Category: TV

New Years Means Twilight Zone

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One of our New Year’s Eve traditions [in addition to running movies, having good food, and setting off fireworks for my sons, nieces, nephews and well, myself] is to catch several episodes from Sci-Fi‘s Twilight Zone Marathon. I really love the idea of a TZ Marathon. Even though I rarely catch more than a few episodes, knowing that they’re available makes me smile.
For the last TZ Marathon, I recommended  Terror at 20,000 Feet and To Serve Man. They’re my favorites. If you can only catch two, then they’re the two.

Looking for more? The Invaders starts at 9:06pm on December 31st. An old woman alone, in a remote cabin with no neighbors or electricity is attacked when a small spaceship with invaders arrives!

The Shelter airs at 10:45 the same night. Several good friends who are also neighbors have gotten together to celebrate Dr. Stockton’s birthday. Everything is swell until there is an emergency announcement: the U.S. is in danger of an attack! The President warns everyone to seek immediate shelter — just the kind of shelter that Dr. Stockton has. Unfortunately there’s not room for everyone. Just what will friends do to each other in order to get a chance at survival? You’ll know if you watch!

  • Updated 5/14/23

RIP – Kenneth Tobey

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I really wasn’t planning an update on Christmas, but I just read that Kenneth Tobey died on December 22nd at the age of 85. Mr. Tobey appeared in 100 movies and nearly as many tv shows usually playing a cop or soldier. He is probably best known for his role as Captain Patrick Hendry in the original “The Thing From Another World.”  Reading that Mr. Tobey had passed, reminded me of just how many times he entertained me.

Some of Kenneth Tobey’s feature film appearances include: He Walked by Night; Twelve 0’Clock High; The Gunfighter;  The Thing From Another World; The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms; It Came from Beneath the Sea; The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit; Gunfight at the O.K. Corral; Marlowe; Billy Jack; The Candidate; Walking Tall; Dirty Mary Crazy Larry; Baby Blue Marine; Airplane; The Howling; Strange Invaders; Innerspace; Big Top Pee-wee; and Single White Female.

Some of Kenneth Tobey’s television appearances include: The Lone Ranger; Rawhide; Dragnet; Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier; Father Knows Best; The Magical World of Disney (5 episodes); Wanted: Dead or Alive; Alfred Hitchcock Presents; Bat Masterson; The Rebel; 77 Sunset Strip; Bronco; Death Valley Days; The Danny Thomas Show; Have Gun – Will Travel; Sea Hunt; Perry Mason (3 episodes); Our Private World (10 episodes); Daniel Boone; Daktari (2 episodes); I Spy (7 episodes); Judd for the Defense; Family Affair; It Takes a Thief; The Virginian (4 episodes); The F.B.I.; Lassie (6 episodes); Bonanza (2 episodes); Longstreet; Cade’s County; Cannon; Gunsmoke (4 episodes); Night Gallery; Alias Smith & Jones (2 episodes); Kung Fu; Mannix (3 episodes); Adam-12 (3 episodes); Ironside (2 episodes); The Rookies (3 episodes); McMillan & Wife; Police Story (2 episodes); Get Christie Love (2 episodes); Columbo; Starsky & Hutch; Little House on the Prairie; The Streets of San Francisco (3 episodes); Days of Our Lives (4 episodes); The Rockford Files (2 episodes); Emergency! (4 episodes); Barnaby Jones (3 episodes); Falcon Crest; The Twilight Zone (1986); Hunter; Night Court (2 episodes); LA Law (2 episodes) and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

I’m not sure where I first saw Kenneth Toby.  He appeared on so many favorite television shows and movies of my youth.  I’ll always remember him best from The Thing From Another Planet.  Any production that he appeared in was better for him being part of it.  If any actor had just his movie or just his television resume, they would have a fulfilled career.  Kenneth Toby had both and that speaks to his level of talent and professionalism.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Kenneth Toby’s family, friends and fans.
– Revised 5/14/23

Emmy Predictions 2002

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The Emmy Awards are on tonight, and there are a few shows/actors that I hope win.

In the best DRAMA category, I am pulling for West Wing but I wouldn’t be upset if 24 won against CSI, Law and Order, and Six Feet Under.

In the COMEDY category, it would appear that Friends is a lock against Curb Your Enthusiasm, Everybody Loves Raymond, Sex and the City and Will & Grace.

For best WRITING for a DRAMA series, there are several very worthy contenders. I would like to see The Shield • Pilot • Shawn Ryan, Writer win because it was such a groundbreaking episode, but it would be hard to argue against Alias • Truth Be Told (Pilot) • J.J. Abrams, Writer; ER • On The Beach • John Wells, Writer; 24 • Midnight – 1:00 a.m. (Pilot) • Joel Surnow, Robert Cochran, Writers; or The West Wing • Posse Comitatus • Aaron Sorkin, Writer.

The LEAD ACTOR in a DRAMA is another tough category. I am going to pull for either Michael Chiklis as Detective Vic Mackey in The Shield or Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer – 24 who are up against Michael C. Hall as David Fisher – Six Feet Under, Peter Krause as Nate Fisher – Six Feet Under and Martin Sheen as Josiah Bartlet – The West Wing.

