Category: External TV (Page 328 of 419)

Down time

August 12, 2007 /

Okay, so maybe I blew things a bit out of proportion last week when I suggested “Entourage” might be building to a big season finale, but while the pieces haven’t quite fallen into place yet, I am confident that the final two episodes (which I accidentally read about while researching the new season) will leave fans wanting more. Let’s just say that it’s probably going to be very reminiscent of season two’s Sundance episode.

Getting back to this week’s show, however, it’s become crystal clear that the extended third season (which aired the second half of its episodes only weeks before) has greatly hurt the quality of season four. Stretching out the “Medellin” storyline has left the writers with little to talk about until the movie premieres at Cannes, and while the subplot involving Eric’s decision to take on other clients (more on that later) has definitely helped his arc as of late, the rest of the characters have been left scratching their asses.

Nevertheless, it looks like Eric will finally land his first client (besides Vince) in rising star Anna Faris, whom he met on his way to Vince’s new house. After running into him (literally) on the road (and in only a towel, no less), Anna accidentally gives Eric a fake number to call her at in order to exchange insurance info. Mildly pissed off that she would do such a thing, Eric heads over to her house to confront her, only to discover that it truly was an honest mistake. Personally, I’m not so sure it really was a mistake, but after witnessing Eric’s determination (and his good manners), Anna invites Eric out for dinner. Of course, Eric thinks it’s much more than dinner, but after Anna receives a call from her boyfriend mid-meal, it becomes quite apparent that she’s interested in a different kind of relationship. By the looks of next week’s previews, though, it doesn’t look like the new business venture will be a match made in heaven. Anna is obviously a very needy girl, and that’s simply not going to cut it with Vince around.

As for the rest of the gang, well, not a whole lot happened. Ari threw a jealous fit when his wife was invited back for an episode of “The Young & the Restless,” and Vince, Drama and Turtle just sat around all day smoking weed. Not exactly the kind of story development I was hoping for, but it was still a very nice treat to see Mrs. Ari skimp down to her skivvies. I don’t care how old she is – Perrey Reeves is smokin’ hot – and I could definitely live with seeing more of her in the very near future.

Entourage, External TV, TV

Further into the final frontier – “Star Trek: Year Four”

August 9, 2007 /

As we wait with bated breath for every single development – no matter how small – on J.J. Abrams’ new motion picture take on “Star Trek,” the folks over at IDW Publishing have given us something to keep us occupied: a new comic series which explores in the fourth year of the U.S.S. Enterprise’s five-year mission. (You know: the one immediately after the original TV show got cancelled?)

I picked up the first issue, and…well, I’m still on the fence. I’m both a Trek geek and a comic geek from way back (though I’ve found that it’s not exactly something that’s healthy to bring up in social settings), so I’ve read just about every excursion that Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and company have taken within the pages of the comic-book medium, so maybe I’m just spoiled from having read their adventures as written by such sci-fi luminaries as Peter David, Howard Weinstein, and the like. This first story, though, really feels thin to me…though I think that may be because writer David Tischman has tried so hard to reproduce the feel of an original episode of the show down to the very last detail. On that level, he’s unquestionably successful.

There’s definitely fun to be had by flipping through the pages and seeing backdrops (courtesy of artist Steve Conley) which recall the matte-painting landscapes of the show, and, by the 7th page, a red-shirted crewman has bit the dust, which, tragic or not, will still inspire a chuckle from longtime fans; on a similar note, the inclusion of “Trek” animated series figures into the mix – stand up, please, Lieutenants M’Ress and Arex – will bring a knowing grin to the faces of those who recognize them. I may have even laughed out loud when Tischman gave Kirk the following line: “Even amidst all this scientific wonder, I’ll always appreciate the company of a beautiful woman.” (Get ‘er, Jim!)

Despite all of these moments, though, when you reach the end of the 22-page story, I couldn’t help but feel that a filmed version of the tale wouldn’t have lasted more than about a half-hour. I think that might be the result of Conley opting to go for a widescreen effect with his panels rather than making them into smaller blocks which could’ve included more dialogue. Your mileage on this part may vary, but, personally, there’s just not enough spoken interaction between the characters for my liking. (Informal conversations between the crew are invariably my favorite moments of any “Trek” episode or film; it always feels as though they flesh out the characterization, no matter how well we may feel that we know these people.)

Of course, I’ll still pick up the second issue of “Star Trek: Year Four,” anyway, but I had hoped to be a bit more enthused by reading the first of these heretofore-unrevealed “Trek” tales; by the end of this issue, I was admittedly entertained, but I wasn’t nearly as impressed as I’d hoped to be.

