Should I be Gleeful?

There has been much love and then much backlash doled out towards Fox’s “Glee.” I can understand where most people are coming from when they criticize the show as I hold the same sentiments: the characters are inconsistent; the songs are overproduced and auto-tuned to death; the tone veers wildly; etc. Despite my better judgment, I have continued to watch this show, hoping for a glimpse of the series I fell in love with during the first half of its first season.




So, going into last night’s “Original Song” episode, I was very skeptical. The show has taken a lot of criticism over their ubiquitous cover songs (they’ve even managed to steal the record for most number one singles away from The Beatles), so I was interested to see what they would come up with. All in all, the originals weren’t half bad. I thought Santana’s “Trouty Mouth” about her boyfriend/beard’s gigantic pie-hole was hilariously written and pretty well-sung (though, most people around the blogosphere seemed to dislike it); Puck’s “Big Ass Heart” was a charming love song about his overweight paramour; and Mercedes’ “Hell to the No” was one of the night’s weaker offerings which was saved by Amber Riley’s huge, yet underused voice (like most of the characters on the show, the writers don’t really know what to do with her).


But for the night’s biggest numbers, Lea Michelle belted out “Get it Right” and dueted with Corey Monteith on “Loser like Me” which were clearly the originals we were meant to pay attention to (I’m really hoping that people prove me wrong and make “Trouty Mouth” number one on iTunes). Personally, I don’t think these songs are going to be smash hits as the writers played it pretty safe – nothing really set these originals apart from the generic pop songs that this show chooses to cover from week to week (in all honesty, half the time I have no fucking clue what songs rival glee club, The Warblers are singing).


Anyway, this episode could have been pretty great – we had some emotional pay-offs with the Rachel, Finn, Quinn love triangle and the much awaited romantic pairing of Kurt and Blaine; however, between the original songs and the covers, the episode felt overstuffed. More importantly, as Todd VanDerWerff of the A.V.Club notes, the whole original songwriting plot could have been stretched out over three episodes instead of crammed into one (for the record, he is much more eloquent than I am and you should check out his review of the episode here). But possibly the worst part of this episode was the bizarre Kathy Griffin cameo as a Sarah Palin/Christine O’Donnell type character. The impression wasn’t very funny and pretty much resorted to saying offensive things explained away by the fact that the character was a Republican. As you guys know, I’m a fan of structure, but the writers of this episode failed to construct a single joke for Griffin (who as a comedienne should have done something about this). The final act of the show threw me off so completely that I ended up hating what should have been a pretty good episode, proving that one bad apple does in fact spoil the bunch.

A Pond Apart

So I’ve taken quite a long hiatus – take that New Year’s resolution! I squashed you like the annoying gnat that you are. ANYWAY, the reason for my extended vacation from the blogosphere was due to an actual vacation – I traveled the UK for a couple of weeks. Just a bit of history before I proceed – growing up I was a huge anglophile. I would watch Britcoms on PBS, had an unhealthy affinity for Hugh Grant, (we’re talking getting-BJs-from-prostitutes-era Grant) and always dreamt I would grow up to marry Prince Harry (like most children, I was delusional and had no concept of my place in the world…I also didn’t know this was coming:)

However, when I first traveled to London some four years ago, I was severely disappointed – London was grey, soggy and full of smarmy, unfriendly people. But, I was determined to give the early love of my life a second chance. This time around, London was very good to me. And now, on to the small screen.

While in the UK, I watched a fair amount of television. One show that I managed to catch quite a few episodes of was “Harry Hill’s TV Burp” which is basically the British version of “The Soup.” I am a huge fan of “The Soup” – it’s pretty much the only watchable thing on E! and Joel McHale does an amazing job. “TV Burp” tries to do essentially the same thing; however, there are some notable differences – namely, that weird slap-sticky comedy that the Brits are so fond of. Take a look:



Now, I’m not saying that every bit on “The Soup” is a hit; however, I applaud the fact that they tell actual jokes. I don’t really know why I’m such a stickler for form and structure (especially when it comes to joke telling), but I just can’t get behind being silly for the sake of being silly. I guess I’ll just consider it something lost between the great cultural divide.

We get it; you are hilarious.

The Triumphant Return of "Parks and Recreation"

“Parks and Recreation” returns tonight after a seemingly epic hiatus (has it really been since last May that the folks at Pawnee’s Parks and Recreation Department have made me almost pee myself?) Last year, it was pretty difficult to get people on board with “Parks and Rec” – it had an awful first season where it lacked fully realized characters and saddled the wonderful Amy Poehler with a very unlikable lead to portray. However, much like it’s predecessor “The Office,” ”Parks and Rec” rallied and pulled together one of the best comedies of the 2009-2010 television season. Hell, they even managed to add my boyfriend Adam Scott and Rob fucking Lowe to the cast!

Anyway, many people have wondered why the long hiatus. Some people assumed it was due to Amy Poehler’s pregnancy. Wrong! They started filming the third season immediately after they wrapped season 2. Others have blamed NBC’s lack of faith in the show and feared its cancellation – thankfully, they were wrong, too.

