Lost Recap: Borrowed

Not that any of my readership comes here for 'Lost' recaps, and I am too tired frankly to write one. So here -- TVGuide.com did a great job recapping and doing a little speculating....They too have come to the same conclusion that we all have -- Farraday's mom is that old lady in the basement who was talking to Ben last week, and she is the same lady who sold Desmond his diamond ring a ways back....oooooh.....

I loved this episode as it was very island-centric and answered a few good questions:
-Why did Richard have an interested in Locke when he was born?
-What is Chuck Widmore's fascination with this island about?

We still don't know why The Others don't time travel, but rather just seem to exist in whatever form/year the island seems to be in. And the blondie with the gun following Faraday? Is she supposed to be his Mom? Perhaps...he did seem to know her.

The link to the recap

Trust Me: A Review in Short Order

I am going to try and review the new TNT Drama 'Trust Me' Twitter style -- 140 characters or less. This is going to a challenge for me given my penchant for verbosity...but I will try.

The show airs on Monday nights at 9 central on TNT (We Know Drama) and stars Eric McCormack (Will and Grace) and Tom Cavanaugh (Ed) and Monica Potter (some movies I am sure I saw) and is about advertising agency life in Chicago...in otherwords, a modern day Mad Men, and seriously, what took anyone so long to make this happen.

Here comes the review:

I liked 'Trust Me' very much. The writing was fast-paced and witty, Lauren says the agency scenes and characters are dead-on, and I love that it's Chicago. Cavanaugh is annoying so far, but his character is supposed to be -- they will have to find a happy medium. McCormack is great, and the show has a fun supporting cast and could have some legs given good storylines. It was a fun hour of TV. It didn't change the world, but it did give a fair depiction of creative life within an agency trying to nail a campaign. I look forward to the shows growth and I recommend it.

That would not have been accepted by Twitter - I would have had to break it into several messages which is cheating - yet a lot of people do it -- and yes I am talking directly to you Richard Roeper....www.twitter.com/richardroeper

24 Recap and More

So now FBI Agent Long-hair/Freckles is is on the plan. And she too doesn't seem to care that Jack and Company work for no one but themselves. She also cleans up quite well from being shot in the neck and buried alive less than 30 minutes earlier -- amazing really. She is better than KITT.

Strangely I am more compelled to the 'B' Storyline right now with First Gentlemen Henry Taylor and the uber baddie Secret Service boy (Sven Sungaard doppleganger. If you don't know Sven, Google him...). That is a much more interesting story right now and I look forward to seeing how it works out for the currently incapacitated Hank Taylor who lays next to the dead Sven Sungaard and already stabbed and dead Samantha. Her death was brutal to watch. Yuck.

Tony remains a wild-card I think. He doesn't know who he is right and now and will probably have to double-cross Jack to keep the story going. The Big Bad however did kill 250+ Americans in two plane crashes -- so those keeping tabs on a death toll, I am up to 280 total people including bad guys and FBI agents.

LINE OF THE YEAR:
While applying a tooth-based tracking device on the Prime Minister only minutes before he is to be kidnapped so he can be traced, the Prime Minister asks Chloe...

Motobu: Do you work for the FBI?
Chloe: No, I am a stay at home mom.

Genius.

The Best 5 Days Ever?

I submit the following nomination for best week of TV ever:

-New HIMYM
-New Big Bang
-New 24
-Non-Stop Inauguration Coverage (most historical day of my lifetime)
-Badger Hoops game....lost in OT, but I knew I had Lost coming up next!
-Lost catch-up show to get the adrenaline going...
-New LOST (the two hour variety)
-Preview for return of Life on Mars next week
-New The Office
-New 30 Rock
-New Bones
-Extra new Bones!!!!
-New Numbers

Holy shit I watch too much TV.

