Berrypost: Baseball is the Devil

Fringe's ratings last Thursday were terrible. So bad, in fact that quite a few fans have banded together on Twitter (and other places online) to campaign to "save" it. Now, considering that Fox did an amazing job backing up Joss Whedon this season (for as long as the low Dollhouse ratings would allow anyway) I have recently begun to appreciate the network. Needless to say, if Fringe gets cancelled then a lot of this goodwill flies out the window (almost all of it would actually) but I remain hopeful.

Why? Well, I was talking to my wife when she pointed out to me that a lot of people in the Comments section of EW.com were pretty peeved last Friday. As it turns out, these people did not know that a new episode of Fringe had just aired because their DVR's all said that the World Series was on Fox last Thursday night... Even though the Series actually ended the night before.

Viewers didn't tune in live due to this information and apparently a lot of people's DVR didn't record at that time because the listing said "Baseball" and not "Fringe". I had the exact same problem and the only reason that I was able to catch and watch Fringe is because I keep up with sports. For all those that don't keep up with baseball... Well, they were screwed.

Now I know that logically it makes more sense to blame the cable companies, but "baseball is the devil" has a much better ring to it. Besides, I don't like baseball, but I do like cable... And I don't want my cable company doing something nefarious like blacking out the final 5 minutes of the Lost finale on me just because they read a mean tweet of mine. I know which side my bread is buttered on.

Maybe I'm wrong... It certainly won't be the first time. But, if I'm right then the ratings for tonight's Fringe will be a good deal higher. Let's watch and see, because if I'm right and baseball really is to blame then I am SO gonna boycott baseball by not watching next season.

Not that I watched any baseball This season, but still. This time I'll be not watching... In anger.

Berrypost: RIP Dollhouse

This is the first of my "Berryposts" that will be done from my Blackberry (oddly enough) to help me keep up with my blog from work. Links will rarely be used in Berryposts since I have to sneak and blog while the bosses aren't looking.

Anyways, Fox has announced that Dollhouse has been cancelled... A lot of other Joss Whedon fans are heart-broken and/or angry, but me... I find myself happy.

I'll miss Dollhouse certainly, but a season and a half in, I find that it's my least favorite in the Whedonverse. I loved Buffy, Angel, Serenity and even Dr. Horrible more than Dollhouse so I can't help but feel that Joss has much better creations inside him. I'd prefer one of those.

And the best news is that unlike with The Firefly Debacle, we the fans will get an actual finale for Dollhouse. And seriously, who does a season or series finale better than Joss?

Now I want to see Dr. Horrible in theaters. IMAX. In 3D.

Why Dollhouse Is Failing

Usually at the beginning of a blog like this the writer will begin with a long, meandering preamble trying to convince the reader that he/she is a fan of Joss Whedon... not me. I mean, I am one, but whoever reads this blog is pretty much going to believe whatever they choose and I'm cool with that. However, since so many others have done it, I figured that I'd post my opinion as to why so few people are watching Dollhouse.

After watching the 2nd season premiere of Dollhouse I turned to my wife and said "this show is so doomed." And my wife promptly did the wifely thing which is to roll her eyes. And that's fair... but after watching last night's episode "Belonging" it demonstrated how this show, when it's at the top of it's game, is the best show on network television. It also demonstrated why it was always going to struggle though.

Think back... when was the last time that a television program took such an obscure sci-fi concept, dealt with such big questions (What's a soul? Where should lines be drawn morally? how hot is Eliza Dushku?) on network television and had 10 million viewers? For whatever reason, it just doesn't occur. If Joss and Co. had made the show into more of a procedural... like an involuntary-type Alias then it would have had a much better chance I think. And then it could pull a Fringe and forward it's mythology every few episodes and ask a big question every once in a while, and life would be a bit more merry Nielsen-wise.

The constant "big idea" nature of Dollhouse, however, does not seem to be able to keep viewers. Why? Are Americans too stoopid to appreciate a show like this one? A lot of people say yes, but me, I think it's just that Most people don't have the time to just stop and focus on television for a couple of hours every night. Or they just don't want to. American Idol kills Every Single Time it airs, and what is it really? Background music while America washes dishes, clothes or studies. The Super Bowl is the highest rated event every year, but who do you know that watched every second of it last year? I'm a big football fan, but those dogs playing football get some time on my television every year.

