Month: April 2009 (Page 2 of 17)

American Idol: Is Simon on crack?

April 29, 2009 /

Never before on “American Idol” have I seen more of an example of Simon Cowell trying to will America to vote a certain way, and last night he was making a case to oust either Kris Allen or Allison Iraheta, while draping unnecessary praise on Matt Giraud and expected praise on Danny Gokey and Adam Lambert. So no, I don’t think he’s on crack, but this big-headed music exec has intentions, and honestly I don’t think they are good or fair intentions. But more on that in a bit. We’re down to the final 5, and the competition is fierce and heated at this stage. Last night the remaining contestants sang crooner type standards, and while having Jamie Foxx be their mentor was sort of an oxymoron, the dude gave everyone excellent advice, something you can’t say for, you know, the Q-man a few weeks ago (yeah, telling Anoop to growl when singing sappy Bryan Adams ballads….that’s money!).

I don’t usually comment on what the judges are wearing, but Paula was wearing this red dress that looked like the man-eating plant from “The Flintstones.” Adam Lambert, you’ve been warned. So here we go, and we’re just going to do this in order since almost everyone was good or very good:

Kris Allen went first, something that is always risky to begin with, and sang a near-flawless version of “The Way You Look Tonight.” Jamie Foxx was blown away in the mentoring session and seems to be pulling for Kris. Okay, this is my boy regardless….but I want to say Kris knocked this thing out of the park. Randy said it was Kris’ best performance to date, Kara said Kris set the bar very high for the other four, Paula said he’s made an amazing transition to a handsome, sophisticated singer, and then Simon burst the bubble by saying Kris wasn’t as good as the other three guys, that he sounded like a well-trained spaniel, that the performance was “wet,” (What????? Even Ryan Seacrest laughed at that), and that it wasn’t incredible and Kris can’t win based on this performance. Damn….could it be any clearer that Simon is trying to push Kris out? I was so pissed that I did something I haven’t done yet this season…I voted.

Continue reading »

American Idol, External TV, Reality TV, TV

TV Roundup: Chuck/Heroes finale ratings, more on Scrubs and Privileged

April 28, 2009 /

– Ratings for the season finales of “Chuck” and “Heroes” failed to impress. This is especially bad news for “Chuck,” which is definitely on the bubble to get a pickup.

– TV.COM reports that talks between ABC and the producers of “Scrubs” are heating up. The ratings haven’t been great, but ad sales have been solid due to the upscale nature of the show’s audience. This season has been up and down, and has suffered some with portions of the cast missing significant time (as a planned, cost-cutting measure). But when everyone’s accounted for, the show still has its moments.

– EW.COM is reporting that the CW is planning to run repeats of “Privileged” this summer, which could be taken as a good sign as far as the show’s future is concerned.

– VARIETY discusses the still-a-ways-off-series-finale of “Lost,” and how the producers are approaching it.

External Entertainment, External TV, Heroes, Lost, TV, TV Action, TV Comedies, TV Dramas, TV Sci-Fi

Blu Tuesday: Star Trek, JCVD and The Reader

April 28, 2009 /

It’s been quite some time since so many major titles were released on one day, and while most of them (even the ones I’m covering in more detail) aren’t exactly the kind of films you would consider must-see, there’s still something for everyone. From Oscar nominees and indies to a re-issue of an old favorite, let’s not waste any time in getting to my picks of the week.

“Star Trek: The Original Series: Season One” (Paramount)

With the exception of the feature films, I’ve never really been a fan of “Star Trek” (especially “The Original Series,” as it’s now being dubbed), so when the first season arrived on my doorstep a few weeks before JJ Abrams’ big screen reboot, I decided to give the series another shot. As it turns out, I feel the same way about the sci-fi classic now as I did before, but Paramount has done such a good job with the Blur-ray release that I’m actually considering holding on to it. For starters, both the original broadcast version and a new remastered version (with updated visual effects) of all 29 episodes are available in high definition, and though purists may want to stick with the former, the remastered episodes are almost too gorgeous to pass up. The DTS 7.1 audio track is equally impressive, while nearly all of the extras from the HD-DVD release (like the Starfleet Access video commentary tracks) has also been included. Though diehard fans likely already have the series in several different formats, it’s hard to deny that the Blu-ray release is the best version on the market. Here’s hoping it sells well, because if there’s one thing that would benefit from the HD treatment more than classic movies, it’s classic TV shows.

“JCVD” (Peace Arch)

There are a few things you should know before going into “JCVD.” First, it’s not like most Jean-Claude Van Damme movies in that it’s a low-budget drama – which means that with the exception of a cool tracking shot that opens the film, there’s very little action. Second, while Van Damme’s performance has been acclaimed as award-worthy (TIME Magazine is even quoted on the cover), it’s not. With that said, however, “JCVD” is one of the best surprises of the year. Van Damme stars as a fictional version of himself, a direct-to-DVD action star who’s caught up in the middle of a bank heist that the cops think he planned. Though he’s essentially just playing himself, Van Damme proves here that he isn’t just the Muscles from Brussels, but a regular guy who lucked his way into Hollywood. In a scene towards the end of the film (where Van Damme truly breaks the fourth wall in order to deliver a heartfelt speech), the actor proves that he’s just that – an actor. That likely won’t impress loyal fans that would rather just see him kick ass, but for everyone else, it has to be seen to be believed.

