'Spooks' series 9, affirmative.

Via Partymania, series 9 of Spooks has been confirmed. Woot woot! If this intelligence is true, then we can count on Harry's return. Ros is definitely a goner, per tonight's series finale that just ended 12 minutes ago. At least I think. Haven't seen it yet. Surely Lucas will hang on because you can't knock off 2 leads in one go. Anyway, they've already offed 2 case officers plus Malcolm who took the cleaner route and walked off. Wonder who our new spooks will be next year.......(And Tariq is a cutie while we're on the subject.)

afterschoolspecial does Lady Gaga's 'Speechless'...

...and it is amazing.

The Times' Top 50 TV Shows of the 2000s.

So here's another end of the year, end of the decade list with which to stuff your stocking.......Top 50 TV Shows of the 2000s. These things never work really; it's always a genius or an idiot behind these, maybe the same person. I've only recently hopped on to the tv bandwagon, evidenced by my tendency to start shows after they're off air. But I'll throw my support behind some of these entries - West Wing, Life on Mars, Simon Amstell-era Never Mind the Buzzcocks. I'm sure once I watch The Wire, Mad Men, and Six Feet Under, they'll make my list as well. Meanwhile, commenters are crying foul over the omission of Top Gear and one funny guy bemoaned the absence of the dramatic Adrian Lester vehicle Bonekickers. (It was crap.) Of course I'm convinced something fishy's going down at The Times headquarters because someone forgot to add Spooks.

Jin flogs Vita lemon tea for 7-11.

This is how my little brother learns Cantonese. And this is what set me back $25 yesterday. All for bloody boxed tea, which I fundamentally object to for conservation reasons, and a promotional CD. Advertising works, bitches.

'Glee' + Wham! = heaven

Patrick Jane quote of the day...from November 5.

"Semper Fi, sissy bitches."

Rummaging through my unfinished posts and grabbed this classic from The Mentalist. Appears to be an episode from the second season in early November, Black Gold and Red Blood. Rigsby is on his way to interview a suspect or witness and Jane, from jail, phones the guy so that he'll get riled up. Love me some Patrick Jane, and the writers who put words into his mouth.

Cheryl Cole + JLS = Everybody Fight for This Love

I finally watched some of the auditions and performances from the show that brought us Girls Aloud, and in case we didn't know this already, Cheryl Cole cannot sing. But that's not going to stop her from being a star, dammit, or an artiste. Nevertheless, I have a weakness for bad pop, though I do have some limits and generally don't listen to people who are still going through puberty. Her new song, Fight For This Love, is generically catchy, just the way I like them. A more able singer might turn this into a decent pop song, but alas, the Divine Ms Cole must rely a super slick video to pull through. Really, it looks like it's been dipped in double layers of latex.

Also, I was watching Never Mind the Buzzcocks the other day, an episode with the dear Russell Tovey. He and Michael Ball were guesting and on the opposing team was the short, skinny, supposedly cute one from JLS. He's kind of charming in a 'maybe I'd fancy him if I was 10 years younger' kind of way. But I'm not, so I don't. But I'll listen to his music. Here is a video of their latest single, Everybody in Love. Nothing extraordinary as far as boy bands go, but oh, how it stirs that 15 year old in me.

An Al Gough tribute.

My friend said that this was gratuitous, or maybe 'disgusting' was the exact word he used. I think he's wrong.

'Spooks' marathon and series 2 of 'Merlin' concludes...thank you, British tax payers.

My internet's back. Well, it's been back for some time now but I've been busy with other affairs. Like overdosing on Spooks. Plowed through series 1 and 2, currently midway through series 3. Bloody amazing. I was gutted to see Tom Quinn forced out. It will be sad to see Zoe fly off to Chile. And I imagine Danny's death will not take well......In other BBC briefs, Merlin ended its series 2 run, and unlike it's misguided cousin Robin Hood, this show is maturing nicely. I'm definitely looking forward to the third series. The acting and writing continue to improve, and I admit, I readily teared up in the last episode. Previously, Merlin freed the dragon who returned the favor by attacking Camelot. The knights are useless against the dragon's superior fire power and need the talents of a Dragonlord to tame the thing. Unfortunately Uther killed the lot, save one - Balinor. Arthur and Merlin are tasked with finding this last Dragonlord, who Merlin discovers is his father. Cue sentimentality. It could have been a very weepy moment, but kudos to Colin Morgan who put his drama school training to good use......Many other backed up television posts to catch up on, and hopefully I'll get to them all seeing as most of my shows are either coming to an end or on hiatus until March (damn you, FlashForward and your shitty ratings).

Lee Thompson Young + salsa = 'Mano'!

Umm, when did this happen? Lee Thompson Young dancing in his wife beater uniform. See for yourself.

Sugababes + Lee Thompson Young = About a Girl

What a delicious combination. Lee Thompson Young just can't stay away from those wife beaters. Shame. In the new Sugababes single featuring new member Jade McEwan. Methinks I want to see him in an action movie that does not start with 'Hills' and end with 'Have Eyes'.

<br/><a href="http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-GB&vid=b557f153-2fc7-4073-9ad2-bd3e0ee0387a" target="_new" title="Sugababes - About A Girl">Video: Sugababes - About A Girl</a>

Michael Buble sings to me.

Yes, Michael Buble, you just haven't met me yet.

Leona Lewis is HAPPY!

I stopped by HMV today and took Leona Lewis's new album, Echo, for a spin. It's on my own Christmas list which I hope to get around to before actual Christmas. I've been listening to and loving Happy, maybe in hopes that some of it will rub off on me.

