Category: External TV (Page 94 of 419)

Bullz-Eye meets Bryan Cranston on the “Breaking Bad” set

When you’re an easily-amused TV critic, every day is filled with wonderful surprises which range from the arrival of an advance screener of an episode of one of your favorite shows to the opportunity to interview one of your favorite actors. Once in awhile, though, something arrives via E-mail which blows your mind completely…and, in this case, it was a personal letter from Bryan Cranston, who plays Walter White on AMC’s “Breaking Bad.”

Bryan Cranston - Breaking Bad

Dig this: Mr. Cranston kindly invited me – and when I say “me,” I actually mean all of the members of the Television Critics Association – to visit the set of “Breaking Bad.” Obviously, it was an offer that I could not refuse, nor could Bullz-Eye’s editor-in-chief, Jamey Codding, who was far too big a fan of the show to allow me to go alone if he could possibly get away with attending as well.

I’ve offered up a summary of our quick trip to Albuqerque over at the Bullz-Eye blog, so be sure to head over to check it out…and, of course, be sure to tune into AMC on March 21st when “Breaking Bad” kicks off its 3rd season. And read our weekly blog after each episode. And, for that matter, keep your eyes open for our review of the Season 2 set when it hits DVD on March 16th. (Spoiler: it’s probably going to be a rave.)

Yeah, that’s right: we love “Breaking Bad.” You got a problem with that?

The Biggest Loser: it’s curveball time again!

Every season on NBC’s “The Biggest Loser,” the producers have a way of changing things up to the point of having us all scratch our heads. Last night there was more of that, though some of the curves came from natural causes. The first of those was at the start of the episode when Miggy had to call 911 in the middle of the night due to abdominal pain, and was rushed to the hospital.

Then came the return of the blue and yellow teams, who would weigh in to determine which team was coming back to the ranch. The other contestants had no idea that one team would return after 30 days, so they were all surprised and kind of nervous. Host Allison Sweeney instructed the blue and yellow teams to go and weigh in, but instead they were met in the gym by Bob and Jillian, who put them through a last chance workout.

Continue reading »

American Idol: Rocky Mountain high note

I might know something about the music scene in Denver since I do PR for musical acts, and I feel like I’ve represented more artists from that city than from anywhere else to date. The talent there is just amazing, but I’m not sure why. Do the mountains and beautiful scenery inspire people to write great music? But it’s not just that…it’s the singers, too. Anyway, last night on “American Idol” that Rocky Mountain talent was on display for all the world to see, and 26 contestants in all made it to Hollywood. What I’m saying is, I’m not surprised by that count.

This time around, Victoria Beckham, aka Posh Spice, was the fourth judge again, and Ryan Seacrest went on for a few minutes about this being the city where Chris Daughtry auditioned in 2005. They sure do like to milk that stuff. Anyway, here were the best and worst from Denver that they showed…

Continue reading »

Lost 6.1/6.2 – LA X

The final season of “Lost” has been one of the most hyped events of the year, so it was always bound to be a little disappointing, right? Let’s get any criticisms out of the way first, because while the two-hour premiere definitely offered plenty in the way of WTF moments, I couldn’t help but feel a little underwhelmed by it all. Most of that had to do with the alternate reality Jack and Co. have seemingly created by detonating the hydrogen bomb. They don’t know it just yet, but from the few hints that appeared throughout the course of the episode (the shot of the four-toed statue underwater, Jack’s vague memory of Desmond, and Juliet’s beyond the grave message to Sawyer that “it worked”), I don’t think there’s any other explanation. Which makes me wonder, if the plane didn’t crash like it was supposed to, did all the flashbacks that we saw in previous seasons still take place? Because if they did, why wouldn’t Desmond remember Jack?

I’m sure we’ll learn more as the season progresses, with the alternate reality portions (what Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof refer to as flash-sideways) delivering the survivors’ stories as they might have occurred had Oceanic 815 never crashed. Most details have remained the same (Jack’s still transporting his father’s body, Kate is still a fugitive, Hurley is still crazy rich, Locke is still handicapped, Jin’s still an insufferable prick, and Charlie is still an addict), but there were a few differences, like Boone’s failure to convince Shannon to come home with him, or the fact that Desmond is now on the flight. It wasn’t until the plane safely landed when the story really began to get interesting, and though Kate’s escape from the U.S. Marshall was totally expected, I didn’t think we’d see Claire in the backseat of the taxi cab she took hostage. Jin’s run-in with customs was also a nice surprise, particularly because I think Sun is telling the truth about not speaking English. After all, if the Desmond/Jack meeting from Season Two never happened, then maybe Sun never planned on leaving Jin either.

