Truest Word Ever Spoke

2011: The Year in Music--The Singles

2012-01-07T06:02:00.000-05:00

I have had a very difficult time winnowing down this list of favorite songs. With so many albums that I liked in 2011, there was an enormous amount of single tracks that were top notch. I think my first list had nearly 100 possibilities. But here are 10 or so of the best. I will be revisiting the singles of the year with The Kid as we share a few more thoughts on a few more songs in a day or two.

The shocking thing to me is that there is only one real rock song on this list, and an argument could be made that it's not really rock but a pastiche of blues and mid-sixties soul. Where was the great rock and roll of 2011? I really liked the Foo Fighters' album this year, but not one track pulled me enough to make this list, and I would bet all the money I got that one won't make The Kid and I's list either. I could have filled this list with my favorite country song ("Lemon Drop" by Pistol Annies, my favorite rap song ("Make Some Noise" by The Beastie Boys), my favorite soul jam ("Booty City" by Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears), and my favorite punk song ("Get it Daddy" by Sleeper Agent) but as I was compiling them, I realized that I would essentially be tackling nearly every sub genre of music out there, and that I would have to ignore some really great stuff.

But none of it Rock n' Roll, per se. So what makes the cut instead?

Song of the Year--Rolling in the Deep by Adele

As much as I didn't care or the album as a whole, Adele's 21 is jam packed with great pop songs, and this is the greatest of the lot. The first single from that album, it hooked me from the get go, and while a few of the other tracks I may have liked more at different points this year, this is the one that stops me in my tracks no matter the situation. Perhaps it's the plaintive, primal cry of the lyrics that are heightened by the very simple accompaniment. Perhaps it's the tribal chant of background singers transposed against the most distinctly powerful pop voice recording today. Perhaps it's just a great song.

Best Driving Rhythm--Gold on the Ceiling by The Black Keys

Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney are the only two members of The Black Keys, as they play all the instruments on the recordings. Their blues rock infused sound relies heavily on drums, bass and organ. It is no wonder that their newest album El Camino has a solid driving rhythm throughout. "Gold on the Ceiling" is a perfect synthesis of all rhythmic elements that screams that this is the best crotch rock of the year.

Best Love Song--A Million Years by Alexander

Alexander, who in reality is Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros front man Alex Ebert, is a passionate man whose best artistic work (either as a solo act or in any one of his bands) is concerned with the goofy-wonderful aspect of falling and being in love. "A Million Years" is quite simply him at his best. The song is lyrically just a poetic list of all the ways that the man loves the woman ("I love you like grave danger/Like moonlight in disguise", "It's a spun tongue. It's a holy shit./It's a loud cry from the dark."). Paired with the most gratifying musical shuffle of the year, the song is simple and soaring. The false start and a power coda on the recorded release paint a complete picture of a beautiful love story.

Best Substitute for Delta Spirit--Middle Brother by Middle Brother

I praised the indie super group at length in the album of the year post but it's this song that brings me the most joy. Led by John McCauley from Deer Tick there's a wild abandonment to piece that trips all the right buttons in my head. It helps that there is some solid lyric work that is both illustrative and witty, and the song has my single favorite lyric of the year: "I know my days are numbered, but I'm bad at math."

Best Slow Jam--Second Song by TV on the Radio

I was underwhelmed by TV on the Radio's newest album, but there were a few mainstream gems that surfaced, and "Second Song" was the best of that small lot. A perfect juxtaposition of sensual bass sounds and thrilling falsetto moments the song really soars. Yes, the form is a tad repetitive, but here familiarity breeds contentment.

Best Cover--Lovesong by Adele

Almost as far away from The Cure's original as one could get, Adele's "Lovesong" transforms the song from new wave electronica to a soulful samba. She slows the tempo a bit and focuses on the powerful words creating a far more affective (if not necessarily effective) song than ever before. It is one of the rare instances that an artist reinterprets a classic work for a new generation and only adds to power and appeal of the original.

Best Frat Guy Sing Along--Red Solo Cup by Toby Kieth

Sometimes I don't know why songs are made. I can oftentimes be found shaking my head to what comes out the music industry. There are songs that aren't particularly musical. There are song with insipid lyrics. There are songs with unappealing subject matter. There are songs that utilize lesser talents. And sometimes there are songs that are all of this. "Red Solo Cup" shouldn't work on any level for me. It's a country song sung by ab established talent using his buddies to sing along a song that musically and ltrically sounds like it was written as a parody by elementary school students. But it is one of the best songs of the year, bar none, and a personal favorite. You can't help but smile and sing along. My favorite parts: the crazy, drunk grandpa singing in the background, "God no!" and "Lifelong."

Best Beatles Tribute by an American Band--Capitol City by Wilco

Playing like some sort of hidden track off of Sgt. Pepper, "Capitol City" goes a long way to cementing Wilco's status as the standard bearer for adult contemporary music. While it's far from the best track from their newest release, The Whole Love, (that honor goes to the head bobbing "Standing O"), "Capitol City" brings me a simple joy and for that it should be treasured.

Best Song That Should Be On This List But Isn't--Sexy and I Know It by LMFAO

I was tempted to cut and paste the commentary for Toby Kieth's "Red Solo Cup" here because I shouldn't like this, but I love it. I loved it the first time I head the "wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle yeah" and I can't help but want to move and groove every time I hear it. And I think the song's funny as hell; the video not so much. My storyboarded viral video would have killed, but alas I was filled with fear, shame and now regret.

2011: The Year in Music--The Albums

2012-01-04T23:49:00.000-05:00

What a difference a year makes. A year ago I was lamenting the fact that albums were dying on the vine, and that I was spending far more time and money on singles. There was a distinct reversal of that trend in 2011. I own more new (and good) albums from this year than I ever have.

Many factors contributed to this reversal. First, the excellent MP3 Daily Deal at Amazon would produce a new album every day--usually for just $3.99. This prompted me to try some things I would normally have passed on. Some were good (Peter Bjorn and John's Gimme Some); others not so much (Los Lonely Boys' Rockpango). And if you were patient, and at times I was not, almost every major release of 2011 appeared as a Daily Deal.

Second, I became a Rhapsody user. While their catalog isn't complete, they did provide a relatively inexpensive way to try lots and lots of different albums without having to trigger buyer's remorse. A few of my favorite albums of 2011 (see below) were Rhapsody-play only, as they haven't become Amazon Daily Deals yet.

Third, I became quite adept at using the two services in conjunction with each other, along with a healthy (but decidedly more world music focused) sampling of NPR's First Listen program, to pluck the cherries and avoid the pits.

And there were quite a few pits this year. Disappointing follow up albums by Fleet Foxes, Florence + The Machine, Cage the Elephant, Drake, Beyonce and Bon Iver proved that the best doesn't always being their A game. This was buoyed in part by welcome and strong returns from Cake (Showroom of Compassion was their best album in 10 years), The Decemberists (successfully out R.E.M.-ed R.E.M. with The King is Dead) and The Beastie Boys (Hot Sauce Committee Part 2 was the wildest and craziest and the best the Boys have been in a long, long time).

Now while I don't do traditional Top Ten lists at the end of the year, I do try to limit my self to 10 (or thereabouts) items that were the highlights for the year in each of the medias. With the 2011 albums, I couldn't pick 10. I had 17 albums that I thought were worthy of long-lasting recognition. 17. The top 5 were easy to rattle off, they were the easily the ones I listened to the most this year. The other slots I could make strong arguments for each to be included. What I finally went with were the ones that I felt needed a little extra push to get some attention.

To further complicate matters, the two albums I played the most of this year, and by far my two favorite albums were two that I bought in early 2011, but that came out in 2010: Cee Lo Green's The Lady Killer and The Black Key's Brothers. These are fantastic, amazing albums, and ones that I think will stand the test of time. However, I mined them extensively for my Best Singles Lists in 2010, and didn't feel like I should go that way again.

So what were my favorite albums of the year? Well....

Album of the Year--El Camino by The Black Keys

This is a bit of a cheat as there were two albums from the Black Keys that I fell in love with this year, and they both factor in this "win". El Camino and their 2010 release Brothers. I purchased Brothers early in 2010 after putting "Howling For You" on my end of year singles list. I fell in love with the whole kit and kaboodle, as did much of America. The success of Brothers is felt in every track of El Camino, as the new album is a victory lap of fun for the Ohio based duo, yet there is some complex musical darkness that creeps in as well. I especially like the Kansas-inspired riffs in "Little Black Submarines" as the boys explore a descent into love soaked madness. They and El Camino are truly great, and I am anxious to see them in concert in March.

Favorite Rock Album--Wasting Light by The Foo Fighters

In my mind there were few albums that were as diverse or rocked nearly half as hard as the most recent collection by the Fighters Foo. In my original review I said that you "come to the Foo Fighters for honesty--honest thoughts, honest feelings and honest rock." And honestly that's what they provide in spades. Genre busting turns that play to sentimental heartstrings are the backbone of rock and roll and few bands get that like the Foo Fighters, and Wasting Light is them at the top of their game.

Favorite "Debut" Album--Wild Flag by Wild Flag

Wild Flag, a sort of Riot Grrrl supergroup, are the only group to give Foo Fighters a run for their rock and roll money this year. They only fall short because of the unadulterated greatness of Wasting Light. This is not to say that their eponymously titled album Wild Flag isn't great, because it is. Their single "Romance" should have been the song of the summer, and in my mind it was--so there. More squarely a punk sound, the Wild Flag album meanders off into a few other notable directions, while never betraying its experienced rock core. It's a great album that should be cherished by all ages.

Favorite Solo Album--So Beautiful So What by Paul Simon

I cannot believe that Paul Simon can still create beautiful, worthwhile and meaningful songs after first breaking into the business nearly 50 years ago. I cannot believe that So Beautiful So What is his greatest solo album since Graceland almost 30 years ago. I also cannot believe that Grammy voters could fail to honor this magnificent album and Simon's significant and artistic achievement. It's a travesty.

Favorite Sleeper Album--Build a Rocket, Boys! by Elbow

The Kid hates it because it is low key and haunting, but that's just why I love it. Too often writers use dream-like or magical to describe a piece of art. It has now become hyperbole. However, Build a Rocket, Boys! is like listening to a dream realized. Electronica, children's choruses and electric guitars collide in unusual and intriguing ways--shifting to welcome and surprising musical landscapes that gel together in a fashion that no other album does this year. Sure it may rely heavily on a Sting-influence, but that's not a bad thing at all. A great album for a snowy day or a quiet evening floating in the pool.

Now here's where things get tough....

Best Gateway Drug Album--Middle Brother by Middle Brother

Formed by the lead singers of the indie groups Delta Spirit, Dawes and Deer Tick, Middle Brother is a perfect introduction to those other three superior musical groups. Having been a long time fan of Delta Spirit, I was excited to get some similar music this year, and thrilled to then follow up on the excellent 2011 releases by Dawes and Deer Tick. And while I really liked both of those new debut albums (especially Deer Tick's Divine Providence), it's the introductory Middle Brother album I find myself lighting up again and again.

Best Sh*t Kickin Album--Hell on Heels by Pistol Annies

What a fun, take-on-the-man-and-grind-him-under-your-boot album. And it's funny and sexy, too. I don't listen to a lot of country music, but I am glad to have this album. My original review is here.

Best Concept Album--undun by The Roots

The only thing I listen to less than country is probably rap, but there is something about The Roots that I cannot deny. undun is possibly their best album ever. It's tragic and beautiful and uplifting and powerful. Not a strict rap album per se, but it does sample a variety of musical forms to tell the story of a young man and what happens after he gets shot. A major shout out to their engaging and smartly produced app that you can download for free. There was a lot of care and love that went into this production and it deserves far more attention than it is getting.

Best Groove--Scandalous by Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears

When I first heard this album, I was sure it was a re-release of some long-forgotten Detroit group from the 1970's. Instead it's a vital and thrilling contemporary pump guaranteed to get your juices flowing and your booty shaking. Black Joe Lewis successfully mines the sounds of yesteryear to produce a true gem of an album for today. Buy it now. You won't be sorry.

Most Promising Debut Album--Celebrasion by Sleeper Agent

A fine debut by a fine punk pop band, Celebrasion doesn't uncover any new ground lyrically or thematically but they do attack the music with a primal scrawl that is infectious and fun. Easily the best pop punk album this year in a year when punk seems rather passe.

The Albums That Should Be On This List:


Beastie Boys are rockin' again.

Cake has matured a lot as has their music.

European import with a strong 80's new wave vibe.

More frat-house-fun than think pieces.

Put this on. Dance. Have fun. Impossible not to.

Funny with good, legitimate bluegrass pieces.

Wilco's best since Hotel Yankee Foxtrot

Americana by way of R.E.M.

Buy any and all of these albums, as there's a little something in almost every musical style. You won't be disappointed.

Okay, so I know there's a big fish missing, and I think my reasoning for leaving the biggest album of the year off this list deserves a bit of explanation. Adele's 21 is a fine achievement and it will receive a lot of awards. A lot. I don't begrudge it, or especially her, anything that may go that way in the next few months. She is an unique and astounding talent that deserves as many accolades as possible. 21, however, is not a great album. Half of it is astounding and worth repeated listens. There are 5 amazing tracks that are some of the best pop music this year: "Rolling in the Deep", "Rumor Has It", "Someone Like You", "Set Fire to the Rain" and the Cure cover "Lovesong". The rest is the sort of pablum they used to make American Idol winners sing on the final night of the competition. Only "Turning Tables" has enough balls to move beyond the white piano and blue back light ambiance of the rest of the album to almost join the other five songs. If I were giving award for Best Half of an Album 21 would certainly get it, but I'm not.

New Fall Season Mid-Term Report: The Honor Roll

2011-10-22T15:59:00.000-04:00

Here’s a cumulative list of the standings of each of the five broadcast networks, with detailed breakdown/rankings at the on the new shows. Like all grades these are averages over time. And they reflect an equal compilation of an artistic grade (purely subjective) to an interpretation of ratings performance (mostly subjective). If grades were equal, I ranked the artistically scoring one higher.

New Dramas

FOX: B
The CW: C+
CBS: C+
ABC: C**
NBC: C-**

It’s fairly easy for FOX to score so well, when they only have one new drama (Terra Nova) this fall and it’s not doing too badly in the numbers. Both ABC and NBC have as yet to premiere their fairy tale dramas. While I expect NBC’s average score to lower with the performance (both artistically and ratings-wise) of Grimm, I am hopeful that Once Upon a Time may improve things not only for ABC but Pan Am as well. CBS has to be a bit concerned with the demo ratings of Person of Interest, as it is dragging their average down a bit.

New Comedies

FOX: A-**
ABC: B-**
NBC: C
CBS: C-
The CW: F

FOX again has only premiered one of their three fall comedies at this point, the highly successful New Girl, so it’s easy for them to be on top. At the time of the ABC posting, a second showing of Last Man Standing had not aired, and Man Up had not premiered. I would expect that score to go down some. Last Man Standing held onto most of its audience from premiere week, dropping only 12% or so; Man Up premiered a little softer than ABC would have hoped, and had quite a bit of drop off at the midway point. NBC and CBS suffer because they both have cancelled a comedy, pulling their average down fairly quickly; if their cancelled comedies weren't included their averages would be NBC: C+ and CBS: B. The CW gets an F merely because they don’t air comedies at this time.

Returning Dramas

CBS: C+
NBC: C+**
FOX: C**
ABC: C-
The CW: C-

If all of CBS dramas didn’t feel the same artistically, then their returning drama score would be much, much higher. They have the top 10 rated dramas on broadcast television, almost all of them returning programs. NBC’s average could go up or down. Their last show to debut is Chuck, and while artistically usually a very strong show, the ratings won’t be too great. They never have been. FOX has yet to air Bones, but it should raise their returning drama score some. ABC has far too many returning shows with diminishing results.

Returning Comedies

ABC: B+
CBS: B+
NBC: B
FOX: C+
The CW: F

ABC, CBS and NBC all have single nights of artistically successful, returning comedies. Of the three CBS is weakest artistically, and NBC is the strongest. Ratings-wise, NBC blows chunks while CBS is the strongest. ABC is a very happy medium. FOX’s returning Sunday night Animation Domination is showing major signs of age with a strong slipping in the ratings (NBC’s Football programming isn’t helping matters either). Again, The CW don’t do no comedy.

Reality Programming

CBS: B+
ABC: C+
NBC: C+**
The CW: D
FOX: Incomplete**

Oh, Reality TV, such a relatively new and important genre. Networks are anxious to give up huge percentages of their prime time because you cost so little and can return so much. But in order to be done right. CBS has the gold standard of reality programming, and gives over little prime time to the venture (4 out of 22 hours--18% of their programming). ABC's score rises and falls on the casting of Dancing With the Stars; they also have a full slate of reality shows for Friday night they haven't unleashed yet (6 of 22 hours--27% of their programming). NBC is so thankful for Football on Sunday nights, but they have to endure underperformers like The Biggest Loser and The Sing Off (9, soon to be 10, of 22 hours--40-45% of their programming). The CW sticks with dramas and their reality score indicates that's not a bad idea (2 of 10 hours--20% of their programming). When Fox is finally graded, then I would expect their score to shoot up to the upper tiers as The X Factor is doing more than fine in the ratings (5 of 15 hours--33% of their programming).

New Dramas:
This is the average score based on artistic quality and ratings success. These are not my preferential rankings of the new broadcast dramas of the fall.

Hart of Dixie—The CW: B
Terra Nova—FOX: B
Prime Suspect—NBC: B-
Pan Am—ABC: B-
A Gifted Man—CBS: B-
Revenge—ABC: B-
Unforgettable—CBS: C
Ringer—The CW: C
The Secret Circle—The CW: C
Person of Interest—CBS: C-
Charlie’s Angels—ABC: F
The Playboy Club—NBC: F

Grimm—NBC: Incomplete**
Once Upon a Time—ABC: Incomplete**

New Comedies:

This is the average score based on artistic quality and ratings success. These are not my preferential rankings of the new broadcast comedies of the fall.

New Girl—FOX: A-
Suburgatory—ABC: A-
Up All Night—NBC: B+
2 Broke Girls—CBS: B
Last Man Standing: B-**
Free Agents—NBC: C-
Whitney—NBC: D
How to Be a Gentleman—CBS: F

Allen Gregory—FOX: Incomplete**
I Hate My Teenage Daughter—FOX: Incomplete**
Man Up—ABC: Incomplete**

Artistic Rankings of ALL New Dramas and Comedies:
This is my preferential rankings of all the new shows drama and comedy combined. Ratings are not a factor here. If they shared the same grade, I ranked my favorite higher.

Prime Suspect--NBC: A
Suburgatory--ABC: A
Up All Night--NBC: A-
New Girl--FOX: A-
Pan Am--ABC: A-
A Gifted Man--CBS: B+
Hart of Dixie--The CW: B+
Terra Nova--FOX: B
Free Agents--NBC: B
2 Broke Girls--CBS: B-
The Secret Circle--The CW: B-
Revenge--ABC: C+
Unforgettable--CBS: C
Ringer--The CW: C-
Last Man Standing--ABC: C-
Person of Interest--CBS: C-
Man Up--ABC: D
Whitney--NBC: D-
How to Be a Gentleman--CBS: F
Charlie's Angels--ABC: F
The Playboy Club--NBC: F

Once Upon a Time--ABC: Incomplete
Grimm--NBC: Incomplete
Allen Gregory--FOX: Incomplete
I Hate My Teenage Daughter--FOX: Incomplete

Fall Season Mid-Term Report: The CW

2011-10-20T22:58:00.000-04:00

Hart of Dixie is a delightful little show that rests squarely on the charms of Rachel Bilson (Summer Roberts on The O.C.). It's cute, at times funny and almost always charming. It's not changing the face of television, and that is not its intent. It just wants to have a good time and show off hot, mid-20-somethings playing hot, mid-20-somethings. It's essentially a WB version of Northern Exposure. At times, they have even aped entire plotlines from the far-superior CBS series. This is not a bad thing. I say do more of it. Except for re-runs of Prime Suspect, it is oftentimes the best show on Monday nights. The ratings have not been unkind to it. It regularly builds on lead in Gossip girl in both total viewers and the key 18-49 demographics. GRADE: B (Artistically: B+; Ratings Effort: B-)

Ringer should be a fun, trashy tella novella romp rife with mistaken identities and madcap and ultra campy wickedness. Instead, it is a far too earnest and dour series that wastes the bountiful and audacious talents of Sarah Michelle Gellar. Sigh. I have always had the inkling that the series was could move that direction, and if it does, I may check back into it, but it's definitely not for me right now. Ratings wise, it is doing well: far improving on its 90210 lead in in total viewers, and holding its own in the demographics. GRADE: C (Artistically: C-; Ratings Effort: B-)

The Secret Circle is a promising new show from the creators of The Vampire Diaries done in a very similar style and format as The Vampire Diaries. I love The Vampire Diaries. I could probably love this show as well, but there's only so much teen drama I can watch, so I've given it a pass. Ratings wise, it's doing far worse than Nikita was in this time slot last fall. By the spring Nikita had lost enough viewers that this show is doing a little bit better, but if it too hemorrhages viewers this winter, it will be doing very poorly in comparison. GRADE: C (Artistically: B-; Ratings Effort: D+)

New Comedies    Grade: F
Comedies? The CW don't need no stinking comedies!

Returning Dramas     Grade: C-
Gossip Girl is a little long in the tooth and beyond incestuous; it is being squarely beaten each week by the freshman Hart of Dixie. 90210 appears to be tacking the social issues the original issues the original did to much acclaim in the 1990's. I wouldn't know it pulls my taint too much to watch. The ratings don't blow, but they are doing gangbusters either. The Vampire Diaries is the best soap opera on television--BAR none. It's The CW's highest rated show, and makes tons of money for them. Nikita was a cool premise and concept I lost sight of early on. It seemed seriously off-brand for the network. It has lost 55% of the ratings that Smallville got last season in its ninth year. Things don't look good for the underperformer, as it is also pulling down the numbers for Supernatural. Without Smallville, the Winchester brothers are in some serious pain. I feel the show is having one of its weakest seasons thus far, but it looks like we may be done with the angel/heaven stuff for a while. Please?

Returning Comedies    Grade: F
See above.

State of Reality     Grade: D
The CW has America's Next Top Model but it's never been my cup of tea. Lots of people love it, but it's been around for a long, long time. Earlier this fall they had the show H8R about "celebrities" who confront the people who talk smack about them online. When Snooki is your biggest celebrity, oh and the guy from Girls Gone Wild, then you know the show is doomed. It was cancelled after 2 episodes, I believe.

Reasons to Watch NBC: The Vampire Diaries, Hart of Dixie, Supernatural

Reasons to Be Hopeful: Uhh....The CW doesn't have a lot in the pipeline for the rest of the season, bar reality shows and the final season of One Tree Hill...

Probable Outcomes by End of Season:

They can't cancel Gossip Girl, 90210, The Secret Circle, Nikita and Supernatural though the ratings would suggest they should. So...
Nikita gets cancelled.
The Secret Circle will move to another night, either paired with Supernatural on Fridays or with ANTM on Wednesdays.
Gossip Girl loses Blake Lively and perhaps one or two other key cast members and announces a final season for next year.

