So, I just got around to watching the pilot for CBS’ 70’s drama/soap/who knows “Swingtown” and, despite very critic kinda savaging it, I somewhat dug it. But I’m not entirely sold on it, so I’m asking you, loyal reader(s) (the s is in parentheses because I doubt there’s more than one of you reading this), should I keep messing around with “Swingtown” or kick it to the curb?
On the plus side of the bed filled with swingers, there’s a majority of the performances. Now, I liked “Deadwood” when it was on, but I could never quite make it all the way through the show (I’ve still only seen about half of the final season). One of the problems I had with “Deadwood” was the characters all seemed incredibly stilted (although this was probably because they were supposed to be), and one of the biggest offenders was Molly Parker. On “Swingtown”, however, Parker is, well, kind of delightful. Her behavior and general air after she took the Quaalude were really fun to watch. Also, on the delightful side are Lana Parilla and Grant Show as the Deckers, the main swinging couple. They made the show entertaining to watch.
I’m not as sold on Jack Davenport as Parker’s husband or Josh Hopkins as Roger Thompson, the Parkers' old neighbor, but they were serviceable, and both seemed charismatic. And, while a lot of critics detracted from the show for being over the top on 1970s references, I thought it was a little funny on how much they felt the need to enforce the 70s-ness. But funny in a good way.
But there are a bunch of problems, which may just be too big to overlook. First off, you’ll notice that I left one of the main adult characters off the previous lists. That’s because I firmly believe that the show would be 1700% better without Miriam Shor. Now, this is absolutely nothing against the actress, I just thought the character was obnoxiously fake. Marcia Cross plays a similar role on Desperate Housewives, but she comes across like a real person. Shor, on the other hand, was a complete and total bad caricature. Sure, there were people who hadn’t mentally escaped the 1950s then, but they weren’t that bat-shit crazy too. She just did not work. I also didn’t find the younger characters nearly as entertaining as everyone else did. The only one who was interesting was the daughter who was clearly in love with her teacher. But my interest was only mild.
So, the question is: Do I keep swingin or do I break it off? Summer TV is kind of a barren wasteland right now (thank God for the returns of Weeds, Burn Notice, Psych, and The Closer), so should I stick with the show for a while at least? Help me, folks. There’s a can of Tab in it for you.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Thursday, June 5, 2008
So You Think You Can Dance- 6/5- VEGAS BABY
A bunch of the names are probably wildly incorrect. My bad...
Now, I know I missed the last two episodes. I saw last Thursday’s, but it was way to late to recap it. And I missed last night’s because it was my Mom’s birthday, but I have it, waiting for me to watch (I would have watched it today but I am now a workin’ man, and thus didn’t have the time today). So, I’m kinda just gonna break this down by sections of the show.
Cat tells all the dancers to go to the stage and introduces the 6 judges for Vegas: Nigel, Mary, Mia, Debbie Allen, and some two hip hop cheographers who I’ve never seen before (who are named Tabitha and Napoleon). Napoleon is an awesome name.
DAY 1- HIP HOP
Routine: It looks pretty cool, but we only see approximately 10 seconds of it, so I can’t really judge.
Awesome Breaker Robert Muraine is unhappy, because he sucks at learning choreography, which is why, as awesome as he was in LA, they should have made him do choreography. He’s basically gonna quit, so Nigel calls him up on stage and gives him a speech. Nigel has him do his solo for Debbie, Tabitha, and Napoleon, because they’ve never seen him. His solo isn’t as ridiculously awesome, but it’s still ridiculously awesome (if that makes sense). He gets a standing ovation from all the dancers and half the judges. He then quits.
NOTABLE ELIMINEES: Strip Club DJ Ryan Race, Ricky (of the Asian Ballroom couple), Claire Calloway (Mia Michaels calls her a hot mess)
DAY 2- BROADWAY
Tyce is choreographing, which always has me worried, since he never really impresses. No Robert Muraine style drama this time, just people who are worried because they couldn’t see Tyce. I think that’s a fair point to complain about. There is, however, a previously unseen girl (at least to me) who is paired with Erika Gee (there was a gender disparity) who shines. I think her name is Brittany. Also, the judges break out the crazy a lot more this time. Oh, and there’s a playful Mia/Debbie catfight.