There's no video yet, but here's Leona performing the song on X Factor.

Here is a top cover by Laura Broad.

I also love Nike Jemiyo's version. Check out her other covers because her voice kills most of the so-called artists on the charts (and all of the ones in Hong Kong).

Racialicious "FlashForward" S01E07 roundtable

The folks at Racialicious with another installment of their weekly FlashForward roundtable. I link because I still need my Agent Al fix, and you know they went heavy on the sad short life of our beloved Mr. Gough. Last week's episode was kind of a bridge to this week's, which I'll comment on soon. Yes, I was still decompressing from "the jump" and was also disappointed that his death was treated so casually. No funeral, memorial, dirty rice cookout tribute? Then again, such nonchalance was expected as business returned to normal so quickly despite the deaths of 20 million people during the blackout. Way to go, FBI. They are either super efficient or don't know what the hell they're doing. Anyway, I'm still holding out for some pseudo-science wrinkle in time or some alternate reality that will allow Al to be resurrected, but...maybe I wish for too much. Lee Thompson Young's departure might be forgiven if they replace him with another good looking not-so-Caucasian male of similar build. Just saying.

'Star Trek' DVD release interview

Here's a clip from Jimmy Kimmel. He sent his minion Yehya to crash the Star Trek DVD release party and came back with some prime footage. I love John Cho going crazy, especially when Zachary Quinto's involved.

A case of the crazies.

I know I'm crazy, but I'm not a happily married 37 year old who stakes out teen heartthrobs. From the Daily Mail, one woman writes about her 'robsession' with RPatz, aka Robert Pattinson/Edward Cullen/Cedric Diggory. Check out the reader comments from equally loopy housewives. In my defense, I don't sleep with magazines, I don't own any DVD box sets, and the only movie I've seen more than 20 times is The Mighty Ducks, which I did when I was actually a teenager. (Adam Banks...) So thank you to all the deranged women out there who go to extraordinary lengths so that I might feel more ordinary.

Al, sweet, sweet Al.

Clip of Al's death on episode 7 (The Gift) in FlashForward.

"Can't get you out of my head. Boy, your loving is all I think about."

Lee Thompson Young will not exit my head (thanks, Kylie).....so I watched Akeelah and the Bee, in which he has a minor, minor role as Akeelah's brother, in order to satiate my inner 15 year old. I'm rationalizing this decision by arguing that it was on my list anyway and is one of those feel good movies that makes me smile and cry at the same time. I'll withhold a review because it's too late at night for critical thinking, but this scene is just before big brother Devon heads back to the Air Force base. In a moment of pure fantasy, Akeelah wakes up bleary eyed to see that man in uniform sitting by her bedside. The camera even went all soft focus on Mr. Young

Um...in other news, episode 7 of FlashForward has been on loop over here. Rather, the Lee Thompson Young bits have. ABC did a mean thing when they told him to cook in a wife beater, and then forced him to eat alone. The shock of seeing a grown up Jett Jackson has been too much, and I never even watched that show. Also, have been checking out the boards and most are in agreement that Al's death is a loss for the show. He kind of snuck up on everyone as his role grew in the last couple episodes. I think people were eager to see an affable and competent character to balance out all the crazy in this show, what with all the bizarre shootings and creepy blue hands. The folks over at the Racialicious blog noted that the Demetri/Jett Jackson pairing was far superior to the Demetri/Shakespeare one. I love Joseph Fiennes (especially as Shakespeare), but sorry, Mark Benford is kind of a whiny bitch. Cho's character, meanwhile, is working out better. He has some of the qualities that you'd expect for the lead - humor, attitude, doubt, cool - but that are lost on Mark, who is just hurtling towards disaster. I actually care about what happens to Demetri and am anxious to discover how his murder is (hopefully) averted. Mark, on the other hand, is only useful for his vision. If his marriage disintegrates, well, he doesn't really deserve Olivia anyway. He exemplifies a type of man that women love to hate on - the hypocrite who faults his wife for cheating, before the fact, but who refuses to be candid about his own transgressions, alcohol in this case. Well, another 2 days before round 8. The preview looks positively absurd. Something about settling things like men - with poker. Please, Hobbit Merry.

Say it ain't so, Jo.

I hope to eventually get around to reviewing the first episode of the eighth series of Spooks, but some disturbing spoilers...Hermione Norris aka Ros aka the woman I want to be in my next life dropped a bomb via the Daily Mail, always a reputable source. She promised a 'spectacular exit' for her character. The last 3 spectacular exits? Adam Carter (Rupert Penry-Jones) and the car bomb, Connie James (Gemma Jones) and the almost nuclear bomb, and of course Ben Kaplan (Alex Lanipekun) and the bra underwire. As long as Ros doesn't get her head dipped in a deep fat fryer, I might be able to stomach it, although they are a creative bunch over there. This sad news though comes on the heels of Miranda Raison's, who plays the useless Jo, interview last week. She leaked her departure from the show. Not a terrible loss for me as I never liked her character, but I do wonder about the trajectory of the show sans the two female leads. Anyway, 7 more episodes to go before series 9 speculation. I will admit from the preliminary viewing that this one hasn't hooked me like the opener of series 7, but I'm willing to expend some of my patience.

Dominic Cooper, Take 2

I stumbled upon this today. Dominic Cooper and Craig Ferguson sort of promoting An Education, which looks enchanting, but mostly having a grand ol' time. Mr Cooper could use a shave, but couldn't we all?

