I don't know about anyone else, but this season of "Hell's Kitchen" has literally kicked my ass. While watching the season premiere there was a certain contestant that stole my heart immediately.
His name? Lou Ross. Or Louross... something or other. What a spunky monkey. It's not just the hair, the nicely shaped brows or hipster glasses, or that I don't give a damn attitude, but I just loved how he was ready to take over. In the season premiere, I liked it when he took charge and Gordon Ramsay made him captain. He owned it. BOSS ALL THE WAY. He's my surefire winner because he knows what he's doing, can be in control, and seems to like it when Ramsay gives him hell.
The only person I would think could give him a run for his money? That other guy with the hipster glasses ... Ben. He won them the halibut challenge, seemed like he was in control and knew what to do as well. If there were two guys in the end, it'd be Ben and Louross.
As for the women, I like Corey. She's the only one who's shown any kind of personality that isn't showy or super bossy. Though I did feel bad when she called out Christina ... but I later took it back because she started crying. Cry baby. As for Jen, the one who talks too much, I'm just waiting for her to get booted off. "AND I worked in Belgium..." Who. Cares. She also comes off as a tattle tale.
random tv thoughts - from LOST to Hell's Kitchen and beyond!
Jin's grave? Noooooooo....
- "Lost" has been good lately. Not bad for a show that was in the can about a season and a half ago with its Dharma Initiative-obsessed storylines that were turning viewers off. But really, was I one of the only few who really liked it when they got all mythological about things? What about all those stations that were on the blast door map? What's up with the rest of The Others? I care, ABC. I. Care.
- "Hell's Kitchen" is coming back (April 1st), but originally just to fill the void of there being no written television. Now that it's on before it's usual summer airdate, this leaves me pleased that it is on really soon, yet, what the hell am I supposed to watch in the summer? Certainly not anything stupid.
- "The Office" is coming back. There are no words. None.
- The big news of the week is Britney Spears doing "How I Met Your Mother." Photos of her on the set have been released, and all I can say is that she looks really happy and upbeat and normal, which is better than she's looked in years. I know she did "Will & Grace" about two years ago, and she looked happy and upbeat and semi-normal there, but there's something in the air this time. Can't wait to see what goes down.
- I said I wasn't into American Idol this year, but I admit that yesterday I was up until about 1:30am watching back video of all of the contestants this year (in part due to boredom). My favorites are:
David Archuleta - this shouldn't be a "real surprise," but this kid has killer pipes and he's such a cutie pie.
Jason Castro - he appeals to me because he has dreads and talks like he has possibly smoked a lot of weed ... I mean, he's really laid back and awesome. And that story he told about ripping a dread out of his head was just too funny.
Carly Smithson - I loved it when she sang "Come Together." She's also Irish and has a cool accent.
David Cook - I really liked that emo-tastic "Hello" he did. Too bad he's a biter.
- My least favorite American Idols:
Amanda Overmeyer - I get that she's rocking the "rock chick" thing, but her hair gives me a headache, as well as her voice. It always looks like she's getting ready to puke, too. Not my cup of tea.
David Hernandez - He's gone already, but he just reminds me of this guy I don't like.
Danny Noriega - Also gone. I did like his audition, but he tended to be a little too much on the flashy side for me. Good voice, though. Nice hair.
- AI's that make me go "meh:"
Ramiele Malubay - Yeah, woo hoo, Filipino people. However, I agree with the judges in that she's picking a lot of "safe" choices and it's getting b-to-the-oring. She has a good voice, but she needs to stretch it out a little bit, otherwise people are just going to forget about her.
Michael Johns - He's like the grandpa of the group, btw. He's hot and everything, but when he busted out with "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" I just thought that was a big fat no-no.
Syesha Mercado - I didn't think her "Saving All My Love For You" rendition was all that great, and it sounded like kareoke. Meh.
- I watched some of "Dancing With The Stars" tonight and caught Mario dancing. What a hottie pie.
The new American Gladiators premiered on Sunday, and man! It was both exciting and hilarious. Exciting because of the changes (Water below the joust! Fire on the water!), and hilarious because certain people can't take the heat (falling off balance beam face forward!).
