Tim Minear will be doing a new show for Fox Studios for the ABC network. Sounds similar in theme to the quickly cancelled show Miracles (whose cleverest conceit was the right there in front of your face but basically unnoticed "God is Nowhere" / "God is Now Here" storyline), which ironically, was from another Buffyverse vet David Greenwalt. Click here to read more about what quirkly, quality show will be killed in 4 to 6 episodes. (And yes, those Minear/Fox/Dushku/"Faith" suggestions just seemed way to good to be true).
Speaking of Faith, here's a blurb at TV Guide about the upcoming Faith arc in the Season 8 Buffy comics. If you're not reading these, you're truly missing out on a spectactular tale well told. Get thee to the Dark Horse site for a subscription, or maybe you can see this guy.
You can vote on the cover of the Battlestar Galactica "Razor" DVD cover, and be rewarded with a clip of the uber-awesome Michelle Forbes as Admiral Helena Cain explaining the film's title. For the record, A. I think she has some solid advice. I'm pulling out the sharpening stone, and B. I voted for the third one, which captures the fractious nature of the situation visually.
Not only is she talented, funny and hot -- Kristen Bell is geeky and humble too. See what I mean here at EW.
Speaking of talented, geeky, funny and humble, here's a good interview with Nathan Fillion answering fan submitted questions. (Although I'm sure Captain Tightpants is considered "hot," too, I'll leave that judgment to the female TNRLM readers. And Republican congressmen). Bonus points for Nathan loving Arrested Development, as should anyone with a modicum of taste, discretion and humor.
Showing posts with label Drive. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Drive. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Fuck you, FOX
On one hand, it's easy to muster up some positive feelings for FOX. The gave us Arrested Development, after all, and stuck with it despite low ratings that would have gotten any other show on their networked axed immediately. They've given us House, 24 and Bones, which are still on the air.
But then there's the Minear question. They've signed this talented writer/producer to a deal, and then keep crapping on his shows with questionable support, herky-jerky scheduling and general asshattery. Wonderfalls. The Inside. Firefly. And now Drive. (Why don't they try to make this relationship work on FX, where more "cult" and "edgy" programs can thrive without the hourly ratings watch and pressures?)
Drive was supposed to air its final two episodes July 4. Then this Friday. And now those have been pulled from the schedule, again, and will only air at some indeterminate date over the internet.
For those interested in how some of the storylines might have played out, here's a candid interview with Minear and Craig Silverstein (hat tip to Whedonesque).
Sounds intriguing, but frankly, they had me at "young, hot, sociopath to be played by Eliza Dushku."
But then there's the Minear question. They've signed this talented writer/producer to a deal, and then keep crapping on his shows with questionable support, herky-jerky scheduling and general asshattery. Wonderfalls. The Inside. Firefly. And now Drive. (Why don't they try to make this relationship work on FX, where more "cult" and "edgy" programs can thrive without the hourly ratings watch and pressures?)
Drive was supposed to air its final two episodes July 4. Then this Friday. And now those have been pulled from the schedule, again, and will only air at some indeterminate date over the internet.
For those interested in how some of the storylines might have played out, here's a candid interview with Minear and Craig Silverstein (hat tip to Whedonesque).
Sounds intriguing, but frankly, they had me at "young, hot, sociopath to be played by Eliza Dushku."
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Drive Post Mortem
Another Tim Minear show on on FOX, another cancellation. For those keeping score at home, Drive follows on the heels of Firefly, Wonderfalls and The Inside. Wonderful shows all, with a rich tapestry of characters, outstanding performances and delicious scripts. But the bottom line is this: they're "cult" shows.
Here's what I don't understand. Supposedly, FOX signed Minear to a large holding deal to have him develop and run shows for them. What exactly in Minear's past led them to believe that he would develop anything other than a cult show? I'm a huge Minear fan -- a member of the "cult" as it were -- but there's nothing about the four shows mentioned above that says "huge mainstream breakout hit" to me. Lost and Heroes (and previously, The X-Files after airing consistently for several years) are the exception rather than the rule for intricately plotted, exceptionally crafted shows achieving some semblance of mainstream ratings success. FOX has shown no desire to put up with low ratings to achieve some measure of critical acclaim. FOX is in the business to make money and garner viewers (and more quickly than ever), and Minear's shows, no matter how beloved and well done, simply don't do that for them on a large enough scale.
