I'll take potpourri for $3,800, Alex

With the (sniff) demise of Pushing Daisies, I09 wonders what genre shows you're watching. As of this morning's voting, the leaders were Heroes, Fringe and Sarah Connor.

Twilight hit the theatres this weekend, and there are vampire quizzes to be take. Here's one from Cinematical (I got 9), and here's one from USA Today (I got 7).

Did you know that "originally," Han Solo preferred his women with a hairy bush? I mean like a huge, 70s porn star kinda bush. If the setting is indeed "a long time ago," I think our favorite Corellian smuggler might have invented the "plushie" craze.

First BSG, then Burn Notice, and now Chuck. Tricia Helfer continues to pop up on my favorite shows.

Oh noes! My sugar daddy dumped me, so all that's left is fucking for money (oh wait, wasn't that what I was doing before?)

What's the area code in Columbus, GA?

This makes me resent my parents for not building me one of these.

Here's some footage from the remake of Cupid, this time starring Bobby Cannavale and Sarah Paulson. How are they going to compare to the Piv and Paula Marshall?

EDSBS amusingly looks at the flavors of disappointment, and here we are at a solid 5.

ScarJo's Allure photo shoot. Just because.

More about the Commander in Geek. It's appointment season now, so I'll also suggest Rupert Giles for Department of Hellmouth Defense.

More thinking on how to "free the GOP." Mike Huckabee is a fucking idiot. A dead nuts on column that's getting a lot of conservative praise and criticism in the blogosphere. A good blog and cartoon about the flat-earth crowd and their chilling effect on healthcare. Does Prop 8 violate the Constitution? I think so, personally. Money quote from the article:

The Framers of the American Constitution knew that throughout human history religious self-righteousness has caused intolerance, discrimination and injustice. They understood that religious self-righteousness is dangerous, divisive and destructive, and that it has led to untold ignorance and misery. It was for that reason that they embedded in our Constitution a fundamental commitment to the separation of church and state.

Damn, those old dudes were smart, no?

Okay, back to fun and frothy. Here's a great video interview with Big Ban Theory's Jim Parsons.

A TV critic stops worrying about Dollhouse's Friday night "death slot." Hopefully, lowered expectations and a pairing with the increasingly deep and engaging Sarah Connor will be a good thing.

New Lost promo! Fuck yeah! And Damon and Carlton speak.

Interview with Fringe's Walter, John Noble. If Fringe ever gets canceled (and let's hope it doesn't), I could see a spin-off sitcom with Walter and his son just driving around the country, getting involved in wacky situations. Maybe they could move in next door to Sheldon and Leonard, and hijinx ensue.

Are these the 40 best TV Theme Songs? Of those on the list, I particularly like:

The Rockford Files
WKRP in Cincinnati
Love Boat
Sopranos
Dukes of Hazzard
The X-Files
Brady Bunch
Greatest American Hero
Welcome Back Kotter
Barney Miller
Rawhide
Bonanza
Beverly Hillbillies
Addams Family
Star Trek TNG
Mission Impossible
Hawaii Five-O
Jeffersons
Peter Gunn
Sanford and Son

But how can you possibly leave off Green Acres? Or SWAT? Or Magnum PI? Or, of course, any of the Whedon shows (Angel, Buffy and Firefly)?

And why the hell can't you find a compilation of TV theme songs, performed by the original artists, on iTunes? I'd buy that in a second.

Here's their look at the 12 best current theme songs. (I like my list, linked below, better, though there is some overlap. Mine was focused more on the entirety of the opening credits, vs. just the pure theme song, though I do like King of the Hill and Chuck. And at the time I put my list together, I hadn't yet seen the masterpiece that is the True Blood opening, which not only sets the mood visually, but features a damned good stand-alone song that also ties thematically to the show. 100% pure awesome:



And here you can find some of my musings on TV Theme songs, including "The Canon" look at Best Modern Credit Sequences, complete with video.

The Canon: Best Modern Credit Sequences

Television opening credit sequences have come a long way since the days of our youth. "Back in the day" (excuse me while I check on the earlybird dinner special and line up my bingo and shuffleboard games) credits almost always followed the same formula: catchy jingle, expository lyrics and images, list of players.

Sitcoms were particularly adept at this. Think about it. Who couldn't still break off a barroom rendition of The Beverly Hillbillies? Or Green Acres? The Brady Bunch? The Jeffersons? Gilligan's Island? Everything we needed to set up the story was right there in the first minute. While not adhering as strictly to formula, dramas also used the opening moments to give you what you needed. Who didn't know exactly what to expect after getting revved up by the opening of Hawaii Five O? Or Magnum PI? Or Classic Star Trek? Or even a more obscure show, like The Wild, Wild West?

