Wednesday, October 31, 2007

TV Newsy Bits - Wednesday, October 31, 2007


Happy Halloween! A scarecrow amidst the cobwebs in Plainfield, NJ. I used layers to make the background black and white while keeping the scarecrow's colors. It's not my best work, but the sentiment is there! Happy birthday wishes go out to my brother Russ!

Normally I don't work Wednesdays, but I've been working odd hours this week. So, instead of the ongoing Bon Jovi concert crowds in the new Newark arena (I believe there are ten concert dates) messing up my NJ Transit train commute -- today I got NJ Devils fans and the Halloween party people in costume heading to the big parade in Greenwich Village. I just wanted to get home. You know it's bad when I saw two different train conductors I know and the first thing we did was roll our eyes and sigh. But I'm home and they're still working. My sympathies go out to the late shift conductors tonight.

In TV Newsy Bits:
  • I'll be watching and reviewing tonight's Kid Nation episode for TV Squad -- I'll post the link once it's done.
  • Buddy TV has an interview with Goth couple Vyxsin and Kynt who will be on The Amazing Race (coming this Sunday!).
  • I should be receiving an overnighted copy of the season premiere of TAR12 for my TV Squad duties tomorrow. I'll tell you if I enjoyed it or not, but I won't spill any beans until my review on TV Squad Sunday night. Heh.
  • I should be finishing the look at the teams here tomorrow. I've had a bit of a rough week and I'm running behind.
  • Now, this isn't necessarily my cuppa, but I received this promo: "Would you like to see Big Brother 8's Jessica and Eric compete on The Amazing Race? Join the fan campaign to get them cast on the show! Fans are flooding CBS with letters and woobies to show our support for Team Jeric. To get involved, please visit the fan campaign website for information, updates, funny promo videos, and exclusive pictures of Team Jeric with Woobie in New York and Kansas. Also, here is the campaign video to inspire you." -- if you're interested, go for it!
  • FearNet.com has a new online series called Buried Alive. I won't have time to check it out until way late tonight, but since it's Halloween and seems fitting, I thought I'd share.
Today's music non-sequitur:
And still the raven remains in my room

No matter how much I implore
No words can soothe him
No prayer remove him
And I must hear for evermore
--"The Raven" by Edgar Alan Poe as sung by Alan Parsons Project

Monday, October 29, 2007

'Heroes' - "The Line"

Heroes - NBC
Hmmm ... I'm wondering if the chapter name -- "The Line" -- has to do with the old saying "toeing the company line." I would think so as the meaning behind it is loyalty to the company even if the company's actions may be wrong. Although, after tonight, could the Company have good in mind?

Nah, I think it's a ploy. I don't trust the Company minions. Here's the skinny on what went down in the episode (chapter):

Peter and Caitlin

In the bar where Mickey was murdered by Elle, Peter and Caitlin talk about going to Montreal (as in the painting Peter Isaac'd). Peter doesn't want her to go with him, but she's insistent. She wants to kill the woman who killed her brother.

They opened the episode and closed it, not to be seen in between. In the closing of the episode, they're in Montreal at the very location they were in the painting. They enter what looks to be some sort of studio only to find a note to Peter from someone named Adam -- "We were right about the Company. The world is in danger." Peter doesn't remember an Adam (neither do I, but that's beside the point).

Peter and Caitlin embrace and end up doing a Hiro. They've transplanted themselves to June 14 (Flag Day), 2008 in an abandoned Times Square, NYC. Well, at least that was the date on the evacuation notice Peter found. That's where the show ended, but a lot happened to others in between.

Claire and West

While Claire's advocate Meg voted for her to become a cheerleader, Debbie (that so-and-so) said no. Claire seems to have issues with cheerleader captains. So did I, but I tended to scoff cheerleaders in general back in my high school days.

Claire told West that she had told her father that she was on the cheerleader squad and that she wasn't allowed ot date at all. West suggested she do something to Debbie to get her on the squad. She tried talking to her only to be turned down and laughed at.

Since Debbie the So-and-So was drinking, they came up with a way to humiliate her in public. I believe it was West's idea. He dressed in black garb like a robber
, flew in and picked up Claire while she was talking to Debbie. He then dropped her, killing her (but we know she'll heal), and went after Debbie. Debbie called the police to report it, Claire appeared alive, Debbie got canned from the squad and Claire is on. I don't care. I still don't trust West.