You could legitimately complain that shows before Drive got the shaft from promotion or network meddling. Firefly famously was aired out of order, pushed to create a "simple action story" instead of the richly created two hour pilot, and was a tough sell anyway (fusion of reconstructionist western and sci-fi?). Wonderfalls and The Inside received little to no promotion and got yanked quickly. But I will say this for Drive: FOX did their damndest to promote it, with a few caveats. Personally, here's what I would have done:
But all that is hindsight, and Drive is still garaged. We'll see the two episodes produced burned off this summer, hopefully. Which brings us back to Minear and his deal with FOX. I can't imagine them collaborating on another enterprise to be scuttled on the rocks of middling ratings on the FOX mothership network. Why don't they have him develop a show for FX? FX is home to superlative dramas like Rescue Me, The Shield and Nip/Tuck (and interesting experiments like Over There and Dirt) that don't require 10 million viewers to sustain life. 2 to 3 million viewers on FX is easily doable, with a devoted fanbase and critical praise. At the very least, even if it's a "one season and done" situation airing between 6 to 13 episodes (like Thief, and probably Dirt) at least you'll air all the episodes and give it a fair chance to attract attention and build an audience. In a fairly low risk environment. With all the location shooting and expensive SFX, Drive was probably too costly to follow this route, but The Inside and Wonderfalls would have been a perfect fit. I could have even deeply appreciated a "scaled back" Drive, with fewer nifty camera tricks and highway racing shots, and more low cost character development.
Time will tell what's next for Minear and FOX, but I hope they use what's left of their partnership to craft solid "singles" and "doubles" with lowered expectations, rather than looking for the "home run" on a huge stage that's all or nothing -- and frequently "nothing" for viewers who appreciate quality TV only to have it yanked out from under them.
EDITED TO ADD:
Apparently, FX just renewed Dirt and The Riches (which I've Tivod, but not yet watched). This article makes clear what I was suggesting above: success in an environment with lower expectations, and there will probably be an opening in the schedule when The Shield retires -- perfect fit for Minear crafted show.
Here's what I don't understand. Supposedly, FOX signed Minear to a large holding deal to have him develop and run shows for them. What exactly in Minear's past led them to believe that he would develop anything other than a cult show? I'm a huge Minear fan -- a member of the "cult" as it were -- but there's nothing about the four shows mentioned above that says "huge mainstream breakout hit" to me. Lost and Heroes (and previously, The X-Files after airing consistently for several years) are the exception rather than the rule for intricately plotted, exceptionally crafted shows achieving some semblance of mainstream ratings success. FOX has shown no desire to put up with low ratings to achieve some measure of critical acclaim. FOX is in the business to make money and garner viewers (and more quickly than ever), and Minear's shows, no matter how beloved and well done, simply don't do that for them on a large enough scale.
You could legitimately complain that shows before Drive got the shaft from promotion or network meddling. Firefly famously was aired out of order, pushed to create a "simple action story" instead of the richly created two hour pilot, and was a tough sell anyway (fusion of reconstructionist western and sci-fi?). Wonderfalls and The Inside received little to no promotion and got yanked quickly. But I will say this for Drive: FOX did their damndest to promote it, with a few caveats. Personally, here's what I would have done:
- In addition to the high energy promos, I would have sprinkled in lots of blurbs from prominent critics. There are plenty of noteworthy print and online critics who adored the show, and showing their acceptance and praise before the show even aired couldn't have hurt.
- I would have aired the pilot -- in one hour form -- immediately after American Idol. Idol is the only true ratings juggernaut that FOX has, along with House, with already airs after Idol. (And if you'll recall, House languished in the ratings for many episodes before they used an Idol lead in to encourage sampling and build it into the top 10 show that it is currently). Maybe air the first 3 or 4 episodes behind Idol, THEN move it to the pre-24 slot on Mondays.
