I'm back. Had to take the holidays off since I was leaving my house at 5 am and not getting back until midnight. Didn't really leave much time for blog writing. Anyway, my schedule has opened back up so I should be able to get back to updating this thing on a regular basis.
Normally this time of year I would start a series of Top 5 Of The Year lists, but I have become super out of touch with music and movies are best done when the Oscars come around in another month, so the Top 5 TV Shows of 2010 is all I really feel qualified to do. I might do a Top 5 Books I Read In 2010, but that won't be a best of 2010 since there are a good chunk of this year's books I haven't gotten around to yet. So, here's my best of 2010 list, Top 5 TV Shows... (Note: I don't get HBO so shows like Boardwalk Empire and Treme couldn't be considered for the list)
5) Community
NBC is said to be the worst network on TV and maybe that's what the ratings say, but for my money it's the best network tv has to offer. Community is one of two NBC shows on my list. No other network is represented. I still enjoy How I Met Your Mother and Modern Family, but Community has rocketed into my favorite sitcom position. Everyone is the cast is spot on, the comedy is fresh, its the most consistent comedy on tv. Each character feels like they could have their own show. Even the side characters like Ken Jong's Senor Chang and John Oliver's Professor Duncan are never wasted. If you're not watching, you're missing out.
4) Walking Dead
I don't think I've ever been rewarded by a TV show I so highly anticipated then with The Walking Dead. Robert Kirkman's awesome zombie comic was beautifully transformed into TV magic even if it was for 6 short episodes. The show creators did a good job of mixing the comic's theme of human survival with good old zombie horror. At it's heart the comic was more about what humans are capable of doing to each other then a zombie invasion. The tv show got that and started to convey it before the season was abruptly ended. I can't wait for next season (which should be a full 12 episodes).
3) Terriers
Why didn't anybody tune in to this show? By far the best new show of 2010. I'm going to miss Hank and Britt even though I just got to know them. I won't go on too much about it since I spent a lot of time on this blog going over each episode. I'm thinking I'm going to do a Top 5 Shows Cancelled Early list soon in it's honor.
2) Friday Night Lights
Another show that doesn't get the audience it deserves. I haven't seen the Direct TV episodes airing right now, but last season was as strong as ever. It makes me sad to know that this will be the last episode. Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton are the best couple on TV, if not the best of all time, and two of the best television actors around. So many characters over the 4 seasons have made such an impact, much like the Wire, I will only be able to see the actors that played them as Matt Saracen or Jason Street or Tim Riggins or Vince Howard. For whatever reason, Minka Kelly will always be Minka Kelly and not Lyla even if she marries that overrated Yankee.
1) Mad Men
I've enjoyed Mad Men right from the beginning, but this season was one of the all time best seasons of any TV show ever. The four episode run of Waldorf Stories, The Suitcase, The Summer Man, and Beautiful Girls was the best four episode run ever, with The Suitcase being the gem of the whole season. If you don't watch this show you are missing out on story telling at it's absolute best. Anyone who says TV is vapid and cheesy and that film is a better medium isn't watching this show.
Honorable Mentions: Sons Of Anarchy, Fringe, Tosh.0, Rubicon, Breaking Bad
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Saturday, December 11, 2010
How I Met Your Mother: The Mermaid Theory
"The Mermaid Theory" was season 7 of HIMYM encapsulated in 30 minutes, a constant flow from great funny moments to total misses. I wish I was just able to say that this episode was awesome or just plain horrible, but my opinion seemed to change with each changing scene. The opening scene was classic. The Happy Captain/Scary Captain was hilarious and brought back one of my favorite moments, Marshal's obsession with blowing up pictures and charts at work. Lilly's theory about a single person and a married person of the opposite sex hanging out had potential as well, but then Ted screwed up the narration and things took a turn for the worse. I loathed this storyline. It was stupid and took you out of the flow of the episode. It might have worked better if it was the main story, but I didn't care about Lilly and Barney in this episode so the constant changing of the story was just annoying. The one saving grace was when Ted showed up in a green dress. I love when later episodes are set up!
The Marshall/Robin story was very hit or miss as well. The idea of them having an awkward dinner was cool. We've all hung out it groups and while we can have a good time hanging out with everyone in the group, there are some people who we know we just wouldn't enjoy hanging out with alone. I thought that's where this was going, but when it took a turn in a different direction I didn't buy it. At the same time, The Mermaid Theory was awesome. It was HIMYM at it's best, taking a nugget of truth, spinning it into a funny theory and introducing it with either a college flashback (because where else did any of us have the time to come up with these types of theories then college?) or a fake historical reenactment. I would have been much happier if they had used the theory with another storyline, but oh well.
The Ted storyline had its moments, but for the most part I though it was a miss. The ticking Mermaid clock at the end of the episode had no punch at all. Really? There's going to be sexual tension between Ted and Zoe? Why the hell would she be hanging around if there wasn't? The episode acted like it was some big revelation that Ted was going to find her attractive, that the clock was ticking before Ted saw her as a mermaid, but I was under the impression that he already liked her. The mermaid theory says that someone that is not attractive to you slowly becomes attractive. It seems to me that Ted has always been attracted to Zoe, he just can't admit it for various reasons (she's married, she wants to stop his building of the GNB building, etc).
It seems to me that the writers of HIMYM are still trying to capture the magic of the first few seasons and haven't quite figured it out yet. This type of search almost always results in a hit and miss season and that it exactly what we are in the middle of. Nothing has showcased that more then this episode that seemed to go from hit to miss back to hit minute by minute. All we can hope for is that when all is said and done, it's been more hit then miss and they figure things out so next season can be all hit.
The Marshall/Robin story was very hit or miss as well. The idea of them having an awkward dinner was cool. We've all hung out it groups and while we can have a good time hanging out with everyone in the group, there are some people who we know we just wouldn't enjoy hanging out with alone. I thought that's where this was going, but when it took a turn in a different direction I didn't buy it. At the same time, The Mermaid Theory was awesome. It was HIMYM at it's best, taking a nugget of truth, spinning it into a funny theory and introducing it with either a college flashback (because where else did any of us have the time to come up with these types of theories then college?) or a fake historical reenactment. I would have been much happier if they had used the theory with another storyline, but oh well.
The Ted storyline had its moments, but for the most part I though it was a miss. The ticking Mermaid clock at the end of the episode had no punch at all. Really? There's going to be sexual tension between Ted and Zoe? Why the hell would she be hanging around if there wasn't? The episode acted like it was some big revelation that Ted was going to find her attractive, that the clock was ticking before Ted saw her as a mermaid, but I was under the impression that he already liked her. The mermaid theory says that someone that is not attractive to you slowly becomes attractive. It seems to me that Ted has always been attracted to Zoe, he just can't admit it for various reasons (she's married, she wants to stop his building of the GNB building, etc).
It seems to me that the writers of HIMYM are still trying to capture the magic of the first few seasons and haven't quite figured it out yet. This type of search almost always results in a hit and miss season and that it exactly what we are in the middle of. Nothing has showcased that more then this episode that seemed to go from hit to miss back to hit minute by minute. All we can hope for is that when all is said and done, it's been more hit then miss and they figure things out so next season can be all hit.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
How I Met Your Mother: Blitzgiving
This season has developed a pretty consistant pattern of every other episode being good. Which means, after last weeks subpar episode, this week was going to be excellent. And the pattern held true once again. Blitzgiving was classic HIMYM and was everything last week's Robin Sparkles episode wasn't. The concept of the Blitz was creative, funny and totally original. It allowed the writers to do all the things that have made HIMYM a must see comedy, funny flashbacks, random pop culture references, inside viewer jokes (I love the sandwiches in every college flashback), well used cameos, and new catchphrases (Aw, Man!, turturkeykey, The Gentleman). The idea of the Blitz was able to carry a whole episode while remaining entertaining and pushing the overall story along in a way that Robin Sparkles just can't anymore. These are the types of episodes we need more of instead of the rehashes of jokes and themes we've already seen three or four times.
I also love the way the elements of the amazing night Ted missed were reveled. I love that we were never told all the details of the night. What's with the parking meter and the hot dog cart? Why exactly does everyone keep saying, "The Gentleman"? I know it has something to do with the game they were playing with the top hat, but how the hell did that start? It's like the pineapple all over again and man, do I want to know where the pineapple came from!
I have to admit the episode wasn't totally perfect. The end got supper sappy and the relationship between Ted and Zooey feels very forced. I didn't buy the episode's resolution at all.
I forgot to mention in my review of last weeks episode that as disappointing as it may have been, we did get a big piece of this years puzzle. We were told what wedding the season started with. I was totally off. But in all fairness how was anyone going to guess that it was Punchy's wedding?
I also love the way the elements of the amazing night Ted missed were reveled. I love that we were never told all the details of the night. What's with the parking meter and the hot dog cart? Why exactly does everyone keep saying, "The Gentleman"? I know it has something to do with the game they were playing with the top hat, but how the hell did that start? It's like the pineapple all over again and man, do I want to know where the pineapple came from!
I have to admit the episode wasn't totally perfect. The end got supper sappy and the relationship between Ted and Zooey feels very forced. I didn't buy the episode's resolution at all.
I forgot to mention in my review of last weeks episode that as disappointing as it may have been, we did get a big piece of this years puzzle. We were told what wedding the season started with. I was totally off. But in all fairness how was anyone going to guess that it was Punchy's wedding?
Monday, November 22, 2010
How I Met Your Mother: Glitter
Alright, thanks to my sister's wedding, I'm a week behind, so bare with me...
I might come off like a hypocrite on this one, but I think I'm over Robin Sparkles. I know I've been calling for more references and flashbacks, but I feel like the Robin Sparkles storyline has been played out. Did we really need a third episode on this subject? Instead of coming up with creative storylines that intertwine and amuse, the writers answer to bringing the show back to its roots seems to be to rehash tired ideas.
And what ever happened to Barney and his boutonniere? That would have made a great side story. It was introduced and then never mentioned again. I was much more interested in that then Robin and Lilly. Is it me or is Lilly become really annoying? Her character feels so one dimensional at the moment and I couldn't care less about that dimension. She comes off as whinny and concerned about issues that just don't matter. She's acting like she's already pregnant!
That being said, the Robin Sparkles stuff made me laugh. I realize how that comes off. I bitch about a storyline and in the next breath say it was funny. But it was. As much as I've felt we've covered the material, I was humored by the jokes. The beaver song was classic. Let's just agree that we don't need to have another whole episode about Robin Sparkles again.
I might come off like a hypocrite on this one, but I think I'm over Robin Sparkles. I know I've been calling for more references and flashbacks, but I feel like the Robin Sparkles storyline has been played out. Did we really need a third episode on this subject? Instead of coming up with creative storylines that intertwine and amuse, the writers answer to bringing the show back to its roots seems to be to rehash tired ideas.
And what ever happened to Barney and his boutonniere? That would have made a great side story. It was introduced and then never mentioned again. I was much more interested in that then Robin and Lilly. Is it me or is Lilly become really annoying? Her character feels so one dimensional at the moment and I couldn't care less about that dimension. She comes off as whinny and concerned about issues that just don't matter. She's acting like she's already pregnant!
That being said, the Robin Sparkles stuff made me laugh. I realize how that comes off. I bitch about a storyline and in the next breath say it was funny. But it was. As much as I've felt we've covered the material, I was humored by the jokes. The beaver song was classic. Let's just agree that we don't need to have another whole episode about Robin Sparkles again.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
How I Met Your Mother: Natural History
I've spent a lot of time writing about what constitutes a classic HIMYM episode and what constitutes a typical sitcom episode. In almost every case I trumpet the classic episodes that play with time, make fun of life as a thirty-something, and bend the rules of conventional sitcoms in anyway way possible, while blasting the "normal" sitcom scenarios and style that the show relied on last season. Natural History is an exception. There was nothing that separated the episode from anything you would see on Two And A Half Men or Big Bang Theory, the story was liner, the setting was limited, there were dick and fart jokes, yet, it was extremely entertaining. The writing was sharp, the poignant moments were touching without overwhelming the comedy, the comedy was both clever and sophomoric, all the characters story lines were advanced in a convincing manner. It was easily one of the two best episodes all year. As much as I long for crazy flashbacks and allusions of things to come, I could watch episodes like this without losing faith in where the show was going.
Funniest moments... The Captain vs Galactic President Superstar McAwesomeville, the Barney/Robin touching contest (although I'm disappointed there was no licking!), Ted's sophomoric whispers. And another thing to add to the list of ways Ted's life mirror's mine, #15: Crossword Day. Although mine is Sunday, not Saturday. Saturday is the toughest of the week, but Sunday is the biggest and the most enjoyable.
Funniest moments... The Captain vs Galactic President Superstar McAwesomeville, the Barney/Robin touching contest (although I'm disappointed there was no licking!), Ted's sophomoric whispers. And another thing to add to the list of ways Ted's life mirror's mine, #15: Crossword Day. Although mine is Sunday, not Saturday. Saturday is the toughest of the week, but Sunday is the biggest and the most enjoyable.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Top 5: Monkey Songs
After being forced to take a week off due to time constraints, I'm back with a classic. In college, my good friend and radio show partner, Bryan, had a theory about how to make sure any song you write is great. He hypothesised that any song that mentioned monkeys has to kick ass. Now, over the years I've come across a few songs that prove this theory wrong, or at least not as concrete as Bryan would like to convince you, but it hasn't made it any less fun a topic to talk about. So, this week, in honor of Bryan and his theory, I give you the Top 5 Monkey Songs...
5. "Feather Pluckin'" - Presidents Of The United States Of America
These guys could easily be considered the kings of the monkey song. They at least 5 monkey songs on their first two albums. This one is my favorite. It talks about 10,000,00 monkeys playing guitar. And it kicks ass.
4. "Brass Monkey" - Beastie Boys
There is something about the Beastie Boys that cures any empty dance floor. I've never seen a tepid response for the Beasties at a party and this song is one of their classic cuts. I guarantee if you are DJing a get together of people 30 and younger and nobody is dancing, play Brass Monkey and your problems will be solved.
3." Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except For Me And My Monkey" - Beatles
Even the Beatles, the greatest pop band of all time, have a monkey song. And it's one of their more kick ass numbers. I'm not sure if Paul actually had a monkey or not, but I know if I was as rich as him there would be no way I wouldn't have a monkey.
2. "Monkey Man" - Toots & The Maytals
This is a classic ska standard. It is probably the most covered monkey song in existence. Cover versions include, Reel Big Fish, The Specials, No Doubt and Amy Winehouse. A kick ass song that will be played forever.
1. "Monkees Theme Song" - The Monkees
This one kind of goes without saying. The greatest monkey song ever written. I defy anyone to not sing along anytime it's played.
Honorable Mentions - "Shock The Money": Peter Gabriel, "Bungle In the Jungle": Jethro Tull, "If I Had A Million Dollars": Barenaked Ladies (because haven't you always wanted a monkey?"), "Ghost Monkey": Taco (thanks Joe P)
5. "Feather Pluckin'" - Presidents Of The United States Of America
These guys could easily be considered the kings of the monkey song. They at least 5 monkey songs on their first two albums. This one is my favorite. It talks about 10,000,00 monkeys playing guitar. And it kicks ass.
