Stuff...

I will spare you my f-bomb and capslock laden rant about last week's Bones and just advise you that you won't be hearing more from me about that bullshit show.

I still haven't caught up on Fringe or FlashForward since they've been back. I am more likely to watch Fringe, but neither one seems to have been missed. I'm also at least 3 hours behind on 24. I'll be happy when this semester is over.

And in funnier things, this.

TV Stuffs

I've been catching up on all the TV I missed while I was on vacation, so expect some reaction posts a bit later. For now, I bring you a David Boreanaz interview (Bones returns this week after a looong hiatus - but with the NBC comedies being so AWESOME on Thursday night, I haven't missed it at all).

Also, it really, really, for serious is the end of 24. Except for the movie, of course.

Food for thought

I stumbled across this transcript of a keynote speech by Hart Hanson (aka the creator of Bones), and I thought he had some very interesting things to say. Some of them I agree with, some of them I don't (namely this: "My entire audience wants them [Booth and Bones] to get together." Um, not all of us, punk. Personally, I think you're killing the show by forcing UST where there isn't any).

One potentially controversial statement: "...without exception I’ve never seen anything on TV that rivaled a good novel." Which, on the one hand, is probably true, given that novels and TV are two very different types of storytelling (finite vs. infinite, standalone vs. episodic). But it also sounds very much like that "TV isn't art/literature because it's pop culture and pop culture gets no respect" mentality that really bothers me. As BtVS fans, I'm sure I don't have to tell you that there are TV shows out there with just as much depth and quality storytelling as a good novel.

He seems to suggest that writing for TV means writing for an audience, whereas writing a novel means writing for yourself. Which is all well and good, as long as you don't ever plan to sell your novel and make money from it. If you want to do that, well, you're probably going to have to take the audience into consideration. I think - again - he simply denigrates TV when he should be looking at both TV and novels as falling into two categories: those designed for mass market (pulp novels, TV shows like Bones, CSI, or American Idol) and those intended to be art (literary novels, TV shows like Mad Men). Every professional writer wants to attract an audience, no matter what type of writing they do.

Anyway, a lot of it is talking about how to be successful writing for a mass audience, and the answer seems to be, "Write about things that appeal to a large number of people, but don't pander," which is probably much easier said than done. This quote in particular stood out to me: "But if you cleave to, if you support – as an entertainer – the basic values of your culture and society, you have a much better chance of reaching a mass audience than if you challenge the mores and morals of a society." And I couldn't help but immediately think of Dollhouse. But you know what, Hart? For all the problems (and they were legion) that Dollhouse had, I'd still rather have that on my television than Bones, ten times over. Guess TV aimed at a mass audience just doesn't appeal to me.

I have to admit, I was pretty confused about the whole "redemption of Sweets" section. Did I miss the part where Sweets needed to be redeemed? 'Cause I kind of loved him from the beginning.

Oh, but then there's this: "And America is anti-intellectual, in a way. I find… it’s very anti-intellectual. They tend to… if I hear one more person say, “He’s a president you can have a beer with!” Jesus Christ! I don’t want him to have a beer; I want him to make me feel stupid." WORD.

Snowpocalypse

So, if you don't live in the DC area, we got about 2 feet of snow this weekend. I had off Friday - my boss (a bit prematurely, as it turned out) decided on Thursday night that we wouldn't open the office on Friday, since they were predicting snow to start around 10 am. Which it did, but it didn't start to accumulate for another six hours, so... oops? But I got a day off, so I'm not complaining. And I'm off again today, because there's no above ground Metro service, which means I can't get into the city.

I've spent much of my time cooking (I'm getting pretty good!), reading for class, and catching up on TV from last week. Here's a few thoughts:

24: I don't actually try to make sense of the plots anymore; I just turn my brain off and watch Jack be awesome. This season is pretty rockin' with the new cast members - pleeeeeeease let Katee Sackhoff and Callum Keith Rennie have a scene together at some point. Not just for the BSG reunion, but also to save Starbuck from her idiotic subplot. (Cougar came early this season, apparently. It's only episode six.) Also? David Anders! Love him. I stopped watching Heroes because they killed him off (and also because the show spiraled into nonsensical drivel). I love him most when he's suited up and being menacing, so it works out well that he's one of the bad guys.

