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TV Tickles Neal's Pickle

Published

on February 22, 2010

in TV

. 3 Comments

Well then. Monday continues to be the worst possible day to write a column. In the (continual) absence of anything substantial to write about, I will talk about TV. More specifically, what is tickling my pickle my these days. And yes, tomorrow's podcast probably covers like half of this.

Human Target - this show is a bonafide problem, so act like you know. Mark Valley's boyscout character on Boston Legal was laughably dismissed as a 'Ken Doll' more than once. (James Spader was truly spot on with that observation) However, Valley is exactly the right person to play Christopher Chance. He's a bodyguard for hire with a former cop partner and a witty/subversive/unabashed thief helper. I think it's kind of daring to have a regular cast of three guys with no recurring female roles (s0 far). But, it works, and Jackie Earle Haley is finally getting his due as Guerrero.

Modern Family - Yup. It's that good. It's like some network/creative genius was like "what if we make a really funny show about a really diverse family situation" and then managed to execute that. And though I am a super late comer to the show, there is zero learning curve. There is like zero continuity between episodes.

Archer - I watch this garbage because there is swearing, H. Jon Benjamin and Aisha Tyler. That is pretty much it. It is like a weird combination of AdultSwim concepts like Home Movies, The Boondocks, and ATHF/Sealab/Frisky Dingo all rolled into animated shitshow. You probably won't like it, but I kind of do.

Community - I slept on this show for a while too, but I find it significantly funnier/fresher than some of the other stuff (see below) on NBC right now. Perhaps it's all about the Abed and Troy dynamic. That or Chevy Chase in his most phoned in role ever.

Things that no longer tickle my pickle include: The Simpsons, 75% of Seth MacFarlane's stuff, The Office and most 30Rock episodes. I am just sorta done with those.

Better Off Ted, and the second coming of Scrubs (which is like having feelings for your ex-girlfriend who broke your heart three times) all are in my rotation but eh... only if Hulu puts them in my queue.

And that, is all she freaking wrote. Also, LAST CALL FOR MBA Media and Entertainment Conference Tickets (Friday, Feb 26th, all day at NYU)

The Top 9 Things I'll Miss About The Jersey Shore

Published

neal

on January 25, 2010

in The Top 9 and TV

. 0 Comments

9 episodes of The Jersey Shore, that's all MTV saw fit to bless us with. Sadly, the show is over and I'm stuck with reruns. What to do? How about a Top 9 recounting my favorite Dirty Shore craziness? This also allows me to not write a real column this week. Fist pump that baby!

9. Angelina - Really, who walks out on an MTV reality show?
8. Vinny's total milquetoastness and utter irrelevance to the show
7. Ron Ron Juice - or maybe not
6. JWOWW's Battle dancing
5. GTL! GTL! GTL! - Because summer should revolve around gym, tanning, and laundry, right?
4. Snooki's hottub antics - although, someone at MTV told me that Snookin for Love is all but greenlit
3. Creepin, grenades, and grenade launchers
2. THE SITUATION
1. The Snooki punch

Why the Top 9? Because 10 is too many and 9 is better. 3 X 3 > pants.

We do not endorse Shy Ronnie

Published

neal

on December 6, 2009

in Music and TV

. 3 Comments

I ust wanted to remind all of you that neither my alter ego RonnieB, nor UAL, is in any way affiliated with Andy Samberg's Shy Ronnie. That is all.

Actually, that isn't all - what the hell is RiRi wearing? Ha-HA!

Television, Agent of Hydra

Published

neal

on November 11, 2009

in TV

. 6 Comments

When I lived alone, in Peoria of all places, I did not have cable. I survived on Netflix, Bittorrent, and during my last 2 years Hulu. It worked fairly well, but things were just inconvenient enough that following more than three or four shows concurrently was unwieldy. Then I moved to NYC and started living with four other dudes, three TV's, two DVRs, and a dynamite non-strike TV season (Glee!). Combine that with a schedule that doesn't have much slack and things get hairy.

'Rational' folks might simply say: stop watching so much TV, or catch up on the weekend, DVR everything, cut down on your shows, and the patently ridiculous - wait for the DVD. Listen folks, none of those solutions are 100% feasible, even in combination. I'm at school almost all week, literally. TV time is my time and keeps me from imploding. DVR space is limited with 4 roommates. And wait for the DVDs? Do you start buying PS3 gear when the PS5 comes out? Yeah, didn't think so.

The only real solution I see is one of tough love: divorcing shows. There are plenty of quick wins with this strategy. Heroes sucked from the get go, and letting go mid-season 2 was a breath of fresh air to my schedule. HIMYM made it easy by sucking so much after season 3. Scrubs was a no-brainer once I woke up and realized how un-endearing Sac Breath Braff really was. Alas, these are but the low hanging fruit.