- By making the pilot one hour, post-Idol, you would have encouraged more people to view it. With serialized shows, folks have the tendency to think "oh shit, this is complicated. I've already missed too much to jump in." By airing three hours of the show over two nights, by the time it gets any critical reception, watercooler chat, word of mouth or buzz, viewers feel like the ship has sailed and they can't catch up.
But all that is hindsight, and Drive is still garaged. We'll see the two episodes produced burned off this summer, hopefully. Which brings us back to Minear and his deal with FOX. I can't imagine them collaborating on another enterprise to be scuttled on the rocks of middling ratings on the FOX mothership network. Why don't they have him develop a show for FX? FX is home to superlative dramas like Rescue Me, The Shield and Nip/Tuck (and interesting experiments like Over There and Dirt) that don't require 10 million viewers to sustain life. 2 to 3 million viewers on FX is easily doable, with a devoted fanbase and critical praise. At the very least, even if it's a "one season and done" situation airing between 6 to 13 episodes (like Thief, and probably Dirt) at least you'll air all the episodes and give it a fair chance to attract attention and build an audience. In a fairly low risk environment. With all the location shooting and expensive SFX, Drive was probably too costly to follow this route, but The Inside and Wonderfalls would have been a perfect fit. I could have even deeply appreciated a "scaled back" Drive, with fewer nifty camera tricks and highway racing shots, and more low cost character development.
Time will tell what's next for Minear and FOX, but I hope they use what's left of their partnership to craft solid "singles" and "doubles" with lowered expectations, rather than looking for the "home run" on a huge stage that's all or nothing -- and frequently "nothing" for viewers who appreciate quality TV only to have it yanked out from under them.
EDITED TO ADD:
Apparently, FX just renewed Dirt and The Riches (which I've Tivod, but not yet watched). This article makes clear what I was suggesting above: success in an environment with lower expectations, and there will probably be an opening in the schedule when The Shield retires -- perfect fit for Minear crafted show.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Breaking News: the viewing public sucks again.
The well-crafted, intriguing, fantastically acted and thrilling Drive has been cancelled by FOX.
You can't say that FOX didn't promote it. (though I would have preferred a one hour premiere after American Idol). You can't say that it didn't deliver the goods. Sad news for everyone working on the show, and sad news for viewers who appreciate quality television.
Fuck.
You can't say that FOX didn't promote it. (though I would have preferred a one hour premiere after American Idol). You can't say that it didn't deliver the goods. Sad news for everyone working on the show, and sad news for viewers who appreciate quality television.
Fuck.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Blown the transmission
Bad news. The American viewing public continues to demonstrate their idiocy. From Media Week:
Second in the 8 p.m. hour behind Dancing With the Stars was NBC’s Deal or No Deal at a 7.1/11 in the overnights. Next were CBS comedies How I Met Your Mother (4.3/ 7), which was a repeat, and The New Adventures of Old Christine (5.1/ 8), followed by Fox’s struggling Drive (3.3/ 5), and CW comedies Everybody Hates Chris (2.1/ 3) and All of Us (1.8/ 3). One week earlier, Drive debuted in the time period with a 3.7/ 6. See you in the loser’s circle, Drive.
Sigh. Deal or No Deal? Doubling the audience for Drive? You're kidding right? As Liz Lemon would say: "Blurgh!!!"
We'll probably (hopefully!) see the remaining two episodes filmed and produced, before Drive joins the long, lamented list of "brilliant but cancelled." Fuck you, lowbrow Nielsen families, and just for good measure, fuck you Howie Mandel.
Second in the 8 p.m. hour behind Dancing With the Stars was NBC’s Deal or No Deal at a 7.1/11 in the overnights. Next were CBS comedies How I Met Your Mother (4.3/ 7), which was a repeat, and The New Adventures of Old Christine (5.1/ 8), followed by Fox’s struggling Drive (3.3/ 5), and CW comedies Everybody Hates Chris (2.1/ 3) and All of Us (1.8/ 3). One week earlier, Drive debuted in the time period with a 3.7/ 6. See you in the loser’s circle, Drive.