"He's like a male Halle Berry."

O-M-fucking-G. FlashForward delivers every week. This has been my gateway drug to weekly television. Previously, I didn't have the patience to watch, wait, and anticipate a 22 hour drama stretched over 7 months, but now my Thursday nights go on hold until I get my hit. And damn, I am still high (low?) off this week's episode, The Gift. It was crazy in one hundred ways, the least of which was because AL COMMITTED SUICIDE. Yes, that really did merit all caps. It sent me into fits of shock and awe, from which I'm still recovering. Okay, not that dramatic, but really, Jett Jackson, man? Did you see those guns?! I thought it especially cruel to parade him around in a wifebeater only to toss that sculpted body over the edge like peanuts moments later. Rest in one mushy piece, Agent Al Gough.

I guess if you're going to have the distinction of being the first casualty though, you might as well shake shit up instead of going gently into that good night. On an intellectual level, I can understand and accept the dispensing of our dear doe-eyed Agent Al. After 7 episodes, the show was not so much predictable in plot as it was in formula. As the visions were coming to fruition, everyone grew increasingly resigned to, or restored by, what might happen, what would happen. While that dilemma induces enough tension, it sidesteps the whole issue of controlling the future. They all talk about change but who acts on it? Even Bryce, the doctor who was saved from suicide by the blackout, passively, if passionately, accepts his future. The assurance of a happier life allows him to embrace each moment but also threatens to make him too comfortable with what assumes will unfold. Babysitter Nicole, meanwhile, remains troubled by her vision of being drowned, seemingly for some immoral act she will commit. She volunteers at the hospital in order to atone, but she does so believing in the sinfulness of her own wrongdoing before the fact. Al's death then radically refocuses the story, and once again we revisit the central question - do we control our future? Because he had a vision of himself, alive, 6 months after the blackout, the answer would seem to be yes, there is no future except the one we create. But if that's the case, how do we understand these visions? What is the relationship between this mystery experiment by two creepy Brits, these glimpses of the future, and a present that is quickly catching up? I don't know either, but life in the FBI's L.A. office just got a little more frenzied.

So...while I'm able to rationalize Al's departure, that hardly makes me happy with the decision. He was a fine supporting player - actor and character, someone who was not just a body in the background but whose personality and storyline really complemented those of the main cast. He had presence with a purpose, both in forwarding the plot and in softening the more established character types. It was a pleasant touch, I think, to know that Al's futon played host to Demetri and his video game cheating ass on occasion. Boys. Sweet. Well, there is my farewell. I will have to grow accustomed to a Lee Thompson Young-less tv lineup just as I was getting used to that very idea.

On a slightly critical note, I'm still having a bit of trouble with the writing as some of the finer details often get brushed aside in order to perfect key plot points. The focus is clearly on making sure the puzzle fits together and in a way that delivers constant suspense but not necessarily in ways that seem the most believable or natural. Of course this show, more than the average Thursday night drama, is one contrived piece of storytelling, but there are ways to dampen the effect. I am continually amazed that this Mosaic thing - think Facebook for flash forwards - so quickly became the primary catalog for visions all over the bloody world. First of all, do you think constructing an online database is going to be a primary concern in Stanford's office in the immediate aftermath of the blackout? Secondly, do you mean that no other government or branch of the US government has come up with the same idea? How does everyone know to post their vision on Mosaic and not on, I don't know, MySpace or actual Facebook. (And you know there would have been a group topping 1 million members for that.) I mean, Demetri pops in his (non)vision and a couple hours later someone from Hong Kong is already all over it? (By the way, it can't be night time in both L.A. and Hong Kong.) So the whole Mosaic business is a bit eye-rolling, but it is what it is. Another minor example comes in this week's episode. Nicole sees some of Bryce's drawings of the Asian chick in his flash forward and declares that this mysterious woman is 'obviously' in Japan. Yes, because I have never seen a Japanese woman anywhere outside of Japan. Also, both Chinese and Japanese share the character for "believe." Maybe Bryce's chick was a Chinese woman - in Hong Kong with Demetri's mysterious caller from episode 2. Details, details. As the major elements of the blackout mystery are established, however, I sense, or hope, that these blips will fade and more attention can be paid to those little things that complete a show.

Oh, and apparently the combined salaries of a criminal defense attorney and an FBI agent can land you a sweet, sweet pad in L.A. Land. And Aaron's daughter is alive.

Plus, I love dirty rice too, Al! But it wasn't meant to be.

(The Halle Berry quote is from Scrubs. Lee Thompson Young made an appearance as a sexy intern, prompting Zach Braff to remark on Young's uncommon beauty. Word.)

Kimball Cho: Real Man of Genius

Kimball Cho, one of the reasons why The Mentalist is heads above other shows. He has some of the funniest, sharpest, most cutting lines on television.

Grace: He's also the type that would hire other people to do his dirty work.
Cho: Yes he is. Hitmen aren't cheap and they don't take credit cards.

Suspect: I can make one phone call and your career is toast?
Cho: That's impressive. The best I can do with one phone call is a pizza.

Suspect: How am I supposed to know who you are? You're banging on my doors, 'CBI! CBI!' Like that's supposed to mean something?
Cho: Yeah, we do need better brand awareness.

Rigsby: All I'm saying, you can't say there's no such thing as a psychic because you've never met one.
Cho: You're right. I've never seen a zebra. Doesn't mean they don't exist.
Rigsby: Never seen a zebra?
Cho: Nah.
Rigsby: Never been to a zoo?
Cho: Yeah, I don't get zoos. You pay money to look at animals. Why?