External Entertainment, External TV, News, TV, TV Sci-Fi

The HBO Voyeur Project

August 6, 2007 /

Those looking for entertainment during the lean months of summer TV might want to check out the HBO Voyeur Project:

Welcome to the HBO Voyeur Project – a multimedia experience that gives you a peek into what happens behind the countless windows we pass everyday. Whether you choose to experience it online or on HBO on Demand, the HBO Voyeur Project illustrates the underlying truth that sometimes the most revealing stories are the ones you weren’t meant to see.

You can see the project at HBO.com and HBO On Demand. Basically, it’s a collection of silent films (with pretty good music) that capture the intertwining stories of everyday life. In one area, you can watch eight Manhattan apartments all at once, or zoom in on one or two apartments to see the goings on. To catch all the action, you might want to watch the whole film more than once. (It only runs five minutes, so it’s not a big deal.) There are also a few other apartments around the city that all have fairly creepy storylines. The other apartments appear to be online only; I couldn’t find them in HBO On Demand.

HBO has always been on the forefront of creative television, and this project is no different. It’s an interesting experiment, to say the least.

External Entertainment, External TV, New Media, TV, TV Anime, TV Dramas

Movin’ right along

August 5, 2007 /

I’m rarely ever successful when trying to predict the future of my favorite television shows, but I sure am glad I was right about this week’s episode of “Entourage.” Dumping the Eric-Walsh feud for something a little more interesting earned both my respect and my attention, and it looks like the series is building to something before the end of the season. Plus, everyone likes celebrity cameos, and tonight’s show had three pretty big names, including Mary J. Blige, Peter Jackson and the return of Gary Busey.

With the decision to act solely as Vince’s manager, Eric has decided to expand his horizons by renting an office, putting out an advertisement in Variety magazine, and going after some deals of his own. The new digs aren’t meant exclusively for landing more jobs for Vince, but his first order of business is finding his best pal a way to make some quick cash. For those who don’t keep track of the video game industry, Academy Award-winning director Peter Jackson (along with a few other bigwigs like Steven Spielberg) is making the best of his talents by working on a new video game based on the popular “Halo” franchise.

In the world of “Entourage,” however, he’s simply working on a new video game, but Eric wants to get Vinnie involved. Unfortunately, no one has a clue who the fuck Eric Murphy is, but he gets some much needed help from Shauna (yeah, you remember her?) when she directs him to a friend at Variety who will do a profile of him for free. The article doesn’t end up quite how Eric had expected – she basically calls him out for using Vince as a launching pad for his own career – but it lands him an interview with Jackson nonetheless. Could this be an exciting new time for Eric, or is this just another Saigon detour that will be eventually left in the dust?

Meanwhile, Ari is prepping for one of the biggest days of the year – Mary J. Blige’s annual visit to the agency – when he’s forced to deal with feuding co-workers at the office. Actually, they’re twin brothers, which makes the situation that much stranger when Ari hears all the details. Jeff has just discovered that his brother Jim slept with his wife, and wants Ari to fire him. Unfortunately, Jim just so happens to bring in six times as much money as brother, and so Jeff is the one that’s let go. Not exactly how Ari would have handled things had the tables been turned (despite constantly making comments about cheating on his wife, Ari is one faithful dude), but when it comes to business, numbers are numbers. It’s unlucky for him, then, that Mary J. Blige just so happens to like the guy he fired, and as a result of her leaving the agency, Ari promptly fires Jim as well. Not exactly gripping material, but still one of the better subplots that have been shoved his way since the beginning of the fourth season.

Hopefully that’s all about to change, because if I have to watch Johnny Drama make an ass of himself one more week, I may just go crazy. First, it was getting high in his trailer. Then, it was having sex in a pink bunny suit. And now? How about letting Gary Busey paint on his body in trade for an office desk? Sure, it was meant as a gift for Eric, and yeah, it’s cool that it once belonged to Robert DeNiro, but who in there right mind spends $42,000 on a freaking office desk, antique or not?

Busey has cameoed before, but this was certainly his weakest appearance. I do love the fact that he intimidates Turtle so much (“It’s the reflection in the mirror that scares you”), but the subplot seemed much too forced for his personality. Plus, we’ve already seen the whole crazy artist persona before. It’s not that I don’t like the guy, but when you’ve got Gary Busey at your disposal, and the dude is so batshit crazy that you could practically ask him to do anything, well, you ask him to do anything. Maybe he can guest star on an episode of “Five Towns,” or maybe get stranded somewhere with Turtle. I’m having thoughts of a “Brokeback Mountain” parody as we speak, but that’s for the writers to figure out and for us to enjoy.

