Author: Will Harris (Page 210 of 261)

Will is a member of the Television Critics Association and has written for Decider.com, the Onion A.V. Club, The Dissolve, Indiewire, Rhino.com, TV Week Magazine, The Virginian-Pilot, Popdose.com, and EW.com along with writing for Bullz-Eye.com and Premium Hollywood.

Heroes, Week 7: Who the hell is Theodore Sprague…?

November 6, 2006 /

“Heroes don’t run away; bad guys do. Heroes help people.” Damn, Niki’s son is profound.

I don’t think too many people believed that the opening scene of Peter with Simone’s dad was anything but a dream, just as I’m sure I’m not the only one who, when they saw Simone at the door, knew instantly that her father had died. It’s interesting how the elusive Mr. Linderman now has ties to both Peter and Nathan. It didn’t occur to me that Nathan’s wife might be handicapped; I have a sneaking suspicion that she’ll end up developing powers as well…beyond, of course, just to power to hypnotize men with her beautiful blue eyes. Great family brunch scene, especially Peter turning the tables on Nathan and being the one doing the blackmailing for a change. Nathan’s still an asshole, though he does show that moment of brotherly love at the last second.

I keep meaning to mention that Claire’s mom seems so eccentric that I have to wonder if it’s some sort of elaborate act…but that’s just an aside. Frankly, I thought Claire’s brother, Lyle, was going to upload the video of her various “stunts” onto the ‘net, since my understanding is that that’s what all the kids do with their cool videos these days. But, nope, he was just freaked out by her abilities…to the point of asking her if she’s an alien. You gotta love the fact that his first thought was not to ask her about her powers but, rather, just to grab a staple gun and shoot her right in the hand.

As usual, Hiro’s scene was the most fantastic of the episode, with him stopping time before a car could explode, allowing him to save the victim and her would-be rescuer…who, as it happens, was Niki’s ex-husband. Hiro also gets the obligatory funny scene, telling Niki’s son about his comic book appearance.

AliasBoy is back! Matt starts the episode still trying super hard to save his marriage, but that’s the problem with knowing everything the other person is thinking: you know everything the other person is thinking, both good and bad. The marriage may not be salvageable, but at least Matt got that punch in. So now he’s back with the FBI again, discovering that Syler’s latest victim was burned in some fashion that results in massive amounts of radiation. Before, though, he was freezing people. Then, when the dynamic duo find him in the hospital, Syler makes the comment about what might happen if he uses them again. Are his powers evolving…?

Niki asking for help from her “evil twin”? Yikes, that’s desperation. (By the way, was this the first time we heard that Niki’s alter-ego is named Jessica…?) She doesn’t really do much this episode except fret to her girlfriend…well, not ’til that very last scene, anyway. Great moment with Micah revealing his powers at last. I knew that kid wasn’t just a super-genius!

External Entertainment, External TV, Heroes, TV, TV Dramas

A few questions with Paula Poundstone

November 6, 2006 /

Paula Poundstone is listed among Comedy Central’s Top 100 Stand-Up Comedians of All Time, but after publicly suffering through some personal woes in the early part of the decade, she more or less fell out of the spotlight. Now, however, Poundstone is back, not only with her autobiography, “There’s Nothing In This Book That I Meant To Say,” but also her first new stand-up special in a decade. “Look What the Cat Dragged In” airs tomorrow on Bravo at 10 PM, and Poundstone did a teleconference to promote the special, were we had a chance to ask her a few questions. If only we’d known ahead of time that she doesn’t consider this to be a comeback…

Bullz-Eye: Hi, Paula, and congrats on the big comeback special.

Paula Poundstone: Oh, thanks. I’m not sure I view it as a comeback, but okay.

BE: Oh, well. Because I was going to ask, as comebacks go, is this “Elvis ‘68” big, or more like, “Hey, Dick Van Dyke’s back…but now he’s a mystery-solving doctor”?