Spooks Series 8...Countdown

The Guardian asks: Spooks - overblown nonsense or top tv? Definitely top tv. Is it overblown and nonsensical? Of course. But sometimes that's exactly what makes top tv. After all, it's a tv show, it's absurd by definition. If someone is really interested in the daily trappings of spy life, go watch a cubicle. A good percentage of a spy's job is paper pushing and bureaucratic somersaulting anyway (so I'm told...). The point is not whether 5 lean Gucci-outfitted spies can save the whole of Britain with science-defying technology; the point is we like to imagine they can. It's fun, exciting, and damn sexy, very unlike most our lives. Okay, very unlike my life. How probable is it that a section head like Harry Pearce would be taken hostage by the Russian secret service, stuffed in a body bag, and bundled in a boot? Not very. But you sure want to tune in tonight and find out how it unravels.

Who shot G.C.?

Oh, Chris. Next week we get to dive into the real NCIS: Los Angeles mystery. Who wanted Chris O'Donnell, rather his character, dead?! Not me.

Adolescent M&Ms

This is Trina, and she ruined Jimmy Brooks's Season 7 storyline on Degrassi. Ashley and Jimmy redux was grating, but Trina and her non-existent personality still managed to leech onto Jimmy and suck all the vulnerable, sensitive juices out of him. Um, anyway. No wonder he was axed from the next season. Well, I blame that and Aubrey Graham's out of control rapping career. You're on notice, Degrassi. Next time you go for a filler love interest, give them a personality and a reason to exist in the show. Some onscreen chemistry is also a plus. Just saying.

Private, parts.

I've tried and I've tried but I can't get the 15 year old girl out of my system. Here's Drake being Aubrey Graham being a U.S. deserter on the Canadian show The Border. I love me some Jimmy Brooks but I would also love to see him in something that I can actually talk about with friends who have moved beyond puberty.

Mamma mia!

Dominic Cooper's dipped on my radar a bit since he shot out of the History Boys cannon. I've devoted my energy instead to supporting the lads who could use a boost - Samuel Anderson, Jamie Parker, Sacha Dhawan, Russell Tovey, Andrew Knott, and of course, Samuel Barnett - since clearly my two cents mean anything. Fail on me. I successfully managed to get one friend and her husband to watch History Boys, of which they remarked, "What's so funny about a gay sexual predator?" Harsh and so off point. But cheers to Dominic Cooper, and his jolly flatmate James Corden, for doing good by the franchise. Now if only I could see Samuel Barnett on Jonathan Ross's couch one day...

Some like it hot.

Boom. Yup, this dumb ass poster pretty much sums up this show. Hokey, pokey. I started watching NCIS: Los Angeles on account of its high ratings, and Chris O'Donnell, which don't always go together. Having never seen the original and not even really knowing this show existed, I thought I owed it to my waning American credibility to at least update myself on network tv's offerings. (I did, however, watch JAG, which spawned the Mark Harmon NCIS, way back in the way back.) In any case, I'm waiting for his character to become interesting, which he has the potential to be. A hard nosed foster kid whose "natural talent for undercover work is legend" and who, at the start of the show, is just returning from a prolonged sick leave after a few stray bullets found their way into his well preserved body. That has sympathetic hero with attachment issues written all over. Alas, such feelings require good acting and I always delude myself into thinking that Mr. O'Donnell's sparse skills might actually evolve. No hard feelings though; I love him for who he is - an all-American Catholic school boy from the midwest, and the type of guy my mom wants for a son-in-law.

But I digress. Okay, first of all, LL Cool J and Chris O'Donnell in a police procedural buddy drama?! Someone at CBS has a lot of faith. The pairing doesn't scream chemistry, though I suppose there have been more awkward partnerships (George Clooney and Chris O'Donnell in Batman and Robin anyone?). Thus far I am unimpressed, but as the show's been picked up for a full season, I trust another 20 episodes of dead bodies and firefights will be a net positive in terms of male bonding.

O-M-G!

The rest of the team, sadly, does little to fill the personality void, with Hetty (Linda Hunt) being an exception. She reminds me of a benevolent nun, someone from a bygone era who manages and mothers a tight crew that is just a tad too cool for its own good. The 4 other team members merely occupy roles and offer little else. Dominic (Adam Jamal Craig) and Kensi (Daniela Ruah) are the more interesting pair, as a new recruit and a more seasoned junior agent, respectively. I could see a fresher dynamic emerge as their interactions in the field with O'Donnell and LL Cool J's characters, Callen and Sam, develop. There are inevitable issues of trust and competence, for example, that so far have been ignored for the sake of action. The 2 remaining members of the team, Nate the psychologist and Eric the tech dude, however, have no where to go, having already established themselves as the slightly preening all-purpose shrink and the geeked out, bluetoothed retro-nerd (looking like he missed the cut for Mark in Rent).

Some of my disappointment, or indifference really, comes from the fact that I just finished the first season of The Mentalist, which I thought was both well written and well acted. Each character had a distinct personality, as opposed to a generic job, e.g. newbie, body man, leader. You can't trade Kimball Cho, for example, with any other law enforcement character on television. His role as a senior agent is standard but actor Tim Kang squeezes every living ounce of dry wit out of him to create someone memorable and not just functional. There's also an engaging whodunnit quality about the show that gives more breathing space to personalities than to gunfights.

"Our Super Wall can kick CNN's Super Wall's ass."