4. "Brass Monkey" - Beastie Boys
There is something about the Beastie Boys that cures any empty dance floor. I've never seen a tepid response for the Beasties at a party and this song is one of their classic cuts. I guarantee if you are DJing a get together of people 30 and younger and nobody is dancing, play Brass Monkey and your problems will be solved.
3." Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except For Me And My Monkey" - Beatles
Even the Beatles, the greatest pop band of all time, have a monkey song. And it's one of their more kick ass numbers. I'm not sure if Paul actually had a monkey or not, but I know if I was as rich as him there would be no way I wouldn't have a monkey.
2. "Monkey Man" - Toots & The Maytals
This is a classic ska standard. It is probably the most covered monkey song in existence. Cover versions include, Reel Big Fish, The Specials, No Doubt and Amy Winehouse. A kick ass song that will be played forever.
1. "Monkees Theme Song" - The Monkees
This one kind of goes without saying. The greatest monkey song ever written. I defy anyone to not sing along anytime it's played.
Honorable Mentions - "Shock The Money": Peter Gabriel, "Bungle In the Jungle": Jethro Tull, "If I Had A Million Dollars": Barenaked Ladies (because haven't you always wanted a monkey?"), "Ghost Monkey": Taco (thanks Joe P)
How I Met Your Mother: Canning Randy
Canning Randy was another strong episode from the HIMYM people. They seem to be swaying back and forth from good to bad at this point in the season, which only begs the question, is the broadcast station season of 24 episodes just too much? Throw out every other show so far this season and you have a super strong season. The big three would be much better off if the modeled there seasons like cable, but the almighty dollar will prevent that from ever happening. So, we will all just have to continue watching the mediocre with the good and enjoy it as much as possible.
The big question as far as the show's plot is concerned is, what does the future hold for Ted and Zoey? I'm sure we haven't seen the end of her, but I'm also fairly certain that she isn't the mother. The feeling one is left with is that there is more to her story, but what is that story? Are they going to get together at some point? Or is just going to remain an adversary relationship? With the creators promise that we are moving closer to finding out who the mother is this season, one would think that Zoey is playing some role in getting to that revelation, but it's still unclear what that role is. There has to be more to her relationship to Ted then making his life difficult.
This episode made me feel old. Ted jokes about playing Pixies B-Sides for his students and says they didn't know who the Pixies were or a b-side. My first reaction was, of course they know what a b-side is. Then I thought, why would they know what a b-side is? Am I really that old or is technology just started changing popular culture that much faster. I mean, my dad grew up with b-sides and so did I. My dad grew up with records and so did I, but these kids have no reason to know what cassette tapes are forget about records.
I love that they are also focusing on the hardships of teaching this season, little things that people who haven't spent time in a classroom most likely wouldn't get. Like last weeks jokes about Lilly's struggles give her child the same name as any of her problem students and this weeks take on Ted wanting to be the "cool" teacher. Everyone goes into teaching wanting to be the "cool" teacher, but the hard fact is that if you want to be a "good" teacher most students are not going to like you. It's not the easiest lesson to learn and the show handled it in a convincing manner this episode. We will have to see if Ted carries the lesson into future episodes.
The big question as far as the show's plot is concerned is, what does the future hold for Ted and Zoey? I'm sure we haven't seen the end of her, but I'm also fairly certain that she isn't the mother. The feeling one is left with is that there is more to her story, but what is that story? Are they going to get together at some point? Or is just going to remain an adversary relationship? With the creators promise that we are moving closer to finding out who the mother is this season, one would think that Zoey is playing some role in getting to that revelation, but it's still unclear what that role is. There has to be more to her relationship to Ted then making his life difficult.
This episode made me feel old. Ted jokes about playing Pixies B-Sides for his students and says they didn't know who the Pixies were or a b-side. My first reaction was, of course they know what a b-side is. Then I thought, why would they know what a b-side is? Am I really that old or is technology just started changing popular culture that much faster. I mean, my dad grew up with b-sides and so did I. My dad grew up with records and so did I, but these kids have no reason to know what cassette tapes are forget about records.
I love that they are also focusing on the hardships of teaching this season, little things that people who haven't spent time in a classroom most likely wouldn't get. Like last weeks jokes about Lilly's struggles give her child the same name as any of her problem students and this weeks take on Ted wanting to be the "cool" teacher. Everyone goes into teaching wanting to be the "cool" teacher, but the hard fact is that if you want to be a "good" teacher most students are not going to like you. It's not the easiest lesson to learn and the show handled it in a convincing manner this episode. We will have to see if Ted carries the lesson into future episodes.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Walking Dead: Days Gone By
At it's heart, The Walking Dead, the comic, was more about what people do to other people then it was about what zombies do to people. It's a story about survival, the human condition and how it reacts to adversity. It just so happens to be set in a world where zombies have taken over. After only one episode you can't really tell if the TV show will pick up this vibe, but it looks promising. It's been years since I read the first view issues, so I can't really speak to how true the show is to the comic frame for frame, but they nailed the sensitivity. They kept to the main plot points and set the tone of desperation and survival that the comic did so well. The show could have easily jumped right to zombie attacks and heavy gore, but they didn't. They kept the action to a minimum in order to develop the characters and the world they now live in. The story is about Rick and the other survivors and what they have to do stay alive on a day to day basis, not fighting zombies 24/7. The show creators seem to have stuck to the story telling that we have come to expect from an AMC show, not the mindless action broadcast stations rely on and this genre of show could have fallen into.
That's not to say that zombies don't play a role in the show. When the time was right, The Walking Dead creators pulled out all the stops. The zombie torso crawling across the park was creepy, frightening and poignantly sad all at the same time. And the huge reveal of the thousands of zombies waiting in the Atlanta alleyway was awesome. It reminded me of Han Solo and Chewbacca running around the corner of the Death Star only to find thousands of stormtroopers waiting for them.
I'm sure future episodes will increase the action and gore. Much like the comic, there will be an ebb and flow of action and drama. But it was important, if the show wanted to capture the feel of the comic, to start slow, build the characters and suspense and that was exactly what they did. Great start to what I hope will be a great show.
That's not to say that zombies don't play a role in the show. When the time was right, The Walking Dead creators pulled out all the stops. The zombie torso crawling across the park was creepy, frightening and poignantly sad all at the same time. And the huge reveal of the thousands of zombies waiting in the Atlanta alleyway was awesome. It reminded me of Han Solo and Chewbacca running around the corner of the Death Star only to find thousands of stormtroopers waiting for them.
I'm sure future episodes will increase the action and gore. Much like the comic, there will be an ebb and flow of action and drama. But it was important, if the show wanted to capture the feel of the comic, to start slow, build the characters and suspense and that was exactly what they did. Great start to what I hope will be a great show.
Boston Bruins: Game 8
Record: 6-2-0
It's going to get old if I keep talking about how great Tim Thomas is playing, so I'll have to find other topics to discuss. It won't be easy since Thomas is the glaring reason why Boston is off to such a hot start. Thomas got his third shutout in six starts Satuday as the Bruins beat the Ottawa Senators 4-0. Both Jordan Caron and Tyler Seguin added to their point totals, keeping the B's youth movement going. David Krejci added a goal and an assist as he proves he is ready to take over for the ailing Mark Savard as the team's top playmaker.
With the team off to such a good start, the question seems to be, who is going to be left out when Savard comes back? One would think Daniel Paille, who has been a health scratch since the first game, would be the odd man out, but I'm not sure that would keep the B's under the salary cap. As much as I enjoy watching him play, Brad Marchand has to be on the list as well. He's a great agitator and his fore checking abilities makes him great on the penalty kill, but he can't put the puck in the net. Some people will say he's just been snake bit, after all he was one of the top scorers in the AHL, but I don't buy it. Much like Paille proved last year, if you can't get the puck in the net, it's not something that is just going to change. Marchand will never be a 30 goal scorer, probably not even a 20 goal scorer. The question will be, are the other things he brings to the ice more important to the team then scoring goals? I'm not sure. The one thing he does have going for him is his salary. Paille gets $500,000 more and brings pretty much the same talents to the table.
Other people on the block are Michael Ryder and Blake Wheeler. Both have higher salaries that will give the Bruins more wiggle room if dumped. If one of them doesn't go when Savard comes back, chances are they will go when Sturm is ready to return. Ryder has looked better then last year, but still isn't playing up to the 4 million he's getting. I'm not sure anyone will want to take Ryder on, so he will have to be demoted to Providence. Wheeler has never been a favorite of mine. He's just to big a liability on the ice. There have been a lot of trade rumors floating around about him going to Phoenix or Toronto. It would be very much in character for the B's to trade Wheeler for high draft picks, which would drop the team salary and keep the youth movement going.
It's going to get old if I keep talking about how great Tim Thomas is playing, so I'll have to find other topics to discuss. It won't be easy since Thomas is the glaring reason why Boston is off to such a hot start. Thomas got his third shutout in six starts Satuday as the Bruins beat the Ottawa Senators 4-0. Both Jordan Caron and Tyler Seguin added to their point totals, keeping the B's youth movement going. David Krejci added a goal and an assist as he proves he is ready to take over for the ailing Mark Savard as the team's top playmaker.
With the team off to such a good start, the question seems to be, who is going to be left out when Savard comes back? One would think Daniel Paille, who has been a health scratch since the first game, would be the odd man out, but I'm not sure that would keep the B's under the salary cap. As much as I enjoy watching him play, Brad Marchand has to be on the list as well. He's a great agitator and his fore checking abilities makes him great on the penalty kill, but he can't put the puck in the net. Some people will say he's just been snake bit, after all he was one of the top scorers in the AHL, but I don't buy it. Much like Paille proved last year, if you can't get the puck in the net, it's not something that is just going to change. Marchand will never be a 30 goal scorer, probably not even a 20 goal scorer. The question will be, are the other things he brings to the ice more important to the team then scoring goals? I'm not sure. The one thing he does have going for him is his salary. Paille gets $500,000 more and brings pretty much the same talents to the table.
Other people on the block are Michael Ryder and Blake Wheeler. Both have higher salaries that will give the Bruins more wiggle room if dumped. If one of them doesn't go when Savard comes back, chances are they will go when Sturm is ready to return. Ryder has looked better then last year, but still isn't playing up to the 4 million he's getting. I'm not sure anyone will want to take Ryder on, so he will have to be demoted to Providence. Wheeler has never been a favorite of mine. He's just to big a liability on the ice. There have been a lot of trade rumors floating around about him going to Phoenix or Toronto. It would be very much in character for the B's to trade Wheeler for high draft picks, which would drop the team salary and keep the youth movement going.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Boston Bruins: Game 7
Record: 5-2-0
Last night's win against Toronto was a big one. Not just because Toronto was ahead of us in the standings, some may say that's the only reason needed, but because we have Toronto's first round pick again next year. The B's have a vested interest in the Maple Leafs finishing as far down in the standings as possible and every game we win against them pushes them further down the standings. Toronto had a great start, but maybe, just maybe, we can make those "Thank You Kessel" chants mean that much more.
Once again Tim Thomas was spectacular. I thought for sure Rask was going to be the man this year, but Thomas has changed that in a big way. He's not just winning games, he's doing it with huge saves, carrying the team through any slow spells they may have. Two shutouts in 5 games. Only the second Bruins goalie ever to win his first five starts. Hopefully he can keep this play up.
The other Bruin that continues to impress is Jordan Caron. I love this kid. With all the offseason attention focused on Seguin, Caron has quietly established himself as the rookie of note on the Bruins roster. The Bruins front office obviously knows what its doing when drafting and developing these players. Two years ago the youth movement was being established by Lucic and Kessel. Now we have Seguin and Caron. The front office was able to absorb the loss of Kessel and stay both competitive and young. After years of missteps and poor development, it looks like the Bruins finally have management that can put together a cup winner!
Last night's win against Toronto was a big one. Not just because Toronto was ahead of us in the standings, some may say that's the only reason needed, but because we have Toronto's first round pick again next year. The B's have a vested interest in the Maple Leafs finishing as far down in the standings as possible and every game we win against them pushes them further down the standings. Toronto had a great start, but maybe, just maybe, we can make those "Thank You Kessel" chants mean that much more.
Once again Tim Thomas was spectacular. I thought for sure Rask was going to be the man this year, but Thomas has changed that in a big way. He's not just winning games, he's doing it with huge saves, carrying the team through any slow spells they may have. Two shutouts in 5 games. Only the second Bruins goalie ever to win his first five starts. Hopefully he can keep this play up.
The other Bruin that continues to impress is Jordan Caron. I love this kid. With all the offseason attention focused on Seguin, Caron has quietly established himself as the rookie of note on the Bruins roster. The Bruins front office obviously knows what its doing when drafting and developing these players. Two years ago the youth movement was being established by Lucic and Kessel. Now we have Seguin and Caron. The front office was able to absorb the loss of Kessel and stay both competitive and young. After years of missteps and poor development, it looks like the Bruins finally have management that can put together a cup winner!
Monday, October 25, 2010
How I Met Your Mother: Baby Talk
In all honesty, I have nothing to really say about this episode. Probably not even worth posting this, but just to have something for every episode I'll comment briefly. It was a very blah episode. Not much happened, the joke weren't really that funny, they didn't go over any new or interesting ground. It was a complete throw away as far as I'm concerned. I guess over the course of a 24 episode season there has to be a few throw aways, let just hope it doesn't become the norm. The few highlights, and I'm stretching by calling them highlights, were probably the Jeremy reference and the joke about Lilly not wanting to name her child after problem kids from her school. The Jeremy thing was a little out of character for the show. They don't usually do pop culture references, it was something I would expect from shows like Community, but it worked and got a chuckle out of me. I'm not sure it's a direction I would want the show to go, I like when they do pop culture in the groups discussions, but it was OK here.
Boston Bruins: Game 6
Record: 4-2-0
This was a classic let down game. The B's were coming off two big wins against a top opponent and now facing a hurting Rangers team with most of their offensive threats on the DL. The B's played physical and didn't back down, which was nice to see, but they just weren't crisp with their play. Some of the stuff that seemed like good ideas last game came back to hurt in this one, namely Mark Recchi at point in the power play. What ended up being the game winning goal was scored when Recchi miss handled the puck at the point and it leaked out of the offensive zone and on to the stick of a streaking Ranger who broke away and beat Rask. Here's hoping this performance is just a let down and not a sign that we are in for another up and down season.
The highlight of the game from a Bruins perspective, other then the three fights and their all around physical play, was the Horton goal. David Krejci went into the corner and made a no look through his own legs pass right on Horton's stick in the slot. I have no idea how he did it. I wonder if he could see Horton's reflection in the glass because he didn't even give a peak over his shoulder as he went into the corner. Either that, or it was just dumb luck.
Next game is against Toronto on Thursday
This was a classic let down game. The B's were coming off two big wins against a top opponent and now facing a hurting Rangers team with most of their offensive threats on the DL. The B's played physical and didn't back down, which was nice to see, but they just weren't crisp with their play. Some of the stuff that seemed like good ideas last game came back to hurt in this one, namely Mark Recchi at point in the power play. What ended up being the game winning goal was scored when Recchi miss handled the puck at the point and it leaked out of the offensive zone and on to the stick of a streaking Ranger who broke away and beat Rask. Here's hoping this performance is just a let down and not a sign that we are in for another up and down season.