NOTABLE ELIMINEES: 3 Time Auditioner Erika Gee (Aww, I liked her), Lesser Twin Antwain Hart
DAY 2- BALLROOM
Jean Marc Genereux is the choreographer, and he’s hit or miss. The two really good Texas hip-hop breakers are worried. The routine looks nice enough. Oh, and those two had nothing to worry about, they both make it to the next round.
NOTABLE ELIMINEES: Beauty Queen and Possible Bimbo Paige Jones.
DAY 2-3 SURPRISE CHOREOGRAPHICAL CHALLENGE
The dancers are broken up into groups, pick a random CD, and have to choreograph a dance to it. This portion will be split into groups shown identified by notable dancers.
Twitch, Aliona, et al (“Every Breath You Take”)- The tapping interlude is awesome, and ending with a little bit of stepping was nice, but the choreography was very amateurish. The judges all call it basically awful. Twitch and Aliona and the tapper make it, and one of them (a guy named Jason) has to dance for his life.
Comfort, et al: (also “Every Breath You Take): This group had major drama in the auditions, thanks to one of them, who went off to sleep at a certain point and left the rest of them to figure it all out. The judges like it. Every dancer makes it on.
Yeah, they only show two groups (and quick flashes of others). The guy from Twitch’s group who had to dance for his life survives.
NOTABLE ELIMINEES: BFF of Michelle/ Single Mother Kortney (But did eerily similar Michelle make it? Did she get cut earlier?)
Sidenote: The Hatfields/McCoys T-Mobile commercial is absolutely brilliant.
DAY 3- CONTEMPORARY
Mia Michaels routine, so, even though I’m typing this during the commercial and they haven’t even practiced, I’m gonna go out on a limb and say it’s awesome. Ok, so now it’s into the actual choreography and I was totally right. Mia’s use of sounds like “Zwah”, “Sikum”, “B-Gow” to illustrate choreography just makes me love her more. Also, some girl is pretty close to collapsing, and she promises if she collapses, she’s doing it on stage. But the judges all very pleased with her. She makes an impassioned speech about how she wasn’t stressed because she was just focusing on not letting her legs buckle under her. She seems to have a problem with talking back (Mia seems kinda pissed and Debbie tells her to shut it, too). And her talking back gets her cut. But at least her legs didn’t give out on her. Also, really good Jeremiah Hughes continues to suck at picking up choreography. He falls apart and walks off stage and everyone calls him on how shitty a move he pulled by walking off. He seems pretty humbled by how he’s screwed up.
Also, when dancing for his life, one of the contemporary dancers really screws up his leg really bad, and is cut. Other notable dancers for their life include Sheila Kayser, who gets cut, and Twitch, who is kept.
NOTABLE ELIMINEES: JEREMIAH HUGHES, SHEILA KAYSER
(Interesting, these cuts even get a play off)
The Final Group do their solos, which flash before us.
PRE-REVEAL TOP 20 PREDICTIONS: Twitch, Leonidas and Aliona, Comfort, Joshua Allen, Chelsea Hightower, Kelly Baker (even though I don’t even think I’ve seen her in Vegas, she’s just that good), Brandon Bryant, Anthony Hart, and Markus Sheilds will all make it. I’m not sure about anyone else.
The Final Named Group (Listed by Name- then Made it or Got Cut)(There are a Few Unnamed, who sadly, will not get a mention here)
Kelly Baker (I knew she was gonna be there)- Got Cut (Wait, What? For Real? Absolutely Bizarre to me…)
Courtney Galliano- Made It (Not a big surprise)
Chelsie Hightower- Made It
Susie Garcia- Made it
Chelsea Trayer- Made It
Kourtni Lind- Made It
Anthony Hart- Got Cut (Again, wait what?)
Leonidas and Aliona- Both Cut (Wow, I am sucking at predicting tonight)
Bianca, the Tapper- Got Cut
Joshua Allen- Made It
Twitch- Made It (Was this one even a question?)
Kherington Payne- Made It (Good, I liked her)
Rabin Ormeo- Made It
Thayne Jasperson- Made It
Matt Dorame- Made It
Marquise Cunningham- Made It
Mark Kanamura- Made It
Comfort- Made It (Good, she’s cool)
Jamie Bayard- Made It
Chris Jenrose- Made It (Endearing in his promises to amp up his personality)
Markus Sheilds- Got Cut (That sucks. I was a big fan. And again, wait what?)