PP: Oh, gee…either one! Either one would be good. Well, you know, there’s sort of a missed…I guess “back to television” for sure, I suppose that’s true, but I always think it’s funny when people say, “Oh, you’re back!” And I’m, like, “When exactly did I leave?” Other than the period of time when I was in rehab, and in fairness to me, nobody in rehab works. It really puts the old kibosh on the work schedule.

BE: As far as writing a book, did you jump or were you pushed?

PP: A little of both, a little of both. I marvel at Crown’s patience, I must tell you. Somebody told me this after I got started, which is that if it weren’t for the advance, no one would write a book, which I really think to be true. In the beginning, I was enthusiastic to do it, and then partway through, there’s just this point where you’re, like, you know what? I’m writing a book because I’ve already spent the advance, that’s why I’m writing a book. Just because it’s this big thing hanging over your head, and, after all, it hung over my head for nine years; I can’t tell you how happy I was to (finish it). By the time I finished writing this thing, I was on fire…and for two reasons. For one, and I’ve heard authors say this before, but when it’s clicking, it’s this great, fiery feeling…but when you realize how much more work you have…I mean, normally, I do my two hours of jokes and get off, but nine years is a little challenging!

BE: A few months ago, I interviewed Fran Solomita about his film, “When Stand Up Stood Out.”

PP: Oh, yeah!

BE: How did it feel to be a part of that Boston comedy scene? Were you intimidated by being surrounded by so many talented peers, or did you feel like you had a unique voice?

PP: It wasn’t…you know, honestly, I started there in ’79, and the way that stand-up comedy kind of started there had a lot to do with the comedian Lenny Clarke. Lenny was a homegrown boy, he was from Cambridge, and most people think of Cambridge as M.I.T. and Harvard, but, in fact, blue-collar workers grow up there as well, and that was Lenny’s background. And his friends were the audience, because they came there to see Lenny, so if you did anything outside of what those guys appreciated, then you weren’t considered very good. And, therefore, the truth is, it was a very hard place to start out! I mean, eventually, I sort of…well, I went away and worked in other places and came back, but it was not an easy place to start out as a comic. And it’s almost kind of miraculous that so many really great voices did come out of there, because I’ll tell ya, Steve Wright was not…to that initial crowd, he was not considered a great comic. And so I think both of us were a little bit forged by fire there, and w kind of learned to do what we did not, uh, necessarily through a lot of back-patting. (Laughs)

External TV, Humor, Interviews, TV, TV Comedies

Bullz-Eye for the Kiddies, Vol. 1

November 5, 2006 /

In a gig like ours, we get DVDs of all genres…and that includes stuff aimed at the family market. Sometimes, however, the aim is ever lower. Since some of our readers have nieces or nephews, little brother or sisters, cousins, or even kids of their own, we figured we’d do an occasional spotlight of the kid-vid releases that show up at our offices.

Gerald McBoing Boing Adventures, Vols. 1 & 2: Way back yonder in 1951, a cartoon called “Gerald McBoing Boing” – based on a story by Dr. Seuss about a boy who, when he opened his mouth, would only produce sound effects rather than words – won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short. It spawned three sequels as well as a brief stint as an animated TV series, although it proved to expensive to produce for more than a three-month run. In 2005, Cartoon Network attempted to build a block of animation for preschoolers (a la Nickelodeon’s “Nick Jr.”), and one of its matinee shows was a revival of Gerald’s show. Kids will love it, and it’s pretty entertaining for adults as well, especially if you enjoy the animated Dr. Seuss specials that used to air on CBS. Just don’t be surprised if you find yourself yelling, “Sound check!” (It’s a recurring bit during the show, and it seems to pop up about every two minutes or so.)