Sigh. Deal or No Deal? Doubling the audience for Drive? You're kidding right? As Liz Lemon would say: "Blurgh!!!"
We'll probably (hopefully!) see the remaining two episodes filmed and produced, before Drive joins the long, lamented list of "brilliant but cancelled." Fuck you, lowbrow Nielsen families, and just for good measure, fuck you Howie Mandel.
Pimp slap? Really?
On last night's Drive:
By showing the "most improvement," Tully gets a chance to "jump ahead." All he has to do is rob a bank and steal a safe deposit box, from a new, state of the art vault. That only has one 6 digit code, and can be hacked by anyone wearing Ralph Lauren. But Tully and Corrinna partner up with Los Hermanos, homes (I keep seeing this written as both "holmes" and "homes," but I think it has more to do with "homeboy" than it does "Sherlock," so I'll go with the "homes"), so that makes it easier (for now) and more fun. For example, we get this exchange:
Winston, being a badass: "Someone even looks like they want to play hero I'll personally pimp slap that twinkle right out of their eye."
Waitress: "Wintergreen chai latte, no foam."
Winston: "That's me."
Priceless.
We also learn that Tully's 1972 Challenger (which has some characteristics of a 1970) also has the upgraded engine, a 426 hemi.
Ivy is still annoying, and strangely hot. And oh, she can't drive, either. And here's one more tidbit for ya: the actress playing Ivy is Peyton Manning's cousin. Seriously.
Speaking of Peyton, the almighty turned his attention from delivering a Super Bowl title to Peyton's bigoted coach to tell Susan that she was gonna win the race. "Mysterious ways" indeed, as she got smashed to pieces in a well shot and harrowing t-bone. Guess she shouldn't have complained about giving her phone back to Mr. Bright. Or maybe it was complaining about her hamburger. ("Doublemeat!" Has to be a Buffy shout-out!)
In other race developments, Wendy is still a little crazy. Rob is a little more sympathetic. And despite her wonderful ass, Ellie still bugs in a major way.
The clue? Figured that one out right off the bat, too.
Whodat? The bank manager was played by actor and stand up comic Rick Overton, who has played small roles in Lost and Alias, and was also "The Drake" on Seinfeld.
Finally, no ratings info yet today, but there's this tidbit from Kristin at E!:
"When I recently interviewed Tim Minear, even he told me, "I'm a little bit like the characters in the race. The powers that be don't tell me anything, but they make me do things against my will." Jokes aside, he noted that Drive has gotten a huge marketing push from the network, and Peter Liguori has been very supportive, so I think there's a good chance Fox will give Drive a chance to shift into a higher gear!"
By showing the "most improvement," Tully gets a chance to "jump ahead." All he has to do is rob a bank and steal a safe deposit box, from a new, state of the art vault. That only has one 6 digit code, and can be hacked by anyone wearing Ralph Lauren. But Tully and Corrinna partner up with Los Hermanos, homes (I keep seeing this written as both "holmes" and "homes," but I think it has more to do with "homeboy" than it does "Sherlock," so I'll go with the "homes"), so that makes it easier (for now) and more fun. For example, we get this exchange:
Winston, being a badass: "Someone even looks like they want to play hero I'll personally pimp slap that twinkle right out of their eye."
Waitress: "Wintergreen chai latte, no foam."
Winston: "That's me."
Priceless.
We also learn that Tully's 1972 Challenger (which has some characteristics of a 1970) also has the upgraded engine, a 426 hemi.
Ivy is still annoying, and strangely hot. And oh, she can't drive, either. And here's one more tidbit for ya: the actress playing Ivy is Peyton Manning's cousin. Seriously.
Speaking of Peyton, the almighty turned his attention from delivering a Super Bowl title to Peyton's bigoted coach to tell Susan that she was gonna win the race. "Mysterious ways" indeed, as she got smashed to pieces in a well shot and harrowing t-bone. Guess she shouldn't have complained about giving her phone back to Mr. Bright. Or maybe it was complaining about her hamburger. ("Doublemeat!" Has to be a Buffy shout-out!)