Asuka Kondoh- Got Cut
Derek Spears- Got Cut
Jessica King- Made It
William Wingfield- Made It (I liked this guy too, but he may be a ringer of sorts), (Also, because of a previous relationship, Debbie Allen can no longer be a judge)
FINAL 2 MALES: Brandon Bryant and Gev Manoukian. I see no scenario where Brandon doesn’t make it, since he seemed like Danny Tidwell 2.0, but my predictions have been off tonight, so who knows. And I’m off again, because Gev makes it. This is somewhat of a bewildering night for me.
FINAL 2 FEMALES: Best friends and roommates Katie and Natalie are the last two and they seem all happy for the other one. Mia Michaels gets all pissed (actually all the judges do), because Katie indicates that she wouldn’t try out again if she gets cut. Nigel sends the girls out and the judges revote. It’s a split vote. They come back and Nigel tells them that Katie would have moved on, and even though it’s split, Katie still moves on.
So, Our Top 20:
The Boys: Joshua Allen, Twitch, Thayne Jasperson, Matt Dorame, Marquise Cunningham Mark Kanamura, Jamie Bayard, Chris Jenrose, William Wingfield, and Gev Manoukian
The Girls: Courtney Galliano, Chelsie Hightower, Susie Garcia, Chelsea Trayer, Kourtni Lind, Kherington Payne, Rabin Ormeo, Comfort, Jessica King, and Katie
So, What do you folks think of the top 20? I'm a little curious to the fact that I've never seen 10 of these dancers before (Were a bunch of them from the last auditions show?). But I'm excited for Twitch, Comfort, William Wingfield, Mark Kanamura, Chelsie Hightower, and Kherington Payne...
Now, I know I missed the last two episodes. I saw last Thursday’s, but it was way to late to recap it. And I missed last night’s because it was my Mom’s birthday, but I have it, waiting for me to watch (I would have watched it today but I am now a workin’ man, and thus didn’t have the time today). So, I’m kinda just gonna break this down by sections of the show.
Cat tells all the dancers to go to the stage and introduces the 6 judges for Vegas: Nigel, Mary, Mia, Debbie Allen, and some two hip hop cheographers who I’ve never seen before (who are named Tabitha and Napoleon). Napoleon is an awesome name.
DAY 1- HIP HOP
Routine: It looks pretty cool, but we only see approximately 10 seconds of it, so I can’t really judge.
Awesome Breaker Robert Muraine is unhappy, because he sucks at learning choreography, which is why, as awesome as he was in LA, they should have made him do choreography. He’s basically gonna quit, so Nigel calls him up on stage and gives him a speech. Nigel has him do his solo for Debbie, Tabitha, and Napoleon, because they’ve never seen him. His solo isn’t as ridiculously awesome, but it’s still ridiculously awesome (if that makes sense). He gets a standing ovation from all the dancers and half the judges. He then quits.
NOTABLE ELIMINEES: Strip Club DJ Ryan Race, Ricky (of the Asian Ballroom couple), Claire Calloway (Mia Michaels calls her a hot mess)
DAY 2- BROADWAY
Tyce is choreographing, which always has me worried, since he never really impresses. No Robert Muraine style drama this time, just people who are worried because they couldn’t see Tyce. I think that’s a fair point to complain about. There is, however, a previously unseen girl (at least to me) who is paired with Erika Gee (there was a gender disparity) who shines. I think her name is Brittany. Also, the judges break out the crazy a lot more this time. Oh, and there’s a playful Mia/Debbie catfight.
NOTABLE ELIMINEES: 3 Time Auditioner Erika Gee (Aww, I liked her), Lesser Twin Antwain Hart
DAY 2- BALLROOM
Jean Marc Genereux is the choreographer, and he’s hit or miss. The two really good Texas hip-hop breakers are worried. The routine looks nice enough. Oh, and those two had nothing to worry about, they both make it to the next round.
NOTABLE ELIMINEES: Beauty Queen and Possible Bimbo Paige Jones.
