Breaking Bad Returns
On July 17th one of my favorite shows, Breaking Bad, returns for it’s fourth season. Man-o-man, does it look to be a great season.
Category: TV
Talking with Duane Swierczynski and Josh Bazell
Recently a couple of my favorite writers, Duane Swierczynski and Josh Bazell sat down for a two part conversation. In part one Duane and Josh talk about how they write novels, the influence of comic books & movies, and why they want to keep readers turning the page. In part two Duane and Josh discuss their first jobs, their first books, 80’s movies and tv shows, James Ellroy’s White Jazz and more.
RIP – Peter Falk
Peter Falk, best known as tv’s legendary Detective Columbo, died last night at the age of 83.
My first memory of Peter Falk is in his role as Maximilian Meen from The Great Race. Truth be told, I’d probably seen Mr. Falk earlier in one of his guest appearances on tv shows like Have Gun Will Travel, Alfred Hitchcock Presents or The Twilight Zone. I know that I saw him in It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World before I ever saw The Great Race, but it was his role as Maximillian Meen that made the first big impact and brought him to my attention. I would have been all of seven years old.
My next big memory of Peter Falk is in his role of Columbo. He first appeared as Columbo in the tv movie Prescription Murder [1968]. Then from 1971 to 2003, Mr. Falk reprised the role in 68 more tv movies. Peter Falk was perfect in the role and fans loved him. I can remember watching the movies with mom or my grandfather. They enjoyed the series as much as me… maybe more.
In 1979, my girlfriend [later to be my wife] and I went to movies every week. One of the films we decided to see was The In-Laws. I thought it would be okay. I was wrong. The In-Laws turned out to be a comedy classic. We left the theater talking about how great it was and laughing about it long after the film was over.
Peter Falk appears in another of my favorite films, The Princess Bride which we [my wife and I] watched with our sons when they were young. It’s pretty cool that I was able to enjoy Mr. Falk’s movies with the significant people throughout my life. I guess that’s the sign of a true star, he/she is able to continue to find good roles throughout their lives. Mr. Falk was such a star.
My thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and fans.
100 Bullets Coming to Showtime
Earlier this afternoon it was announced at Deadline.com that SHOWTIME and David Goyer [writer/producer] are teaming to bring the adaption of 100 Bullets to television. As most of you probably already know, 100 Bullets by Brian Azzarello [writer] and Eduardo Risso [artist] ran for 100 issues under the Vertigo imprint for DC Comics. While it was running 100 Bullets was consistently one of my favorite comics being published. If the tv series is half as good as the comic series, we’re in for a heck of a ride.
In a Zombie-Apocalypse: I Will be Your Father Figure
Did you ever wonder how well you’d survive if the world fell to a zombie-apocalypse? Now you can find out thanks to the folks behind AMC’s The Walking Dead website. I took The Walking Dead – Survival Test and my survival skills rated me as a…
FATHER FIGURE
- You’ve got the life experience, and your gentle manner, compassion and wisdom attracts others, making you the nucleus of your group. That’s just fine because you need people as much as they need you.
- You’ve lost a lot [both before the apocalypse and after], and a sense of community helps ease your depression and gives you purpose.
The Cost of Being an American Idol
Have you ever wondered how much contestants on American Idol make? I’m not talking about the winners, I’m referring to the guys and gals that make the cut to get on the show but don’t go all the way. And who pays for their outfits? Do they get meal allowances? How much cheese do they get for the Ford commercials?
You can find out the answers to all those questions and more right here thanks to Bankrate.com.
RIP – James Arness
I was sad to hear that James Arness died on Friday, June 5, 2011, at the age of 88 of natural causes. Most fans know Mr. Arness as Marshall Matt Dillon from the long-running tv series Gunsmoke which aired from 1955 to 1975 and then returned in the form of five made-for-television movies. If Matt Dillon was the only role that James Arness was known for, it’d still be enough reason to post about his passing. I spent many hours watching Gunsmoke with my grandfather and those are memories I’ll always treasure. [It was my grandfather who informed me that James Arness and Peter Graves [Mission Impossible] were brothers. LOL. The things that we remember.]
James Arness was also an important part of my childhood because he played roles in two of my favorite monster movies. Mr. Arness was the thing in the classic The Thing from Another Planet. He also played the romantic lead in another sci-fi classic, Them! You can also find James Arness in the John Wayne classic, Hondo! One of my favorite James Arness‘ roles was as the mountain man Zeb McCahan [a role that he played in a made-for-tv movie and two mini-series].