New Fall Season Mid-Term Report: NBC

2011-10-19T23:25:00.000-04:00

I'm going to do a mid-term report card on each of the major networks, and perhaps one for cable. This will be a quick look at the state of each network in regards to new and returning dramas, comedies and reality television programs. What's working; what isn't; what the prognosis is before each network launches their mid-season replacements later this year.

Grades will be determined based on a mixture of artistic merit and how the show is doing in the ratings. It is after all show business, and both are equally important. I'll have some personal assertions embedded as all grades are at least in part subjective, but equal weight will be given to an interpretation of the ratings for each program. All new shows will be dealt with individually, while I will group the returning shows together by genre.

Next up, NBC.....

Poor NBC. They are mired in last place, and nothing seems to be working for them this year. While each network (except FOX) has cancelled something, these poor schlubs have had to cancel two different shows: The Playboy Club and Free Agents. And they've only launched five shows so far.

Desperate for any kind of hit, I question the logic of holding back both of your most promising new dramas, Awake and Smash, until mid-season. It's not that all their fall shows have been horrible, quite the contrary actually, it's just there is nothing that is grabbing anyone (other than a rabid few) at anytime.

Things are so bad that at this point I wouldn't be surprised if Chuck was once more asked to produce additional shows, even though we have been told again these are Chuck's final 13 episodes.

Just how bad is it?

New Dramas Grade: C-**

The Playboy Club was an awful and misguided show. Promising to be a show about the empowerment of women, it decided to drive home that point by having the demonstrative female lead kill a man with her high heel and then take comfort and solace in the arms of a man. I had to turn it off before the end of the first episode. America agreed, and the show was cancelled after the third airing, making it the first new show to go this fall. GRADE: F (Artistically: F; Ratings Effort: F)

Prime Suspect is a sturdy cop show, with an intriguing leading actress in Maria Bello and a developing sense of humor. I was skeptical after watching the pilot when producer Peter Berg said that they would be dropping the heavy handed gender struggles. I was certain it was a mistake. This was the only thing that was making the show pop out of all the crime and cop shows elsewhere on the dial, and I didn't think that the show needed anything else to make it look like The Closer. Boy, was I wrong. Bello's Jane is still an outsider, but the workplace isn't nearly as hostile, and the guys respect her. The show is stronger for it. Bello's Jane is such a strong and confidant woman that it would be odd for anyone to not admire her. In want of an outward conflict, the show has developed a sly sense of humor, which is fairly appropriate given the dark matters the officers usually face. A recent episode featured three of the characters attempting to copy an crosstown run to blow a suspect's alibi. Jane went first and gave up in less than a block; the first guy to try it didn't do much better. It was fun, funny and totally in character. This show is really very good, but no one is watching it. The show probably would have been cancelled by now, but NBC can't cancel everything, and there is something to be said for quality. It has to move off of Thursdays, though. It is a black hole for ratings, finishing last for the night in its timeslot and 10th overall in total viewer for Thursdays, being beaten by the just cancelled Charlie's Angels. It is however NBC's second highest rated show of the evening. Demographically, it ties Angels for 12th place for the night (only beating The CW's The Secret Circle). GRADE: B- (Artistically: A; Ratings Effort: D+)

Grimm has yet to premiere. It launches Oct. 28, after being pushed back a week. Does NBC smell a stinker here? The "promos" certainly indicate that it may be really awful. And I strongly question the logic of putting this show opposite of the only other supernatural genre shows (Supernatural and Fringe). Won't people already desperate to choose between the two established shows abandon the newbie? Genre fans aren't known for abandoning their stories, even though Fringe is slightly down from last year, and Supernatural is considerably down. We shall see. GRADE: INCOMPLETE**

New Comedies Grade: C

Up All Night is a delightful show that suffers from split personality disorder. The home-bound, new-parenting show is funny and good in and of itself. The accompanying workplace comedy needs a bit of work but is developing nicely. The show's two halves are fine, but together there is something lacking. I care about all the characters, and want to see more of them, but they haven't found the right balance yet. I get that Maya Rudolph's Ava is just a grown up baby, but they need to play into that a bit more, and resuscitate her jealous disdain of the infant Amy. Those are some of Rudolph's best beats. The ratings have not been unkind to the show. It is NBC's second highest rated comedy, following only The Office, and it outperforms all the other NBC Thursday comedies by at least 1 million viewers. By NBC standards it's a hit. The only question is does it languor on Wednesdays by itself (trying to establish a comedy beachhead against ABC really strong comedy shows) or does it go to Thursdays to help prop up the still fading (and in The Office's case aging) night? GRADE: B+ (Artistically: A-; Ratings Effort: B)

Free Agents was cancelled after the third episode aired. It couldn't keep the growing audience for Up All Night, and had to be let go. I understand that. It's sort of unfortunate as the show was really beginning to find its footing. There should be a place on network television for a romantic comedy, starring mature adults. The show was discovering its voice and Katherine Hahn had taken her role and the show itself far beyond the very degrading promo art they developed for it. NBC OnDemand had the fourth episode the other day, I hope they put the rest on there, as I don't think I'm done with the show, yet. GRADE: C- (Artistically: B; Ratings Effort: F)

Whitney should really be working, but it isn't. It's broad, crass and tonally incongruous with the rest of the NBC Thursday night line up. I finished one episode and haven't been back. I was afraid I was going to have to return because NBC picked up a full season of the show. But then something funny happened. The premiere had big for NBC numbers (nearly 7 million total viewers) , which fell off in the second week by a considerable margin (22% to 5.3 million). The third week the ratings sagged a bit (down another 8% to nearly 4.9 million), as did the rest of the night for NBC. NBC picked up a full season of the show, in part to help soften the blow of cancelling both Playboy Club and Free Agents earlier that week and in part because they rightfully thought they found the bottom rating number for the show. I became upset as I was afraid I might have to watch another episode later this season. Then this past Thursday all of NBC's numbers went up--except for Whitney and Prime Suspect (both dropped another 13%), now NBC has to be afraid of finding what the true bottom rating of the show is. GRADE: D (Artistically: D-; Ratings Effort: C-)

Returning Dramas     Grade: C+**
Parenthood is is its usual glowing self, with a tighter focus on the inner workings of the family. I like the Crosby/Adam business venture and I am intrigued by the return of John Corbett. The ratings haven't changed much in the last year, which surprises me a bit since it no longer has to go after the same audience as CBS' The Good Wife. Harry's Law has totally revamped its concept, and added a bunch of new cast members including that always excellent Mark Valley. It's also NBC's top show on Wednesday for total viewers (9th overall) but 13th overall in the demographic viewers (with even a Wednesday repeat of Whitney beating it in the demos). Law & Order: SVU seems to be stumbling a bit with the loss of Christopher Meloni's Stabler--down a million total viewers and off a tad in the demos. Chuck will premiere on Friday, Oct. 28 to finish out what they say will be their last 13 episodes, which I would have called a gift because the ratings were so, so low. If an emergency renewal has to come (because NBC is blowing chunks everywhere else), I beg the brass at NBC to let them tell the story they want to tell in the 13 episodes you have ordered. Bring them back next year for more if you have to. The show has suffered artistically the last two years when they got an order for more episodes in the middle of their pre-planned season arc. Those pre-planned arcs have been brilliant--the rest not so much.

Returning Comedies     Grade: B
Community has been all over the place this season. The first episode was chaotic and over the top. The next two episodes dealt too much with "storyline" never Community's strong point, but the last episode dealing with the seven alternate realities was one of the strongest of the series, and one of the funniest shows of the week. The ratings however had been dreadful. I don't know how long NBC can keep this cult fave on the air. Quickly approaching cult status and the NBC chopping block is my favorite comedy on television, Parks and Recreation. I desperately want to keep watching this show for a long time, but the ratings have to change to do so. The comic highlights this season: Tammy 1's "help" with Ron's audit, the triangulation of all Ron's Tammys, Ben's gift to Leslie, Ben teaching Tom and Jean-Ralphio about accounting, the people who "worked" at Entertainment 720 including the welcome return of Detlef Schrempf, Leslie's secret origin, the formation of The Swansons and "Treat Yo'self!". The Office hasn't missed a beat since Michael Scott (the brilliant and totally under appreciated Steve Carrell) was replaced with Ed Helm's Andy Bernard character. After several seasons of he and Erin trying to take the Jim and Pam mantle, Andy comes into his own as the new boss, and the writers don't have to change a single storytelling beat; he's as cluelessly self-aware and full of harmless bravado as Michael was.

State of Reality     Grade: C+**
Staying as far away from Wednesday and Thursday reality as you can get, NBC has wisely decided to limit their reality programming to Mondays and Tuesdays. They were hoping that they could get an established foothold for The Voice this winter by moving the acapella singing group show, The Sing-Off, from holiday programming to regular programming in the fall. It didn't happen. Audiences are ignoring the singing competition at almost all costs, which is too bad. It's not awful and Ben Folds is a great judge of talent, giving concise and insightful criticism. Last spring, I was shocked that NBC kept two hours of The Biggest Loser on its schedule. I thought for sure it was going to lose an hour. It didn't, though it has lost nearly 25% of its audience from last year. If it weren't for America's Night of Football on Sundays, NBC could just close up shop and walk away. It delivers top of the week ratings week in and week out. And it's football, you either love it or don't. NBC will premiere the news magazine Rock Center on Halloween night. It will feature Brian Williams and, in a news coup, Ted Koppel. I assume it will feature the news as well.

Reasons to Watch NBC: Parks and Recreation, Prime Suspect, Parenthood, Community, Up All Night, The Office

Reasons to Be Hopeful: Awake, Smash, BFFs, Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea, The Voice

Probable Outcomes by End of Season:

Prime Suspect will be cancelled before the end of the season.
Whitney will be tried out on a new night (Wednesdays) and probably still fail, leading to it not being renewed.
I think we (and I use that pronoun liberally) are watching the last 22 episodes of Community, an oftentimes funny and groundbreaking series.
Up All Night will be moved to Thursdays where it should have started anyway.

Unsolicited advice for NBC:

Make sure The Voice is ready to go as soon as football is over, and hopefully before American Idol hits. If it can be two nights a week programming go for it. Do competition on Mondays and results on Tuesday.
Be patient with Smash. Smash will follow the Monday episode of The Voice. When millions turn away because it's a very different kind of singing, that will be okay. Quality will out.
Do an hour of Biggest Loser, and hour of The Voice and Parenthood on Tuesdays.
Move Harry's Law and Prime Suspect to Fridays. You're going to have real estate open there in the winter months. Let's not waste Awake on Fridays.
Do a new 2 hour comedy block on Wednesdays. Move Whitney there and pair it with the seemingly compatible Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea. Transplant one other low rated veteran comedy (30 Rock or Parks and Rec) and pair it with Bent for the 8:00 hour.
Move the other low rated veteran comedy not on Wednesdays (30 Rock or Parks and Rec) to 8:00 on Thursdays and bench Community for a while this spring to give BFFs a shot. Move Up All Night to the post-Office slot and launch Awake at 10:00.

New Fall Season Mid-Term Report: FOX

2011-10-18T12:14:00.001-04:00

I'm going to do a mid-term report card on each of the major networks, and perhaps one for cable. This will be a quick look at the state of each network in regards to new and returning dramas, comedies and reality television programs. What's working; what isn't; what the prognosis is before each network launches their mid-season replacements later this year.

Grades will be determined based on a mixture of artistic merit and how the show is doing in the ratings. It is after all show business, and both are equally important. I'll have some personal assertions embedded as all grades are at least in part subjective, but equal weight will be given to an interpretation of the ratings for each program. All new shows will be dealt with individually, while I will group the returning shows together by genre.

Next up, FOX.....

Since American Idol moved out of summer and onto the winter television schedule in 2003, FOX has been the top network in demographic viewing. Once, in 2007-2008, when House was at its height and the writers' strike curbed most of the rest of the winter television season, it was also the most watched network.

Historically, FOX has had lots of scheduling problems in the fall. They have signed a long-term playoff contract with Major League Baseball which keeps most of the October schedule in a constant state of flux. They never know for sure when a game is going to air (there have been two rain out games so far this season), so they cannot effectively schedule their regular programming. And the serialized nature of some shows, for example 24, does not allow for month-long pre-emptions. For several years they wrote off the early fall and premiered their tier one shows in November, which often led to the "Treehouse of Horror" episode of The Simpsons airing long after the Halloween decorations were down.

Then came Glee. Glee took off like a shot two years ago, and last fall, it was the number one rated show in the demos for a tiny bit. For Glee's many issues, it did show FOX that they could do some serious business in the fall. This year, FOX said we are going to try to win the fall as well as the winter months. The developed The X Factor and premiered the long anticipated dinosaur drama, Terra Nova from producer Steven Spielberg.

So how they doin?

New Dramas Grade: B

Terra Nova is being billed as a family show, and it delivers on that premise surprisingly well. It's The Kid's favorite new show. The animation is pretty good, and the show is beautifully shot. The characters, though, seem to have come out of central casting and most of the plotting is straight out of the third season of Lost without the benefit of the first two seasons to lead you there. It's more than a little hackneyed and overstuffed. But let's be clear, we come for the dinosaurs (the higher the dinosaur content the more we like the show), and little else (though I do think Stephen Lang is terrific as Taylor, the militaristic leader of the time flung colony). The show did not premiere to huge ratings but it did fine. The most interesting thing was that it slightly grew during the course of its two hour premiere, and then the following week it matched its previous numbers in both total viewers and the demos. Not too many folks were turned off by it. GRADE: B (Artistically: B; Ratings Effort: B)

New Comedies Grade: A-**

New Girl is a perfect showcase for the quirky and charming talents of its star Zooey Deschanel. She pops off the screen and into American's hearts. The show is an unqualified hit, improving on the ratings of Glee and helping to boost the ratings of Raising Hope. For several weeks it and CBS' 2 Broke Girls have been flip flopping the title of TV's highest rated new comedy. Little is said though about the quality, because New Girl is the superior show by far. Not to say it doesn't have a few flaws: most notably the bumbling of Daman Wayans, Jr.'s character, Coach, after the pilot and an over-reliance on Deschanel singing ~~all~~ some of her dialogue. They really should have re-cast the role of Coach after Wayans' other show, Happy Endings, got picked up for a second season. The abrasiveness of the character added a necessary balance to the potentially simpering congeniality of the show. By dropping the character entirely and introducing someone new, the rhythm of the pilot has been totally thrown off. But their biggest challenge looms as there won't be a new New Girl episode for three weeks while baseball plays out. GRADE: A- (Artistically: A-; Ratings Effort: A-)

I Hate My Teenage Daughter has yet to premiere. It launches Nov. 30, after being pushed back a week, and out of November sweeps. Does FOX smell a stinker here? The "promos" certainly indicate that it may be really awful. GRADE: INCOMPLETE**

Allen Gregory is the promising new animated show that will debut on October 30. GRADE: INCOMPLETE**

Returning Dramas     Grade: C**
House is showing its age. He started this season in prison; there are now more new people on his team; Foreman is in charge. It makes me sad. House has been declining in the ratings in recent years, and this season it is losing a great portion of Terra Nova's audience. I think Glee is doing its best to find some strong storytelling footing. I actually like the humbling of Rachel and Kurt as they see that they are really not that special out of their own high school. It's still far from a great show but it is much stronger than it was last season, even if I find the musical numbers to be far less inspired. The show is down about 20% off last year's numbers in the demographic. It's not the phenomenon it once was for sure. Bones has yet to premiere, but it's coming November 3. Fringe has been doing really well this season artistically. They re-launched the show with a new premise that makes the show very accessible to long time viewers. It's been funny, chilling and filled with plenty of heart. It's such a strong show, I wish others were watching it. I am thankful to FOX for giving us this probable final season, because last year's rating (and this year's so far) didn't merit it.

Returning Comedies     Grade: C+
Raising Hope has really found its artistic footing this fall. The stories are focused and really funny. Ratings are up over what they were in the spring, thanks in large part to New Girl's success. Though, when an episode followed X-Factor recently, Hope's numbers fell. The Simpsons is The Simpsons. When it hits, it's really, really funny; when it doesn't, it doesn't. The rest of the current slate of Animation Domination (The Cleveland Show, The Family Guy and American Dad) leaves me cold, though certainly the Seth McFarlane house of animation has its fans. The shows are down in the ratings some, but Sunday night football has done the young male leaning series no favors. The Kid and I are anxiously awaiting the return of Bob's Burgers.

State of Reality     Grade: Incomplete**
FOX wants to be your one stop reality talent competition shop. They want you to know that year round you can come to FOX and see competitions on Wednesdays and result shows on Thursdays. To that end they have American Idol in the winter/spring months, So You Think You Can Dance in the summer and now The X Factor in the fall. The X Factor is in a strange ratings position: it's not doing American Idol numbers at all, but it's well out performing both SYTYCD and anything FOX has ever aired in the fall. So it's far from a flop, but it's still not doing Idol numbers and that has got to chap Simon Cowell's ass. I am ready to start checking into the show as I find the FOX audition phase of all of these programs to be mean-spirited if not cruel. GRADE: INCOMPLETE** (Artistically: Incomplete; Ratings: A-)

Cops is Cops. I can only guess it costs next to nothing to produce as it is shows no signs of gaining or losing viewers or of being cancelled any time soon.

Reasons to Watch FOX: Fringe, Raising Hope, New Girl, and sometimes Terra Nova and The Simpsons

Reasons to Be Hopeful: Alcatraz, Bob's Burgers

Probable Outcomes by End of Season:

We are surely watching the last seasons of House and Fringe. I think FOX would renew House, but Hugh Laurie won't go for another round, and don't see how they could renew Fringe again.
I don't think FOX will back away from The X-Factor, but Simon might as soon as he can.
We will only see 13 episodes of Terra Nova this season, but I don't know if they would bring it back next season. If they do, I think they will air it in the winter 2012-2013 though, not in the fall.

The Walking 7.3 Million

2011-10-18T01:35:00.000-04:00

I'm not a huge ratings follower. I used to be, but anymore I just keep up on what's hitting with the masses and what isn't. Sometimes it's just to know if I should stick with a show or if it will be cancelled out from under me (Pan Am, Prime Suspect, I am very worried.). I frequent the exhaustively wonderful site TV by the Numbers and at times The Futon Critic. They are two comprehensive resources for the number and TV geek in us all.

However, some recent ratings news gave me pause. The second season premiere of AMC's The Walking Dead raised 7.3 million viewers during its first airing Sunday night. If you add in the second showing (which aired immediately following) the numbers climb to 11 million total viewers. And this doesn't include anybody that watches the show on DVR later this week.

For comparison's sake, more people watched the first showing of The Walking Dead than watched the last new scripted episode of:

Happy Endings, Charlie's Angels, Private Practice, Pan Am on ABC
A Gifted Man, How To Be a Gentleman on CBS
Terra Nova, House, Raising Hope, Fringe, The Simpsons, The Cleveland Show, Family Guy, American Dad on FOX
everything on NBC
everything on The CW

If you count the whole 11 million that watched both showings on Sunday, then the only broadcast shows (scripted or not) that beat it are:

Dancing With the Stars, Last Man Standing, Modern Family on ABC
Two and a Half Men, Mike & Molly, NCIS, NCIS: LA, Unforgettable, Criminal Minds, Big Bang Theory, Person of Interest, The Mentalist, Blue Bloods, 60 Minutes on CBS
America's Night of Football on NBC

In the coveted 18-49 demographic, it outperformed:

Every broadcast show on Sunday night, except Football Night in America on NBC
Every broadcast show on Friday night.
Every broadcast show on Thursday night, except Big Bang Theory.
Every broadcast show on Wednesday night, except Modern Family; it tied with Criminal Minds.
Every broadcast show on Tuesday night, except NCIS
Every broadcast show on Monday night, except HIMYM, 2 Broke Girls, Two and a Half Men and Mike & Molly.

Surely these numbers will cool off, but I'm not sure by how much. The season premiere episode was mostly stunning, and I can't help to think that people won't be back after that cliffhanger. I may do a full review later, because I was wiped out after the show aired.

DVR Guide--It's Almost Over

2011-10-17T23:53:00.001-04:00

Most of the new fall network shows and even most of the cable shows have made their debuts. Some shows have hit pretty well and some have totally missed the mark with 5 shows already being cancelled: The Playboy Club, Free Agents, H8r, Charlie's Angels and How to Be a Gentleman.

I am doing mid-term report this week on what's happened and happening on each network. I'm going alphabetically: Saturday was a look at ABC; Sunday was CBS. Coming soon Fox, NBC and The CW. If I get a chance, I will also do a quick look at the cable channels, but there's lots of fish to fry.

This week (and next) there are just a few new shows premiering. I'll discuss those at length below, but the rest of the post is going to be a highlight list of what's coming up.

So let's get on with it:

Monday, October 17
How I Met Your Mother, 8:00 on CBS
Ted and the gang debate whether it's better to Google a date beforehand or treasure the mystery. This was funny when Sex and the City did it 8 years ago.

Terra Nova, 8:00 on FOX
The folks in the compound encounter a runaway, which means my least favorite part of this series (the Sixers) will be the focus.

2 Broke Girls, 8:30 on CBS
To make me feel really old, the Girls throw a 90's party.

Two and a Half Men, 9:00 on CBS
To make me feel really inadequate, Ashton Kutcher throws a party for Ducky.

Tuesday, October 18
Last Man Standing, 8:00 on ABC
I got nothing.

Man Up, 8:30 on ABC

ABC's last comedy to premiere this fall. This show examines interpersonal relationships at different stages, kinda like last year's Perfect Couples on NBC. Yeah, but this show illuminates the relationship dynamics by filtering the comedy through a male perspective, kinda like last year's Traffic Light. Yeah, but this is got Terri Polo. Okay, but I'd rather have more episodes of Perfect Couples (which turned into a pretty funny show). Oh, well.

Parenthood, 10:00 on NBC
Cee Lo Green guest stars as he checks out Adam and Crosby's new recording studio.

Wednesday, October 19
The Middle, 8:00 on ABC
The Hecks have a messy house, so they consider selling it. Just like the Johnsons....

Up All Night, 8:00 on NBC
Flashback to the birth of the baby.

Suburgatory, 8:30 on ABC
Tessa's teenage age neighbors including "Scarlett Johansson. Dead." move in after a Shirley Temple doll is stolen from their house.

Modern Family, 9:00 on ABC
Phil and Hailey visit colleges just like Tony and Meadow but probably with less killing.

Happy Endings, 9:30 on ABC
Jane wants everyone to create Vision Boards, and while I'm not sure what those are, I can't wait to see Penny's.

Thursday, October 20
The Vampire Diaries, 8:00 on The CW
The kids start their senior year. That's right, they go to this thing called "school".

Big Bang Theory, 8:00 on CBS
Sheldon's ultra-religious mom visits and wants to spend time with Sheldon's friends. Not Sheldon. I am assuming that he creates something to destroy them all.

Parks and Recreation, 8:30 on NBC
It's repeat night on the Peacock network, but this episode, featuring Ron and his three Tammys, started the show on a great three episode roll.

Friday, October 21
Supernatural, 9:00 on The CW
Cordelia and Spike play married witches who go all War of the Roses on Sam, Dean and unsuspecting small town.

