Category: TV (Page 351 of 595)

Hell’s Kitchen: If the Big Hat Doesn’t Fit….

April 23, 2008 /

Last night on “Hell’s Kitchen,” it was the first-ever “family night.” That meant a dinner service featuring foods that kids like….burgers, chicken wings, onion rings, spaghetti. And since Chef Ramsay likes everything to be fresh, the aspiring chefs had to make homemade pasta, starting with the challenge of the day. The women were able to make more pasta in the time allowed, and once again the guys were slowed by their weak link, Craig.

As a reward, the ladies spent the day at an amusement park while the guys prepped for that night’s dinner service. When sous chef Scott asked for a volunteer to help him with something outside, Ben stepped up, then realized that the help was with shoveling horse crap. (The horses were for the kids to ride during “family night”).

Everything was fine with the dinner service until Matt undercooked a chicken wing…some poor kid was smart enough to realize his chicken was raw in the middle and stopped eating it, but Ramsay doesn’t take these things too lightly and got in Matt’s face. The guys started to move quickly then, and Ben got them huddled up and patted everyone on the back. Ramsay didn’t like this because there were still about a half-dozen orders to fill, while the ladies only had two remaining despite losing Vanessa for the night after she burned her hand with hot oil.

So the ladies won again, and the men again pointed to Craig as someone who couldn’t get his orders of spaghetti out in time. Ramsay praised Jen for doing a great job, and also Bobby who was the “best of the worst.” Bobby was asked to nominate two for elimination and he chose Craig and Matt. Ramsay then had the last word as he does sometimes, asking Ben to also step forward.

Here is my thought about Ben…he’s considered by the guys to be their most talented cook and I think Ramsay likes him, and therefore is pushing him harder. No way was he going to get sent home. And so, the one going home last night was Craig. Remember in the season premiere, Craig wearing that ridiculous chef’s hat that was as big as his body? Now he can wear that on the plane ride home.

It’s always difficult to guage who the favorites are in the “Hell’s Kitchen” competition, but the picture should become slightly clearer in the coming weeks as more of the lesser talent is eliminated. See you all next Wednesday….

Kitchen Nightmares, Reality TV, TV

American Idol: Showing Off With Show Tunes

April 23, 2008 /

So last night’s “American Idol” featured mentor Andrew Lloyd Weber, who has written the music for pretty much every major Broadway musical in the last 30 years. The man is a living legend, and whether or not show tunes are your thing, the remaining six contestants did a fine job of adjusting to the material last night. Let’s recap, shall we?

THE GOOD

David Archuleta sang “Think of Me,” and forgive me in advance if I mess up these titles…I know as much about show tunes as Weber probably does about the NBA. Anyway, young David did a really nice pop version of a song that is sung by a woman (okay, Mrs. Mike told me that!)…well, the kid really hit this one out of the park. Randy said David could sing anything, Paula said it was a risk but came out “absolutely perfect,” and Simon said it was pleasant but not as good as some of David’s past performances.

Carly Smithson has had trouble with song choice Continue reading »

American Idol, Reality TV, TV

Battlestar Galactica: “The Ties That Bind”

April 19, 2008 /

Wow.

As I was watching this episode, I couldn’t help but think that it felt a lot like filler. Much of it was dedicated to ho-hum storylines like Lee adjusting to his new job, Cally dealing with the difficulty of motherhood and, of course, the grumpy, unbelieving underlings on Cara’s new ship, the Demetrius.

But then it happened. The gritty Cally (whom I’ve always liked, even though she was tough to watch for much of this episode) followed Galen to the weapons locker and managed to learn the truth about the three newly aware skinjobs. Suddenly, the secret was out. It was quite the moment, though I question Tigh’s decision to leave a note for a super-secret meeting where an obviously suspicious Cally could (and did) find it. Several questions jumped to mind. Who would she tell? Would anyone believe her? What would she say to the Chief? And what would she do about Nicholas?