Continue reading »

External Movie DVDs, Movie DVD Quicktakes, Movie DVDs, Movies, TV, TV DVDs, TV Sci-Fi

24 7.20: Synchronize your watches, there’s still time to kill

April 27, 2009 /

Hi everyone, I’m back. So, what did I miss? (*thinks about using emoticon, decides to move on*)

Thanks to the many people that sent in quotes for the captions. They were all quite entertaining, though the one of Jack and Senator Dumbass supposedly looking at a woman with a horse was easily my favorite. It was crude, yes, but smartly written. Nicely done, Jay. And now, back to the blog…

The people that write Entertainment Weekly’s “In the Bullseye” section love Sprague Grayden and her Hillary Clinton character. I want whatever drugs they’re taking, because she makes me craaaaaaaaaaazy. When is someone going to finally grab her by the scruff of her neck and say, “This isn’t about you, Olivia”? Nothing about her character rings true to me. She’s a clock killer, a device the writers have installed when they need to manufacture a little conflict. Jonas Brother may be a sociopath, but he’s a hell of a lot more fun to watch. She’s both a pain and a bore. Kill her now, please.

On the plus side, we get Chloe back, and not a moment too soon. Not even Janis’ own people seem thrilled to have her on staff at this point, as she took verbal dress-downs from both Bauers Jack and Jacqueline (Chloe resorted to her usual passive-aggressive snide remark). I pictured GiantGary waving his arms in the air like he was at a Sunday revival in the deep south when Jack laid into Janis. Even though he said David Palmer instead of Allison Taylor, he still PWND her. I guess I don’t understand Janis’ reluctance to use CTU’s server. It’s a government database, and they need to find a bioweapon. What’s the problem?

“Can I count on you to do the right thing?” “If by that you mean completely fuck up everything you put in motion for my own selfish interests, then I’m your girl, Mom.”

Lastly, we must discuss Tony Almeida’s sudden transformation into Woody Harrelson from “Natural Born Killers.” Dude popped three people this week alone, which has to be a record for him. With his official Dead Feds count at three (*pours out a 40 for Dudley Do-Right*), I think it’s safe to say that there is no way that Tony is still undercover as the dude playing the dude disguised as a bad dude, if that makes any sense. He has to be bad and nothing but bad. Otherwise, he would have wounded those agents tonight and only knocked Larry out. The only question is just how far Jack shoves his foot up Tony’s ass in the final minutes. After Kim saves Jack from the Howard Hughes bioweapon, of course. “It’s the way of the future, the way of the future…”

All right, one more thought. I found it very curious that that shots were fired in Tony’s Sleaz-E Motel room, and yet that did not arouse the suspicion of management. You have to think that at least one guest at that hotel is not a wanted fugitive and would be spooked, right? Maybe they’re all sound sleepers. It is three in the morning, after all.

24, TV, TV Action

Heroes 3.25 – Lives Come Together, They Fade Apart

April 27, 2009 /

Here are now, at the finale of another season of “Heroes.” Entertain us…or, at the very least, leave us happy ’til the beginning of the next season, right? With the return of Bryan Fuller to the fold, the show has been working its way slowly but surely out of the creative doledrums in which it had found itself, but does anyone even care anymore?

It’s a fair question, particularly when you look back at how few people are commenting on this blog nowadays. Once upon a time, we actually used to get a discussion going about the episode of the week, but if you look back over the course of the past several weeks, we’ve been averaging no more than 2 or 3 comments per ep, with one week receiving absolutely no comments! I figured Fuller’s return would kickstart the blog, but has it really reached a point where even the return of one of the show’s seminal writers (if, indeed, a show only in its third season can be said to have such a thing) can’t stir much in the way of conversation? I’m not even taking it personally anymore. I’m really just surprised.

Frankly, I feel like the show’s been relatively strong in recent weeks. Are there really so few people who feel the same way?

Last week ended with Zeljko looking darned surprised about Sylar surviving a knife blade to the back of the skull, but given the amount of shapeshifting Sylar had been doing, I wasn’t terribly shocked. Since he’s now able to move his size and shape around in a rather dramatic fashion, I figured his Achilles’ heel might not be where we last left it. I was, however, wondering whether we’d see Sylar slaughter Zeljko immediately or if he’d toy with him for awhile first. Nice touch, taking on his form to discredit him, ruin his reputation, and get him thrown into prison with…HRG?

Continue reading »

Actors, Actresses, External Entertainment, External TV, Heroes, Movies, Reviews, TV, TV Action, TV Dramas, TV Sci-Fi

« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2026 Premium Hollywood

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