But that's not what everyone goes for, so if you like your crime procedurals seasoned with more action, then NCIS: Los Angeles should be adequate. There's still good doses of humor and emotional tension, but that's mostly secondary to the action. The real thrill of this show is of the classic undercover, chase, and shoot-out variety, and the suspense comes not so much from solving the crime than from watching it being solved.

And really, what is with that promo shot? They both look like backlit Miami Vice tools, but with less hair, beefier arms, and tighter clothing. Oy vey. That said, can't wait until Tuesday for episode 6. Chris O'Donnell, it's been too long.

"Oh my gosh. My life is Degrassi High."

Ahhh, juco, probably where I belong right now. After hearing some good things about Community, I decided to try it out. I haven't seen much American comedy lately so not sure how this stacks up against what's already out there. The show is about some community college students who bond over a Spanish study group. It's an eclectic bunch, as is required for every sitcom, with Joel McHale of Talk Soup fame heading the group. He plays Jeff, a newly disbarred lawyer who fudged his college diploma (turns out Colombia has an extra 'o') so enrolls in a local college to finish his degree.

Jeff picks up a few friends along the way, most of whom cannot be described as normal. The characters are so zany that you kind of have to take the show as is. Britta, Jeff's love interest and one of the more lucid personalities here, accuses him of being arrogant and selfish, which he is. He trusts that his talent for lying, cheating, and general deception will carry him through his classes just as it did his career. In the first episode, he tries to enlist a former client and teacher at the college, played by one John Oliver, to give him all the answers to every test. Fail. His inadequacy, however, is more than matched by his new friends, including a moist-towelette tycoon, an ex-high school jock and the nerdy nut who sat behind him, a black single mother with a sharp tongue, and an Asian Muslim kid with dad issues (hmmm, no typecasting there). Throw in Ken Jeong being a Ken Jeong character, this time in the form of Senor Chang the Spanish teacher, and you have the making of a fantastically epileptic show. Half the laughs are well earned and come from straight witty writing while the other half is the type that gets squeezed out of uncomfortable absurdity - a teacher who thinks Robin Williams' Dead Poets antics actually work, John Oliver flipping out because his psychology experiment doesn't pan out. I understand some of it is tongue and cheek, as when two students protest the lack of press freedom in Guatemala because they want to bake brownies for a cause and tape their mouths during a candlelight vigil. Of course I could just have issues with Ken Jeong who is a veritable bottle of Ritalin that needs a better childproof cap. Overall though, the show's a good pickup. Community college dares us to hope, so NBC would have us believe. All these guys are pathetic, which is exactly what makes them endearing.

(Kudos to whoever penned the Degrassi nod in episode 4. Treat.)

Abed (the Asian) and Troy (the jock) rocking the Spanish.



Krumping in the study room because that's the place to do it.

What's with all the Asian dudes?

Whoa, some major WTF moments in last night's episode of FlashForward. The opening scene sees the guys coming out of some late night meeting. As they're headed out of the parking garage, their car gets broadsided by a huge van. Out pop some Asian dudes with mean ass guns. Next thing we know, the agents' car is toast. Flash backward to 39 hours earlier and the episode recounts a meeting before some Senate committee on financing various FBI projects to determine the cause of the blackout.

A lot of stuff goes on throughout the course of the next 39 hours. We get our first glimpse of the president, who looks a lot like Peter Coyote, and discover that the Senate committee chairman is a hardass woman named Clemente. No one likes her but everyone tolerates her because she plays hardball, which Stanford is also adept at. He blackmails the president for more funding, and the president, in a move that may or may not be related, nominates Clemente as veep. Meanwhile, back in LA, cutie Al (Lee Thompson 'Don't Call Me Jett Jackson' Young) and Janice have located some images that show massive pylons under construction in Somalia at the same time of the '91 blackout. Oh, Janice can also kick your ass, and she's a lesbian.

Yeah, so pretty intense as shit just keeps going down on this show. The biggest WTF moment though comes as the show catches up to the opening shot. The scene is extended with some more gun fu action, but then, Janice pops into a shady looking street with a clumsy bag of groceries (really?) and she gets caught in the crossfire with some mean ass Asians. Man, what is going on? It was veering into Lost meets Johnnie To territory. She gets s-h-o-t and as she tumbles onto the pavement in glorious slo-mo, she sees her flashforward, which we all know is her getting a sonogram. So...does she die on the mean streets of LA in a pool of her own blood? Of course not, but can't wait to see how everyone emerges from this mess.

The Drakeness

Couple days ago I posted some Drake covers. Here are two more by Lisa Scinta. She has a super mellow, girly take on his songs. Love it.

Precious

This movie's been sitting around for awhile. I've been waiting for it since its Sundance buzz, and it's finally getting released in time for awards season. Can't wait until it makes it to Hong Kong - which will be never, unless it bags a couple Oscars. So let's hope the Academy does the right thing.

[speechless]

Compliments of the Daily Mail in anticipation of the upcoming season of Spooks. So gratuitous.

Drake covers

Youtube star JR Aquino's version of Houstatlantavegas. Drake's version is smooth but I also like this mellow acoustic take. Also check out the dude's other covers. I'm loving Home and Knock You Down.

My favorite cover of Best I Ever Had. A bit unconventional, a bit lounge-y, but still a unique spin on a song that has been beaten and bloodied by radio overplay (so I'm told). A lot of the other versions are relatively straightforward acoustic takes, some of which are also impressive, but this one stands out for me.

Spooky

Lucas North will destroy you.

