Posts Tagged ‘TAKING IT PERSONALLY’

21 Jump Street: "Gotta Finish The Riff"

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

sadpenhall…Wait, it's already the episode where Jenko gets killed? But he's my favorite character! I ask you: who among us will honor his memory by cutting the rebop? Not this episode, which, although it contains both a school-wide hostage situation and Blair Underwood in a beret, is relatively boring — except when Hanson is an asshole, which is not so much "interesting" as "super-annoying."  And "fucking constant."  Shut up, Hanson.

"Shut Up, Penhall" count: SHUT UP, HANSON!

Penhall rides his motorcycle in a suit and tie and makes over-the-top Brando grief faces.

Hoffs visits the orcas at the aquarium, wears black, and cries.

Hanson, standing at a scenic river overlook, gazes at Jenko's badge and broods, then hucks the badge into the water. Jenko doesn't have a family that might want that?

Ioki, all in white, practices tai chi. Sad tai chi.

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Posted in TV | 13 Comments »

Adventures In Random DVR-Pausing: Taking! It! Personally!

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

dvrpauselivbenson

In Hargitay's defense, I think the guy taking her hostage had just gotten shot by Vincent Spano; I'd make that face too.  On the other hand, she could have just read yet another script in which a member of the Stabler family is kidnapped, arrested, or pinned in a wrecked car while delivering a baby.  Because: seriously.

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Posted in TV | 8 Comments »

Contest/Support Local Biz: Asirda, Greg Heffley, and PayPal

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

diary-of-a-wimpy-kid-4-dog-daysI just said a mouthful!

An odd and an end first: 1) my review of Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days is up on Monkey See — great read, as usz (Kinney, not my piece, although that's ah-ight); and 2) for those of you sending me contest receipts from PayPal, please note whether they should qualify you for a mini-prize (PayPal does not note the project name for me, so I can't tell from the forward alone).

And now: The Great And Powerful Asirda.

I've struggled somewhat with the introduction here, because she modestly objected to the "great and powerful" part, but let's start with the numbers: as you know, Asirda matched 3K worth of projects when we hit 60K — and she's prepared to do it again when you hit other key benchmarks.  Yes, "benchmarks" plural.  She believes in the power of the many of you, and she's more generous than words can describe in (green-)backing up that faith — but, while generous, she also enjoys cheap beer and cheap humor.  Which is what makes her my people.

Asirda may appear in the comments; like all the best great and powerful people, she's easy to talk to.  If she doesn't appear, she's watching — and, like our little smiley friend, she's well pleased.  (She may also look really cute in a bear outfit; I have no data on that.  Hee.)

…By the way?  $67,243. Less than 8K to our next match; at 75K, $ and the Mysterians ante up with 5K more.  We can do this.

Okay, I think that's everythi– OH WAIT WAIT did you guys watch SVU this week?  How BONKERS is that?  Killer Noel?  Slurstine Lahti?  Man.  I loved it AND I couldn't watch.  Amazing.  Discuss.

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Posted in TV, books, contests, friends, hilare, sites, writing | 12 Comments »

TV Question Qorner: Smizenheimers

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

3329206005_d6fe3d1742America's Next Top Model. When did Mr. Jay become kind of rad? Or have I started identifying with my captors? Has Tyra herself become so unbearable to me that anyone who ever makes a shred of non-self-aggrandizing, non-smug sense seems like BFF material?

Do you think Mr. Jay doesn't get to come to panel because he won't play along with shit like "smize-ing," but Miss Jay and Nigel will? Do you think that, years ago, the Jays flipped a coin to see who would have to pretend that Tyra's dippy season themes and Soviet-quality costumes don't suck an egg? "Heads, I win; tails, you have to sit with the other judges and pretend that when Tyra makes the same face twice in a row, there's an instructive difference between the two"?

I miss She's Got The Look. Kim Alexis is more natural on-camera, doesn't suffer from pathological narcissism, and runs a sensible panel whose advice is logical and occasionally funny on purpose. But nobody watched that show except me and a few stoners who switched to TV Land expecting a Barney Miller rerun. Sigh.

Brothers & Sisters. I said at some point that I would give it two or three episodes to win me back over this season; then I heard that they'd cast Amy "Toni Pavone" Aquino, which annoyed me, because I love her and I'd have to stick with it.

But why did they have to stash her in a plotline I can already tell I will despise? Kitty is still treating Robert like he left a skidmark on their sheets, which I think the audience is supposed to support her in, and in theory, that's fine, but in practice, she's not sympathetic — the writing and the acting choices both make me want to slap her. Now we have to "worry" that she has cancer? The character has become utterly unlikeable in the last year, and we've seen this done much better — via Patricia Wettig's Nancy on thirtysomething, among others.

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Posted in TV | 33 Comments »

TV Question Qorner: family affairs, charisma vacuums, and my busted gaydar

Monday, May 25th, 2009

robkitI moved, I went to California for a week, and I've only just now started digging my way out from under a pile of season finales. And I have some questions. Answer them for me, won't you? Or just rant nearby, that's fine too.

Brothers & Sisters. How exactly does Kitty think it's reasonable to blame the estrangement in her marriage on Robert running for governor? It's not as though he woke up one morning after spending his adult life as a florist and decided to spend their life's savings on a quixotic quest to run the state; they met while she was working for him in his capacity as a politician. Yeah, okay, he lied to her about it — I would have too! She's being a pill about it, with no basis!

Why does either of them think it's a good idea to have the wife's brother, who works for the husband, mediate their separation? Why does anyone in the writer's room believe we'd buy Kitty running after the helicopter based on what amounted to a ten-word conversation with Sarah? What's with the slo-mo? We saw this already with Buffy and Riley; we didn't like it then either! And then moments later she's reminiscing happily on the bus about summer camp? Buh fuh?

Why do they have to get to "Justin proposes to Rebecca in front of the whole family" via "Rebecca has a bratty 'fiiiiine, I guess you don't want to marry me at all if you're not comfortable doing it right this second in Mexico when we've only been back together for 18 minutes' meltdown"?

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Posted in TV | 43 Comments »