DAY 2-3 SURPRISE CHOREOGRAPHICAL CHALLENGE
The dancers are broken up into groups, pick a random CD, and have to choreograph a dance to it. This portion will be split into groups shown identified by notable dancers.
Twitch, Aliona, et al (“Every Breath You Take”)- The tapping interlude is awesome, and ending with a little bit of stepping was nice, but the choreography was very amateurish. The judges all call it basically awful. Twitch and Aliona and the tapper make it, and one of them (a guy named Jason) has to dance for his life.
Comfort, et al: (also “Every Breath You Take): This group had major drama in the auditions, thanks to one of them, who went off to sleep at a certain point and left the rest of them to figure it all out. The judges like it. Every dancer makes it on.
Yeah, they only show two groups (and quick flashes of others). The guy from Twitch’s group who had to dance for his life survives.
NOTABLE ELIMINEES: BFF of Michelle/ Single Mother Kortney (But did eerily similar Michelle make it? Did she get cut earlier?)
Sidenote: The Hatfields/McCoys T-Mobile commercial is absolutely brilliant.
DAY 3- CONTEMPORARY
Mia Michaels routine, so, even though I’m typing this during the commercial and they haven’t even practiced, I’m gonna go out on a limb and say it’s awesome. Ok, so now it’s into the actual choreography and I was totally right. Mia’s use of sounds like “Zwah”, “Sikum”, “B-Gow” to illustrate choreography just makes me love her more. Also, some girl is pretty close to collapsing, and she promises if she collapses, she’s doing it on stage. But the judges all very pleased with her. She makes an impassioned speech about how she wasn’t stressed because she was just focusing on not letting her legs buckle under her. She seems to have a problem with talking back (Mia seems kinda pissed and Debbie tells her to shut it, too). And her talking back gets her cut. But at least her legs didn’t give out on her. Also, really good Jeremiah Hughes continues to suck at picking up choreography. He falls apart and walks off stage and everyone calls him on how shitty a move he pulled by walking off. He seems pretty humbled by how he’s screwed up.
Also, when dancing for his life, one of the contemporary dancers really screws up his leg really bad, and is cut. Other notable dancers for their life include Sheila Kayser, who gets cut, and Twitch, who is kept.
NOTABLE ELIMINEES: JEREMIAH HUGHES, SHEILA KAYSER
(Interesting, these cuts even get a play off)
The Final Group do their solos, which flash before us.
PRE-REVEAL TOP 20 PREDICTIONS: Twitch, Leonidas and Aliona, Comfort, Joshua Allen, Chelsea Hightower, Kelly Baker (even though I don’t even think I’ve seen her in Vegas, she’s just that good), Brandon Bryant, Anthony Hart, and Markus Sheilds will all make it. I’m not sure about anyone else.
The Final Named Group (Listed by Name- then Made it or Got Cut)(There are a Few Unnamed, who sadly, will not get a mention here)
Kelly Baker (I knew she was gonna be there)- Got Cut (Wait, What? For Real? Absolutely Bizarre to me…)
Courtney Galliano- Made It (Not a big surprise)
Chelsie Hightower- Made It
Susie Garcia- Made it
Chelsea Trayer- Made It
Kourtni Lind- Made It
Anthony Hart- Got Cut (Again, wait what?)
Leonidas and Aliona- Both Cut (Wow, I am sucking at predicting tonight)
Bianca, the Tapper- Got Cut
Joshua Allen- Made It
Twitch- Made It (Was this one even a question?)
Kherington Payne- Made It (Good, I liked her)
Rabin Ormeo- Made It
Thayne Jasperson- Made It
Matt Dorame- Made It
Marquise Cunningham- Made It
Mark Kanamura- Made It
Comfort- Made It (Good, she’s cool)
Jamie Bayard- Made It
Chris Jenrose- Made It (Endearing in his promises to amp up his personality)
Markus Sheilds- Got Cut (That sucks. I was a big fan. And again, wait what?)
Asuka Kondoh- Got Cut
Derek Spears- Got Cut
Jessica King- Made It
William Wingfield- Made It (I liked this guy too, but he may be a ringer of sorts), (Also, because of a previous relationship, Debbie Allen can no longer be a judge)
FINAL 2 MALES: Brandon Bryant and Gev Manoukian. I see no scenario where Brandon doesn’t make it, since he seemed like Danny Tidwell 2.0, but my predictions have been off tonight, so who knows. And I’m off again, because Gev makes it. This is somewhat of a bewildering night for me.