Jay Jay the Jet Plane: Jay Jay’s Sensational Mystery: The title would lead you to believe that this is a full-length feature starring Jay Jay, but it’s not; it’s a collection of episodes from “Jay Jay’s Mysteries.” If you’re not familiar with the show, just imagine “Thomas the Tank Engine,” then imagine that instead of trains, it’s planes. This is actually better than “Thomas,” though, because the lessons expand into science, nature, and shapes…but the faces are still creepy as hell.

Tom and Jerry: Shiver Me Whiskers – Original Movie: The good news is that the voice talent on this full-length Tom and Jerry adventures is exemplary, including Kathy Najimy, Mark Hamill, Charles Nelson Reilly, and Wallace Shawn. The bad news is that, no matter how you slice it, this is still an 8-minute short that’s been stretched out to 71 minutes. Kudos to the animators for going after the original ’40s-era look of the most famous cat and mouse duo of all time, but if you want Tom and Jerry, stick to the classics.

Jakers! – Piggley Gets Into Trouble: If you’re an Anglophile and you’d prefer that your children start to appreciate the coolness of a British or Irish accent now, then steer your kids toward “Jakers!” It’s the adventures of Piggley Winks, an 8-year-old pig in Ireland. Imagine Babe the pig if he were computer-animated, and he and his barnyard buddies ran around on their hind legs like human beings. It’s kind of like that. The dialogue is consistently amusing, and it’s worth noting that Mel Brooks contributes the voice of Wiley the Sheep.

My Little Pony: The Runaway Rainbow: If you’re reading this out loud to your kids, you’ll want to put your hands over their ears. Have you done so? I hope so, because, man, this is a real piece of shit. This is the stuff they were parodying on “The Simpsons” with those “Happy Little Elves” specials Lisa loved so much. It’s also exactly what people are talking about when they bemoan programs that exist solely to hawk toys. I tried twice to get my daughter to sit down and watch this, but neither time was she interested…which was fine, because neither time could I stand to have it on for more than two or three minutes. It’s fucking terrible. Seriously. Stay far, far away from it at all cost.

The Little Mermaid: 2-Disc Special Edition: In a sense, this deserves its own full-length write-up on Bullz-Eye, but I just can’t bring myself to believe that the majority of our readership really wants to read 400+ words on “The Little Mermaid.” In truth, however, this ranks just under “Beauty and the Beast” for sheer watchability. There’s a lot of great music here – it DID win Best Song (“Under the Sea”) and Best Score at the ’89 Oscars – and the characters of Scuttle the Seagull (voiced by Buddy Hackett) and Sebastian the crab (Samuel E. Wright) are among Disney’s most memorable. The latter gets one of the film’s funniest lines when the title character, Ariel, falls in love with a human and goes after him, despite the crab’s best efforts to stop her. “You know what her father’ll say?” asks Sebastian. “I’ll tell you what her father’ll say! He’s gonna kill himself a crab, that’s what her father’ll say!” The bonus disc is, as ever with Disney’s special editions, chock full of extra stuff, like deleted scenes, a making-of featurette, and so forth…but, really, your kids are never gonna sit through Disc 2. They just want to see the movie.

External Entertainment, External Movie DVDs, External Movies, External TV, Movie DVDs, Movies, Reviews, TV, TV DVDs

A Chat with Jaleel White

November 5, 2006 /

That’s right: the guy who played Urkel on “Family Matters.” He’s starring in a new movie – “Who Made The Potatoe Salad?”, heading to DVD on Tuesday, November 7th – where he finally gets an the opportunity to be the straight man; he also has a small role in a big picture due for release at Christmas…but since he’s already less than thrilled that word of his appearance has leaked out, we’ll at least hold our tongue here and let you be surprised while reading the interview. White sat down with Bullz-Eye to talk about both flicks, and, yes, he was willing to drift into a bit of conversation about the series and role that brought him most of his fame.

Jaleel White: Will H.! What’s goin’ on?

Bullz-Eye: Nothing much. How’s it going?

JW: I’m good, I’m good.