Cut off one show and 2 shows grow in it's place

Cut off one show and two more shall take its place!

Powerhouses like House has proven a bit harder to quit. I keep going back to it, and even Tim Roth's Lie to Me has shown great tenacity. But I'm done with them. I can no longer tolerate Hugh Laurie or Dr. Lightman. But, there exists a fundamental problem with this hack and slashery.

Every time you cut out a show, those wily TV execs throw two more in your way. (eh eh, see how good I am with titles) After quitting House, Parks and Recreation popped into my rotation and brought The League with it just to add insult to injury. I mean fuck, when did TV Execs wake up and start making moderately entertaining shows with just enough laugh value to engage me? Goddamn you superior formula based programming!!!!

Even when shows cut themselves off (ATHF, Sealab 2020, Home Movies), new shit springs up to replace them (The Venture Brothers, Squidbillies, Metalocalypse). And don't get me started on the half/summer season shows on HBO/Showtime or delayed starts like Chuck. Ugh.

I'm not sure how to handle this ridiculous head/show proliferation, but it's only a matter of time before my entire week is devoted to TV and I become an indoor kid again, complete with orange Cheeto fingers.

In short: FML

The Simpsons Sums Up The Comic Book Movie Process

Published

neal

on September 28, 2009

in Comics and TV

. 2 Comments

Yup - The Simpsons proves once again that it is better than your other favorite tv show. Check out last night's season premiere and see how a small little comic book gets turned into the next big thing. Witness the rise and fall of Everyman (staring Homer)!

TV Is Awesome Again but My DVR Is Full!

Published

neal

on September 23, 2009

in TV

. 5 Comments

Sons of Anarchy started again two weeks ago, Mad Men is in full swing, House kicked off last night, and I think The Office and 30 Rock come online in 3 weeks. TV - which at one point was the domain of networks, then premium cable, and now fairly evenly distributed - is putting a hurting on the DVR now that the fall season has begun. And while DVR space is always at a premium - recording more than 2 simultaneous shows is simply not an option for most people.

So what is a man to do when Monday night football, show 1, and show 2 all coincide? Hit up ezRSS.it (formerly tvrss.net) and bookmark feeds for all of your favorite shows. You'll be able to download episodes the morning after they air. It isn't as slick as Hulu, but it's a lot faster. (Bittorrent required).

If you are the type of person who never remembers when things are on, you also need MyTVRss. This site allows you select all your favorite shows and generates a RSS feed that tells you the episode, season, and date of the next showing of your favorite shows. It is a must for season premieres!

I hope this helps you tame your TV habits. Perhaps Kirsten or Nick will chime in later with how they manage their TV habits.

Chuck Season Finale, Cool Kids Mixtape, House Detox, Eminem 3 AM Music Video

Published

neal

on May 6, 2009

in Music, Music Videos and TV

. 1 Comment

I apologize for the totally lame absence of a column last week. I was in New Haven and had a lot going on. In fact, I am still getting caught up. So, rather than tackling a single topic, I'm shotgunning the past week for you. Try to keep up. (And, yes I'm throwing spoilers in)

Chuck Season Finale
From the moment Chuck threw the first kick, Kirsten called it, 'Guys, I know Kung-Fu'. Cue her cheering and me groaning. It was a great ep - but if NBC axes the show, I won't cry too much. This is as natural an endpoint as any. We all knew Chuck would re-up with the Intersect, but who knew his dad was one too? Bringing Chuck's dad back as a recurring character and killing off Bryce is way too shark jumpy for me. Compound that with Devon knowing about Chuck's secret identity and things get sticky. Plus now Chuck is some sort of super autodidact? Too Matrixy. My opinion: lock all this shit down in S3E1 or just end the show now and leave people salivating.

Did you miss the ep? watch it here courtesy of Hulu:

The Cool Kids - Gone Fishing Mixtape
(Ed. Note: Neal selected The Cool Kids' Bake Sale as 2008 You Don't Suck Awards Music Winner)
The mixtape dropped on Monday. This is just the quiet before the storm (When Fish Ride Bicycles). You have to love how artists are using the lead up to their studio albums to drop free mixtapes full of even more great tracks. Peep Champions for a great piano beat and the updated Pennies remix for guest verses by Luda and Bun B. The tape is a little overstuffed considering the typical Cool Kids release is between six and eleven tracks. Of course, single artist 'mixtapes' regularly weigh in over 30 tracks, so whatever. Also take a listen to Hammer Bros. and Broadcasting Live.

House - S5E23 - Under My Skin
Great episode. The patient's skin sloughs off, House detoxes, and though I'll miss halluci-Amber... DO IT TO IT HOUSE! HIT THAT! Um, anyway, moving on....