Boss, 10:00 on STARZ

Kelsey Grammer comes to pay cable in a show about the mayor of Chicago who is running for Governor. This is a dark and twisty drama, which allows Grammer to show a side of himself as an actor that few have got to witness. I've been a fan of Grammer's for a long time, especially liking his non-Frasier Crane work. Here he gets to really sink his teeth into a meaty role, and thankfully he doesn't ham it up. The show itself is rife with the kind of political intrigue that people often liken to Shakespeare. It's not that good, but it has the potential to be as good as HBO's Boardwalk Empire. STARZ believes in the show so much that they renewed it for a second season a month before the first episode even aired.

Sunday, October 23
Once Upon a Time, 8:00 on ABC

The first of two network series to feature fairy tales as a storytelling backdrop, Once Upon a Time splits time between re-telling the classic stories, and following their modern day counterparts who have no idea that they are under the spell of an evil queen. It's Lost meets Fables. Jennifer Morrison (House), Ginnifer Godwin (Big Love), Lana Parilla (Boomtown, Swingtown) and Josh Dallas (Thor) star in this twisty tale of good versus evil. They are playing up the family show angle a little too strongly, as I would have guessed this was a more adult oriented entertainment. We shall soon know, as The Kid is beyond excited.

The Good Wife, 9:00 on CBS
The always creepy and always excellent Dylan Baker guest stars as a convicted killer that Alicia must ask for help in a case.

The Walking Dead, 9:00 on AMC
Rick and that thing that happened in the last minutes of the premiere find a farm house filled with characters that will become very important to the series.

Homeland, 10:00 on Showtime
Brody starts to crack further under pressure of being a media darling, and Carrie continues to "watch" him.

Monday, October 24
How I Met Your Mother, 8:00 on CBS
The gang realizes that they are dating their parents, which isn't really that creepy.

Hart of Dixie, 9:00 on The CW
Dr. Hart starts to uncover the dark and twisty secrets of Bluebell--wait who am I kidding--it'll just make you smile and feel good.

Prime Suspect, 10:00 on NBC
NBC is going to strip all the episodes of Prime Suspect this week at 10:00 on each night. This vote of confidence smacks a bit of desperation to get people to watch this terrific new show, but I am heartened that they care and are doing their best to make this deserving show a hit.

Wednesday, October 26--LET THE HALLOWEEN EPISODES BEGIN
The Middle, 8:00 on ABC
It's the Halloween episode with Sue and Mike on what makes boys tick after her costume fails to hit with the guys at school.

Suburgatory, 8:30 on ABC
In the continuation of an ABC theme, Tessa's Halloween costume stirs up the locals in fairly inappropriate ways.

Happy Endings, 9:30 on ABC
The gang goes to a warehouse Halloween party, but here none of the costumes are working the way they're supposed to.

Thursday, October 27
Big Bang Theory, 8:00 on CBS
Sheldon tries to scare the guys.

Community, 8:00 on NBC
The study group takes on scary stories as Britta thinks there's a psychotic in the group. Really? You think?

The Vampire Diaries, 8:00 on The CW
Ghosts invade Mystic Falls. Don't worry the Scooby Gang 3.0 are on the case.

Parks and Recreation, 8:30 on NBC
April and Andy throw a Halloween party at their house and don't tell their roommate, Ben. Uh, oh. Batman's mad.

Friday, October 28
Chuck, 8:00 on NBC

The final season (this time they mean it) begins with Chuck and Sarah out of the CIA and forming their own crew for hire spy business. Chuck may be Intersect free, but don't worry now Morgan's got the mojo. We have been promised that this is Chuck's final chapter, but I wonder if when the ratings come in for the show and they are unspectacular but solid, if NBC won't reconsider, yet again. For the last two seasons, NBC bought a specific number of episodes, but once the season commenced, and so many of their other shows tanked, they asked Chuck for more episodes. This should be a win-win. But the folks behind the scenes carefully plot out every story beat and have never failed to deliver a satisfying story for when they were first told their season would end. Once the season goes over that original allotment, Chuck suffers. The stories meander around, occasionally misfiring totally. Not to say there isn't brilliance to be found within a few of them, but in general there a coda that goes on to long. If NBC needs to bring Chuck back, and that would make me happy, then I would prefer for them to wait until next season, rather than extend this one further. Let them tell their story, dammit.

Grimm, 9:00 on NBC

The original promos for this show looked dark, dense and destined for one season. Recently, they have lightened up a bit and made the show look more intriguing. Still, the show is the show, and it all seems a little desperate. I'm not sure that network television can support 2 fairy tale based series. This one is masked in a monster hunting/crime procedural format, but isn't that what Supernatural is? And isn't in on at the same time? It is. And aren't most genre fans watching/recording Fringe? Sigh.

Fringe, 9:00 on FOX
Peter's back but no one remembers him. Fortunately he remembers everything about the shape shifters. And is Nina Sharpe Olivia's mother figure? Creepy and wonderful.

Sunday, October 30
The Simpsons, 8:00 on FOX
Treehouse of Horror XXII: Parodies of 127 Hours, Avatar and Night of the Hunter?

Once Upon a Time, 8:00 on ABC
Kristin Bauer (True Blood's secret weapon Pam) guest stars as Maleficent, Sleeping Beauty's baddie.

Allen Gregory, 8:30 on FOX

Allen is a precocious 7 year-old (voiced by Moneyball's Jonah Hill) raised by his doting father (voiced by Third Rock From the Sun's French Stewart) and his mortal enemy, his father's life partner. He has done a lot of things, but now he must tackle public school, fortunately he finds himself hopelessly smitten by the 68-year-old principal. Sounds wacky and bizarre, and will either work beautifully like Bob's Burgers or be a horrible misfire like Sit Down, Shut Up. I'm hoping for the former, as FOX needs to look outside the Seth McFarlane animation house.

The Good Wife, 9:00 on CBS
Parker Posey guests as Eli's ex-wife, which will finally reunite the former Josey and the Pussycat stars.

New Fall Season Mid-Term Report: CBS

2011-10-16T10:08:00.000-04:00

I'm going to do a mid-term report card on each of the major networks, and perhaps one for cable. This will be a quick look at the state of each network in regards to new and returning dramas, comedies and reality television programs. What's working; what isn't; what the prognosis is before each network launches their mid-season replacements later this year.

Grades will be determined based on a mixture of artistic merit and how the show is doing in the ratings. It is after all show business, and both are equally important. I'll have some personal assertions embedded as all grades are at least in part subjective, but equal weight will be given to an interpretation of the ratings for each program. All new shows will be dealt with individually, while I will group the returning shows together by genre.

Next up, CBS.....

CBS has been television's most watched network for almost a decade. Millions of viewers flock to almost everything they air. Their brand is so successful (oftentimes called the Crime Broadcasting System) that it becomes very difficult to get a new show on their network. Last spring they greenlighted only 4 dramas and 2 comedies; 5 of these shows premiered this fall. Oftentimes the shows will come out of the gate as either a hit or a miss. There is little middle ground. This fall has proved surprisingly problematic as there's been one hit, one miss, and three that have made little impact.

Their main problem lies in the average age of their viewer. Their shows (most of which have been on the network for a decade) still attract the viewers they first did. Meaning their audience ages as their shows do. In order to have that breakout hit, the network needs to tap into that 18-49 age demographic, which aren't watching most of their programming. The other inherent problem is that scripted shows cannot run forever--eventually something has to give. But right now, it's fairly steady as she goes.

So what's what?

New Dramas Grade: C+

Unforgettable is as much a hit as the displaced former resident of the Tuesdays at 10:00 slot, The Good Wife. The new Poppy Montgomery vehicle appears to have leveled off at about the same levels as Julianna Margulies' far more delicious show averaged last year. That's gotta be a bit discouraging, especially since The Good Wife has lost some viewers in its move to Sunday. Unforgettable is a show that is absolutely unsurprising. It's a perfect CBS procedural, taking the same cases we have seen for ten years and dressing them up just a bit differently, with different actors playing the same sort of characters we have come to recognize indelibly as those that solve crimes. There's absolutley nothing wrong with it, but nothing right with it either. GRADE: C (Artistically: C; Ratings Effort: C)

The Gifted Man is at least not a show about crime. The cast is strong with Patrick Wilson bringing just the right amount of prickishness to the at times overbearing sentimentality to the show. Hopefully the recent addition of Rachelle Lefevre as the new doc in charge of the clinic will continue to add some acidity to the show which is just one spoonful sugar away from being too much. I'd also like a bit more humor. Ratings wise the show isn't burning up the airwaves on Fridays at 8:00, but it isn't doing any worse than anything else that has aired there in recent years (spiritual kin Medium, The Ghost Whisperer). GRADE: B- (Artistically: B+; Ratings Effort: C)

Person of Interest was one of my most anticipated shows of the fall. It stars Jim Cavizel (The Passion's Jesus) and Micahel Emerson (Lost's Ben Linus). Together they go out to stop crimes before they happen. The show comes from the minds of Josh Nolan (the most recent Batman movies) and J.J. Abrams (creator of some of my favorite genre television shows: Alias, Fringe, Lost). They were going to back off from the mythology and give us a great action/adventure show for adults. Instead they gave us Person of Interest. I tried. I really, really tried. I think by trying to keep it so accessible it gave us nothing to latch onto. It is aimless, backing away from making any salient points about the oppressiveness of modern technology in a post-Patriot Act world. There's so much here that could be really, really cool. Unfortunately, it's not. Ratings-wise, the show premiered pretty well, and it looked like CBS had made a smart move. Since then the ratings have cooled off, and while it still soundly wins the hours in total viewers, it isn't doing the numbers in either total viewers or the 18-49 demographic that CSI did in the time slot last year. GRADE: C- (Artistically: C-; Ratings Effort: C-)

New Comedies Grade: C-

2 Broke Girls is the comedy hit that CBS has been looking for since Big Bang Theory made its mark three years ago. It premiered to huge numbers after Two and a Half Men, and then settled down to still better than its lead-in when it moved to after How I Met Your Mother. The numbers aren't Modern Family breakout hit, but they are better than Mike and Molly's were a year ago when it was the only new comedy on any network to be renewed. How's the show? Well, when it focuses in on Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs, it's pretty good. They have an off-putting yet warm chemistry that makes the show more than watchable, raunchy but watchable. When they bring in the other regulars (them that's at the diner) the show is fairly horrid. Fortunately most of the diner stuff has been relegated to one or two lines a week, other than the frightfully stereotyped Asian boss. He keeps getting stuff to do, way to much stuff to do. I haven't committed fully to the show yet, but keep watching as Mondays have become uncharacteristically weak for me. GRADE: B (Artistically: B-; Ratings Effort: B+)

How to Be a Gentleman looked to be a good companion piece to Big Bang Theory. Turns out that theory was incorrect. The numbers for the show dropped off at an alarming rate, for more than last year's Shit My Dad Says, and now the show has been relegated to Saturday nights where it will air the rest of the shows that it has made. It is in effect cancelled. It was another of those shows that I couldn't get through even the first episode. GRADE: F (Artistically: F; Ratings Effort: F)

Returning Dramas     Grade: C+
Hawaii 5-0, like most of the rest of the CBS drama slate, does nothing for me personally, but it is such a pretty show to look at. The numbers haven't increased a whole lot. NCIS and NCIS: LA continue to be two of the most watched television shows anywhere. It's amazing to think that JAG, a show NBC cancelled in 1996 and CBS picked up the next year, could still be a wise investment, spinning off NCIS in 2003, then NCIS: LA in 2009, giving CBS three top rated shows for 15 years. Criminal Minds continues to dominate all other Wednesday night shows, except Modern Family; it has even increased its demo ratings over last year. CSI, now on Wednesdays with added Ted Danson, is on a creative upturn which is fortunate as the ratings are softer than they were on Thursdays at 9:00. That said, this was a smart CBS move as the show does better business on Wednesdays than anyone else has in several years. I liked The Mentalist it's first year, but the CBS crime hegemony quickly overruled its quirky center and the show became yet another CBS-standard fare. The poor ratings for Person of Interest is doing it no favors, as The Mentalist is losing demo ratings at an alarming rate. CSI: New York, a surprise renewal last spring, is proving itself to be more of the same as it's total viewers and demo ratings have barely changed a bit since last year. The Good Wife, the artistic jewel in CBS' Tiffany Network crown, has had an unfortunate start this fall. The heavily promoted move to Sunday nights, did not generate audiences. The numbers are slightly down from where they were last year when the show was on Tuesdays at 10:00, and the demo ratings are significantly lower than previous time slot owner, Undercover Boss. I could really care less about ratings though as this is a show that has to be made. CSI: Miami continues to underwhelm on all fronts. Though football overruns are not helping either it or The Good Wife.

Returning Comedies     Grade: B+
CBS comedies have been relegated to Monday nights for so many years, that it was shocking that they moved one of their burgeoning hits, Big Bang Theory, to Thursdays last season. Even more shocking, Big Bang Theory grew in total numbers, and demographics, and are doing their absolute best to kill all NBC Thursday night comedies. A recent repeat of a Big Bang episode more than doubled the total audience and demographics of a new episode of NBC's Parks and Recreation. The show is also back on strong creative footing, after last season's horrid descent into sexual depravity; the addition of strong and funny female characters and actresses really saved the show artistically. On Mondays, the shows aren't faring as well artistically. Yes, numbers are up over last year for all the returning comedies, but let's call that what it is: Ashton Kutcher. He has single-handedly saved Two and a Half Men from what many thought was a certain death after the Charlie Sheen debacle last winter. It's also watchable to me for the first time. I don't look forward to it, as I do many other comedies, but I mostly enjoy the time I spend watching it.. How I Met Your Mother has wallowed far too long in it's central "mysteries" and has effectively worn out most of the charm that the series once held. I still like many of the performances (especially Neil Patrick Harris, Colbie Smulders and Jason Segal), but I want them to stop teasing things and tell a frickin' story. I checked out of Mike & Molly fairly early on, because I thought it was fairly mean spirited, and relatively meh--not good, not bad, just meh. I do like Melissa McCarthy, and wanted to give it another shot. It's smoothed out its rough edges, and she and Billy Gardell are both quite strong. The show is just meh--not good, not bad, just meh.

State of Reality     Grade: B+
CBS thankfully doesn't let reality program dictate its schedule, unlike chief competitor FOX. The shows it airs are artistic leaders of the industry and mostly joys to watch. Survivor is the mac daddy of reality competitions. It it hadn't broken out 12 years ago, the television landscape would like quite different. For all the new bells and whistles the show has stayed true to its strong and vibrant core. And that's a good thing. The move to Wednesdays last season softened the ratings a bit, but there has been no indication of the show stopping anytime soon. The Emmys have given an award for Best Reality Competition programming or 8 years now; seven of those years, The Amazing Race has won the Emmy. It is still the standard by which all other reality shows should model. The ratings may not be as strong as other shows of its ilk, but they never have been terribly low, either. It's doing fine. 60 Minutes isn't the ratings powerhouse it once was, but it is still the best televised news magazine in the business. 48 Hours Mystery still does solidly enough for CBS on Saturday nights to keep it renewed for the last 20 years.

Reasons to Watch CBS: The Good Wife, Big Bang Theory, Survivor, The Amazing Race, A Gifted Man and sometimes How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men

Reasons to Be Hopeful: 2 Broke Girls

Probable Outcomes by End of Season:

Cancellations for Person of Interest, either CSI: New York or CSI: Miami and possibly A Gifted Man.
2 Broke Girls or Mike & Molly may move to Thursdays to be paired with Big Bang Theory.

New Fall Season Mid-Term Report: ABC

2011-10-15T22:05:00.000-04:00

Revenge is a moderate hit, and is one of the first network dramas to pop in the Wednesdays at 10:00 slot in a while. Artistically, it's a bit one-note, but many people are responding to the guilty pleasure escapism; it's the show Ringer wants to be. Emily VanCamp and Madeline Stowe are pretty good, as they should be. GRADE: B- (Artistically: C+; Ratings Effort: B)

Pan Am is artistically the strongest of the ABC dramas premiering this fall. It's witty, and so, so pretty to look at. The cast is mostly strong, with Christina Ricci and Margot Robbie my favorite of the stewardesses. It is purely Mad Men-lite, but that's okay. I sometimes like to not think. However, Americans don't like what they saw. After premiering to really good numbers, the ratings have plummeted each week. A week ago I would have guessed that we would get a full season of the show, but now, I'm not so sure. GRADE: B- (Artistically: A-; Ratings Effort: D+)

Charlie's Angels was difficult for not only me to watch, but for most Americans. It was cancelled on Friday. GRADE: F (Artistically: F; Ratings Effort: F)

Once Upon a Time is yet to debut. Reviews and word of mouth have been mostly positive, and there has been a lot of money put into marketing for the show. But with Desperate Housewives and Pan Am both tanking, I wonder if it stands a chance of catching on. I know that since the advent of the DVR, we create our own networks, but to hang a high concept show like Once out there essentially on its own is a little disconcerting. GRADE: INCOMPLETE**

New Comedies Grade: B-**

Suburgatory is a really good show and by far my favorite of the new network comedies. It's witty, sardonic and well acted by both Jane Levy and Jeremy Sisto, as the newly relocated daughter-father pair. The show's voice will remind you of the equally good, but much more earnest, MTV comedy Awkward. from earlier this summer. I'm a big early fan as is America. Its ratings improve on its lead in, The Middle, and it is ABC second most watched program of the night after Modern Family. And that's where the show should go, after Modern Family at 9:30. The ratings warrant it, and I think the show is a tad too risque to be on at 8:30. I haven't let The Kid watch an episode though I think she would enjoy most of it. GRADE: A- (Artistically: A; Ratings Effort: B+)

Last Man Standing is Tim Allen's somewhat triumphant return to series television. Allen is a bonafide television star, and as such he knows how to handle the enormous task of leading a multi-camera comedy on his manly shoulders. However, Allen and the inherent premise of the program (how can a man be a man in this female driven world) feel very 1994 to me. Though I must admit the Merry-Wives-of-Windsor-inspired antlers at the end of each promo make me chuckle each time I see them. I am working on a piece about the shocking gender whiplash that this new television season is having, and Last Man is indicative of a disturbing trend. America however isn't as turned off as I am to the show. The ratings were fairly strong, but not nearly what one would expect Allen to command. The truth will be in the subsequent airing this week and next. As ABC saw with Pan Am, numbers can turn south quickly, and being paired with the seemingly DOA Man Up won't help matters too much. GRADE: B-** (Artistically: C-; Ratings Effort: A-**)

Man Up has yet to premiere, but word of mouth and the reviews have been almost universally poor. Only time and Tuesday will tell. GRADE: INCOMPLETE**

Returning Dramas     Grade: C-
Desperate Housewives, now in its final season, is having record low ratings; and even I have given up artistically on the show (and I rarely give up on a show). Castle is doing okay business (great numbers in total viewers, but not so great in the 18-49 demo), but can't seem to catch Hawaii 5-0; it needs a jolt in the arm a lackluster season of Dancing with the Stars is not giving it. Body of Proof is sinking fast as Dancing with the Stars isn't helping it in the least. Grey's Anatomy is ABC's highest rated drama in the 18-49 demographic, but it is being beaten in both total viewers and target demos by freshman comedy Suburgatory. Private Practice can't seem to keep even Grey's dwindling numbers.

Returning Comedies     Grade: B+
Two years ago, and even for most of last season, ABC had the best night of comedy: Wednesdays. Modern Family broke out of the gate in the 2009-2010 season, and brought The Middle and Cougar Town along with it mostly. The other two shows (though oftentimes Family's artistic equal) couldn't measure up ratings wise. ABC was desperate to find a suitable match both in quality and ratings. It appears they have found it in Suburgatory. Modern Family is ABC's crown jewel both in ratings and artistic qualities. The Middle has been a little more uneven artistically this season, but the ratings seem to have leveled off. Cougar Town is being held back to mid-season, because, even though it is beloved, it usually lost nearly half of Modern Family's ratings. ABC thought they had something with Happy Endings, which aired at 10:00 last spring. It did all right in the ratings, but the buzz was high. The show has continued to be strong artistically, but it is doing Cougar Town (or worse) ratings. ABC is now in a real quandary. They can't keep Cougar Town or Happy Endings behind Modern Family, and neither show would really work at 8:30. Do they launch a new show there and hope it succeeds where others haven't, or do they move Suburgatory behind Family, and launch a new show at 8:30?

State of Reality     Grade: C+
Dancing with the Stars rises and falls with the quality of the stars. This season is one of the lowest rated seasons in a while. Oh, well; ABC gives three hours a week to the show. 20/20 does fine but isn't burning any bridges on Friday night. America's Funniest Videos is in its 23rd season and it has more total viewers each week than every scripted show on NBC except Harry's Law, Law & Order: SVU and Saturday Night Live. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition does even better, but will be moving to Fridays when Once Upon a Time starts in a few weeks.

Reasons to Watch ABC: Modern Family, Suburgatory, Happy Endings, Pan Am and The Middle

Reasons to Be Hopeful: Once Upon a Time, and the upcoming mid-season shows The River, Good Christian Belles, The B---- in Apt. 23, Cougar Town

Probable Outcomes by End of Season:

Cancellations for Desperate Housewives (already done), Pan Am and Body of Proof.
Private Practice moves to another night, so that something big (The River or GCB) can try to take Thursdays at 10:00 which no network owns outright currently.
Both Happy Endings and Cougar Town won't make it out of the season alive.
If ratings hold for Last Man Standing, then Allen's show will get a full season, and a pick up for next year; if not, then it will at least get to finish out its order with dignity.
Man Up will be cancelled by Christmas and Work It may not even make it to air.
Revenge stays on Wednesdays for now, but may clear out temporarily for Scandal or Missing.

Wednesday Comics: The Final NEW 52! Post

2011-10-12T16:56:00.000-04:00

All right, let's wrap it up. DC Comics launched 52 new #1 issues in the month of September. Some of the books were great; some...weren't. But they were at least exciting and there was a palpable feeling of wonder and awe in the funny books with old, new and lapsed readers. It was a great thing, and possibly a savior for the industry.

For DC the initiative had a dual purpose: (1) redefine and energize classic story concepts for a new generation and (2) bring that new generation in. They can check the first off the list: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. To paraphrase an early 90's DC marketing hook, this certainly isn't your father's DC anymore.

The second purpose may take a little more time to analyze. Sales in stores will be undoubtedly high. That's a given. I would expect DC books to take almost all of the top 25 comics sold for the month of September (which they did: 22 of the top 25 books, 35 of the top 50). DC was smart though to realize that they couldn't just count on the "Direct Market". They needed to get to the really direct market: digital platforming. They are releasing all new books the same day on digital platforms as they do in retail outlets. If the new generation is the paperless generation, DC is now ready to serve those folks in full. This, I think, is the real strength of the initiative.

I am thrilled that I am able to get my books anytime I want, and that I am able to get them from the comfort of my home or office. I have switched entirely, and with little consternation, to a digital delivery system for my DC books. In fact I am resentful of Marvel for not providing the books I read from them on the same day they are out in stores. I am anxious to try out Mark Waid's Daredevil (now in it's third issue, I believe), but it hasn't been released digitally, yet.

I thought I would miss the smell and feel of paper, but I don't. I quickly adapted to the digital presentation, and i look forward to the more creative use of the platform to deliver these stories. It's coming. It has to. True, I don't prefer to look at the books on my iPhone, as the screen is so small and it makes me miss the impact of the page layout. But one day soon I will have an iPad/other tablet device, which is essentially the same size as comic book page. I can look at the books on my laptop, and then I get to enjoy the full page layout, with the ability to zoom in much further than I would with my own head/eye.

