most recent season with the 11th Doctor that aired earlier this year), I moved on to the main spin off of Doctor Who, Torchwood.
Torchwood: This show is like CSI, but in the universe of Doctor Who. Torchwood is a secret government department that is responsible for protecting the world from aliens. The Cardiff branch is headed by Captain Jack Harkness, John Barrowman (my new gay love). Captain Jack was introduced in Doctor Who and due to a series of fortunate events, he became invincible... He can't die... Well he can, but then he just comes back. While the main female on this show made me want to stop watching early on, Captain Jack is hilarious and awesome and his constant flirting behavior with both sexes is just too good to give up on. In addition, the medical professional of the group, Owen, is great, as is Ianto, Jack's lover and another member of the Torchwood team.
Let's be honest, I didn't really like the plot of Torchwood. But, the innuendos and one-liners were great and I was just not ready to give up on my Doctor Who fix yet. By the end of the 2.5 seasons (2 seasons, with a big gap in the middle, and then a mini-series) I really got into this show and all the death scenes were heartbreaking. Everyone dies... and Jack dies over and over again.
But in the end, the best parts of Doctor Who were the amazing multi-episode end of the world arcs where characters from the multiple spin-off shows and past seasons would come back and all fight together to save the day numerous times.
Below is one of the best Donna Noble/10th Doctor scenes. She has been waiting for him to return and take her on his travels.
And now some funny moment in the form of a youtube video compilation:
And so ends my Doctor Who phase... It was definitely bigger on the inside.
The Inner Mind of Dramawiz
UPDATE: Wow for spelling names wrong. I guess I'll double check from now on ;)
Also, I may have spent an hour and a half watching youtube clips of John Barrowman at my library carrel today. He did a show where he took tests to figure out how he became gay. And he also sings... including 'I Know Him So Well' from Chess (below)!
And so my Doctor Who month (and a half) comes to a close.
It has been a roller coaster. An 7 season long ride that started off with low budget graphics and ended up with me balling my eyes out.
Doctor Who: A 'time lord' who travels through space and time in a time machine/spaceship that looks like an old British police box, called the TARDIS. The Doctor is his name and he is approximately 900 years old when this version of the show began. (There was an older version and this one just starts again assuming you know something about those previous seasons.) Basically, the Doctor meets people on his escapades and every once and a while he offers to have someone join him on his travels. My favorite of the Doctor's companions in these 4 seasons was the runaway bride herself, Donna Noble. From her first appearance I knew I liked her. She just never let the Doctor get a word in. Which is quite impressive cause David Tennant's version of the Doctor seemed to talk non-stop. (Which reminds me... the Doctor has numerous lives like a cat... this version of the series began with the 9th Doctor, and David Tennant was the 10th... when the Doctor is about to die, he can regenerate instead, thereby retaining his memories but changing personality and physicality... and he glows during the process.)
So I cried like crazy during almost the whole final season with the 10th doctor, including the specials. What is with British TV and the inability to have consistent seasons. Just make all seasons a certain number of episodes. And if you renew a show, bring it back the following year. Not a two years or so later, with a single episode or miniseries instead of a full season. Not cool, BBC... Not. Cool.
This show is sooo campy. Think Buffy. But, it has all the great science fiction folk lore of a world like in Star Trek. It is basically Buffy set in space. And no, that does not make it Firefly. It makes it Doctor Who.
When I finished with all the Doctor Who available on Netflix (which still leaves the most recent season with the 11th Doctor that aired earlier this year), I moved on to the main spin off of Doctor Who, Torchwood.
Torchwood: This show is like CSI, but in the universe of Doctor Who. Torchwood is a secret government department that is responsible for protecting the world from aliens. The Cardiff branch is headed by Captain Jack Harkness, John Barrowman (my new gay love). Captain Jack was introduced in Doctor Who and due to a series of fortunate events, he became invincible... He can't die... Well he can, but then he just comes back. While the main female on this show made me want to stop watching early on, Captain Jack is hilarious and awesome and his constant flirting behavior with both sexes is just too good to give up on. In addition, the medical professional of the group, Owen, is great, as is Ianto, Jack's lover and another member of the Torchwood team.
