Something's funky in the kitchen

Ok, so what's going on with Hell's Kitchen? Don't get me wrong, I like the show... it's good, cheesy fun with a lot of overblown drama and theatrics, but this season feels like it's been going on Forever and at the end of last night's episode there were still 4 "chefs" left! At this rate we should have a winner by mid-February.

Maybe I wouldn't mind so much if it only aired in the summer (with all of the other good, mindless entertainment where it belongs) but right now I just wish it would end already. And what was with the last punishment? usually the punishments for losing a challenge would be at least tangentially related to cooking somehow... loading the stock room, cutting huge stacks of potatoes or cleaning out the dumpsters so they can fully appreciate just how much risotto they'd ruined. This time? They were dressed in orange prison jumpsuits and made to clean trash off the side of the road. Were the producers trying to give them "The Chris Brown Experience" or what? And what will their punishment be next time... cleaning elephant dung out of a circus tent? Painting over graffiti on the sides of buildings?

And yet no matter What the next punishment will be, I'll still watch...

Golden Age of Sit-coms?

I know I know...every couple of years, someone wonders if we are in a new "Golden Age of Television", but seriously, has there ever been a group of sit-coms collectively as good as 30 Rock, The Office, Big Bang Theory, Old Adventures of New Christine, How I Met Your Mother and now Modern Family? Maybe none of them are as great as Seinfeld, or as important as The Cosby Show, but I can't think of a time where there has been this many great sit-coms all airing at the same time.

30 Rock and Big Bang Theory thus far have gotten funnier every year that they air. They both took a year or so to really figure out what worked and what didn't (that's just about always the way with good television shows). The Office took a bit longer, but has grown into it's own separate identity from the Ricky Gervais original. How I Met Your Mother is one of the most original sit-coms ever written in that it's a hybrid of a standard sit-com and a flashback-driven affair like Lost. It continuously jumps backwards and forwards in time, and with a few exceptions, manages to maintain it's own continuity.

If Modern Family is what Dennis Green thinks it is, and Community grows into what it can be, then I think that 10 years from now people will look back at this time period in awe. Ok, "awe" is probably too strong and dramatic a word... maybe "doe-eyed wonder" would be better. Well, whatever it is they look back with, they'll be impressed.

Long Interview With Joss Whedon

I've never read an interview with Joss that was half as long as this. Looks like some interesting things are coming up on Dollhouse.

Premiere Night

Big time premiere night for network television. Fringe, The Office, the new show Community, Survivor (though, to be fair, I did stop watching this show right around Survivor: Iowa) CSI and Bones all made their return tonight. Of the ones that I watched, Fringe was my favorite of the night. I'm a fan of Lost, and one of the main elements of that show that I love so much is the bevy of mind-twisting scenes. I'm talking about the guy pushing a button every 108 minutes to save the world, the monster comprised entirely of smoke that reads minds, the giant four-toed statue, the first flash forward... those are the types of scenes that make Lost my favorite show right now. And with this coming season being the final one for Lost, as much as people are anticipating the new show Flash Forward, right now, with scenes in the second season opener like "Olivia Introduces Herself to the Windshield", "The Man With the Crunchy Silly Putty Face" and "Bizarro Typewriter" it looks like Fringe will be my primary source for those types of scenes.

I would say that The Office's premiere wasn't it's best, but even a mediocre episode is pretty funny. The "hardcore" opening was fantastic. And who knew that Stanley had a libido?

Now Community... I liked Community, but didn't love it. I really enjoyed how it dodged making stereotypical characters and Joel McHale is always hilarious... but to me, it felt like the creators tried just a little bit too hard to avoid all of the normal trappings of a sitcom (the new guy teaching everyone a valuable lesson, the professor getting one over on the main character to show him the value of hard work) and in avoiding All those things, it made motives unclear. Why would that study group stay together? Why wouldn't the professor help the lawyer who helped him some years back? Overall though, it was still hilarious at times and I laughed more at it than The Office so that says a lot to me.

