Happy 2011 y'all! Hard to believe this will mark five years since Alias' last season. The pic above was chosen for two reasons: 1. to point out even though Alias-Media is no more we still have access to episode screen captures (link now in the right sidebar) and 2. because it's still one of my all-time favorite Sydney aliases ("hey, it's not a date!").Not much new to post, although I've seen the number 47 eeeeverywhere lately. Plus my husband and I are rewatching season 2 at the moment and I'm noticing 47s in parts of each episode I hadn't noticed before. New Chuck is back on this coming Monday, woohoo! :)
264 comments:
1 – 200 of 264 Newer› Newest»Not only is it hard to believe that "Alias" ended 5 years ago, but in a sick twist of fate, Ron Rifkin is up to 101 episodes (although several are 'credit only') as Uncle Saul in "Brothers & Sisters". By the time this season is over, he'll blow well past his Arvin Sloane benchmark of 105 episodes. Pretty sad.
I haven't been watching H50 regularly, but I noticed that Agent Thomas Grace appeared in H50 1.04 back in October. I did catch Suit & Glasses' episode, though.
Aw, Jenny has her own show now, wonder how long it will last...
SRM, I reckon it will last about as long as Gina Torres's "Huge", which managed to cling to life for 10 episodes.
GT is now on to USA Network for "A Legal Mind". Whoop D. Doo! Maybe there's room for Ron Trott in that one.
Haha I had to share this, my husband thinks I have a secret reddit.com account because of the top-voted comment to this post about your most embarrassing "guilty pleasure".
p.s. no it's not me that posted that
p.p.s. yes, I may start doing that ;-)
Just watched the pilot for Fairly Legal. (I always loved Jenny, and wished she could have had more of a role on ALIAS. Will Tipin is an idiot.)
It was pretty decent. Well written. Well acted. I always liked lawyer-type shows (From L.A. Law, to The Practice, to Boston Legal). It would be difficult to get too much of her pretty smile and sweet demeanor as she arbitrates tricky situations.
Admittedly, it is a little too sappy, but that's what sells these days when there are no action sequences to speak of.
One thing that I noticed that bugs me - and, it has bugged me since I was a child - when shows seem to have a little too much time to fill, so the extend a scene with someone looking off into the distance, thoughtfully reflecting on the day's events with sentimental music that just plays on a little too long. It's like, "Hey! I tuned in to your show to avoid such moments in my own life! The least you could do is pay me the courtesy of using your air-time to expand the story, develop a character, or blow something up. Common, already!"
But overall, I find the characters intriguing, the repartee snappy and amusing; and, hey, how can you go wrong being the ex-wife of a former Cylon skin-job?
If you find a few moments and have nothing else to watch, get Fairly Legal a spin and let me know what you think.
-R
FL doesn't debut in the Great White North until Jan. 31st, which isn't bad, since other USA shows like "Burn Notice" only debuted here last year (no kidding) and "Covert Affairs" earlier this month.
I didn't realize Jenny's show was on USA (since that isn't the case in Canada). With Gina T's new show, that means TWO "Alias" girls rocking the USA Net this year. I wonder if Jen's agent is on the phone yet.
And, it didn't take Gerald McRaney long to bounce back from JJ's "Undercovers" fiasco. That guy will always have work, although I still wish I was watching him in "Jericho".
I'll have to make some exceptions to check these two shows out. I don't fare well with lawyers, doctors, or coppers as a rule, although I checked out Jenny's "Life" a few times a couple years back.
I wasn't sure about "The Cape", but I gave the two hour premiere a shot a couple weeks ago, but I think that'll do it for me.
Finally, "Nikita" comes back next week. I barely remember what she looks like.
Finally, a trailer for "Hanna".
No wonder I haven't gotten a notice from LTA in a while -- new thread!
Jenny was hot! Jericho was great! I'm not so fond of legal/Dr./COP either, but I liked The Cape.
I never saw the first 2 seasons of Chuck, so I've been getting caught up. I love it. I'm also getting caught up on Chase. Another good one. All caught up on 5-0, Fringe, V and HT. Can't wait for Nikita, Warehouse 13 and Burn notice to start. I'm not used to watching this much TV.
I caught Salt online. Liked it. Hanna looks fantastic!
And now to subscribe to this thread.
singup
Uncle, I thought you must be on that long overdue vacation. Ha, me neither.
Just reading today that filming for W13 kicks off on Feb. 9. In the meantime, I notice Myka picked up some part time work on "No Ordinary Family" last week.
"Salt" was good fun. A tad over the top with some of the stunts, but it wouldn't be Angelina if it wasn't over the top.
I also watched the Tom Cruise/Cameron Diaz spy flick ("Knight and Day")a few days ago. That was lighter fare for sure, but a fun movie.
My main beef with "The Cape" is that it over-simplified situations, i.e. The Cape falling out of the umpteenth floor of Chess's building and landing unscathed and ready to hop into Orwell's car, followed inexplicably by that assassin dude. And, why doesn't he just talk to his wife and son about why he's gone underground and that he'll be back as soon as he can? I found some of those things a little frustrating.
The "Hanna" trailer looks great. I love me a good "rogue asset" movie. Still no release date, though.
Check that, re: "Hanna". IMDB says "in theaters April 8"
Brand new article remembering "Alias" (a rarity these days). Mostly flattering, but writer wasn't too keen on Seasons 4 and 5...but he loved the ending! WTF?
Go figure. Nevertheless, it's great to see "Alias" get some much deserved love from people not attached to LTA.
Nice to see Alias get some love, yes, but calling Jack Bristow "a bit of a boring git", are you serious?!? My hubby was just saying last night that Jack is his favorite character on the show, and I can definitely see why.
Other than Phase One I don't agree with this guy's favorite episode list. Leaving out Truth Be Told...again...are you serious?!? And what about Full Disclosure, or Facade, two of my favorite eppies from season 3.
Yeah, SRM, it's apparent that dude liked the show, but didn't seem to necessarily appreciate the things (people) that actually made it great. Gushing about Svogda as being the highlight of S4 is another example.
Sure, Dixon's character was a bit bland at times, but much of his job was to help facilitate Syd's greatness (like his scene with Syd in "Phase One" at the oil fields). A setup man was Dixon.
And Jack, for the record, was a stud. Still, in this guy's defense, I like the fact that he took the time to write about a show that seems utterly forgotten just 5 years later. I read an article about Gina Torres's new show and they listed her previous credits as "Huge" and "Vampire Diaries", no mention of "Alias" or "Firefly" or even "Angel". Short memories much?
Jack Bristow boring????!!!!!!
The author must have been drunk.
My 47 sightings have remained strong. It gets tiresome reporting them, but this one was good. Someone from Japan placed an order order last night and his street address starts with 470.
ABC developing "Missing", apparently for those of us who enjoyed the movie "Taken" a couple years back. Note the "Alias" suggestion at the end.
Missing-- me likey!!!
I loved taken. It is a great movie to copy for a series. Hope we end up with a Sydney Bristow/Irina Derevko hybrid.
Ex-CIA spychick pressed into action works for me, too, Uncle. I hope they cast well. Not that Jen would ever do it, but she's darn near old enough for the role now.
Not sure if she can look for her son for 6 seasons, but on the other hand, Irina reunited with Sydney after "Almost Thirty Years".
I just finished the most recent "The Cape." I had to check IMDB (though I knew it had to be without even checking) and found the music is by the guy who does music for Human Target.
Finally saw SALT. I was not at all disappointed. Yes, due to having some experience with Spy flicks, I was able to guess ... but, no spoilers here.
To be honest, I did not expect at least two of the main story twists. It truly caught me off guard. Angelina Jolie so completely owned the role, I could not picture Tom Cruze in the lead at all.
There was some great action scenes, and I managed to avoid most trailers that would spoil the best ones, so it was perfectly enjoyed the way it was intended to be.
Yes, some of it was a little over the top, but then so was Alias. A little slip of a girl, no mater how athletic or well trained is not going to overpower that many specially trained athletic men. One or two if she's lucky, and if the men are half asleep... but anyway... that's not the point of it all. Both Alias and Salt were filmed in such a way as to make you want to believe it could be done.
The quality that made me love Alias was present with Salt. That long unscratched itch feels somewhat better since the conclusion of Alias, and Salt had a decent ending. I wouldn't mind seeing another Salt movie, or, even better, a series of her rogue exploits righting international secret wrongs while trying to avoid getting caught by the local authorities as well as a specially assigned Russian task force sent to take her down. Vrrrum, my engine is running.
-R.
Robetron: absolutely, "Alias" was capable of being over the top.
The one incident in particular in "Salt" that stands out in my mind as being right at the edge of being too over-the-top was when she was driving the police car from the back seat by using a taser to shock the unconscious driver into pushing the gas pedal on command.
Nevertheless, it's all part of the fun. Some of Jason Bourne's antics fall into the same category. For example, that outrageous rooftop-to-window leap from the 3rd movie. Don't try that at home.