My thoughts and prayers go out to the family, friends and fans of James Arness.
Baring Acts of God and Men with Axes
This trailer for season four of Breaking Bad makes me wish that July 17th wasn’t so far away.
The Expendables 2 Teaser But Synopsis Wrong
FirstShowing scored a, uh, first look at The Expendables 2 teaser poster. Several sites picked up on the image as well as the synopsis that Nu Image posted the storyline for the sequel. I just received a call from Sly’s office. Sly wanted fans to know that the posted synopsis is not correct. The real storyline will be forthcoming, but Sly wanted SZoners to know the truth first! – Craig
Hell on Wheels
This preview for AMC’s new western series, Hell on Wheels, looks pretty good. Good enough that I’ll give it a shot anyway.
The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor
On September 27, 2011, the first prose Walking Dead novel, The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor will be available. You can actually pre-order it now through Amazon.com. I did. Of course I am a major fan of the comic and tv series.
What’s that? You are too? Then what are you waiting for?
Wham-O Daredevils
This 1966 commercial for the Wham-O Wheelie Bar really brings back a lot of memories. I would have been 7 or 8 years old depending on when the commercial first appeared. I had a sting ray bike. I rode/loved that bike like a singing cowboy loved his horse. I never had a Wham-O Wheelie Bar though.
Besides the nostalgia factor of the commercial, I also found it interesting that kids riding the bikes in the commercial were riding with no helmets, barefoot, and down the middle of the street. They were also standing on the seat and doing tricks [things that we all did or at least tried back in the day] but that would never pass the safety standards of today.
[Via Neatorama]
Breaking Bad is So Good
If you don’t watch Breaking Bad on AMC, you’re missing out on one of the best shows currently running. Seriously. I’m surprised I don’t hear more people talking Breaking Bad up. It’s that good. If you don’t know about it, don’t feel bad. I only recently discovered Breaking Bad and now I’m hooked. AMC is about to start running the series again from the start, so this would be a great time to jump on board or at least give it a try.
Saul Goodman [pictured above] is a sleazy lawyer on the show, but he’s not the main character. Saul is just one of the many great characters. Saul’s card might make you think that Breaking Bad is a comedy, but it’s not. Sure, there are some funny moments, but Breaking Bad ain’t no sitcom. It is one of the best shows on currently on tv.
50 Greatest TV Characters
Recently CBSNews.com posted their choices for the 50 Greatest TV Characters. Using just the characters from their list here is my top ten and 10 more who should have made the list:
- Lucy Ricardo: No matter what Lucy did, it always backfired, and just like Ricky, we were always ready to forgive her and come back for more.
- Vic Mackey: The greatest good bad guy in television history. How could we find ourselves pulling for a guy who killed a good cop in cold blood in the very first episode?
- The cast of “Seinfeld”: The best tv comedy ensemble ever.
- Spock / Capt. James T. Kirk: Through in “Bones” McCoy and you have the best tv trifecta ever.
- Theodore “Beaver” Cleaver: The “Beav” when he was younger was a lot of fun… unfortunately he outgrew his cuteness before the series ended.
- Frasier Crane / Niles Crane: Totally believable as brothers and unbelievable funny [and I mean that in a good way].
- The Huxtables: The family that brought comedies back into vogue.
- Rico Tubbs and Sonny Crockett: The first year set the standard for tv, movies, and music videos. Miami Vice’s influence was everywhere.
- Tony Soprano: The tough mob boss who couldn’t control his own family.
- Bob Hartley: Totally under-rated series lead.
Why weren’t these folks on the list? James West, Cheyenne Bodie, Vinnie Terranova, Raylan Givens, Jack Bauer, Barnabus Collins, Rod Serling, Fred Sanford, Rob & Laura Petrie and Ralph Kramden & Ed Norton?
Stephen King May Join The Walking Dead
Here’s a match made in, uh, heaven… Stephen King has confirmed to EW.com that he is in talks to script an episode of AMC’s hit series The Walking Dead. Man, I would love to see that happen. King and The Walking Dead’s executive producer, Frank Darabont, have a history of working together to create top notch entertainment [The Shawshank Redemption and The Mist] so odds are this will all work out. I, for one, couldn’t be happier.
