studio 60 - tv review

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is a behind the scenes look at a Saturday Night Live-esque late night sketch show. Studio 60 is written by Aaron Sorkin, the writer of the television shows The West Wing and Sports Night, as well as the movies A Few Good Men and The American President. With that kind of track record, I was eagerly anticipating this show. Unfortunately, what worked so well for The West Wing -- polically charged, hyper-intellectual conversations delivered rapid-fire while travelling through the halls -- is one of Studio 60's biggest drawbacks. In the Oval Office, these conversations anchor the show. Presidential Cabinet members are supposed to be hip to the musings of the conservative right and radical left. On the set of a sketch comedy show, these same conversations are as out of place as Bobby Brown at a Say No to Drugs rally.

Premise:

Oscar-winning writer, Matt Albie, and his best friend, Director/Producer Danny Tripp are derailed from making more hit Hollywood films due to Danny failing a drug test. After the former executive producer of Studio 60 goes live on TV to blast the network, the state of television in general, and the overall IQ of everyone that allowed television programming to hit rock bottom, Matt and Danny are brought in to right the ship. Matt's biting wit and amazing writing ability catapults Studio 60 back to the ratings elite, as we see how a live comedy sketch show operates behind the scenes.

What's Good:

For anyone who's as into the television world as I am, there are moments where Studio 60 does a great job in showing us what life is like on the other side of the tube.

What's Bad:

For a show that's supposed to be about a comedy classic, everytime they show any sort of comedy sketch, the results are laughably unfunny. Matt Albie is supposed to be some sort of comedic genius, but his sketches are ridiculously out of touch with anything remotely resembling humor. If they just focused the show on the backstage stuff and never showed us the actual sketches, the world would be a much better place.

Even worse, the dialogue is so forced at times that it delivers more laughs than the supposed comedy scenes. We have the lead players discussing religion, politics, policy decisions, and current events like they were on Capitol Hill. I highly doubt that Will Ferrell and the dude who played Mango had unshakable stances on the role of Christian right in television programming. Well, ok, Mango probably did, but definitely not Ferrell.

Breakout Character:

Sarah Paulson's as Matt Albie's ex, Harriet Hayes, does a good job in reflecting her character's struggles in balancing her beliefs with performing some of the controversial sketches on the show.

Overall Recommendation:

I wanted to like this show so badly, believe me I did, but lackluster is probably the best way to describe it. It's neither as smart as it thinks it is, nor as deep. I wish Sorkin would shift the focus on creating new characters and situations, rather than bringing The West Wing to Hollywood. I half expect Martin Sheen to come on board and run the show as the new network president just to make the process complete.

On the Salinger scale, where a party of five is the highest rating, I'm saving a seat for Bailey and Julia. An average rating for an average show.

2 Salingers

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip airs Mondays at 10pm on NBC

six degrees - tv review

Six Degrees is another new fall show this season. Six Degrees is written by J.J. Abrams, who penned Felicity (watchable), Alias (a very good show until Abrams left to write Lost), What About Brian (terrible), and Lost (well, you know). Given his track record, there was absolutely no way to predict how this show would fare. Well, now I know. And knowing was half the battle.

Premise:

Everyone in the world is connected in some way. They just are. And in this show, boy is that true. All the cast members are drawn together by fate or coincidence, as their storylines collide. Um... yeah. That's the whole premise.

What's Good:

The show is set in New York City. And New York is a totally fun place. Well, not as potrayed in this show. But in real life. It's cool. And they have great pizza.

What's Bad:

The storylines are completely contrived to get all of the characters to interact. The dialogue is wooden, outcomes predictable, and the character interaction is not entirely believable. But other than that, the show is a gem.

Breakout Character:

Hmmm... if I had to choose, I guess I'd pick the guy who drives people around. Because his brother is a shady underworld mob-type charater who has a huge scar cut clear across his face. So I guess I'm not choosing the driver guy at all. I'm choosing the thuggy brother. Who has been on-screen for a total of 12 mins in 4 episodes. Great.