If the process changes are good for me, what did I think of the books themselves? Well, you can find my week by week reviews here for the first week, here for the second week, here for the third week and here for the fourth week. I didn't want to/couldn't read all 52 books, but I think I gave them more than a fair sampling.

I found 18 books that I thought were top notch, with another 3 that could have gone easily into that category, and may in the ensuing months. There were another 11 that I think are worth your time and money, but you may want to wait until they are either cheaper or in a large, easily digestible chunk. That's 32 out of 52 new books. Plus there are another 4 I haven't read yet, as finances wouldn't allow it at the time. Now that I will be dropping some of the books I purchased in September, I will be picking them up and giving them a go, along with promising new #1's this month (Huntress and Shade).

Here are the best of the best:

If you want to read a GREAT book, then read...WONDER WOMAN
I really struggled to select the best of the re-launch, not because there weren't enough contenders, but because there were too many. I finally narrowed it down to four: Action Comics, Animal Man, I, Vampire and Wonder Woman. For whatever reason, DC Comics has made a concentrated effort to bring horror into their publishing universe and I think this was a good creative choice. Three of my top 4 books have a horror theme running through them. In fact all of the books with horror tropes that DC published were incredibly strong. Action Comics is a fascinating and well done take on a character that everyone knows, and the art is top notch even if I question if Rags Morales can keep to schedule. I, Vampire is the most purely horror book of the four, and it has a narrative spine which will serve the entire DC Universe for while. Animal Man is a beguiling take on a hybrid super hero/horror comic and a wonderful companion piece to the almost as good Swamp Thing, but I'm not a fan of the art. Wonder Woman has been described by writer Brian Azzarello as a horror comic book, but there's so much more than that here, including a frightening and surprisingly realistic take on the Greek Pantheon. While I still claim the first issue wasn't necessarily about Wonder Woman, the series has the potential to be one of those runs that we look back to as seminal and redefining.

If you want to read a GREAT Superman book, then read...ACTION COMICS
Grant Morrison so understands the need for the super hero in our culture. The all-powerful alter ego that can right our wrongs and carry the banner for a generation. His take on the adult Superman (in All-Star Superman) will be the high water mark of Superman stories for years to come. I find his take on the young Superman, currently playing in Action Comics to be exactly right, especially when filtered as a powerful young man who discovers he can do almost anything. This is an exciting time for DC Comics, and Action Comics carries the banner for them well.

If you want to read a GREAT Batman book, then read...BATMAN
In the new DCU there are 4 different books starring Batman himself (Batman, Detective Comics, Batman and Robin, Batman: The Dark Knight). There are 5 books that feature his close associates (Nightwing, Catwoman, Batgirl, Batwoman, Batwing). He is directly involved in two team up books (Justice League, Justice League International); and his cohorts are the leads in two other team books (Red Hood and the Outlaws, Teen Titans). DC is a Batman world and the rest of them are just living in it. Batman by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo is truly a cut above the rest. The story is guided be a sure hand that not only understands the emotional complexities of the character(s) but has crafted it with a smile and a twinkle that most of the other Bat-books are lacking. This is especially intriguing given the dark nature of the story. The art here is stellar.

If you want to read a GREAT Super Hero book, then read...AQUAMAN
Aquaman is the best super hero book being published by DC Comics? They must be in pretty bad shape, then, right? No not at all. This is a beautiful book with stunning images (there's a shot of Arthur's light house that still takes my breath away every time I see it). Ivan Reis, an artistic star if there ever was one, breaks new ground and barely even goes below the surface of the water where we know fantastic sights await. The storytelling is exhilarating, taking every expectation you might have for the character and Geoff Johns as a writer and raising them by embracing them--every last embarrassing one--with a sense of humor and fun. There isn't a DC book on the stands that is a more perfect symbiosis of art and storytelling.

If you want to read a GREAT Team-Up book, then read...FRANKENSTEIN: AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E.
You want to read a fun book? Read Frankenstein. You want to read a fascinating sci-fi adventure with story concepts and structures that intrigue? Read Frankenstein. You want a horror story with real stakes? Read Frankenstein. You want to read about a kick-ass anti-hero that lives by his own code, but always does the right thing? Read Frankenstein. you want to read about tortured, unrequited love? Read Frankenstein. You want to read a book about a bunch of people coming together to right wrongs. Read Frankenstein. For Pete's sake, just read Frankenstein.

If you want to read a GREAT relaunch of a GREAT character, then read...BATGIRL
Batgirl is a complex and thrilling read that challenges everything you have ever known about Batgirl while embracing an overwhelming sense of fun. Barbara Gordon is more fleshed out here than she ever has been, and writer Gail Simone wrote the definitive Barbara Gordon in the pre-boot Bird of Prey. The artwork is a tad too posed, and there are moments where facial details feel rushed and incomplete, but they can't takeaway from the joy you get from reading the book. If the inherent subject matter (senselessly violent murders and terrifying home invasions) weren't so dark, I would happily give this book to The Kid. This Barbara Gordon Batgirl is a noble, capable and relatable heroine, and more than a suitable role model. I only hope by the time The Kid is ready to read this book, she isn't done with comics.

If you want to read a GREAT Non-Super Hero Book, then read...I, VAMPIRE
I almost chose I, Vampire as the best DC book post-launch. It's certainly the most surprising. This isn't your typical vampire story, especially if you think all vampire stories are twinkly, romantic crap. this is a horror story. It's a war story. It's a love story. It's a great story and I am hoping beyond hope that this book is a success because there are long reaching ramifications. There's an inherent company-wide crossover here waiting to be launched. As Andrew Stanton has to reach out to the other supernatural heroes, including the folks in Justice League Dark to put down Mary, Queen of Blood, and end her vampire-human war. The potential here is staggering and one that makes it.

How they all line up...
Buy These Now (18)
Action Comics
All Star Western
Animal Man
Aquaman
Batgirl
Batman
Batwoman
Blue Beetle
DC Universe Presents
Demon Knights
Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E.
I, Vampire
Justice League
Justice League Dark
Resurrection Man
Supergirl
Swamp Thing
Wonder Woman

Buy These If You're a Fan (3)
The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men
Green Lantern
Legion of Super-Heroes

Wait For the Digital Price Drop/Trade Paperback (11)
Batman and Robin
Batwing
Birds of Prey
Detective Comics
Flash
Justice League International
Men of War
Mister Terrific
Nightwing
O.M.A.C
Superman

Don't Bother (4)
Green Arrow
Legion Lost
The Savage Hawkman
Superboy

No, Thank You (12)                                  Awaiting Verdict (4)
Batman: The Dark Knight                   Blackhawks
Catwoman                                            Green Lantern Corps
Captain Atom                                       Green Lantern: The New Guardians
Deathstroke
Grifter
Hawk and Dove
Red Hood and the Outlaws
Red Lanterns                                        Static Shock
Stormwatch
Suicide Squad
Teen Titans
Voodoo

Wednesday Comics--The Final Wave of the New DC

2011-09-30T21:17:00.001-04:00

This is the end of the line for the initial wave of new books for the new DC Universe. Sure there are more coming down the pike (a Huntress mini-series and a Shade maxi-series start next month and the promise of a Justice Society book set on Earth 2 of all places). But for the first 52 books, this is it.

I think this initiative was huge success. The dark comic book corners of the internet are ablaze with talk of little else but DC comics, even a new black-hispanic Spider-man caused fewer ripples than it should.

The books themselves have been fairly strong so far, as most creative teams have really risen to the challenge of creating "new" and easily accessible books. But what about the last 13 due out this week? Let's get to them...

This Week's Justice League/Edge Book: Justice League Dark

Wow. This book is out there. It's not Grant Morrison metaphysical strange, but it definitely follows the beat of its own drummer. This first issue of Justice League Dark is merely a gathering of forces to face a threat that even Superman, Wonder Woman and Cyborg (the Justice League A team) cannot defeat issue. At first blush it seems rather perfunctory and rote; except very few of the forces actually connect with each other. There's a disturbance in the mystical force and those who are akin to feel it begin to gather to defeat it. But there's so much more going on here. Unlike the many other gathering-the-forces books this month, you really get to understand more than just one or two of the characters. Here, Shade the Changing Man is made more clear to me than he ever has been. There are also clear character pictures of Zatanna, the Enchantress/June Moon and Madame Xanadu (The creators at DC must have a hard on for her as this is her second team book this month. She also appears in Demon Knights--set 800 years earlier--but still; she's been widely ignored for the better part of two decades.). Then there are mystical concepts that are thrown out for shits and giggles mostly: books written in a dead language killing six people, cows giving births to machines, a nuclear plant that takes sentience and flying witch's teeth that take out the aforementioned A-Team. With as many of the books that the new DC is focusing on the supernatural fringes of their shared universe, it makes sense for there to be a team up book--just like Justice League brings together many of the solo heroes. I'm in for Justice League Dark; it promises to be macabre fun.

Thought Balloon on Justice League Dark: BUY THIS BOOK NOW

This Week's 2nd Tier Character Book: Aquaman

Aquaman is as straightforward a super hero book as you can get. A great introductory issue that sets the stage for the battle royale to come. The storytelling is concise, crisp and funny. You know how folks always make fun of Aquaman and his inherent lameness, they do that in this book as well--only to his face. Strangers, criminals, cops, bloggers and even Harry Knowles from Ain't it Cool News call him out and laugh at him. Aquaman here though has big shoulders and he can handle it. There seems to have been a power uppage also; he now appears to be as powerful as the early Superman (appearing monthly in Action Comics). He is fast, strong, nigh invulnerable to sub-machine guns and can leap buildings in a single bound. However he can't talk to fishes; he, well, read it and find out. And as great as the story is, the art is even stronger. The book is visually breathtaking, and only a very few scenes take place underwater; often the artistic draw to doing an Aquaman book. I can easily say this may be the single greatest Aquaman issue ever written, and it holds incredible promise to making Aquaman the recognizable force he deserves to be in the DC Universe.

Thought Balloon on Aquaman: BUY THIS BOOK NOW

This Week's Off-Brand Book: All Star Western

I was a big fan of the pre-boot Jonah Hex book. It was a great series on mostly in-one shots of Western goodness. Jonah Hex's writing team of Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti make the transition to All Star Western and they bring their scarred anti-hero with them. Now the story is set in late 19th century Gotham City. Hex has been brought in to assist in the apprehension of the Gotham Butcher, a prostitute murdering serial killer that seems to have a mad on for Hex. He's teamed here with a Dr. Arkham (he of the Arkham Asylum name), who is one of the pioneer of criminal psychology and profiling. It's CSI: 19th Century Gotham. I do have a few quibbles with the book: there's a few too many inside baseball name drops from Batman continuity for my taste; the Arkham stuff stinks a bit of Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow which was far wittier, and I like my westerns I dunno set in the West. I am hoping that this is not a six issue arc, and that in a few issues we will get to follow another of the Western characters Palmiotti and Gray had been writing so successfully in the old Jonah Hex book. Many people decry the fact that comic books are so super hero oriented, and DC has been doing their best to give readers choices beyond standard super hero fare (Demon Knights, I, Vampire, Swamp Thing, Men of War, Frankenstein, Blackhawks), All Star Western may not be one of the best of the off-brand lot but it promises to be an engaging ride.

Thought Balloon on All Star Western: BUY THIS BOOK NOW

This Week's Sleeper Book: I, Vampire

This book was so far off my radar, it's not funny. I really don't like the vampire genre. I know, I know--I do follow The Vampire Diaries religiously, but it's really just a trashy good soap. I watch True Blood, but when its at its best it uses the vampire stuff allegorically. I have little stomach for vampire fiction, not because of the gruesomeness but because at it's current turn-of-the-century core, it's centered around the hopelessly romantic. Wah--I can't be with the one I love because he/she will/won't live forever. I get it's appeal in an age defined by the war on terror, but it most certainly isn't for me. One of the things I like best about The Vampire Diaries is that it dropped that hook pretty early on. I should mention I have developed quite a taste for the Vertigo comic series American Vampire but that is a horror book through and through, as well as an unusual and fascinating take on the development of the American culture; it's good readin'.

The last thing I wanted to do was read a sweeping, romantic vampire tale, as was promised by the teaser copy for I, Vampire. Well, DC did its best to hide this light under a bushel, because I, Vampire may be one of the best books DC published this month. It is so much more than a sweeping, romantic vampire tale. Yes, its story sweeps across a global stage, but it is more clearly focused on bloodshed and a war between humans and vampires. Yes, at its core is a powerfully romantic story, but it's not a human-vampire relationship that is central here--it's a vampire-vampire passion that fuels the conflict. This simple twist promises not only a fresh take of doomed, star-crossed love, the personal conflict will be manifested in the aforementioned war. And, yes, it is most clearly a vampire tale, as it appears all the principal characters in the book will be of the fanged variety. I hesitate to give away any plot details as this is a book to be savored and lingered over. The interior art is fantastic both lushly romantic and horrifying, though I do wish it would stop with the tweeny romance covers.

Thought Balloon on I, Vampire: BUY THIS BOOK NOW

This Week's Young Hero Book: The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men

Hmmm. I can easily say this was one of the books I was most looking forward to pre-launch; my final thoughts on the first issue of the book are a bit more complicated. I liked Firestorm a lot when I started reading comics. Ronnie Raymond was the youngest guy around that wasn't a member of the Teen Titans. He was an easily relatable hook into the Justice League of America for a young reader. The presence of floating head Dr. Martin Stein as a sort of scientific Jiminy Cricket was pretty cool. The later years treatment of Ronnie (after he excised Stein and got to be Firestorm by himself) left me cold. He eventually became a model and an alcoholic, and totally unrelatable--which was odd given my own sordid past as an alcoholic hand model. He was essentially then shoved under the carpet, and the character was relaunched with a new teen in the role, African-American Jason Rusch. The palpable disdain that fandom took to Jason was hard to take. I didn't care enough for the character to bother participating, but it stunk at times of racism.

I enjoyed the most recent take on Firestorm in Blackest Night and Brightest Day--Jason and Ronnie sharing the persona. It was emotionally complicated (which I won't spoil here), and a nice twist on the classic two people fused into one nuclear man concept. I grew to really appreciate the dynamic, and even enjoyed the play on it in a recent Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode with Jason as the dutiful student and Ronnie as Coach Raymond the Flash Thompson-esque partner. I could totally see Ronnie becoming a high school coach when he grows up.

This new book throws out most everything that comes before, and makes for a very good origin story. That I like. It has Ronnie and Jason as high school classmates. That I like. It has strains of their antagonistic Blackest Night relationship. That I like. It has great little nuggets for long time fans of the concept (some characters' names, an icy white hand, a computer screen shot of a beloved nuclear-based heroine). That I like.

It has little indication that these young men have any heroic intent. That I don't like. In fact the biggest change to the concept and the characters (revealed in the last panel) gives the impression that together they will be anything but heroic. And there is so much blatant evil coursing through the early pages of the book, that the story is screaming out for someone to take up the noble heroic banner. The last page of the book did more than leave me cold, it was alienating to me.

I am really torn on this book. Of all of the NEW 52!, it seems to have the most wholesale changes to the characters and concepts. I didn't think I was opposed to that. Perhaps, though, I am, as I am suspicious of the book and feel a bit betrayed. I will stick with the book for at least a few more issues because the scripting (Gaile Simone and Ethan Van Sciver) is top notch. You won't find two more clearly define protagonists in any other of the NEW 52! books. There is a great sense of pacing and the threats are real and legitmately defined.

The art (pencils by Yildiray Cinar) is more of a mixed bag. Panel layouts and story flow are strong (but I credit superstar artist Van Sciver for plotting that) but individual characters (especially in human form) are weak and a tad too sketchy. And artistically the entire book has that very 90's KEWL feel (in one panel it looks like Marvel's Shatterstar has been given the power of Firestorm). I am intrigued by enough of the story, and even some of the changes, to keep on for at least another issue or two.

Thought Balloon on The Fury of the Firestorms: BUY IT IF YOU'RE A FAN

This Week's Other 2nd Tier Character Book: Flash

Francis Manapul draws one beautiful Flash comic; he was the artist of note on the last Flash series. Here he is drawing and sharing writing credits. In many ways this is a good thing, as the panels and layout burst with energy and dare I say it speed. Some of the best visual storytelling Flash has ever had can be seen in this issue and in his past issues. But I had to re-brief myself before writing this, because not one story beat came to mind. It's not that it's entirely forgettable, but nothing stood out to me, except for some really cool shots and one page that told me as much about the scope and functionality Flash's powers as anything that could have been written. You need no prior knowledge of anything Flash to enjoy this issue, in fact, it may sting a bit if you do. It's a good ground floor for the character and I am hoping it will make more of an impression in the future.

Thought Balloon on Flash: WAIT FOR THE DIGITAL PRICE DROP/TRADE

This Week's Other Other 2nd Tier Character Book: The Savage Hawkman

Oy. Hawkman has been knocked many times in the past for a having a convoluted history. This was primarily driven by the constant partial re-bootings of the DC Universe. Hawkman should have been the character most served by this last cosmic restart; I'm afraid he hasn't been. True, there was a choice to start this series in media res, but that wasn't a good choice. The writing for this issue was convoluted with little details given as to why and how Carter Hall was in the emotional and spiritual place of the opening panels. The art did little to clear up anything, even so much as making the villains big, black blobby creatures of murk. Unfortunately that is a perfect metaphor for the battle this book itself has on its hands.

Thought Balloon on The Savage Hawkman: DON'T BOTHER

This Week's Superman Book: Superman

This is the most old school book that I have read from DC this past month. Since it is written and laid out by comics master George Perez, that is fitting. It's a longer book filled with the contemporary Superman, as opposed to the brash hothead from Action Comics (set 5 years in DC's past). Ironically Superman is not the star of this book. Clark Kent is, yes, but not Superman. The book is firmly rooted in Clark's sensibilities, and while "Clark" may not appear (except in flashback) until late in the book, he is much referenced. This isn't a bad thing at all. I like Clark. A lot. I perhaps like Perez's Clark more than I have liked any other one I have seen of late. His nobility is admirably tempered by his relatability; his problems are real and I understand them. Too often writers have forgotten that Superman is the mask that Clark wears, not the other way around--like in the case of Bruce Wayne/Batman. A lot of this book is spent in fleshing out the supporting cast including big changes in both place and person. This isn't a bad thing but it feels like a lot of filler, and gives me the impression this book will have a sprawling scope. As the only Superman book that is set in current day, perhaps it should. This should be the most important franchise to DC. This book has a lot of promise, and one I will keep up on but I am missing that "Wow!" factor I have been coming to expect from the best of the NEW 52!. That's a shame.

Thought Balloon on Superman: WAIT FOR THE DIGITAL PRICE DROP/TRADE

This Week's Green Lantern Supporting Cast Book: Green Lantern: The New Guardians--I want to try this book, as I am a big fan of Kyle Rayner, the Green Lantern that is the star of this one. I am not a fan of the rainbow league of rings, though. I think it was a cool concept initially that has now been overplayed for the last two years. I'm waiting for the Digital Price Drop, big time.

This Week's Batman Book: Batman: The Dark Knight--I like David Finch's art. His Batman is truly inspired greatness. I bought the first issue of his written and drawn Batman series pre-reboot, and was hopelessly confused. The story was impenetrable. Couple that with a publishing schedule that was rarely kept, and I have to be out on this second try.

This Week's Wildstorm Book: Voodoo--Of the characters from the Wildstorm imprint that are being shoe horned in to the new DC Universe, I was most intrigued by this one. Primarily because there are too few comics that feature strong women as leads. Having now heard it has 14 pages of strippers and lap dances, I think I'll pass.

This Week's Other Off-Brand Book: Blackhawks--I want to check this one out. Along with Men of War, I would like to see a really good war comic again. This is going to be more firmly dealing with super heroes and it is more closely attune to G.I. Joe than a traditional war comic, so it has that going against it. Still, I will try it out soon.

This Week's Justice League Book (Jr. Edition): Teen Titans--I was on the fence on this book. I have almost always read this book, but it looks to KEWL for me. The art leaves me cold, and the story looks too dark. To each his own, I guess.

And if you're keeping score...
Buy These Now (18)
Action Comics
All Star Western
Animal Man
Aquaman
Batgirl
Batman
Batwoman
Blue Beetle
DC Universe Presents
Demon Knights
Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E.
I, Vampire
Justice League
Justice League Dark
Resurrection Man
Supergirl
Swamp Thing
Wonder Woman

Buy These If You're a Fan (3)
The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men
Green Lantern
Legion of Super-Heroes

Wait For the Digital Price Drop/Trade Paperback (9)
Batman and Robin
Batwing
Birds of Prey
Detective Comics
Flash
Justice League International
Mister Terrific
Nightwing
Superman

Don't Bother (4)
Green Arrow
Legion Lost
The Savage Hawkman
Superboy

No, Thank You (12)                                  Awaiting Verdict (6)
Batman: The Dark Knight                   Blackhawks
Catwoman                                            Green Lantern Corps
Captain Atom                                       Green Lantern: The New Guardians
Deathstroke                                          Men of War
Grifter                                                  O.M.A.C
Hawk and Dove
Red Hood and the Outlaws
Red Lanterns                                        Static Shock
Stormwatch
Suicide Squad
Teen Titans
Voodoo

DVR Monday--New Fall Premieres Round the Bend

2011-09-27T22:14:00.002-04:00

We are getting ready to see the last of the new premieres of the NEW fall series and the starts of some returning favorites. I'm only focusing on the new/returning shows that are premiering in the next two weeks. If you are interested in any of the other shows, you can find last week's list here, and the pre-premiere week here.

I have been mostly underwhelmed by the brand new series, so far. Sure there have been a few that I liked almost unconditionally (New Girl and Up All Night spring to mind), and a few that I think have real potential (2 Broke Girls and Pan Am), but the rest have been mostly duds.

As far as returning shows go, the strength has come from surprising sources. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the revamped Two and a Half Men; it produced some genuine laughs. Fringe lived up to my very high expectations, and in fact exceeded them, by producing a show that someone who never watched the show before could "get". True they may not get the levels of pure thrill and excitement that I got, but if it was your first episode I don't think you would be lost.

The biggest shock, though, was that Raising Hope was my favorite of the returning vets; it was a simple, concise story that focused on the family and provided not only classic lines ("It's dangerous to get medical advice from a television comedy," and "You're not taking me before Betty White!) but also provided some cerebral laughs (jokes about 9/11 that are actually funny and the thought that beer makes Jimmy musical). At the end of last season I was barely trudging through episodes, but now I can say I am really looking forward to them.

So, what's premiering the next two weeks?

Monday, September 26
Gossip Girl, 8:00 on The CW
Blair is getting married to her prince; Dan is getting his tell-all book about the Upper East Siders published; Serena, Nate and Chuck are in Hollywood. I will be watching Terra Nova and How I Met Your Mother/2 Broke Girls.