FINAL 2 FEMALES: Best friends and roommates Katie and Natalie are the last two and they seem all happy for the other one. Mia Michaels gets all pissed (actually all the judges do), because Katie indicates that she wouldn’t try out again if she gets cut. Nigel sends the girls out and the judges revote. It’s a split vote. They come back and Nigel tells them that Katie would have moved on, and even though it’s split, Katie still moves on.
So, Our Top 20:
The Boys: Joshua Allen, Twitch, Thayne Jasperson, Matt Dorame, Marquise Cunningham Mark Kanamura, Jamie Bayard, Chris Jenrose, William Wingfield, and Gev Manoukian
The Girls: Courtney Galliano, Chelsie Hightower, Susie Garcia, Chelsea Trayer, Kourtni Lind, Kherington Payne, Rabin Ormeo, Comfort, Jessica King, and Katie
So, What do you folks think of the top 20? I'm a little curious to the fact that I've never seen 10 of these dancers before (Were a bunch of them from the last auditions show?). But I'm excited for Twitch, Comfort, William Wingfield, Mark Kanamura, Chelsie Hightower, and Kherington Payne...
Monday, June 2, 2008
The Mole 6/2- Yes, It Was Worth Peeing My Pants Over
It’s here! It’s here! Yay! According to host Jon Kelly, they’re gonna be pushed to the the brink. We get brief intros to all of the contestant, but they go by too fast for me to get decent impressions of them. The players all meet up at a Waterfall. They are immediately given a secret ballot and half to guess which one is the mole. They pick Marcie, who is pleased. She is immediately given power over the group for 44 hours.
Jon (who is already nowhere near as good as Anderson Cooper and nowhere near as bad as Ahmad Rashad) tells them that their first task will be riding a raft over a waterfall and jumping for cash. Marcie gets to decide who jumps for money (as some of them are) and who jumps for worthless bags. Alex is up first and he completely misses. Immediately, accusations of being the Mole fly. Ali is next and she prayed to Jebus. Jebus helps her, but not that much, as she gets fingers on it but loses the bag. Clay is up next and informs us that attorneys don’t usually jump waterfalls. Thanks for that informative tip Clay. He manages to get his bag. Kristen, one of my first mole suspects, gets her bag, already making me look like an idiot. Bobby, next, is worried about hanging himself, but gets the bag. Liz, a 60 year old retiree, also gets her bag, and I already like her because she’s a tough old broad. Paul, who is worried about getting bested by a 60 year old lady, gets bested by a 60 year old lady. Victoria, a cheerleader in college, sits on her raft as it goes over the edge and misses the bag. Craig, my other initial Mole suspect, just misses his, and apparently something dramatic happens as people gasp and we go to commercial.
SIDENOTE: As much as I wish it wasn’t the case, the more ads for it I see, the more I wanna watch Wipeout.
Craig does survive, and Nicole is up net. She gets turned around on her raft and still manages to get the bag. Mark manages to get his bag as well. Time for the bag reveals. Nicole, Kristen, Bobby, and Liz all have fake money. Mark and Clay have real cash though, so they get 20 grand. Everyone gets their Mole journal and then Marcie is made to pick 4 people to sleep out for the night. Marcie actually picks three of the people who managed to get their bags and Craig, who choked himself, which seems like a very dumb or moley strategy. One of the younger idiot males (Maybe Alex or Paul) gives away his journal because he has a photogenic memory, which I guess is good for the other players, because not only is he an idiot, but he may give them some really attractive photos of things he remembered.
SIDENOTE: As much as I wish it wasn’t the case, the more ads for it I see, the more I wanna watch I Survived A Japanese Game Show. God damn you ABC.