And that's the one thing that gets me: is the new Eliminator so tough that these people can't even get through the whole thing without looking like a hung over zombie? During the first half of the two hour special, the first two women competitors were exhausted after swimming under the fire and climbing the cargo net! It was INSANE, but so funny how they struggled to do anything, or as they were on that barrel roll. It was like, dude, all you have to do is hang onto the barrel, but they couldn't even do that! Oh man. HI-larious.
And man, I don't even remember the Eliminator being so hard. That treadmill that used to be at the beginning looks easy now that there's a rope there, but even that's tough to get up. Terrible. I also thought that their cuts to footage of the losing competitor trying to get up that treadmill after they lost were also terrible, but super funny.
Anyway. Take a look at a clip from the old Eliminator, where they get through the hand bike really fast. Crazy.
I can't tell you how happy I am that "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" is back tonight. So far the show has been as funny as I'm used to it being. Unfortunately, they returned without the writers, thus coming up with material on the spot as well as on the spot material previously taped. But first and foremost, he stated that he supports the writers, which was met by applause.
The show so far has included: - Conan and his sexy strike beard, which proves that he "has testosterone." - A nice tribute to his strike beard ... I love you. - Conan trying to break the record of how long he can spin his wedding ring on his desk. (Longest was 41 seconds; tonight he got 36) - A tour of Conan's office, as well as what he and others have been doing during these past two months. - Conan talking about playing Sudoku, then throwing the book of it at someone in frustration. - Conan and a portable amp, playing his guitar. - Taking his amp and guitar and playing while people are trying to do work, or playing while people were trying to play Rock Band. Ha. - regular guest Bob Saget from "Full House" and making bad jokes. Of course.
Others like Letterman and Leno returned as well, but to be pretty damn honest, I really only cared about Conan. The most important thing that should happen as quickly as possible is that this strike gets resolved ASAP. I was so upset about "Heroes" ending so early, earlier than it should have been. It would have been a phenomenal season, but right now I just feel like nothing's happening. Nothing! Hurry up! TV is super boring these days, which is something I never though I would say. I don't want to see anymore reality shows... because most of them suck.
Conan O'Brien will be a rerun tonight, and I'm not happy.
But then again, it's not really much when you think about what the Writer's Guild of America isn't happy about. This is the first strike in over twenty years, and it's absolutely ridiculous (!) that they're not getting properly compensated. To make it worse, the AMPTP is offering a deal that compensates writers .3% of revenue from writers' creations viewed through the internet and other new media, while the WGA want 2.5%... it's not really a huge demand, but it's a reasonable one. The AMPTP's reasoning for their small offer? They think it's too soon to tell how "big" new media will get, AND if there is enough evidence that there is money to be made from it. Yeah, and George Bush ain't the President of the United States.
This whole argument goes beyond new media, but it also delves back into the details of the contract they decided on in 1988, so you know there's a big mess to go through. The union has had enough and has decided to strike against the greedy establishment that continues to take what isn't theirs everyday. It's a harsh way to describe it, but there is no other way. This is something that needs to be addressed, and hopefully it will be resolved soon enough. Not only does this strike effect the writers, but it's also effecting the directors, actors, and not to mention the production crew. Everyone who makes these shows happen is effected, meaning there are sure to be imminent layoffs not too far off in the distance if not resolved in a timely manner.
All seriousness aside, what the HELL is going to happen to "The Office?" Or "Lost?" "Lost" was supposed to premiere in February. My real concern right now besides the WGA and my favorite shows is the demise of real TV shows. Meaning: reality television will kill us all. And I may be forced to hate the one thing I truly love.
Watch as the writers of "The Office" talk about how the strike is affecting them:
I dropped "Big Shots" about ten or fifteen minutes into it. It's my fault, I suppose. I banked on it so much to be my male version of "Sex and the City" but it failed, as the others have over the years.