lost_6-1

Of everything that went down on the plane and in the airport, however, the meeting between Jack and Locke in the luggage claim office was easily my favorite moment of the night. It’s so fun to watch Terry O’Quinn jump back and forth between playing pure evil (more on that later) and crunching his face into a big ‘ol smile, and along with Michael Emerson, O’Quinn’s best scenes tend to be opposite Matthew Fox. I’m also curious to see where they go with the whole missing body subplot (Christian Shephard’s an integral part of the island storyline, so why wouldn’t he play a part in this one as well?), and more importantly, if Locke decides to pursue Jack’s offer to perform surgery on his spine. The idea that these characters still go on the same journey even though they’re not on the island makes for a fairly cool premise, and one that would be especially fun to explore if the two timelines actually begin to affect one another.

A mirror reality may have been created, but that doesn’t mean the original one still doesn’t exist. That’s surely something not even Faraday could have anticipated, because despite the fact that Juliet detonated the bomb, they’re still stuck on the island… only now they’ve been pushed into the present. Unfortunately, Juliet’s dead (crushed under the wreckage of the Swan) and Sayid is bleeding out from a gunshot wound to the gut. It’s a good thing Hurley can see dead people, then, because Jacob (who really did bite the dust) tells him to go to the temple in order to save Sayid. When they arrive, they meet a new group of Others including a Japanese man (Hiroyuki Sanada) who appears to be their leader, and his translator (“Deadwood” alum John Hawkes), though he doesn’t really need one.

Continue reading »

24 8.6: Someone told me nothing happened today

It was 9:38 on the “24” clock, and I had a funny thought: nothing’s happened yet. This was one of those “bridge” episodes where they inch a bunch of stories along, and open a few new doors (Slumdog President’s daughter is now in play), but that’s about it. They’re necessary evils in the “24” universe, and if anything, provide a brief moment of realism, since we do not live in a world where everything happens at the top of the hour. However, that doesn’t make these episodes any less ponderous.

The good news is that, with regard to the two unwanted subplots, one of them is dead…literally. That scene of Papa Bazhaev (pending “24” nickname: Jesus, for his role in “The Seventh Sign”) knocking Sark around, then shooting his sick son to death, was producing serious flashbacks to “The Godfather.” All I could see were rowboats and Brando yelling, “Act like a man!” The only question is how Sark uses some of that bodily fluid the doctor so carefully warned him about to poison his father. ‘Cause you know that’s going down before the final clock tick. It damn well better.

Did anyone else laugh out loud when the thug that came to get Jesus’ sons told Jesus, “No one will know we were here”? Well, they may not know YOU were there, but when they see a trail of dead bodies, they’ll know someone was there, and since the Feds know the Russians are looking to move weapons-grade uranium, they’re probably going to start with you. Which, in the end, means that yeah, they knew you were there. Dumbass.

And then there’s Starbuck, who appears to actually be helping her convicted felon of an ex to score a bunch of money. Giant forehead slap on three, ready? She has the perfect opportunity to send him down the river for life (if she comes clean before they hit the warehouse), but if next week’s scenes are any indication, she’s going to cling to the microscopic chance she has left of getting through this without anyone discovering her sordid past. Fool. Give it up, girl. It’s over. Put the scumbag away, already.

24-20090803_Sc515_0539

“If you don’t quit looking down my top, I’m going to have Jack cut your balls off with a spoon. Perv.”

So what are we to make of Slumdog daughter? My gut says that the UN advisor that was just sent away is a good guy, and the one feeding Slumdog the intel is in league with Jason Schwartzman. That dude is going to kidnap Slumdog daughter, and use her as a chip to force Slumdog to back off on the crackdown of the insurrection. Look at her, for crying out loud. Cute as a button, innocent…naive. She’s toast.

Watching Jack verbally undress a Russian – in German – was easily the highlight of the evening. (“German is such a dirty language.” “Well, you are a dirty people.” Oh, snap!) Well, that and Buffy playing “Goldeneye” on the goons assigned to kill Jack once Vladimir Guerrero got his money. That was pretty sweet.

There was a shot of Renee in Vladimir’s lair where her eyes looked like hollow, soulless holes in her head. It’s the most emotional depth that the show has ever displayed. And granted, that’s not saying a heck of a lot, but it’s a start, and I’m glad Annie Wersching was the one who got to go there. And did you see the scenes for next week’s episode? Jack reached out to Renee and asked her to give up her death wish…for him, which is like giving up one death wish for another.

This week’s “24” blog title comes courtest of Sir Bob Geldof and the Boomtown Rats, from one of my all-time favorite albums, The Fine Art of Surfacing. Take it away, Bob.

The Boomtown Rats – Nothing Happened Today

« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2026 Premium Hollywood

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