Category: TV (Page 143 of 595)

Dancing with the Stars 9.20 — Round Ten (the finals)

November 24, 2009 /

117802_2115_pre

Only two more shows until we have a new champion. I tend to think of it as the first championship, since I had never watched “Dancing with the Stars” until this season. Has there been another contestant on this show as good as Mya, the R&B singer about to walk away with the mirrorball? I doubt it. She really is a gifted dancer and I can’t imagine any celebrity from past seasons that match her ability.

My list of crushes growing up is hazy at best. I remember thinking Larisa Oleynik from “The Secret World of Alex Mack” was very cute. She may have been my first crush. At some point around this time, I saw Pras’ “Ghetto Superstar” music video. The song featured Ol’ Dirty Bastard and Mya, a young singer with a soothing voice and, in my eyes, the perfect face. Now its 2009 and she still looks great — now she’s even a terrific dancer.

Donny and Kelly will have to be phenomenal tonight if they have any chance at winning this thing.

Couples Dance

Each of the judges gave one of the teams some pointers. Let’s see if the couples paid attention.

Kelly Osbourne with Louis Van Amstel (Argentine tango)

This performance was sharp and focused. Still, she didn’t show any character. Actually, the celebrities rarely do. Donny is the only one who attempts to bring any theater to the dance, but that sometimes fails. Although I expect Kelly to finish in third, she has certainly improved by greater strides than any of her opponents — they just had more talent to being with.

Mya with Dmitry Chaplin (paso doble)

So, Mya is the clear-cut favorite to take home the trophy. Even though she nailed the footwork in this routine, I think it lacked intensity. This team rarely bores me, but I expected something more powerful since it’s the finals.

I’ve been watching this show for months and I still don’t know squat, apparently. The judges all loved it.

Donny Osmond with Kym Johnson (cha cha cha)

Donny should have been ousted last week, but American women who grew up with Donny in the 70s kept him afloat. This is the best Donny has danced in a couple weeks — not a bad time to get it going.

Megamix

All couples will dance three styles (Viennese waltz, samba, jive) back-to-back. They will then be judged first, second, and third.

Already, I don’t like this. How can the judges possibly monitor all three teams at once? Each of the couples are dancing to their own rhythm. Which is correct? They are all doing different moves at different times. This looks so sloppy, the judges should just disregard this whole performance. If there is another season (obviously, I’m kidding), they shouldn’t bring back this “Megamix” mess. Here’s how the couples placed:

1st: Mya and Dmitry
2nd: Donny and Kym
3rd: Kelly and Louis

Go figure.

Freestyle

The couples pick the music and construct their own dance, which doesn’t have to stay within a certain genre.

Kelly Osbourne with Louis Van Amstel

She looks really pretty. That’s cool. I’m amazed that she kept her composure after falling. I expected her to break down and cry, but she didn’t. She just kept smiling and dancing.

Mya with Dmitry Chaplin

I don’t think I ever noticed how talented Dmitry was until this dance. I’ve always focused on Mya, which makes complete sense.

Anyway, what the hell happened with this dance? Something just seemed off.

Oh well, they still got a score of 27.

Donny Osmond with Kym Johnson

This was probably the best dance of the night, correct? The choreography was designed in a way to keep everything interesting. I don’t think this dance will get him the mirrorball, but he deserves second place.

Hm, maybe he will win. He just got a perfect score.

I’ll talk to you guys in a bit.

Reality TV, TV, TV Reality

G.I. Joe: Resolute

November 23, 2009 /

Now that everyone’s had the chance to see it for themselves, it’s probably safe to say that “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” was a bit of a disappointment. If there’s any good that came out of the summer blockbuster, however, it’s “G.I. Joe: Resolute,” the online animated series produced in conjunction with the film’s theatrical release. Written by comic legend Warren Ellis, “Resolute” takes a decidedly more mature approach with the “G.I. Joe” franchise in both story and tone. The set-up is still the same – Cobra Commander has stolen some kind of top-secret device and the Joes have to stop him before he uses it to take over the world – but it doesn’t feel nearly as cheesy as usual. There’s also a cool subplot involving Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow that dives into their backstory, while all of the usual suspects make some kind of appearance. It would have made for a great TV pilot if so many major characters didn’t die, but although it’s something that most fans would probably enjoy, “G.I. Joe: Resolute” is simply too short to warrant its $13 price tag. Paramount would have been better off including this on the recent DVD release of “The Rise of Cobra,” because then at least there’d be something worth watching on the disc.

Click to buy “G.I. Joe: Resolute”

TV, TV Action, TV Cartoons, TV DVD Quicktakes, TV DVDs

Curb Your Enthusiasm 7.10 — Seinfeld (season finale)

November 23, 2009 /

curb09_30

I wonder what it would have been like to watch this finale with someone unfamiliar with “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Even if this person had seen an episode or two of “Seinfeld,” they surely wouldn’t have gotten though this block of television without walking out of the room. There’s too much going on for the casual viewer — too many ideas, too many risks, too many inside jokes. Last night’s episode was a love note specifically to the fans of the two shows. Of course, there are millions out there.