But, my favourite crazy theory has to be that NBC execs originally wanted to air “Parks and Rec” after “The Office,” capitalizing on their strong numbers. However, they didn’t want to anger the folks over at “30 Rock” and “Community,” whom would also appreciate the implied ratings boost.  So, NBC slotted in the awful and kind of racist “Outsourced” in the 9.30pm slot, secretly hoping that it would fail. Then the execs would slot in “Parks and Rec” as a mid-season replacement for their failed comedy and nobody could complain.  If you managed to follow all of that, then you realize just how crazy that theory is. First of all, no network would put out a TV show with the intentions of having it fail (although, if you’ve seen “Outsourced” you may disagree). Second of all, this is the same network that gave us The Late Night Wars Part Two – do you really think they could pull off such an intricate and convoluted scheme?

None of that matters now because “Parks and Recreation” is finally back and I couldn’t be happier.  The cast has been capitalizing on the Internet by releasing some pretty hilarious teasers.  The show airs tonight on NBC at 9.30pm, after “The Office.”

 

Rob Lowe Goes Nuts from Rob Lowe

About Last Night...

Oh awards season, how I’ve missed you. Before I sum up my random thoughts on the Globes, I’d like to congratulate the HFPA on awarding Best Motion Picture to “The Social Network.” There has been some backlash about this movie, but I think it’s from people who are too old to understand the facebook phenomenon. For me, everything about this movie was just so perfect – I don’t even care about the film’s supposed “women problem” as Aaron Sorkin is one of the few straight, male writers who really knows how to create dynamic female characters (see: CJ Cregg from “The West Wing” and Dana Gordon from “Sports Night.”)

I’d also like to shake my head and extend a big ol’ W T Frak to the HFPA for awarding “Glee” with Best Television Comedy honours. I mentioned on Friday how awful the nominees were to begin with, but awarding “Glee” seems silly to me. The show has a few funny moments, but it’s a mixed bag at best.

And now some random thoughts from last night’s Golden Globes telecast:

Ricky Gervais roasts Hollywood: while I thought that some of his jokes were a bit obvious, I still adore the man for calling out Tinseltown on its bullshit.

Christian Bale’s acceptance speech: was so long and rambling which, coupled with the fact that he currently resembles Jesus, made him sound like the crazy homeless man who wanders the underground mall. They both end their ramblings with, “Oh shit, it’s Robert DeNiro.”

Andrew Garfield continues to steal my heart: his adorable stuttering over the word “inspiringly” and his self-deprecating sense of self not only won me over, but the Globes director as well – the camera was glued to the future Peter Parker the majority of the show.

Annette Benning was doing her best Helena Bonham Carter impersonation:

But she still has nothing on the actual girl herself:

Halle Berry forgot to put on a dress over her negligee:

Paul Giamatti gets the award for best acceptance speech: not only does he go on and on about Godiva chocolates, he also gives a shout out to Canada (Montreal in particular) and openly ogles Halle Berry (please see above).

Natalie Portman gets the award for most awkward acceptance speech: first she rambles about how her fiancé, Benjamin Millepied has helped her continue on her journey of “creating;” then she announces that “he really wants to sleep with [her,]” followed by a maniacal giggle. We get it; you guys are fucking.

Between her speech and the awkward dress (which looked like she bedazzled some flowers and slapped them on her gown), one could come to the conclusion that she was extremely drunk off the Moet…except for the fact that she’s pregnant.

Grab a Bottle of Moet!

Grab a bottle of Moet because it’s time for the Golden Globes! Sunday night marks the 68th annual awards ceremony put on by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. My relationship with the Globes has always been mixed – yes, they are the most entertaining awards show to watch because everyone is always hammered; however, the list of nominees and subsequent winners is usually questionable.


By now, everyone has heard the controversy: “The Tourist’s” three nominations for Best Comedy Actor, Best Comedy Actress and Best Comedy; Piper Perabo’s nomination for her work in “Covert Affairs;” and recognition for “Burlesque” – 2010’s version of “Glitter.” But really, who cares? The Globes are just a good excuse for Hollywood’s elite to get together and blow themselves, because isn’t that what awards shows are all about? I mean has anyone been more inclined to see a movie or watch a television show because it won/was nominated for a Golden Globe? Didn’t think so.

Of course, I’ll be watching on Sunday night, feeding my oft-chronicled addiction. I’ll probably chuckle when they announce the nominees for Best Television Comedy, with their glaring omission of the wonderful “Parks and Recreation,” “Party Down” and “Community.” Then, I’ll become noticeably upset when “Breaking Bad” doesn’t win for Best Dramatic Television Series because it wasn’t nominated, even though it was on the top of EVERY television critic’s 2010 ‘best of’ lists. And finally, I’ll become totally belligerent when “The Social Network” doesn’t win Best Motion Picture (“The King’s Speech” is pretty much a lock as it has everything the HFPA loves – it’s a biopic, prestige piece). While I’ve heard great things about “The King’s Speech,” there’s no way it’s better than “The Social Network,” a veritable perfect storm of writing, directing and acting.

Best. Scene. Ever.

Vampires, Werewolves AND Ghosts?!?!? Oh, My!