In other race developments, Wendy is still a little crazy. Rob is a little more sympathetic. And despite her wonderful ass, Ellie still bugs in a major way.
The clue? Figured that one out right off the bat, too.
Whodat? The bank manager was played by actor and stand up comic Rick Overton, who has played small roles in Lost and Alias, and was also "The Drake" on Seinfeld.
Finally, no ratings info yet today, but there's this tidbit from Kristin at E!:
"When I recently interviewed Tim Minear, even he told me, "I'm a little bit like the characters in the race. The powers that be don't tell me anything, but they make me do things against my will." Jokes aside, he noted that Drive has gotten a huge marketing push from the network, and Peter Liguori has been very supportive, so I think there's a good chance Fox will give Drive a chance to shift into a higher gear!"
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
They raided my garage!
Another outstanding episode of Drive last night. I'll be on pins and needles this morning, awaiting the ratings reports to see if this addicting new show will actually get to complete the 13 episode run. (Alarming news -- they haven't actually shot all 13 eps yet -- so if Minear and company get the usual FOX axe, we might not see how the season plays out, even on the web or on DVD).
But enough bad thoughts.
With the exception of the soldier's annoying wife, I'm really getting into each of the characters, even ones I thought I would be bored with like dying dad and his sassy Lohan-wannabe daughter. But last night's big revelation was that Alex Tully, landscaper from Nebraska, isn't quite was what we thought he was. "You don't want to meet the real Alex Tully." (any other Browncoats immediately think of "War Stories?" Yep, I know you did). The "cop" interrogating Tully was played by Micheal Bowen, recently seen as Pickett on Lost, so he should know something about mysterious organizations and shady motives.
(I'm staying spoiler-free for this show, so my guess about the cop - and others "helping" our wacky racers? They are members of a syndicate that is wagering significant money on various contest entrants, and can perform acts of "aid" to their chosen driver).
Even better was the appearance of Tully's "first love," a badass 1972 Dodge Challenger. When I saw that, I immediately texted my long-time friend Chip, as Alex Tully and I have something in common that he would remember. See, my "first love" was also a badass 1972 Dodge Challenger! (mine was hemi-red, not black, and did not have a secret compartment with a hunting knife, though). I was perusing the Drive boards over on TWOP, and in one of the threads about the cars themselves, people were falling in love with the Challenger, and also asking about how it compares to some of the other vehicles, particularly the Trans-Am. What a coinky-dink! I also had a Trans-Am! If you're interested in seeing my thoughts on this, check here.
Actually, I've driven several of the cars we've seen thus far. I've had a Taurus (dying dad) several times as rental car, and yes, they do rattle like hell anytime you approach 80. But I have given it the "rental car fun" test, and it holds up pretty well hitting speed bumps at full speed and when you pull up the emergency brake going 30 or 40 in a parking lot. Shamefully, I've also driven a Dodge minivan (under duress, mind you), and don't hold out hope that this is the vehicle to beat on the open road. (Although I would feel much more comfortable in Crazy Wendy's minivan than the one I was in, as I don't think Wendy has been like Janice Soprano under the boardwalk times 100, and wouldn't have to wear a hazmat suit riding along).
For a stroll down memory lane, here are a few pics I dug out of the family archives of the classic cars in question (ignore the skinny guy with the bad 80s hair):
If Drive breaks out a VW Jetta or BMW X-5, I might have go personally petition FOX to keep this show on the air, or at least demand some compensation as an "automotive consultant."
But enough bad thoughts.
With the exception of the soldier's annoying wife, I'm really getting into each of the characters, even ones I thought I would be bored with like dying dad and his sassy Lohan-wannabe daughter. But last night's big revelation was that Alex Tully, landscaper from Nebraska, isn't quite was what we thought he was. "You don't want to meet the real Alex Tully." (any other Browncoats immediately think of "War Stories?" Yep, I know you did). The "cop" interrogating Tully was played by Micheal Bowen, recently seen as Pickett on Lost, so he should know something about mysterious organizations and shady motives.