The Vampire Diaries tonight wasn't a premiere, it was it's second episode, but despite what I said in my blog last week... I'm in. It's girly and very "everybody-talk-about-your-feelings-y" (which usually bores me) but the writers are using their mythology of vampires ( and apparently witches) and the history of Stefan and his family as mysteries to keep people like me interested. Well played Mr. Williamson. Well played dot dot dot (insert maniacal sneer here). Speaking of which, Ian Somerhalder (aka Boone from Lost) has seriously impressed me. He's much better playing this evil Damon than he was playing nice old Boone.

All in all, I am so very glad that Fall is back.

Today my wife watched Eddie Griffin's new reality show, so here is the She-WOC's first review.

If you’re one of the hundreds of people who have been wondering what Eddie Griffin has been up to lately, then VH1’s new reality show, Eddie Griffin: Going For Broke, will get you caught up. In a nutshell though, he’s impregnated 4 women, fathered 8 children, divorced two wives, and is playing Daddy Warbucks to about “a dozen” deadbeats. And he’s been doing stand-up comedy too.

The show centers on Griffin’s large debt. Griffin’s accountant Morty had a sit-down with him and advised that he was bringing in $4.3 million a year but his expenses totaled $4.7 million a year. The debt is a result of Griffin’s lavish lifestyle and his need to finance the dreams of family and friends. Four of these dreamers were a part of the first episode.

Two of the dreamers are Griffin’s grown son Eddie Jr. and his nephew Robert “PeeWee”. They are both pursuing careers in music and are costing Griffin a total of $65,000 a year. J.C. is the third dreamer of which Griffin is spending $100,000 a year to finance his boxing career

The most entertaining dreamer on the show today was Uncle Curtis. Uncle Curtis needs $50,000 for a noble business venture. He wants to create a “pornographic love story” for those with specific hirsute tastes. Uncle Curtis goes on to say that he wants to make a porno that shows you how to “caress a woman. Love her. Then pop it to her”. How sweet.

Aside from Morty the accountant, the only one that seems to have Griffin’s best interest at heart is his mother Doris. His mother has moved in with Griffin to help him through his money woes and to hopefully help him tame his wild lifestyle. Mom can seem naggy at times, but she means well and is ultimately right. She wants her son to stop smoking, drinking, fathering kids, and financing deadbeats.

One night after Mom broke up a wild party at Griffin’s house she sits down with her son and tells him that he needs to show some “tough love” to the leeches in his life. So, he takes Junior, PeeWee, and J.C. aside and tells them they need to start contributing financially. I have to say that Junior had the most mature response of the three and I was impressed. He immediately admitted that it was time to step up and pitch in.

J.C. however, says that he had no idea it was a problem for Griffin to finance his boxing career. This made be wonder if J.C. was aware that his boxing is costing Griffin $100,000 a year. Surely he wouldn’t have responded like that if he’d known what he was costing. Right?

I was the most disappointed by PeeWee’s response to the meeting with Griffin. PeeWee claimed to be “hurt, disappointed, and angry” because he “doesn’t understand why” Griffin would do this. Huh? If PeeWee’s reaction is any indication, Griffin may have the hardest time prying his hands from the piggy bank.

Going For Broke is a light-hearted reality show but the core of it involves some pretty heavy issues. Not only is Griffin drowning in debt but he is also struggling with problems such as smoking and what his mother perceives as a drinking problem. Portions of the show also dealt with the relationship Griffin has with his 8-year-old son Elijah. He had the unpleasant task of telling his son that he wouldn’t be able to spend his birthday with him because he would be performing. This was clearly not the first time he’d had to have this talk with his son.