Let's be honest, I didn't really like the plot of Torchwood. But, the innuendos and one-liners were great and I was just not ready to give up on my Doctor Who fix yet. By the end of the 2.5 seasons (2 seasons, with a big gap in the middle, and then a mini-series) I really got into this show and all the death scenes were heartbreaking. Everyone dies... and Jack dies over and over again.
But in the end, the best parts of Doctor Who were the amazing multi-episode end of the world arcs where characters from the multiple spin-off shows and past seasons would come back and all fight together to save the day numerous times.
Below is one of the best Donna Noble/10th Doctor scenes. She has been waiting for him to return and take her on his travels.
And now some funny moment in the form of a youtube video compilation:
And so ends my Doctor Who phase... It was definitely bigger on the inside.
The Inner Mind of Dramawiz
UPDATE: Wow for spelling names wrong. I guess I'll double check from now on ;)
Also, I may have spent an hour and a half watching youtube clips of John Barrowman at my library carrel today. He did a show where he took tests to figure out how he became gay. And he also sings... including 'I Know Him So Well' from Chess (below)!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Disposable Cameras
Disposable cameras were the highlight of the Office. Apparently they aren't good if you want to remember the event later, because you never get the pictures once you trash the camera.
Second best part of the Office this week was the punch card for a night with Dwight.
This is what makes the Office so good. Not the plot anymore, but the random situations that come up. They are the heart of the show.
Second best part of the Office this week was the punch card for a night with Dwight.
This is what makes the Office so good. Not the plot anymore, but the random situations that come up. They are the heart of the show.
So I Finally Got Around to Watching Chuck.
As of this morning my Hulu Queue (what word has two 'ue's in it? i mean, seriously?!?) held 12 episodes from 6 different shows. This listing included the first two episodes of this season on Chuck.
Now, don't get me wrong, I really like this show. But, I never have a drive to watch it. It's one of those shows that I like when I am watching, but don't look forward to it each week.
Do I need to give spoiler warnings on this blog? Can't it just be assumed that each post about a show or movie will contain them? SPOILERS BELOW!!!
I know my thoughts are random, but bear with me...
So... This season of Chuck started off with a flashback where Chuck's mom was introduced. Awesome. Then the throwaway line about how this isn't the beginning of a TV episode. Um, ok. That would have been funny on a show like Community, which spends full episodes referencing TV and movie plots, but it just made me shake my head on Chuck. I think the writers were trying to hard with that one.
Moving on.
I clearly do not remember where Chuck left off at the end of last season. Though, I am pretty sure I saw the finale episode. Must have somehow related to his mom though, because her presence is all-over this episode. We get it, she is mysterious and important somehow.
Regardless of the complex plot points, the acting of this show is what makes the episodes so entertaining. Morgan is great. No matter what the character is up to, he has this way of stealing the scene. And how can anyone dislike Adam Baldwin? Firefly. Genius. ('nuf said) But while I don't hate Chuck and Sarah, I don't think they are all that great either. Zachary Levi in Tangled is gonna be awesome cause he sings, but as Chuck he doesn't sing... why doesn't Chuck sing? All shows would be better if the actors sang every once and a while. Trust me on this.
Back to the plot.
Ok, where did Chuck get all those watches from? I could have sworn his father was killed last season... And that there was a huge fight over the only watch that could regulate the Intersect. Thus, where did he get three watches from, that we are supposed to assume regulate the Intersect.
Oooh this is awesome. Beckman is now the manager of the Buy More!!! Best new plot line so far. I was actually worried how the Buy More would be integrated into the new season given that it was destroyed last season. Now it is the CIA/NSA headquarters. AWESOME!
