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Fall, 2008
Want Something
Praised or, well..."slashed"...? Send a note, and
we'll add it to the list!
 DOT
: To NBC ordering a
full season of Life. The only downside to this is that Life is
very much a drama whose best elements are serial, so if you jump into it
at the middle of the second season, you might be a bit "lost" in the
series' ongoing mystery: specifically, who framed a detective for murder
and had him put away for "life"...? The detective is now free and
solving crimes again, albeit with a new lease on "life," hence the
series title. It's still a very cool show that you can get the "gist"
of, so if you're not watching I suggest you begin this week. In any case
I'm glad that one of the many shows that suffered due to the writer's
strike is getting a "reprieve" of sorts, and did not only survive its
first season; it's going to live a whole second season as well. Thanks,
NBC.
 Slash : To
Heroes' Current Mind Trick on Fans...specifically, the Hiro-killed-Ando
moment. Kids watched the scene thinking "no way," insisting that Hiro
went back in time and handed Ando a fake packet of blood so he could
make believe he killed him. Adults watched in horror as the episode
ended with no explanation of what just happened, as it looked like, yes,
Hiro killed Ando. So the following week arrives and shockingly enough;
the kids were right. Hiro went back in time and set up the whole "fake
kill." While this pleased millions of kids, it's evident of the
hackneyed storytelling this season, and its myopic attempt at suspense
at the expense of adult fans. You can't have Luke Skywalker seemingly
kill Princess Leia, only to wait until the next episode
to show fans it was just an act. If Lucas had done that in the first
movie, there wouldn't have even been an Empire Strikes Back! Heroes,
comparatively, is down to nearly a third of the viewers they had two
seasons ago...and with reason.
Slash : All
the above being said: I have to add another Slash to this Heroes'
seasons philosophical hogwash, where the heroes are now villains and the
villains are now heroes and other similar crap. What is the difference
between a hero and a villain? Simple: a Hero uses their powers for good,
while a villain kills people for power and glory. Sorry, fanboys of
Sylar, though he could pet a hundred newborn kittens this season and it
doesn't take away the fact he ripped open skulls of
people, throughout season one, just to steal their super powers.
Conversely there are asinine plot threads like the one mentioned above,
where Hiro wants to "fit in" with the villains so he can get his
father's stolen formula back. Um...Hiro? Aside from this season's
insipid "who's the real villain" theme, why are you not simply going
back in time and replacing the formula with a fake one, and then you
don't have to worry about it getting stolen? ...or is this "brilliant"
solution reserved for November sweeps?
DOT
: To the resurrection
of another cult classic on DVD. Though notice of this DVD might be too
late in the year by the time you read this: someone was able to unearth
one of the hardest to find variety shows of the 1970's, starring that
staple of sitcom TV, Paul Lynde. His so called "Paul Lynde Halloween
Special" apparently aired only once in 1976 and, much like the Star Wars
Christmas Special, never aired again. Yet unlike the latter, Paul Lynde
is, well, Paul Lynde, and any fan of the original Hollywood Squares
or Bewitched knows how cool a Halloween Special could be, if
hosted by him. The general story of the special is that Paul is given
three wishes by two witches; specifically, the witch from The Wizard of
Oz, and "Witchie-poo" from H.R. Pufnstuff. Yeah it sounds bizarre though
that's half its charm. What makes it even more amusing are Lynde's three
wishes, which I will not spoil here. As an added trivia bonus; this
special was also the debut TV appearance of KISS, which should amuse
fans of that classic 1970's band. Adding to the fun are 1970's guest
stars, including "Pinkie" from Happy Days (I guess the special
originally aired on ABC, huh?). In short; another cult classic is
available on DVD. I'd say we only need one more cult classic on DVD and
everyone is set. So where is that Star Wars Christmas Special, anyway?
Slash : Though
slightly off topic, I have to give a grievance on this column to all the
juice bottles with caps that are seemingly applied with the strength of
a professional wrestler...specifically, the juice bottles from
Tropicana. True: larger bottles of juice are easily opened, usually with
a plastic or foil cover that needs to be peeled off, just under the cap.
Yet the smaller juice bottles, obviously intended for the smaller
drinker, need to be forced open with a cap that is "perforated" like the
cap of soda. Except for some reason the cap is hard to open even for a
well-exercised adult. This is particularly annoying when I buy juice for
the kids in my family, who need my help whenever a new juice bottle is
opened. I've heard of childproof caps though this is a bottle of juice,
and it's hard even for adults to open. The sad part is: with juice so
hard to open, it's tempting for kids to simply open a bottle of soda,
which is far easier to open. Enough of this. Fix your bottles,
Tropicana.
DOT
: To all the new
programming over the summer, most of which was surprisingly good. While
it's understandable that the best new shows are placed during the "real"
fall season, many summer shows were offered which made the summer repeat
season far more enjoyable. The Closer, Monk, Psych, and Burn Notice,
among others, made summer almost seem like a mini fall season all its
own. The only minor
 slash
I'd give to these shows is that they are shows intended for the
repeat-seasons of network TV, and are on hiatus until January. Darn.
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