Looks like the 8th series of Spooks will debut sometime in October. That's - this month! Via an article uploaded on RichardArmitageOnline, there will be loads of sex and danger, just what I like in my spy show. Turns out Lucas North still has some baggage leftover from his Russian rendezvous. He also gets entangled with a blond, leggy CIA agent, which could have been me in another life, except for the blond and leggy part, and the CIA agent. Ruth comes back, which is supposed to be a big deal. I have yet to watch, well, most of the show; series 2-6 are hard to come by in these parts. In any case, let the spy games begin.

It's now or never.

Daaamn. Who knew the Asian kid could dance? Killed it. Harry Shum Jr has got the Asians abuzz. He's mostly a dancer with some bit parts here, there, and everywhere. Guy was even one of the original iPod silhouettes. Also loved Kevin McHale's solo on Confessions, and let's give credit to Dijon Talton, the other hottie football player turned crooner (and Meagan Good's cousin). The girls' Halo/Walking on Sunshine was also good, but dudes in leather jackets and white ts belting out Bon Jovi? Kind of awesome.

Oh, Kendra, where art thou?

This is not me 10 years ago, although I still look like I did 10 years ago. Apparently, Spinner, one of the main characters off of Degrassi, had an adopted sister named Kendra. She appeared in one of the earlier seasons as a quasi-love interest for Toby and then disappeared. So today's question: What the hell happened to Kendra Mason? Are you telling me this school in Toronto didn't have any Chinese people? Come on now. That's setting a show in San Francisco with no Asian folks. Oh wait, I think it's called Monk.

P-P-P-Push it.

Still my favorite number from Glee thus far. Word's out that the boys v girls battle on tonight's episode (Vitamin D) kicked someone's ass, but I'm actually going to try to hold out for the whole show rather than just watching the clip on youtube.

WTF find of the day

O-M-bloody-G. You're saying that the kiddies from Degrassi hooked up with the kiddies from Spring Awakening? This must be a couple years old, before Aubrey Graham busted out as Drake and before anyone outside of Broadway geekdom had heard of Lea Michele. But this is pretty spectacular fangirl stuff. Two breakout stars of 2009 sharing the stage. Love.

Sap

(This is an old unpublished post I found that I'd written in the aftermath of Eurovision. I was checking out past winners and entries and soon found myself wading in a sludge of overproduced sap. Viva la fromage!)

As a rule, I hate music videos that feature sick or dying people in the hospital, retching from the after-effects of chemo, looking emaciated and bleary eyed - but strangely hot - and being wheeled around in a wheelchair. It's especially vomitous if it involves little kids or attractive twentysomething significant others. It's so cheap and generic - and it's used in every other damn Chinese mv. Every 'singer' has used this trick at least one time (Eason's 七百年後 and Guang Liang's 童話 immediately come to mind), and that's being generous. Anyway, while I was checking out bad Eurovision entries last night, I came across this video by Dima Bilan who won the 2008 contest for Russia. Sappy lyrics - check, sappy music - check, sappy dying kid in the video - check. There was even a sappy long haired lothario violinist. BUT, being Russia, this video had.........sappy ice skating!!! Sappy fucking fail.

"Each morning I get up and die a little..."

This week's episode of Glee was not its strongest but still managed to deliver the goods, proving yet again that, we shouldn't stop believing (groan). The Rhodes Not Taken finds our pretty characters at a crossroads - a couple folks are knocked up, a couple folks are hiding some secrets, and Rachel just wants to be a bitch supastar. Enter April Rhodes, in the form of Kristin Chenoweth, an overtanned, overboozed glee club has been. With Rachel's departure, Will needs a new diva and seeks out his former classmate, who was just a few credits shy of graduation, to fill the gap. It's a bit of redemption for both of them; she gets another shot at high school glory, if that's what you want to call it, and he gets to share the limelight with an old crush plus extra credit for reviving the glee club.

The effort, unfortunately, falls flat for us viewers. Let's call this episode what it really is - a vehicle for Kristin Chenoweth to be amazing, which she is. I'd never properly seen her act or sing but she more than lives up to her reputation here. At least she finally got her Emmy (for Pushing Daisies) but really, folks, give the woman a Tony or two, or ten; she has talent spilling out of her ears. The problem is, rather than enhancing the show and bringing out the other characters and performances, as a good cameo should, her appearance felt like a forced detour from the actual show. It's as if the creative team was so excited she'd come on board that they contrived of ways to make her appear as often as possible at the expense of most other characters. This works at times; Rachel's lust for fame without any real understanding of what it means parallels April's own mishandling of her considerable talent, and Will's constant fluttering between what he wants and what his students need gets another look over. But hardly a peep from Sue Sylvester?!

Will is also starting to grate on me. He's kind, generous, and does the best white boy version of Gold Digger you can find, but sometimes I question his ability as a teacher and mentor. Did he really think that importing a boozy thirtysomething would benefit the kids? I can't decide if this is a significant character flaw or significantly flawed writing. A bit of both perhaps as he's no stranger to clinging on to his past (see the second and third episodes). Like those of us (ahem) who peaked in our teen years, it's hard for him to let go or acknowledge that the world moves on even if you stand still.

In any case, this week's musical gem - Queen's Somebody to Love. The kiddies killed it. My only gripe is that the truncated version broadcast on the show omitted Kevin McHale's parts. He may have been in a boy band, he may have flat ironed his hair at one point, but the boy's got lungs. Check out the full album version, twice as long and twice the goodies. (FYI, the image here is reversed.)