Bones: Holy product placement, Batman. Are they perhaps trying to highlight the voice-activated GPS in Brennan's car? You know, I'm not opposed to product placement - in fact, I am all for Subway sponsorship of Chuck if it'll keep the show on the air - as long as they don't smack you in the face with it. If it's distractingly out of place, it pulls you out of the story. Also, they don't actually call mental institutions "sanitariums" anymore, do they? Seriously? And continuing the familiar guest stars theme, in this ep we have Joshua Malina, alumnus of everything Aaron Sorkin's ever done.

One final observation - is it just me, or do they repeat the same B-plot every time the Muslim intern is on? It seems like every time that guy shows up, the case has something to do with religion, he makes some comment about it, which Cam or someone else misinterprets, only to realize later that they've horribly stereotyped him. If they don't have anything to do with him except say "hey, he's Muslim, but he doesn't hate Americans," then can we please move on to other, more interesting interns, like Wendell or the British trivia-spouting guy?

Blech

Not dead, just sick. Intestinal nastiness lasting for weeks. Couldn't see doctor until health insurance kicked in. Finally got drugs. Hoping for improvement. Still feel nauseous.

Anyway, so, apparently I moved out of Pennsylvania and... they went insane. They still don't have a budget, which was due July 1st, and Mayor Nutter of Philadelphia is taking drastic action to force Harrisburg to act. Fun!

Also, tonight is the season premiere of several shows I care about, including The Office, Fringe, and Bones (roughly in that order, if Bones continues to suck as much as it did last season). I think Thursday is going to be the new Monday in terms of scheduling conflicts.

Friday!!

I'm getting into this habit of falling asleep when I get home from work, taking a 3 hour nap, and then not being able to sleep at night. Not good. Need weekend.

If you haven't seen it yet, here's the Bones April Fool's Day prank.

And this one is for Megan: No Doubt will be on the Today show May 1st. (The link also includes the whole summer schedule.)

Can you tell my boss is on vacation?

I'm back to posting every day again, lol.

Anyway, interview with FNL's executive producer about the DirecTV deal and what the next two seasons have in store. Warning: If you're like me, and have been saving yourself for the NBC broadcast episodes, this article spoils episodes that haven't aired yet.

LOLs from The Onion: Obama depressed after BSG finale.

An interview with Tamara Taylor about Bones. Important note: Fox will be doubling up episodes (due to all the Obama pre-empting), and will be airing new eps on Wednesdays AND Thursdays for a couple weeks.

Politico thinks that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is really similar to West Wing character Josh Lyman. Well... duh. Josh was based on Emanuel when he worked in the Clinton administration. Any excuse for more Bradley Whitford, though.

Just a quickie...

...before I go home for the weekend.

First of all, is it me, or did Bones kind of suck last night? Maybe it was the double-whammy of two lackluster episodes in a row, but man, that was unsatisfying. Also, I am getting very worried about this impending Booth/Bones coupling.

Links: More on BSG and the final Cylon, and an interview with Kevin from The Office, which I did not watch last night because I was watching the second Bones. Considering how much The Office rocked last week, I think I would've been better off with that one.

Whee!

Lots of interesting stuff today.

First, who's excited for Battlestar Galactica tomorrow?? Me!! Probably no one else will think this is funny, but I thought the BSG miniseries told as a series of Facebook applications was hilarious!

24 news - The 8th season may be its last, and Howard Gordon wants to kill Jack (and possibly blow up the world?) on the big screen.

Speaking of TV shows being made into movies, here's an unlikely one: Jericho. It's like the little show that could... It's been canceled twice already, but apparently, it's been rerunning on the CW (because they have nothing else to air), and if it does well, it could revive the show for more episodes or a movie.

David B. talks about directing an episode of Bones, and also discusses that stupid spoiler about "Booth and Brennan end up in bed together, but it's not what you think." Am I the only one who's really getting tired of this "it's not what you think" crap? I thought it was stupid when they did it with the kiss, and I think it's stupid now. I don't really want Booth and Brennan together, so this whole teasing, dragging it out thing isn't really making me happy. Just let 'em sleep together, realize it was a huge mistake, and then we can go on with our lives.