Terra Nova, 8:00 on FOX

So you hear the dinosaurs for the first time about the 20 minute mark, and you see your first one about the 30 minute mark, but the show is pretty intriguing up until then. 100 years in the future, we have messed up the world so much that people will need re-breathers and there is a population cap on family size (no more than 4). Jason O'Mara plays the father of a five member family, who get selected to return 85,000,000 year sin the past as a chance to rebuild society. There's science gobbeldy-gook, but essentially the show is Lost with dinosaurs. I was hoping for something a little lighter, more Land of the Lost, but oh well, it's intriguing and I think we're in.
Season Pass Setting: Set It Up

Hart of Dixie, 9:00 on The CW

Yes, it's Northern Exposure set in Alabama, but worse shows have been shamelessly copied (see Hawaii 5-0). Yes, it stars The O.C. alum Rachel Bilson, but in your heart of hearts you know she was always the best part of that show. Yes, it looks at first to poke fun at the Southerners, but don't all fish out of water stories? If you can get past the ludicrousness of the premise and especially the first act, what you are left with is an essentially sweet and good-natured show that will move at its own pace and tell satisfying stories. This one's a keeper, I think.
Season Pass Setting: Set it Up

Mike & Molly, 9:30 on CBS
I stopped watching last season early on, but have decided to give it another shot this year due entirely to Melissa McCarthy's Best Actress in a Comedy Emmy and her performance in this summer's Bridesmaids. I hope it's worth it.

Tuesday, September 27
Awkward., 11:00 on MTV

Not a season premiere, but a season finale. Awkward. isn't nearly as sentimental or as desperately earnest as My So Called Life, but its roots are definitely there. This show is far, far funnier than My So Called Life but it still strikes the right cord when dealing with the complications of growing up--particularly in a world which is dominated by red cup pics and the recording of your every feeling for the world to witness if they choose. There's an interesting dichotomy here about a girl who wants to be noticed, but isn't. A girl who records her every action on the internet, but no one notices. A girl who, when she hopes no one is looking, finds that she is suddenly the center of the world. Yes, the adults are too broadly drawn, but this show isn't about them. Catch it On Demand, on the endless MTV reruns to come this winter or on DVD, you won't be disappointed. Season 2 returns in 2012.

Wednesday, September 28
Suburgatory, 8:30 on ABC

ABC's most promising comedy to launch this fall, Suburgatory follows a teenager as her father moves her from city to the suburbs. Sure, it's another fish out of water story, but it has a great cast, including Jeremy Sisto (Kidnapped) as the father, Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Ana Gasteyer (SNL) and Alan Tudyk (Firefly) as neighbors. Sure this may be a well trodden comedy path, but I'm more than willing to give it a shot.
Season Pass Setting: Already Set, but Will Examine After 3 Episodes

Happy Endings, 9:30 on ABC
The best comedy to premiere last season returns with a full season of Friends-esque wackiness. This was a slow burn (The Beloved never really took to it), but once it found its rhythm it really hit. I hope the prime position after the giant-hit Modern Family will make people notice this show.

Thursday, September 29
How to Be a Gentleman, 8:30 on CBS

CBS tries a new comedy male-centered comedy after Big Bang Theory, which launched huge last week. This one looks a lot like 2 Broke Girls (an Odd Couple redux) but a little more crass. However it does have a stellar cast led by Kevin Dillon (Entourage) and David Hornsby (Always Sunny...), supporting cast members include Dave Foley (Newsradio), Mary Lyn Rajskub (24) and Rhys Darby (Flight of the Conchords). For some reason I have more faith in this than last year's Shit My Dad Says, but not a lot more.
Season Pass Setting: No Pass Set--Manually Recording 2 Episodes

Sunday, October 2
Dexter, 9:00 on Showtime
So, here's the thing about Dexter. Some seasons are brilliant (I'm thinking of the first one and the one with John Lithgow); the rest (especially last season) are pretty crappy. Michael C. Hall is brilliant; the rest of the cast has their moments, but are relatively unmemorable. This season is about religion and looks to be over the top regardless how much I love the use of Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus" as promo music.

Homeland, 10:00 on Showtime

24 producer Howard Gordon moves to pay cable with this psychological thriller series about a long-missing U.S. soldier returning home. Damian Lewis (Band of Brothers, Life) plays the soldier who has been MIA for nine years; Morena Baccarin (Firefly, V) plays his wife. The real hook here is that a psychologically damaged CIA agent played by Claire Danes (Romeo + Juliet, My So-Called Life) is convinced the Lewis character is now a sleeper agent working for al-Qaeda. The pilot is a crackerjack winner, and the show promises to have legs. This is probably the most promising new drama of the fall season.
Season Pass Setting: Set It Up

Wednesday, October 5
American Horror Story, 10:00 on FX

Ryan Murphy, creator of Glee and Nip/Tuck, return to his old FX stomping grounds for a dark and twisted look at adult horror. A family flees to Los Angeles in order to put their life back together, but purchase a haunted house. Dylan McDermott (The Practice) and Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights) play the parents. Jessica Lange plays their neighbor, or does she? Things aren't what they seem in this psycho-sexual thriller and that's what's intriguing. The stellar cast also beckons.
Season Pass Setting: Already Set, Will Examine in 3 Episodes

South Park, 10:00 on Comedy Central
The bad boys of cable television are back. It would be pointless to guess what the season may be about because, they write these things like three days before they air. While this often makes for timely parody, it also can make the show tragically uneven.

Sunday, October 9
Breaking Bad, 10:00 on AMC
The 4th season finale of Breaking Bad airs tonight. I can't believe where we have gone this season, but I am sure that it will end as it began: fulfillment of the promise that Walt will be the guy knocking on Gus' door. I'm almost certain Walt will end Gus and then take over the operation. When the show returns (hopefully next summer), there will only be 16 episodes left to finish the story of cancer-ridden chemistry teacher who started cooking meth to save his family. How will it end? I don't know; the guesses I could hazard would be unseemly at best. All I know is I absolutely enjoy the ride every week, and cannot wait to see this story's conclusion.

And for those keeping score.....

New Show Season Pass Settings
Set It Up (Looks good; I don't plan on missing it.)
Up All Night
New Girl
~~Person of Interest~~
Prime Suspect
Pan Am
Terra Nova
Hart of Dixie
Homeland

Pass is Set, will Examine After (3, 2 or 1) Episodes (Something interesting here, but I have concerns)
2 Broke Girls (3)
Ringer (3)
The Secret Circle (3)
Charlie's Angels (3)
Suburgatory (3)

American Horror Story (3)
Person of Interest (3)--Underwhelming, but gonna stick it out a few weeks

How To Be a Gentleman (2)

Revenge (2)
A Gifted Man (2)

No Pass Set--Manually Recording (3, 2 or 1) Episodes (Shows little promise, but could become viable)
Whitney (3)
Free Agents (3)
The Playboy Club (2)
Unforgettable (1)

Not Setting It (May follow later, but doubtful)
The X Factor

Already Dropped (Just couldn't do it/give it as long as I thought I might)
Whitney--one episode was quite enough thank you

The Playboy Club--I couldn't make it through even one episode

Unforgettable--Actually a pretty good show but not for me

The Secret Circle--Not bad, but Vampire Diaries is better, and one's enough for me
Charlie's Angels--I coudn't make it through even one episode

Wednesday Comics--The New DC Universe Week 3

2011-09-21T23:43:00.001-04:00

So last week DC released a whole bunch of titles that in order to truly enjoy or sometimes even get, you needed to know what had been happening in the books before the new launch. This was frustrating. One of the major selling points of this relaunch was that you could start reading from scratch and know right away what all the buzz was about.

This week DC is back with 12 brand new #1 issues. While there are still a few books that require you have a B.A. in the DC Universe (I'm looking at you Green Lantern Corps and Legion of Super Heroes), this week we get a lot more books that feel fresh. And quite a few of them were worth reading.

Let's get to it....

This Week's Batman Book: Batman

There's a reason that there is a new Batman book every week (in addition to one or two of his supporting cast getting their own books every week); it's because he is a character that can be centerpiece in a multitude of stories. So far this relaunch, we have seen him as the in Justice League, Detective Comics and Batman and Robin. In each, different aspects of the character are highlighted, and each is mostly successful in its own way. But in Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's Batman, you get the clear and definitive picture of the man in the cowl. The storyline is just getting started but launches with a gut punch of Batman, and newest partner Joker (!?!) fighting all of the Batman villains in Arkham Asylum. After the "Dynamic Duo" take care of the baddies, we get a whole lot of talking (and a lot of exposition), but rest assured that you are in capable hands. Snyder's story is nuanced, and fleshes out both Batman and, for the first time since the re-launch, Bruce Wayne. Capullo's art is not my favorite of the Bat books, but he makes even the talking heads stuff dynamic and visually interesting. I'm especially fond of his Vicki Vale. I have had issues with the other Batman books since the launch, but I have no reservations in saying Batman is the best Bat-Books bar none, and may be one of the top DC books this month.

Thought Balloon on Batman: BUT THIS BOOK NOW

This Week's 2nd Tier Character Book: Wonder Woman

First of all this book is no different from almost every other Wonder Woman series. Historically, writers have struggled with how to tell stories about America's most famous and favorite super heroine. She's a dicotomy on any number of levels but it boils down to: she uses her fists to preach peace. Many writers marginalize her role in her own book and focus on supporting characters or villains, and allow them to define the character. This first issue of Wonder Woman spends an inordinate amount of time developing two characters Apollo (apparently a villain) and an innocent young woman named Zola. These two are clearly the focus of the issue, and based on these two alone I would unhesitatingly recommend this book. Diana is a huge part of the book, but doesn't appear until page 10. There is no narrative focus on her in the book (most of the captions are a dialogue between Apollo and three women on a rooftop in Singapore), BUT there are intriguing hints of the character to come. I should stress though Wonder Woman isn't the focus of the book, the book is conceptually interesting (giving us the most realistic and supremely otherworldly portrayal of the Greek gods if they walked amongst us) and beautifully drawn by Cliff Chiang. I am thoroughly hooked and looking forward to the next issue.

Thought Balloon on Wonder Woman: BUY THIS BOOK NOW

This Week's Young Hero Book: Blue Beetle

Jaime Reyes is a Hispanic teen living in El Paso. He's insanely loyal to his friends and is not the most popular of kids. His best friends are a gang member dropout and a cute and brainy redhead who has a mysterious, powerful and untrusted aunt. If this sounds familiar, then you know it describes the last Blue Beetle before the re-launch. This newest Blue Beetle book is not breaking any new ground, and that's okay. In fact, it's great: the last Blue Beetle book was terrific and needed to have few if any changes made to it. The major difference between the new book and the old book is that new book sums up 12+ issues of mystery from the old book in a 6 page prologue. This masterfully ups the stakes and by the last page of this issue, you have a true "oh, shit" moment. Especially if you are unfamiliar with the old book.

Thought Balloon on Blue Beetle: BUY THIS BOOK NOW

This Week's Sleeper Book: DC Universe Presents: Deadman

Deadman may be the coolest concept that the 1960's DC Comics ever produced. Circus aerialist Boston Brand is murdered in the middle of his act, but before he is allowed to cross over he is pressed into service for Rama. He walks the earth unseen and unheard but able to temporarily possess the bodies of the living. This new series from Paul Jenkins (writer) and Bernard Chang (pencils) starts with the Deadman origin and expands and even deepens it. Yes, the Christmas Carol-ing of Boston is a little heavy handed, but I like the finite course of work that Rama lays out for him, and I like the sense that Boston is ready to now take control of his "life" back. The Deadman property is being developed as a television series for The CW by Supernatural creator Eric Kripke. This particular story looks like it would be a promising bible for the series.

Thought Balloon on DC Comics Presents: Deadman: BUY THIS BOOK NOW

This Week's Retro Book (80's Edition): Legion of Super Heroes

Paul Levitz was writing the Legion books before the reboot, and he's still in charge of the main book now. This is a good thing. Levitz is the one of two writers that DC fans think of when they think of the Legion of Super Heroes. He was at the helm when the Legion had its greatest financial success in the 1980's. The Legion has gone through many premutations since then, having been rebooted 4 or 5 times. Before the big DC reboot this month, we had worked our way back to the classic Legion that Levitz guided to stardom, and ensconced him again at the wheel after he resigned as Publisher of DC Comics. This story is a continuation of all that went on before the reboot, but rest assured it is more accessible to new readers than some of the other books that held to the previous continuity. Aside from the blush of disappointment tht we seem to be holding pace for the newbies, I like this book. It's well written, and the art by Francis Portella is sleek and crisp, but all of his male faces look a lot alike. All in all, this is good as it was from before.

Thought Balloon on Legion of Super-Heroes: BUY IT IF YOU'RE A FAN

This Week's Batman Supporting Cast Book: Nightwing

I thought Nightwing was going to be a hard sell, as many of the Batman books were not starting a fresh. Surprisingly enough, Nightwing reads like a great first issue. You get see both Nightwing and Dick Grayson and what has gone before is either referenced in a way that is easy to follow or is ignored for now. In this aspect (and possibly a majorly shared plot thread), it reminds me of the highly successful Batman book also out this week. The notable difference is Nightwing is a lot leaner and meaner. The captions are tighter, the dialogue is crisper, the plotting is focused on fewer characters. The artwork is cleaner as well; its drawn quite beautifully. While you may think this is a good thing, I assure you that it's not. It's so taut that there is no room for any characterization to come through, with one notable exception--a wonderful scene set at the circus. Nightwing could be any acrobatic hero; as none of Dick's signature wit or humor emerge. It goes beyond quips though, Dick Grayson loves to have fun, and he doesn't except during that one circus scene. I know, he just came of a stint as Batman, but he was Batman with a smile on his face. This is so disappointing that I'd tell you to not bother with this one, but I am concerned the book will figure more strongly in the arc in Batman.

Thought Balloon on Nightwing: Wait for the Digital Price Drop/Trade

This Week's Superman Book: Supergirl

I wasn't expecting it to be awful, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Supergirl. This is a pure origin issue. You need to know nothing else going into panel one. That said, if you are aware of how and why Supergirl has arrived on Earth in the past, then there are layers here that are quite interesting. The writers on this book, Michael Green and Mike Johnson, have crafted a believable young woman (which is harder than it seems), and a young woman who is being overwhelmed by the new experiences of this new planet. Her inner monologue makes me wish that we will get to see some of her home life on the doomed planet Krypton. This Kara has very real memories of home, and that's one thing that has always been missing with Supergirl stories in the past. She's the living connection to Superman's home planet, and she can help define that world for him. Sterling Gates just scratched the surface of this in the last Supergirl go around, but it seems to me to be a deep well for some great teen-angsty plotting and a natural source of conflict with superman that doesn't resort to Kara being in some villain's thrall.

There's a lot of action sequences in the book, so it's not a great showcase of the work that Mahmud Asrar brings to the pencils. I like the panel composition and focus, but there's little to judge the detail work with except some close-ups of Kara, and they leave much to be desired.

I don't think this will be a breakout book for DC, as right now it's lacking that cool moment (the shocking last page/panels of Detective Comics, Batman or Animal Man, the "new" characterization of a beloved icon like in Action Comics, Swamp Thing or Batgirl, or the weird coolness of Frankenstein or Demon Knights). It's just a solid comic book, one the delivers on its promises.

Thought Balloon on Supergirl: BUY THIS BOOK NOW

This Week's Green Lantern Supporting Cast Book: Green Lantern Corps--I want to try this book, but haven't had the time...yet. I have run hot and cold on the Green Lantern Corps in the past--it almost always comes down to the writer. Peter J. Tomasi has rarely let me down in the past (the current issue of Batman and Robin not withstanding).

This Week's Other Batman Supporting Cast Book: Catwoman--Catwoman likes to have sex, as does Batman. Perhaps she's off her "game" because she doesn't get it enough. Well, this book will help her cover lost ground.

This Week's KEWL Book: Red Hood and the Outlaws--I don't like the whole 90's Image mind set, where ultra-muscular art (not just on the male characters), cheesecake poses and "mature" themes are the standard for good storytelling. There's only so many sex jokes and wanton destruction I can take, and I have cable for most of them.

This Week's 3rd Tier Character Book: Captain Atom--I have never ever been a fan of Captain Atom. I don't care for his guest appearances in other books, and I certainly could have cared less about this new series. The fact that they are apparently now modelling the character to more closely hew to the Dr. Manhattan character from Watchmen, isn't necessarily a selling point for me.

This Week's Grrrl Power Book: Birds of Prey--Birds of Prey first started because Chuck Dixon noticed there were two peripheral Batman-esque characters that were sitting idle: Barbara Gordon (once Batgirl, then Oracle) and Dinah Lance Laurel (Black Canary). The book was always at its core (there were two different volumes before this one) an examination of their burgeoning, blossoming and beautiful friendship. In the 90's when there were no quality female-driven books being created, Birds of Prey came on the scene and was the standard-bearer for 15 years. As much as I like the new Batgirl book, I can't bring myself to buy this one.

Next Week's Gotta Haves
Superman
Aquaman
Flash
Fury of the Firestorms
The Savage Hawkman
All-Star Western
Justice League Dark

Next Week's May Need to Buys
Voodoo
Blackhawks
Teen Titans
Green Lantern: The New Guardians
I, Vampire

Next Week's No Thank Yous
Batman: The Dark Knight

And if you're keeping score...
Buy These Now
Action Comics
Animal Man
Batgirl
Batman
Batwoman
Blue Beetle
Demon Knights
Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E.
Justice League
Resurrection Man
Supergirl
Swamp Thing

Buy These If You're a Fan
Green Lantern
Legion of Super-Heroes

Wait For the Digital Price Drop/Trade Paperback
Batman and Robin
Batwing
Detective Comics
Justice League International
Mister Terrific
Nightwing

Don't Bother
Green Arrow
Legion Lost
Superboy

No, Thank You                                   Awaiting Verdict
Birds of Prey
Catwoman                                            Green Lantern Corps
Captain Atom
Deathstroke                                          Men of War
Grifter                                                  O.M.A.C
Red Hood and the Outlaws
Red Lanterns                                        Static Shock
Stormwatch
Suicide Squad

Tune-In Tuesday: Wild Flag's WILD FLAG

2011-09-20T23:42:00.000-04:00

I've been struggling with this piece for a week now.

Last Tuesday, new rock supergroup, Wild Flag released their eponymously titled album, Wild Flag, to little fanfare but much critical acclaim. The little that was written about them and their album was mostly a paean to the Riot Grrrl sensibilities of the mid-nineties and how nice it was to have a "new" group of girls who knew how to rock. To read 80% of the press for them you would think that for many writers/critics all that Wild Flag was missing was "long tails and ears for hats."

I'm offended by this condescension.

The few writers that didn't make a point of Wild Flag being a girl supergroup ignored gender entirely. This gets in my craw as well.

The group first appeared on my radar earlier this summer when their modest-hit single "Romance" first caught my ear. "Romance" is an incredibly catchy passion anthem (--but passionate about what? That man or the music?) The tune fuses The Romantics, The Go-Go's and mid 60's Mod-sensibilities to great success, creating an unique and thrilling sound. I would be inclined to name it as my favorite song of summer, and still may. And this is a GREAT video:

To categorize the Wild Flag album as a single genre would be to do it a disservice. While securely rooted in the women's pop-punk backgrounds, the album also verges everywhere from arena style hard rock (the guitar heavy "Racehorse") to Jimmy Hendrix/Doors inspired psychedelia (the funky and bizarrely right on "Glass Tambourine") to straight old, good-time rock and roll (the very fine and possibly best track "Something Came Over Me"). The only other album this year that rocks as hard as this one and covers as much divergent ground is the Foo Fighters' Wasting Light.

In fact in many ways Wild Flag reminds me of the Foo Fighters. Their sound is dual guitar heavy balanced by clean and precise drumming. The guitars slither in and around each other, taking riffs on their own and at times creating powerful counter melodies/rhythms. This guitar conversation then gets heightened when the keyboards come in, adding a necessary tonal counterpoint.

The core of Wild Flag, the band, are Sleater-Kenney refugees Carrie Brownstein (guitar/vocals)and Janet Weiss (drums). They are joined by Mary Timony (guitar/vocals) from Helium and Rebecca Cole (keyboards) from The Minders. If those band names mean anything to you then you probably already downloaded the album. If you're like me and the names are mysteries, then you wonder how this could be a musical supergroup. To be a supergroup you have to come from well-known bands, right?

Writers and critics alike have been pulling the Riot Grrrl nomer out to describe Wild Flag because the women involved first broke into the industry under that banner. They were stars of that burgeoning (and it turns out short lived) female-driven pop-punk wave of the mid- to late-1990s. While a fan of pop-punk, the riot grrrl movement left me cold: too much chaos and weirdness for the sake of chaos and weirdness. I like for my music to be, I don't know, musical. But the thing that really turned me off was that it eventually devolved into pedantic message-music.

I did however respect the original tenants of the movement: an establishment of a neo-feminist agenda in a traditionally-male driven field. They started out wanting to be seen as musicians first and women second; they wanted to be treated as equal artists and not novelty acts defined not by the masculine sense of beauty and sexuality but by their own.

Eventually, the riot grrrls wanted to use their platform to bring women's issues to the fore front of the male-driven rock scene. These were women who were talking about things that women (particularly young women) experienced but using the musical language of men.

The riot grrrls became movement leaders that then either wanted to or were forced to make more hardline political stances. As with most politically-driven things, the language and actions of the participants became cursory and dismissive of those not in agreement. As they marginalized more and more people, they became more insular, and the musical movement withered. They soon were simply a faddish footnote in musical history.

To say that Wild Flag is Riot Grrrls Reborn (even in a laudatory tone) seems to me to be innately patrician and ultimately dismissive of some fine musical work and accomplishments that this new group has. They transcend being a musical footnote and create some pretty rockin' music. To Brownstein, Weiss, Timony and Cole, it's the music that matters; as they say in "Romance":

We love the sound
The sound is what found us
The sound is the blood between me and you

If you look at the all of the songs from the album lyrically, there is little that could be said to be gender driven. Sure there are some feminine overtones and emotional connections that speak more squarely from a female perspective, but 95% of this material could be performed by men and no one would think twice.

But it's not performed by men, it's performed by women. "Enlightened", post-gender critics refuse to point out the musical roots of these women; and other than giving their first names won't point out that they are even women. The greatest thing about this band (and in turn this album) is that they are women. There's a depth to the entire work because they are who they are: women who rock. And not just rock, but in-your-face, turn-it-up-to-11 ROCK.

This has become of vital importance to me as The Kid enters the age where gender starts to really matter. I've said numerous times that she and I have been in a "pop princess" music funk this spring and summer. Brittney, Rhianna, Gaga and Ke$ha have been the musical mainstays at The Homefront. We've had a little Avril Lavigne as well. These are all well and fine--oftentimes even very good. But most of these pop sounds are contrived confections filtered through the traditional/corporate masculine views of gender and sexuality.

She needs to see that music created and performed by women can be self-defined, genuine, rock and rock hard. Granted she's not that into rock at this point, but I can see it coming--like puberty. When it does, I'm glad that I will have this album to point to and say, "Yes, dear. Please rock."

Playlist Potential for Wild Flag's Wild Flag--DOWNLOAD NOW

DVR Monday--The New Fall Season's First Lap

2011-09-19T16:12:00.001-04:00

Last week, more than a handful of the new fall television shows premiered (mostly on The CW) trying to get a headstart on the television onslaught that is this week. This week over a dozen new shows are premiering, and more than that are returning to air new episodes. It's more than a person can take. So, I'm here to separate the wheat from the chaff a bit.