The highlight of the game from a Bruins perspective, other then the three fights and their all around physical play, was the Horton goal. David Krejci went into the corner and made a no look through his own legs pass right on Horton's stick in the slot. I have no idea how he did it. I wonder if he could see Horton's reflection in the glass because he didn't even give a peak over his shoulder as he went into the corner. Either that, or it was just dumb luck.
Next game is against Toronto on Thursday
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Boston Bruins: Game 5
Record: 5-1-0
The B's passed the first big test of the season with flying colors, taking both games of a home and home with the Washington Capitals. After taking the first game in Washington, 3-1, the B's came back to Boston two days later to try again. The Caps had control over most of the first period, carrying the play and determining the pace of the game, but Michael Ryder's power play goal with seconds left in the period turned the game around. When the Bruins came out for the second period they never looked back, controlling the rest of the game and adding tallies by Jordan Caron, Nathan Horton and Zedano Chara for a 4-1 victory.
I don't know if I should call it a surprise, but one of the highlights of the season so far has to be the play of Tim Thomas. I'm starting to believe that this guy only plays well when everyone is down on him. He kept Boston in the game in the first period with some spectacular saves and has stepped back up into the starting position. The biggest problem with the team at the moment seems to be that we have two starting goalies, a problem I'm sure every other NHL team would gladly have.
Another problem that the Bruins have been trying to address is a somewhat lack luster power play. With a 3 for 4 power play in this game, it seems like the work they have been doing may start to pay off. Julien kept the HuLK line (Horton, Lucic, Krejic) together, something I think should be more common. Why wouldn't your number one line also be your power play line? If they are your best scorers, shouldn't they be together for the power play as well? Another interesting move was putting Recchi on the point. Over his career Recchi has been a force in front of the net, but he seemed to be just as valuable at the point. He moved the puck well and added another threat on the ice.
I found it interesting that Julien started the game with the number 4 line on the ice (Thorton, Campbell, Marchand). I read somewhere that one of the problems the B's had last year was that Begin played hurt most of the season, so the 4th line only logged a few minutes a game. Now with this year's 4th line playing so well, they are on the ice more giving the other lines more time to rest. I can't tell you how much fun it is watching this line play. They are all over the ice, playing tough physical hockey, and it's ending with great results. If they can keep up the pressure, it is going to mean good things for the Bruins this season.
The B's passed the first big test of the season with flying colors, taking both games of a home and home with the Washington Capitals. After taking the first game in Washington, 3-1, the B's came back to Boston two days later to try again. The Caps had control over most of the first period, carrying the play and determining the pace of the game, but Michael Ryder's power play goal with seconds left in the period turned the game around. When the Bruins came out for the second period they never looked back, controlling the rest of the game and adding tallies by Jordan Caron, Nathan Horton and Zedano Chara for a 4-1 victory.
I don't know if I should call it a surprise, but one of the highlights of the season so far has to be the play of Tim Thomas. I'm starting to believe that this guy only plays well when everyone is down on him. He kept Boston in the game in the first period with some spectacular saves and has stepped back up into the starting position. The biggest problem with the team at the moment seems to be that we have two starting goalies, a problem I'm sure every other NHL team would gladly have.
Another problem that the Bruins have been trying to address is a somewhat lack luster power play. With a 3 for 4 power play in this game, it seems like the work they have been doing may start to pay off. Julien kept the HuLK line (Horton, Lucic, Krejic) together, something I think should be more common. Why wouldn't your number one line also be your power play line? If they are your best scorers, shouldn't they be together for the power play as well? Another interesting move was putting Recchi on the point. Over his career Recchi has been a force in front of the net, but he seemed to be just as valuable at the point. He moved the puck well and added another threat on the ice.
I found it interesting that Julien started the game with the number 4 line on the ice (Thorton, Campbell, Marchand). I read somewhere that one of the problems the B's had last year was that Begin played hurt most of the season, so the 4th line only logged a few minutes a game. Now with this year's 4th line playing so well, they are on the ice more giving the other lines more time to rest. I can't tell you how much fun it is watching this line play. They are all over the ice, playing tough physical hockey, and it's ending with great results. If they can keep up the pressure, it is going to mean good things for the Bruins this season.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Terriers: Missing Persons
Terriers is really hitting its stride as it moves away from the Lindus story thread and has started to focus on more one-off episodes. I don't believe the Lindus thing is over (well, it might be over if Terriers doesn't get a second season),but for now the one-offs are great. In Missing Persons we are introduced to what every great PI show needs and what Terriers had been missing up until this episode, colorful underworld informants, characters that for whatever reason are on the outs with society but are able to give our heroes important information when needed. In this episode we met Doc Johnson, an ex-pharmacist who now works a ice cream cart, and a group of tech kids I'll call the Winnebago Nerds, since we weren't given their names and they run their operation out of a Winnebago on the beach. It's characters like these, sprinkled throughout the show, that add depth to the storylines and help make the weekly mysteries more interesting. I look forward to more dealings with the Winnebago Nerds. I feel like there is a whole episode somewhere with their names on it.
Even though the episode's main story line was a self contained mystery, it was far from insignificant as far as the main character development goes. One can't help but feel bad for Britt, who finally lashed out at Hank about their very one sided partnership. He senses something is wrong with Katie, his partner keeps pulling him into sticky situations that he wants nothing to do with, things are not working out for him. And now we have to wait to see if Hank spent Britt's half of the bonds to put his sister into assisted living. That could very well be the last straw for Britt. Hank has that special gift of being able to talk his way out of everything, of smoothing over whatever issue you may have with him, but spending Britt's money, money Britt told him he wanted and needed, might be to big a crime to forget.
Even though the episode's main story line was a self contained mystery, it was far from insignificant as far as the main character development goes. One can't help but feel bad for Britt, who finally lashed out at Hank about their very one sided partnership. He senses something is wrong with Katie, his partner keeps pulling him into sticky situations that he wants nothing to do with, things are not working out for him. And now we have to wait to see if Hank spent Britt's half of the bonds to put his sister into assisted living. That could very well be the last straw for Britt. Hank has that special gift of being able to talk his way out of everything, of smoothing over whatever issue you may have with him, but spending Britt's money, money Britt told him he wanted and needed, might be to big a crime to forget.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Top 5: All Time Videos
Don't have a lot of time this week, so I don't really have a reason for this one, just went with something easy. Top 5 Videos Of All Time. For those of you who don't know what a video is, its those things that MTV used to play but know you can only find on YouTube...
5. Weapon Of Choice - Fat Boy Slim www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF5cBoAV5Ys
This is the one with Christopher Walken dancing all over the place. Pure Comedy! Spike Jones is a music video genius. This is, as you will find out, was his second best video.
4. November Rain - Guns N Roses www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SbUC-UaAxE&ob=av3e
I always enjoyed this video, even though my enjoyment of Guns N Roses is very hit or miss. It is extremely cinematic even though I don't think anyone knows what story Axel was trying to tell. It's beautiful and emotional none the less.
3. Here It Goes Again - Ok Go www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTAAsCNK7RA
In all honesty, this might be a career achievement award. Pick a video, Here It Goes Again, A Million Ways, White Knuckles, either of the two This Too Shall Pass. Ok Go have become the master on the one shot video. I enjoy there music more because of their genius making videos. This is the one that put them on the map.
2. Take On Me - Aa-Ha www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EXxMlIExpo
It is hard for me to put this one at number two because it's been around so much longer then all the others, but it just isn't better then number one. This video was so far ahead of it's time as far as creative story telling videos went. Most people point to Thriller, but this was much better and less ostentatious. Fuck Michael Jackson, whoever came up with this video was a true pioneer.
1. Sabotage - Beastie Boys www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5rRZdiu1UE&ob=av3n
This is by far the greatest video ever. Pure comedy, pure entertainment. This is Spike Jones at his absolute best. It is extremely funny and fits the music perfect. An instant classic.
5. Weapon Of Choice - Fat Boy Slim www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF5cBoAV5Ys
This is the one with Christopher Walken dancing all over the place. Pure Comedy! Spike Jones is a music video genius. This is, as you will find out, was his second best video.
4. November Rain - Guns N Roses www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SbUC-UaAxE&ob=av3e
I always enjoyed this video, even though my enjoyment of Guns N Roses is very hit or miss. It is extremely cinematic even though I don't think anyone knows what story Axel was trying to tell. It's beautiful and emotional none the less.
3. Here It Goes Again - Ok Go www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTAAsCNK7RA
In all honesty, this might be a career achievement award. Pick a video, Here It Goes Again, A Million Ways, White Knuckles, either of the two This Too Shall Pass. Ok Go have become the master on the one shot video. I enjoy there music more because of their genius making videos. This is the one that put them on the map.
2. Take On Me - Aa-Ha www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EXxMlIExpo
It is hard for me to put this one at number two because it's been around so much longer then all the others, but it just isn't better then number one. This video was so far ahead of it's time as far as creative story telling videos went. Most people point to Thriller, but this was much better and less ostentatious. Fuck Michael Jackson, whoever came up with this video was a true pioneer.
1. Sabotage - Beastie Boys www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5rRZdiu1UE&ob=av3n
This is by far the greatest video ever. Pure comedy, pure entertainment. This is Spike Jones at his absolute best. It is extremely funny and fits the music perfect. An instant classic.
How I Met Your Mother: Architect Of Destruction
Sometimes its amazing how much they can cram into one 21 minute episode. There were so many good moments in this one, but none of them seemed to be all that connected. I would guess that there were a bunch of jokes left on the writing table that nobody was sure where to put or couldn't develop them enough for them to warrant their own episode, so what we the viewers are left with is one episode crammed with little tid bits. Many times this could mean disaster. So much is going on that none of it really works, but in this case the HIMYM writers pulled it off.
My favorite moments are...
-new is better vs old is better discussion
I thought this was going to be the theme of the episode, but it ended up just being a funny back and forth between Ted and Barney. I enjoy these moments. This one was particularly funny.
-changing one's personality to fit with a new girl
This was introduced late in the episode but ended up being the theme. Its something we've seen Ted do, even without the new examples they gave us. It's also something I'm sure all of us have experienced in real life. Who doesn't have the friend that changed the minute they started dating some new girl? They suddenly become some new person we didn't know. The key, as they pointed out in the show, is not to change as much as add to what is already there. The best partners in life introduce us to new experiences and bring out the best in who we are, but don't totally alter who we are and what we do for fun. It's an easy trap to fall into.
-some old jokes
I know it's old at this point, but I still find the legendary jokes funny. I don't care how many times Barney pulls out this catch phrase, I'm going to laugh. The writers also decided to fall on the old standard of penis jokes. Unlike Legendary, there is such thing as too many penis jokes. HIMYM doesn't rely on them that often, so an episode full of them was enjoyable.
-Locker room talk
They nailed this one. As much as you ladies may think all guys do is talk about sex in the locker room, we never go into any detail. A guy may talk about a certain conquest for everyone to hear, but it is usually only in hushed tones that the specifics are given, if at all. In all honesty, once you've had sex yourself, you don't care at all about the details of other dudes experiences. The other thing they nailed is the one old naked guy that makes everyone else uncomfortable. The minute they started describing a guy locker room I said there had to be a naked old guy. I don't know why, but there is always one naked old guy.
The only other thing worth mentioning is the arrival of Jennifer Morrison (Cameron from House). Many speculated that she would be Ted's future wife, but we discover early on that she is married and we get her name, which if Ted is telling this to his kids, they would know that it was their mom. So, it doesn't look like she's "the one" or do the HIMYM creators have a twist in store for us?
My favorite moments are...
-new is better vs old is better discussion
I thought this was going to be the theme of the episode, but it ended up just being a funny back and forth between Ted and Barney. I enjoy these moments. This one was particularly funny.
-changing one's personality to fit with a new girl
This was introduced late in the episode but ended up being the theme. Its something we've seen Ted do, even without the new examples they gave us. It's also something I'm sure all of us have experienced in real life. Who doesn't have the friend that changed the minute they started dating some new girl? They suddenly become some new person we didn't know. The key, as they pointed out in the show, is not to change as much as add to what is already there. The best partners in life introduce us to new experiences and bring out the best in who we are, but don't totally alter who we are and what we do for fun. It's an easy trap to fall into.
-some old jokes
I know it's old at this point, but I still find the legendary jokes funny. I don't care how many times Barney pulls out this catch phrase, I'm going to laugh. The writers also decided to fall on the old standard of penis jokes. Unlike Legendary, there is such thing as too many penis jokes. HIMYM doesn't rely on them that often, so an episode full of them was enjoyable.
-Locker room talk
They nailed this one. As much as you ladies may think all guys do is talk about sex in the locker room, we never go into any detail. A guy may talk about a certain conquest for everyone to hear, but it is usually only in hushed tones that the specifics are given, if at all. In all honesty, once you've had sex yourself, you don't care at all about the details of other dudes experiences. The other thing they nailed is the one old naked guy that makes everyone else uncomfortable. The minute they started describing a guy locker room I said there had to be a naked old guy. I don't know why, but there is always one naked old guy.
The only other thing worth mentioning is the arrival of Jennifer Morrison (Cameron from House). Many speculated that she would be Ted's future wife, but we discover early on that she is married and we get her name, which if Ted is telling this to his kids, they would know that it was their mom. So, it doesn't look like she's "the one" or do the HIMYM creators have a twist in store for us?
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Boston Bruins: Game 3
Record: 2-1-0
I hate that the last column in the record is tie loses and not just ties. There is nothing wrong with a tie in the regular season and even if there was, shootouts is not the way to solve it. A shoot out win ends so anti-climatically. Even the best goal scorer only scores on a penalty shot 20% of the time. Why not just hold a coin flip?
But I digress without even really starting what I want to write about, game three of the Bruins 2010-2011 season. There are high hopes for the B's this year coming off a disappointing regular season and one of the worst exits in sports history last year, an exit of Yankee like proportions. The hopes are high after an offseason that saw the Bruins pick second in the draft and trade for the sniper the team has needed the last couple of years. Even with Marc Savard, the teams best playmaker, out for an indefinite period of time with post-concussion symptoms, the Boston faithful can't help but be excited about what the team can accomplish. And, so far, so good. After a lifeless first game in Prague, the B's have bounced back with two excellent games.
Last night's 4-1 domination of the New Jersey Devils is hopefully a sign of what this season has to hold for the Bruin's fans. The B's were in total control of both zones as they handed one of the best defensive teams in hockey a beat down. Reminiscent of the 2008-2009 season, when the Bruins surprised everyone with the best regular season record in the east, everyone on the roster added to the victory. 11 different players had points and those who didn't made their present felt none the less.
If things keep up this way, coach Claude Julian is going to have some tough choices to make when Marc Savard is able to return to the line-up. The odds on favorite to be kicked off the roster, Michael Ryder, had a bounce in his step and his shot that was lacking all of last year. Its still a little early to determine if all the talk of Ryder being left off the roster has motivated him to find his 2008-2009 form, but things are looking bright so far. Another nice surprise so far this year is rookie Jordan Caron, who scored his first NHL goal on future HOFer, Martin Brodeur. Caron seems to be the prototypical Bruin, a big winger not scared to get dirty in the corners or in front of the net. I have high hopes for this kids future.