Some dude I've never heard of is going to be on The Office, and details are coming out about that "Office spinoff that's not really a spinoff" that Amy Poehler is doing. It sounds like it might be funny.

And finally, I caught up on last week's SNL (with NPH!). I thought it was mostly pretty funny, but my favorite was by far the Broadway sketch. Turns out Anthony Rapp (the original Mark from Rent) liked it, too.

TV stuff

Bones fans, we're being foiled by George W. one last time.

More info on the new Rob Thomas show, Party Down. It looks seriously fun, so it's a shame it's on a cable channel I don't get.

And the answer to the "where's Karen?" question. I'm not sure if I feel better or worse knowing that the executive producer of 24 didn't even remember where they left things with Bill and Karen. Better because it's nice to know it's not just me. Worse because... well, it's your show. Shouldn't you remember what happened? Bottom line: she's fine, but she's not coming back.

Also 24-related, a "24-Hour News Cycle" featuring Jack Bauer. I'll admit, the CNN blurb cracked me all up.

My TV thoughts, let me show you them

Okay, so I've been dropping the ball a lot lately on the TV watching, but I managed to catch up over the weekend. I finally got around to watching 24: Redemption, which I thought was pretty good. Mostly it just got me anxious for more 24, which I guess was kind of the point, but I did like the whole Jack-in-Africa deal (I kind of love the idea of him traveling the world doing good deeds to make up for all the bad things he's done), and I'm glad they got a chance to do it, after scrapping it from season seven.

The plot itself was a little predictable (I knew Jack was going to trade his freedom for the kids as soon as they handed him the subpoena), but no one watches 24 for its unpredictability anymore. We watch it to see Jack kick ass, which he did pretty well. I admit, I laughed my ass off when the African dude tried to torture Jack, like, "You pathetic amateur! This is Jack F'ing Bauer. You think you can break him? Dream on, baby."

I also watched the Psych Christmas special, which for some incomprehensible reason aired in November. (I've given up trying to understand the schedule monkeys.) Best part of the episode was definitely Gus and his sister: "Forehead!" "Ears!" How great is it to have such a close relationship that you can insult someone without actually insulting them, all you have to do is name the body part?

Also caught up with last week's HIMYM (naked Barney!!!!) and Bones. Can we please knock it off with the "Booth is dumb" storylines? He's not, okay? He's an FBI agent. They don't let idiots into the FBI, trust me, I've applied. He may not be as geeky as Brennan and the squints, but he's not stupid. Take note, Show, you're on notice.

I also watch TV

So, while the election is certainly the most important thing happening today, there's also lots of other stuff to mention. (Also, there's nothing to do in work and I'm bored. This is what happens when ever single legislator and their staffers leave town to campaign.)

Let's start with interviews. The showrunners of Bones and How I Met Your Mother both have interviews on where the shows are headed this season. There's also the first part of Christian Kane's interview about his new TV show, Leverage. And someone finally tracked down Jimmy Smits to see how he feels about the whole Obama/Santos comparison.

There's also a new Joss Whedon interview, in which the interviewer seems to be really, really defensive of Buffy and really, really hates the new vampire series True Blood. I'm not entirely sure why, other than "It's not Buffy." Joss, however, is happy to talk about both the Buffy comics and Dollhouse.

And finally, Jenna Fischer's got a new movie.

Okay...

That was a little bit mean, since I know Kelly doesn't care about politics. So here's some TV talk, too.

Let's see, the last time I checked in, I was almost caught up with all the shows I'd missed. Since then, I managed to watch all the recent episodes of Chuck, which I'm still a big fan of. I'm still bummed that it's on at the same time as HIMYM, because those two shows have become the only bright spot on a previously packed Monday night.