"Salt" was an excellent shot of adrenaline delivered straight to the heart of us barely breathing "Alias" refugees. And, IMO, Angelina, should be Jen's role model in the movie biz. For now, it seems to be Goldie Hawn.
BTW, if you like Angelina action flicks, try "Wanted" (with Morgan Freeman). I prefer "Salt" because it's much more closely aligned with "Alias", but I enjoyed "Wanted" as well.
Wow! So how ya like Chuck now?!
They tied this one up with a big red bow. That's how its done. That is how you conclude story arcs... even if mildly predictable, it is exactly how it should be.
I like a good end in the middle, opening doors to new beginnings.
I've been frozen out of my store. Sub zero and close temps and a broken heater. Way too cold to work. So, what have I been doing at home all day? Catching up on S2-3 of Chuck, watching HT, Nikita, and I just now watched the latest S4 of Chuck. Great episode. I am having a general blast eating pizza, appetizers, waffles, coffee, cider, who knows what's next.
I always try to catch the "Chuck" reviews on televisionaryblog.com. Dude points out what was obvious (but still didn't occur to me) regarding last night's "Chuck".
The reason the arc wrapped up in mid-season is because it was originally due to be the season finale, with the initial order of just 13 episodes for this season. In retrospect it was also clearly designed as a potential SERIES finale, because, with "Chuck" living on the bubble since day one, you never know. Hence, the happy, touchy feely conclusion with nothing left hanging.
Fortunately for us, NBC ordered a full season, so more to come.
So that's why. When it was over I thought that it was worthy of a season or even series finale.
Hey! How come no one ever told me about The Cape?
NBC's "The Cape" is better than it sounds. I just finished the pilot episode. I think it has good potential, and Summer Glau brings the star power something like this needs. I actually think she has gotten prettier as she has matured.
Comic-book adaptations are a great idea... but they still don't seem to "get it." Campiness in comic-books were primarily the result of 2 dimensional drawings and the fact that real writers could find gainful employment in other industries. Now that the public has a taste for comic to movie adaptations, they really need to steer clear of camp.
The X-Men series was so popular because they had people acting like real people, reacting like real people do, and what little oddness coming as a result of uniforms and superpowers we made objects of ridicule by the main characters themselves, which acknowledges what the viewer is already thinking, and lets them be a part of the humor. (e.g. Logan putting on the black leather X-Men uniform for the first time: "You people actually go out in these things?!")
This natural human reaction is why, as a youth, I liked Marvel comics better than DC comics. DC retained some of the POW! ZAP! or the stilted "I'm a hero" dialog.
What people loved about Spidy in the comics was his wise-acker cracks, his distress over not being able to pay the rent, and his woman troubles. Who can't relate to that and at the same time fantasize about what it might be like to have his powers?
One of the things I personally loved about Battlestar Galactica (2004 to 2008) was that they would deal with real-world problems in the middle of a mind-bendingly surreal environments and situations. That is what made X-Men, the comic, appealing also. They dealt with very realistic problems of racism and stereotypes, jealousy and gender issues, characters going through terrible trauma, but finding a way to use it for their own betterment.
The Cape has elements of it, but they still have some of the camp. Maybe it's because they rushed through the back-story in order to get passed it into character development. I'm going to keep watching and see if they can't make something good into something great.
I gave up on "The Cape" after the 2 hour opening night. I think it'll be toast shortly, keeping alive Summer Glau's streak of not being able to land a show that lasts longer than a Yankees/Red Sox game.
Well, it's not "Veronica Mars", but Kristen Bell is back.
I think The Cape is developing nicely. I especially like the father/son dynamics they are working in which stress the importance of the father in a boy's life.
How pitiful is this? Did anyone even know that Grunberg had a new show? I didn't. But, apparently, it's already done and dusted, so no biggie.
Wow, you gotta cling to a show like "Alias" when you've got the chance, cuz what waits around the corner can be truly ghastly. Just ask Jen...and Victor, and Carl and Michael and Kevin and Ron.
But, hey, it's okay, Grunberg already has another new show, "Big Mike".
Sounds like another winner for Greg. It's gotta be karma for dissing "Alias".
Yup, that last eppy of Chuck was very "Phase One" imo; well done, great twist, nice wrap-ups. Almost too good, my husband and I were nervous that it actually was a season/series wrap and we didn't know about it. I was on pins and needles at the end hoping there would be a preview for next week's. I bet the writers were a bit pissed they had tied things up so nicely, only to find out nope, keep it going!
"Fairly Legal" finally debuted here in the frozen north. It sticks perfectly to USA's Blue-Sky programming formula (if it ain't broke....).
It was very easy viewing, (and let's face it, Jenny was smokin', just as she was in "Life" a couple years back), but whether or not I'll watch every week will likely be a week-to-week decision. No spy action, no sci-fi or supernatural stuff means it doesn't really fit my typical viewing pattern.
But, I'll tell ya right now, I can find more to like about where Sarah Shahi's career is right now than where JG's is.
A look back at some notable post-Super Bowl TV moments, including....you guessed it, "Phase One".
It wasn't until several years after this episode aired that I realized it was big post-Super Bowl spectacle, cuz I've never watched a Super Bowl and I didn't watch "Alias" on ABC. For years, I just thought PO was yet another brilliant episode of "Alias".
Page,
I don't watch football either and didn't see that until some time later after seeing a link to it somewhere.
I had stopped off at Outback to pick up some food for my wife, which was an annoyance because I was late for Alias. But I got to watch the first segment on the TV there. I remember thinking I was glad I wasn't watching it at home where my wife might happen in and see it. A fortunate annoyance.
Hands up if you know who Greta Sesheta is.
We all remember her, but I sure didn't know her name. I was wasting time at work today looking at IMDB, and I noticed Greta (the CIA receptionist who was on hand for Sydney's "walk-in").
I decided to see if she had any kind of career in the biz, and I noticed that she has appeared with Victor Garber in "Alias", "Justice" and "Eli Stone". I also noticed that she has appeared with Ron Rifkin in "Alias", "ER", and "Brothers & Sisters".
BTW, anybody notice that the blonde bitch lawyer in Jenny's new show goes by the name of 'Lauren Reed'?
This week's Human Target:
It cannot be said too strongly. The intro music... absolutely. Rocks. I don't want to go all "music theory" on you, so I'm just reiterating it. Bad to the bone.
Then they make some fearsome enemies in the CIA who, quite frankly, could have shown the ALIAS Rotunda a thing or two about controlling the environment on a sting. Some serious writing and blood went into the set-up for this episode. Guerrero continues to impress also.
Sadly, they decided not to use this story line to its fullest potential. Instead it was just the catalyst that reveals a little more of the ultra-secret, barely known, budding Moonlighting-on-steroids romance that no one suspects is happening in their wildest imaginings. I kept hoping Chance would let her get on that plane; or better, drop from the building... ooh! Did I say that out loud? Sorry.
I love the show: the concept, the characters (minus one), the writing, the acting, the direction, the action, the action, the action, and - oh yeah, the action is great. But I hate what our substandard, mediocre, thoughtless, illiterate, vapid, superficial society is doing to it by demanding one-off, mush filled episodes while the TV execs satisfy the demand rather than demand that people raise the bar for what people in film-making call "art." Hypocrites! If you give the lowest common denominator whatever it wants, then you don't get to call what you do "art."
Feckless cravens.
Watching an another absolutely great TV concept put on a frilly dress and frolic in the meadow of hackneyed "romance" makes me thunderingly sick with the proverbial valley-girl spoon.
So...
How was your day?
Robetron....pretty much what you said.
I thought this was right up there with the best episodes of the series so far, invoking some of the best bits of what makes Jason Bourne great. That is, until it got ridiculous on that rooftop where the rogue CIA dudes had about 5 minutes to pump Chance and Pucci with hot lead before they jumped. And then that jump itself, which turned into an even more ridiculous escape.
A few extra minutes of thought to create a plausible escape scenario would have capped off an excellent season-ender (albeit a 13 episode season).
And, as for the Chance/Pucci romance, you basically got to the heart of that. No need for me to repeat how disappointing it is to see that obvious gimmick play out right in front of our very eyes.
BTW, I see Blogger has another new sign-in method going on. I'm struggling to see a benefit to leaving the original page just to sign in and then come back.
I think HT needs minus 2 to regain something.
Guerror ROCKS!
The intro music used to be a theme, but isn't since they ditched the melody. When their new music guy dropped the melody he decreased the opening music's effectiveness.
I'm going to disagree with you, Uncle. Every Alias needs its Marshal, and I think Ames effectively brings the pop-culture youth point of view as a humorous, chaotic-neutral personality (please excuse the D&D reference) with the light touch of a skilled thief.
Guerrero is so dark and brooding, Chance is the lead, so he must be the conflicted hero, and Winston is the somewhat whiny, albeit grounded in reality, conscience of the group. While they all have their humorous moments, there simply must be an Ames to round it out, not to mention fulfill the need for the slinky undercover bad-guy distraction.