Entourage, External TV, TV

ABC’s “Masters of Science Fiction”

August 3, 2007 /

I swear, it’s just coincidence that the last several postings have been sci-fi related, but even with that being the case, I’d still like to talk for a few moments about ABC’s new summer replacement series, an anthology called “Masters of Science Fiction.”

I’d heard a little bit about it from the show’s publicist before I headed out to the TCA Press Tour in July; it sounded interesting (although, obviously, tempting me with a science-fiction concept is akin to shooting fish in a barrel), and it had a phenomenal list of contributing actors (Malcolm McDowell, Anne Heche, Sam Waterston, Judy Davis, Terry O’Quinn, Elizabeth Rohm, Brian Dennehy, and John Hurt are just some of the folks involved), so, naturally, when the publicist offered up a review copy, I was ready to roll. Unfortunately, it didn’t arrive before my departure to L.A. for the tour, so I didn’t get to check it out until my return…and even more unfortunately, by the time I returned, I was already a bit iffy on checking it out, thanks to the words of no less than ABC’s president of entertainment, Stephen McPherson.

During ABC’s executive panel, someone asked McPherson about the origin of the series, he responded, “It was a low-cost initiative that we tried. We did this series of movies to see if there was a way to spark something different at a really low cost point. You know, I think there is some good work done there, but it’s very unseen. So it’s just been…it’s been a little bit problematic.”

Okay, now, to be fair, he’s acknowledging the “good work” inherent somewhere in the series, but his suggestion that it’s “very unseen” is a little disingenuous; after all, there were six episodes made for “Masters of Science Fiction,” and as the network’s president of entertainment, I have to think he might’ve had something to do with the fact that ABC is opting to only show four of them. Also, come on, he’s saying this stuff to critics before the series has even aired…? Way to get behind it, man!

From my perspective, however, I can now tell that you that I’ve seen the four episodes that will be airing on Saturday nights at 10 PM for the next few weeks…and, wow, if that timeslot of death doesn’t instill you with ABC’s definitive opinion of the show, I don’t know what does…and it’s nothing but a stone cold shame that they’re burying this thing. “Masters of Science Fiction” harks back to classic dramatic anthologies like “The Twilight Zone,” “The Outer Limits,” and the like. The budget might not be through the roof, but the performances are top-notch, and that goes beyond the acting; the show brings in directors like Mark Rydell (“On Golden Pond”), Michael Tolkin (“The Player”), and Jonathan Frakes (“Star Trek: First Contact”), and features adaptations of stories by Robert Heinlein (“I, Robot”), Howard Fast (“Spartacus”), and legendary sci-fi writer Harlan Ellison, who adapts his own story, collaborating with Josh Olson (“A History of Violence”).

Some folks have been dismissive of the fact that the show was done in connection with Starz, but don’t lump “Masters of Science Fiction” in with “Masters of Horror”; the latter is more about blood, guts, and cheap scares, while this is intelligent and thought-provoking drama, done with the occasional – but far from constant – wink at the viewer. Take, for instance, “The Awakening,” which stars O’Quinn (you know him as John Locke from “Lost”) as a former military man who’s called back into service when it’s suspected that aliens may be landing on Earth. The situation is sufficiently grim that the President of the United States is brought into the loop…and who plays the President? William B. Davis, a.k.a. the Cigarette Smoking Man from “The X-Files.” There’s something darkly funny about that, and you can bet that the producers were completely in on the joke. It’s also mildly amusing that the show is narrated by Professor Stephen Hawking…and, yes, I know, there’s really no way to know that it was actually Hawking doing the narration, but let’s give him the benefit of the doubt, shall we?

“Masters of Science Fiction” is quality stuff, and, honestly, I don’t see anything here that couldn’t, if given the opportunity, draw an audience, especially given the amount of familiar faces involved. Why bury it on Saturday nights at 10 PM…? I mean, I’m not telling you to blow off any existing plans you may have, but if you’re home, it’s well worth watching…and if you’re not home but you’ve got TiVo, I do recommend that you grab it and check it out later.

Oh, and if you like it as much as I did, don’t be afraid to send a nasty E-mail to Stephen McPherson and ask him why he couldn’t be bothered to set aside one of ABC’s reality show for a few weeks and give this series a halfway-decent chance at success…

Actors, Actresses, External Entertainment, External TV, News, TCA Press Tour, TV, TV Dramas

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