(I'm staying spoiler-free for this show, so my guess about the cop - and others "helping" our wacky racers? They are members of a syndicate that is wagering significant money on various contest entrants, and can perform acts of "aid" to their chosen driver).
Even better was the appearance of Tully's "first love," a badass 1972 Dodge Challenger. When I saw that, I immediately texted my long-time friend Chip, as Alex Tully and I have something in common that he would remember. See, my "first love" was also a badass 1972 Dodge Challenger! (mine was hemi-red, not black, and did not have a secret compartment with a hunting knife, though). I was perusing the Drive boards over on TWOP, and in one of the threads about the cars themselves, people were falling in love with the Challenger, and also asking about how it compares to some of the other vehicles, particularly the Trans-Am. What a coinky-dink! I also had a Trans-Am! If you're interested in seeing my thoughts on this, check here.
Actually, I've driven several of the cars we've seen thus far. I've had a Taurus (dying dad) several times as rental car, and yes, they do rattle like hell anytime you approach 80. But I have given it the "rental car fun" test, and it holds up pretty well hitting speed bumps at full speed and when you pull up the emergency brake going 30 or 40 in a parking lot. Shamefully, I've also driven a Dodge minivan (under duress, mind you), and don't hold out hope that this is the vehicle to beat on the open road. (Although I would feel much more comfortable in Crazy Wendy's minivan than the one I was in, as I don't think Wendy has been like Janice Soprano under the boardwalk times 100, and wouldn't have to wear a hazmat suit riding along).
For a stroll down memory lane, here are a few pics I dug out of the family archives of the classic cars in question (ignore the skinny guy with the bad 80s hair):
If Drive breaks out a VW Jetta or BMW X-5, I might have go personally petition FOX to keep this show on the air, or at least demand some compensation as an "automotive consultant."
Monday, April 16, 2007
Rev it up, and the wheels fall off. Plus, I'd be a great partner.
First, the good news. Last night's Drive kicked all sorts of ass content and quality wise, as I expected it would. Mystery, intrigue, action, seamless CGI combined with great driving stunts, interesting characters, compelling performances, tight scripting. Now the bad news. The ratings were awful. Despite being well-reviewed and FOX actually doing effective promotion for once, it drew only a 3.7/6. We'll see how it does on its regular tonight paired with 24, but to stick around, I would think it would have to come close to the number Prison Break was putting up. (Why didn't they launch this after Idol?)
Ah well. That's the bitter fruit that comes with falling in love with a Tim Minear show. (Really, he should try HBO, Showtime or maybe FX next time out). Speaking of Minear, there were lots of connections to the Whedonverse last night, aside from our erstwhile Captain Mal:
The detective in the beginning was Richard Brooks (Jubal Early from Firefly).
The waitress was Beth Grant (Phantom Dennis' mom on Angel, and she also had a guest shot on Wonderfalls).
The mom's "fake husband" was Patrick Fischler, who was the conspiracy theorist shop owner on "The Magic Bullet" ep of Angel.
Tully's wife was Amy Acker, Fred from Angel. The voice of Tully's sister was Katie Finneran, chain-smoking her way through both The Inside and Wonderfalls.
And though he doesn't have a Whedonverse connection, it was also nice to see Paul Ben-Victor as the seemingly helpful trucker. Most recently, he's played the studio head with a grudge against Vince on Entourage, Allen Grey. And was that Shirley Feeney with minivan mom's kid?
Other random thoughts:
Remix of "Roadhouse Blues?" Good. Remix of the greatest driving song of all time, "Radar Love?" Not so much.
Good Lines:
“How do you cheat in a game that has no rules?”
“I don’t know. I missed the orientation.”
"I think maybe I should have shot you."
"Mr. Tully, the PowerPoint is put away..."
So, I'm looking forward to tonight, and keeping my fingers crossed for better ratings.
Why I should (or should not) compete in Drive:
Except for the getting killed and/or blackmailed part, I think I would be (mostly) awesome at this game. Though what could they do, kidnap my cats?