She's funny, easy on the eyes, lighthearted in her youthful naivete' enough to break the foreboding of the dark themes of death all around, yet skilled enough to be useful of complex missions.
The trouble is, the writers just need to use her more effectively. Once they take my advice and drop the Pucci (does that sound gross to any of you?), they can focus more on what Ames can do, and what she brings to the table full of top-level operators. When you see her stepping it all up a notch to save the client and the team, her jibes and button pushing will be more endearing.
Thats just one man's opinion, though. Everyone is free to have one... at least for now.
"Drop the Pucci". That was Joan Armatrading, wasn't it?
"Burn Notice" prequel airs April 17
Robetron,
If Ames had been with the show from the beginning I might agree. But, having watched from the beginning I have to say that both women have diluted the show. I don't think Ames is very funny. In fact most of her "humor" seems stupid and ill fitting to me. Easy on the eyes is everywhere and I can do without it for from time to time if it means better action and story, which in this case it would.
Again, if she had been there from the beginning I might be more ok with her, but she wasn't, and to me she subtracts.
Also, Guerrero's darkness balances out Chance and Winston's humor. That is a good combo.
If the "certain to be canceled" and "likely to be canceled" come to fruition, I'll be left with a lot of free time next year.
In the "certain to be renewed" and "likely to be renewed" categories, the only show on my watchlist is "Nikita".
The friday night "Fringe" ratings are cliff-diving, so it could soon move from "on the bubble" to a less promising category along with "Chuck".
I think it's likely that we've seen the series finale of "Human Target". I can't picture another overhaul next year for the sake of another 13 episode season.
Page,
It stinks if it happens. At least we'll be left with Burn, 5-0 and especially Nikita. But I will hate to see Fringe, and mostly HT and Chuck disappear.
Another clip from "Hanna".
Some speculation regarding the future of "Human Target"
And, behind the scenes shuffling regarding HT and "The Cape".
A quad47:
A customer's order-
-sales tax had a 47
-sales total had a 47
-card number had a 47
-phone number had a 47
It took me 38 episodes, but I am finally seeing the attraction to Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
I'm now into the third season. I hated to see Xander and Cordelia split up, especially since that means less screen time for Charisma Carpenter. Beyond her looks, she's quite an actress. I think it takes a special gift to be able to project a superficial, condescending, insulting, materialist in a way that you never dislike her for it. I hated to see her turn back to her old, unlikable ways as she spits intentionally hurtful venom at Xander, hitting everyone else in the process. Her character had progressed passed that childishness.
On the other hand, I barely recognized Eliza Dushku as she came on the scene as Slayer replacement #2, "Faith." She was so animated, athletic, and full of personality, had I not seen her name in print, I would not have realized she is the same expressionless, lifeless, programmable human play-thing from Dollhouse.
The last I have seen, Faith is proposing to come to work for the wickedly evil Mayor of Sunnydale after murdering his Deputy Mayor. Don't tell me what happens. It has come to the good story-telling that everyone has been telling me about for so long.
It's still a little juvenile, and the special effects are still far under-funded, but the wry jokes, the witty sarcasm, and the pop-culture filled banter has never been better. And, apparently, they finally got a director and film-editor who know how to cut out those awkward moments between lines as they are delivered. The acting has, therefore, stepped up a notch.
Especially since there seems to be nothing on (or at least nothing that's staying on) TV anymore, I'm glad I gutted out the first season and 3/4 of really bad episodes to get into this much better version.
Unfortunately, it took the first season and a 1/2 of watching it with horrible commercials on Hulu before discovering it is on the free side of Netflix online without commercials. That alone has improved my enjoyment levels significantly.
I just thought I'd say so, since I downed it more than once. I'm putting BTVS in the win column and marking another notch on the LTA's positive recommendations. There may still only be a few of us left who return here, but there is a proven track record for TV opinion here, more consistent than I have seen anywhere else.
I'm proud to call you all my fellows.
-R
Robetron, I hear ya. I was 12 years late climbing on the Buffy-wagon.
Since you're working your way toward the end of S3, and since you're a fan of Cordy, you should (as in I highly recommend) seriously consider adding "Angel" to your playlist as it debuts the same time as BtVS's S4.
The shows run concurrent to each other, with many crossover characters (including full time Cordelia, Angel, and Wesley, with more to come later on), and IMO are best watched in "real-time" for reasons that will be obvious when you get there. And, you'll find yourself amazed at Cordelia's personal growth as time goes by.
Like you, I saw Eliza on "Dollhouse" before seeing her as Faith. As you say, there is quite a contrast in character. As you continue in the Buffyverse, you'll see more of those "Dollhouse" faces popping up (not to mention several "Alias" faces).
There is no doubt that the CGI is low-budget. I would love to have seen the production values at today's standards.
I'm glad that you're enjoying the series and I hope you'll find time to incorporate "Angel" into the mix. With 144 episodes of BtVS and 101 of "Angel", it really is an epic slice of TV history.
I'm following the weekly 3 episode BtVS re-watch on Nikki Stafford's blog, which offers an essay each week from various Buffy authors and commentators. They offer some interesting takes on the individual episodes, but aren't essential to the overall enjoyment of the show. Many people there are watching BtVS for the first time as well.
BTW, since "Firefly" was the show that led me to "Dollhouse" and then to BtVS, I should mention, for the benefit of anyone who may get the Science Channel (not me), that "Firefly" will be shown in HD, beginning in March.
For any fans of "Lost" who haven't been following casting news, several actors are re-integrating into society already:
-Obviously, Jin (Daniel Dae Kim) has found success on H50 (Robetron, if you decide to take up "Angel", keep an eye out for DDK there as well)
-Hurley (Jorge Garcia) is sticking with Bad Robot, already filming "Alcatraz"
-Ben Linus (Michael Emerson) is also sticking with JJ Abrams, having just been cast in "Person of Interest". So much for the much rumoured Locke/Linus show, although I guess Terry O'Quinn could still join up with POI.
-of course, Charlotte (Rebecca Mader) has recently been seen in "No Ordinary Family" (along with BtVS/"Angel" alum, Darla)
-Juliet (Elizabeth Mitchell) is in S2 of "V", a show I'm having a hard time maintaining an interest in.
-Richard Alpert (Nestor Carbonell) just signed on for SMG's new show, "Ringer"
Page48,
I had placed Angel on my playlist, but I had intended to start watching when Buffy was done. I'm glad you mentioned it should be seen concurrently. How do I know which episodes will correspond, or precisely when to watch which first?
With both of the shows working together, you are right about it being epochal. If they manage cross-over stories without managing to ruin the suspense for either one, I'll be greatly impressed. I'm weirdly excited to see it come to fruition.
Having both shows to watch, plus keeping up with a number of new shows, and whatever Netflix happens to send me by mail, plus my three jobs, I just don't think I'm going to have time enough to devote to following the blog you mentioned, but I do appreciate the gesture.
I have not seen H5-0 yet, but they can only improve things by having DDK on the roster. The minor part he played on the 3rd season of 24 was pretty good, but it was just weird to hear him talk in perfect Americanized English. At first I thought, "How tacky - they overdubbed Jin's voice."
I don't know when the next "Lost" or "Battlestar Galactica" (or even *hushed tone* the next Alias) will come along, but I hope it is soon. Too much today is just not "gotta be there to see it" quality.
The last Nikita episode finally stopped the upward trend of topping the previous great episode. I was a little disappointed that they would do a Valentines Day theme; it seems beneath that show... but that's just an opinion.
Stupid CW only keeps one episode at a time available for Smallville, and I keep missing things. I'm giving them the cyber-stink eye for ruining the final season for me.
Charlotte shall not be seen on No Ordinary Family any longer, which is too bad; they were just beginning to develop her character with a background. Ah well... I guess she'll wind up on a deserted island somewhere in the south Pacific wondering, "Where are we?"
Gotta quit for the night. Sleepy-headache.
Have a great first day of the week!
-R
Robetron, the only way I know of to watch the shows in the exact proper order is to check the IMDB pages for both shows to check the original air dates. That said, they both aired on Tuesday nights, presumably back to back (although I don't know who had the earlier time slot). When I got to S4 of Buffy, I just started watching 1 BtVS and then 1 "Angel"
It's only occasionally that the story lines intersect (which usually means a crossover guest appearance, which in itself usually means something big happened "back home"), so precision for the most part isn't necessary. As long as you're in the ball park, the obvious references to events in Sunnydale will makes sense.
I didn't start watching Jack Bauer till S4, so I didn't even know DDK was on "24". "Lost" was my first encounter with him.
I understated the "Angel" run. It was 111 eppies, not the 101 I mentioned, giving Angel about 20 more appearances in the Buffyverse than Buffy herself.
Two episodes of each, done.