Procedurals rule all... the NCIS's, CSI's and OPP's. Add Survivor in there and all of these shows have the exact same formula every single week. Crime-investigation-wrong arrest number one-*insert cool bullet trajectory visual here*-wrong arrest number two-tribal council, wash, rinse repeat. You can watch, miss 8 minutes because that meatloaf isn't sitting well with you, come back and catch up with minimal effort. Skip 8 minutes of Dollhouse and see how long it takes for your brain to implode, I dare you. Just call the ambulance Before you attempt it. And lay down a tarp over your furniture so the cranial fluid doesn't ruin the sofa.

So, yes, that's my opinion as to why Dollhouse was always doomed. As I've tweeted, if Fox really does honor it and let it run 13 episodes, I will officially forgive them for the Great Firefly Debacle. As for the show... honestly I'd rather it have this limited run and stay as good as it is and as honest as it is to itself than to see it proceduralize itself for ratings. Yeah, I know that's not a word and I see all those red lines under it, but I'm a rebel so screw it.

And since Joss, at this point, could write a show about a tv show about an invisible-deaf-mute and it'd still get around 2 million viewers every week, I think that his next move should be to cable. Starz or Showtime. Then maybe we could get another 5 season show out of him. You could count me in... though probably not if it's the invisible-deaf-mute thing.

The World Needs More Dub Dub

I just got around to watching USA's White Collar. Originally I wasn't going to bother because goodness knows I have enough television shows on my schedule as it is, but after hearing good things about it (most notably from Matt Roush, one of the few television critics whose opinion carries weight with me) I decided to give it a shot. I figure I'll be able to find time for it every week now that the new Fall shows are starting to air repeats, so it's either watch the repeats, find news shows or spend some time outside so...

Yeah, not really much of a choice.

Well, if the rest of the episodes are as fun as the pilot then I'll make the time. It's sort of a Catch Me If You Can goes to television-type thing except that the Hanratty character is actually a brilliant agent in his own right. The FBI agent, Peter "I got Kelly Kapowski as my wife of the last ten years so suck it Zack!"Burke (Tim McKay) and the criminal Neal Caffrey (Matt "Chasing Will Traveler" Bomer) do great jobs with their roles and I will probably love this show even more when Natalie "Dub Dub" Morales joins effective next week. The world needs more Dub Dub.

Anyways, the feel of this show is a cross between the aforementioned Catch Me If You Can and more than a little Leverage. Both good things as far as I'm concerned. Oh, and Diahann Carroll has a small role in it also. The last that I saw of Diahann Carroll was about ten years ago, and the woman has not gotten any older. It's like on her 50th birthday she glared at God and said "alright that's enough now, don't make me hit you" and hasn't gotten any older since. I'm happy for her.

A Good Case of VD

One month into the new television season, I remain impressed that my favorite new show is not FlashForward, or the brilliant and sweet Modern Family... It's Vampire Diaries(what did you Think this blog post was about?). This show is hitting on every conceivable level right now. The romance is not over-stated (and that's a big surprise considering the show's promos and the fact that it is run by Kevin "The Real Dawson Leery" Williamson) the mythology is interesting, and the plot actually seems to be moving in some new directions instead of just copying Twilight or Buffy. Select townspeople know about vampires and seem to stand ready to destroy them...? Love it. There's assorted gems and herbs that can help level the playing field and protect humans/ harm vampires? Fantastic. My only concern going into last week's episode was that too much evidence was piling up for Elena to not have figured out about her "cradle-robbing, creature of the night boyfriend" (credit to Joss "the originator of this genre" Whedon for the quote from Buffy). But, as of last episode, it appears that she has it figured out, and even that was done well as we watxh her add everything up in her head.

Truly funny in parts, legitimately scary in others, and always interesting... I hope to be following these characters all the way to college and beyond.

Favorite. TV. Wedding. Ever

After 5 long years, Jim and Pam finally got married. I appreciate the writing staff for not doing the "Ross/Rachel 10 year shuffle" and just giving the two lovebirds their due. More than that though, it was actually worth the wait.

After watching it, I can't help but wonder how good it could have possibly been a year ago... or a year from now. It's blatant (and hilarious) use of a current pop culture phenomenon makes the whole thing seem like it was just Meant to happen this year. What video could have been used a year ago? Will there be anything as "appropriate" in the year to come? I doubt it, and that makes the entire affair all the better.

As great as the episode was (Kevin's shoe funk, Dwight gettin' his swerve on, Michael actually Not being the one who spills the beans to Me-Maw) I have to admit that I was disappointed in the episode for a while. Andy hurting himself Again just didn't do it for me... the lack of Creed, the missed opportunities of uncomfortable behavior between Michael and Stanley's wife considering what happened in the first episode of the season, and all of the vomit (I'm just not a vomit fan... can't even watch Stand By Me and I Love that movie) all left me wondering if this episode was going to live up to my lofty expectations. When I go back and watch this episode again (and in future years) I'm sure that I'll be much more impressed, but during my intitial viewing, I was concerned.

