Category: TV

24 Season 7 Preview

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C.T.U. is gone. The nation is under attack. Jack Bauer is on his own… but not until January! Arrgh! Here is a trailer for 24 season 7 to give us a taste. How about you check it out and then I’ll give you my thoughts?

Ok. Thanks for swinging back. Yeah, I agree the plot seems right out of the last Die Hard movie. I know, I know, bringing back Tony Almeida from the dead may be pushing it. But, this is 24 and I’m willing to go with it. They’ve never let me down in the past… well, except for maybe with the cougar trap stuff…

Sons of Anarchy

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Anyone else planning to tune in to “Sons of Anarchy”? It’s by the same guy who created “The Shield” [that alone is enough for me to give it a shot], and the trailers look pretty good. You can see them and a bit more HERE.

How I Spent My 4th

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I love used book stores. My buddy, Rob, has been telling me about Chamblin’s Book Mine in Jacksonville, Florida for some time now. Today, I knew I would be in the area and so I made it a point to go there. My wife and I were excited about hitting Chamblin’s. If it was half as good as Rob described it, we’d get some great books at great prices.Funny thing is… I didn’t consider that they’d be closed on the 4th of July. They were. Arrrgh! We’ll try again the next time we’re in the area.In the meantime, have a Happy 4th of July! We’re off to see the fire works and then back home to catch some episodes of Twilight Zone Marathon on the SciFi Channel!

T.H.E. Cat

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About a year and a half ago I posted that I’d love to find the opening to the sixties tv show “T.H.E. CAT.” I hadn’t seen the show since it originally aired in 1966-1967. I was 8 years old at the time and thought T.H.E. Cat was the man. Often things we find awesome as kids don’t hold the same appeal when we become adults. I doubted that the opening could be as cool as I remembered it.

I was wrong. It’s even cooler. Here, see for yourself. How can you not love an opening that describes the “hero” like this:

Along comes a man who saves lives at the risk of his own. Once a circus performer, an aerialist who refused the net. Once a cat burglar, a master among jewel thieves. And now, a professional bodyguard. Primitive, savage, in love with danger. The Cat.

Add in the jazz score by Lalo Schifrin, stunts, a hero with a past, great graphics, and filmed in color but not afraid to focus on black and white — shadows and light. Here is another opening. I just wish that the season [it only lasted one] was available on dvd!

The New Classic TV SHows

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Entertainment Weekly created their list of The 100 Best Shows from 1983 to 2008. Using just their choices, here’s my top 10:

  1. Seinfeld, NBC (1989-98)
  2. The Shield, FX (2002-present)
  3. 24, Fox (2001-present)
  4. The Cosby Show, NBC (1984-92)
  5. Miami Vice, NBC (1984-89)
  6. Wiseguy, CBS (1987-90)
  7. The West Wing, NBC (1999-2006)
  8. American Idol, Fox (2002-present)
  9. Survivor, CBS (2000-present)
  10. Frasier, NBC (1993-2004)

NBC and dramas led the way with 5 of my top ten favorites. I’ll bet in five years, dramas will still be my favorite genre, but wonder if NBC will still be the top network.

NBC’s Tim Russert: RIP

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Tim Russert, host of “Meet the Press” and NBC News’ Washington bureau chief died today after suffering a sudden heart attack while prepping for Sunday’s show. Mr. Russert was just 58. He leaves behind his wife and son.

I’m going to miss Tim Russert. He was a newscaster that I truly enjoyed watching. His love of the political process was evident in each broadcast. Although he covered the world of politics, Tim Russert never let his own take center stage. He believed that his job as moderator of “Meet the Press” was to “learn as much as you can about your guest’s positions and take the other side, and to do that in a persistent and civil way.” And that’s exactly what he did, often with a smile, and never with the feeling that it was personal. He didn’t yell or belittle those he interviewed. He allowed them to respond and gave thought to their answers. He showed respect to members of all parties. It’s too bad that more newscasters [let alone politicians] can’t adopt that same outlook.

Our thoughts and prayers will be with Mr. Russert’s family, friends and fans. May he rest in peace.

Fear It Won’t Be Good

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Anyone planning to tune in to NBC’s new horror series, Fear Itself? The series is being billed as weekly one hour horror movies from the creators of “Saw,” “Jeepers Creepers,” “Freddy vs Jason” and some other recent scarefests. Truth be told, I plan to DVR the series, but I’m not expecting too much. Still, a little good horror goes a long way.

What ‘Cha Watching?

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I just read today that “Back to You” the FOX comedy starring Kelsey Grammer was cancelled. My guess is that most of you never caught an episode since low ratings killed it. I thought it was one of the funniest shows on and was surprised to find that it wouldn’t be brought back. It was really well written with an ensemble cast that meshed. I guess I should have posted about “Back to You” when it might have helped.

I was happy to see that “Boston Legal” and “Medium” have both been given the greenlight for new seasons. I’ve yet to see an episode of either show that let me down. “Til Death” is another show that I don’t miss. I can’t recommend it as unconditionally as “Boston Legal” or “Medium” but it does have it’s moments.

Of course my wife and I still watch “Survivor” [yeah, I think I WILL GIVE UP THE IMMUNITY NECKLACE!] and “American Idol” [which David will win? — my guess is Archuleta]. I’m still in front of the set each week when “The Ultimate Fighter” airs, but I think this season lacks a bit of the drama. Maybe it’s because they have two fights each episode and we don’t get to know enough about the fighters’ backgrounds. My newest favorite show is “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” which comes to us from the FOOD NETWORK. And you just know that I still dvr episodes of “The Wild, Wild West” off of RTN.

So, what am I missing?

Billie Jean by Any Name…

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One of the reasons that I enjoy watching American Idol is that occasionally one of the contestants will present a new version of a song that really works. Chris Daughtry’s “Walk the Line” and Blake Lewis’ “Time of the Season” are two examples. [Yeah, I know that Daughtry’s take was based on Live’s cover of the Johnny Cash classic.]

Recently David Cook took a shot Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”. It was amazing. I was knocked out by David’s Cook’s “Billie Jean”. It was bold, innovative and actually Chris Cornell’s “Billie Jean”. Shades of Daughtry.

And the Walls Came Tumbling Down

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CBS has announced that Jericho has been cancelled. This is pretty sad news for fans [myself included] who’ve followed the show since episode one.Jericho was one of those shows that seemed to gain momentum as the season progressed. The season one premiere left me feeling that Jericho had a great concept, and the potential to be really good or it go the opposite direction and become a “new romance / save one of the townsfolk” of the week dramas. Instead it became a compelling vision of life in a small town cut off from the rest of the country after the US was the victim of multiple nuclear attacks. Increasingly, I found myself anticipating each new episode. I was sad to learn that Jericho was cancelled at the end of the first season.

Of course we’re all aware that Jericho was saved by a massive fan base and brought back for an abbreviated season two. Unfortunately, season two got off to a slow start. There was a new focus — instead of being about how the folks of Jericho were going to survive life after nuclear attacks, the show took a broader canvas and became about how the country would survive a potential overthrow from within. The change was jarring, but for those of us who stayed with Jericho, we were treated to a show that had the potential to be even better than the first season. I was diggin’ the direction of the show and again looking forward to each new episode.

Unfortunately, Jericho has been cancelled yet again. One thing I’ve learned from the show and it’s fan base, is it ain’t over until it’s over. Hopefully Jericho will find new life on a different network [perhaps the SCIFI channel?] and the story will continue to unfold. If so, I’ll be coming along for the ride.