Early assessment: Angel has the better stories and writing. It looks like season 4 of BtVS had a rocky, somewhat pedestrian start. I hope they get beyond the whole "Uh-oh, I'm like, totally growing up and everything is changing now that I'm in super-sophisticated college" phase. More Xander, more Willow, and more Ozz... especially more Ozz (that dude is FUNNY!).
Page48, you're right about Cordie have a great role in Angel. Her acting is so convincing, I believe every word she says is sincere.
To be so complexly emotional as she is growing and learning to live in the realities of a harsh world where Daddy is not made of mega-bucks, but where being nice to people is required, something that doesn't completely natural to her, and to try to maintain that personality while showing traces of maturity in small amounts.... AND at the same time have that impeccable comic timing... this girl has acting chops that have gone under-appreciated because of how stunningly beautiful she is.
What a shame.
Her role in "The Expendables" is far short of what she is capable of doing. Someone get this woman her own show, and stat!
Thanks again for turning me on to the two series' and making me stick it out till it became worth it.
-R
Robetron, Angel ("Bones"), Willow ("How I Met Your Mother")and Giles ("Merlin") are really the only ones with respectable post-Buffyverse careers.
Buffy (SMG) is attempting a return to TV in the fall, but her movie career has been brutal.
Spike had a stint as Braniac in "Smallville", and small gigs in "Caprica" and "Torchwood" and even did couple of H50's this season, but the rest of them can barely find work.
Apparently it's not easy busting free of popular roles in order to find new ones (just ask Jen).
Have things been slow here, or what?
Uncle, I think "comatose" is the word you're looking for.
Hurley works for Massive Dynamic. Who knew?
This dude discovers "Alias" for the first time. Despite TBT being the best pilot ever, it took this guy "several episodes to really get into the show". Say freaking what? Overall, I guess he liked but, sheesh!
Syd fails to crack the Top 25.
Page,
Are 5-0 and Nikita taking a break?
"Nikita" isn't back until April 7th. They just took 6 weeks off at Christmas, now another 6?????
Not sure about H50.
Just watched ep 17 of Angel season 1.
I have been bouncing back and forth eppy for eppy with Angel and Buffy, and I think I have the right combination sequence. I like them separately and together. I like them each for different reasons.
I can't write anything thoughtfully analytical at the moment, however, because I'm having to wipe away tears of ridiculous laughter due to Cordelia Chase. Nearly everything she says and does is fall-out-of-your-chair funny. Seriously, I've never seen an actress span such a wide arcing range in just a few moments of screen time.
Giving the devil his due, Angel is nearly unrecognizable when bad-old Angelos has found his evil way out into the line light, and that takes acting range too, but he doesn't have to switch personas from dialog line to dialog line, scene to scene the way Charisma does. It leads me to believe that a strong part of her natural-self is very much LIKE Cordie, which gives her an easy base from which to work.
Acting is not as easy as it looks. It takes a powerful imagination to slip into a character very different from yourself. Playing an evil character is less difficult for most actors because it involves the relaxing of all moral inhibitions, something people tend to want to do anyway.
Playing someone of limited intelligence might not be as great a leap as we think for Hollywood types, but playing them with believable emotion is wildly heralded by critics (see Jon Malkavich's performance as 'Lenny' in "Of Mice and Men" or Jeff 'Cuba is great' Spicoli's performance in the movie "I Am Sam.")
Playing characters of charm, innocence, and big personality, simultaneously absurd while also to be taken seriously for the story's sake... this is an incredible challenge for someone of mild manners and meek countenance. For someone who very nearly fits that bill anyway, it may make for a great performance.
I don't know if she has just been type cast since BtVS and Angel, whether she took time off from her acting career to have a family, or if she so closely embodies Cordelia Chase naturally that they cannot find another place for her in newer roles, but Charisma Carpenter has impressed me, and I don't think Angel would have been a success without her.
Sorry to keep banging this drum, but since there is so little going on, I figured no one would mind.
See ya in Sunnydale.
-R
"see ya in Sunnydale"..Okay, but NOT AFTER DARK.
I remember back in public school we always had to do some acting for one class (probably English??). I was dreadful at it. Probably a combination of not being interested and just being completely without talent.
In retrospect, I wish I'd tried a little harder, but you're right, Robetron, I think acting requires a ton of ability. Much of it, IMO, has to be something a person is born with. A person might be able to develop from scratch, but I think, like great singers/songwriters/musicians, the people who rise to the top are just plain gifted.
And, often, they get a really early start, like in this clip of Buffy flogging Burger King at the ripe old age of 4.
BTW, "Angel" 2.1 introduces one of my favourite characters from the show. But, for now, no spoiling.
BTW, Robetron, if you're watching BtVS and "Angel" on Netflix, you may be affected by this (use filters).
Apparently, both shows are expiring at the end of this month.
Anyone watching "Fringe" last week will no doubt have immediately zeroed in on this.
Here's a fun-looking trailer for "Thor", one of a series of movies based on Marvel Comics featuring "The Avengers" characters.
By now, most of us have seen the "Iron Man" movies, which are part of this series, as will be "Captain America" and "The Avengers", written by Joss Whedon and Zak Penn (who co-wrote "Elektra").
I would love to see Black Widow get a movie of her own, cuz I loved watching Scarlett channeling Sydney Bristow in "Iron Man 2".
These movies look like fun outings to me, although I admittedly don't know the backstories and haven't bought a comic since I was 10.
Page-
I love that scene. I meant to go back and watch it again when I finished the movie, but haven't gotten back to it.
Uncle, I think, movie for movie, I preferred the first "Iron Man", BUT IM2 was worth the price of admission if only for that scene.
Pity it was such a small part of the movie, which is why I would like to see BW star in her own flick. I could easily deal with less Tony Stark and more Black Widow.
Hopefully she'll get a chance to shine in "The Avengers".
Page,
I have to agree with you on IM1 V IM2.
Thanks for the heads up on the expiration. I'll try to get it all by the end of the month, but that's a lot of tv time between the two shows. Maybe the expiration will not include Hulu. I hate the commercials, but it would be better than not being able to finish the series without renting the DVDs one at a time.
I don't know if I have mentioned it here before or not, but some of my original religious jewelry designs are being leased by a very large manufacturer. (It doesn't even pay for the cup of coffee I buy every other day from the discount coffee shop next door, but it's a good resume enhancer.)
The catalog these designs are in is reworked every 2-3 years. I just received the latest one today. They moved my designs to a new page. Want to take a guess what page I will be on for the next 2-3 years?
Uncle, would I be hasty in guessing Page 47?
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. We have a winner!
Syd was on page 47. Now so am I. You just can't make this stuff up.
What is it with me and 47?
So the hubby and I got a new TV over the weekend. We decided on an LCD, which tend to come either as 46" or 55." Well as much as the hubby wanted the 55", it just seemed a lil too big to me for our living room, so we ended up going with an LG that just happens to be...wait for it...47", and the only 47" one available in the three Best Buys we ended up going to. :)
SRM, I'm betting your subconscious mind was already set on the 47" before you even went shopping. Now, how nice would it be to be able to watch "Alias" on blu-ray on that 47" beauty?
The rest of the story-
I got home and showed my wife the new catalog and she was stunned. She started asking me if I think there is a reason for this. I told her I have no idea.
A few minutes later I watched a few minutes of Alias on my iPod while I was waiting on something, and the the segment I was on stated with Vaughn's first briefing of Sydney on page 47.
Then, as we ate supper we watched part of a documentary on how bad tenured teachers in New York are. They showed a grade school child practicing drawing numbers. The segment started with her finishing drawing number 47.
May someday, somewhere I'm going to have to make a living saving split decision involving choosing between 2 numbers, one of them 47.........
Once more into the proofing breach!:
Boy did I butcher this from lack of proofing:)
Corrected:
Maybe someday, somewhere I'm going to have to make a life saving split second decision involving choosing between 2 numbers, one of them 47.........
I've decided to start watching Battlestar Gallactica since so many of my friends, whose opinions I respect, are fans. Last night I watched the first of the two-part mini series that was the "pilot" for the show. W/o giving spoilers away for those who have yet to see it, there was a part where people were picking numbers out of a hat to board a ship. The last number called was, you guessed it, 47.
SRM-
Everyone I know who watched BSG loved it. I've seen the entire series 3 times now.
SRM, I don't think you need to worry about BSG spoilers here, unless we have lurkers lurking.
Has anyone here seen "Inception"? I just finished it. I'm going to have to watch it again in order to process all of it. Wow!
Uncle, I watched "Inception" a couple of months ago. Definitely requires your undivided attention, but I liked it.
Featured a couple of Jen's former co-stars (Ellen Page and Leo DiCapprio) and, of course written by the dude responsible for "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight"
Page,
I don't know if you noticed, but in the part where they were doing the 4 level dream, the first room in the they went into in the hotel was room 49- not 47, but 49.
Much to their surprise, they would have found Will Tippin and Anna Espinosa in Room 47. Then we woulda had ourselves a movie.
I LOVED Inception, and it's a lot of fun to watch again because you pick up on a lot more. I also highly recommend the soundtrack, that music is addictive!