My choice of player to sit when Savard returns is Blake Wheeler. I'm just not impressed and haven't been even when he was putting pucks in the net on a regular basis. His decision making is beyond poor and he tends to take full games off, forget about shifts. Daniel Paille, even though he doesn't score goals, has skills that the team could use and I can't say the same about Wheeler. If Caron keeps up his play, Wheeler, who plays much smaller then 6'5", 205 lb frame, is easily the most expendable player on the team.
The other question Savard's return will bring is what line should he be on? Julian will probably want to stick him on the first line with Horton and Lucic but why mess with the chemistry David Krejic has formed with the two? I have said for two years now that what Krejic needs to be a huge success in this league is a true sniper on his wing. A Brett Hull to Krejic's Adam Oates. A Cam Neely to Krejic's Craig Janney. Nathan Horton is that sniper. If Julian keeps Horton and Krejic together both of them will have career years.
So, like I said, so far so good. Up next for the B's is a home and home on Tuesday and Thursday with the Washington Capitals. This will by far be the biggest test of the young season. We will know for sure where the B's stand this time next week.
I hate that the last column in the record is tie loses and not just ties. There is nothing wrong with a tie in the regular season and even if there was, shootouts is not the way to solve it. A shoot out win ends so anti-climatically. Even the best goal scorer only scores on a penalty shot 20% of the time. Why not just hold a coin flip?
But I digress without even really starting what I want to write about, game three of the Bruins 2010-2011 season. There are high hopes for the B's this year coming off a disappointing regular season and one of the worst exits in sports history last year, an exit of Yankee like proportions. The hopes are high after an offseason that saw the Bruins pick second in the draft and trade for the sniper the team has needed the last couple of years. Even with Marc Savard, the teams best playmaker, out for an indefinite period of time with post-concussion symptoms, the Boston faithful can't help but be excited about what the team can accomplish. And, so far, so good. After a lifeless first game in Prague, the B's have bounced back with two excellent games.
Last night's 4-1 domination of the New Jersey Devils is hopefully a sign of what this season has to hold for the Bruin's fans. The B's were in total control of both zones as they handed one of the best defensive teams in hockey a beat down. Reminiscent of the 2008-2009 season, when the Bruins surprised everyone with the best regular season record in the east, everyone on the roster added to the victory. 11 different players had points and those who didn't made their present felt none the less.
If things keep up this way, coach Claude Julian is going to have some tough choices to make when Marc Savard is able to return to the line-up. The odds on favorite to be kicked off the roster, Michael Ryder, had a bounce in his step and his shot that was lacking all of last year. Its still a little early to determine if all the talk of Ryder being left off the roster has motivated him to find his 2008-2009 form, but things are looking bright so far. Another nice surprise so far this year is rookie Jordan Caron, who scored his first NHL goal on future HOFer, Martin Brodeur. Caron seems to be the prototypical Bruin, a big winger not scared to get dirty in the corners or in front of the net. I have high hopes for this kids future.
My choice of player to sit when Savard returns is Blake Wheeler. I'm just not impressed and haven't been even when he was putting pucks in the net on a regular basis. His decision making is beyond poor and he tends to take full games off, forget about shifts. Daniel Paille, even though he doesn't score goals, has skills that the team could use and I can't say the same about Wheeler. If Caron keeps up his play, Wheeler, who plays much smaller then 6'5", 205 lb frame, is easily the most expendable player on the team.
The other question Savard's return will bring is what line should he be on? Julian will probably want to stick him on the first line with Horton and Lucic but why mess with the chemistry David Krejic has formed with the two? I have said for two years now that what Krejic needs to be a huge success in this league is a true sniper on his wing. A Brett Hull to Krejic's Adam Oates. A Cam Neely to Krejic's Craig Janney. Nathan Horton is that sniper. If Julian keeps Horton and Krejic together both of them will have career years.
So, like I said, so far so good. Up next for the B's is a home and home on Tuesday and Thursday with the Washington Capitals. This will by far be the biggest test of the young season. We will know for sure where the B's stand this time next week.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Terriers: Ring-A-Ding-Ding
At it's heart Terriers is a show about relationships. Relationships with clients. Relationships with friends. Relationships with loved ones. It deals closely with how people start relationships, how they ruin them and how they try to fix them. It highlights bad relationships, great relationships, broken relationships, mutually beneficial relationships. Every character's major dilemma centers around a relationship. Should I further this relationship? Should I rekindle this relationship? Should I stay in this relationship? That being the case, Ring-A-Ding-Ding is a watershed episode in the Terriers universe. Every relationship in the show will be drastically altered after this episodes events, whether it's how Hank will deal with his ex's pending marriage or when Brit will pop the question to Katie or how Katie will respond or how Hank will go forward with Brit holding on to the information he now has, no one is coming out the same.
We've pretty much realized from the get go that Hank is all about Hank, no matter what the relationship. He's shown us time and again that other people's feelings and well being don't mean much when compared to his goals. The whole Lindus situation was slow moving avalanche that Hank kept getting more and more people caught under, some without them even knowing it. I have a feeling we haven't seen the end of this storyline and when it reemerges everyone in Hank's life will be at risk because he didn't know when to give in and back down. In Ring-A-Ding-Ding, we see an inkling of growth though. You can't help but hope that Hank sees the error of his ways and will be willing to let his ex and her fiancee be at peace, if for nothing else then her happiness. It was spelled out for him and he seemed to understand the message, now he just needs to act properly.
The most heart breaking twist was the unveiling that Katie is more Hank when it comes to relationships then she is Brit. The whole slow train wreck of a situation played out agonizingly beautifully, leaving the viewer to constantly apologize for Katie's actions right up until the moment she confess to Hank that she knew what she was doing all along. Hank understands, of course. We can only guess that all the broken relationships in his past, his ex-wife, his ex-partner, ended because he too didn't "feel like he deserved it." But one can't help but feel impending disaster when the response is to keep Katie's digression quiet.
Now that everyone's relationship has been turned on its head we will see what Terriers really has to say about relationships. Are they worth it? Does someone always have to play the fool? Can they bring true happiness? Or only impending pain? I hope the show doesn't get canceled before we find out!
We've pretty much realized from the get go that Hank is all about Hank, no matter what the relationship. He's shown us time and again that other people's feelings and well being don't mean much when compared to his goals. The whole Lindus situation was slow moving avalanche that Hank kept getting more and more people caught under, some without them even knowing it. I have a feeling we haven't seen the end of this storyline and when it reemerges everyone in Hank's life will be at risk because he didn't know when to give in and back down. In Ring-A-Ding-Ding, we see an inkling of growth though. You can't help but hope that Hank sees the error of his ways and will be willing to let his ex and her fiancee be at peace, if for nothing else then her happiness. It was spelled out for him and he seemed to understand the message, now he just needs to act properly.
The most heart breaking twist was the unveiling that Katie is more Hank when it comes to relationships then she is Brit. The whole slow train wreck of a situation played out agonizingly beautifully, leaving the viewer to constantly apologize for Katie's actions right up until the moment she confess to Hank that she knew what she was doing all along. Hank understands, of course. We can only guess that all the broken relationships in his past, his ex-wife, his ex-partner, ended because he too didn't "feel like he deserved it." But one can't help but feel impending disaster when the response is to keep Katie's digression quiet.
Now that everyone's relationship has been turned on its head we will see what Terriers really has to say about relationships. Are they worth it? Does someone always have to play the fool? Can they bring true happiness? Or only impending pain? I hope the show doesn't get canceled before we find out!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Book Review: The Poe Shadow
In the world of music, many times, a bands first album is their best. Chances are they were touring for years with the same material when they finally land a record deal, giving them plenty of time to tweak and morph each song to perfection before stepping into the studio and laying them down for eternity. The second album never lives up to its predecessor because the band is rushed into the studio for a follow up and forced to produce songs in a quarter of the time they had for the first one. The world of writing is much different. With each book an author usually builds on the lessons learned heading closer and closer to his or her masterpiece. Matthew Pearl seems to be the rare novelist who fits in better with the rules of the music world then writing. His first novel, The Dante Club, threw him suddenly to the top of the historical fiction genre. It was an intriguing and exciting piece of literature that used historical characters to create a page turning mystery novel. With his second novel, The Poe Shadow, Pearl took a huge step backwards. Much like The Dante Club, The Poe Shadow uses real people and the very real mystery of Edgar Allen Poe's death to set up a fictional story about the deaths investigation. Unlike The Dante Club, the novel struggles to establish a tone, leaving the characters to come off as farcical and unbelievable and the mystery lacking. Cries of, "Come on," and questions like, "Am I supposed to be taking this serious," were common as I trudged through the books 384 pages. By the time I reached the concluding chapters, I found myself not caring at all for the protagonist or the mystery he was working so hard to solve. The mysterious conditions surrounding Poe's death seemed ripe for a deeply exciting page turner, but Pearl totally dropped the ball. His biggest mistakes come with the character's he uses to push his story's plot along. The main character, a Baltimore lawyer, Quentin Clark, is not interesting or compelling at all short of his one dimensional love of Poe's work. The two major antagonists, Clark's best guesses at the possible inspiration for Poe's famous detective C. Auguste Dupin, both come off so comical and unbelievable the reader becomes lost over what the novel's tone is supposed to be. Is it a suspenseful query into the death of one of America's greatest writers? Or is it a comical farce about obsessed fans? As high a bar as The Dante Club set, it seemed that Pearl was headed toward placement in the conversation about this generations best novelists, but that just isn't the case with The Poe Shadow. Hopefully Pearl will find his stride with his next novel. There are plenty of musicians who take time developing their third album, or sometimes their fourth, and are able to regain the magic of their first. I hope Pearl follows this career path and not the one of the one hit wonder.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Top 5: Live Sporting Events
In honor of the hockey season starting and NESN playing the 1990 Bruins vs Whalers playoff game on Bruins Classics, I decided to do Top 5 Sporting Events Seen Live. Now, I've never gone to an All-Star Game or any professional championship and I've never seen a no-hitter, so this list is more the weird and exciting things I have happened to see in my 25 years of going to sporting events. Its not a very majestic list, but I think its fun...
5) Man Walks Across Green Monster
This goes back to the good old days when there wasn't seats atop the Green Monster. Those of you familiar with Fenway Park know the Green Monster is a three or four story tall wall that sits out in left field. Back before they put the seats up there, the top of the wall was just a two foot wide strip of wall with a net behind it to stop baseballs from flying into the street behind it. The wall went right up to a section of seats in right field. So we're at the game, having a good time, when I look up and see a guy walking across the wall, four stories high, with nothing between him and the outfield grass below. A homerun had been hit the previous inning and this crazy (and probably very drunk) guy thought he would just climb up on the wall and walk across it to pull the ball out of the net. Needless to say, we stopped watching the game, as the guy slowly crawled out to the ball and then slowly back to the seats where, of course, the security team was waiting to haul him away. I've never heard of anyone trying this before or after.
On a similar note, during one of the Yankee games I went to, a fan jumped or fell (not sure which) out of the upper deck of Yankee Stadium in to the safety net that catches foul balls behind the plate. A couple of years ago this happened again on National TV and they acted like it had never happened before, but I knew different.
4) WrestleMania XI
Putting this on the list is bitter sweet for me. I had always dreamed of attending a WrestleMania event. It was always so bigger then life and the thought of having been there live to see Hulk Hogan body slam Andre the Giant or Roddy Pipper beat the crap out of Mr. T was beyond belief. So, when the greatest event in wrestling was coming to Hartford, CT, I lost my mind. The bitter part is the fact that it is considered one of the worst WrestleManias held. I got to see Bret Hart, my all time favorite wrestler, wrestle live with Roddy Pipper as special guest ref, but there wasn't much more in the highlight column. At the very least, I get to say I attended a WrestleMania and that's cool enough to put this on the list.
3) Bruin Fan Goes After Ref
So, we're at a Bruins game, sitting pretty close to the ice, behind the Bruins bench and the ref is having a horrible game. He's missing obvious calls left and right. It gets so bad that we see Glenn Wesley, one of the Bruins defensemen, come over to the bench with a huge gash over his eye he got from a high stick. The Bruins coach yells at him to go over to the ref and show him what he missed. The Bruins crowd was going crazy and then, while the players were lining up for a face-off, a crazy (and probably drunk) fan climbs up over the boards, falls to the ice and starts to charge the ref. Out of nowhere one of the linesmen comes flying over and hits the guy with one of the best open ice hits I've ever seen. The guy slides into the boards and players pile on top of him, taking many liberties, I'm sure. Now, there have been a few instances of hockey players climbing into the seats to fight the fans, one instance where a fan reached over the boards into the penalty box and grabbed a player and many instances in other sports where fans have run onto the field, but I have never heard before or after of a fan jumping on the ice. It was crazy!
2) Heat II (Ryan vs Clemens)
Thanks to Roger Clemens this match-up means less then it once did, but it still only happened twice and I got to see it. You have to remember, this was before Clemens took steroids and was the most feared started in baseball. Nolan Ryan was aging but still had a few no hitters left in him. If Clemens hadn't gone and tarnished his reputation, this would have gone down as a match-up of the two best power pitchers to ever step on the field. Clemens won, but it was a great game with more excitement then is common for a regular season game.
1) Bruins vs Whalers 1990 Adams Division Semi-Finals Game 4
In the grand scheme of things, this wasn't all that important a game. It wasn't an elimination game. It was the first round of the playoffs. But I have never had a more electric experience at a live sporting event. At the end, it felt like the Bruins had won the Stanley Cup. Bruins/Whalers games at the Hartford Civic Center were always crazy to attend. Since Boston and Hartford are so close, there were always a ton of Bruins fans at the games and the two sides would end up in a number of bloody fights in the stands. The fans of the two teams did not like each other! The Whalers were a far inferior team that year. The Bruins had finished with the best record in hockey and were favorites to take the cup. The Whalers had limped into the playoffs finishing in the last qualifying spot. But none the less, the Whalers were up two games to one and had jumped up 5-2 going into the third period in this game. The chances of coming back from a 3-1 deficit were slim and there was a sense of doom for us Bruins fans. But somehow the Bruins fought back and scored 4 goals in the 3rd period to win the game. The Bruins fans went crazy, even though we were in Hartford all you could hear was "Hear We Go Bruins" chants. The celebration spilled out into the streets as car horns honked for Bruin jerseys and fans hi-fived each other and continued chanting all the way to their cars. It was insane and one of the greatest sport related feelings I've ever had.
5) Man Walks Across Green Monster
This goes back to the good old days when there wasn't seats atop the Green Monster. Those of you familiar with Fenway Park know the Green Monster is a three or four story tall wall that sits out in left field. Back before they put the seats up there, the top of the wall was just a two foot wide strip of wall with a net behind it to stop baseballs from flying into the street behind it. The wall went right up to a section of seats in right field. So we're at the game, having a good time, when I look up and see a guy walking across the wall, four stories high, with nothing between him and the outfield grass below. A homerun had been hit the previous inning and this crazy (and probably very drunk) guy thought he would just climb up on the wall and walk across it to pull the ball out of the net. Needless to say, we stopped watching the game, as the guy slowly crawled out to the ball and then slowly back to the seats where, of course, the security team was waiting to haul him away. I've never heard of anyone trying this before or after.