Then came the last ten minutes. Every single second of the last ten minutes or so is perfection and it became my favorite episode of The Office ever. This show has had more than a few classic episodes and whether this is the best ever, who can say, all that I know is that when all is said and done I will have seen this one more than any other. I'm watching it twice a day until Jim and Pam get back from their honeymoon.

Speaking of which, I'm going to go watch it again now.

Disappointed in Ebert

I'm pretty disappointed in Roger Ebert's review of the number one movie this past weekend, Zombieland.

It's not that I disagree with his assessment (I don't... As per usual) but in his review he gave away the "cameo" that's in the film. Now look, it's not a big twist or anything, certainly not The Crying Game-ish, but not knowing what the "cameo" is, made the moment of it's appearancr all the more hilarious. At least in my opinion anyway.

I keep putting "cameo" in quotation marks because, as anyone who's seen the movie knows, it's like a 15 minute appearance, not a usual blink-and-you'll-miss-it fleeting cameo like Stan Lee does in Spiderman and Iron Man or like a shirt on Sawyer on Lost.

Anyway, I loved the movie, which is slightly amazing considering that there's not a single other zombie movie that I like... And yes, I've seen Shaun of the Dead and 28 Days Later. Zombies have just never been my thing. But, Zombieland I'd recommend to anybody... Well, except for children. And the elderly. And zombies. Everyone else should see it, though.

What Did You See?

Flashforward is quickly becoming one of my favorite shows. The second episode "White to Play" (whatever that means) lightened the mood significantly from the previous episode. From Demetri Noh's (by way of John "Kobe Lobster" Cho) conversation about his future wedding to Stanford Wedeck's (Courtney B. Vance) Cardio Urinary Resuscitation, I really liked seeing more humor being injected into this show. Also, the ending was great again, even though the writers of this episode cheated pretty blatantly by never letting the Benfords ask her daughter the very simple and basic question that is the title of this blog post. It was unintentionally humorous watching them spend the entire episode fretting over and wondering what their daughter saw and why it bothered her and yet the option of just Asking the child never occurred to them. Not that it matters though, leap of logic aside, this was still a very fun episode.

There were yet more instances showing that the future that was seen in everyone's visions... wouldn't have come to pass if they didn't have the visions. The visions led the FBI to Utah, which led to the explosion of the building full of dolls, which generated the picture of a burnt doll that ends up in Mark Benford's vision. I maintain that it seems as though this show operates on the theory that the future cannot be changed, and in fact, trying to fight it, may very well end up being what brings it to pass. It's been executed very well thus far, and while a large part of me hopes that they stick to that premise instead of cheating somehow, I will also greatly miss Demetri Noh if he is to actually die in March. So, either the show stays on course and paints a beautiful "mosaic"... or it gets changed somehow and one of my favorite characters survive. So, I guess it's a win-win. Unless you're Demetri Noh, anyway.

Oh, and welcome back Lynn (ages slower that Richard Alpert) Whitfield!

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.

Psych and Leverage

Two of the most fun shows on television have made my summer of television bearable. Well, those, Big Brother and new episodes of Better Off Ted actually, but those are blogs for a different day.

For now, Psych is a television show about a fake psychic detective and Leverage is basically Ocean's 5 every week. Shawn and Gus, the two main characters of Psych are what make the show really. James Roday and Dule Hill have the chemistry of two guys who really were friends since childhood... it doesn't seem right that they only met two years ago. This show has a similar basic premise to The Mentalist in that Shawn pretends to be a psychic when in reality he's just hyper-observant (and it should be noted that Psych predates The Mentalist by two years). It's pretty well-written but what makes it what it is is the chemistry between the stars and the oft-hilarious 80's and early 90's references.

Leverage is a much cooler show about a group of theives who steal from the evil rich to give to the good not-as-rich. The five main characters are Nathan (the mastermind or Danny Ocean of the group), Sophie (the grifter), Eliot (the muscle, played by Christian Kane formerly of the WB show Angel... here's to hoping Eliot gets to sing at one point in this show), Hardison (the hacker... played by the actor who was formerly VooDoo Tatu, on Friday Night Lights) and Parker (the cat burgular). This show is usually not as funny as Psych, but it's just as fun watching them outsmart villains every week.

I'd recommend these to anyone else who's gotten bored waiting for the new fall season.

Leverage airs Wednesdays at 9pm ET.

Psych airs Fridays at 10pm ET.