Lost is Still Awesome

To be completely honest with you, two things are keeping me down right now and preventing me from writing a full blown-novel:

1. My frickin' job is keeping me busy

2. My client's network occassionally blocking out Blogspot. Its never consistent either. Some days I have full access, other days it tells me that if I keep clicking on my own blog I am going to trigger some internal audit. Damn you IT Security.

So in short, the rules have all be rewritten, I have no idea what the hell is going on and who these people are that Ben is hanging out with. I have no idea why Locke has to come back and die. I have no idea who is firing arrows on fire at our losties. I have no idea what year it is on the island. I have no idea how....well, I think that is the point. The show basically started over again and I love every second of it.
What's with evil angry Sun?
Who wants Kate's paternity test?
Who works in the butcher shop?
How old is Daniel Farrady?
What the fuck is going on?

Welcome back.

SNL Is Awful

I don't even think I need to write much to explain it to you. It was an awful Dick Cheney opener, Rosario Dawson is beautiful and sings well, but it ends there...the writing was pure drek, cheap and lazy. The National Savings Bank, we reject your loans and keep the money under a matress. Really?

In other news, I think I love the Fleet Foxes.

Goodbye Ricardo Montalban

Dear Mr. Rork -
Thanks for making my Saturday nights during the 1980's from 9-10 PM, post 'Love Boat', very enjoyable. Sometime spooky, sometimes sexy, sometimes freaky, and sometimes confusing, 'Fantasy Island' taught us all a little something about being careful what you wish for, and that hanging out Hispanic midgets was cool.

Dear Kahn -
When you put on those crazy hair extensions and took on the Starship Enterprise, you were a villian worthy of your evil ways...when you put those crazy looking animals into people's ears so that you could control them? Yeah, it made me sick to my stomach at a very young age. Gross.

DVR Constipation: The Good Kind

The Mrs. has been out of town this week. Took female child with her too.
This bachelor pad of two has been celebrating with some hard-core SpongeBob, Spider Man, Super Mario, and Animated Lego shows....oh yeah, it's been pretty nuts here.

We did do some reading and homework too. Honest.

I have been able to clear the DVR of some Law and Orders and CSI-type programming. When the wife gets back though, we have a couple of long nights ahead of us:
-Gossip Girl
-Brothers and Sisters
-HIMYM
-Big Bang
-Scrubs
-Scrubs
...and of course a full slate of Thursday shows starting tomorrow.

Beginning next week I need to be ready for the return of 'Lost', 'Life on Mars' and '24'....this job is getting tough,

I am also excited for 'Dollhouse' - its been a long time since Joss Whedon gave us some television to be proud of. Yeah Joss!

24 Quick Thoughts

-Keiffer Sutherland's height disadvantage is very apparent this year. I had heard that his contract used to protect him from working with tall actors, that must have expired.

-Jack Bauer is crazy. Many people say Andy Sipowicz was the most developed TV character in history, and I can see that. But spending 7 whole days (and 2 extra hours) with Jack Bauer kind of gives you an idea of how he thinks, about everything. And he is crazy. Certifiable.

-Bill and Chloe run their own secret agency - just the two of them, and now Tony and Jack. How cute and totally unrealistic. Completely. I am willing to let it go because its cute that our four favorite characters are basically breaking every law in the history of mankind in order to protect the USA from itself - there is no possible way this can end well. No way.

-Can't wait for them to explain who is funding Bill and Chloe, and they will need to address that.

-I like the 'Son of the President didn't commit suicide' B-story because the writers got smart and it will blend into the A-story.

-After my last post about pro-torture, they took it even further with Jeanine Garrafalo represeting US Laws and the new FBI agent representing the Bush Adminsitration. It was an adorable fight.

Agent: If I dont question this guy before his lawyer shows up, we won't get anywhere

Garraflalo: We cannot do this, he asked for a lawyer - that is the law. We have laws. We have to stand down and leave the room.

