If you’re particularly persnickety about the death count on “Harper’s Island” since its debut last week, then you’re probably grousing about how, although we referred to Uncle Marty – who’s half the man he used to be – as the first victim, he was really the second person to be murdered within the episode. This is completely true, of course, since I think it’s fair to say that we collectively shuddered as Cousin Ben bought the big one at more or less the same moment the boat left the mainland dock and began its voyage to the island. Similarly, there were actually three deaths in Episode #2. So why are we only citing two of the victims here?
Here’s the thing: we’re only counting the people who appear on the list that CBS and the show’s producers have helpfully provided us to use as a scorecard of sorts. If they’re not on the list (which you can find right here), then we’re not counting them in the grand total.
Okay, now that we’re all on the same page about how the victim count works, let’s prepare to chat with Victims #2 and #3, shall we?
So remember last week at the end of the episode of “Hell’s Kitchen” where Gordon Ramsay said he was shutting down the restaurant? You all knew this was fabricated drama, right? So the show opens last night with Ramsay saying the reason he’s shutting down Hell’s Kitchen is that the final 5 contestants are going to Atlantic City, to the Borgata Hotel & Casino where one of them will be excecutive chef of their own restaurant. Ramsay wanted them to have a taste of what they are competing for. All that for that? Please.
They arrived at the Borgata via limos and private jets and had the opportunity to see the space that will house said restaurant soon. Then, at dinner with some of the Borgata’s top executives, something went wrong. Robert started having real chest pains and was sent to the hospital. Competition or not, they all love Robert and wanted him to be okay. So while Danny, Paula, Andrea and Ben tasted the good life a bit and flew back to Los Angeles without Robert, Ramsay called a meeting once they arrived. He then brought Robert into the room, but the news wasn’t good. Robert had pericarditis, which is an inflammation of the walls around one’s heart, and an early sign of heart disease. Robert was okay, but he was not able to continue in the competition. Everyone was bummed, especially Robert, who, let’s face it, is about 200 pounds overweight. Ramsay told him that had he stayed, Robert had a legitimate shot to win this thing. So sadly, Robert left and it was now down to the final 4.
The city so nice they named it twice is about to get a taste of a little Jack Bauer, according to EW.com.
Sources confirm to me exclusively that 24 will be relocating to New York next season — at least on screen. (The show will still be primarily shot in Los Angeles, with some NY location footage mixed in.)
Production on Day 8 gets underway next month, but already details are emerging. In addition to the move to the Big Apple, CTU will make a comeback under the leadership of a new, yet-to-be-cast male character by the name of Brian Hastings. Described as an MBA type with a razor sharp intellect, Hastings will be joined by two new twentysomething agents (one male, one female), as well as Mary Lynn Rajskub’s returning Chloe.
New York City has been pretty ignored in the world of “24,” as a show about terrorist strikes in the Big Apple probably hit a little too close to home. The producers have apparently deemed it the right time to make the move.
Although it ran for a staggering ten seasons over the course of its time on NBC, who canceled it after a single season, and CBS, who no doubt spent the next nine seasons patting themselves on the back for having the foresight to pick up the show, I gotta tell you: I’ve repeatedly tried and consistently failed to find myself intrigued by the exploits of Captain Harmon “Harm” Rabb and and Lieutenant Colonel Sarah “Mac” MacKenzie. For the most part, Season 8 of the series is no exception. It’s not bad, but I’m just “meh” about it. And, yet, as an “NCIS” fan, I cannot help but deny that, for those who share my appreciation of the adventures of Leroy Gibbs and his gang, it’s totally worth owning “JAG: Season 8” to see the pair of episodes which introduced the characters of Gibbs, DiNozzo, Abby, and Ducky. Yes, sometimes we forget, but “NCIS” was indeed a spin-off of “JAG,” and one which, at least as far as I’m concerned, outshines its original source, but the mere fact that it originated here is a reason to offer up at least a three-star rating.
If you’ve checked out Bullz-Eye’s TV Power Rankings for April 2009, then you’ve already seen the site’s picks for the top 20 shows currently airing, several honorable-mention entries, and what series they’re most excited to see return. Given the way new programs are popping up constantly throughout the year, however, it was always inevitable that the voting for the Power Rankings would close just as a few promising series were making their debuts but before their consistency could be properly gauged. Here, then, are five shows which, at least as it stands right now, look like they have the potential to be ranked next time around.
1. “Party Down,” Starz. It’s a longstanding Hollywood tradition for producers to build themselves a gaggle of go-to actors who they can always count on to make an appearance in one of their projects, and although it’s Joss Whedon who has one of the most recognizable posses on television, it’s clear that Rob Thomas is building a pretty solid one, too. In “Party Down,” which focuses on a Hollywood catering company helmed by aspiring actors and actresses, you can’t go more than a few minutes without seeing someone who once appeared on “Veronica Mars.” Ryan Hansen is the only “Party Down” regular who held the same status on “Mars” as well, having played Dick Casablancas, but Adam Scott (“Stepbrothers”), Ken Marino (“The State”), and Jane Lynch, who most recently proved hilarious in “Role Models,” all made visits to “Veronica” at some point or other. Enrico Colentoni had an unforgettable nude scene in the first episode of “Party Down,” and it looks like Kristen Bell will be turning up in the season finale.
Paul Rudd is one of the other co-producers of “Party Down,” and it’s clear he had a hand in bringing some of his favorite talent onto the show as well. Martin Starr, late of “Freaks and Geeks,” is here, and after scoping out IMDb, it looks like Ken Jeong will be turning up in a future episode. With all this talent, you won’t be surprised to learn that this is arguably the funniest new show of the spring season…if seasons even still exist, that is…and is already shaping up to be the place for cool comedians and actors to guest-star. “Crash” may have been a bust as Starz’s first original series, but count on “Party Down” to do for the network what “Mad Men” did for AMC.