Nowadays, the playing field has changed somewhat. There are more commercials and less time for 1-2 minutes of catchy theme music to play each week. There's the pressure to "hook" potential channel flippers, so the "cold open" has gathered steam as a marketing tool and storytelling device to capture your attention right off the bat. Full credits aren't actually contained within the "theme song" and many shows just show them on a crawl during the first act.

So before we get to the actual list, a few caveats.

1. I'm only including current shows. So we won't be seeing the iconic images of Tony Soprano and the fabulous strains of "Woke up this morning, got yourself a gun." Or the first season of dearly departed Veronica Mars. Or Firefly. Or the late (lamented?) John From Cincinnati. Or the pitch perfect Buffy the Vampire Slayer opening.
2. I'm only considering shows I watch with some regularity (i.e. "good" shows. That use a script). So I don't care if Beethoven and Prince collaborated on the opening credits of America's Next Top Model with Orson Welles and Martin Scorcese, you won't be seeing that here.
3. The list also includes shows with actual "credit sequences." So while I love Lost's moody spinning logo and strange music, and The Closer's blues line interspersed with the opening of act one, those are not necessarily a credit sequence.

Got it?

Okay, here we go.

1. Battlestar Galactica


It's all right there. The set up. The premise. Gorgeous imagery. Emotion, drama, conflict -- all perfectly set to the music. Plus, the unusual tactic of split second images from the episode to follow.

2. Dexter


Beautiful. Disturbing images of seemingly innocuous everyday activities, highlighted by frequent splashes of blood and underscored by a whimsical to the point of creepy theme. What better way to kick off a show about a "good guy" moonlighting as a serial killer?

3. Monk


Randy Newman's sprightly ditty is one for the ages, perfectly capturing the essence of Adrian Monk.

4. Mad Men


The score here is terrific and the imagery even better. Evocative of the classic work by Saul Bass, the falling adman sets up the personal, professional and existential conflict of primary character Don Draper.

5. Rescue Me


Set to a driving uptempo rave by the Von Bondies, Rescue Me's credits also give you everything you need to know aurally and visually right away. The "smoking" player credits are a great touch.

6. Bones


This is from season 2, which improved on season 1 by synchronizing the actor names with their appearance onscreen. The music, by The Crystal Method, rhythmically suggests the creepy nature of the cases while the jittery visuals remind viewers of Se7en and set the tone of the show while never losing the focus on the two primary characters.

7. CSI


It's been around a while, and been "exported" thematically to sister shows New York and Miami, but the original is still the best. Combining the high energy music of The Who and lyrically on point in the search for the criminal, CSI is a great blend of song and image that sets up the "scientific" nature of the crime lab without sacrificing any of the drama.

8. Psych


Another perfect marriage of lyrical storytelling that suggests the premise while conveying the fun and farcical nature of the show, all in 20 seconds.

With Rex Hamilton as Abraham Lincoln!

Over on the Onion AV Club, by way of Pop Candy, here's an awesome link to a summary of great TV show opening credits.

It's really hard to argue with their choices. More and more shows today are truncating opening credit sequences or getting rid of them together. Remember the classics from our youth, that actually "told a story" and that we can still remember (and probably sing, after twelve margaritas too many) to this day? Beverly Hillbillies? Brady Bunch? Green Acres? Gilligan's Island?

Personally, I like opening credit sequences. They set the mood and tone for the series and either directly or indirectly invite you into the world of the show. Highlights from their list:

• Love that Sopranos song.
• Of new shows, Dexter really does a fantastic job juxtaposing the unsettling with the mundane, perfect for the show and the character.
• I'm glad they mentioned Wild, Wild West and Mission Impossible along with Mannix. Those, particularly WWW, have a Saul Bass feel to them.
• Police Squad has to the funniest sequence ever.

Other not on the list that I love:

• All the Whedon shows: Firefly, Buffy and Angel. (although it always drove me crazy that you could see his reflection in the puddle at the end for all 5 seasons).
• What geek can forget this one?
• Farscape
• Magnum PI
• One of the great, underappreciated sitcoms of all time, Soap
• The Addams Family
• The Rockford Files
• Who didn't get drunk and jump up on a coffee table and "surf" to THIS one?

What else?