Marcie and Paul are forming an alliance. I’m still not sure if he’s the one with the photogenic memory. They get a clue and have to go to the beach. Paul, immediately making him more aggravating, gets Alex involved in his coalition of the driving. It’s all very idiotic. The group picks Nicole as the biggest complainer, and she complains about being called a complainer and says that she’s awesome. Jon tells them about Robinson Crusoe and calls him a crybaby. Nicole has to pick out a bunch of roles for people. There are 45 items hidden on the beach and then they have to pick out 5 items that Robinson Crusoe had with him. Meanwhile, two of them have to keep filling a giant hourglass with sand. Liz keeps endearing herself to me. Everyone is basically screwing up. Methinks the Mole is afoot…
SIDENOTE: I think the reason that I want to watch the previous two shows is because schadenfreude is a major component of my personality and they look like people getting harmlessly injured a lot.
The three who pick the guesses get one right the first time, three the second time. Paul, one of the sand people, gives up. The get 3 out of 5 items right, which gives them another 15 grand. Nicole is gonna get stranded on the beach while everyone else leaves. I can’t help but think that there’s a better deal coming for her.
SIDENOTE: Based on every commercial and trailer I’ve seen for it, I really kind of hope The Love Guru destroys all of Mike Myers’ box office reliability and he’s forced to go back to making good movies.
Nicole gets comfortable on the beach. Meanwhile, everyone is discussing possible Mole suspects. It seems like everyone’s name comes up. The contestants all go to dinner with Jon, while Nicole is still camping on the beach. Mark gets all teary-eyed talking about his family and how he’s doing for them. Not to sound like an synical asshole, but I’ve heard it all before. Jon toasts them all “May the mole be merciful.” He might not be that terrible a host yet.
THE LAST SIDENOTE, I PROMISE: Wanted looks awesome.
It’s quiz time. The quiz is ten questions. They still refer to them as executions, but I don’t care.
LEADING SUSPECTS:
Paul suspects Craig
Alex suspects Marcie
Craig maybe suspects Marcie
Bobby suspects Kristen (Me too! Please don’t go home, it’ll make me look like an idiot)
Marcie maybe suspects Nicole
Mark maybe suspects Craig
Victoria maybe suspects Bobby
Well, it turns out Nicole? She’s safe from being executed tonight. She is teleconferenced in front of a very fake looking fire, and she is very pleased with her exemption. It’s time to get down to executin’. Ali is first, and she is safe. Victoria’s next, and she’s safe too. Paul is next, and I’m hoping he gets executed. But he’s safe. Bobby’s next, and his results don’t make me look like an idiot, because he’s safe. Mark is next, and he’s safe too. Marcie is next, and, unfortunately for anyone who suspected her, she is executed. Which means my mole suspect (Kristen) and my favorite contestant (Liz) both survived the first episode, which, no joke, may be a record for me with The Mole.
NEXT TIME ON THE MOLE: Tandem bikes! Bobby in a wheelbarrow being pushed in Kristen! Paul being a typical tri-state area douchebag (Don’t worry, I can say that, I’m a tri-stater)! Nicole threatening to murder someone in their sleep!
Jon (who is already nowhere near as good as Anderson Cooper and nowhere near as bad as Ahmad Rashad) tells them that their first task will be riding a raft over a waterfall and jumping for cash. Marcie gets to decide who jumps for money (as some of them are) and who jumps for worthless bags. Alex is up first and he completely misses. Immediately, accusations of being the Mole fly. Ali is next and she prayed to Jebus. Jebus helps her, but not that much, as she gets fingers on it but loses the bag. Clay is up next and informs us that attorneys don’t usually jump waterfalls. Thanks for that informative tip Clay. He manages to get his bag. Kristen, one of my first mole suspects, gets her bag, already making me look like an idiot. Bobby, next, is worried about hanging himself, but gets the bag. Liz, a 60 year old retiree, also gets her bag, and I already like her because she’s a tough old broad. Paul, who is worried about getting bested by a 60 year old lady, gets bested by a 60 year old lady. Victoria, a cheerleader in college, sits on her raft as it goes over the edge and misses the bag. Craig, my other initial Mole suspect, just misses his, and apparently something dramatic happens as people gasp and we go to commercial.
SIDENOTE: As much as I wish it wasn’t the case, the more ads for it I see, the more I wanna watch Wipeout.