And in classic 24 fashion? Garrafalo was sent out while FBI agent stuck her gun deep into the gun shot wound of the man being questioned, then shutting off his air supply. And guess what....she got the information she needed to move the plot along before the lawyers got there. This show is actually the posterchild for our torture proceedures, and you actually kind of agree with it. Argh, what is happening to my brain...need...Air....America...Radio....now....call....Rachel....Maddow...

10:36 AM

So I am 2 hours and 36 minutes into the new day on '24'. First of all, this show rocks. But secondly, I am going to watch the credits carefully to see if Dick Cheney wrote this episode. Its been noted hundreds of times that this show is very conservative in its views on torture and law enforcement where the ends justify the means, but so far this season has been an infomercial on how castrated the American government is when verbal interrogations get you nowhere. You might as well have a running ticker that says, " you see, if we can't twist his nipples, innocent Americans are going to die....you see, Jack Bauer isn't so bad after all, now is he....now is he...now is he....
Anyway, just a thought -- now back to the show....

Week in Review...

I am really looking forward to next week - a full slate of original programming on all networks. It is going to kick off with 4 hours of 24 over two nights -- watching this is like having a second job. I already had to clear the time with the Mrs. and let her know I will be working both nights.
You can't exactly wait until Monday to watch all four hours - that gets long - something like 3 total hours to get through it plus breaks. So it needs to be done over two nights. And let me add this -- you cannot wait and spread it out over the upcoming week for two reasons:
1. This show is too good not to be consumed in large doses, it is more fun that way.
2. The Spoiler Assholes will be out in full force - they already are. If I had a nickle for every article telling me HOW GREAT THE FIRST FOUR HOURS ARE AND HERE IS WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN...I would have a quarter.

And now 'Lost' is only 2 weeks away....

I did end this TV week with a great '30 Rock' last night. I think this show is back in top form this season and Baldwin and Fey are killing it right now. This show is not for everyone, it is really out there, but damn its funny. I am thinking about getting a Tracy Jordan dollar-bill shirt.

Also watched 'Knight Rider' because I read the revamp is on and its going to look and feel more like the original series -- guess what, not there yet. It really sucks. Probably the worst show on TV that I still watch every week. Deanna Russo is still hot, and from what I read, she survived the Knight Industries layoffs that should be coming. This week we learned that if you need a disguise, KITT can just quickly make it and it comes out of the glove compartment - the same compartment that difuses bombs, makes contacts and voice changers, and I think vends pizza by the slice. My Minivan does not do this -- and most days the doors don't close electronically either. Stupid American cars.

Angry Television Writing

I read the 'Jambaroo' every Thursday on Deadspin. If you don't read Deadspin all you need to know is this -- if ESPN is the (insert name of Communist Newspaper Here) of sports, then Deadspin is the New York Times -- you can see for yourselves. It can be very informative, insightful, funny, and nasty. Deadspin is where you go to find out which NFL QB isn't just a great competitor, but also like hookers, blow, and his picture to be taken.

Back the the 'Jambaroo' -- I am going to link up this week's playoff preview because of the angry diatribe regarding NBC's decision to hire Matt Millen as an analyst after he completely buried the Detroit Lions franchise and left it for dead (see: 0-16). And now we get to here his analysis? Wha? The column goes on to calmly (read: angrily) explain how it is just another example of NBC's inane programming.

Here is your warning: Its dirty, vile, and uses a lot of F-bombs. Without further ado...enjoy:

DEADSPIN LINK

10 Things I'd Rather...

10 THINGS I'D RATHER WATCH THAN....Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl

10. Virginia Tech vs. a deserving Division 1 football program not from the Big East
09. Rosanne
08. 3-2-1 Contact
07. The Making of Benjamin Button
06. Infomercial for 'Love Ballads'
05. Paris Hilton music videos
04. NCIS
03. The Badgers getting whooped again by Florida State
02. Dick Clark wishing everyone happy new year from his desk
01. FoxSportsNet North HD presents: Off-Air