I’ve been having trouble gathering my thoughts on the finale. Given the lush layers of meta-comedy, it’s been tough developing a succinct piece. Rather than break down last night’s plot or provide a critique, I want to answer the simple question that other reviewers have posed — a question you might be pondering as well: Will there be another season of “Curb?”

Yes, there has to be, and all the evidence was provided last night. In 2007, Larry David and his wife filed for divorce, citing “irreconcilable differences.” (When I get my divorce, that is what the documents will say.) David took two years off between Seasons 6 and 7 to get his ducks in order. In that time, he began piecing together what would become the story arc for Season 7: Larry tries to win Cheryl back by casting her in a “Seinfeld” reunion. It’s the perfect plan for Larry David’s character and the perfect incentive for fans of “Seinfeld” to give “Curb” a chance.

To be honest, I think the past two seasons of “Curb” are the best in its run. I watched an episode the other day from Season 2 and, while funny, it doesn’t hold a candle to those from 6 or 7. Larry David has mastered playing this slanted version of himself. Go take a look at his performances in the earlier seasons – he hasn’t figured “himself” out yet. When you examine all the levels on which Season 7 operates, it’s really impressive. Larry David the actor as Larry David the character playing George Costanza the character will go down as one of the most convoluted, yet brilliant moments in television. Reading about this stuff isn’t fair to the episode — just watch it, laugh, and recognize the years and years it took for this comedy to materialize. It’s astonishingly unique.

curb09_29

But why will there be a Season 8?

I know it’s been said before, but “Curb Your Enthusiasm” is Larry’s life. The show is ultimately constructed from the content in the notepad Larry carries around everywhere he goes. After Larry went through his divorce, it’s no surprise that the next season of his TV show dealt with that issue. Do I think Larry intended to win his actual ex-wife back by having “Curb’s” Larry and Cheryl re-unite in a near tear-jerking scene? No, I don’t. But since Larry David’s life, quite literally, belongs in television, it’s not all that weird that he would simultaneously mock the medium. In the show, Jerry Seinfeld points out that reunions are lame — fans want everything to work out wonderfully, with plenty of schmaltz and all the loose ends perfectly tied. Thankfully, this season’s finale will simply please fans of “Curb” — not fans of traditional television.

What else is a wealthy observational comedian supposed to do with his time? Not work? As Larry shamelessly admits in this season’s episodes, his life implodes when he has nothing to do.

We’ll get another season when Larry gets sick of being Larry. From what I understand, that shouldn’t be too long.

Curb Your Enthusiasm, TV, TV Comedies

The Next Iron Chef is crowned

November 23, 2009 /

Last night’s finale of “The Next Iron Chef” on Food Network featured a battle in Kitchen Stadium akin to the real Iron Chef show…and that’s really how it should have been. It was also very close between chefs Garces and Mehta…and while each has a distinct cooking style, the judges had the difficult choice of crowning one of them the season’s champ, one to join the ranks of Flay, Batali, Cora, Morimoto, and Symon on the popular show.

The chairman began as he does every Iron Chef show..by disclosing the secret ingredient–ribs and racks…both pork and beef. Their task was to use that ingredient to create five dishes that represented America as a melting pot of cultures. It was also a daunting task because of the time usually required to break down rib meat, as they would have just 60 minutes.

Continue reading »

External TV, Reality TV, The Next Iron Chef, TV

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: A Very Sunny Christmas

November 21, 2009 /

The trio behind “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” has cooked up some of the most unpolitically correct humor in the history of TV, but for “A Very Sunny Christmas,” they’ve dialed it down considerably, instead relying on more gratuitous tactics – like language, nudity and gore – to score laughs. Split up into two stories, the holiday special follows the gang as they prepare for Christmas Day. While Dennis and Dee try to teach Frank a lesson by taking him through his own version of “A Christmas Carol,” Mac and Charlie try to cope with the fact that their Christmas memories aren’t as great as they remember them. The episode culminates with a Claymation musical number that features Hermey the Mischief Elf, Sam the Snowman, and the California Raisins dressed up as KKK members.

Though the former subplot definitely has its moments (a sweaty, naked Danny DeVito not being one of them), the latter is easily the funnier of the two, whether it’s Mac losing his temper or Charlie going nuts on a mall Santa. Still, for a show that’s just beginning to earn an audience beyond its cult fanbase, it takes a lot of nerve to release a 42-minute Christmas special straight to DVD. Though you can’t really blame the creators for making this kind of executive decision (this has Fox’s greedy little fingerprints all over it), the show itself really could have been a lot better. Instead, you get a mediocre extended episode for about five dollars less than the cost of an entire season. It’s not exactly a great way to win over new viewers, and certainly not the way to treat old ones either. This is strictly for diehard fans only, but even they may have issues with ponying up the cash for something that FX is bound to air for free eventually.

Click to buy “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: A Very Sunny Christmas”

TV, TV Comedies, TV DVD Quicktakes, TV DVDs

« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2026 Premium Hollywood

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