BTW, anybody notice this "Alias" soundtrack tune ("The Wind") being used (or abused?) by JP Morgan lately?
Definitely not the best use of this song.
JJ and Spielberg get it on this summer.
I was just watching a clip of a news broadcast online about the earthquake in Japan. I have a customer there and we were emailing each other about it between 3:30 and 4 this morning.
On a banner that faded in and then out at the bottom of the picture was "47 MSNBC". I have no idea what the 47 was for. Anybody know if that could be a TV channel?
Finally got to see JJ's Star Trek over the weekend and really enjoyed it. He's really got a thing for red apocalyptic balls doesn't he?
Wow, SRM, you put off the "Star Trek" thingy for quite a while. That puppy must have looked good on the 47" LCD (assuming you watched at home).
I've posted this Victor Garber outtake before, but it's gotta be worth another look since we're on the subject.
Last night I was watching an episode of the 60's spy series "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." and the episode had a very interesting element. The bad guys were trying to blow up a peace conference by using a world peace activist from India as the bomb.
That is very similar to the Alias S1.4 episode.
When I was looking these episodes up on IMDB I found that they both aired on October 28th of 1968 ans 2001.
Ha, that's quite the coincidence Uncle!
And yup Page, Star Trek was gorgeous on the new TV. :-D
SRM,
It makes me wonder if early on they were pulling in ideas from past series, as they did with "The Pretender."
A follow up to the Man From U.N.C.L.E./Alias intersection--
The next U.N.C.L.E. episode had a female guest star who was working for the bad guys. Her name was...Irina.
And did you notice on Fringe last night how the drawing of Peter in the machine took on a Rambaldi/page 47 flavor when Bell told Peter that he may not be able to avoid that drawing from coming true?
Uncle, this is my exchange on Fringebloggers from last year's "Fringe" 2.21.
Note the involvement of Jeff Pinkner in both the Page 47 similarity and "The Indicator" thing from a couple of weeks ago.
Uncle,your voluminous study, a few years back, of the parallels between "The Pretender" vs. "Alias" shows that JJ and Bad Robot are shameless in their willingness to borrow from what has gone before.
IMO, this is a perfectly acceptable practice, as long as the end result is something either new or, better yet, new and improved.
"Alias" borrowed from TMFU, as it did from "The Pretender". It's not too much of a stretch to believe that the writing team on "Lost" spent some time parked in front of the tube watching "Gilligan's Island".
"Fringe", in addition to not being afraid to lift certain properties directly from "Alias", is also not afraid to look elsewhere for inspiration.
This season alone, we've seen "Marionette", a story shockingly similar to Buffy's "Some Assembly Required", where killings are linked to some nutter who is collecting body parts to assemble someone they hope to bring to life.
Not yet finished with Buffy, "Fringe" gave us "Concentrate and Ask Again", which dealt with one of Walter's test subjects who found himself driven mad when in close proximity to a crowd because he could hear everyone's thoughts. This is remarkably similar to Buffy's "Earshot", where she suffers from the same condition after being infected by demon blood (as opposed to Walter's Cortexiphan).
"Fairly Legal" gives us an actress from "Alias" and, just coincidentally features a character named after a much hated "Alias" skank.
I like finding connections between shows. I think these similarities are often included as Easter Eggs or a tip of the hat to shows that have earned a certain amount of respect over the years.
Will "Fringe" ultimately outlast "Alias"?
With a 22 episode fourth season renewal, it will creep to within 18 episodes of the 4.77 season run of "Alias".
Apparently Jen hasn't fired her agent yet.
Not sure what she's waiting for.
Six clips from "Hanna", which hits theaters on April 8th. I gotta say, I love the trailers and clips I've seen.
Note Adelle DeWitt (Olivia Williams) from "Dollhouse" driving the minibus.
The Official Website for "Hanna".
I used to have visions of JG doing action/adventure flicks like this instead of Miss Marple. What was I thinking?
So, what do we think of "Alias" guys Orci/Kurtzman teaming up with S2 guest star Ethan Hawke for "Exit Strategy", which also includes one of the dudes from "The Unit"?
Anyone watching last Friday's "Fringe" will no doubt have noticed this.
Page,
That's crazy. 30 min. after you posted the link about Exit Strategy a Man From U.N.C.L.E. friend of mine emailed and said he is working on Exit Strategy. Here is his IMDB page.
Here is the IMDB latest on an upcoming Man From U.N.C.L.E. movie.
Uncle, I didn't realize there was an U.N.C.L.E. movie in the works. I always like George Clooney (except as Batman), so this should be good.
BTW, I watched Clooney in "The American" a while back. A decent flick about an assassin trying to get out of the biz.
Page,
Here is an article from last November about the UNCLE movie.
BTW, the UNCLE logo in the background of the picture is my artwork that I made into a poster that I sell on my website.
Uncle, maybe they'll find a way to use your artwork in the DVD packaging...or in the movie!
Looking on that same page, I see the article about Jen's Miss Marple not being officially signed, sealed and delivered just yet. The whole thing seems to be stirring up quite a backlash by Marple diehards (I didn't know there were any).
Page,
The artwork is my improvement on the original artwork from the TV series. But they did use my replica U.N.C.L.E. guns in the bonus material for the series DVD set. The friend who is working on Exit Strategy was featured on the DVDs. He owns some of the original guns and a lot of props from the series. As a teenager he was actually an extra several times on the series.
The article is from November 2010, so it is a little out of date with regard to Miss Marple.
You gotta be kidding me.
All I just wrote is gone?!
Thanks, Blogger, for your ineptitude. Who came up with the idiotic idea to jump to another screen to sign-in before you can post the message you just wrote in the window provided to do just that?
I'm glad I changed my main blog-site.
Robetron, it's been happening to me a lot lately as well (disappearing posts).
I often compose, edit and re-edit for upwards of an hour before posting a lengthy comment, and to lose it into thin air is extremely frustrating. I'm trying to get in the habit of copying to clipboard before posting, but I confess that I frequently don't remember to do that until it's beyond too late. Then, it's a mad scramble to try to reproduce it all from memory. Sheesh.
I learned several yeas ago to copy before clicking. I lost several lengthy posts before that and if there is anything I really hate doing it is backtracking.
I forgot, did we mention here that JG has signed to do a sort of spy show - Disney's reworking of Miss Marple?
A very promising early review for "Hanna".
And, this brings us to the week that Victor Garber guests on "Stargate: Universe", a series that should not have been canceled, but was anyway.
In other "Alias" news, Vartan got married (insert yawn here).
And, two weeks from tonight (April 17th), we have the long awaited "Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe". For now, we have this trailer.
Page,
I'm so far behind on SGU that I don't even remember which episode I was on. I think it was the one where they had just made contact with aliens on what they thought might be an abandoned ship.
When nothing else is on I'll have to go back and check it out.
OMG his wife's name is Lauren LOL!! People.com article
SRM,
Michael and Lauren together again. And Syd is stuck with nothing... again.
And Jack was a groomsman?!! What a betrayal!!
Aww that's cute Victor Garber was in the wedding, I hadn't read down that far, I just got to his wife's name and burst out laughing! :)
So, Syd disappeared; Michael married Lauren; Syd comes back; Michael wants Syd again; Lauren tries to kill Syd, but Syd kills Lauren; Michael and Syd are back together.
2011- Syd has disappeared again; Micheal marries another Lauren; will Syd come back?
To paraphrase Battlestar Galactica, "This has all happened before and will this all happen again?"
A couple of the more recent reviews for "Hanna":
"Hanna" is the bad-ass girl-power movie "Sucker Punch" wanted to be — or at least should have wanted to be — and the thriller that Angelina Jolie's "Salt" only was at times.
“Hanna,” a furious neck-snapping thriller that summons up memories of a dozen other movies and manages to improve on most of them.
And, is this dude really going to be able to replace Matt Damon in the Bourne franchise?? That'll take some getting used to.
I just did a quick glance at VG on last night's SGU. I'll watch the rest later this week. It's good to see him barking out ultimatums the way Jack would. Like his "Alias" colleagues, so many of his roles in the last few years have been pretty lame-ass. He can still play it tough as nails when called upon. Long live Jack Bristow.
I finished the entire (albeit short) season of "Fairly Legal", and, despite my disdain for lawyer/doctor/cop shows, I was charmed out of my boots by Jenny.
It was a typical USA Network feelgood show, but thoroughly enjoyable, IMO.
Now, here's what I'm thinking. What if USA had cast Jenny in "Covert Affairs" instead of Piper Perabo? I think I would have been a bigger fan of CA had that been the case. Nevertheless, good on ya Jenny, I'll see you next year.
A while back I fired off a post illustrating the parallels between Whedon's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and Abrams' "Alias".
One of the parallels I omitted was the use of Sarah McLachlan as a soundtrack to the pain and suffering felt by our heroines.