This is partly because I've given up on Heroes. Not even the digging up of Adam Monroe can save it for me. I watched it last Monday, and about halfway through, I realized I didn't have a clue what was going on (mostly because I'd zoned out a few times, but also because the show makes no logical sense). And more importantly, I didn't care. So, yeah. I'm done. I'm slightly bitter that I even bothered to get invested at all, going against my instincts that it wasn't as awesome as the hype, only to have the show spiral into such nonsensical drivel that even people who were completely obsessed with the first season are now calling it crap.

My other Monday night hopeful was the Jekyll and Hyde spy show, My Own Worst Enemy, starring my beloved Christian Slater (I met him!! In London!! There are pictures!!). Maybe watching Heroes right before it meant that I was already in a troubling state of ennui, but my reaction was pretty meh. It was decent, but not outstanding, with several logic holes that could've been glossed over had the show been more interesting.

Elsewhere on TV, I watched the first episode of Life on Mars. I was really afraid of this one, because those imported Brit remakes rarely go well, but this one was pretty good. I guess it helps that I've never seen the original (which I do plan to rectify eventually). I missed the second ep last night, because Danielle called me so I was on the phone for the first half of it, but I liked it enough to catch up online.

Also, somewhat confusingly, I'm enjoying Life (confusing because of the titles, not because... never mind). I'm noticing the trend seems to be heading towards "procedurals with a twist." It's not enough anymore to be a dry, impersonal CSI or Law and Order, but people seem to be leery of serial shows after the post-Lost spate of serials crashed and burned a couple years ago. So now it's all "cop show... except one cop is from 2008, transported to the 1970s" or "spy show... except the spy has a split personality." Even older shows like Bones and House seem to fit into this pattern. And with Life, it's "cop show... except one cop just got out of jail after being wrongfully imprisoned for 12 years." I watched the whole first season on DVD, and then what's aired so far of the second season online, and it's great. I thought it would be an "I can wait till it comes out on DVD" show, but I'm totally into it. It's on Friday nights, which is a bummer, but that's what the internet is for, right?

And finally, I'm still watching Fringe, but I pretty much agree with this article on how it could be much better.

Remember when I watched TV?

Before I went on vacation, that is. I've spent the last few days catching up on the hours and hours of fall TV that I've missed, so here's a quick rundown:

HIMYM: Love it, even though Ted totally dissed New Jersey last night. But Marshall's hilarious rant about being too big for New York completely made up for it. Plus, I didn't think it was possible to love Barney even more, but OMG how cute is he being in love with Robin while still being very, very Barney. (Also, I think my Dr. Horrible love is bleeding through.)

Heroes: Holy God. I didn't think these characters could get any stupider, but wow, did I underestimate them. With Peter, we now have double the stupid (and sadly, Future Peter shows that he only gets MORE stupid as time goes on), Hiro almost won the stupid-off hands down when he opened the safe, but Mohinder once again reclaimed the lead by injecting himself with superhero juice. HRG still rocks my socks, and I like the speedster chick (though I question her judgment being married to Parkman in the future). Also, Sylar as a '50s housewife totally makes up for the rest of the Four Years Later plot totally sucking. I can't wait for Elle to show up again (she IS coming back, right?) and OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG Adam!!!!! I can't tell you how much I love him, mostly because he's always trying to kill Hiro.

Fringe: I'm still into it. My love of Joshua Jackson is strong, even though the show itself isn't as compelling as it thinks it is. Anna Torv bothers me, though (she reminds me a lot of what's her name, who played Kate on 24).

Bones: Started off shaky (much as I love London, that season premiere was weak), but I am LOVING Sweets this year. I was so happy to see Zack back as well, even though he creeps me the fuck out. The revolving door of assistants has been hit or miss. Hodgins and Angela just need to get back together - the reason they broke up was stupid in the first place. And is it just me, or have they been focusing on Seeley's "Cocky" belt buckle an awful lot lately?

Dirty Sexy Money: So far, I've only seen one episode, and this show is kind of on the bottom of my list of shows I care about. I do love Peter Krause and Donald Sutherland, but it seems to have gotten more soap opera-y and less funny.

The Office: Again, only one episode, but at least they seemed to be better with the pacing on the hour-long ep than last season. Still funny.

Mad Men: OMG I love this show. Watch it. That's all.