The main problem with this show is that the episode arcs are quite bad. This repo man is horrible... As is the creepy blond guy, no clue who he is but he is bad.
So Sarah would barely react to thinking Chuck was killed? And Chuck can fight off 10 guards in like 3 seconds without a problem now?
Oh, and Chuck's sister was barely in this episode... and they made her character pregnant? Captain Awesome is one of the best characters on this show and he was nowhere to be found :(
This was really not a good episode. I'm starting to think this may be a good show to let go of. Anyone else still watch it? I fear that it has become too Alias-like, but the worse aspects of that great show (everyone knows Chuck is a spy, Chuck's dad was a spy, Chuck's mom is mysterious and likely KGB or a spy, Chuck's friends end up doing spy-like stuff, and Chuck gets with his handler).
Well this is one episode down on my Hulu queue... I'll leave the second episode of the season for another day as this one barely held my attention. It's a sad day for dramas on TV. But a bright time for comedies.
Now, don't get me wrong, I really like this show. But, I never have a drive to watch it. It's one of those shows that I like when I am watching, but don't look forward to it each week.
Do I need to give spoiler warnings on this blog? Can't it just be assumed that each post about a show or movie will contain them? SPOILERS BELOW!!!
I know my thoughts are random, but bear with me...
So... This season of Chuck started off with a flashback where Chuck's mom was introduced. Awesome. Then the throwaway line about how this isn't the beginning of a TV episode. Um, ok. That would have been funny on a show like Community, which spends full episodes referencing TV and movie plots, but it just made me shake my head on Chuck. I think the writers were trying to hard with that one.
Moving on.
I clearly do not remember where Chuck left off at the end of last season. Though, I am pretty sure I saw the finale episode. Must have somehow related to his mom though, because her presence is all-over this episode. We get it, she is mysterious and important somehow.
Regardless of the complex plot points, the acting of this show is what makes the episodes so entertaining. Morgan is great. No matter what the character is up to, he has this way of stealing the scene. And how can anyone dislike Adam Baldwin? Firefly. Genius. ('nuf said) But while I don't hate Chuck and Sarah, I don't think they are all that great either. Zachary Levi in Tangled is gonna be awesome cause he sings, but as Chuck he doesn't sing... why doesn't Chuck sing? All shows would be better if the actors sang every once and a while. Trust me on this.
Back to the plot.
Ok, where did Chuck get all those watches from? I could have sworn his father was killed last season... And that there was a huge fight over the only watch that could regulate the Intersect. Thus, where did he get three watches from, that we are supposed to assume regulate the Intersect.
Oooh this is awesome. Beckman is now the manager of the Buy More!!! Best new plot line so far. I was actually worried how the Buy More would be integrated into the new season given that it was destroyed last season. Now it is the CIA/NSA headquarters. AWESOME!
The main problem with this show is that the episode arcs are quite bad. This repo man is horrible... As is the creepy blond guy, no clue who he is but he is bad.
So Sarah would barely react to thinking Chuck was killed? And Chuck can fight off 10 guards in like 3 seconds without a problem now?
Oh, and Chuck's sister was barely in this episode... and they made her character pregnant? Captain Awesome is one of the best characters on this show and he was nowhere to be found :(
This was really not a good episode. I'm starting to think this may be a good show to let go of. Anyone else still watch it? I fear that it has become too Alias-like, but the worse aspects of that great show (everyone knows Chuck is a spy, Chuck's dad was a spy, Chuck's mom is mysterious and likely KGB or a spy, Chuck's friends end up doing spy-like stuff, and Chuck gets with his handler).
Well this is one episode down on my Hulu queue... I'll leave the second episode of the season for another day as this one barely held my attention. It's a sad day for dramas on TV. But a bright time for comedies.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Big Bang Theory
Ok... first post with content.