He likes older women.

Our boy Jimmy makes #3 on MTV's Hottest MCs list. Sweetness and light.

MTV Shows

More, please.

I just watched episode 2 of ABC's FlashForward and it was a-mazing! This is why I haven't followed network tv in a long time. Shows that offers surprises and cliffhangers at every turn require uncommon amounts of patience and emotional self-control, none of which I have. So rather than sitting pretty in a Snuggie and with a bucket of ice cream for a Saturday night marathon, I have to wait an entire week until my next 45 minute fix. (Luckily I have numerous distractions in Merlin, Glee, maybe Three Mile, and all the other old shows I'm just catching up on.)

Things really start churning in this second episode. The pilot was mostly a prolonged edition of all the previews they've been showing this summer. There's nothing terribly revealing about the plot, the characters, or their visions that we didn't already know from the publicity campaign. The only real surprise came at the end when it was discovered that a man was awake, wandering around Detroit's baseball stadium during the blackout. Spooky. Episode 2 jumped on the first real lead and involved the search for someone named 'D. Gibbons'. Olivia, Mark Benford's (Joseph Fiennes) wife, gets her first meeting with the mysterious man she saw in her vision. He happens to be the father of a patient - who, it turns out, Olivia's daughter Charlie saw in her vision. A crazy cupcake lady is introduced as well, and I mention this mostly because I want to eat her cupcakes, though she is sure to reappear later on.

One of the major sources of tension thus far seems to be between Mark and Olivia as they navigate infidelity of all sorts. There is the obvious conflict regarding the other man, but there is also cheating of the non-sexual variety. Mark has yet to tell his wife that part of his vision involved a relapse into alcoholism, and he makes an effort to keep even minor details from her (such as the bracelet). All signs point to a volatile descent into chaos, at least in their personal lives.

The biggest pseudo-surprise, however, comes at Demetri Noh's (John Cho) expense. In the immediate aftermath of the blackout, he hypothesized that his lack of a vision meant that he'd be dead in 6 months. Well, tonight we learned from some raspy voiced woman with some prime real estate in Hong Kong that he will be...murdered!! O-M-to-the-G. This is brutal, and I am officially hooked.

Good bye, Merry Men.

Dated news but Robin Hood got the big heave ho, so no season 4. I would have liked to have seen Clive Standen who played Archer as the new Robin, but there didn't seem to be much potential for the story to move forward. After all, Marian, the Sheriff, and our beloved Guy all bit the dust, and I don't see how another season could have survived the dearth of charisma. You know it couldn't exactly rely on writing talent. Anyway, it was an enjoyable run while it lasted. We'll just wait and see what BBC pumps out next, and if Merlin survives past round 2....Speaking of which, Adrian Lester appeared in last week's episode. He played an assassin sent to off Arthur for the murder of a neighboring prince. There was a bit of jousting, a bit of love. Not a particularly memorable episode and I don't think this was a fantastic showcase of Mr Lester's considerable talent. Guinevere does give Arthur a verbal talking down though and maybe this relationship might bring more depth to Arthur's character. One of my complaints from last season is that our once and future king was little more than a chain mail wearing jock. If Bradley James can actually act, then the remainder of the season should be more interesting.

I'm a believer.

I was skeptical when I heard that Leon Jackson had won Britain's X Factor some years back. He looked elfin and didn't stun with the winning song, When You Believe, previously covered by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. Then everyone started talking shit about him, his new record dropped, and I found myself loving one of the singles. Alas, the jury seems to have decided that Leon's a dud. Poor record sales and a solid slagging from Simon Cowell cemented his status as reality show has been, worse mind you than the typical has been. Too bad because he is suddenly hot.


The single that converted me into a believer - Don't Call This Love. (I couldn't embed the MV, but here is a link. Um, Leon, Leon, Leon. Keep wearing those suits and walking through rain soaked cobblestone streets.)

A Little Bit

This is on repeat as my life spins out of control. Drake's remix of Lykke Li's Little Bit. Hot.



This video is what happens when some of my favorite people converge...Drake, Tony Leung, Wong Kar Wai...

High School High

My new and embarrassing obsession - Degrassi: The New Generation. I don't usually watch teen shows I didn't watch teen shows when I was actually a teenager so I don't know what to compare it to. Freaks and Geeks, My So Called Life, Dawson's Creek, The OC?? Essentially it is a spin-off of a popular Canadian youth series that never ends. (Full disclosure, I'm not a teenager nor do I own one, and in fact, my 10 year reunion is fast approaching, which probably accounts for my recent bouts of nostalgia.) Sneer as we might at kids and their petty problems, getting laughed at, finding friends, and surviving chemistry is a big deal when you're 16. Maybe one of the reasons we have so many adult wackos is because we don't take anyone seriously in their youth. I appreciate that this show maintains a conflicted if hermetic adolescent world that is neither overly saccharine nor alienating (see Skins, which I'm also watching now). It also enjoys surprising longevity for a show of this sort which gives the characters a chance to actually grow into themselves. A lot changes in those 4 years, and it's nice to see teen characters undergo similar transformations.

On a somewhat related note, I discovered the Dear Sister phenomenon thanks to a Degrassi parody of the episode where Jimmy gets shot. The whole bit is hilarious, so inspired by that and Huffington Post's useless poll of the day, here are my top SNL digital shorts (no links because I don't have access to Hulu).