Plus:
Minus:
So solo, I think I'd still be in the hotel parking lot, getting shot or hit with a shovel. But if I had a partner that can read a map and has a good sense of direction (and preferably looks like Kristin Lehman), I could win this thing. And get my cats back.
Ah well. That's the bitter fruit that comes with falling in love with a Tim Minear show. (Really, he should try HBO, Showtime or maybe FX next time out). Speaking of Minear, there were lots of connections to the Whedonverse last night, aside from our erstwhile Captain Mal:
The detective in the beginning was Richard Brooks (Jubal Early from Firefly).
The waitress was Beth Grant (Phantom Dennis' mom on Angel, and she also had a guest shot on Wonderfalls).
The mom's "fake husband" was Patrick Fischler, who was the conspiracy theorist shop owner on "The Magic Bullet" ep of Angel.
Tully's wife was Amy Acker, Fred from Angel. The voice of Tully's sister was Katie Finneran, chain-smoking her way through both The Inside and Wonderfalls.
And though he doesn't have a Whedonverse connection, it was also nice to see Paul Ben-Victor as the seemingly helpful trucker. Most recently, he's played the studio head with a grudge against Vince on Entourage, Allen Grey. And was that Shirley Feeney with minivan mom's kid?
Other random thoughts:
Remix of "Roadhouse Blues?" Good. Remix of the greatest driving song of all time, "Radar Love?" Not so much.
Good Lines:
“How do you cheat in a game that has no rules?”
“I don’t know. I missed the orientation.”
"I think maybe I should have shot you."
"Mr. Tully, the PowerPoint is put away..."
So, I'm looking forward to tonight, and keeping my fingers crossed for better ratings.
Why I should (or should not) compete in Drive:
Except for the getting killed and/or blackmailed part, I think I would be (mostly) awesome at this game. Though what could they do, kidnap my cats?
Plus:
- I have a fast, reliable, versatile vehicle that would work both on road and off.
- Blackberries are better for sorting out clues than regular cell phones.
- I'm an excellent driver, the faster the better.
- I'm great at puzzles and word games.
- I hate to lose.
- I have no qualms about killing people I find annoying.
- I'm timely, and wouldn't have missed the PowerPoint presentation.
Minus:
- I have absolutely no sense of geography or direction, and get lost frequently.
- I rarely panic and always keep my head in a crisis. Except when I get lost, which makes me completely freak the fuck out.
- I have a tiny bladder, and have to pull over to pee a lot. And I'm not doing a "crazy astronaut lady diaper."
- Did I mention the sense of direction? Because I'm sensing that's important here.
So solo, I think I'd still be in the hotel parking lot, getting shot or hit with a shovel. But if I had a partner that can read a map and has a good sense of direction (and preferably looks like Kristin Lehman), I could win this thing. And get my cats back.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Friday Free For All
Random thoughts with absolutely no connective tissue.
Imus gets canned by both MSNBC and CBS Radio. By now, everyone has heard of this and rehashed it a million times. I could go on and on, but it probably wouldn't add anything new to the debate. The salient points for me:
Speaking of race-baiting, wonder if Jesse Jackson is going to hold a big press conference at Duke and apologize? Say what you will about Imus, at least he recognized the impact of his words and made attempts to apologize to those he offended. I'm sure the good reverend (as well as Sharpton) won't have a thing to say the true "victims" in the Duke Lacrosse case, those maliciously and fallaciously accused. Moral here? Never, ever believe a stripper.
On this week's Idol results show, JLo performed her new Spanish language song, and surprisingly, she showed a good voice and I really enjoyed it. I also enjoyed Michael Buble's performance last week, though the lyrics were just as intelligible as La Lopez's new tune. And I don't speak Spanish.
Just a reminder: watch Drive on Sunday, with a new episode on its regular night the following Monday. Nathan Fillion, Tim Minear. It has to be good. And of course, quickly cancelled by Fox. Good "preview/review" from Maureen Ryan here.