I still haven't caught up on Chuck, but I'll probably do that tonight. I'm also working on season 1 of Life, which so far seems good, but probably not must-see. I may just wait for the second season to come out on DVD. Ditto for House and Brothers & Sisters. I also started watching Arrested Development. I only got in a couple episodes before I left for vacation, and so far I'm finding it funny, but not nearly as brilliant as everyone's made it seem.

Mini-post

Not much to say today, just wanted to post a couple links: David Boreanaz answers 17 Pop-Culture Questions with his usual dry humor and complete disregard for the network talking points, and an article about the guys behind Psych. Also, a reminder that the two-hour season premiere of Bones is tonight at 8. London!

Spoilers!

Want to know what's happening on your favorite shows this fall? Kristin at E! has lots of info on Bones, The Office, Heroes, HIMYM, and just about every show ever, so be careful if you're trying to avoid spoilers for any particular show. TV Squad has a similar minefield, with info on those shows plus 24, Friday Night Lights, and more. There's also a more detailed post about Bones.

Also, an interview with Tahmoh Penikett about Dollhouse.

Random randomness

Just a brief update to let you know that France has banned TV for children under 3, NY Magazine poo-poos the VM movie idea, Yahoo News shows itself to be woefully outdated (Bones filmed in London in June), and the truth behind the Spaghetti Cat comes out.

Promo time!

Thought you might be interested to watch the promo for Heroes season 3, as well as the promos for the Bones season premiere (the London eps!).

This is so nice, I just might sleep with the same girl twice...

Yep, still using Dr. Horrible quotes for titles.

So, OMG. I had a pretty crappy weekend, but it was Comic-Con weekend in San Diego, which means I have a shitload of links. Let's try to keep this organized.

Okay, first of all, TV Squad has a report on just about every panel, including Dollhouse, Heroes, Bones, and Dr. Horrible. Most important announcement from the entire weekend: There will be more Dr. Horrible! (Which is very good, because I'm running out of quotes.) Also, Dr. Horrible's remote control thingy (which he used to operate the van to steal the Wonderflonium) is a website he pulled up on his iPhone.

The Watcher has another report from the Heroes panel, as well as Battlestar Galactica.

There's lots of stuff about Dollhouse, including these video clips of interviews with Eliza, Joss, and Tahmoh, and another visit to the set. EW also has an interview with them (in which Eliza sings), as well as a two-part interview with David Boreanaz.

Um, Mario Lopez is on Extra now? That's a shame. But he's talking about Dr. Horrible, so he still gets cool points.

TV catch-up

It's been several days since I made the rounds of my usual websites, so here's a bunch of info for you.

First, did you know that this website grades House on its medical accuracy? I was actually really curious, since most of that shit seems pretty outlandish (and sometimes, it seems, it is). I'm still working on season 3 of House, by the way. It's turning into a "watch while I do other things" kind of show - you know, the kind that only requires half my brain, and I can check my email or chat on AIM at the same time.

Also, this poll proves British people are stupid, or just like ticky boxes. How is it possible that three of the same people could be in the top four on both the "Best American Accent" and "Worst American Accent" list?? Personally, I think Hugh Laurie, Jamie Bamber, and Matthew Rhys all have great accents (I didn't even know Matthew Rhys was British, although the last name should've been a dead giveaway). Worst award definitely goes to Marianne Jean-Baptiste. I can't stand listening to her.

What else? Oh, new cast members for the 24 movie. Tony Todd scares the hell out of me, so he should be very good as a "cruel African dictator."

Also, my boy James Marsters is getting some play for his role as Buzz Aldrin in "Moonshot." (That's the reason he had to cancel Fangoria, by the way. Becky and I are still very disappointed. Morale will probably sink lower if he shaves his head again for this role.)

Still pissed about the Bones finale? (Seriously, it's been a week. Get over it.) Here's an interview with Hart Hanson, which probably won't make people feel better. Although it is nice to know that they intended to have more character development leading up to the reveal, had it not been for the writers' strike. Also heartening to hear that Eric Millegan may be back occasionally.

And finally, an interview with Joss about the reduced commercial time for Dollhouse.