After watching this first episode, I came away liking Griffin and I want him to succeed. It will be interesting to see how he balances his career and 8 kids and it will be entertaining to see if deadbeats pitch in. Griffin seems like such a nice guy that he may have trouble holding the deadbeats to their agreement to pitch in. However, if he knows what’s good for him, he’ll heed Mom’s advice and show some “tough love”.

Great Night of Telvision

September 9th, 2009 or 09/09/09 if you prefer, ended up being a very good night in the world of television and a great way to start off the new fall season. And it was all about two things: Glee and American Idol.

The premiere, or second episode if you prefer, of Glee shows that it definitely is not a one-hit wonder. It was just as sweet and funny as the pilot episode and a breath of fresh air on television. What didn't I like? The shaky cam being used at the beginning of the episode in the principal's office. I Hate shaky cam. I have a 21 year vomit-free streak and it's annoying that at times I have to turn away from some television programs and at Bourne movies just to continue said streak. Now, what did I love? Everything else. I am going to have to go back and watch this episode at least one more time because there are always humorous things going on in the background (the titles of the pamphlets that Rachel passes by for example) Jane Lynch is fantastic as always and the way that the songs are integrated into the story being told is absolutely brilliant. I'm looking forward to seeing what else this show brings to the table this season.

Secondly, as reported here Ellen Degeneres is joining American Idol as the permanent fourth judge. Now, I have never been a big fan of American Idol though I have watched at least a handful of episodes every season... but this season I'm in for the entire run. From the tone-deaf-and-oblivious-about-it and/or attention whorish auditions to the often mean-spirited comments during the middle stages (usually by Simon) to the fantastic performances squirreled away in between hours of mediocrity towards the end of the season... I'm in for it all. The fact that I enjoy Ellen's daytime talk show has nothing to do with it. The fact that I own her last stand-up dvd "Here and Now" and bought it because I think that it's one of the best all-around routines ever done has nothing to do with it. Why am I in? And why is someone who was never in the music business at any level hired anyway? I'm betting the answer for the two questions are both the same. Late last season on So You Think You Can Dance, Ellen was on as a guest host. And she was hilarious. She only spoke positive things about the performers (like Paula) but was humorous and gracious to each performer... and coherent (not like Paula) so for me it's an upgrade. She can essentially do the same thing that Paula has been (although the flirting with Simon will probably be out... maybe) except more entertaining. Ok, well more intentionally entertaining, I'll say it that way. Don't get me wrong, I Like Paula... had a crush on her back in the day, I've always liked that she was bringing the positive on a sometimes cruelly negative program, but I just think that Ellen will be better at it.

I do hope that Paula moves on to So You Think You Can Dance though, I am very curious about seeing her in something that is more her element.

Fantastic night all around... could have only been better if FlashForward, Fringe, Dollhouse and Lost could have all premiered on this night also. Though I'd probably have to imbibe enough caffeine to make Steven Wright have a facial expression in order to do so.

Appreciating Angel

The first television program that ever really grabbed my attention was "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". That show is what made me start watching others until I eventually became the tv watching freak that I am today. As a "Buffy" fan, I've always had an affection for it's spin-off "Angel" as well though I never liked it as much as the original.

So, this past month I went back and watched season 1 of "Angel" and it's Far better than I remember. It's still pretty schizophrenic regarding tone and the struggle to assert it's own identity is still evident, but most of the episodes are actually very good. I'd never considered the dialogue to be as crisp as on "Buffy", and it isn't but that doesn't mean that it still isn't very good. The Doyle twist midway through the season was revolutionary and the action was mostly very good. I'd recommend it to anyone and the wonderful thing about it is that you can go to Target and buy the first two seasons of "Angel" for $20. Not each. $20 gets you Both of the first two seasons. And then you can shell out another $20 and get seasons 3 and 4. Maybe some will be offended by this wonderful pricing because they paid full price back in the day ($160 then vs. $40 now) but one of my season 1 Buffy dvd's got a scratch on it and I was able to replace it for $15 instead of $40 or so, so I love it. I hope this trend keeps up.