Eminem - 3 A.M Music Video

Cold Garbage. I can't even watch the whole thing. The flow is terrible and the visuals are as trite as it gets. I'm not feeling any of the cuts I have heard from Relapse so far. I hope he's saving the best for later.

Swine Flu
What's the quickest way to get the pig flu? Twitter! Get it? It's a joke. (though not a very timely one) Anyway, this is about as much H1N1 as any blog post should have, so I'm done with that, and this blog post. BOOYAH!

Excessive Collateral Damage in The Spectacular Spider-Man Animated Series

Published

nick marino

on March 26, 2009

in TV

. 2 Comments

I have a serious love / hate thing going on with The Spectacular Spider-Man animated series. I think the characters look great and the show has occasional moments of brilliance. At the same time, certain episodes tend to grate on me and I find the quality of storytelling to be extremely inconsistent.

But despite all this, one thing about The Spectacular Spider-Man captures my curiosity more than anything else - the mind-boggling amount of collateral damage and pedestrian danger created by Spider-Man's battles.

Uh-oh... Spidey is here... run for cover!

I finished the first season around the time it ended airing last year, and I was already asking myself questions about all this destruction. Whenever Spidey gets into a public fight, he puts a serious dent in New York City. Does anyone care about this? JJJ barely ever picks up on it!

I'll use recent episodes as examples, since they're the freshest ones on my mind. In episode 205, "First Steps," Spider-Man fights Sandman multiple times, each battle escalating the insane amount of destruction. The show culminates with a brawl on an oil tanker, leading to a humongous oil spill in the waters surrounding New York City and a giant explosion that renders the tanker completely decimated.

It just seems like a little bit of maneuvering could have seriously cut down on the amount of damage that occurred. And while this installment is far more self-aware about its property destruction than some of the previous episodes, it still fails to follow up on any of the fallout from the oil spill or the ship's explosion.

In the following episode, "Growing Pains," John Jameson becomes Colonel Jupiter and goes mad with the power. Mistaking Spidey for Venom (or vise versa, really), he chases the Wallcrawler across the city and then wrecks the extravagant Solar System display at the city's science center during their ensuing fight.

Not only is a major public attraction crushed by their tussle, but Colonel Jupiter leaves huge ripples in the ground (and rooftops) every time he leaps and lands. So Spider-Man is basically leading a reckless superhuman across Manhattan, creating a deadly trail of crumbling pavement, plaster, and bricks. Never once is the enormous endangerment of lives addressed during the episode.

Look! Rhino is breaking some stuff... big surprise.

Looking philosophically at the circumstances surrounding all the wanton destruction in this show, the story of The Spectacular Spider-Man has one central flaw - almost all the super-powered villains running around in Spidey's NYC are a direct result of his own crime fighting. Seriously. The show went out of its way in the first season to prove that Spidey was the one who escalated the level of violence and force necessary to pull off crime in NYC.

This leads me to my big unanswered question that looms greater and greater with every passing episode of this show:

If Peter Parker of The Spectacular Spider-Man believes with "great power comes great responsibility," how can he continue to operate when excessive, dangerous, and costly levels of property damage are the direct result of his war on crime in New York City?

More: Black Panther BET Animated Series Preview Video

And more: Your Two Favorite Avatar Characters Reveal Your True Inner Self

BREAKING NEWS: Stephen Colbert Has Twatted

Published

nick marino

on March 19, 2009

in TV

. 0 Comments

Stephen Colbert & Twitter, courtesy of Meredith Vieira and The Today Show.

Black Panther BET Animated Series Preview Video

Published

nick marino

on March 5, 2009

in TV

. 15 Comments

EDIT 01/19/2011: Well, this preview video has since been taken down and the BP show has been on a pretty rocky road since it was completed. But as of TODAY, it's available on DVD as "Marvel Knights: Black Panther."

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I haven't seen this Black Panther TV show animation preview posted anywhere, so I thought I'd share it:

I had no idea it existed until CBR's WonderCon 2009 Black Panther panel report paraphrased a quote from Denys Cowan about this animation test. According to Cowan, veteran comic book artist and producer of BET's Black Panther show, the original test reel was online somewhere (but he refused to give out a web addy for it).

Honestly, the most exciting thing about this video is seeing John Romita, Jr.'s art in motion. While I love the Black Panther character far more than your average comic book fan, I think the interview snippets with Reginald Hudlin and Cowan are a bit heavy handed. "The Black Panther is a black guy? No way! Oh shit dude we should totally talk about how black he is!!!"

But Hudlin, former BET head honcho and writer of the Black Panther show AND current writer of the Black Panther series from Marvel Comics, is obviously the driving force behind this... so I can't complain too much! I mean, at the end of the day, I'm just really excited to have one of my favorite comic book characters getting an eight episode prime time animated TV series based on some comic books that I enjoyed. Who cares about the politics of "selling" the series when you put it like that?