Craig does survive, and Nicole is up net. She gets turned around on her raft and still manages to get the bag. Mark manages to get his bag as well. Time for the bag reveals. Nicole, Kristen, Bobby, and Liz all have fake money. Mark and Clay have real cash though, so they get 20 grand. Everyone gets their Mole journal and then Marcie is made to pick 4 people to sleep out for the night. Marcie actually picks three of the people who managed to get their bags and Craig, who choked himself, which seems like a very dumb or moley strategy. One of the younger idiot males (Maybe Alex or Paul) gives away his journal because he has a photogenic memory, which I guess is good for the other players, because not only is he an idiot, but he may give them some really attractive photos of things he remembered.
SIDENOTE: As much as I wish it wasn’t the case, the more ads for it I see, the more I wanna watch I Survived A Japanese Game Show. God damn you ABC.
Marcie and Paul are forming an alliance. I’m still not sure if he’s the one with the photogenic memory. They get a clue and have to go to the beach. Paul, immediately making him more aggravating, gets Alex involved in his coalition of the driving. It’s all very idiotic. The group picks Nicole as the biggest complainer, and she complains about being called a complainer and says that she’s awesome. Jon tells them about Robinson Crusoe and calls him a crybaby. Nicole has to pick out a bunch of roles for people. There are 45 items hidden on the beach and then they have to pick out 5 items that Robinson Crusoe had with him. Meanwhile, two of them have to keep filling a giant hourglass with sand. Liz keeps endearing herself to me. Everyone is basically screwing up. Methinks the Mole is afoot…
SIDENOTE: I think the reason that I want to watch the previous two shows is because schadenfreude is a major component of my personality and they look like people getting harmlessly injured a lot.
The three who pick the guesses get one right the first time, three the second time. Paul, one of the sand people, gives up. The get 3 out of 5 items right, which gives them another 15 grand. Nicole is gonna get stranded on the beach while everyone else leaves. I can’t help but think that there’s a better deal coming for her.
SIDENOTE: Based on every commercial and trailer I’ve seen for it, I really kind of hope The Love Guru destroys all of Mike Myers’ box office reliability and he’s forced to go back to making good movies.
Nicole gets comfortable on the beach. Meanwhile, everyone is discussing possible Mole suspects. It seems like everyone’s name comes up. The contestants all go to dinner with Jon, while Nicole is still camping on the beach. Mark gets all teary-eyed talking about his family and how he’s doing for them. Not to sound like an synical asshole, but I’ve heard it all before. Jon toasts them all “May the mole be merciful.” He might not be that terrible a host yet.
THE LAST SIDENOTE, I PROMISE: Wanted looks awesome.
It’s quiz time. The quiz is ten questions. They still refer to them as executions, but I don’t care.
LEADING SUSPECTS:
Paul suspects Craig
Alex suspects Marcie
Craig maybe suspects Marcie
Bobby suspects Kristen (Me too! Please don’t go home, it’ll make me look like an idiot)
Marcie maybe suspects Nicole
Mark maybe suspects Craig
Victoria maybe suspects Bobby
Well, it turns out Nicole? She’s safe from being executed tonight. She is teleconferenced in front of a very fake looking fire, and she is very pleased with her exemption. It’s time to get down to executin’. Ali is first, and she is safe. Victoria’s next, and she’s safe too. Paul is next, and I’m hoping he gets executed. But he’s safe. Bobby’s next, and his results don’t make me look like an idiot, because he’s safe. Mark is next, and he’s safe too. Marcie is next, and, unfortunately for anyone who suspected her, she is executed. Which means my mole suspect (Kristen) and my favorite contestant (Liz) both survived the first episode, which, no joke, may be a record for me with The Mole.
NEXT TIME ON THE MOLE: Tandem bikes! Bobby in a wheelbarrow being pushed in Kristen! Paul being a typical tri-state area douchebag (Don’t worry, I can say that, I’m a tri-stater)! Nicole threatening to murder someone in their sleep!
Top 10 Of The Year- #9- South Park
Ok, so I’m breaking the rules with this one a little bit. This is a top 10 list for the 2007-2008 TV season. South Park tends to air in short 8 episode blocks. During the 2007-2008 season, South Park showed the tail half of season 11 and the first half of season 12. I’m gonna clump these together.