The characters are a bit too whiny, and even though Michael Vartan is on the show, I can't watch it. It's literally unwatchable, at least from my standpoint. It's over. It's done. I think I would have liked it more if they didn't just sit around and bitch about their lives all the time. It's one thing to have one character that's p-whipped; it's another when it's all of them, and it's the main premise of the show. Booooring.
No matter, it's all water on under the bridge. I have been able to pick up another, better show called "Journeyman" which coincidentally is set in San Francisco! You can tell when it's shot here and when it's somewhere else. Or at least native SFers notice... right?
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In the course of three weeks, I was able to watch the entire first season of "Heroes." I'm always slow to the hype surrounding new television shows, as I was with "Lost" and "Ugly Betty" to name a few. In fact, I was slow to watch these shows because my days at the time were occupied by school, work, eating, sleeping, and managing to watch the shows I did keep up with. Now I am completely caught up, with the episodes and the show. I was skeptical at first, just because it seemed to me that this was another attempt as some kind of "X-Men" show. Still wounded by that film called "X-Men 3" (*shudder*), I decided not to rub salt in the wound. But now: I can't get enough of it!
... actually, this is just an excuse to post some pictures of Milo Ventimiglia, aka Peter Petrelli. My "hero," and new "boyfriend." Check two of my favorite pics of him from Best Life Magazine:
And, this probably doesn't really need to be said, but "Heroes" has one of the best looking casts in television! Kudos to them for adding Hunter from "The Office" as well. Keep it coming!
There's a part of me that went a little giddy when I heard that Jessica Aguirre, formerly of ABC7, wasn't going to return for the nightly news. My gidiness subsided a little once I heard she was going to NBC11, home of more annoying anchors (oh Laura Garcia-Cannon, can you slow your word roll a little without batting your eyes?). I would say that I watch the ABC7 news more often than NBC's, so of course this wouldn't affect me as much.
But curiosity got the best of me, so I decided to see what was up with Jessica. Would she bring the same amount of editorial comment filled newscasts to NBC? Answer: yes, and along with that a particular phenomenon that has somehow invaded my television. That my friends, is reporting the news while standing.
Now, I don't believe this is a new fad, but I do believe it to be an annoying fad. What's wrong with sitting down behind an anchor desk? Not so much, especially since sitting behind that desk gives you more power than your counterparts. You're anchoring the news for the love of Pete. You're there to, well, anchor the news. Ultimately, it makes you better than your co-workers: you've paid your dues out in the field and are now allowed to sit on your butt while others are out there doing the dirty work. It's an award that is a long time coming, and it shouldn't be taken lightly.
But the only reason I think that they're doing the stand up shtick is because it gives the viewer the impression that the anchor is more than just someone who tells you the news. I'm thinking: is it because they want to give her more to do than just sit down and talk? It's not so much a concept to just sit there and talk (which is what she did at Channel 7), but to have her get up and move around? WOW. Now THAT'S a concept . I mean, why sit in a TV studio when you can walk around it? Not only this, but she gets to hold a rolled up piece of paper in her hand, have an HDTV screen behind her instead of the traditional floating box, stand at a table that should be at a local sports bar and talk to guests standing at that table. It's almost like she is in a sports bar. All that's missing is a pitcher of beer. I kind of want to blame Katie Couric, especially when she began doing the "CBS Evening News." She would lean up against her desk, read in front of a HD screen, etc. Damn you, Katie. Damn you.
What I'm definitely not missing: editorial comments. As a broadcasting student, and if you're going into news, the thing they reiterate so much that your ears begin to bleed is that you are to report the facts and no opinions, unless you are a commentator. On ABC7, Aguirre constantly did this to a point where I was like "Who the f*ck are you?" It would go like this: she would report on something sad, play the package, then right after when she would have to segue, she would shake her head. "Just terrible ... terrible. In other news..." *jumps up and down while shaking head* Seriously? Nobody asked you, lady. Just report the news. That's what you're there for. It's just one of those things that you don't do. I suppose she wanted to bring some kind of humanity to her news reporting, and hell, I ain't mad at that. But there's a time and a place for it, and quite frankly, she was going about it all wrong.