1. Dick in a Box
2. Iran So Far
3. Motherlover
   
4. Dear Sister
5. Natalie Raps

Merlin returned for a second season with a small splash, according to the viewer ratings. I thought the first episode was fair. Silly BBC family fare with high production values have become my comfort food, so I did enjoy it, but my criticisms from last season remain. Bradley James struts like a 21st century jock in chain mail, Katie McGrath needs to move her face, and the stories generally could benefit from more emotional depth. I think it's missing what Richard Armitage brought to Robin Hood - a villain with an occasional conscience. Merlin lacks strong actors and characters with any nuance. Anthony Head and Richard Wilson are of course up to par in acting ability, but there's nothing satisfying about their characters. Uther (Head) will always be a model noble, erring on the side of righteousness more often than not - except in matters of sorcery. So too does Gaius (Wilson) rarely venture from his affable, wise old man role. Nevertheless, I hope a couple plot strands will inject some intrigue. Gwen (Angel Coulby) and Arthur (James) get things warmed up, Morgana (McGrath) explores her own powers, and boy Mordred makes another appearance.

Other tv news...looking forward to the return of SNL, rather Ryan Reynolds' guest turn...Colbert and Stewart are finally back from their 3 week hiatus...zero opinion on Emmys because if I watch American shows, I'm always several seasons behind at best...just started season 2 of West Wing. I do intend on keeping up with a couple shows this fall, however. Glee already occupies my Wednesday nights, and in the next couple of weeks we'll see Flashforward with Joseph Fiennes and John Cho (romancing Gabrielle Union - guaranteed to be the hottest couple on network tv) and Three Rivers with Daniel Henney. Of the two, I'm actually looking to the former for the content. The latter is mostly for extra eye candy.

Persuasion

Something I really want to watch right now.....Persuasion. Otherwise, nothing else to say. My mind is empty of thought.

The Hate that Hate Produced

Melissa Harris-Lacewell lays it down. I don't know how much more hate and stupidity I can take (the two go together), but I guess I better get used to it because it's not going away.

Better halves.

No political rant today because I'm lighting up the blog boards. Controversy du jour is Skip Gates and the white folks who are saying calm the fuck down - to which I say, people of color will calm the fuck down when we all admit that there is a problem with institutional racism and acknowledge that a black man does not see a white officer entering his home the same way that a white man sees it. And that's how I feel about that.

Artist of the Day: Keith Urban. I liked him a lot back in 2004-5. Then I went to China and there were sadly no country music stations. That's why we have youtube. Here is a live version of one of my favorite songs of his, Better Half.

Dumb Ass

Birthers. I don't even know why I'm legitimizing this shit by posting, but it's almost 8a and I haven't slept or done much writing and this just about makes me want to shit my pants it's so crazy. The dumb ass birther conspiracy goons have invaded cable news and will not get a motherfucking life. They brewed this Molotov cocktail of stupid, racist shit and now are lobbing it into every news show they can find. I can't even write about how illogical, unnecessary, and RACIST this all is. I've never smashed my head into a brick wall, but I don't need to; I just listen to fuck up birther goons.

Here is Chris Matthews squaring off with a straight up crook, G. Gordon Liddy. I'm posting this because of all the interviews on this stupid ass subject, Liddy's broke ass, punched in the face one too many times response sums up the whole deal. Matthews presents him with the facts and the evidence more times than he has fingers and all Liddy can say is Obama's step-grandma gave a signed deposition stating he was born in Kenya (later shown to be a gross mistranslation). Fuck you.

Round Three

Rachel spitting the truth.

Here's the shit that started it all, if you can stomach listening to this.

Let's kill racism once and for all. I'm sick of this guy. I'm sick of writing a thesis about race in the 19th and 20th centuries and drawing parallels to the 21st. Stop the hate already.

Round Two

Another Daily Kos post that refutes Pat Buchanan's nonsense. Word to your mother, fucker.

Pat Buchanan is racist and other observations.

Pat Buchanan has been spewing crazy again. He tussled with Rachel Maddow over the Sotomayor hearings, and the result was an ugly, intolerant, patronizing, self-absorbed train of verbal shit in a week where there was a lot of it to go around. It was racist plain and plain, effortlessly distilled into the one argument that "This country has been built basically by white folks." Yes, that's right, he said it. Rachel Maddow smacked that bitch around a bit, but he needs to be whipped (figuratively, not literally - no violence here). MSNBC needs to stop treating him like a grumpy old man because he ain't just a grumpy old man; he's a grumpy old racist man and there ain't no reason for that to be on television - unless it's some made-for-tv movie on ABC Family (is that channel still around?) about old school bigots back when Jim Crow was still flying high. Daily Kos breaks it down but you can find similar chatter all over the blogs. Bastard.

Glenn Greenwald offers an enlightened take on Walter Cronkite's passing, more specifically on the self-serving journalistic lovefest that these tv tributes are turning into. I'm glad he wrote about it because I had similar feelings watching Anderson Cooper 360 today. The Silver Fox gave a short memorial but he wasn't anchoring; in his place was John King who waxed lyrical about Uncle Walter's lasting contributions to journalism and to the nation and about his irreplaceablity. Clearly CNN did not see the irony in pushing two of its pretty stars to expound on the greatness of journalism past. I've said before that I do enjoy some of Cooper's reporting, namely on 60 Minutes, but giving him a show kind of ruins it. Once these cable folks get a show, they have to become a brand. Good reporting doesn't have to be snazzy though; it just has to be good.

U2's I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight. Sounds like a win-win situation. Actually sounds like my daily predicament. From their Letterman appearance earlier this year.