On a similar note, during one of the Yankee games I went to, a fan jumped or fell (not sure which) out of the upper deck of Yankee Stadium in to the safety net that catches foul balls behind the plate. A couple of years ago this happened again on National TV and they acted like it had never happened before, but I knew different.
4) WrestleMania XI
Putting this on the list is bitter sweet for me. I had always dreamed of attending a WrestleMania event. It was always so bigger then life and the thought of having been there live to see Hulk Hogan body slam Andre the Giant or Roddy Pipper beat the crap out of Mr. T was beyond belief. So, when the greatest event in wrestling was coming to Hartford, CT, I lost my mind. The bitter part is the fact that it is considered one of the worst WrestleManias held. I got to see Bret Hart, my all time favorite wrestler, wrestle live with Roddy Pipper as special guest ref, but there wasn't much more in the highlight column. At the very least, I get to say I attended a WrestleMania and that's cool enough to put this on the list.
3) Bruin Fan Goes After Ref
So, we're at a Bruins game, sitting pretty close to the ice, behind the Bruins bench and the ref is having a horrible game. He's missing obvious calls left and right. It gets so bad that we see Glenn Wesley, one of the Bruins defensemen, come over to the bench with a huge gash over his eye he got from a high stick. The Bruins coach yells at him to go over to the ref and show him what he missed. The Bruins crowd was going crazy and then, while the players were lining up for a face-off, a crazy (and probably drunk) fan climbs up over the boards, falls to the ice and starts to charge the ref. Out of nowhere one of the linesmen comes flying over and hits the guy with one of the best open ice hits I've ever seen. The guy slides into the boards and players pile on top of him, taking many liberties, I'm sure. Now, there have been a few instances of hockey players climbing into the seats to fight the fans, one instance where a fan reached over the boards into the penalty box and grabbed a player and many instances in other sports where fans have run onto the field, but I have never heard before or after of a fan jumping on the ice. It was crazy!
2) Heat II (Ryan vs Clemens)
Thanks to Roger Clemens this match-up means less then it once did, but it still only happened twice and I got to see it. You have to remember, this was before Clemens took steroids and was the most feared started in baseball. Nolan Ryan was aging but still had a few no hitters left in him. If Clemens hadn't gone and tarnished his reputation, this would have gone down as a match-up of the two best power pitchers to ever step on the field. Clemens won, but it was a great game with more excitement then is common for a regular season game.
1) Bruins vs Whalers 1990 Adams Division Semi-Finals Game 4
In the grand scheme of things, this wasn't all that important a game. It wasn't an elimination game. It was the first round of the playoffs. But I have never had a more electric experience at a live sporting event. At the end, it felt like the Bruins had won the Stanley Cup. Bruins/Whalers games at the Hartford Civic Center were always crazy to attend. Since Boston and Hartford are so close, there were always a ton of Bruins fans at the games and the two sides would end up in a number of bloody fights in the stands. The fans of the two teams did not like each other! The Whalers were a far inferior team that year. The Bruins had finished with the best record in hockey and were favorites to take the cup. The Whalers had limped into the playoffs finishing in the last qualifying spot. But none the less, the Whalers were up two games to one and had jumped up 5-2 going into the third period in this game. The chances of coming back from a 3-1 deficit were slim and there was a sense of doom for us Bruins fans. But somehow the Bruins fought back and scored 4 goals in the 3rd period to win the game. The Bruins fans went crazy, even though we were in Hartford all you could hear was "Hear We Go Bruins" chants. The celebration spilled out into the streets as car horns honked for Bruin jerseys and fans hi-fived each other and continued chanting all the way to their cars. It was insane and one of the greatest sport related feelings I've ever had.
How I Met Your Mother: Subway Wars
Another week of HIMYM and another step in the right direction. I'm pretty sure any episode that has Ranjit in it is worth watching. As much as I felt we've gone over the episodes major subject before, Robin not being a real New Yorker, the episode was funny and continued to push forward many of the story lines we've been following this year. The way the Lilly/Marshall story line was handled in this episode was more along the lines weighty emotional stuff should be handled. Their manic behavior set up many laughs and the somewhat corny conclusion didn't take away from everything else that was going on. The Marshal vs The Machines folk song was genius! The multiple Maury Povich sitings was great as well, especially since it was never explained why. The episode also supplied further evidence that we may be heading towards a Barney-Robin wedding. There has to be more to Barney's action then just being a good friend.
If I had one complaint, I think they may have missed the boat on the ratemyproffesor.com bit. They basically just introduced the topic, made Ted slightly manic about it in such a manor that none of us really cared and solved the dilemma with one line by Marshal. There was more comedy gold to be mined from this subject, but for whatever reason the writers just let it go.
Over all, that's two good episodes in a row. As much as I think they should just tell us who the Mom is and move on, I'm going to have faith in the writers, who seem to be back on the right track, and ride the show to its conclusion.
If I had one complaint, I think they may have missed the boat on the ratemyproffesor.com bit. They basically just introduced the topic, made Ted slightly manic about it in such a manor that none of us really cared and solved the dilemma with one line by Marshal. There was more comedy gold to be mined from this subject, but for whatever reason the writers just let it go.
Over all, that's two good episodes in a row. As much as I think they should just tell us who the Mom is and move on, I'm going to have faith in the writers, who seem to be back on the right track, and ride the show to its conclusion.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
From My Queue: Drillbit Taylor
Drillbit Taylor: 3 out of 5 stars
writers: Kristofor Brown, Seth Rogan
director: Steven Brill
Business in Hollywood isn't difficult to figure out. If something works, do it again... and again... and again until it doesn't make money anymore. Almost all of us have uttered at one time or another that there are no new ideas in Hollywood and every year this seems to be more and more true. The box office seems to be cluttered with remakes and retreads, the same old stories and the same old characters put on display time and time again. Knowing what I know about business in Hollywood, it isn't hard to guess what happened with Drillbit Taylor, a high school comedy produced by Judd Apatow and written by Seth Rogan. Either, A) the studio had made it before Superbad, wasn't crazy about how it came out, put it on the shelf, decided they could make some money off it once Superbad blew up. Or B) After Superbad blew up the studio grabbed whatever script Seth Rogan had lying around and rushed it into production before the Superbad craze died down. Drillbit Taylor has everything you would expect from Seth Rogan with characters that are eerily similar to, if not exactley the same, as those in Superbad. At times I felt like I was watching what must have been the first draft of Superbad combined with another script about a homeless drifter. There was nothing new or original about the movie at all.
All that being said, I loved Superbad and I love Judd Apatow and I love Owen Wilson. In many ways this movie was a waste of great comedic talent, it included performances by Leslie Mann, Danny McBride, Stephen Root, Lisa Lampanelli, Kevin Hart, Matt Besser and David Koechner, but it still had it moments. I laughed, maybe not as much as I would have wanted, but I laughed enough. If I had spent money to see this in the theater I most likely would have walked away pissed, but seeing it through Netflix made it pleasantly enjoyable. If you're not expecting the world, Drillbit Taylor is worth a watch.
writers: Kristofor Brown, Seth Rogan
director: Steven Brill
Business in Hollywood isn't difficult to figure out. If something works, do it again... and again... and again until it doesn't make money anymore. Almost all of us have uttered at one time or another that there are no new ideas in Hollywood and every year this seems to be more and more true. The box office seems to be cluttered with remakes and retreads, the same old stories and the same old characters put on display time and time again. Knowing what I know about business in Hollywood, it isn't hard to guess what happened with Drillbit Taylor, a high school comedy produced by Judd Apatow and written by Seth Rogan. Either, A) the studio had made it before Superbad, wasn't crazy about how it came out, put it on the shelf, decided they could make some money off it once Superbad blew up. Or B) After Superbad blew up the studio grabbed whatever script Seth Rogan had lying around and rushed it into production before the Superbad craze died down. Drillbit Taylor has everything you would expect from Seth Rogan with characters that are eerily similar to, if not exactley the same, as those in Superbad. At times I felt like I was watching what must have been the first draft of Superbad combined with another script about a homeless drifter. There was nothing new or original about the movie at all.
All that being said, I loved Superbad and I love Judd Apatow and I love Owen Wilson. In many ways this movie was a waste of great comedic talent, it included performances by Leslie Mann, Danny McBride, Stephen Root, Lisa Lampanelli, Kevin Hart, Matt Besser and David Koechner, but it still had it moments. I laughed, maybe not as much as I would have wanted, but I laughed enough. If I had spent money to see this in the theater I most likely would have walked away pissed, but seeing it through Netflix made it pleasantly enjoyable. If you're not expecting the world, Drillbit Taylor is worth a watch.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Top 5: Most Hated Songs
So, I got the new Guitar Hero game and took a look at the playlist and was horrified to see "Losing My Religion." It dawned on me that mostly likely I was going to have to play this song at least once and my heart sank. In an attempt to pull something positive out of the horrible development, I was inspired to come up with this week's top 5, Top 5 Songs That Make You Want To Find A Sharp Object, Grip It As Tight As Possible, And Jamb It Repeatedly Into Your Ear Until The Intense Pain Drowns Out The Horrible Music. I won't include links. I wouldn't want to torture you anymore then reading this will.
5. Mr. Jones - Counting Crows
I'm not sure what it is that I hate so much about this song. I just do. I always have. From the first minute I heard it. Maybe it's Adam Durtiz's horrible singing. Maybe it's his pretentious lyrics. Maybe it was just his dreads. Anyway you look at it, I really do not like this song and will turn off any radio that attempts to play it.
4. Bills, Bills, Bills - Destiny's Child
This song is just fucking stupid, much like anything sung by Beyonce. It hurts my brain to listen to anything that she sings, but this song takes the cake.
3. Losing My Religion - REM
I hate REM and I have hated them from the moment I heard this song. It bores the piss out of me. I'm not sure what all those college kids found so enjoyable about Michael Stipe's whining. The band's "genius" was totally lost on me. There is only one of their songs I could stand, the rest could burn in hell for all I care.
2. Umbrella - Rihanna
I don't get it. Not for a second. People go on about how great her voice is and all I hear is some horrible hack making the word umbrella last as long as humanly possible by singing each syllable as many times as she can without the person recording the song coming out from the booth and punching her in the face. The only thing this song is good for is annoying the heck out of your co-workers and why anyone would choose to listen to it otherwise is beyond me.
1. Zombie - The Cranberries
Holy cow, do I hate this band!! I could have easily made this list just their songs, but I thought it would be more fun to only list one per artist. The element that adds to my hatred of almost all the songs on this list, is how popular they became. How anyone can stand hearing Dolores O'Riordan carry on like a devil possessed banshee over and over again is beyond me. It pains me to say anything bad about anything Irish, but this is not an Irish product to be proud of.
Honorable Mentions - like I said anything by REM and The Cranberries could have made the list, Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) - Beyonce, Crank That (Soulja Boy) - Soulja Boy Tell 'Em
How surprised are you that Dave Matthews appears nowhere on this post?
5. Mr. Jones - Counting Crows
I'm not sure what it is that I hate so much about this song. I just do. I always have. From the first minute I heard it. Maybe it's Adam Durtiz's horrible singing. Maybe it's his pretentious lyrics. Maybe it was just his dreads. Anyway you look at it, I really do not like this song and will turn off any radio that attempts to play it.
4. Bills, Bills, Bills - Destiny's Child
This song is just fucking stupid, much like anything sung by Beyonce. It hurts my brain to listen to anything that she sings, but this song takes the cake.
3. Losing My Religion - REM
I hate REM and I have hated them from the moment I heard this song. It bores the piss out of me. I'm not sure what all those college kids found so enjoyable about Michael Stipe's whining. The band's "genius" was totally lost on me. There is only one of their songs I could stand, the rest could burn in hell for all I care.
2. Umbrella - Rihanna
I don't get it. Not for a second. People go on about how great her voice is and all I hear is some horrible hack making the word umbrella last as long as humanly possible by singing each syllable as many times as she can without the person recording the song coming out from the booth and punching her in the face. The only thing this song is good for is annoying the heck out of your co-workers and why anyone would choose to listen to it otherwise is beyond me.
1. Zombie - The Cranberries
Holy cow, do I hate this band!! I could have easily made this list just their songs, but I thought it would be more fun to only list one per artist. The element that adds to my hatred of almost all the songs on this list, is how popular they became. How anyone can stand hearing Dolores O'Riordan carry on like a devil possessed banshee over and over again is beyond me. It pains me to say anything bad about anything Irish, but this is not an Irish product to be proud of.
Honorable Mentions - like I said anything by REM and The Cranberries could have made the list, Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) - Beyonce, Crank That (Soulja Boy) - Soulja Boy Tell 'Em
How surprised are you that Dave Matthews appears nowhere on this post?
How I Met Your Mother: Unfinished
The creators of HIMYM promised that they would be returning to the original formula of their show, the formula that had us all in stitches every week. After the first two episodes of the season, I was a little leery, it seemed like the same sitcomy Season 5 stuff with a lot of emotional slop thrown on top. With "Unfinished" it looks like we might finally be headed in the right direction. Not only were the laughs back, but so was the formula that makes for a great HIMYM episode. That formula is an episode about Ted and his issues that is carried by Barney with the others sprinkled in for laughs. "Unfinished" is really all about Ted struggling with how to go forward in life. Should he follow his dreams and take a gamble on designing a goliath of a building? Or should he continue down the safe road and continue to teach? What makes the show move, though, is Barney treating Ted like one of his many conquests as he tries to persuade Ted into designing the GNB building. The show is never funnier then when Barney is caring the laughs, but the show is called How I Met Your Mother and Ted is the character we are most emotionally invested in. We never have much doubt that Ted is, as Robin said, "so going to open his legs and design the building," but this show is about the journey, whether that journey is forward, backward, or sideways in time, and its great to feel like we are being taken somewhere again.
As important as Ted's journey and Barney's laughs are to the show getting back on track, we can't lose sight of the other friends and this episode was strong in that regard as well. Lilly coined yet another classic catch phrase, "Where's the poop?" Robin was great with her drunk phone calls to Don. Marshal brought two hilarious moments to the table with his continued attempts to be Barney's wingman and his amazing band "The Funk, The Whole Funk, And Nothing But The Funk". I have my fingers crossed that in true HIMYM style, it isn't the last we've seen of these guys!
Now that the HIMYM writers have me laughing again, I'm praying it's not a flash in the pan. Hopefully they have found their rhythm again and this is more a sign of things to come then a one off classic episode.
As important as Ted's journey and Barney's laughs are to the show getting back on track, we can't lose sight of the other friends and this episode was strong in that regard as well. Lilly coined yet another classic catch phrase, "Where's the poop?" Robin was great with her drunk phone calls to Don. Marshal brought two hilarious moments to the table with his continued attempts to be Barney's wingman and his amazing band "The Funk, The Whole Funk, And Nothing But The Funk". I have my fingers crossed that in true HIMYM style, it isn't the last we've seen of these guys!