Since I last left you (previous post), I watched this week's episode of the Big Bang Theory. And, no B, I did not watch it live, thereby giving it more viewers than Community.
Not much to report on in my opinion. I feel like the writer of this episode was a bit confused on Raj's character because his "lines" seemed much more like the thoughts of Wolowitz. Regardless, I thought they were hilarious. Sheldon was the best thing, as per usual. I feared that Penny's upcoming disappearance (due to the actress' real life injury) would be set up through the character's fall on the stairs, but it seems that isn't going to be it. Hopefully the writers don't resort to a throw away line like, "Don't bother going over there Sheldon, Penny went to X to visit her Y for Z weeks." While those scenarios can be quite funny for those viewers in the know, they never sit right upon further reflection.
Random thought not related entirely to the episode: I remember the Woz being a better actor than that. I mean, did any of you guys see him on the D-List?!? He was amazing and very funny. The clip below is one of my favorite scene's from that show. Does his performance on the BBT imply that he really wasn't acting on the D-List? Sound off below. (I plan on trying different closing phrases until one seems natural.)
The Inner Mind of Dramawiz
The scene I am referring to starts around 1:40.
Since I last left you (previous post), I watched this week's episode of the Big Bang Theory. And, no B, I did not watch it live, thereby giving it more viewers than Community.
Not much to report on in my opinion. I feel like the writer of this episode was a bit confused on Raj's character because his "lines" seemed much more like the thoughts of Wolowitz. Regardless, I thought they were hilarious. Sheldon was the best thing, as per usual. I feared that Penny's upcoming disappearance (due to the actress' real life injury) would be set up through the character's fall on the stairs, but it seems that isn't going to be it. Hopefully the writers don't resort to a throw away line like, "Don't bother going over there Sheldon, Penny went to X to visit her Y for Z weeks." While those scenarios can be quite funny for those viewers in the know, they never sit right upon further reflection.
Random thought not related entirely to the episode: I remember the Woz being a better actor than that. I mean, did any of you guys see him on the D-List?!? He was amazing and very funny. The clip below is one of my favorite scene's from that show. Does his performance on the BBT imply that he really wasn't acting on the D-List? Sound off below. (I plan on trying different closing phrases until one seems natural.)
The Inner Mind of Dramawiz
The scene I am referring to starts around 1:40.
RePublication
Hey guys!
So I am officially starting a blog to chronicle my audience experiences. This blog will contain posts related to TV, movies, plays, and other random things I see throughout my life. A few weeks ago, I had a random urge to find a creative writing outlet. This is the result. No more procrastination. Now is the time! (to start blogging)...
I invite you all to stop by whenever and add your own colorful comments. Cause, if it is just me stating my opinions on things, it will not be very entertaining.
Oh, and I promise to credit anyone if I end up posting about something I already discussed with them earlier. But, T and I have come up with a system that will make it so that it isn't obvious who I'm talking about. I will use random letters for each of you, to make sure your privacy is not breached. Let me know if this system gets out of hand or when it becomes too obvious what letter goes with each person.
Anyway I'm off... I need to watch something so that I have something to blog about.
The Inner Mind of Dramawiz
So I am officially starting a blog to chronicle my audience experiences. This blog will contain posts related to TV, movies, plays, and other random things I see throughout my life. A few weeks ago, I had a random urge to find a creative writing outlet. This is the result. No more procrastination. Now is the time! (to start blogging)...
I invite you all to stop by whenever and add your own colorful comments. Cause, if it is just me stating my opinions on things, it will not be very entertaining.
Oh, and I promise to credit anyone if I end up posting about something I already discussed with them earlier. But, T and I have come up with a system that will make it so that it isn't obvious who I'm talking about. I will use random letters for each of you, to make sure your privacy is not breached. Let me know if this system gets out of hand or when it becomes too obvious what letter goes with each person.
Anyway I'm off... I need to watch something so that I have something to blog about.
The Inner Mind of Dramawiz
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