Speaking of Fillion, I finally watched Slither last weekend, and enjoyed the hell out of it. A great homage to the sci-fi/horror silliness of the 50s, complete with thrills, chills, icks and laughs. Fillion is solid as always, but Gregg Henry as the mayor completely steals the show. Any movie with the line "If I wasn't shittin' my pants right now, I'd be fuckin' fascinated." is worth a rental. B+
How to tell if you're a geek. As for me? Yes. Not in drinks, but I know what it is. And went to it in Vegas. Nope. Nope, I hate Ewoks. Yes. Nope. Nope. Yep, I knew all the acronyms off the top of my head.
Not only is Rosario Dawson in Kevin Smith and Tarantino movies. Not only is she hot. Not only is she a comic book fan. But she's a Trekkie. God love her.
It's baseball season. That's enough reason to enjoy Earl Weaver losing his shit. "You're here for one goddamn specific reason: to fuck up!" Good Stuff.
Imus gets canned by both MSNBC and CBS Radio. By now, everyone has heard of this and rehashed it a million times. I could go on and on, but it probably wouldn't add anything new to the debate. The salient points for me:
- It irks me to no end that people characterize this a "free speech"/First Amendment debate. It's not. The government is not censoring or firing Imus. Private corporations are. It's all pretty simple. If Imus and his crew wanted to get in a public square and insult the Rutgers women's hoops team, and the police shut him down, that's one thing, and related to the Bill of Rights. If the company that pays your checks thinks your behavior is inappropriate, not funny, not entertaining or even tiresome, that's another. Imus was fired because his comments offended fellow associates withing the two monolithic corporations, because association with him tarnished their public image, and most importantly, because advertisers were withdrawing funds.
- Al Sharpton has no credibility and is the height of hypocrisy to get on a pulpit about race-baiting.
- The uproar has as much to do with the targets as it does the words themselves. If instead of comment about the players -- relative "innocents" in the grand scheme who did nothing to engender the invective -- Imus has focused his epithets on the cast of "Flavor of Love," I think he'd still have one job, if not two.
- "Should" he have been fired? It's a moot point. It's not like his schtick was new to anyone, and this has been going on for years. Unpopular and offensive opinions are not "illegal." But companies have the right to fire people who aren't making money for them.
- As usual, Jason Whitlock has a cogent take on matters of race and sports.
Speaking of race-baiting, wonder if Jesse Jackson is going to hold a big press conference at Duke and apologize? Say what you will about Imus, at least he recognized the impact of his words and made attempts to apologize to those he offended. I'm sure the good reverend (as well as Sharpton) won't have a thing to say the true "victims" in the Duke Lacrosse case, those maliciously and fallaciously accused. Moral here? Never, ever believe a stripper.
On this week's Idol results show, JLo performed her new Spanish language song, and surprisingly, she showed a good voice and I really enjoyed it. I also enjoyed Michael Buble's performance last week, though the lyrics were just as intelligible as La Lopez's new tune. And I don't speak Spanish.
Just a reminder: watch Drive on Sunday, with a new episode on its regular night the following Monday. Nathan Fillion, Tim Minear. It has to be good. And of course, quickly cancelled by Fox. Good "preview/review" from Maureen Ryan here.
Speaking of Fillion, I finally watched Slither last weekend, and enjoyed the hell out of it. A great homage to the sci-fi/horror silliness of the 50s, complete with thrills, chills, icks and laughs. Fillion is solid as always, but Gregg Henry as the mayor completely steals the show. Any movie with the line "If I wasn't shittin' my pants right now, I'd be fuckin' fascinated." is worth a rental. B+
How to tell if you're a geek. As for me? Yes. Not in drinks, but I know what it is. And went to it in Vegas. Nope. Nope, I hate Ewoks. Yes. Nope. Nope. Yep, I knew all the acronyms off the top of my head.
Not only is Rosario Dawson in Kevin Smith and Tarantino movies. Not only is she hot. Not only is she a comic book fan. But she's a Trekkie. God love her.
It's baseball season. That's enough reason to enjoy Earl Weaver losing his shit. "You're here for one goddamn specific reason: to fuck up!" Good Stuff.
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