It seems that even if the alert level on economic strife didn’t hit “severe” in the last few months, television networks would still be in great trouble. Broadcast programming isn’t just on the precipice of becoming less culturally significant than it was 20 years ago; it has already gone over the edge, free-falling into possible oblivion.You can read the rest here.
Gregg Nation needs to get fired.
For those of you, like me, who haven't been completely sold on the fifth season of Lost, but have waited patiently for the show to finally (finally!) regain the narrative footing that made it so grand in previous years, this was the episode for you. To put it bluntly: "316" wasn't just the best episode of the entire season by far (suck on that "Jughead"!), but there is a strong chance it ranked as one of the five best episodes in the entire run of the series.
Can we all officially agree that Danny McBride isn't funny? The recent belle-of-the-comedy-ball and the man seemingly hand chosen by Will Ferrell and Judd Apatow to be the next big thing has been rubbing me the wrong way in nearly all of his appearances during the past year. Having re-watched Pineapple Express this weekend, I can safely say that not only does it reside firmly in the "not good" category, but Mr. McBride's performance is atrocious. Save one great line ("You just got killed by a Daewoo Lanos motherfucker!"), I didn't laugh at one thing he said. He fared a little better in Tropic Thunder, basically doing the same character--a redneck with a mullet--but that doesn't really say much. And from the looks of the trailer for Observe and Report, it's safe to assume that he'll give audiences another variation on his usual melody.
Slowly (very slowly) but surely (not so surely), Lost is piecing itself back together again. The last two episodes, despite leaps of logic and frustrating flaws, have been relatively excellent. Last night's hilariously/ominously titled "This Place is Death" managed to procure some of the best and most intense sequences I've seen on the show in some time. (Eight words: The smoke monster ripped off some dudes arm!!) That's not to say we're out of the woods yet; unfortunately Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof have lost the thread and pacing of what makes the show ever-so-great. Like the frozen donkey wheel before Locke finally set it back on its axis, the balance of the show is off--too much Island, not enough LA/not enough Island, too much LA. Hopefully we're finally getting everything back to normal. And by "normal", I mean "totally and completely not normal and wildly confusing".
I've been a pretty vocal opponent of The Office recently. But! We had a good reason. With the exception of a few episodes here and there, the past two seasons have highlighted everything that is wrong with the show. It's been a rough ride--cartoonish, ridiculous, and, most criminal of all, completely stupid. Take the post-Super Bowl edition, a stand alone episode that meant to bring The Office to a whole new audience. Dwight locked everyone in the office while he set a fire and Michael--sensitive and thin-skinned Michael--thought it would be a good idea to allow his staff to roast him. The fact that it was all so dumb prevented any comedy from being allowed to exist.
Okay, sure: I loved last night's episode--the closest thing to an actual Lost episode we've been treated to this season. But, naturally, I still had some problems. Check out the post I wrote for the New York Observer to get a sense of my issues. Look! An excerpt!Meanwhile, from the moment Charlotte found the wreckage of a French ship on the beach, following yet another time travel flash, it was clear we were going to encounter a young Rousseau. That's something we can all get behind, but Lost teased that reveal out for a good fifteen minutes, literally sucking the life out of any jolt hearing her name at the end of the episode would have given. Come on guys, quicken the pace if you want to leave us mouth agape!Fun times, right? Read the rest right here.