I’m gonna pull for Jennifer Garner as Sydney Bristow star of Alias for the LEAD ACTRESS in a DRAMA category. She’s up against Amy Brenneman as Judge Amy Gray – Judging Amy; Rachel Griffiths as Brenda Chenowith – Six Feet Under; Frances Conroy as Ruth Fisher – Six Feet Under; and Allison Janney as C.J. Cregg – The West Wing.

The SUPPORTING ACTOR in a DRAMA is dominated by West Wing actors and my choice is John Spencer as Leo McGarry – The West Wing up against Victor Garber as CIA Agent Jack D. Bristow – Alias; Freddy Rodriguez as Federico Diaz – Six Feet Under; Dulé Hill as Charlie Young – The West Wing; Bradley Whitford as Josh Lyman – The West Wing; and Richard Schiff as Toby Ziegler – The West Wing.

These are the categories in which I am “pulling” for a winner. I would have given my predictions in other categories but it’s time for me to plan out my viewing for the week. ; )

Join the TZ Marathon

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When I was a kid one of my biggest pleasures was watching scary movies or tv shows. I still get a big kick out of ’em in fact. What’s even cooler is that now my kids enjoy them just as much as I do.

I’m not talking about today’s gory bloodfests, but instead shows like the old Universal Monster movies and American-International Films. As far as tv shows, none is better at this genre than the original Twilight Zone!

The Sci-Fi channel is running a two day marathon of Twilight Zone episodes starting at 7AM today. If you plan to check out any, let me recommend two.

The first, pictured above, is “Terror at 20,000 Feet.” A man who has just been released from a mental institution sees a creature on the wing of a plane trying to destroy the engine… only no one else sees it. Is he having a relapse?

The second, pictured above, is called “To Serve Man.” Aliens arrive on Earth and all indications are they come in peace… but do they really?

These are just two of many excellent episodes.

Even if you can’t watch them all [and who can?], maybe you can plan to tune in to see an old favorite or one you’ve never seen before. I know that I will…

And for just a little while I’ll be a kid again, up on the couch hoping that someone else besides me and Bill Shatner sees the creature on the wing!

The Good Old Wild Wild West

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When I was a kid I loved The Wild, Wild West.  Everything about this show was flat out cool.

James West [played by Robert Conrad] and Artemus Gordon [Ross Martin] were a team of Secret Service agents protecting our country from all sorts of evil. Think James Bond in the Wild West.

Did I say that everything about the show was cool? Good. Because everything about it was cool. And I mean everything.

Conrad and Martin were perfectly cast as West and Gordon. They had a rapport that seemed real. Although the series was set in the time period following the Civil War, a science fiction element was involved in many of the episodes. West was given cool gadgets a la James Bond… and the fight / action scenes were the best on tv.

The show title sequence featured an animated cowboy in four different scenes with great theme music. Each commercial break ended with a cliffhanger and the scene would freeze, change into a line drawing and then replace a drawing on a title card.

The series was definitely ahead of it’s time. It spawned two tv movies [not nearly as good] and a big screen movie staring Will Smith and Kevin Kline as West and Gordon which was really bad. I’d like to have seen Tom Cruise as West but the script was so bad, that I doubt that he’d have done much better with the project.

 When I was a kid, I loved the television show “The Wild, Wild West.”

I still do.

Good Television

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I’ve always loved good television. Due to time constraints with the job, family, and other interests, I try to limit the time I spend in front of the tube. This season I have found myself watching more programs…

Boston Public continues to be the “must-see” show on Monday. The finale will be a great capper to another fine season.

Tuesday is my favorite night for tv. 24 followed by The Shield. 24 has had a great run, and I wonder how they will follow it up? The real-time format made it very interesting. I hope they figure out a way to do more. The Shield pushes all of the boundaries yet does it with great acting and storylines. I’ve been with it (and 24) from the start and hope to never miss an episode.

West Wing is another “must-see” show. Perhaps only The Shield can match it’s great ensemble of actors.

Survivor and ER round out the shows that I make a point to never miss. Survivor is riding a new wave of popularity due to the “never know what will happen next” feel of this run. ER bid farewell to Doctor Green (and why wasn’t Dr. Ross at the funeral??) but there’s still life left in the series.

Yeah, it’s been a great season for tv. I’ve found myself watching more than ever… but I can’t complain since I’ve always loved good television.

Dark Shadows – Those Were The Days!

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When I was a kid, there weren’t many things that I enjoyed more than a good scary movie. Most of my friends felt the same. We’d look forward to the weekend when we’d stay up late, turn off all of the lights, and watch Sammy Terry’s Nightmare Theater.

What could be better than a weekly fix to satisfy our horror craving?  How about a five days a week fix?

Dark Shadows was the first and only soap opera I’ve ever watched on a regular basis (if you don’t count professional wrestling). It told the tale of the Collins family… what a mess they were. Vampires, werewolves, ghosts…. whew! And we ate it up!