Overall Recommendation:

Ok, this review is ridiculously lackluster, I know. In all honesty, I'm not the target demographic. This is aimed at the Felicity/What About Brian crowd, and if you liked those shows, you'd probably watch this one too. It's somewhere dead smack in between those predecessors in terms of quality.

On the Salinger scale, where a party of five is the highest rating, Claudia and half an Owen have a seat at the table.

1.5 Salingers

Six Degrees airs Thursday at 10pm on ABC

yet more proof that stingrays are evil

From the AP newswire:

LIGHTHOUSE POINT, Fla. - An 81-year-old man was in critical condition Thursday after a stingray flopped onto his boat and stung him, leaving a foot-long barb in his chest similar to the accident that killed "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin.

My god, these stingrays are worse than Al Qaeda. Why are we focusing on preventing people from taking shampoo and contact solution onto airplanes when stingrays are JUMPING OUT OF THE WATER and killing people? I'm personally raising the terror alert to yellow. No f-that. Orange.

heroes - tv review

Since I've been lax in reviewing the new fall television shows, I'll start off with a bang and take you straight to the best of the bunch. The best new show? Well, that's easy. NBC's Heroes. Don't believe me? Here's a quote from my co-worker, Steve:

God, this show is so good. I'm all in.

See, I told you. It's THAT good.

Premise:

Think X-Men, the early years. The story focuses on a very diverse group of folks with super powers who are just discovering their new talents. They come from very different walks of life -- a cheerleader, a single mom, a Japanese office worker, a politician, a nurse, a police officer, a drug-addicted artist -- but are brought together, whether by coincidence or fate, for a larger purpose. How large? How about "saving the world" large. Would that be something that would interest you?

What's Good:

The storyline, which is as intriguing as the first season of Lost. You're left trying to piece together all of the clues as each episode unfolds to try to make sense of this universe of characters. What powers do these people possess? How will they all find each other? Who will use their powers for good? Who will use their powers for evil? How will they save the world? Why does the little blonde girl wear her cheerleading outfit 90% of the time? There is not a single show that I look forward to watching as much as Heroes from week to week. Yes, this includes the aforementioned Lost.

What's Bad:

The fun of Heroes is the mystery behind how these super folks identify and unite against a common evil. The problem is, once they actually do unite and vanquish this evil, will the show become the Justice League of America? Who wants to see a group of superheroes in tights fight evil week after week? Boo for that.

Breakout Character:

Hiro, the Japanese office worker who learns that he has the power to manipulate time and space, is a comic-book junkie. He's hip to the fact he has special gifts and he takes to heart the Peter Parker mantra that with great power comes great responsibility. The tongue in cheek way his character is written, pairing his naivete with his true belief that he was meant for bigger things, is fun to watch. Way more fun than seeing Ali Larter take herself too seriously for the 20,321th time.

Overall Recommendation:

Watch it. Watch it now. Need to catch up? They have recaps on NBC.com, as well as full episodes on iTunes.

UPDATE: There will be a Heroes marathon on NBC this Sunday to watch all the episodes of the season so far. TiVo it or something, won't you?

On the Salinger scale, where a party of five is the highest rating, Bailey, Claudia, Charlie, and Julia get invited to dinner.

4 Salingers

Heroes airs Mondays at 9pm on NBC

why is this man famous?

Can someone take a couple seconds to explain to me the Dane Cook phenomenon? I really don't get it. This guy is the absence of funny. Yet people adore him, especially adolecent girls who scream his name. Why? Because he looks so smug all the time and grows just enough facial hair to give him that i'm a slacker dude stubble?

I blame MySpace for all of this. Damn you.

and the world shrugged...

Recently demoted Arizona Cardinal QB, Kurt Warner, said that this may be his last season in the league. Are you telling me there is no place in the NFL for a 35-year-old journeyman backup quarterback who's main talent is alternating between throwing interceptions and getting sacked in the pocket? What is the world coming to?