Now that the HIMYM writers have me laughing again, I'm praying it's not a flash in the pan. Hopefully they have found their rhythm again and this is more a sign of things to come then a one off classic episode.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Terriers: Fustercluck
As the title of the episode suggests, it looks like things are going to start to get a little messy for Hank and Britt. The Lindus case rears its ugly head again as the boys are asked to help steal money that will bail Lindus out of jail. Finally an episode that plays to the strength of the show's creator, Ted Griffin, writer of Ocean's Eleven. We get to see the boys in action as they break into a heavily guarded and alarmed Lindus building to get a quarter of a million dollars out of a safe. The show would become that much more enjoyable if Griffin could sprinkle more Ocean's like heists to go along with the relationship between Hank and Britt. It added more suspense, humor and depth to a show that is already ripe with all three.
The audience was also given the dose of humanity for Hank that I called for in my last Terriers post. We got the answer to last episode's bizarre ending. There was another person in the house and it was or is Hank's mentally ill sister. Louge does a great job of immediately conveying Hank's love and concern for her and in the process gains back some of the sympathy lost last episode. Hank is far from being the perfect and still has an extremely darkside, as any recovering alcoholic who lost his job and wife would, but we were reminded that he does have qualities that pulls people into his corner, whether they be partners, ex-partner's, ex-wives, or best friend's girls. Of course, this traits are what make users like Hank dangerous to those around him, so as much as we want to root for him in his plight, we can't forget he's the same guy who faked the loan signature with the bankers dead body bleeding on the street. Hank tells Britt, "I always miss the funny part," after Britt tells him a joke and you can't help but feel this is how Hank looks at his life, always missing the funny parts.
Hank keeps pulling Britt and himself deeper into whatever is behind this Lindus mess and in the process deeper into trouble. He says it's to get revenge and save the reputation of his old drinking buddy, Micky Goslen, but one can't help but feel it's about saving himself. Hank comments to Britt about how Micky once had a nice house but now all his life fit into one box. This is where Hank sees his life going. It's why he buys his house back. It's why he wants his ex-wife back. He doesn't want to end up dead in an alley with all his belongings fitting into a box. Somehow he sees solving Micky's murder as another part of that equation. By saving Micky's reputation, by proving that he was murdered and not killed by his addictions, Hank hopes to save a part of himself. Like almost everything in his life, the case isn't about Micky, it's about Hank.
Other bits...
Maybe it was just a throw away line or a mistake in the writing, but Hank says to Katie, "You know the rules," when leaving her with his sister. Britt later asks, "There are rules to watching your sister?" This begs the question, why would Katie know about taking care of Steph but Britt wouldn't? Do Katie and Hank have a past separate from Britt?
The audience was also given the dose of humanity for Hank that I called for in my last Terriers post. We got the answer to last episode's bizarre ending. There was another person in the house and it was or is Hank's mentally ill sister. Louge does a great job of immediately conveying Hank's love and concern for her and in the process gains back some of the sympathy lost last episode. Hank is far from being the perfect and still has an extremely darkside, as any recovering alcoholic who lost his job and wife would, but we were reminded that he does have qualities that pulls people into his corner, whether they be partners, ex-partner's, ex-wives, or best friend's girls. Of course, this traits are what make users like Hank dangerous to those around him, so as much as we want to root for him in his plight, we can't forget he's the same guy who faked the loan signature with the bankers dead body bleeding on the street. Hank tells Britt, "I always miss the funny part," after Britt tells him a joke and you can't help but feel this is how Hank looks at his life, always missing the funny parts.
Hank keeps pulling Britt and himself deeper into whatever is behind this Lindus mess and in the process deeper into trouble. He says it's to get revenge and save the reputation of his old drinking buddy, Micky Goslen, but one can't help but feel it's about saving himself. Hank comments to Britt about how Micky once had a nice house but now all his life fit into one box. This is where Hank sees his life going. It's why he buys his house back. It's why he wants his ex-wife back. He doesn't want to end up dead in an alley with all his belongings fitting into a box. Somehow he sees solving Micky's murder as another part of that equation. By saving Micky's reputation, by proving that he was murdered and not killed by his addictions, Hank hopes to save a part of himself. Like almost everything in his life, the case isn't about Micky, it's about Hank.
Other bits...
Maybe it was just a throw away line or a mistake in the writing, but Hank says to Katie, "You know the rules," when leaving her with his sister. Britt later asks, "There are rules to watching your sister?" This begs the question, why would Katie know about taking care of Steph but Britt wouldn't? Do Katie and Hank have a past separate from Britt?
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
A Note About The Baseball Season
Winning the World Series was supposed to change everything. We said the day after was going to different and I guess to a certain extent it was. Suddenly there were a bunch of people who were never there before, the working class fan was priced out by the suits and pink hats who spent more time on the phone or at the bar then watching the game, it was now the cool thing to be instead of the birthright it use to. But none of that is what we meant by change. We thought the suffering was going to disappear, the torture was going to stop, the pessimism was going to be washed away. But watching the 2010 season limp off into the sunset Friday night, I couldn't help but feel all those old emotions bubble to the surface.
The 2010 Red Sox were a vintage pre-championship team. I had them written off from the get go, which I guess was something slightly different from the old "this is the year" attitude I held on to every April. They had no offense. The "big" signings in the offseason only brought more question marks. There was nothing in the minors. GM Theo Epstein said it was going to be a bridge year, but my question was, a bridge to what? And to top it all off, the team had no personality. They just weren't fun to watch. So, I was far from surprised when they fell behind early. I watched the games, but was torn between rooting for my team because they were my team and rooting against my team so I could boast, "I told you so." Somehow, though, they never fell totally out of contention. Even when one of the biggest injury bugs in the history of baseball hit the team, they hung in there. Never close enough to be a threat, but never so far behind to be discounted. I should have known right then.
The most painful aspect of being a Red Sox fan BC (before championship) wasn't that they didn't win. Perennial losers aren't hard to follow. People always wanted to compare us to the "long suffering" Cubs fans, but what is there to suffer about knowing where you are going to finish every year. Chicago fans never started a year thinking, "this is the year," they never popped the corks off the champagne only to have the ball go through the firstbase man's legs, they never had Bucky "F-ing" Dent or Aaron "F-ing" Boone. What was most painful about being a Red Sox fan was that they were always in the mix, but they never came through in the end. Each year you would tell yourself that you weren't going to be fooled again, you weren't going to get excited because it was never going to happen, but then it would be September and against all odds they were in the race and you fought the desire to give in, to let yourself get hurt again, but you couldn't and the minute you thought, wait, this could be the year, they watched a called third strike or they gave up that homerun or they committed that error and it hurt that much more then the last time.
So, the 2010 Red Sox went into the last two weeks of the season with the smallest of chances of making the playoffs. As much as I had disliked the team that started the season, I had grown to love the band of misfits and youngsters thrown together due to all the injuries. The Daniel Nava's and Ryan Kalish's made me almost forget how much we were overpaying JD Drew to hit .242. Every bad start by the Beckett's and Lackey's seemed to be offset by Lester and Buckholtz. The Yankees magic number was 3, but they had 6 games left with the Sox. If the Sox could take those 6 games and 3 of 4 from Chicago, the Yankees would have to sweep Toronto. It was a long shot... but they won game one in New York... then they won game two. It wasn't until they scored two runs in the top of the 9th inning off of Mariano Rivera to take a one run lead in game three that I thought, "Wait, we can do this." And then it all fell apart. Our answer to Rivera, one of the major reason we won it all in 2007, Jonathan Pappelbon couldn't get three lousy outs before giving up the tying run and then Okajima walked in, yes WALKED in, the winning run. And it hurt.
I write all this because it wasn't supposed to feel like this anymore. The team proved in 2004 and again in 2007 that they were capable of winning. There wasn't a curse. They weren't out to cause us all pain. The Boston Red Sox were no different then the other 29 teams in the league. We now knew what it felt like to win, something my grandfather never experienced, so there was no way we could feel let down again. And yet, here it was, three short years since the last championship, and those old feelings were back. I turned off the TV cursing myself for falling for the same old bullshit. How could they do this to us again? But then it dawned on me, maybe it wasn't them. Maybe there is something about a Red Sox fan, a real Red Sox fan, those of us who's hearts broke when Yaz fouled out with the winning run on second, who shed tears when that ball went through Buckner's legs, that courts these emotions. Maybe there is something about growing up in New England that makes one illogically hopeful and intrinsically pessimistic at the same time. Maybe we brought all the pain on ourselves. All those years I spent blaming the Red Sox for breaking my heart, maybe I was just projecting, pushing my fears about life and relationships on something that couldn't argue otherwise. I realize that most of you will find it ridiculous to find life lessons in a stupid sports team, but maybe there is something there. Maybe us Red Sox fans had it wrong all along. Things have changed since 2004, just not what we expected or wanted because the problem wasn't where we thought it was. It wasn't bad ownership. It wasn't players that folded in the clutch. It wasn't a bad trade made 80 some-odd years ago. Maybe the problem has been us the whole time.
The 2010 Red Sox were a vintage pre-championship team. I had them written off from the get go, which I guess was something slightly different from the old "this is the year" attitude I held on to every April. They had no offense. The "big" signings in the offseason only brought more question marks. There was nothing in the minors. GM Theo Epstein said it was going to be a bridge year, but my question was, a bridge to what? And to top it all off, the team had no personality. They just weren't fun to watch. So, I was far from surprised when they fell behind early. I watched the games, but was torn between rooting for my team because they were my team and rooting against my team so I could boast, "I told you so." Somehow, though, they never fell totally out of contention. Even when one of the biggest injury bugs in the history of baseball hit the team, they hung in there. Never close enough to be a threat, but never so far behind to be discounted. I should have known right then.
The most painful aspect of being a Red Sox fan BC (before championship) wasn't that they didn't win. Perennial losers aren't hard to follow. People always wanted to compare us to the "long suffering" Cubs fans, but what is there to suffer about knowing where you are going to finish every year. Chicago fans never started a year thinking, "this is the year," they never popped the corks off the champagne only to have the ball go through the firstbase man's legs, they never had Bucky "F-ing" Dent or Aaron "F-ing" Boone. What was most painful about being a Red Sox fan was that they were always in the mix, but they never came through in the end. Each year you would tell yourself that you weren't going to be fooled again, you weren't going to get excited because it was never going to happen, but then it would be September and against all odds they were in the race and you fought the desire to give in, to let yourself get hurt again, but you couldn't and the minute you thought, wait, this could be the year, they watched a called third strike or they gave up that homerun or they committed that error and it hurt that much more then the last time.
So, the 2010 Red Sox went into the last two weeks of the season with the smallest of chances of making the playoffs. As much as I had disliked the team that started the season, I had grown to love the band of misfits and youngsters thrown together due to all the injuries. The Daniel Nava's and Ryan Kalish's made me almost forget how much we were overpaying JD Drew to hit .242. Every bad start by the Beckett's and Lackey's seemed to be offset by Lester and Buckholtz. The Yankees magic number was 3, but they had 6 games left with the Sox. If the Sox could take those 6 games and 3 of 4 from Chicago, the Yankees would have to sweep Toronto. It was a long shot... but they won game one in New York... then they won game two. It wasn't until they scored two runs in the top of the 9th inning off of Mariano Rivera to take a one run lead in game three that I thought, "Wait, we can do this." And then it all fell apart. Our answer to Rivera, one of the major reason we won it all in 2007, Jonathan Pappelbon couldn't get three lousy outs before giving up the tying run and then Okajima walked in, yes WALKED in, the winning run. And it hurt.
I write all this because it wasn't supposed to feel like this anymore. The team proved in 2004 and again in 2007 that they were capable of winning. There wasn't a curse. They weren't out to cause us all pain. The Boston Red Sox were no different then the other 29 teams in the league. We now knew what it felt like to win, something my grandfather never experienced, so there was no way we could feel let down again. And yet, here it was, three short years since the last championship, and those old feelings were back. I turned off the TV cursing myself for falling for the same old bullshit. How could they do this to us again? But then it dawned on me, maybe it wasn't them. Maybe there is something about a Red Sox fan, a real Red Sox fan, those of us who's hearts broke when Yaz fouled out with the winning run on second, who shed tears when that ball went through Buckner's legs, that courts these emotions. Maybe there is something about growing up in New England that makes one illogically hopeful and intrinsically pessimistic at the same time. Maybe we brought all the pain on ourselves. All those years I spent blaming the Red Sox for breaking my heart, maybe I was just projecting, pushing my fears about life and relationships on something that couldn't argue otherwise. I realize that most of you will find it ridiculous to find life lessons in a stupid sports team, but maybe there is something there. Maybe us Red Sox fans had it wrong all along. Things have changed since 2004, just not what we expected or wanted because the problem wasn't where we thought it was. It wasn't bad ownership. It wasn't players that folded in the clutch. It wasn't a bad trade made 80 some-odd years ago. Maybe the problem has been us the whole time.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Top 5: Old School Video Games
In honor of the sixth installment in the Guitar Hero catalogue being released today, I give you this week's top 5... Top 5 Favorite Old School Video Games. For anyone reading this that may be significantly younger then me, I define "old school" as being anything for the original Nintendo system or earlier. So, for all of you who had to blow into your system or cartridge to make it work, who got chased around a two dimensional maze by ghosts, hot dogs, pickles, barrels and snakes, who's controller was connected to the system by a giant phone cord, and who screamed at their TV's "I PUSHED THAT BUTTON", here's my list...
5. Super Mario Brothers/Duck Hunt (Nintendo)
My answers to these top 5 topics sometimes end up being a little perverse, a little of which is a conscious effort to avoid the obvious and expose people to things they may not have heard of or experienced and a little of which is just because my taste tends to be just slightly outside the mainstream, but with this topic it's hard to stray to far outside the box. I guess putting it 5 instead of 1 is my way of keeping true to my lists even though this was the game that changed gaming for my generation. This game was so addicting that I would walk into our spare room where the Nintendo was and find my parents playing... and they wouldn't let me play! It was my game!! This game opened the door for gaming as we know it today)
4. Tron (Intelevision)
I had to include something from Intelevision. I'm sure most of you didn't even play on it, but it was the first system in my house. I used to spend hours playing this game. All you did was run around throwing discs at evil robots. It sounds so archaic now, but it kicked ass back then)
3. Tetris (Nintendo/Game Boy)
Again, super simple concept but I would play for hours. This is easily the most addicting game ever... well, other then Bust-A-Move, aka Bubble Boy. Tetris, like Mario Brothers, was the first of its kind and spawned a whole genre of puzzle games.)
2. Pitfall (Atari)
I submit that this game holds up to any game that is being played now, shitty graphics or not. I could have gone with Mrs. Pacman or Galaga or Space Invaders, but this was my favorite Atari game by far. I sure my love of Indiana Jones has something to do with that, but whatever, it's a classic.)