Of the new shows last week sampled last week, I definitely liked Up All Night, though it has a really bad time slot for me. I liked Ringer well enough; Sarah Michelle Gellar is still quite the talented and fetching young woman. The Secret Circle was okay, and was in fact very similar to The Vampire Diaries while having some inverse talent issues. Free Agents is the biggest stumper for me: I liked the on screen talent, and saw a little promise in the show, but the execution left a lot to be desired.

So "What's New" and "What's Back" this week?

Monday, September 19
Dancing With the Stars, 8:00 on ABC
Not my bag, but I know lots of people like it.

How I Met Your Mother, 8:00 & 8:30 on CBS
So we know it's Barney's wedding, but we don't know who the bride is. Robin? Let's hope so.

The Sing Off, 8:00 on NBC
Once NBC's December music tradition, in the wake of the success of The Voice, The Sing Off returns for a full season of acapella group singing shenanigans. Not my bag, but I'd rather watch two episodes of this than one episode of Dancing With the Stars.

Two and a Half Men, 9:00 on CBS

One of television's biggest risks gets a chance to strut it's stuff tonight. Lots of questions need to be answered? Can a show built around Charlie Sheen survive without Charlie Sheen? Will Ashton Kutcher be more bankable on television than he ever was in the movies? Can a show centered on broad, sexually-based humor have a funny episode about the funeral of a once beloved character? All I know is that for the first time ever, I have set a season pass for the show.

2 Broke Girls, 9:30 on CBS

One of the best reviewed of the new comedy series, 2 Broke Girls stars Kat Dennings (Infinite Playlist, Thor) and Beth Behrs (essentially making her debut here) as two young but very different women trying to make it in the big city. The show is really two shows in one: a workplace comedy and a "hip", distaff Odd Couple reworking. I like both women and their relationship stuff; that's a very good show. The workplace comedy, however, is hackneyed, and borders on offensive. This is from Michael Patrick King (Sex and the City) and Whitney Cummings (she of Whitney, later this week). I was hoping for more, but not ready to give up yet. The women are really, really good.
Season Pass Setting: Already Set, But Will Examine After 3 Episodes.

Castle, 10:00 on ABC
Castle is like warm comfort food, you can drop in at any time and have a satisfying little moment. I should follow this one a lot more closely but don't. I have the utmost respect for the talents of the charming Nathan Fillion--I even picked him for Emmy nominee wish list.

Hawaii 5-0, 10:00 on CBS
Haven't been able to watch more than one episode.

The Playboy Club, 10:00 on NBC

It so wants to not be compared to Mad Men, but it sets itself in the same time period, has the same director, and is modelling its male lead after Don Draper. The pilot is stylishly shot and breathtaking to watch. The storyline is both a little trite and overly ambitious; it would be better served, I fear, by trying not to speak towards female empowerment. Especially when a huge plot line is centered around your female lead need to be protected after killing a man with her high heel. The Playboy Club is like an issue of Playboy magazine: glossy, airbrushed with just a hint of sensuality. However, if you came to just read the articles, look elsewhere.
Season Pass Setting: No Pass Set--Manually Recording 2 Episodes.

Tuesday, September 20
Glee, 8:00 on FOX
Well, I wonder how long it will be before I delete this Season Pass.

NCIS, 8:00 on CBS
The number one rated drama is back, and lots of people who aren't me care a lot.

New Girl, 9:00 on FOX

If you like what Zoey Deschanel is selling, you will love this show. She is as charming, precious and delightful as you can imagine. If you are looking for some interesting dynamics between her and the men on the show, there is some great play between her and Daman Wayans, Jr. Unfortunately, he won't be in more than the first episode as he has a commitment to Happy Endings (a much more balanced and way funnier show). I was surprised to hear that when Happy Endings was picked up for a second season that the New Girl producers didn't re-shoot the pilot with the new actor. After seeing the pilot, I quickly realized it's because Wayans is one of the best things about the pilot. His cursory bombast is a perfect counterpoint to Deschanel's waifish charm. I like Deschanel well enough to stick around.
Season Pass Setting: Set It Up

NCIS: LA, 9:00 on CBS
Part II of why I don't watch much CBS is on immediately following Part I.

Raising Hope, 9:30 on FOX
I waned on this show as last season wore on. But Hope springs eternal (**sorry**). I'm wishing a careful examination of what worked and what didn't last season will give us a leaner show focused on the family I care about and not another coy look at the lower class life (a la My Name is Earl).

Unforgettable, 10:00 on CBS

Poppy Montgomery, hot Australian, is back on CBS playing a woman who remembers every minute of her life. I laughed when I heard about this show, especially when it was originally called The Rememberer. A title that I still like to whisper: The Rememberer. But the clips of this look pretty good. And I love Poppy Montgomery. We shall see.
Season Pass Setting: No Pass Set--Manually Recording 1 Episode

Body of Proof, 10:00 on ABC
Oh, Dana Delaney. You were always my favorite rhyme in the Animaniacs theme song.

Wednesday, September 21
The Middle, 8:00 on ABC**
ABC's most underrated comedy is back with two episodes tonight.

Up All Night, 8:00 on NBC
Actual Time Slot Premiere. Oh, why couldn't this be on Thursday nights instead of Whitney?

The X-Factor, 8:00 on FOX

Okay, so we know American Idol can survive without Simon. But can Simon survive without American Idol? My guess is yes. All of the promos for this show make it look to be a visual carbon copy of AI, even though there are some semantical differences. Aren't all these singing shows really the same? There has to come a point where we as Americans say, "Enough." With The Sing Off and The X-Factor this fall and The Voice and American Idol this winter, something's gotta give. I will be surprised if it's Simon, though.... Another two hour episode airs tomorrow night.
Season Pass Setting: Not Setting It

Modern Family, 9:00 on ABC
ABC's highest rated comedy is back with two episodes tonight.

Harry's Law, 9:00 on NBC
This show should be right up my alley, but it's not.

CSI, 10:00 on CBS
Ted Danson takes the place of the departed Laurence Fishburne. It's almost enough to bring me back to the fold. Almost.

Law & Order: SVU, 10:00 on NBC
Christopher Meloni is out, and with no farewell episode planned, I understand. Mariska Hargitay must soldier on with the Wonder Twins in tow.

Revenge, 10:00 on ABC

This was easily one of my most anticipated dramas for the fall. I like Emily Van Camp. I like the idea of taking the Count of Monte Cristo and updating it for the 21st century Hamptons set. It looks lush. And Americans always want to watch rich people pay. But this show has gotten no critical buzz whatsoever. And I have long questioned the ability of this show to run for multiple seasons. We shall see.
Season Pass Setting: Already Set, But Will Examine After 2 Episodes.

Thursday, September 22

The Big Bang Theory, 8:00 on CBS
Two episodes air tonight, hopefully featuring Sheldon and the delightful women Amy Farah Fowler, Bernadette and Penny.

Charlie's Angels, 8:00 on ABC

This is not facetious. I think what America needs right now is a simple, syrupy, sexy show that is fun. There needs to be disguises, explosions, car chases and just a hint of danger that can never and will never be real. I hope that Charlie's Angels is it. I want it to be it. I'm afraid it's not it. Maybe it's Pan Am. ABC is hoping it's one of these two shows.
Season Pass Setting: Already Set, but Will Examine After 3 Episodes.

Community, 8:00 on NBC
TV's most absurd, yet surprisingly heartfelt, comedy returns. The producers have promised more realistic stories and less parodies. God, I hope they're teasing us.

Parks & Recreation, 8:30 on NBC
TV's best comedy (Emmy Awards be damned) returns. Will Leslie Knope run for mayor? Let's hope so--that way she can overturn the rule about fraternization between city employees. And then she and Ben can make cute officially.

The Office, 9:00 on NBC
James Spader seems to have gotten Michael Scott's job, but rumor has it he is moving to corporate pretty quickly and someone else will run the Scranton branch.

Person of Interest, 9:00 on CBS

J.J. Abrams has two new shows that he is producing appearing on network television this season. Alcatraz will appear on FOX early in 2012, but Person of Interest gets a prime spot on CBS this fall. It looks to be the more commercial of the two properties. Essentially, Michael Emerson plays the intellectual/obsessive side of Bruce Wayne/Batman, while Jim Caviezel plays the physical side. Emerson has developed a computer system that tells him that such and such a person will be a person of interest in an upcoming event. The person could be the perpetrator or victim or even witness. Caviezel does the ground work while Emerson plots. It's The Equalizer on steroids and has a certain amount of promise.
Season Pass Setting: Set It Up

Grey's Anatomy, 9:00 on ABC
2 hour premiere of ABC's resurgent soap. But it may be too late. Audiences keep running away from the show.

Whitney, 9:30 on NBC

I get why people want to be in business with Whitney Cummings; she has this show and 2 Broke Girls that she co-created on CBS. She is an attractive, genuinely funny woman who is both caustic and winning, and that's not an easy thing to pull off. She has a skill set which should be utilized fully. Whitney, however, doesn't look to be the show to utilize her fully. Yes there are some funny moments, but they are few and far between. My hope is that now that the show is up and running that there will be a meeting of minds that elevates the material to her. It possible, I just don't know how probable.
Season Pass Setting: No Pass Set--Manually Recording 3 Episodes.

Prime Suspect, 10:00 on NBC

I love Maria Bello. I love the original Prime Suspect from the BBC. The one thing my portfolio of shows is missing right now (since The Closer is on hiatus until winter) is a good crime procedural. I hope that this is it. The pilot has a lot of sexual politics at play within the police squad, but that is being toned down. I'm not sure that's a good idea. It gives the pilot focus and energy, and holds the promise of an achievable goal, which can be played out with different characters to different degrees. I hope that the show finds something as equally compelling to hang its hat on.
Season Pass Setting: Set It Up.

The Mentalist, 10:00 on CBS
Jane shot and killed Red John last year. The show's supposed to be over now, right?

Friday, September 23
A Gifted Man, 8:00 on CBS

Hand down this is the best cast of any new fall series. Patrick Wilson (Watchmen, Little Children) is a serious actor who knows the difference between over and understated. Jennifer Ehle (The King's Speech) is an accomplished British actress looking to make her big break in the States; I saw her a decade ago on Broadway and she is a mesmerizing performer who commits fully. Margo Martindale (Justified) just won an Emmy for a performance that was better than all the men and women who were nominated in any category. Julie Benz (Dexter) is also recurring on the show. I trust these actors to make smart decisions. So why does this feel like a Ghost Whisperer retread?
Season Pass Setting: Already Set but Will Examine in 2 Episodes.

Fringe, 9:00 on FOX
What? Peter never existed?!? But what about all those cases he was instrumental in solving the last three years. Methinks there's trouble afoot soon.

Supernatural, 9:00 on The CW
Cass is now the big man upstairs. Can this please mean that we will be done with wars and angels forever? No? All right, you win. For now.

CSI: New York, 9:00 on CBS
I got nothing.

Blue Bloods, 10:00 on CBS
I thought this show had real promise once. I'll check back in when the new season calms down, but other than a winning cast there wasn't much that kept me involved.

Sunday, September 25
The Amazing Race, 8:00 on CBS
The Race returns fresh off taking the Emmy crown for the 8th time. Here's to hoping for a rousing season filled with interesting people we don't already know.

The Simpsons, 8:00 on FOX
Bart and Co. start their 23rd season. People who weren't even born when this show first premiered now could have kids old enough to watch it.

Boardwalk Empire, 9:00 on HBO
I like me some prohibition drama. I especially like me some Kelly MacDonald, Dabney Coleman and Steve Buscemi.

The Good Wife, 9:00 on CBS
Yay! The Good Wife! Everyone who likes quality television programming should be watching this rather than...

Desperate Housewives, 9:00 on ABC
It's their last season. I know I will come back to it, but it will probably be OnDemand.

Pan Am, 10:00 on ABC

Okay, I am positive what we as American television viewers need is some harmless eye candy, where we can check out and rest assured that no one is really going to get hurt and it's all going to be all right in less than an hour. ABC has two shows trying to do that this fall Charlie's Angels and Pan Am. Pan Am looks to be the stronger of the two. Lushly shot, with mesmerizing period details, the show looks gorgeous. And the women are beautiful and fun. I even like the idea of the Stews being secret spies, a plot point which producers have promised will be toned down to excised entirely. Hrmm.
Season Pass Setting: Set It Up

CSI: Miami, 10:00 on CBS
I got less than nothing. Though I love it that this is the most parodied of the CSI franchise. My favorite: CSiCarly from Mad TV.

And for those keeping score.....

New Show Season Pass Settings
Set It Up (Looks good; I don't plan on missing it.)
Up All Night
New Girl
Person of Interest
Prime Suspect
Pan Am

Pass is Set, will Examine After (3, 2 or 1) Episodes (Something interesting here, but I have concerns)
2 Broke Girls (3)
Ringer (3)
The Secret Circle (3)
Charlie's Angels (3)
Revenge (2)
A Gifted Man (2)

No Pass Set--Manually Recording (3, 2 or 1) Episodes (Shows little promise, but could become viable)
Whitney (3)
Free Agents (3)
The Playboy Club (2)
Unforgettable (1)

Not Setting It (May follow later, but doubtful)
The X Factor

2011 Emmy Awards--The Live Blog

2011-09-18T20:02:00.024-04:00

Welcome to the 63rd Emmy Awards, and my live blog. Who are the winners? What were the bits that worked? What didn't? What were my reactions?

Read on and find out....

The Jane Lynch opening number works pretty well. I love the President of Television (so much for Nimoy's "retirement"), and the bit with boys from The Big Bang Theory. And wait, is that Ron "Effing" Swanson?

It is.

And the Mad Men bit was great. The Sue Sylvester bit didn't.

"There's no place like TV!" Indeed.

"There's Betty White. She's the reason we start the show at 5 pm." The Emmy Tones. Uhhh.

Clips already? And those that relate to nothing else? Awesome.

Not.

Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy. The Fallon and Kimmel physical bit was a bit much. Though I did like the note prop and the words. Tee hee. And the winner is....Julie Bowen. Wait, what? That's awesome. I've never been so glad to be wrong about a choice. I have been a fan of hers since Ed and think she is so underrated. Hooray for her. She was appropriately humbled and verklemt.

And now we go DVR delayed, as The Kid refuses to do her homework. She keeps getting distracted by the show. So we are pausing and quizzing southern states and capitals.

And we're back. We'll catch up during commercials.

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy. Come on Ty Burrell. Let both Dunfees win. Yay. He won. I love Ed O'Neill and how happy he is for Ty. Phil Dunfee is a great character, made only better by Burrell's performance. Burrell's speech is touching and warm, but perhaps he shouldn't write bits. The make-up thing bugs. Though the pay-off was almost worth it.

Lynch handles defeat well, which is no surprise. The Gervais taped bit works pretty well. We seem to get one of those every year, and it was nice to tie it into an event from seven months ago. Modern Family wins directing, taking it away from the "sure thing"--the live episode of 30 Rock. Nothing will stop Family from winning Best Comedy now.

I'm hoping Louie can pull off the Comedy Writing win. But it can't. Modern Family wins for writing, as well. The take from Levitan's wife was worth the win away from Louie. Perhaps she can get her own show now.

"Welcome back to the Modern Family awards." Charlie Sheen?!?!? He looks well. And is magnanimous.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. Carrell. Carrell. Carrell. What? Jim Parsons is great, but now Carrell never gets an award for Michael Scott. This is like when James Spader got the Best Actor in a drama instead of James Gandolfini. This is so disappointing.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. Ah--accent jokes. God, I love Amy Poehler. Was all the leads taking the stage a planned bit? Poehler needs to win this one. Come on, Academy. And they get a standing O. I love it. Okay, so obviously a bit, but Melissa McCarthy's shock (and mine) are genuine. This is an awesome moment. Not my pick in the least, but I am so glad for her and the show, but especially her. "Holy smokes!"

We've finally caught up live, and having to sit though a Contagion commercial, which looks like the scariest movie, ever. We just added a Mike & Molly season pass because of McCarthy's win as a Best Actress. I do love Jesse visiting The Office, and the guy from Game of Thrones. The best part about he Emmy Tones--Colbie Smulders new hairdo. And another retrospective clip package. Hooray. Though the Deadliest Catch clip made me well up.

Jane Lynch's Gay Agenda: nice, especially changing the oil in her pick-up herself. Reality Comeptition Show. And Amazing Race wins again. Who is the snarky guy who is talking when they are taking the stage? Did I miss his introduction during an FF blitz?

Writing for a Variety Series. I love the writing team bits for Variety shows. They're always so funny. The Daily Show had the funniest bit, and they win the award. It's well deserved. And the acceptance speech was funny as well; thought the Stewart shenanigans in the background were annoying.

I love that the promos for The New Girl features Daman Wayans, Jr. the most of all the men. He's the best male in the show and will only be in the pilot. He's going back to Happy Endings. A much better show.

Lonely Island is doing a medley of their songs that doesn't sound like a medley, but just different verses of the same song. Boys better be careful of Lorne Michaels will make them perform live as well. That was bizarre.

Don Roy King wins Directing for a Variety Show. He wins this award a lot. He's sweet. The Daily Show wins again for Best Variety Series. Love Jimmy Fallon's slow claps. I'm going to make a concerted effort to watch Fallon's show more regularly. Stewart makes a humbled speech. That's nice.

I'm digging the very hip play out to commercial music. We just got a bit of Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. That's really cool. They're awesome artists that deserve a lot more recognition. Check them out. You'll like it.

Yay, a drama retrospective. Lynch doesn't seem as comfortable in the hosting shoes as I thought she would be. I thought it

Writing for a Drama Series. This should go to Matthew Weiner for "The Suitcase" episode of Mad Men. And Jason Katims wins for the finale of Friday Night Lights!!!! That's so fucking awesome. Could they possibly pull out a Best Drama win? Anything is possible now. Clear eyes. Full Hearts. Can't lose. Indeed.

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Margo Martindale wins for Justified. It's absolutely one of the best performances ever filmed for television. These are two great wins in a row. I think anything is possible now. She is overwhelmed and I love it. I'm so glad about this. I must admit I'm a little weepy. Catch up on Justified at your first chance. She and the show are truly great.

Now "Pumped Up Kicks" as play out. Oh Emmy producers trying to be so cool. I dig you.

I'm doing pretty poorly in my predictions, but it's all good. There have been plenty of shocks this evening, but I think that it all stems from the buzz-o-sphere in Hollywood. McCarthy wins Best Comedy Actress partly because of her performance in Bridesmaids (though I have no hesitation in stating that she's the best part of Mike & Molly). Friday Night Light wins writing for a drama because of a beloved show is closing up shop, not because it was the best written episode (Friday Night Lights had many other better written episodes this season; and Weiner's Mad Men script is genius). It would follow that Carrell should have won for Best Comedy Actor. I'm still stumped by that one.

Directing for a Drama Series. How can Martin Scorsese not win this? And he can't. It's a beautifully shot and edited episode of television. This was the most forgone conclusion of the night, but it's still deserved.

I love Kerry Washington. She is so freaking hot. I may have to watch her new show on ABC this winter. Best Supporting Actor in a Drama. Tough category. I'm happy for any of them to win, except for Josh Charles. He's my least favorite part of The Good Wife, but I think it has more to do with his character than his acting. And the Emmy goes to....Peter Dinklage for Game of Thrones. He's an amazing performer in an amazing show; the role in the original novels was written with him in mind. If this win makes any of you to check out this terrific show, you won't be disappointed. Perhaps a bit confused, but not disappointed.

Taped Lynch bit on New Jersey is too much, but Lynch still sells it. I especially love the cheese puff blusher and the cheese grater nail file.

Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series. I'm rooting for Julianna Margulies, but would be thrilled with Connie Britton especially. And Margulies wins. So not only is she the funniest woman on tv (look it up), but the best drama actress. Damn straight. And she owes it all to the writers. Perhaps not. She's a little too put together, though I love the honest catch in her voice. She is a class act.

Only to be followed immediately by Charlie's Angels old and new.

Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Kyle Chandler frickin' wins. That is so amazing. He's an actor that can do more with chin movement than he could in a two page monologue. I never would have thought it possible. I am blown away, and beyond excited. He's freaking Coach!!!!! I love the love for FNL. Could they pull the upset of the year and win Best Drama series? It's looking more and more likely. Though, I think it may be an anti-Matt Weiner reaction (Jon Hamm--the odds on favorite here--is on Weiner's Mad Men) which bodes very well for The Good Wife winning Best Drama Series.

I don't know what's going to happen next, except awards for television movies or mini series (expect Mildred Pierce and Downtown Abbey to clean up), but this evening has been full of upsets. The one I still cannot wrap my head around is Jim Parsons over Steve Carrell for The Office. I love Parsons and his performance is stellar, but Steve Carrell's has been for eight years. Eight years.

Movies and Miniseries is my nap time. I was going to switch over and start watching tonight's brand new episode of Breaking Bad, but I knew I would miss the big awards later. Because I would be so sucked in. Breaking Bad is so good, y'all.

"You know, many people are very curious why I am a lesbian. Ladies and gentlemen, the cast of Entourage." Comedy gold. Unlike Jeremy Piven's bits/delivery. Downtown Abbey wins for Writing. Downtown Abbey's Maggie Smith wins Best Supporting Actress.

Accountants. The only thing better is Paula Abdul being a part of lame accountant bit. Amy Poehler and Melissa McCarthy have a great bit about men's roles and how it was really a speciall year for them.. Best Actor in a Movie or Miniseries goes to Barry Pepper for The Kennedys. Best Director goes to Brian Percival for Downtown Abbey. And his mic doesn't work or he can't project.

And the In Memoriam package. I don't know how I feel about these being accompanied to live performances. The Oscars did it earlier this year, and it feels a little skeevy. The rolling fog doesn't help. I made it through the whole thing without misting over, which isn't that unusual, being a soulless bastard and all.

Best Supporting Actor in a Movie or Miniseries: Guy Pierce for Mildred Pierce. Pierce gives a funny and earnest speech. Best Actress: Kate Winslet for Mildred Pierce. She's super excited and ready to fall out of her dress.

The Actor Circle of Life thing was Lynch at her best all evening. She seems' to have relaxed finally, which is good since there are only "15" minutes left. Downtown Abbey wins Best Movie or Miniseries. Let's get it on. I'm happy for Julian Fellowes and the whole crew, but I am give or take on that Masterpiece Theatre thing. Give me more Sherlock and take more Downtown Abbey.

Best Drama Series. Good Wife. FNL. Mad Men. And Mad Men wins, and they sat Weiner in the back. Will he be humble? He's pretty humble. I think he genuinely thought it wasn't going to happen after he lost Best Writing. I didn't either. I am most sad The Good Wife didn't win. I would be remiss if i didn't say that it will be on Sunday nights, starting next week at 9:00 on CBS.

Best Comedy Series. Parks and Recreation, please? But it's Modern Family's night and they win. I hope that they will not be resting on their laurels, but will fix the minute problems they had last season. We and they deserve to be the best comedy on television, and they can be and have been. I love Levitan thrwing some love to the kids in the cast. They are the unsung treasures of the show.

And the show ends on time. I am shocked. It was a lean and mean telecast with lots of surprises, and so few of them undeserving. Lynch got better as the night went on. She was most successful in the taped bits, when she had a character to play. I understand that. Actors are notorious for not being able to be themselves and thinking that giving speeches to be a certain death knell. As she got more comfortable with the format, her jokes about the absurdity of it all got more relaxed and started to connect more and more.

