Category Archives: Television

One Short Day in the Emerald City

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racelogoWelcome to Seattle, Washington. Known for rain, Starbucks, …um…the Space Needle…did I say rain yet? Anyway, this sprawling metropolis in the Upper Northwestern United States is a nice place to be; that is, if you have to be in the Upper Northwestern United States. It’s certainly a lot cooler than Oregon. But what do I know? I’ve been off the East Coast all of five times in my life. Seattle, which may or may not be a great city, was the starting line…in a racearoundtheworld. Twelve teams of two people each started here in a mad dash around the globe for one million dollars. But before we start the Amazing Recaps and talking about unfortunate Philiminations, let’s meet the teams.

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Cross Your Fingers

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tobiasThough I am a huge fan of Garden State – it opened my eyes to indie music and reaffirmed my love of Natalie Portman – I can’t really say that I’m excited about Zach Braff’s newest project, The Last Kiss. I’m going to see it, of course…that’s what I do after all…but it’s not necessarily on my list of must-see films.

One Braff project that I’m excited about after catching up on the entire series over the summer is the sixth season of Scrubs. During a Q&A for The Last Kiss, Braff confirmed that David Cross would be appearing as a guest star on Scrubs and, if all legalities are worked out, he’d be doing so as Dr. Tobias Fünke, the character he played on Arrested Development.

Two of my (newest) favorite shows, rolled into one. Of course, if this happens, you know that J.D. will have read The Man Inside Me.

The Hunter Becomes the Hunted

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irwinAfter 44 years of fearless showmanship, Steve Irwin, the quirky Australian zookeeper known to the world as the Crocodile Hunter, met his untimely fate today while filming on location. Though he was best known for wrestling with crocs, it wasn’t the monstrous reptiles that did him in but a rather harmless sting ray whose stinger pierced his heart.

It always seemed more en vogue to imitate Irwin’s over-the-top Australian accent than his dogged determination to preserve wildlife. But beneath the cries of “Oy” were true attempts to protect nature, and that’s something that he should be remembered for. Instead of seeing ten more goofy, khaki-clad Animal Planet hosts take his place, let’s hope that we see some kind of fund for conservationism formed in his name.

Crikey.

Jaws, Madden Together at Last

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johnAin’t It Cool News posted today that the theme music for NBC’s Sunday Night Football broadcasts has been written by none other than…John Williams. Yes, that one. Of Star Wars fame. You can hear the audio here.

Now, I’m not going to question Williams’ ability to connect with sports; after all, he wrote the Olympic theme, and who hasn’t carried a tiki torch humming that to themselves? No, just me? Fine, then. But I’m not sure this music is enough to get me ready for some football. It’s right in line with the NFL Films music that’s so popular with Harry Kalas’ velvety baritone pouring over it, but it’s not something that pumps me up, like any of the industrial FOX sports themes (NHL, NFL, or MLB), or the glorious NBA on NBC theme. I’m sure we’ll learn to love, or at least ignore, Williams’ NFL theme. At the very least, it will soothe our nerves as we go to commercial hearing John Madden stating the obvious…yet again. “Sometimes, when the quarterback throws directly at the other team, the ball is intercepted…”

Non-Williams themes courtesy I Love WAVs.

Be Like the Brits

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bbcIt’s a recurring problem in American television: a show makes a gigantic splash, becomes the “must-watch” show to most of the public, earns its actors a ridiculous amount of money per episode, then…overstays its welcome. By the time series like Friends left the air, even the most ardent fans had noticed a drop in quality. An entire internet phenomenon was formed out of deciding when a show “jumped the shark” – that now-overused term referring to the episode of Happy Days where Fonzi waterskied over the man-eating marine life, symbolizing a downturn in the show’s appeal. There is a simple solution to this problem of TV overpopulation: follow the British example and cut the show short before it’s too late.

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