1. Baseball Stars (Nintendo)
None of you probably know much about this game but it was light years ahead of it's time. I'll admit that I haven't played a baseball game in the last few years, but up until I was still playing, there were concepts in Baseball Stars that still weren't being used. You built your team from scratch and got money for each win. Who you beat determined how much you got and you would use that money to pay players and improve their stats. Do you want to be popular so you can make more money or do you want to just build areas that make your team better on the field? To go along with this, the game play was great. You could jump walls to rob home runs and dive to steal base hits, things you couldn't do until the next generation of games came along. I loved this game more then any other sports game except NHL for Sega)
5. Super Mario Brothers/Duck Hunt (Nintendo)
My answers to these top 5 topics sometimes end up being a little perverse, a little of which is a conscious effort to avoid the obvious and expose people to things they may not have heard of or experienced and a little of which is just because my taste tends to be just slightly outside the mainstream, but with this topic it's hard to stray to far outside the box. I guess putting it 5 instead of 1 is my way of keeping true to my lists even though this was the game that changed gaming for my generation. This game was so addicting that I would walk into our spare room where the Nintendo was and find my parents playing... and they wouldn't let me play! It was my game!! This game opened the door for gaming as we know it today)
4. Tron (Intelevision)
I had to include something from Intelevision. I'm sure most of you didn't even play on it, but it was the first system in my house. I used to spend hours playing this game. All you did was run around throwing discs at evil robots. It sounds so archaic now, but it kicked ass back then)
3. Tetris (Nintendo/Game Boy)
Again, super simple concept but I would play for hours. This is easily the most addicting game ever... well, other then Bust-A-Move, aka Bubble Boy. Tetris, like Mario Brothers, was the first of its kind and spawned a whole genre of puzzle games.)
2. Pitfall (Atari)
I submit that this game holds up to any game that is being played now, shitty graphics or not. I could have gone with Mrs. Pacman or Galaga or Space Invaders, but this was my favorite Atari game by far. I sure my love of Indiana Jones has something to do with that, but whatever, it's a classic.)
1. Baseball Stars (Nintendo)
None of you probably know much about this game but it was light years ahead of it's time. I'll admit that I haven't played a baseball game in the last few years, but up until I was still playing, there were concepts in Baseball Stars that still weren't being used. You built your team from scratch and got money for each win. Who you beat determined how much you got and you would use that money to pay players and improve their stats. Do you want to be popular so you can make more money or do you want to just build areas that make your team better on the field? To go along with this, the game play was great. You could jump walls to rob home runs and dive to steal base hits, things you couldn't do until the next generation of games came along. I loved this game more then any other sports game except NHL for Sega)
How I Met Your Mother: Cleaning House
Well, it looks like we may be in for a melodramatic season from the HIMYM folks. This weeks episode was more consistently funny then last week, but still seemed a little heavy on the emotional stuff. There was no Sir Walter Dibs like scene that had me in stitches, but I was chuckling more through out the whole episode. Let's be honest, from the very beginning this show should have been called, Life With Barney, or something to that effect, because the show is at it's strongest when Barney is carrying it. The rest of the characters all have their moments and are a strong supporting cast, but nothing is funnier then Barney. As easy as race jokes can be, there was something hilarious about Barney's delusion that he had found his father. Do we want to know Ted's future wife is? Yes. Do we want to follow the ups and downs of the Marshal Lilly relationship? Yes. Do we want to know what the future has in store and still what secrets there may lie in Robin's past? Sure. But what we really tune in for week after week is Barney. As long as he's bringing the funny week after week, I'll keep watching.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Terriers: Change Partners
How do you feel about your past? What are your hopes for the future? These were the major questions raised in "Change Partners" as we got a little more background about the history of our beloved duo. What we were given were two men heading in different directions who need each other to get there. By finally getting a little detail into Britt's past, we see what makes Britt and Hank intrinsically different. We've been shown from episode one that Hank is someone who is not so much hanging on to the past as he is trying to get it back and this episode only added to that characterization. The episode starts with Hank tricking Britt into stealing his ex-wife's new fiance's wallet (that was a mouth full) and using the info to ruin his credit and mess with his identity. Add that to his irrational efforts to buy his old house from his ex and we see a man doing everything in his power to regain everything he once had. What exactly caused Hank's loss, we're not sure of. All we know is he worked as a policeman for 9 years and retired one year before he could claim a pension. Obviously, much of Hank's character is hidden behind the reason he left the force. Was it something he choose to do? Was he forced out? What role does his ex-partner and/or ex-wife play in it? I hate to say it, but if some of these answers aren't given soon people are going to lose sympathy for Hank's plight. As lovable as Hank first seemed, he's slowly dropping into the realm of unredeemability. Thinking to forge the bankers name as his dead body lay bleeding on the sidewalk just so he could keep the house he can't afford in the first place was so shocking an act, it's hard to find ways to forgive him. Hopefully Hank will swing out of his downward spiral before his lost all likability.
Britt, on the other hand, seems to be running from his past as fast as he can. We were finally given a little detail into his criminal past and how ashamed of it he is. We met one of his old partners, Ray, and were told how he came to meet both Hank and his girlfriend, Katie. Britt broke into people's houses, into places of business, pick pocketed bystanders. Unlike Hank, who is actively chasing his past, Britt has a chance to take up his old ways dropped in front of him and chooses to pass. And it makes him so much more likable. Britt is far from grown up, but is so much more mature then the guy who robbed people blind. Britt knows the future he wants, one that includes Katie, and knows he won't get it as a thief. That realization is a level of maturity that is lost on Hank. Will Britt ever be tempted back into a life of crime? I'm sure that's a story line somewhere down the line. But for now, Britt has moved on and we're left wondering if Hank will be able to join him.
Other Things From Episode...
What was with that last scene? Was that really another person in the house? Or was it a flash back to something that happened in the past similar to those scenes in the episode "Dog And Pony"? There haven't been enough episodes to tell if those scenes were a style the show will repeat or not. If it was a person who broke into the house, who? Does it have to do with the Lindus storyline or is it something new to us? We'll have to wait and see.
Britt, on the other hand, seems to be running from his past as fast as he can. We were finally given a little detail into his criminal past and how ashamed of it he is. We met one of his old partners, Ray, and were told how he came to meet both Hank and his girlfriend, Katie. Britt broke into people's houses, into places of business, pick pocketed bystanders. Unlike Hank, who is actively chasing his past, Britt has a chance to take up his old ways dropped in front of him and chooses to pass. And it makes him so much more likable. Britt is far from grown up, but is so much more mature then the guy who robbed people blind. Britt knows the future he wants, one that includes Katie, and knows he won't get it as a thief. That realization is a level of maturity that is lost on Hank. Will Britt ever be tempted back into a life of crime? I'm sure that's a story line somewhere down the line. But for now, Britt has moved on and we're left wondering if Hank will be able to join him.
Other Things From Episode...
What was with that last scene? Was that really another person in the house? Or was it a flash back to something that happened in the past similar to those scenes in the episode "Dog And Pony"? There haven't been enough episodes to tell if those scenes were a style the show will repeat or not. If it was a person who broke into the house, who? Does it have to do with the Lindus storyline or is it something new to us? We'll have to wait and see.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Top 5: TV Theme Songs
Another two post day. In honor of the new TV season I decided to go with Top 5 Favorite TV Theme Songs...
5. Animaniacs www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWnWwN1z_UM&feature=related
I debated whether to include this or not. Most of the TV theme songs we think of were prime time shows and Animaniacs was a afternoon cartoon, but I left the title of the list more open then I was originally thinking. Animaniacs was a TV show and its theme song was great. This funny, nonsensical ditty captured the true spirit of the show. It paraded out all your favorite characters. It made you laugh. And most important of all, you couldn't get it out of your head. My favorite part was the line that changed every show. It gave you something to look forward to every time it came on
4. The Muppet Show www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EK-4KEKsLM&feature=related
Even more then the song, I got excited every time the distinct production company logo popped up on my TV screen. I knew what was going to follow and at the time there was nothing better in the world. The song is a classic and brings back tons of memories. I can't imagine anyone not getting a little giddy once it starts to play.
3. Dukes Of Hazzard www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EK-4KEKsLM&feature=related
There seems to be a bunch of nostalgia connected to this list for me. In part I'm sure that has to do with the fact that TV theme songs aren't what they once were. To a certain extent, another part is that nostalgia plays a roll in everything that we hold dear, so any list of favorites is going to contain a bunch of nostalgia. This was another childhood favorite. The night it came on was my favorite day of the week. I think I enjoyed the car flying through the air more then anything, but the song was damn good too. The only song on my list by a radio played artist, Waylon Jennings.
2. The A-Team www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MVonyVSQoM&feature=related
One of the best orchestral themes ever as far as I'm concerned, TV or not. It gets me almost as giddy as the Raiders of The Lost Ark theme or the Star Wars theme. I know it might be blasphemy to compare it to a John Williams piece of work, but I don't care. I remember it being a staple whenever the High School band would come play at our grammar school. It was the only moment I payed attention to what was going on.
1. Cheers www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KtAgAMzaeg
There isn't much question to this one. This is by far the greatest theme song ever. It encapsulated everything the show was about in a tidy minute. It's totally catchy and could have easily been a huge radio hit without the popular show behind it. I loved the song as much as I loved the show.
Honorable Mentions: Friends, The Jeffersons, Laverne and Shirley, Mission Impossible
5. Animaniacs www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWnWwN1z_UM&feature=related
I debated whether to include this or not. Most of the TV theme songs we think of were prime time shows and Animaniacs was a afternoon cartoon, but I left the title of the list more open then I was originally thinking. Animaniacs was a TV show and its theme song was great. This funny, nonsensical ditty captured the true spirit of the show. It paraded out all your favorite characters. It made you laugh. And most important of all, you couldn't get it out of your head. My favorite part was the line that changed every show. It gave you something to look forward to every time it came on
4. The Muppet Show www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EK-4KEKsLM&feature=related
Even more then the song, I got excited every time the distinct production company logo popped up on my TV screen. I knew what was going to follow and at the time there was nothing better in the world. The song is a classic and brings back tons of memories. I can't imagine anyone not getting a little giddy once it starts to play.
3. Dukes Of Hazzard www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EK-4KEKsLM&feature=related
There seems to be a bunch of nostalgia connected to this list for me. In part I'm sure that has to do with the fact that TV theme songs aren't what they once were. To a certain extent, another part is that nostalgia plays a roll in everything that we hold dear, so any list of favorites is going to contain a bunch of nostalgia. This was another childhood favorite. The night it came on was my favorite day of the week. I think I enjoyed the car flying through the air more then anything, but the song was damn good too. The only song on my list by a radio played artist, Waylon Jennings.
2. The A-Team www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MVonyVSQoM&feature=related
One of the best orchestral themes ever as far as I'm concerned, TV or not. It gets me almost as giddy as the Raiders of The Lost Ark theme or the Star Wars theme. I know it might be blasphemy to compare it to a John Williams piece of work, but I don't care. I remember it being a staple whenever the High School band would come play at our grammar school. It was the only moment I payed attention to what was going on.
1. Cheers www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KtAgAMzaeg
There isn't much question to this one. This is by far the greatest theme song ever. It encapsulated everything the show was about in a tidy minute. It's totally catchy and could have easily been a huge radio hit without the popular show behind it. I loved the song as much as I loved the show.
Honorable Mentions: Friends, The Jeffersons, Laverne and Shirley, Mission Impossible
Lonestar: Pilot
The buzz on Fox's new drama, Lone Star, was that it was great but so high concept that reviewers couldn't imagine how it could last creatively more than 5 or 6 episodes. From the pilot episode, I don't see that as the shows problem. It seems to me, the concept of a grifter trying to get out of the game and start a real life could be easily shed. Lone Star seemed to be nothing more than a really good night time soap opera. That being the case, I don't see any problem with them following other characters and changing story lines with relative ease. I mean, it wouldn't have been odd for a grifter with a shady past to walk on Melrose Place, why can't Lone Star do it?
The problem I see has more to do with the audience feeling sympathy for the lead character, Bob Allen played by James Wolk. Bob is a con man who is currently working two cons. In one he is married to the daughter of a huge oil tycoon, Cat Thatcher, played by Friday Night Lights favorite Adrianne Palicki. In the other he is the boyfriend of a girl, Lindsay played by Eloise Mumford, who's parents he is taking money from. While it is easy to connect with Bob's desire to get out of the racket and become part of a "real" life, what I find a stretch to relate to is his desire to keep both lives he is living. I realize that the anti-hero is becoming the norm more then the exception, characters like Tony Soprano and Don Draper and Tommy Gavin have us all rooting for the bad guy, but there is something about deciding to marry two women and keep it secret from them I have a problem rooting for. Some will ask, why is that any different then Tony and Don cheating on their wives? I guess it's in the writing. You know what Tony and Don are doing is wrong and you aren't happy when they do it. You hope they will see the errors of there ways and every time they slide you feel upset. I felt like Lone Star was glorifying Bob's decision, like it was the right thing to do and at that point it lost me.
On the whole I enjoyed Lone Star in a vapid way. It was a fun hour and there were some good actors that I like watching. I don't think it will be appointment viewing for me and if they don't do something to change Bob's decision making I may fall off even faster, but for now I will continue to watch.
The problem I see has more to do with the audience feeling sympathy for the lead character, Bob Allen played by James Wolk. Bob is a con man who is currently working two cons. In one he is married to the daughter of a huge oil tycoon, Cat Thatcher, played by Friday Night Lights favorite Adrianne Palicki. In the other he is the boyfriend of a girl, Lindsay played by Eloise Mumford, who's parents he is taking money from. While it is easy to connect with Bob's desire to get out of the racket and become part of a "real" life, what I find a stretch to relate to is his desire to keep both lives he is living. I realize that the anti-hero is becoming the norm more then the exception, characters like Tony Soprano and Don Draper and Tommy Gavin have us all rooting for the bad guy, but there is something about deciding to marry two women and keep it secret from them I have a problem rooting for. Some will ask, why is that any different then Tony and Don cheating on their wives? I guess it's in the writing. You know what Tony and Don are doing is wrong and you aren't happy when they do it. You hope they will see the errors of there ways and every time they slide you feel upset. I felt like Lone Star was glorifying Bob's decision, like it was the right thing to do and at that point it lost me.
On the whole I enjoyed Lone Star in a vapid way. It was a fun hour and there were some good actors that I like watching. I don't think it will be appointment viewing for me and if they don't do something to change Bob's decision making I may fall off even faster, but for now I will continue to watch.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
How I Met Your Mother: Big Days
Busy day today. Putting up a couple of posts so I can try to catch up with all that is going on now that the new TV season is up and going. I'll start with my favorite sitcom at the moment, How I Met Your Mother...
Last season was a huge disappointment from what had been the most consistently funny show on TV. Even the show runners admitted that they had steered the show wrong. One of the things I enjoyed most about HIMYM was the shows style, they way the played with time lines, the way nothing that happened was lost or forgotten, the way their jokes kept reappearing much like how jokes between friends do in real life. HIMYM was not a normal sitcom. It wasn't Two And A Half Men or Big Bang Theory. It broke all the conventions those shows rely on to stay funny. Then last season happened. For whatever reason the writers and show runners decided to shift away from what made the show special and made a season filled with stand alone episodes and tepid jokes. That's not to say there weren't some classic moments, like duck vs rabbit or the one joke that ran through the whole season, the doppelgangers, but as a whole I was scared HIMYM was losing steam.