With a show that has gone on into it’s 12th season, you’re always gonna be able to say “Eh, it’s been better.” And, in all honesty, South Park has had better seasons. But, for the sheer brilliance of 4 episodes (Not to mention a bunch of normally good episodes), South Park makes this list. Those four episodes? This spring’s “Canada on Strike” and this past fall’s absolutely genius “Imaginationland” trilogy.
“Canada on Strike”, a clear parody of the writer’s strike, was hilarious on so many levels. The simple idea of Canada going on strike from the rest of the world because they don’t get enough respect, and the rest of the world not really caring were both great. But the episode evolved past the basic laughs from the concept and had excellent writing and an absolutely amazing ending. I would probably rank it as one of the best they’ve ever done. I may have just found it funnier because of how overly obsessed I am with TV and was with the strike, but it hit every note perfectly.
Even without “Canada on Strike”, though, South Park would have made this list, for the utter genius of the “Imaginationland” trilogy. Not only were the episodes absolutely hilarious (Although the first one was clearly the strongest), but the ideas raised by the episode were equally as genius. Terrorists taking control of our imaginations and then our imaginations running wild. Seriously, those guys are brilliant. Plus, who doesn’t love an appearance by ManBearPig?
But on top of those four brilliant episodes, you also had amazing moments like Cartman hiding cats from the DEA and Kyle trying to point out the similarities, Bono being revealed to be a giant turd, “How do I reeeeech the keeeeds”, Mr(s). Garrison’s penis running wild, and Britney Spears missing a head. That’s not to say that there haven’t been misfires (I’m looking at you, completely unfunny and actually quite disgusting episode with Cartman and Kyle getting AIDS), but overall this has been a really good year for South Park. Not the best they’ve ever had, but a damn good one. And so, even 12 seasons in, South Park still makes my top 10.
Welcome Back: The Mole
Now, guys, I don’t want to worry you or anything, but I think I might have just peed myself a little. Now, I know you’re saying “Nate, pray tell, what momentous occasion has caused you to wet yourself on this day, the 2nd of June?”, to which I respond “How did readers from Victorian England access my blog?” and to which I secondarily respond “They’re Witches! Burn Them!”
Now, for all of you who are still reading and keeping up with my inanity, the real reason I may or may not have piddled a little bit is because tonight sees the return of my absolute, hands down favorite reality show (which, for past readers, they know means something, because I’m a reality junkie). Now, again, for readers who have, for some reason or another come back to this here blog, you may know how much I proclaim my love for “The Amazing Race”, “Rock of Love”, “MILF Island”, and other reality shows, but there is not a single reality show that I love more than “The Mole”.
Back when the Mole premiered for the first time, I was still kind of a youngun’. But, not to trumpet my own horn or anything, I was kind of brainy. I still loved TV then, but I loved TV in a brainier way than I do now (As anyone who has seen my love messages to VH1 can tell). And “The Mole” was perfect for me: a reality show that was as much, if not moreso, about smarts and cleverness than about being able to assemble a rotating puzzle to spell a dumb phrase after swimming, diving, claiming, and maybe killing a chicken (No offense Survivor). I was able to completely play along, my theories about the identity of the Mole always evolving, being proven wrong, being proven wrong again, etc. I absolutely loved the show, and Anderson Cooper’s hosting (which I’m sure Mr. Fancy Pants Newsman wants us all to forget) was great.
And then, after two regular seasons (one of which was pulled halfway through, thanks Commies over at ABC), I endured Celebrity Mole. Oh god, Celebrity Mole. If you weren’t a spinoff of one of what is probably my favorite shows of all time, I would hate you so much. You sucked. Majorly. God, Ahmad Rashad, you really sucked. Almost everything about you sucked, except for the basic premise.
Thankfully, though, ABC is bringing back The Mole with regular people. Now, Anderson is not hosting anymore, and I don’t know anything except that the new host, Jon Kelly, worked for Extra. But I do know that I’m super, super pumped (Even more pumped than I am for the I Love Money show on VH1). An Entertainment Weekly I got a few weeks ago had an ad for the mole with a clue that said “I Lie with my Eyes”. My pre-game money is either on the guy who wears glasses (Craig) or the girl who seems to have interesting eyes in the ad (Kristen). So I’m guessing at least one of those two goes home tonight. Expect a recap tonight. But it’d be even better if you watched it, since I want there to be another season because I’ll finally be old enough to apply.
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