Anyway, maybe I'm being a little too harsh. I realize I am being highly superficial, but these people have been invited into my home, it's only fair that I criticize the way they talk to me. I suspect my cattiness has surfaced more recently because Leslie Griffith has somehow vanished off the face of the Earth, and my need to pick on someone has finally reached the brink.
Pic courtesy of Wikipedia. Also, this shot is from the 1984 credits, which quite frankly looks lame but who cares.
While I love me some soapy goodness, and have since I was probably five (Y&R with Grandma), I have come to realize that soaps are nothing but that: soapy goodness. Ludicrous, gratuitous, conspicuous (?) soapy goodness.
I admit it: I have had an on-and-off again love affair with "General Hospital." Over the years it has thrilled me, disappointed me, thrilled me, bored me to death, disappointed me for probably three years straight, and then thrilled me once again. I suppose it's me being co-dependent on a world that does not exist, but then again, I just think that sometimes the stories that they come up with reel me in (case in point: the monkey epidemic that briefly brought back Robert Scorpio and Anna Devane, Laura waking up for a minute, Patrick and Robin, etc).
If there was a character that I had to pick as my all-time favorite, it is the wonderful Lucky Spencer. The son of the legendary Luke and Laura, he was cute, fun, and oh so dreamy. This was when he was played by Jonathan Jackson, my first true teeny bopper crush (if you don't count Mike Myers. He was cute by default of being so damn funny). And quite frankly, if you asked me a couple of years ago who my favorite female character was, you know damn well I would have said Elizabeth "Lizzie" Webber.
And now ... here's the problem: I don't like Lizzie anymore. Why? Because she has become the epitome of what's wrong with most soap characters these days by the sheer fact that she has not been held accountable for ANYTHING (at least not lately). My god, do you know how many free passes this chick has been given? Hmm, leaving some dude in a burning building to die while pregnant with his child? Check. Lying about the paternity of your newborn son in order to "save" your husband? Check. Lied to the real father only to tell him the truth when you thought you were going to die? Check. Lying every day? CHECK, CHECK, CHECK. I would like to recall a line uttered by Lizzie herself back in the day when she was seen as underdog #1 compared to her saint of a sister Sarah: "What is she, the poster girl for perfection?"
My answer? No. I frankly think that the writers of GH have not only destroyed Lizzie, but in fact, destroyed Lucky in the process. Yeah, he was addicted to painkillers. Why? Because some hussy named Maxie Jones has been in love with him since she was a kid and the only way that she could get him to notice her was to feed him drugs. Yes, this caused Lucky to lie, cheat, steal, you name it. And hell, Lizzie has never let him forget about it. Lucky, so blinded by his love for Lizzie finally came to the realization that the drugs were no good, so he quit and did everything to change his life around. Meanwhile, Lizzie slept with Jason "the Borg" Morgan out of spite when seeing Lucky and Maxie together, thus creating Jacob Martin (oh, how clever you are Lizzie). She then convinced herself that she didn't want to be with Lucky OR Jason, and decided that she would be on her own. But then Lucky, bless his heart, decided that he couldn't fight for her anymore. He wanted to let her go. Free pass dished by Lucky? I THINK SO.
But NO. Lizzie took this as a "For the first time I saw that boy I fell in love with" sign and decided that she wanted to marry him again. Why, oh why Lizzie? You had a free pass! You didn't have to tell Jason (yet) and you didn't have to tell Lucky. But no, you just had to complicate shit. Great. Fan-tastic.
So you can imagine me feeling absolutely no sympathy when Baby Jake got kidnapped. okay, I know. A child being kidnapped is terrible, of course, but this is the soap world, so I think I get a free pass (my first since Lizzie has hogged all of them). Lizzie of course blames.. Okay, herself, and all I could do was laugh when Lucky blamed her too! Hahaha! That's right, Lizzie. YOU did this to Jake. Meanwhile, the borg finds out that his kid has been kidnapped and he emotes the same way a breadstick can: crummy, but still firm. The story is still ongoing, but I have a feeling Baby Jake will turn up soon enough. However, heads are turning towards a certain someone who knows that the baby is Jason's ... hmm ... a certain disgruntled girlfriend perhaps? ... (I find myself feeling sorry for Sam, by the way. Never thought I would see the day that I would side with her rather than Lizzie. That's how I know it's bad.)