In the months leading up to the season opener, the people behind HIMYM made it clear to the media that they knew they went wrong last season and promised the up coming season was going to go back to what we all liked about the show before. After watching the first episode, I'm still not convinced. The episode felt high on the drama and emotion and light on the laughs. The funniest part of the show was the opening scene with Barney and Ted. Sir Walter Dibs is a classic Barney creation and Ted's response that he didn't "have time for a fake history lesson," was hilarious. I have my fingers crossed that this will be, like the creators said, the best season ever, but the season opener leaves a lot of room for improvement.
A couple things... who's wedding were the boys at is the obvious question the episode brings up. The obvious answer would be Barney's, which then begs the question who is he marrying? The interactions between Barney and Robin earlier in the episode seem to open the possibility of them getting back together. Do Barney and Robin get married? I think more then Barney, it's Robin that is getting married. To who? I'm not sure, probably a character we haven't met yet. Also, the umbrella is mentioned yet again. Ted tells us she is at the wedding... will we finally get to see her by the end of this season. And if we do, what happens to the rest of the show?
Last season was a huge disappointment from what had been the most consistently funny show on TV. Even the show runners admitted that they had steered the show wrong. One of the things I enjoyed most about HIMYM was the shows style, they way the played with time lines, the way nothing that happened was lost or forgotten, the way their jokes kept reappearing much like how jokes between friends do in real life. HIMYM was not a normal sitcom. It wasn't Two And A Half Men or Big Bang Theory. It broke all the conventions those shows rely on to stay funny. Then last season happened. For whatever reason the writers and show runners decided to shift away from what made the show special and made a season filled with stand alone episodes and tepid jokes. That's not to say there weren't some classic moments, like duck vs rabbit or the one joke that ran through the whole season, the doppelgangers, but as a whole I was scared HIMYM was losing steam.
In the months leading up to the season opener, the people behind HIMYM made it clear to the media that they knew they went wrong last season and promised the up coming season was going to go back to what we all liked about the show before. After watching the first episode, I'm still not convinced. The episode felt high on the drama and emotion and light on the laughs. The funniest part of the show was the opening scene with Barney and Ted. Sir Walter Dibs is a classic Barney creation and Ted's response that he didn't "have time for a fake history lesson," was hilarious. I have my fingers crossed that this will be, like the creators said, the best season ever, but the season opener leaves a lot of room for improvement.
A couple things... who's wedding were the boys at is the obvious question the episode brings up. The obvious answer would be Barney's, which then begs the question who is he marrying? The interactions between Barney and Robin earlier in the episode seem to open the possibility of them getting back together. Do Barney and Robin get married? I think more then Barney, it's Robin that is getting married. To who? I'm not sure, probably a character we haven't met yet. Also, the umbrella is mentioned yet again. Ted tells us she is at the wedding... will we finally get to see her by the end of this season. And if we do, what happens to the rest of the show?
Big Brother: Finale
Ok, this is a little late but I felt obliged to comment briefly on the finale since I've been posting the whole season. Really, not much to say. The votes played out just as I thought. Hayden deserved to win. In typical Branden and Rachel fashion, they were following a different show then the rest of us. To say they voted based on social game was just silly. All three of the Brigade members that were left in the house played the same social game. The only thing that separated them was their performances in competitions and Hayden obviously was much better then the other two. I interpreted their idea of "best social game" to mean, the person we liked the best. I never thought that the two of them got over the fight with Hayden and Kristen, and I was right. I don't think the vote would have been much different if Enzo had stayed in the house instead of Lane. Maybe Brittney's vote would have gone to Hayden, making the vote 5-2 instead of 4-3. Other then that, no surprises. Even Brittney getting the viewers choice prize seemed obvious.
As entertaining as the season was, there wasn't much excitement in how it all played out. The cast kept things interesting. There were people to like, there were people to hate, but the game play was lacking. Can't wait until next year.
As entertaining as the season was, there wasn't much excitement in how it all played out. The cast kept things interesting. There were people to like, there were people to hate, but the game play was lacking. Can't wait until next year.
Monday, September 20, 2010
From My Queue: Deliver Us From Evil
Deliver Us From Evil: 4 out of 5 stars
director: Amy Berg
writer: Amy Berg
From the title you would expect this to be some sort of horror movie, and I guess in a way it could be argued that it is, but in reality it's a documentary about sexual abuse in the Catholic Church and the subsequent cover up. The movie focuses on one particular priest, Father Oliver O'Grady, and his victims in Central and Northern California. Although there are no graphic depictions and the descriptions of the acts are no stronger then PG-13, Amy Berg has no problem painting a chilling and disturbing story, full of raw emotion and plenty of "What the fuck" moments. It is totally mind boggling how the Catholic Church has let this stuff happen and there explanations only make things worse. Some people may say the same about the parents, who blindly trusted O'Grady and the church, but having grown up Catholic, I understand. This trust only makes the pain that much more intense when you realize it is partially your fault your kid was abused. For me, the scenes of the parents realization were the most intense. When Bob Jyono starts yelling at the camera in sadness, you can't help but feel the amount of suffering this priest has placed on not just the kids he abused but the families and the communities he was supposed to service.
One of the two things I found most disturbing was Oliver O'Grady's descriptions of his acts. The movie showcased numerous interviews with the priest where he talked about what happened and the things he did. He talks with such a nonchalant manner, smiling on many occasions, about acts that are so revolting, you almost miss out on the severity of what he's admitting to. Once you grasp what is being said you can't help but realize, this is a sick man who needs to be in jail. At the same time, you get to see the cult of personality his parishioners fell for. He presents himself as a man who is thoughtful and very self-aware, able to hide the monster he really is.
The second thing is the extent that the Catholic Church has gone to cover up and ignore this issue. Not only did they try to solve the problems my simpling moving O'Grady from parish to parish, they won't even admit to knowing there was a problem. At one point a bishop who oversaw O'Grady claimed he wasn't able to deduce there was a problem after two reported incidents because one was with a girl and one was with a boy. Why would a man sexually abusing a girl be a problem? I would think any sexual activity from supposed chaste priests would raise red flags, but what do I know? It begs the question, if sexual contact with young girls is OK, how long has the Church been letting this go on? If the Church means to practice the messages it preaches and further the teachings of Christ, how can they let this suffering happen to the youngest and most innocent of its charges? It's a question the film explores as much as it can with no real resolution, to no fault of its own. The film points out the current Pope was for years the Cardinal in charge of protection of the youth. It was his job to root out the perverts in the Church and save the kids from the atrocities that were going on, yet his response was much the same as it always seems to have been. Just move the priest to another parish where nobody knows the monster that he is.
Though at times it is hard to digest the horror of O'Grady's crimes (he once had sex with a 9 month old child), this movie is a must see for anyone who still tries to defend the Catholic Church. There is no defense for what has happened across the world.
director: Amy Berg
writer: Amy Berg
From the title you would expect this to be some sort of horror movie, and I guess in a way it could be argued that it is, but in reality it's a documentary about sexual abuse in the Catholic Church and the subsequent cover up. The movie focuses on one particular priest, Father Oliver O'Grady, and his victims in Central and Northern California. Although there are no graphic depictions and the descriptions of the acts are no stronger then PG-13, Amy Berg has no problem painting a chilling and disturbing story, full of raw emotion and plenty of "What the fuck" moments. It is totally mind boggling how the Catholic Church has let this stuff happen and there explanations only make things worse. Some people may say the same about the parents, who blindly trusted O'Grady and the church, but having grown up Catholic, I understand. This trust only makes the pain that much more intense when you realize it is partially your fault your kid was abused. For me, the scenes of the parents realization were the most intense. When Bob Jyono starts yelling at the camera in sadness, you can't help but feel the amount of suffering this priest has placed on not just the kids he abused but the families and the communities he was supposed to service.
One of the two things I found most disturbing was Oliver O'Grady's descriptions of his acts. The movie showcased numerous interviews with the priest where he talked about what happened and the things he did. He talks with such a nonchalant manner, smiling on many occasions, about acts that are so revolting, you almost miss out on the severity of what he's admitting to. Once you grasp what is being said you can't help but realize, this is a sick man who needs to be in jail. At the same time, you get to see the cult of personality his parishioners fell for. He presents himself as a man who is thoughtful and very self-aware, able to hide the monster he really is.
The second thing is the extent that the Catholic Church has gone to cover up and ignore this issue. Not only did they try to solve the problems my simpling moving O'Grady from parish to parish, they won't even admit to knowing there was a problem. At one point a bishop who oversaw O'Grady claimed he wasn't able to deduce there was a problem after two reported incidents because one was with a girl and one was with a boy. Why would a man sexually abusing a girl be a problem? I would think any sexual activity from supposed chaste priests would raise red flags, but what do I know? It begs the question, if sexual contact with young girls is OK, how long has the Church been letting this go on? If the Church means to practice the messages it preaches and further the teachings of Christ, how can they let this suffering happen to the youngest and most innocent of its charges? It's a question the film explores as much as it can with no real resolution, to no fault of its own. The film points out the current Pope was for years the Cardinal in charge of protection of the youth. It was his job to root out the perverts in the Church and save the kids from the atrocities that were going on, yet his response was much the same as it always seems to have been. Just move the priest to another parish where nobody knows the monster that he is.
Though at times it is hard to digest the horror of O'Grady's crimes (he once had sex with a 9 month old child), this movie is a must see for anyone who still tries to defend the Catholic Church. There is no defense for what has happened across the world.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Top 5: Independent Brewers
In honor of the Brass City Brewfest, which I attended this past weekend, I am going to do a top 5 favorite independent brewers. I thought of doing top 5 beers, but thought this would be a little more interesting and let me include more of my favorites, since some of my favorite beers are made by the same brewers and some wouldn't make the list just by shear numbers. In all honesty, I could have just called this list top 5 favorite brewers and the list would have been the same (yes, I'm a beer snob... if by beer snob you mean, I refuse to support the bullshit cooperate tactics used to try to squash small business just because you can and I refuse to drink beer that taste like bad water) but I figured others might need it to be more specific...
5. Southampton Publick House, Southampton, NY
Really these guys make the list based on one brew, their Double White. It is similar to Blue Moon (Coors), a white Belgian, but the flavor is much more complex and the double means stronger alcohol content. I really taste the citrus and coriander in this, more so then other Belgian whites I've tried. It might be my favorite beer. They also make a Altgier and an IPA and a few seasonal beers, all of which are good but nothing that knocks my socks off. Just go try the Double White and you'll understand.
4. Matt Brewing Company (Sarnac), Utica, NY
Sarnac's core beers, the one's they make all year round are solid. I enjoy their Black Forest, a Bavarian Black beer, Black & Tan and Brown ale. But the real reason they got on this list is their seasonal beers. They make an excellent Irish Red. They also make what is probably my favorite of the Pumpkin Ales. The Oatmeal Stout is awesome. The Pomegranate Wheat is interesting if you like a more fruity beer. The cream of their beer crop, though, has to be the Carmel Porter. It's like drinking beer candy! You can really taste the kale.
3. Stone Brewing Co, San Diego, CA
If you're looking for your beer to drop you on your ass, this is the company for you. These beers, with names like Arrogant Bastard, Levitation Ale, and Vertical Epic Ale, are not for the faint of heart. The alcohol per volume on these starts at 7.2 and goes up (major brand beer is 4.5-5). If you really want to get your ass kicked the Double Bastard is 10.5. That's not saying anything about the bitterness. If you don't like bitter beer, you should probably stay away. But if you like a strong, well crafted beer, you need to give these guys a try.
2. Boston Beer Company (Sam Adams), Boston, MA
The king of independent beer makers. You can't go wrong with a Sam Adams brew. They pretty much hit everything there is and do them all well. I really enjoy their Irish Red, Honey Porter, Summer Ale, Cream Stout and Scotch Ale. My favorite is hands down the Cherry Wheat. Some people don't like the fruit beers, and I agree some of them get to sweet (I'm not a fan of the Sam Adams Blackberry Witbier), but I love this one. Probably would be in my top 5 beers.
1. Weyerbacher Brewing Company, Easton, PA
To me, there is more flavor in Weyerbacher beer then any other brewery I've tasted. The Merry Monks Belgian is probably my favorite beer. Its another beer with an alcohol content that might knock you on your ass. They have an excellent Imperial Pumpkin Ale, Autumn Fest, Winter Ale. Under the great named beer category, they have one called the Blithering Idiot, which is a barleywine and taste as good as it sounds. You can never go wrong with Weyerbacher and they are by far my favorite brewer.
Honorable Mention: Hooker, Bloomfield, CT. Riverhorse, Lambertville, NJ. Dogfish Head, Milton, DE
5. Southampton Publick House, Southampton, NY
Really these guys make the list based on one brew, their Double White. It is similar to Blue Moon (Coors), a white Belgian, but the flavor is much more complex and the double means stronger alcohol content. I really taste the citrus and coriander in this, more so then other Belgian whites I've tried. It might be my favorite beer. They also make a Altgier and an IPA and a few seasonal beers, all of which are good but nothing that knocks my socks off. Just go try the Double White and you'll understand.
4. Matt Brewing Company (Sarnac), Utica, NY
Sarnac's core beers, the one's they make all year round are solid. I enjoy their Black Forest, a Bavarian Black beer, Black & Tan and Brown ale. But the real reason they got on this list is their seasonal beers. They make an excellent Irish Red. They also make what is probably my favorite of the Pumpkin Ales. The Oatmeal Stout is awesome. The Pomegranate Wheat is interesting if you like a more fruity beer. The cream of their beer crop, though, has to be the Carmel Porter. It's like drinking beer candy! You can really taste the kale.
3. Stone Brewing Co, San Diego, CA
If you're looking for your beer to drop you on your ass, this is the company for you. These beers, with names like Arrogant Bastard, Levitation Ale, and Vertical Epic Ale, are not for the faint of heart. The alcohol per volume on these starts at 7.2 and goes up (major brand beer is 4.5-5). If you really want to get your ass kicked the Double Bastard is 10.5. That's not saying anything about the bitterness. If you don't like bitter beer, you should probably stay away. But if you like a strong, well crafted beer, you need to give these guys a try.
2. Boston Beer Company (Sam Adams), Boston, MA
The king of independent beer makers. You can't go wrong with a Sam Adams brew. They pretty much hit everything there is and do them all well. I really enjoy their Irish Red, Honey Porter, Summer Ale, Cream Stout and Scotch Ale. My favorite is hands down the Cherry Wheat. Some people don't like the fruit beers, and I agree some of them get to sweet (I'm not a fan of the Sam Adams Blackberry Witbier), but I love this one. Probably would be in my top 5 beers.
1. Weyerbacher Brewing Company, Easton, PA
To me, there is more flavor in Weyerbacher beer then any other brewery I've tasted. The Merry Monks Belgian is probably my favorite beer. Its another beer with an alcohol content that might knock you on your ass. They have an excellent Imperial Pumpkin Ale, Autumn Fest, Winter Ale. Under the great named beer category, they have one called the Blithering Idiot, which is a barleywine and taste as good as it sounds. You can never go wrong with Weyerbacher and they are by far my favorite brewer.
Honorable Mention: Hooker, Bloomfield, CT. Riverhorse, Lambertville, NJ. Dogfish Head, Milton, DE
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