If the intent of the Emmy's was to get me to watch some of the new shows starting this month, then it succeeded; I will be checking Mike & Molly out in earnest.

In fact I will be highlighting more of the new shows in tomorrow's DVR Guide, but now I gotta go watch Breaking Bad.

2011 Emmy Predicitions

2011-09-18T12:46:00.001-04:00

Tonight's Emmy night, and i have been working on this post for it seems like 3 months now. I'm glad to get my official predictions finally up and out there. I do plan on live blogging the Emmy's tonight. They air at 8:00 on FOX. See you there.

So what do I think will win some of the top awards?

Best Comedy

30 Rock

Glee

Modern Family--WILL win

Parks and Recreation--SHOULD win

The Big Bang Theory

The Office

My love for Parks and Recreation knows almost no bounds, and I would hope that it was the victor here. However, Modern Family is loved by millions and is funny in its own right. They will win the night. There could be a surprise winner in The Big Bang Theory, and if that were the case, I'd be more disappointed that Parks and Rec didn't win.

Best Actor in a Comedy

Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

Steve Carrell, The Office--SHOULD win and WILL win

Louis C.K., Louie

Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory

Matt Leblanc, Episodes

Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

Steve Carrell has created in Michael Scott on of the greatest characters of the early part of this century. It's a travesty that he has never won an Emmy for this role. The work in "Goodbye, Michael" was as fine a performance as the man has ever done and far outpaces all of his competition--both nominated and not. He took all of the different Michael Scott's we have seen over the last eight year, and married them into one sympathetic and funny performance. Alec Baldwin and Jim Parsons come very close, and could pull out an upset, but that would break my heart.

Best Actress in a Comedy

Tina Fey, 30 Rock

Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie

Laura Linney, The Big C

Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly

Martha Plimpton, Raising Hope

Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation--SHOULD win and WILL win

Amy Poehler should win, but there isn't enough love towards the show for it to merit nominations in other categories (most notably in Supporting Actor), so I fear I will have to settle for someone else. Of the other five Laura Linney, Tina Fey and Edie Falco have the best shots. I see one of two thing happening. Falco and Linney cancel each other out (which happens far more often for actresses from the same show, not same network), leaving a path for Poelhler to win. Huzzah! Or Linney wins because her show's about cancer, and she's the best part of it. I say the first one will happen and Poehler walks away with the gold.

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy

Ty Burrell, Modern Family--SHOULD win

Chris Colfer, Glee--WILL win

Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men

Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family

Ed O'Neill, Modern Family

Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family

The fact that Nick Offerman isn't nominated in this category for the finest comic work on television (Parks and Rec's Ron Swanson), proves how backward thinking many Emmy voters are. I could see scenarios where all of these men could win. I think the most probable is that Chris Colfer wins for Glee. His storyline was the only one that worked this year even though he did nothing funny. If comedic sensibilities win out, then the award has to go to Ty Burrell as the dopiest and most dope father on network television. But Colfer wins.

Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy

Julie Bowen, Modern Family

Jane Lynch, Glee

Betty White, Hot in Cleveland--WILL win

Kristen Wiig, SNL

Sofia Vergara, Modern Family--SHOULD win

Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock

This is a tougher category to call. I would like to think Sofia Vergara will win, because she gives such a warm and winning performance. Julie Bowen and Vegara may cancel each other out. Jane Lynch won last year, and Emmy voters like to go with what they know. Kristen Wiig could win because she was in Bridesmaids this summer and is now a movie star, but I'd like to think they voters aren't quite that shallow. Jane Krakowski is very funny in very small doses on 30 Rock, but she is clearly the dark horse candidate here. That leaves Betty White. While I assume there will be some Betty White Backlash coming, I don't think it's hit yet. When White wins on Sunday, then it will start.

Best Drama

Boardwalk Empire
Dexter
Friday Night Lights

Game of Thrones
Mad Men

The Good Wife--SHOULD win and WILL win

Mad Men could win again. It's a superb show and "The Suitcase" is one of the finest hours of commercial television ever produced. So, if you consider just a single episode of a show, it is the best show period. But I like to look at the body of work, and Mad Men had its most uneven season thus far. There were two nominated shows that I thought hit it out of the parks every time they were at bat: The Good Wife and The Game of Thrones. The Good Wife and Friday Night Lights are the only broadcast network shows, and I have to think at sometime the broadcast networks will want to see one of their win this category, and therefore The Good Wife wins. It is a very deserving show in its own right, in fact its the want I want to win, so I will not be disappointed in the least when The Good Wife is victorious.

Best Actor in a Drama

Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire

Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights

Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Jon Hamm, Mad Men--SHOULD win and WILL win

Hugh Laurie, House
Timothy Olyphant, Justified

Much like Stave Carrell in the Best Actor in a Comedy category, Jon Hamm has never won an Emmy for his work as Don Draper. It's past time. Often he has to compete against Bryan Cranston from Breaking Bad. As Breaking Bad didn't air during the eligibility period, Cranston and the show cannot be nominated. Hugh Laurie has never won, either, but there will still be one more year for him to do so, and Hamm's work in "The Suitcase" was stunning. Steve Buscemi could be the spoiler here, his work in the final episode of the first season was inspiring. But Nucky is no Don Draper.

Best Actress in a Drama

Kathy Bates, Harry's Law
Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights

Mirielle Enos, The Killing

Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife--SHOULD win and WILL win

Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: SVU
Elizabeth Moss, Mad Men

It's a two-way race between Elizabeth Moss and Julianna Margulies. I feel that Moss is a very fine supporting actress, but Margulies does some of the best acting work anywhere. She is so carefully composed in every minute that when those inevitable cracks start to show, like they did this spring when she learned of the duplicitous nature of not only her husband but her best friend, she is awe-inspiring. There are possible spoilers here with Mirielle Enos and Kathy Bates. Enos's performance was a study of measured control, and that was highlighted in the episode where she had no control and went looking for her son. However, there has been so much Killing backlash, that I don't think she can overcome it. Bates may win because Emmy voters feel inferior to film; they want to reward the actor who "slums" in T.V. Bates is an Academy Award winning actress in a regular role; people will vote for her because they know the name. She could be the upset. I have to believe that talent wills out and Julianna Margulies walks away with the trophy.

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama

Alan Cumming, The Good Wife--SHOULD win

Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones--WILL win

Walton Goggins, Justified

John Slatterly, Mad Men

Andre Braugher, Men of a Certain Age

Josh Charles, The Good Wife

This is an embarrassment of riches. I would be pleased as punch if any of these men win. My preference would be for Alan Cummings to win, but I'm afraid Josh Charles will peel enough votes away from him to allow someone else to come to the fore. Walter Goggins and John Slatterly had a diminshed roles this season, but each was phenomenal in every scene he had. So that leaves Peter Dinklage and Andre Braugher. Both are often award nominees, Dinklage being nominated for the big show--Best actor Oscar for The Station Agent. Game of Thrones is an amazing show that lots of people watched. It was nominated for Best Drama, but doesn't stand a chance of winning. Men of a Certain Age was an amazing show that no one watched. Regretfully, this is it's only nomination, and its been cancelled. Peter Dinklage wins the Emmy.

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama
Michelle Forbes, The Killing
Margo Martindale, Justified--SHOULD win and WILL win
Kelly McDonald, Boardwalk Empire
Christine Baranski, The Good Wife
Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife
Christina Hendricks, Mad Men

I can't imagine that anyone could or should beat Margo Matindale's performance in Justified. Every moment of screen time was pitch perfect and wildly unpredictable. She conducted a master class in acting economy each week; she did so little that said so much it was inspiring. Mags Bennett will be one of the great television villains, because of her winning performance.

Best Variety Series
Conan
Saturday Night Live
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart--SHOULD win and WILL win
The Colbert Report
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Real Time with Bill Maher

The Daily Show can't be stopped, can it?

Best Reality Competition Series
Project Runway
Dancing with the Stars
So You Think You Can Dance
The Amazing Race
American Idol--WILL win
Top Chef--SHOULD win

Amazing Race and Top Chef (the only two shows to ever win this category) both produced All-Star seasons last year. Race's was pretty good, but had a lackluster victory. I was fine with it, but had hoped for different results. Top Chef had an appropriate win and great episodes, but it was so long. My God--I thought that season would never end. My heart tells me that Top Chef should win, but my head says that voters will finally honor American Idol that proved this year that it's not all about Simon. Sure, no one may remember who won (a kid I think), but the fact the show didn't implode will be more than enough to award American Idol it's first win.

Wednesday Comics: The New 52! Week 2

2011-09-15T23:59:00.005-04:00

DC Comics is into week 2 of their relaunch of 52 new comics. All of their old books have been cancelled, and every book is starting this month with a #1 issue. It's a great jumping on point for new readers or an easy way for a lapsed reader to return to the fold.

For the long-time and now apoplectic reader, there were gentle assurances that not everything you have read for the last thirty years was being thrown out the window. This week DC proves themselves right by releasing at least 5, and my guess is more like 6 or 7, books that rely on knowing what has transpired in last few years with these characters. The big screw up is that their four "top" books this week--Batman and Robin, Green Lantern, Batwoman and Red Lanterns--all read better with at least a passing knowledge of everything that has gone before. My point of reference is squarely in having this knowledge, so I wasn't lost, but my guess is that new readers would be.

How come Bruce Wayne has a son? Why is he a dick? Dick Grayson was Batman? Wait, what? Where was Bruce? Why is everybody freaked out Sinestro is a Green Lantern? Wasn't he a green Lantern in the movie this summer? What's the story of Alice and how come she affects Batwoman and her father so deeply? Where did the Red Lanterns come from? How many different colored rings are there? Can I get a whole set to match my outfits?

None of these questions are stupid ones, and when the answers are incorporated subtly, they will heighten the reading experience and engage the reader. Too often this week the written subtext was, "You wanna know? Go do the work and find out. I got other fish to fry."

Granted--first issues are tough; their very nature requires a lot of exposition. But each issue is going to be someone's first issue, and when comics lost sight of that, casual readership vanished. Looking back to last week's Animal Man, Action Comics and Batgirl, it's easy to see three different writers with three different levels of character baggage from before the reboot begin to tell a story that draws the reader in with appropriate amounts of character intrigue and exposition.

Alas, if only all writers could be Jeff Lemire, Grant Morrison and Gail Simone.

So what's what this week:

This Week's Batman Book: Batman and Robin

I like Peter Tomasai's writing, I really do. I think his Black Adam mini series from a few years back is an under-rated gem. He has the absolute best take on Dick Grayson (once Robin, next Nightwing, then Batman, now Nightwing again) of any writer since Marv Wolfman in The New Teen Titans heyday. I wish this book were the further adventures of the Grayson-Batman and the Damian Wayne-Robin, instead of the Bruce Wayne-Batman and the Damian-Robin. I didn't think I would miss Grayson in the role, but I do. I really, really do. Perhaps it's because the relationship of the Dick-Damian pairing so inverted the relationship the Bruce-Dick pairing, while keeping them the same.

This book is so mired in the past I would think it is somewhat unreadable to anyone who doesn't know Damian's convoluted backstory. It does do some things that I like, most notably pushing Bruce out of the past and getting him to focus on the future. And I love Damian Wayne. What comics needed a few years back was a self-important, 10 year old prick and Damian was just the boy for the job.

Thought Balloon on Batman and Robin: WAIT FOR THE DIGITAL PRICE DROP/TRADE

This Week's 2nd Tier Character Book: Green Lantern

Sigh. Batman and Robin takes the cake for storytelling this week that relies so heavily on what's gone before, but Green Lantern comes a close second. I like this book a lot. I have liked everything Geoff Johns has done with the Hal Jordan character, but this "first" issue is so mired in what has gone before that it weighs even me down.

Johns is a bright and capable writer that knows that he needs to attempt the basics here, and he does. He efficiently establishes the differences between his two protagonists and spends little time on anything else. There are other characters that come into play (notably the Guardians, Ganthet and Carol Ferris) but it is a Sinestro and Hal book and I can get behind that. But you can spend the entire book wondering what could get them to this point, as there is little indication of what has transpired and no promise of some earth-shattering reveal. Doug Mahnke's art is muscular and fitting for the off-world nature of this title. His is the scariest Sinestro--bar none.

Thought Balloon on Green Lantern: BUY IT IF YOU'RE A FAN

This Week's Sleeper Comic: Resurrection Man

I was very much on the fence with Resurrection Man, but I'm so glad I got it. Abnett and Lanning first created the character in the late 1990's, but it was a run I had little interest in at the time. Now, I'm seeing I may have really missed out. Nutshell: Mitch Shelly is a man that dies, and is resurrected within a short period of time with a new set of super powers. Sort of a Dial H for H-E-R-O for the emo-set, which is what I thought at the time of its first run. But this book is so much richer. I'm not digging a war between heaven and hell for Mitch's soul too much (a little to Supernatural for me), but I like the stakes being high. I also just like Mitch. The new DC Universe is really focusing on the darker edges of their universe (Animal Man, Swamp Thing, Frankenstein, Justice League Dark) and Resurrection Man is a now welcome addition to the edge series.

Thought Balloon on Resurrection Man: BUY THIS BOOK NOW

This Week's Edge Book: Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E.

This was the single book in The New 52! that I was most excited for. I loved Grant Morrison's re-introduction of the character in his mega-series Seven Soldiers of Victory awhile back. I actually searched out his guest appearances. There was something primal about his hulking mass on a mission (a sort of begrudging irresistible force) that made me smile. And The Bride (his four-armed "wife") was even cooler; sort of like Hawkwoman to Hawkman. When they announced that Frank was goign to star in a flashpoint tie-in mini series, I was thrilled, and then came the announcement of a new ongoing series, and I was over the moon.

I'm glad to say the book doesn't disappoint. We are dropped in a little en media res, but there are plenty of "subtle" exposition hooks to make it seem relatively painless. It helps that Frank will be leading a new team of Creature Commandos, including a werewolf, a vampire, a fish woman and a mummy, on adventures involving the other monsters of the DCU. It's like the Groovy Ghoulies are out solving X-Files cases. It's just a mainline pump into the geek center of the brain. Huzzah!

Thought Balloon on Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E.: BUY THIS BOOK NOW

This Week's Batman Supporting Cast Book: Batwoman

I wish I could tell you that you should go ahead and download this book right now, but I can't. This book needs to be seen in hard form. You need to pore over the genius and beautiful art, with the natural ability to see both the details and the big picture at the same time. This doesn't work as well in the digital format. This book is visually stunning. If you haven't been able to tell, I come to comics for the stories, and the art is merely a plus. Batwoman is a visual feast--a collection of double page spreads with so many layers in panel layout, borders, overlays, panel composition and more. I can't praise the art enough. The story is weaker than it was when Greg Rucka was writing the character (seek and purchase Batwoman: Elegy, an amazing comic book), but J.H. Williams, who is both writing and doing the art, has such a strong foundation, I don't hesitate to recommend the book fully.

Thought Balloon on Batwoman: BUY THIS BOOK NOW

This Week's Off-Brand Book: Demon Knights

I'm not a big fantasy genre fan. Sure, I've done my time with The Hobbit, and enjoyed the Lord of the Ring Movies, but other than an occasional blip (DC Comics' Amethyst Princess of Gem World from 1983 or HBO's The Game of Thrones) I avoid fantasy stuff like the plague. I'm glad I was convinced to give this book a try; it's fun, a bit twisted and has quite a lot of promise. Set in a post-Arthurian England, this first issue is pretty much a getting the band together issue, but only if the band is filled with any number of rogues, and they don't really know each other, or probably even like each other. In a lot of ways this reminds me of my much loved and now much missed Secret Six.

Most of the core characters have a duplicitous nature at their core. The title character is The Demon, a medieval version of the Hulk, if you will. Instead of big green monster fueled by rage, Bruce Banner (or Jason Blood as he is called in the DC Universe) turns into a scaly, yellow demon from Hell. The Demon gets to talk and connive, breathe fire on folks and sleep with Blood's girlfriend, Madame Xanadu, and Blood never knows. Xanadu has some ulterior motive, but it is sketchy at best. The Shining Knight appears as a cocky young man, but is actually a girl in disguise. Vandal Savage is an immortal who has been a long standing villain in the DC Universe. Three new (?) characters appear to be a part of the group as well: Al Jabr, a mid-Eastern inventor (who gets two panels in issue one), Exoristos, an exile/runaway (?) Amazon from Wonder Woman's Paradise Island, and a mysterious, but talented female archer seen only in silhouette. This group of seven look to be driven together to battle the Questing Queen (perhaps a DC version of Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queen?) and dread sorcerer Mordru who has fought the Legion of Super Heroes and the Justice Society for decades.

While this particular issue is a bit by the numbers with the narrative pace slowed down by the constant introduction of new characters, there are some moments that really shine like the prologue that gives a little depth to Xanadu, some great quips in a tavern for Blood, Xanadu and Vandal, and Mordru and the Questing Queen's way of kissing babies on the campaign trail. Plus there's the promise of dinosaurs next issue. I'm so in.

Thought Balloon on Demon Knight: BUY THIS BOOK NOW

This Week's Young Hero Book: Legion Lost

At times incomprehensible, Legion Lost is an utter disappointment. I am a long time Legion fan, and Wildfire and Dawnstar are my favorite Legion "couple". I have very fond memories of the last series called Legion Lost (buy it instead), and one of my favorite Legion eras was the last time there was a group stuck in the 21st Century (post-Zero Hour, when they helped out with Final Night). I am so disappointed. I hope the adventures of the team in the 31st Century on sale next week live up to the pre-reboot standards.

Thought Balloon on Legion Lost: DON'T BOTHER

This Week's Superman Book: Superboy

I loved the Superboy from the 1950's (Clark Kent as a teen); he was the Superboy of my youth. I grew to love the Superboy from the 1990's (a genetic hybrid of Superman and Lex Luthor's DNA); Connor, as he came to be called, became one of the best character re-vamps Geoff Johns ever did. His feature in Adventure Comics and then his solo book under Jeff Lemire is one of the comic highlights of the last few years (right along with the Batwoman feature from Detective Comics). I hate the Superboy from the Young Justice cartoon (a clone of Superman); he's dark, moody and wears his outsider status on his sleeve. This book is taking that last version as it's template. It's mostly annoying and I have no time or money for such foolishness.

Thought Balloon on Superboy: DON'T BOTHER

This Week's 3rd Tier Character Book: Mister Terrific--Mister Terrific is the third smartest man in the world. Eric Wallace has written some interesting books in the past. This is on my pull list, but like last week's Men of War, I haven't gotten around to getting it yet.

This Week's KEWL Book: Suicide Squad--I can't even stomach the preview pages. This had no shot ever.

This Week's Wildstorm Book: Grifter--I'm trying to soften my "No Way" stance on the Wildstorm transfer books, I just can't bring myself to do it.

This Week's Retro Book (90's Edition): Deathstroke--Again I love him as an occasional villain, but not as a star of his own series.

This Week's Justice League Book: NONE--Wha?!?

This Week's Green Lantern Supporting Cast Book: Red Lantern--Oh, here's the big team book this week, about a bunch of angry people with red magic rings. They throw up blood--a lot. Never had a chance.

Next Week's Gotta Haves
Batman
Blue Beetle
DC Universe Presents
Legion of Super Heroes
Wonder Woman

Next Week's May Need to Buys
Green Lantern Corps
Nightwing
Supergirl

Next Week's No Thank Yous
Birds of Prey
Captain Atom
Catwoman
Red Hood and the Outlaws

And if you want to keep score...
Buy These Now
Action Comics
Animal Man
Batgirl
Batwoman
Demon Knights
Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E.
Resurrection Man
Swamp Thing

Buy These If You're a Fan
Green Lantern

Wait For the Digital Price Drop/Trade Paperback
Batman and Robin
Batwing
Detective Comics
Justice League International

Don't Bother
Green Arrow
Legion Lost
Superboy

No, Thank You                                   Awaiting Verdict
Deathstroke                                          Men of War
Grifter                                                  O.M.A.C
Red Lanterns                                        Static Shock
Stormwatch                                          Mister Terrific
Suicide Squad

Tune-In Tuesday: Pistol Annie's HELL ON HEELS

2011-09-13T09:46:00.005-04:00

I have been bemoaning the lack of great albums this summer. It seemed like most everything worth listening to was released before May. Well, there was one country album released in mid-August that is worth the download. In fact Pistol Annie's Hell on Heels has gotten frequent play since.

Pistol Annies is a country music "supergroup" featuring Nashville Star finalist and Blake Shelton spouse Miranda Lambert, singer/songwriter Ashley Monroe, and Kentucky newcomer Angaleena Presley. The three young women formed this past spring, and quickly recorded an album that is everything you would want out of country album especially if you aren't a country fan.

Hell on Heels is a delightful throwback to the musical sensibilities of the country albums of Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette while bringing the bad assitude and grit of a Waylon Jennings or Merle Haggard. I can't imagine that it is the first female outlaw country group, but it's got to be one of the best.

The songs run the gamut of up tempo boot stompers to plaintive ballads and making few mistakes. Title track "Hell on Heels" is Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made For Walking" if Nancy had done a few years' hard labor in Fulsom County. The song has an inherent, wanton slyness that's both sexy and frightening, which is of course their intent. It's ferociously cute, and I hate cute, but I love this song:

The Kid and I both really dig the very funny (both lyrically and musically) "Bad Example" which at first plays like a forgotten Patsy Cline B-side. The brilliance of the number is that it refuses to break it's very strict form, and it's repetition brings to mind bingo-playing grandmas nodding their heads, tapping their feet and singing along. They'd love the song almost as much as we do.

"The Housewife's Prayer" is simple and honest, and perhaps a tad over-produced, but it still haunts. "Lemon Drop" is pure Tammy Wynette for the 21st century. "Trailer for Rent" is the brilliantly stereotypical hang-dog country song but it relishes that classification and all that goes with it. "Takin' Pills": a Texas Two-Step concerned equally with gettin' by and gettin' high. "The Hunter's Wife": the funny and frank flipside to "Housewife's Prayer".

There are a few missteps. "Boys from the South" relies too heavily on earnestness and steel guitars and not enough on the sexualization of male eye candy. "Beige" is just that--beige, and mostly forgettable--though The Beloved finds it the prettiest ballad on the album, so what do I know. The songs also have this very peculiar tendency to just end. There's no fade out or typical high-end big ending; oftentimes it's anti-climatic and very odd.

But there's a humor here that is missing in most country music (I had thought that humor was getting a new lease on life with the Zach Brown Band, but their last album was somewhat of a disappointment.). And, sure, at times it's hard to get behind Mrs. Blake Shelton singing about the hard knocks of trailer life, but don't underestimate the genuineness of the trio's intents. They are worthy. The songs that they have written speak to the very real problems of our contemporary, rural society. They just sing them with a "Fuck You, Darlin'!" smirk.

Playlist Potential for Pistol Annies' Hell on Heels--DOWNLOAD NOW

DVR Monday--Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your DVR's

2011-09-13T00:46:00.000-04:00

It's that special time of the year. It feels sort of like Christmas Eve. The new television season starts this week, and I am beyond pumped.

While only a handful of new shows are starting, but for the most part they look like ones worth trying out. I'm going to have to do these updates weekly for bit as we get through the onslaught on new programming.