BE: Well, first off, I’m glad to discover that you’re still alive.

JW: (Laughs)

BE: I guess it’s a rite of passage for every former child star to have to deal with someone starting a rumor that they’ve died.

JW: Ah, I don’t even know what to say about that darned thing. As much as you try to live your life your right, you’re gonna get sucker-punched now and then. That was my sucker punch back in June.

BE: I have to admit, I hadn’t even heard the rumor ‘til I started doing some research before this interview.

JW: Oh, really?

BE: I guess I got lucky and missed it. So, anyway, I got a copy of “Who Made The Potatoe Salad?”

JW: Oh, gosh…

BE: And I laughed…but I also felt really, really white and suburban.

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Actors, External Entertainment, External Movie DVDs, External Movies, External TV, Movie DVDs, Movies, TV Comedies

Jericho, Episode 7: These Are The People in Your Neighborhood

November 2, 2006 /

To say that this week’s episode is better than last week’s is to damn it with faint praise, since – as you may recall – the ending of last week’s episode was officially the WORST. ENDING. EVER. But in all seriousness, this really is a far better episode, providing some much needed fleshing out of the townsfolk and their characters.

So this week, we get to know Jonah, the leader of the band of hooligans outside of town who tried to swipe some horses last week and, in the process, got Jake’s mom pretty roughed up when the horses literally ran roughshod over her. “There’s a lot of things about Jake you don’t know,” Emily tells Heather, when the latter concedes that she’s harboring a crush on Jake. Yeah, turns out there were a few things we viewers didn’t know about Emily…like, say, that Jonah’s her dad. Jake and Jonah clearly have a history…at the very least, Jake’s sweet ride used to belong to Jonah…and it’s equally clear that Jake knows enough about Jonah to not underestimate him. As the episode progresses, we find out that it was Emily’s brother…Jonah’s son…who was killed in the incident from Jake’s past that’s been referenced.

As we predicted, Stanley and Mimi (a.k.a. the accountant from Washington) continue their flirtation, although they’re at least taking the time to give Mimi more of a personality than just the hard-ass government employee she’s been to date. There’s a nice scene which clarifies that her anal tendencies extend before the workplace, as she explains to Stanley how, in a fit of boredom, she reorganized his kitchen. And, for once, the growing relationship between Dale and rich bitch Skylar isn’t mired in predictable teen angst; the situation that erupts when Skylar trades away a family heirloom for a case of diet soda then discovers that her parents might not be dead after all is good viewing, if a bit melodramatic; same with the scenes between Richard and his wife, where – FINALLY! – he’s painted without paranoia.

Gray Anderson finally returns to town after having been all but presumed dead (he’s been MIA for a few episodes), and he’s got a LOT of new information for the townsfolk and for us viewers.

*Topeka’s a mess.
*Lawrence was bombed.
*The governor of Kansas is missing.
*New York escaped being bombed, thanks to all of its post-9/11 security measures. (It’s notable that even know-it-all Robert loses his game face at this news.)
*Washington is gone.

Gray’s return also results in an authority struggle between he and Jake…but, then, Gray’s made a point of always wanting to be right since the first episode. I was indifferent to the jailbreak scene right up until the moment when Jake snatched Gray’s gun, at which point I believe I actually yelled, “Oh, shit!” Sorry, I just think Gray’s an asshole, and that opinion was backed up when he started going all Senator McCarthy on Eric. And speaking of Eric, maybe it’s just me, but the interaction between Jake and Eric – like the scene in the bar toward the end of this episode – always seems kind of forced; Skeet Ulrich and Kenneth Mitchell just do not have the chemistry that brothers should have.

I wasn’t sure if Gerald McRaney’s contract was up this episode, but he’s apparently got at least one more show in him. Nice cliffhanger ending…and the first time in a few weeks that I’m legitimately looking forward to next week’s episode.

External Entertainment, External TV, Jericho, TV, TV Dramas

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