West told Claire that parental guidance is a non-issue when you can fly. I think he's going to try to really test Claire's bond with her parents. He reacted strangely when she mentioned parents. Does he even have any? He was in Louisville (if memory serves) when the "man with the horn-rimmed glasses" kidnapped him. Hmmm...

Monica, Mohinder Suresh, Molly, Niki, and Bob at the Company

Lots went down at the Company in Hartsdale, NY, this episode. Mohinder did
indeed bring Monica (Micah's cousin) there. They had her watching gymnasts and learning the moves. But then Bob wanted Mohinder to inject her with a serum (the Ashanti serum) which would remove her powers, but might have other effects, too. Of course, Bob says it's all for the greater good. Mohinder almost did it, but ended up going to Bob telling him he quit after calling HRG. He wants to take Molly with him and leave.

Oh, my. Bob did a quick
turnaround. He apologized to Mohinder, telling him how hard it's been -- 30 years, a lot has changed, they've overstepped their bounds, he's so valuable to them, a bigger danger exists, blah-blah-blah. So, Mohinder stays, Molly stays.

Bob ended up bringing Monica back to her house, giving her an iPhone with all kinds of videos she can study, and telling her there's a lot of good she can do in New Orleans. Say what? I just know the Company is evil! How dare he act good!


He gave Mohinder a new partner -- Niki (or could it be Jessica?) toeing the company line. No more misunderstandings. Mohinder just looked confused. So did
I.

HRG and the Haitian in the Ukraine

Yep, they're in Odessa and we aren't talking Texas. We're not talking a
management training meeting in Tulsa like he told Claire, either. They're seeking the remaining Isaac paintings from a Company dude whose name is Etan (I think). He was HRG's mentor in the Company.

HRG knew right where to hit him trying to get the paintings. First he had the Haitian erase Etan's memories of his wife and honeymoon. Then he went for the memories of the daughter when Etan finally told him what he wanted to know.

Etan tried to convince HRG to come back to the Company, telling him it had changed. HRG didn't fall for the company line. He made it look like a burglary and
shot him dead to cover his tracks. He and the Haitian then examined the paintings -- number 8, of course, might put a chill down his spine.

"You'll condemn yourself to hell," Etan cried as HRG aimed the gun at him.
BANG
"I know," HRG said.

Yikes, I say.

The Wonder Twins and Sylar

They're nearing the US border. Alejandro doesn't like Sylar and the feeling's
mutual. Sylar likes Maya's "delicious" power. He told Maya that he had special powers, but they all went away. He wants to be special again. As they cross the border, Sylar got Maya to use her powers to knock of the border patrol guys calling them "fake police."

Alejandro fussed that she was a killer because of him (Sylar). She told him that they needed Gabriel (Sylar) to get to Dr. Suresh. Alejandro told her he wouldn't give her his hand the next time and he'd let Gabriel die. Sylar told him that Maya is his own shiny new toy and he'll kill Alejandro.

Okay.

Hiro in 1671 Japan via Ando in present day Tokyo

I like Ando, but it makes no sense to have him read the scrolls. Make that stop.


Yaeko (the swordsmith's beautiful daughter), Kensei, and Hiro attack the camp of White Beard to rescue the swordsmith only to discover that the swordsmith told them how to make guns. Of course, guns didn't exist in Japan in 1671, so Hiro had to make sure the guns get destroyed. They must save Japan!

Then Hiro blew it. As danger surrounded them, he teleported Yaeko and himself away. She then realized it was him she had fallen in love with, not Kensei. It was Hiro with the flower petals! (Well, duh.) Hiro, poor lovelorn guy, kissed her. He's so in love and he knows it's an impossible love as he must get back to his
own time and she must fall for Kensei.

The really bad thing is that Kensei saw them kiss. Uh-oh. Hiro told him he had fallen in love with her, but it just can't be -- it would be the only kiss, there would be no more.

Oh, but Kensei didn't believe him and still had his old greed in mind, probably heightened because he knows he can't be killed. He kidnapped Yaeko and knocked out Hiro.

Gulp.

TV Newsy Bits - Monday, October 29, 2007


It's time to play find Roofus the Cat! If you don't see him, click on the image and it will enlarge. I'd say he's coming from one of the apartments in the building, but all of the windows are closed. He must have been sleeping on the bay window roof or one of the fire escapes. I can't help but wonder what happened to the cat who used to curl up with him late last winter on the bay window roof. Alas, the life of a feral cat, especially one between roof and a busy city street, isn't long.