I read the pilot script for the original BBC version of “Being Human” before I watched the series. It was pretty fucking terrible. The premise involves a werewolf, a vampire and a ghost all living together. Seriously, that’s what it’s actually about. It’s like someone decided to capitalize on every aspect of paranormal zeitgeist over the past couple of years in one go (all it’s missing is a zombie outbreak). Despite myself, I decided to watch the show and was pleasantly surprised. Based on the log-line alone, this show SHOULD NOT work and it almost doesn’t. But casting is such a beautiful thing and it makes this show very watch-able. In fact, “Being Human” is currently entering its 3rd season in the UK and has been Americanized for Sy-Fy (it premieres January 17th – same day as “Skins” for those keeping track).


The UK version stars the wonderful Lenora Crichlow as Annie the ghost. On paper, this character is Miley Cyrus level annoying, but Lenora is so downright charming that you can’t help but love her. It’s also really interesting to see the actress tackle the character’s story-arc, especially when Annie finally learns the truth surrounding her death. The American version will feature Meaghan Rath who has been a staple on Canadian television for years. While I enjoy Rath, I don’t know if she has the ability to pull off the sweetness of Annie/Sally (I never understand why Americanized versions of shows feel the need to change character names).

The other two leads are the brooding vampire and the angst-ridden werewolf. What I particularly enjoyed about the vampire character, Mitchell (Aidan in the US) was that he wasn’t particularly vampirish. Sure he had over a hundred years worth of problems, but his vampire characteristics were always understated, which is a nice change from the current batch of pasty-faced whiners (“Twilight,” I’m looking at you). However, the promos for the US “Being Human” seem to be ignoring this and are making their lead look like this:

Note to the entertainment industry: pointy fangs and white makeup are NOT attractive.

Finally, there is the goofy werewolf, George (Josh for the yanks). This character probably struggles the most with what he is, even though he only changes on the full moon. Now, I realize that I have described this character as both goofy and angsty, but that’s really the only way to describe him – he’s basically a geek who has been turned into a werewolf. Much like the character of Annie, played the wrong way, George’s storylines border on obnoxious and mopey; however, Russel Tovey manages to ground the character.

What I particularly enjoy about “Being Human,” is that it’s a character-based drama that doesn’t exploit its gimmick. The three leads are just people trying to cope. The characters are three-dimensional and very well acted. I guess we’ll see how the American version stands up.

Fun fact: the creator originally conceived of the show as a drama focusing on three roommates: one with anger management issues, a sex-addict and an agoraphobic…so maybe there was some capitalizing on paranormal zeitgeist after all.

It Was A Mad, Mad, Mad Mad World

I thoroughly enjoy Time.com’s top ten lists. However, this past year, they published a list that made me pretty upset. It was a list entitled ‘The Top 10 Things We Miss About the “Mad Men” Era.’ Before I dissect the list, I’d like to share a little anecdote. My boyfriend’s friend works in marketing and mentioned how everyone in his office loves the show, “Mad Men” because it really captures the glory days of advertising. My boyfriend told his friend that if that’s what his friends were getting out of the show, then he was watching a completely different program. When I heard this story, I told my boyfriend that those people were completely missing the point of this show and shouldn’t be allowed to watch it (I can be a bit extreme, sometimes).




Anyway, part of what I love about “Mad Men” is that it captures the 1960s really well (Creator Matt Weiner is known to be almost compulsive when it comes to portraying the details of the era). The decade was rife with tension and the show really knows how to exploit that in order to squeeze the most possible drama from the situations it places its characters in. The sixties was a decade in constant flux and it definitely changed things for the better. The fact that anyone would write a list glorifying some of the more questionable aspects of that decade is beyond me:



10. Enjoyable Air Travel: The list makes it a point to mention that stewardesses in the 60s were very attractive because hiring practices were “different” back then. Right, let’s bring back a time when people failed to be hired simply because they couldn’t make your pants happy. I’m sure every current flight attendant longs for the days when they were ogled by air travelers. Let’s all remember that many of them looked like this:

and not this:

6. Real Cocktails: While I enjoy my drink as much as the next guy, I don’t think that this is something we need to lament. If someone really wants a stiff drink, they can order one. So what if drinks have become fruitier? That doesn’t make them any less delicious! And their low alcohol content simply allows you to consume more without becoming totally shitfaced. Let’s remember that the majority of people in the 60s were probably undiagnosed alcoholics.



5. Drinks at Work: Again, why is this list encouraging alcoholism? You need only to watch the season one episode, “Red in the Face,” to see why drinking at work is a bad idea and hardly a necessity.

2. Casserole: I don’t like casserole, nor would I want to eat one every night.



1. Struggles and Causes: This one really gets me. Why on earth would anyone miss “struggles and causes,” particularly, the ones that afflicted America during the 1960s? And it’s not like people in this day and age lack causes to fight for!



Now, I understand that most of this list is a bit tongue-in-cheek and that the writers point out a lot of the problems with these items. But it still incensed me to no end to read about people longing for a time that wasn’t all that glamorous as is evidenced by the show, “Mad Men.”