To right that wrong, I give you "Full of Grace"from the 2nd season finale of BtVS and "Angel" from episode 1.04 of "Alias" ("Broken Heart").
Saving the world is lonely work and not many people understand the sacrifice involved. Buffy, Sydney, and Sarah seem to get it.
FINALLY, "Nikita" comes back tonight. I assume the reason all these shows ("Fringe", "Nikita", "Chuck", etc...) are on break is thanks to March Madness (which I have no use for).
"Nikita" bounces back with an episode that has a very "Alias" kind of title, "Covenant". I rather doubt that it's about THAT Covenant, though.
Maggie Q. says the writers are set to turn "Nikita" upside down in Season 2. I feel a Phase One coming on.
Did these 2 guys watch the same movie?
Video Review
Written Review
Uncle, it looks like "Alias" met U.N.C.L.E. last week on NCIS, with Marcus Dixon guesting.
Page,
Thanks. I'll have to look that up and watch it.
When worlds collide!
Here's an article lamenting the fact that, in just a few short years, we plummeted from the lofty heights of TV heroines like Buffy and Sydney and landed face down in the raw sewage of such worthless female role models as Snooki and the freak show that is the Kardashians?
The article looks to pin the hopes for the next great TV heroine on the upcoming "Wonder Woman" reboot. I, for one, remain extreeeeeemely skeptical, given the ridiculous costume, not to mention what I've read about the pilot script.
Nikita and Fringe were HOT this week!
And I watched a movie that I didn't expect much of, but it turned out to be one of my favorites of the last few years. It is Battle: Los Angeles 2011. It was a great war movie, just against aliens. Very well done.
Uncle, I've been eyeballing those "Battle: Los Angeles" ads and wondering if it would be any good. I'll definitely check it out.
There is a brand new trailer out for "Cowboys & Aliens", due out on July 29th. It sports both "Alias" (Orci/Kurtzman) and "Lost" (Lindelof) writers, and stars Indiana Jones and James Bond, so I'm pretty much not gonna miss this one.
Not sure why I should subscribe to read this dude's review of "Hanna" (so I won't), but I'm encouraged by what he has to say in the first 2 paragraphs.
You can tell that "Nikita" and "Fringe" are raising the stakes for their respective season finales. According to recent articles that I've read, Maggie Q and Anna Torv are both promising their finales will rock our world.
"Burn Notice" prequel goes tomorrow night.
Has anyone watched the new CBS CIA show Chaos? I keep seeing ads for it when I watch HIMYM or Big Bang Theory but have never made a point of watching.
SRM, I've seen "Chaos" on the menu when channel surfing, but I had no idea what it was and didn't take a look. I haven't seen any ads for it.
Uncle, regarding this past episode of "Fringe", people are zeroing in on "Alias" and "Lost" references. One comment in particular singled out about 4 shout outs to "Alias", so I provide video links to his/her list, since it seems most of the people who frequent Fringebloggers have no knowledge of "Alias".
It's just part of my ongoing shameless promotion of Sydney Bristow. She may have lost to Olivia in Roco's poll by a soul-crushing landlide, but we know better around here.
I'm with Uncle on Nikita. I just watched. And even though the viewer knew it might happen, wanted to happen, or could predict it happening, the developments came about in a smooth, satisfying manner. I don't watch Fringe because I lost track of it after episode 3, but I'm going out on a limb to say Nikita may just be the best action/ drama on TV today.
(Has anyone heard whether Human Target has survived?)
I have serious doubts about NBC's ability to give a good rendering of Wonder Woman. Considering what they did with Heroes and (I think they handled) The Cape, I have the sense they have no idea what to do with a comic-book adaptation. I really wish they would give the idea to The CW to have it done right. They managed to successfully adapt the the ridiculous Superman mythos into a very believable story of the human struggle to make good decisions when personal interests are at stake.
That's what will make WW work on screen too. Tell the story from a human standpoint of personal sacrifice for the greater good, and tell it from a female point of view, not unlike Sydney Bristow. Put her in semi-normal clothes, give her semi-normal problems, and allow for semi-troubled relationships. Throw in superpowers, and plenty of destructive mayhem, and we'll all be hooked. Gonna happen? Doubt it.
I haven't hear of "Chaos". It's not a spin-off from "Get Smart", I hope. Oh, why not. That'd be cool too. I'll have to see if I can catch a little of it just to know what I might be missing.
I'm looking forward to the Burn Notice prequel. I do hope they intend another season of the regular program too. Anyone know the skinny on that?
I don't know anything about Hanna. At least, not the TV program. I'll look into Battle: LA too. And I'm not likely to fail to watch Cowboys and Aliens, but I'm not so geeked about it that I'd go to the theater. Whenever Netflix gets around to sending me a copy, I'll be fine with that.I'm skeptical... correction, deeply skeptical about a western / SciFi crossovers. There are some genres that just should not mix. Next we'll hear about the next summer blockbuster: John Adams Vs. Predator. Reserve your copy today.
BTW - have I thanked you profusely enough for forcing me to endure the bad part of Buffy in order to get to the good stuff? I can't believe they cancelled it when it was THAT good toward the end. I'm done with it now, and only a few left in Angel (which has been equally good most of the time). What a kick to have the continuing story of another vampire with a soul parallel itself with the original. Anyway, it was a ton of fun, so thank you... um... again.
-R.
Robetron, fear not, "Burn Notice" was long ago renewed through 2012, so a minimum of 2 full seasons yet. Nice to see some networks actually get behind their shows.
Need I remind you that "Firefly" was the blending of the Western with Sci-Fi?? When it works, it works. The Western, by itself, is perhaps my least favourite genre.
I always wait for movies to hit DVD, so I won't be seeing "Cowboys & Aliens" in the theater, either. My preferred method for watching movies is on my laptop with earbuds in. That way I can tune out all distractions and focus, focus, focus, not to mention rewind when necessary.
"Hanna" is a movie, not coming to a TV near you, unless it's PPV.
"Human Target" ain't dead yet, as this article explains. Note the comments about the opening theme music as you and Uncle have discussed.
I have to go along with you and Uncle regarding "Nikita", and Maggie Q. says it's only gonna get better. Go, Nikki!
Now, Robetron, a separate post about BtVS and "Angel", just in case it gets a bit lengthy.
Now that you're through it, I can tell you that Season 5 of Buffy is my favourite for a number of reasons. Not the least of which is the whole idea of Dawn as The Key. A whole fake profile created out of false memories to provide cover for The Key by placing her in the care of the Slayer. Those clever Monks.
Buffy going from child to "mother" in the course of the season was a great trade-off. Spike's growing humanity and his role as Dawn's protector was probably Spike's finest hour (notwithstanding his series finale heroics).
And, as season finales go, "The Gift" (video appears in mirror image, apparently to sidestep copyright) was brilliant, and, as I understand it, was created as a possible end to the series before the show switched networks for the final 2 years.
And, how about the list of "Alias", "Lost", "Firefly" guests?
-Marshall Flinkman, The Rose, Sloane Clone all from Buffy's S5.
-Jayne/John Casey in "Angel"
-Kelly Peyton in "Angel"
-Jin in "Angel"
-Capt. Mal in Buffy's S7
-Anna Espinosa/Zoe in "Angel"
Sadly, Andy Hallett, who played one of my favourite characters from "Angel" died a couple of years back.
I have to say that I never watch Boreanaz's "Bones", nor Alyson Hannigan's HIMYM, but I will check out SMG's "Ringer" if/when it debut's in the fall.
Anyway, I'm glad you took the plunge with both shows and saw them through from wire to wire. It was amazing to watch the character development over the course of 7 seasons of BtVS and 5 of "Angel" and Whedon and Co. found a way to push every emotional button along the way, dishing out humour along with pain, suffering, sacrifice, responsibility and redemption.
Well done, Joss. And, well done, Robetron, for keeping an open mind and sticking around for the payoff.
SRM,
I hadn't heard of it. I found it on hulu, so I'll give it a try.
RE: Human Target
I read the article, and I'm glad if it comes back, but one of my favorite things was the intro music. This line disappoints me:
“I had no idea the backlash that changing the opening theme music would have. … If I’d known, we might have gone a different way, and the opening theme will be revisited in Season 3.”
RE: Andy "Lorne" Hallett, too bad. He was/is a favorite of mine also.
RE: Buffy, I'm not sure if I can choose a favorite, but I think S5 would have to be in the top three. I remembered loving S6 much more consistently than many of the other's though.
It was sort-a strange. One week Buffy would a little dull, while Angel was fantastic, but then a couple episodes later, it would switch, and Buffy would be great, while Angel a bit sluggish. I wonder if the writers were switching back and forth.
It was S6 of Buffy, however, that there were very few slow or stupid episodes, and the earth nearly ending at the hands of Willow was impressive, not to mention an interesting and refreshing twist that no one could have stopped it, not even Buffy with a shiny new-ancient red and silver axe/ scythe (had she received it then).