It turns out she didn’t want to say anything to Galen. Her world was turned upside down, so she reacted by hitting him over the head with a wrench – by the way, that’s some serious symbolism, considering their professions – and then whisking her baby away to the airlock. Apparently, her solution was to commit murder-suicide without bothering to tell anyone in the fleet that there were more cylons in their midst. It was a little on the unbelievable side, but the writers set it up with all of those sleepless nights earlier in the episode. We were to believe that she was tired and she wasn’t thinking straight. Still, as a new father myself, I was appalled at the prospect of her apparent decision to jettison her son out of an airlock.

But there was Tory to “save” the day. Of all the new cylons, she seems to be the most complex. Her speech in the airlock and subsequent betrayal was a shock to the system. I don’t think that it was until I saw a lifeless Cally floating through space that it finally hit me – this is really the last season of “Battlestar Galactica.” Heads will roll.

The Cally/Galen/Tory storyline was the crux of the episode, but there were some interesting developments at Cylon HQ as well. Genocide seems to be ruling the day, and it’s unclear which side is going to win out. I’m a little hazy on the whole there’s-no-resurrection-ship-nearby-so-we-can’t-survive line of thinking, as dead skinjobs have never had a problem traveling long distances before. But what the heck, I’ll play along.

I thought the best moment of that whole mess was when Six had to say “please” to the Centurion. That moment was just dripping with subtext.

Speaking of subtext, it seems like VP Tom’s suspicions about Roslin’s presidency is a commentary on the secretiveness of the administration currently inhabiting the White House. Lee didn’t like Roslin’s attitude when he tried to quell concerns about the Demetrius, so he got a little vindictive and brought up that classified executive order. By the way, wasn’t VP Tom pretty annoying with that little knocker of his?

Lastly, on the Demetrius, nothing really happened in Starbuck’s world in the last 22 days, and the natives are getting restless. However, we did learn that she just wants “to frack.”

Battlestar Galactica, External Entertainment, External TV, TV, TV Action, TV Dramas, TV Sci-Fi

“My Boy Jack” is too good for TV

April 18, 2008 /

It’s very rare to come across a made-for-TV movie that is both competent and enjoyable, but the BBC-produced “My Boy Jack” (which premieres on PBS April 20th and arrives on DVD two days later) does just that. Based on the stage play written (and adapted) by David Haig, the film stars the veteran actor as popular English author Rudyard Kipling, a major supporter of Britain’s involvement in the first World War.

Though his son John (Daniel Radcliffe) would like to make his father proud by serving his country, the various British military divisions constantly reject him due to his poor eyesight. Kipling’s influence eventually lands John a spot in the Irish Guard, and within weeks, he’s promoted to lead his very own platoon into battle. When he suddenly goes missing after his unit is massacred at the Battle of Loos, however, John’s mother (Kim Cattrall) leads a search to discover exactly what happened to her only son.

Surprisingly tame for a war drama, “My Boy Jack” is more about Rudyard Kipling’s struggle to accept the unknown fate of his child than the war itself. Moreover, because it’s based on a play, the story depends entirely on the performances of its cast. Haig, who also played the role of Kipling during the stage production, delivers a tour de force worthy of an Emmy nomination, while Radcliffe (who continues to break “Harry Potter” typecasting with each polar role) delivers a fine performance as the title character. Kim Cattrall, on the other hand, sticks out like a sore thumb, and though she doesn’t do a particularly terrible job as Kipling’s American wife, one really has to question the person in charge of casting the “Sex & the City” star in such a role.

Nevertheless, “My Boy Jack” remains an adequate primetime option on a night when there’s normally nothing on. It’s short, intelligent, and features some great performances. Sure, it’s no “Saving Private Ryan,” but there’s just enough going for this war drama to justify recommending it to anyone who likes a little history with their entertainment.

External Entertainment, External TV, Movie DVDs, TV, TV Dramas

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