But how I feel about Lucky and Lizzie has depressed me far beyond I could have ever dreamed of. I remember their love in the early stages, and now it's all shot to hell. I suppose Lizzie always felt this obligation to Lucky, hence the "boy I fell in love with" remark, especially since he practically "saved" her after her brutal rape on a cold Valentine's night. But of course, as bad as Lizzie was, she couldn't resist the badass charms of Jason Morgan; I suppose Lucky always knew that she felt drawn to him. Now there's this triangle that has been created out of that history, and I suppose it makes for a compelling storyline, but at the same time, a part of me just wants to go through the screen and ring their necks. The lies are what truly get me because how on earth did Lizzie come to the conclusion that passing someone else's baby off as Lucky's would make everything right? Not only does it shut out the true father, but it just makes the whole situation more complicated---to a point where the truth explodes out of nowhere and ruins many lives. All the while, this makes for good television as I witness someone's world spiraling into a black abyss.
While I loathe and despise season finales, I have to give it up to Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof for never disappointing me, and making this the best season since the first. There are a lot of questions that got answered, and a lot of new ones that were posed, and all I can say is: I can't wait until February. I haven't been this interested in television since "Night Court" was on the air. (Kidding. Maybe "Silver Spoons" or "Full House.") 2010 is far, far away, but the anticipation for the series finale is getting to me ... can't wait to be surprised! EEEEEE.
I had a lot of favorite moments during the third season, but my ultimate favorite came during "Greatest Hits." (SPOILERS ARE FOLLOWING ... DO NOT READ BELOW UNLESS YOU SAW THE EPISODE! And for the love of Pete, catch up already!) Charlie dives down to The Looking Glass station, and when you think this is the end for our rockstar hero, he comes to find that it's not a flooded station, but one that's working! And these two crazy chicks with guns are pissed off and stuff. Awesome.
Anyway? My favorite shot was of his shoes floating in the water, the immortal Off The Wall Vans checker slip-ons. Call it symbolism, call it the ultimate ad for the legendary shoes, whatever. I just loved the way that played out. He was probably one of my favorite characters on "Lost" because of the character background: sweet and humble rockstar turned bad by drugs. On the island, he found some redemption ... why, oh why can't I be on an island? I'm kidding.
Also, his list -- his "greatest hits." I bet it inspired a lot of people to sit down and write their greatest hits, too. It kind of inspired me, but I'll write them down later. Four (out of five) hasn't seemed to happen yet.
But in sadder news, "Veronica Mars," which is another one of my shows has been cancelled, or so they say. I hate how networks take great shows and try to retool them to "make them better." How else are you going to make a show like "Veronica Mars" better than it already is? To put it plainly: eff that.
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Other TV things I find wonderful: - the season finale of "Brothers & Sisters" and a certain pantry scene ... hee. - "Dancing with the Stars" winner Apolo Anton Ohno - the fact that "Hell's Kitchen" will premiere June 4th. - "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" ... even if it is in reruns this week.
I dropped "Big Shots" about ten or fifteen minutes into it. It's my fault, I suppose. 
There's a part of me that went a little giddy when I heard that 
But the only reason I think that they're doing the stand up shtick is because it gives the viewer the impression that the anchor is more than just someone who tells you the news. I'm thinking: is it because they want to give her more to do than just sit down and talk? It's not so much a concept to just sit there and talk (which is what she did at Channel 7), but to have her get up and move around? WOW. Now THAT'S a concept . I mean, why sit in a TV studio when you can walk around it? Not only this, but she gets to hold a rolled up piece of paper in her hand, have an HDTV screen behind her instead of the traditional floating box, stand at a table that should be at a local sports bar and talk to guests standing at that table. It's almost like she is in a sports bar. All that's missing is a pitcher of beer. I kind of want to blame 