When Angel was facing the big red rock demon, it would have been cool if they would have crossed over the big-bads between the shows. I liked that Willow came to help save the day and retrieve Faith back to Sunnydale (loved seeing her come back), but if the "First Evil" was making an upward push out of the Hellmouth, why not cross over the trouble/ "Armageddon" (which isn't really what TV producers seem to think it is in the Bible) happening in L.A? A little more continuity in a shared fictional world (not to mention the commonwealth of California) would have been nice.
Anyway, Netflix put one single episode out of my reach, so I have to wait for the disk to show up before I can continue and finish their little tryst as heads of Wolfram & Hart. I see why it was cancelled, but I don't think it is right to leave people unsatisfied once they've invested in a program for 5 years. They owed fans (us) a decent conclusion.
Oh.. I remembered... when I lost a post a while back, I was going on and on about Buffy's series conclusion was probably the most satisfying ender I have ever witnessed. Not Alias, not Lost, not BSG... none of them were able to close it out on the perfect note like BtVS. I was amazed.
Then (because I close my eyes to all spoilers) what fantastic gift to see the fanged, soulful, reformed, "original" big-bad, reappear in Angels new office. That's just great writing.
Yes, all the cameos of future stars was really cool to see, though I don't recall Marshal showing up. Where was he?
ugh... post too long... fun to have someone to talk about all this stuff, even though it was almost 10 years ago.
Let's hope something else will come to the screen soon. Nikita is great, but to be the best on TV is a little sad for the big-4 networks. Burn Notice being in the list hurts them too. They have to scratching their heads wondering what they are doing wrong. If only they would listen to the fans of really good TV, like the LTA bloggers.
'nite.
-R.
Well, when you remove the catchy melody from a theme song...I'm just sayin.
Blogger is beginning to piss me off. I'm gonna try this for the 4th time today.
Robetron, Kevin Weisman appeared in 3 episodes of BtVS Season 5, playing Dreg, one of Glory's minions.
Page,
I received the post you are making your final attempt at 3 times before this one.
Uncle, I know. I don't get it. They were there and then they weren't. Arghhhh!
Ever since Blogger went to this separate sign-in page, they've been losing posts, both before and after they appear. I am getting myself in the habit of copying to clipboard first, though. Fool me once...
Wow! Dreg?! I knew the voice sounded somewhat familiar, but I never knew it was him. Amazing.
Uncle? Melody? Theme song? you may be sayin', but I'm not understandin'. I've never heard the music in the opening to Human Target anywhere else. Was it someone else's theme music?
Robe-
The first season theme actually had a remember-able, hum-able melody. The new music guy for HT second season removed the melody and turned it into the kind of background music in a sequence where a melody isn't needed. It is fine action music, but it doesn't go anywhere like the first season melody did.
HT Season 1 Opening Credits
HT Season 2 Opening Credits
Yeah, see; you have splashes of the original melody in season 2, but no flow as the defining main element, and you have to listen hard to hear even the splashes.
Maybe my problem is coming from a family of musicians and marrying into another one, but the fact that they got a strong negative reaction to the change says to me it's not JUST me.
BTW, the first season music guy wrote the music for The Cape. You can hear it when you watch it.
It has nothing to do with a music background. I've been a musician for 25 years, and I was once a trained studio engineer/ music producer.
I like the second one far better. It's just a matter of taste and preference. I don't care for wind instruments. I like strings. And if I have strings, I like 'em cranked full of adrenalin, especially when fronting for an action production.
To be honest, I'm not fond of the Cape's opening either. There was a lot of potential in that whole show, but it's flopping because people have preconceived notions of what a comic-book adaptation is supposed to be, which said notions ruin it as hokey and lame. Having inspirational horns bleating out chariots of fire couldn't have saved that show, and for that matter, neither could reverberating stringed instruments. Although, had they given it a little edge like HT S2, and followed through into the program, it might well have made it into more than one season.
It's just an opinion, though, and I recognize that mine is no better than any other. That is my point. It's just a matter of taste.
I agree that it is a matter of taste, but I think they were saying most people didn't like the change.
Most of my 2 families' music backgrounds have been in classical music, both instrumental and vocal, though there are some with night club and musical drama backgrounds, as well as professional album production. One is even a 3 time opera Grammy winner. Within the group there are similarities and differences in tastes, which if we venture into discussions of the subject can create...uh, uncomfortable heat:)
I forgot to mention that I watched E1 of Chaos on Hulu today. I liked it. It's different. It's spy and action stuff. It has humor. It has real possibilities.
I just finished E2 of Chaos. I'm HOOKED.
It looks like "Chaos" is/was on a VERY short leash.
I guess I just don't fit in. Maybe that's a good sign.
Ha! Uncle, wear it like a badge of honour. When I scroll up and down the TV dial, I realize I don't fit in much myself. When you start blogging about the Kardashian train wreck or "Dancing With the Stars", that's when you should get very worried.
Televisionary has me psyched for the new season of "Doctor Who" (beginning on Apr. 23), which is the 2nd season for the excellent Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor.
Last season (the first full season filmed in gorgeous HD) had a great arc with a big finish and this season will expand further on elements hinted at last year.
Suspension of disbelief is essential, but DW is great adventure TV.
In July, DW's spinoff, "Torchwood" returns 2 years after 2009's brilliant 5 episode season, "Torchwood: Children of Earth". This year's series is called "Torchwood: Miracle Day" and runs for a whopping 10 episodes.
Writing several TW episodes this season will be Jane Espenson, who has a resume that includes some very good shows ("Firefly", Buffy, "Angel", "Battlestar Galactica", "Warehouse 13", and even "Dollhouse")
For the first time, both of these shows do some filming on U.S. soil, as the DW trailer above indicates.
So, 13 eppies of DW and 10 of TW means more Whoverse in 2011 than we've seen in ages.
"Human Target" trvia: Ilsa Pucci used to be 2nd in command at Torchwood. They didn't keep her around nearly as long as Chance & Co.
I just finished E3 of CHAOS. I am stunned that this show didn't last! If you haven't seen it consider first whether you want to love a show that stops after 3 episodes. Well, watch it anyway. It's worth it.
Uncle, looks like CBS will run remaining 10 episodes of "Chaos" later in the summer.
Thanks Page. At least we'll get to see the other episodes.
Just watched the last episode of Angel.
After all the talk and anger from fans, I half expected no real ending at all. They clearly wrote the last episode somewhat open ended on the off chance they would be renewed, I honestly can't think of a better way for the show to close than the heroes wading into an unwinable battle, having at least handed a singular defeat to the "Senior Partners."
I can't honestly complain, as unfortunate as it is that they didn't go into another season.
Since Borneanaz is such an entertaining actor, I thought I'd check out a few episodes of Bones. It's just as bad as those other police procedural mystery shows, like CSI[insert city here], or Law and Boredom (et. al.). Seeing Angel walk around flashing an FBI badge, and rarely if ever getting into a tussle, much less throwing someone across the room, is fairly anticlimactic at best. Who knows.... maybe Bones might get better after the first two full seasons, like Buffy and Smallville.
Oh well... another great TV show filed under 5 stars in my memory banks. Thanks again, Page48.
-R.
Blogger ate comment #1, so we'll try again.
"Let's get to work" seems like a fitting conclusion to "Angel". The fight continues. It's not like they've won the war by any means, and since their work defines them, they soldier on.
Wes's fate was disheartening, but series finales always take out a key player. I liked Ilyria morphing back into Fred as Wes slipped away. BTW, did you know that Wesley and Willow are married in the real world?
There's no way I could watch "Bones". It's just not the kind of show that could interest me (although, at 128 episodes, it obviously has a fan base).
I wonder, as an actor, if these people, whether it's Boreanaz or Garner, have a real grasp of what it is that they've left behind, and how underwhelming their current endeavours are by comparison. For their sakes, I hope not, because how demoralizing would that be?
It'll be interesting to see how "17th Precinct" will turn out.
It's certainly going to provide work for a bunch of BSG personnel, not to mention "Smallville"/"Chuck" veteran, Kristin Kreuk, and "Jericho"/"Caprica" actor Esai Morales.
And, anybody remember Eamonn Walker from those crazy Ron Trott ("Justice") days? Brings back memories, no? Not good memories, but memories.
I'm watching The Invention of Lieing. Guess what Alias reminder scene motivated me to post this.
Hmm I'm curious... I don't remember anything in "The Invention of Lying" reminding me of Alias (other than of course the actors)...
SRM,
Try: JG in a tender moment with a guy (no baby, though)with Catch The Wind playing.
OMG, hellatious wind storm followed by prolonged power outage means just getting back online about now (missed "Nikita" 1.20). I haven't seen "Invention of Lying", so I would never have been able to guess the answer to Uncle's question.
I saw this article a few days ago and forgot to post it. JJ getting busy with familiar writers from "Alias", "Lost", and "Fringe". I hope the movie is not really about robot samurais or whatever this title suggests.
I just saw Nikita 1.20. This is a great series.