Dark Shadows was the must see show of it’s time. It spawned a series of novelizations, trading cards, and more. There are annual Dark Shadows conventions that continue to this day!

A new collector’s series of Dark Shadows DVDs are going to be released shortly. The price is right, so get your friends together and turn down the lights!

Hellboy Goes Green

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Ain’t It Cool News has reported that the Hellboy movie based on Mike Mignola‘s fan favorite character, Hellboy, has been greenlit. Guillermo Del Toro (“Blade II“) is set to direct. Despite earlier reports that Vin Diesel might play Hellboy, it appears that Ron Pearlman will get the role instead. This is cool for a number of reasons, the first two being that 1) Pearlman was the first choice of both Mignola and Del Toro and 2) Pearlman is so right for the role! Filming begins this winter in Prague! You can get full details here.

Hellboy is one of the few comics that I buy EVERY time it comes out. Mignola never disappoints. Here are a couple of trade paperbacks that could help you get up to speed if you’ve missed out…

Hellboy: Seeds of Destruction

Hellboy: Conqueror Worm

Hellboy: Odd Jobs

I’m really excited about the prospects for the movie Hellboy. Del Toro is a fan of the comic, Mignola is working closely with him and Pearlman completes the trio. This could be really cool. I’ll keep ya posted!

Mackey and The Shield: Bad is Good

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Michael Chiklis plays Detective Vic Mackey in FX’s acclaimed new show, The Shield. If you haven’t seen The Shield, odds are you’ve heard of it since the pilot was the highest-rated original series premiere in basic cable television history.
I’ve watched The Shield since its premiere and it immediately went to my must see list. Chiklis is, without a doubt, the main draw. He’s an exceptional actor playing a complex role as the leader of a “strike force” of cops dealing with the worst in society. Mackey is as bad as the criminals he takes down… yet he has a code of ethics to “take care of his own” and he does. I’ve never had such mixed emotions about a character before. I want him to get caught and yet I don’t. The rest of the cast and the storylines are excellent as well.
With all of that said, I can’t recommend the show to everyone. It pushes the limits in every way possible (language, violence, sexual situations). But if you like gritty hard-boiled cop shows, then this show is the one for you!

“UC: Undercover” Unlikely for Renewal

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I read today that it is unlikely that UC: Undercover will be brought back next season and that’s really too bad. If you never happened to catch the show, then you really missed a good and potentially great series.

UC: Undercover was created by Shane Salerno. Oded Fehr, Jon Seda, Vera Farmiga, Bruklin Harris, and Jarrad Paul made up the cast. Guest stars such as William Forsythe, Ving Rhames and Steven Bauer were regularly featured!

If the series isn’t renewed, I hope that we’ll get an occasional tv movie.

Blackjack Mulligan

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I received word from an old buddy that I hadn’t heard from in nearly 30 years… back when I was 8th grade in Terre Haute, Indiana. [He found me through classmates.com.] At any rate, as we fondly remembered the “good old days,” we began to talk about tv wrestling.

My favorite wrestler was a huge Texan named Blackjack Mulligan. Yeah, that’s him pictured above. He was usually teamed with Blackjack Lanza [they held the “world title” on a couple of occasions and were managed by Bobby Heenan]. I used to watch pro wrestling on tv several times a week, and would go to see it live when it came to town or when my dad would take us to Indianapolis to see the “big” matches. I was a die hard wrestling fan until 9th grade. As I grew older I would occasionally catch it on the tube… later, as my sons got into it I found myself watching it more often as they enjoyed it. Still, the Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin and the rest of today’s “Superstars” would have had their hands full facing Mulligan and Lanza managed by “Pretty Boy” Bobby Heenan!

Sammy Terry: Indiana’s Horror Host!

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The scary looking guy to the left is Sammy Terry. If you grew up in the mid-west, there’s a good chance that you watched and enjoyed him as he hosted “Nightmare Theater” out of Indianapolis back in the mid 60’s through the 80’s.

I used to love staying up late to watch the monster movies that he presented. Thanks to Sammy and his “Nightmare Theater,” I discovered the classics (“Bride of Frankenstein,” “The Thing,” “Creature from the Black Lagoon” and many others]. Sammy would come on to introduce the movie and tell bad jokes… he would then be back after commercial breaks with more bad jokes… and of course, he would end each show wishing everyone “pleasant nightmares.”

I was happy to find a site dedicated to Sammy, the scariest guy that we all loved!

How Much to Fight Tyson?

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If you’re a guy, you’ve probably at some point asked or been asked, “How much would it take for you to get into the ring with MIKE TYSON?”

Soon we may know.

Believe it or not, producers are hoping to create a reality series in which an everyday guy would train and then fight former heavyweight champion MIKE TYSON! What’s even crazier, TYSON has expressed interest in the show as well!

Stu Schreiberg, of Triage Entertainment [which put on the “Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show” special last year], is the creative genius behind this idea. Hmmm… I wonder how much it would take to get Stu to climb into the ring?