So what's new and what's worth looking out for and when do the old favorites start? Click on and find out.

Monday, September 12

Closer, 9:00 on TNT

Brenda Lee Johnson says her first of many goodbyes in this long farewell season (new episodes will be back this winter, and next summer, and perhaps next winter, too). The show has been a lot more hit and miss for this summer, with the most successful bits centering on the wrongful death lawsuit and Mary McDonnel's recurring guest appearances. I will be sad to see Sedgwick off on my television, but am glad that McDonnel is being groomed to replace her.

Tuesday, September 13

Ringer, 9:00 on the CW

Sarah Michelle Gellar returns to network television in this thriller about identical twins. Bridget, the "bad" twin, flees a murder trial and goes to her sister Siobhan, the "good" twin. Siobhan's friends and new family have no idea she has a twin. When Siobhan goes missing and is feared dead, Bridget subs for her, only to find out that Siobhan may not be as "good" as anyone thinks. I love Gellar. I love a good pot boiler. One of my most anticiapted network dramas of the fall. My expectations may be set a bit too high. Season Pass Setting: Pass Is Set, But Will Examine After 3 Episodes.

Parenthood, 10:00 on NBC

The Braverman clan returns for a Good Wife-free season three. Adam is out of a Job, and wife Christina is 7 months pregnant. Joel and Julia struggle with the adoption process. Crosby is still trying to get in Adam and Christina's good graces. Sarah struggles with a big birthday and Amber wanting to move out. Sounds like another great season of one of television's most underappreciated dramas.

Wednesday, September 14

Survivor, 8:00 on CBS

Jeff Probst returns for his 23rd season this time with Coach and Ozzy on board. Will it be a slightly boring shut out like Boston Rob's return was last season, or something more worthwhile like Heroes and Villains from two seasons ago. Only time will tell, but I do know Coach is always good for a few laughs and Ozzy plays an amazing physical game. So, the Homefront is in! Immediately following the 90-minute Survivor premiere will be the 90 minute season finale of Big Brother. Of the final three, if Rachel doesn't win, there is no justice. (Though that was one of the toughest sentences I have ever had to write.)

Up All Night, 10:00 on NBC

NBC's most promising new comedy gets a tryout at a special time after the season finale of America's Got Talent; program moves to its regular Wednesdays at 8:00 time slot next week. This is my most anticipated new comedy of the television season. Christina Applegate (Samantha Who, Married With Children) and Will Arnett (Arrested Development) star as new parents who struggle to be themselves and the parents they always thought they should be. Maya Rudolph (SNL, Bridesmaids) also stars as Applegate's Oprah-like talk show host boss. The show from Parks and Recreation scribe Emily Sppivey, has had a little retooling since it was announced last spring. That said, it will have to be pretty dreadful to get me to drop it. Season Pass Setting: Set It Up.

Free Agents, 10:30 on NBC

One of the worst reviewed of the new comedy pilots, but definitely not the worst, Free Agents stars Hank Azaria and Katharine Hahn as co-workers at a public relations firm who have secretly slept together. Based on the hit British sitcom, the premise seems thin, but the casting is pretty terrific. I can't rule it out yet, but am not giving it much of a chance especially once ABC starts its Wednesday line up next week: Season Pass Setting: No Pass Set--Manually Recording Two Episodes.

Thursday, September 15

Vampire Diaries, 8:00 on The CW

Oh, Elena and Damon and Stefan, I do like you and you have occasionally crossed my mind this summer--especially with the promise of Stefan being the "bad" brother in the early season. But alas, none of you hold a candle to my beloved Caroline. How in the world did the stereotypical dumb blonde victim become the emotional center of television's finest soap? Careful plotting allowing the character to dance on the line between sympathetic and pathetic, judicious use of the character allowing her and her story to slowly build over time, and a beautifully simple performance by Candace Accola who should have a much bigger career after this show ends, but alas probably will not.

The Secret Circle, 9:00 on The CW

The CW's big new show, The Secret Circle, is based on a novel series by L.J. Smith who also created the Vampire Diaries novels. It is produced by Kevin Williamson who also produces the Vampire Diaries television series. The show airs immediately following the Vampire Diaries on The CW. Sense a theme? I've got a logline: An orphaned high school girl, who feels ~~misunderstood~~ like an outcast, soon discovers that her small town is riddled with ~~vampires~~ witches. She quickly learns that she has ~~a mysterious connection with~~ powers like the ~~vampires~~ witches, and is ushered into the family ~~coven~~ by a profoundly deep and surprisingly hot young man. There may be more to him than meets the eye. I mock, but I also am impressed by how strong Vampire Diaries is. VD didn't have the strongest pilot, but it quickly found its footing and is now Must See TV. I have to give The Secret Circle a shot. Season Pass Setting: Pass Is Set, But Will Examine After 3 Episodes.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, 10:00 on FX

FX's first and, until Louie, best comedy returns for its seventh season. Mac is fat. Really, really fat. The gang will tackle the Jersey Shore, prostitution, children's beauty pageants and more. Not for the faint of heart or the humorless. Archer will run a few new episodes this fall as well (3, I think) immediately following Sunny.

Friday, September 16

Batman: The Brave and the Bold, 6:00 on Cartoon Network

TV's best animated super hero show returns for its final few episodes. It will be a while before we see a Batman this much fun again. The Kid and I will miss it. A lot.

Real Time with Bill Maher, 10:00 on HBO

I can't possibly agree with Maher on every point, but he has crafted the most intelligent and thoughtful talking heads show on cable. Every topic, no matter how big or how small, gets covered by as diverse a panel of guests as the liberal libertarian can muster. The neo-cons stay away, but even a Tea Partier or two have been on the show. It's hard to sit still while watching, but the nervous energy does help me clean the house late on a Friday night.

Sunday, September 18

The Emmy Awards, 8:00 on FOX

Who'll win? Who'll lose? What horrifyingly bad jokes will the powes that be force on the otherwise charming, funny and all around good sport Jane Lynch (Glee) who is hosting. All I know is I will make my predictions by Friday, and will live blog the whole messy affair on Sunday night.

Breaking Bad, 10:00 on AMC

What can I say about the greatest show on television right now that I haven't already? While I really enjoyed the secret origin of the Chicken Man a few weeks back, I was on the fence on Jesse and Walt's break-up this past week. On one side, this twist has been predictable for quite a while and in fact has been a long time coming, but the execution of the falling out was breathtaking, painful and powerful--like so much of this program. But I don't know how much I buy it. One of my favorite things about this show is that no earlier plot point is ever forgotten. Marie's kleptomania, the college friends Walt worked with before becoming a teacher, Jesse's recovery group and his original reasons for joining have all been brought back at one point or another this season. But the giant shoe still to drop, Walt's complicity in the death of Jane, the love of Jesse's life. The fact that Walt didn't bring that up in their brawl gives me reason to be that Walt and Jesse are setting up a rope-a-dope on Mike and Gus. Of course, I am undoubtedly wrong, but I won't mind for minute being so.

Wednesday Comics--Let the New DC Begin

2011-09-08T02:44:00.000-04:00

Today DC launched in earnest its new publishing initiative: The New 52! Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and all the rest have a brand new look, and in some cases a new outlook.

Some of the sporadic posting I have done this summer has been about this new take on some old classics. I had said I was going to wrap up my coverage with a quick look at all 52 books. Well, instead, I'm going to do some bullet reviews of the week's take and a preview of what's to come next week.

The best thing that DC is doing with this new initiative is making all of The New 52! available digitally the same day as they are in the shops. This means you can click any of the links embedded in this article and download the new issue right away. For the next month you pay the cover price. In four weeks, the price drops a dollar.

The links embedded below will take you to the Comic Book University digital store. Comic Book University is based in Greenwood, Indiana and is as clean, nice and professional a storefront as you could want to find. Rob, the dean/owner, is respectful of all customers, treating The Kid as if she knows what she's talking about. Even The Beloved is not afraid of going inside. If you want to buy floppy copies, and live in the area, check them out. They are well worth a drop in.

Last week, DC started off the new initiative with only one title, Justice League, created by two of their top talents: writer Geoff Johns and artist Jim Lee. This week, they flood the marketplace with 13 "new" titles launching with brand new first issues. The first wave of The New 52! runs the full gamut from long running flagships (Action Comics and Detective Comics) to quirky cult classic relaunches (Swamp Thing and Animal Man) to characters that have never had their own titles (the Barbara Gordon Batgirl and brand new Africa-based hero Batwing).

So what's what with the new books?

This Week's Superman Book: Action Comics

Superstar writer, Grant Morrison, who created one of the best Superman stories of all time with All-Star Superman, returns for an amazing victory lap with Action Comics. This book, set five years in the past, has a cocky, young Superman who is fed up with what he believes is a grievous justice system that favors the rich over the poor. This political stance is echoed even in his first costume: jeans, t-shirt, motorcycle boots and cape. This early Superman is a smart ass that feels pain, and is a throwback to the Superman who appeared in the first Action Comics #1 in 1933. Rags Morales provides the art and he absolutely serves the story by making it feel ultra-modern and retro at the same time. And for the first time in what seems like a decade Action Comics has a lot of Action, sure the centerpiece sequence is a mashup of "more powerful than a locomotive" and the superb subway train sequence from Spider-Man 2, but it works on so many levels.

I had to buy a floppy of this book, because I needed to hold an Action Comics #1 in my grubby hands, but I think of all the books I sampled this week, it may be best suited to the digital format. The action sequences jump off the page.

Thought Balloon on Action Comics: BUY THIS BOOK NOW

This Week's Batman Book: Detective Comics

Tony Daniels provides both the story and art on Detective Comics. And boy, the art is beautiful. Daniels draws a sleek and athletic Batman, and the craftsmanship and the visual storytelling is the strongest of the books this week. The writing is a little more hit and miss. While it certainly ends on a surprising note, that insures that I'll be back next month, the plot path to get there was muddled and the dialogue was wooden and a tad pot-boilerish. I know a story in Detective Comics should be shrouded in mystery, but it was a bit too occluded. Daniels was writing the plain old Batman book before the relaunch, and my concerns were the same then, but ultimately he always provided a good story.

Thought Balloon on Detective Comics: WAIT FOR THE DIGITAL PRICE DROP/TRADE

This Week's Sleeper Comic: Animal Man

Jeff Lemire (quickly becoming one of my favorite comic book writers) and Travel Foreman have created a book in Animal Man that defies description. It is at turns horrifying, yet remains so damn relatable. Perhaps I identify with Lemire's Buddy Baker and his quite happy and normal home life too closely because the shocks contained within this book were far more affective to me than those in Detective Comics. The art and story work together perhaps more cohesively than any of the other creative team. I can't wait to see the second issue.

Thought Balloon on Animal Man: BUY THIS BOOK NOW

This Week's 2nd Tier Character Book: Green Arrow

Sigh. Green Arrow may be one of my favorite DC characters. His liberal bias, his goatee, his Robin Hood costume. Stellar. But the best part of Green Arrow: his relationship with Black Canary. I love that stuff. This isn't that Green Arrow. It's more Hawkeye from Marvel. Which is fine, but it's not Green Arrow. Sigh. And I like JT Krul's writing. I really liked his Teen Titans before the re-launch. I did not like his Green Arrow.

Thought Balloon on Green Arrow: DON'T BOTHER

This Week's Edge Book: Swamp Thing

Scott Snyder, rising writing superstar, brings his American Vampire sensibilities to Swamp Thing. He takes a known and simple concept and finds the new hook that redefines the concept for the new material while illuminating the greatness of the original concept. He's a genius. And the art by Yanick Paquette here is unbelievable. It's just so strong. This is an impressive package, that will undoubtedly read beautifully in trade or hardback form. But I can't wait. The promise is just so good.

I especially loved reading this back to back with Animal Man. An exploration of The Green (DC's mumbo jumbo force that ties all plant life together) and The Red (the force that ties all animal life together) makes for a trippy afternoon.

Thought Balloon on Swamp Thing: BUY THIS BOOK NOW

This Week's Supporting Batman Cast Book: Batgirl

Gail Simone writes and relative newcomer Adrian Syaf provides the pencils for Barbara Gordon's first solo title ever. Barbara was created for the Adam West television series in the late 1960's and was a backup feature or guest star for years. There have been two other Batgirl books in the last decade, both featuring other young women as Batgirl. The last one, featuring Stephanie Brown, became a favorite book of both The Kid and I in the past year. Stephanie, first the daughter of lame Batman villain Cluemaster, then a superheroine/love-interest-to-Robin named Spoiler, then Robin in her own right, then Batgirl, is a great character and we look forward to her reappearance, rumored to be Spoiler again.

To say I was skeptical of this particular relaunch would be to put it mildly. I believe in Gail Simone's writing. She has rarely let me down in the past, but there was a big hurdle that had to be overcome for Barbara to resume the role of Batgirl (and one more than de-aging her from around 30 to around 22). I don't want to spoil it for anyone who doesn't know but it is central to the story that gets told in this new first issue. I just wasn't sure that this was a story that needed to be told.

However, if it takes 45 years for Barbara to get her own book and for it to be this book, then I am pleased to say it has been worth the wait. The writing is surprising, breathtaking, touching and funny. Simone has taken a character that was once a joke, and created a very real young woman who stands on her own right, but still reflects some key tenants of the Batman archetype. The art is simply gorgeous. And while it may rely a bit too heavily on "poses" you can't help but be overtaken by the emotional storytelling the art provides especially as Babs takes flight. Wow.

Thought Balloon on Batgirl: BUY THIS BOOK NOW

This Week's Other Supporting Batman Cast Book: Batwing

A new character, barely a year old, Batwing is the African version of Batman. And, yes, I mean, African, not African-American. The art here by Ben Oliver is beautiful and his is a talent that deserves to have a regular platform. The writing is from Judd Winick who has always been hit and miss with me. I usually like him when he first starts on a title, but then I get tired of the same tricks. I hope I can stick with Batwing, because this is a pretty good book. I am really surprised, delighted and surprised.

Thought Balloon on Batwing: WAIT FOR THE DIGITAL PRICE DROP/TRADE

This Week's Justice League Book: Justice League International

Dan Jurgens (writer) and Aaron Lopresti (pencils) provide the talent for Justice League International, a book that I'm not sure needed to be green lighted. It's not bad at all. It's more than capably told and quite funny at times, but this collection of characters works best when it is over the top, and to ignore that this has been done before, is a huge mistake. I like it well enough, I really do. It's just not nearly as special as some of the other stuff this week.

Thought Balloon on Justice League International: WAIT FOR THE DIGITAL PRICE DROP/TRADE

This Week's Off-Brand Book: Men of War--will check it out but haven't yet.

This Week's KEWL Book: Hawk and Dove--you either love or hate Rob Liefield's art. I'm not buying this one....

This Week's Young Hero Book: Static Shock--One of DC top African-American heroes, but nothing I have ever got to excited for.

This Week's Retro Book (70's Edition): O.M.A.C.--I've never been a fan of the concept, and Dan Didio's writing has always left me cold.

This Week's Wildstorm Book: Stormwatch--Never followed Wildstorm, and could really care less about these folks.

Next Week's Gotta Buys
Batman and Robin
Batwoman
Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E.
Green Lantern
Legion Lost

Next Week's May Need To Buys
Demon Knights--Love the creative team, concerned about the concept (The Demon and other medieval DC characters fighting stuff)
Mister Terrific--Love the character, like the writer, concerned that the character isn't strong enough to carry his own book
Resurrection Man--Love the creative team, never warmed up to the concept in the 1990's

Next Week's No Thank Yous
Deathstroke--Love the character as an occasional villain not in his own book and it may be to KEWL for me
Grifter--a Wildstorm character that didn't make a strong enough impression in Flashpoint to get me to follow him here
Red Lanterns--I can't imagine how this can be an ongoing book, and don't like the concept well enough to even give it a chance.
Suicide Squad--No more Secret Six, instead we get this. And I really hate the "new" look for Harley Quinn
Superboy--Jeff Lemire's Superboy was one of my favorite books pre-relaunch. The thought that they might be remaking this character to be more like the one from the Young Justice TV show curls my toes and makes me very, very sad. Harumph.

Oh, Summer, Where Have You Gone?

2011-09-07T00:36:00.000-04:00

I can't believe yesterday was Labor Day and the unofficial end of summer. I feel like I got nothing done. Which, of course, isn't true. I just got very little done here. I aim to remedy this.

I've spoken before about some of the things that have kept me from posting. I just never guessed how all-consuming it all could be. I can't tell you the number of times I sat alone at night, unable to think, unable to process, unable to engage in any sort of outside stimulus. I would let the television wash over me, because there was little else I could fathom. My incapability was so complete, I couldn't finish a book until recently.

There were a few things that I enjoyed and I wanted to share some capsule thoughts.

TV
Television was my savior this summer, but quality programming was scarce. The highlights:

Breaking Bad continued its strong plotting, characterization and visual panache from seasons past and took the show to a new level of greatness. There is little wrong that this show can do, and I will be hard pressed to find something better for the rest of the year. After this fourth season concludes in a few more weeks, only 16 episodes will remain to wrap up the most engaging story television has produced in a long long time. It's never too late to get started with this instant classic.

Louie was the strongest comedy of the summer, and I can rightfully say that I felt better after watching each episode. Ironically, this second season wasn't nearly as funny as its first. Yes, there were laughs, and some of them were big, but the show was thoughtful, engrossing and very real, as Louie, played with a ferocious depth by Louis C.K., just tried to be a good man and father. The last episode of the second season airs on Thursday of this week, and I will spend the next ten months awaiting it's return.

Awkward. was a show that I wasn't looking to watch, didn't know was starting or normally would have cared one iota about. I usually can only do one coming of age show or teen drama at a time. And, I was "faithfully" following Degrassi. In mid-August, the show was picked up for a second season, and its name was thrown around the news. One sleepy Sunday morning, I found the pilot OnDemand and was smitten. I am now caught up, as the seventh episode of a twelve episode order airs tonight. The show is prescient, witty, both campy and believable, and features brilliant performances by Ashley Rickards as our downtrodden, outsider heroine Jenna and Molly Tarlov as her plus-sized, Queen ~~Bitch~~ Bee rival Sadie. I really, really loved that MTV, of all places, had the balls to allow the villain to be overweight in the pilot--to further delight her weight wasn't mentioned once. I have since been let down as it became a major factor in the plotting later in the series, but am heartened they have not let the two girls bond over their "shared" outsider status. Besides Sadie would only hug Jenna if meant she would be in a better position to stab her in the back, and that's how it should be.

Friday Night Lights finished its five season run quietly and emotionally. I want to do a RIP entry for the series, as I feel it was one of the best shows on television of the last decade. At this time I will only say, "Clear minds, full heart, can't lose."

Men of a Certain Age finished its two season run quietly and emotionally, as well. While it will never have the impact on television that Friday Night Lights did, it was at its core a delightful, well-meaning, intelligent and honest experiment in quality writing, directing and acting. Certainly, it's not for everyone, but it will be one day....

The rest of summer TV was fine. True Blood is back on its game this season, but there for a while there were so many plots in the air I could barely keep track. Curb Your Enthusiasm has been providing solid laughs (especially the recent Rosie O'Donnell/juicing episode and this week's Mr. Softee/car shock classic). Wilfred is strongest when they play up the dog angle, otherwise it's a murky, pot-smoking hallucination at best. Futurama, Wilfred's time slot competitor, got little fanfare but produced quality episode after quality episode. I'm glad that Comedy Central renewed it for two more years. Master Chef was delight and provided an acidic bite that was sorely lacking after my Top Chef overload in the fall, winter and spring. The Closer has been hit and miss like some of it's later seasons. Though, when it hits, it hits big and hard, and I am hopeful that the end of this long season (to air sometime in 2012) will pack the emotional punch its promising right now. Big Brother was the perfect panacea for me this summer; light and harmless. The only thing that was missing for me were the Itzakadoozie popsicles.

Movies
I watched a lot of OnDemand and Netflix movies this summer. I revisited some timeless classics and discovered some that I had missed. At the theatres, a shrinking wallet and a decided lack of time conspired to keep me from seeing too much.

Funniest Comedy: Bridesmaids

Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph and especially Melissa McCarthy proved they can handle the big screen, and women can be funny. They can also be as dirty, crass and out of control as the men. I hope the success of the picture (Judd Apatow's biggest production to date) means that more quality, female-driven comedies will be made in the future. I also hope McCarthy's upcoming guest hosting spot on Saturday Night Live blows the roof off the dump.

King of the Super Heroes: Captain America
Five movies were based on comic books this summer, but Captain America takes the cake by being hopelessly old-fashioned and purely awesome. If I have one bone to pick with the movie and the character, it's that Cap gets his powers by shooting up super-steroids--not the best message to be sending out. That aside everything in the movie happened as you would expect it to, yet every moment was a thrilling surprise. Thor was great as well, and I am beyond excited for The Avengers movie next summer.

Biggest Surprise: Rise of the Planet of the Apes

I waffled back and forth on this picture. The trailers appeared to tell the whole story (they didn't), and I was out. The shot of the apes coming out of the dome was pretty cool, though (it was), and I was intrigued. James Franco looked like Spider-man III James Franco--wooden and over the top (he wasn't), and I was out. The Red Head and I made a lunchtime pact that we wouldn't support the movie. The reviews started to filter in and there was talk of nominating the guy playing Caesar, the lead monkey, for an Academy Award (they should), and I waffled. The Beloved and I went and we loved every minute of it. Any qualms I had were summarily dismissed and I was thoroughly entertained. It's the only movie I would happily go see again.

Music

Where were the great albums of summer? Is Foster the People's Torches the best that can be offered up? Pop music wise, I'm afraid so. I enjoyed a few tracks off of the rap album Bad Meets Evil's Hell: The Sequel, Pitbull's Planet Pit and the new Red Hot Chilli Peppers album I'm With You, but as a complete piece the only thing that came close to Torches was Pistol Annies' country album Hell on Heels. I plan on doing full reviews on each in the coming weeks. Instead I have found myself listening more and more to some releases from spring, most notable Beastie Boy's Hot Sauce Committee Part Two and Elbow's Build a Rocket Boys!.

Single wise, there wasn't a whole lot going on here either. The Kid and I are still in our Pop Princess funk, so we have been digging mostly Ke$ha and Lady Gaga with a smattering of Brittney, but these are not new tracks. I find that I really, really like Wild Flag's "Romance" single. I also find that I'm supposed to really, really like Coldplay's "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall", but I don't.

Books
Like I said earlier I couldn't finish a book until just a few weeks ago. This was a very hard thing for me to wrap my head around. I pulled away from the written word almost entirely. News passed me by, and there are two or three books I tried to start but abandoned (most notably, Miss Peregrine's Home for Unusual Children). Suzanne Collins' thrill ride The Hunger Games got me back on the horse, and I haven't slowed down since. I "-Booked the Book" while reading Hunger Games, and that was a fun and revealing part of the experience. Essentially I did status updates on Facebook while I was reading the book. It kept me honest and engaged. I may consolidate those postings into a Truest Word entry yet, but I plan on -Booking the Book again down the line.

A wonderfully sad and fascinating thing for me this summer was the closing of the Borders stores. I plan to write on this more in the future, but suffice it to say I became hooked on the discounting of the books. The process and gamesplaying I have done as I watch the printed word die in front of me has been enlightening and frightening. I'll share soon......