I know an elderly man who runs a car lot nearby puts out food for the strays, but unless they're spayed and neutered, the cycle will go on. That said, I don't think Roofus is "catchable" as he's several stories off the ground and doesn't seem to interact with humans at all.

In today's TV Newsy Bits:
  • I apologize for not posting yesterday. I was having Blogger and gmail issues. I'm still not getting any notifications when comments are made, but at least I seem to be able to post an entry.
  • I'll be watching Heroes tonight and posting a review later on -- stop back and comment if you watch the show!
  • I told you how Court TV is changing its name to truTV (gak). Now they have a new tagline for the brand name change -- "Not reality. Actuality." I like the tagline better than the new name for the channel.
  • A possible TV writers strike may come this Thursday. Since the shows I review for TV Squad are reality shows, my paid blogging efforts won't be affected. According to this AOL TV News article, some shows pushed their production schedules ahead to get more episodes finished, but some didn't. I guess we'll know more as time goes on. Although I'm not too keen on unions on the whole, I agree with the actions in this case. Often the writer is the poor stepchild in a television show. And, as a writer myself, I know that freelancers and contractors need some sort of organization to protect them as we're all individuals out here.
  • In poking around AOL Television, I also noticed their Halloween page. Cool. I think the television show whose Halloween episodes I always enjoyed the most was Rosanne. I caught one late last night and wouldn't mind a marathon solely of the Halloween eps for Halloween itself.
Today's music non-sequitur:
St. Peter, don't you call me
Because I can't go ...
I owe my soul to the company store.
-- "16 Tons" written by Merle Travis, popularized by Tennessee Ernie Ford

Saturday, October 27, 2007

TV Newsy Bits - Saturday, October 27, 2007

A goose enjoying calm waters in Westfield, New Jersey. When I was young, you didn't see many geese around. Nowadays, they're considered a nuisance around here. Yes, they're messy. But I still enjoy seeing them. Some months back a couple of geese set up housekeeping on the lawn of a church near my apartment. Whenever services were held, they'd chase any parishioners who didn't feed them. The geese mysteriously vanished after a month of Sundays.

I have Stephen King's It on in the background as I write this. I really should have written about Pennywise the Clown (as played by Tim Curry) for that TV Squad article. But, if it seems like this is very disjointed, blame the clown.

Last night's Bon Jovi concert in the new stadium in Newark wreaked havoc on commuting and I got home from work almost two hours later than planned. Grr. As a result, I ended up watching The Next Great American Band (for two hours), writing it up for TV Squad because I filled in for the regular writer, then I conked out.

Oh ... and I had to turn word verification back on -- I spent almost an hour yesterday removing comments left by a spambot. I don't think we need Viagra or suffer from erectile dysfunction. I'm sorry, but I had to do it.

In TV Newsy Bits:
  • That review of The Next Great American Band is here.
  • Buddy TV has a slew of interviews up -- Ebony Morgan from America's Next Top Model, Lacey Conner from Rock of Love and of more interest to me -- Sherea Lloyd from Survivor China.
Argh, It is drawing me in. I must watch.

"I'm the killer of worlds, the eater of children. We all float down here. Don't you want to float, too?" - Pennywise the Clown

Thursday, October 25, 2007

'Survivor 15:China' - East Coast Updates - 10/25

The show has started here on the East Coast. As important events occur, I'll update this post. My full show review will be posted on TV Squad later tonight. Please feel free to leave comments -- I love to get your impressions as the show airs!

UPDATE -- Reward: Fei Long won and kidnapped James. They get to go to an island for a tea room visit.

UPDATE: James gave Todd the hidden Immunity Idol clue (after Todd approached him and offered to save him with it). It is in the bat etching on that frame which they keep showing. Amanda (who knows about it) and Todd were working to get it when Frosti jumped in to help. Now they have to trust Frosti. Todd gave James the idol and said they (ZH) must lose immunity and save himself. The plan is for him to vote off Jaime and get the second idol, too.

UPDATE: Immunity - gross food week - despite plans, Zhan Hu won Immunity.

UPDATE: Sherea is voted out (spoilers had it right).

My review of this episode should be published on TV Squad before midnight (ET).