And I can't tell what the new JJ movie is going to be. At first it sounds like a kids animated movie, then as he writes about the writers it sounds like it would be something totally different.
I caught up on "Nikita" today as well. Looks like stuff is hitting the fan as we speak. We're promised a game-changing season finale. Reminds me of another show that used to change things up every once in a while.
I just finished this week's Fringe. I'm so glad we have at least a few HOT shows to watch.
Uncle, I have to echo that. Season 1, with it's standalone freak-of-the-week left me wondering if there was any hope that "Fringe" could be salvaged.
Once abandoning that repetitive procedural format (which I think we all knew was the wrong approach long before it dawned on JJ) in favour of serialized goodness, things have never looked back. It might be too deep for JJ and Grunberg to follow, but I think the rest of us are managing just fine.
Oh, and BTW, regarding "Fringe" 3.21...Page 47 much?
Page,
That was the first thing that popped into my mind when I saw it, but I was so into the story that by the time the show ended I had forgotten.
Just caught up on "Stargate: Universe" 2.18. Only 2 eppies to go before this series ends much too soon.
There was hope of a movie, or some other way to continue the series beyond 2.20, but it appears that the "Stargate" franchise will fade to black with the finale of SGU.
As I've said before, I had no interest in SG1 or Atlantis, but SGU was a different show, and yet it's banished after only 2 seasons. Go figure.
Currently watching "The Dresden Files" about Harry Dresden, wizard/ private investigator. It's a milder toned, less action, more intrigue version of Angel... sorta.
It's not ground breaking, nor are the stories earth shaking, but they are well written and acted. I was just wondering if anyone else ever watched or liked it.
Just caught the latest Nikita.
I thought last week (and every consecutive week prior) was great, and this weeks had some sappy slow spots, but the latest development is... wow, uh-oh, and oh-boy... all in one.
Apartment fight - shades of Alias brilliance coming through.
Robetron,
I didn't make the connection between the Nikita fight and Alias, but now that you say it...
And I'm afraid Alex isn't going to have an easy time of it next week.
I have seen a few episodes of "The Dresden Files". It aired here a few years back. The memories are sketchy.
Started watching SG-U tonight on your recommendation, Page48. I watched the first three episodes.
I agree, there does seem to be a higher level of quality that I didn't see in the others. It's very BSG in tone, and occasionally reminds me of that short-lived series called "The 4400". The BSG flavor is very heavy though, almost to the point of lacking originality, but not quite.
I think I have a 'new' show to keep me busy in the late nights. If anyone else hasn't seen Stargate - Universe, I can recommend it, and both seasons are on the free side of Netflix.
Robetron, SGU is also remarkably alien-free, in contrast to the previous editions. The result is that the story is more of a crew-centric survival tale.
I was particularly impressed with this week's "Chuck". I felt that "Chuck" was struggling a bit in its attempt to extend the season, after that Chuck-on-bended-knee episode that was designed as a potential season (if not series) finale.
However, this week was very satisfying, and backed up by some great tuneage.
"Chuck" is a show that is ALWAYS on the bubble, and yet here we are nearing the end of a whopping 24 episode 4h season. Fingers crossed for a 5th.
Page,
Chuck was a full steam ahead episode. It is currently as good, or better than it ever has been. Pretty darn good for a show they thought was going to be canceled.
Did you notice that the day after Osama was offed that on Chuck Casey flashed his favorite shooting target...a picture of Osama with a target on his forehead? What timing?!
Jeff, assuming the assassin-woman standing in front of him is a hired stripper for the bachelor party, holds out a dollar and says, "Ya see this? I've got THREE more where that came from..."
BWAHA HAH HA HAAH HAHA!
My hubby and I love Chuck, it's just so damn fun! I did notice that Osama target, quite the coincidence (gotta love Casey), little did they know that would be "out of date" by showtime. ;-)
I'll tell you neither of us saw that surprise reveal at the end...well played writers of Chuck, well played.
I watched "Chuck" last night so Casey's Osama pic had heightened relevance. I liked this episode for a number of reasons, not the least of which it involved the whole of the core cast of characters and finally put to rest the secrecy between Chuck and his sister.
And, of course, Jeffster and Big Mike are always beautifully clueless.
This is what our Rachel is up to these days.
Personally, I hated Arnie's version of "Conan: The Barbarian". I sat through that at a drive-in (remember those?) many years ago and it was a long night. I doubt that I would ever watch this version either.
Whew!
"Fringe" season finale tonight.
"Stargate: Universe" series finale Monday night.
"Nikita" season finale Thursday night.
Two more episodes of "Chuck" this season, and then it's off to summer programming:
- June 7 marks the return of "Covert Affairs"
- June 23 kicks off the new season of "Burn Notice" (Season 5 trailer)
- July 8 introduces "Torchwood: Miracle Day"
Nikita was really good last night. I suspect something about how it ended:
Potential spoiler, so don't read the rest of my comment if you haven't seen the episode yet:
I think either Alex let Nikita know what was going on, or Nikita figured it out and Nikita set it up so she and Alex would make Percy think Alex shot Nikita to turn the tables on him.
Uncle, that was my take as well. Somehow Alex tipped off Nikita and presumably this "killing" was straight out of Nikita's playbook.
The previews for the finale look pretty good.
Page,
I don't know what it was, but I wondered if Alex was pulling a Jack Bristow and blinking out Morse Code to Nikita at Nikita's place.
Uncle, I was looking for a tip-off, too. I thought maybe a code word or phrase, like in "Phase One" when Jack told Sydney to "take surface streets, they're doing some work on the freeway".
RE: The new Conan the Barbarian movie -
I am so pleased that this legendary character is not going to be left to the memory of the farce(s) made in the early 80s. I read nearly all of the books in my youth, and I am familiar with that world, and the character of Conan.
While Arnold had the more impressive muscle mass, it made it impossible for him to carry himself like the actual character would. Conan was remarkably strong, yes, but he was also as agile as a jungle cat, stealthy as a spider, wily as a fox, and occasionally had a wry wit that bit like a serpent. Arnold just couldn't pull that off, even if they had all the CGI technology and a huge budget to make those films.
This new guy might be able to do it, and it looks as though they are not holding back on the visuals. I don't know if our Rachel will be playing the part of Valeria or one of Conan's other romantic encounters (which were not all good), but either way, it'll be nice to see her again.
I'd love to see a Red Sonja make an appearance and then a more accurate version of her story. (I'm recalling the nightmare of a little oriental boy running around saying "ei-yah! ei-yah!" while his stereotypical fat-man 'protector' bumbled his way through his comic relief. Ugh.)
Anyway, as much as I love spy shows, and super heroes, the era of sword brandishing anti-heroes, flaying all the denizens of the night who serve the evil sorcerers bent on world domination, like nemesis Thoth-Amon - that's where "it's at" for me. The idea of a GOOD rendition of a part (or maybe a movie series) of the Conan story just make me giddy.
- - -
You're all talking about a Nikita episode that isn't available online yet, I think. Because last I saw, Alexandra had just been busted at the end of the episode, and that's all that's available on the CW site. I hate having to wait for them to put the new out. I think Nikita may be one I'd like to have the DVD box set, though. I could watch some of those repeatedly.
Nikita is too good for too little of the world to have known.
-R.
It's just too bizarre to listen to 'Walter' and 'Olivia' talking their Aussie English
Same thing happens when Chuck's Sarah is interviewed.
Robetron, judging from that Conan trailer, I think there's no doubt that the visuals in this version will be pretty stunning.
Page,
These people are really good with accents. The first shock for me was watching bonus material for Chuck and hearing Sarah. I had no idea she wasn't American by birth.
Another good Fringe episode.
Uncle, another good "Fringe" eppie, indeed. I'm nowhere near getting my head around it yet, but I'll be checking Fringebloggers and Televisionary for their viewpoints.
As The Doctor says, "time travel, you can't keep it straight in your head."
Some help with getting a grip on last night's season finale of "Fringe".
First, from io9.com
Second, from TV Line.
Page,
I didn't have any problems with the episode. I didn't know it was the last of the season, but I figured they answer any confusions in future episodes.
But, I followed it okay, once I got what time and universe they were in:)
And, I thought the second article was better than the first.
Uncle, I'm sure you're right that clarity will come with future episodes, but for now we're left with some glaring questions, not the least of which is, without Peter ever existing, why does the current crisis situation still exist?
We see that Walternate still blames Walter for the damage to the former's universe, but we know that the damage was initiated by Walter crossing over to save Peter(nate). We have to assume, now, that there was some other catalyst for Walter's unwittingly destructive actions.
How can there be a shared crisis-center room between the universes, created by Peter, if Peter never existed?
How could Peter make a choice that erases his own timeline if he never existed? Wouldn't someone else have to make that choice?
Time loops and paradoxes are tricky business. I hope answers come quickly in S4.
All that aside, it was a no-brainer from the beginning that both Walters and their respective teams should get together to solve these issues rather than concocting ways to destroy one another.
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