Vinyl Mine Clip Shack: September 2006

OK, so I ran out of steam on trying to critique the new TV season but...

some random comments on TV. Apparently, the theme song to Veronica Mars has changed. But, they had to change the song - because all the people Ronnie used to be friends with, she's now friends or at least allies with, or they're dead, exiled or participating in an "epic" relationship.

Speaking of TV... and music, is anyone else annoyed by the way David Kelly uses music? Since he doesn't have a laugh track, everytime there's something "funny" (or more like one of his characters acts weird or gets called out), the soundtrack plays this obnoxious "bump" music to get into the next scene. It's like he's saying, "okay, you can belly laugh at whatever obnoxious thing William Shatner or James Spaader just did or said..." so we can get back to the drama with the normal-looking/acting people.

As long as I'm getting random, now that Facebook has opened up membership to anyone, does anyone want to be a member of their club anymore. And yeah, I just wanted to join to check out pictures of the women.

More Fall TV Previews - Tuesday

Gilmore Girls - Watched an ep of this last season because Sonic Youth were on. It was embarassingly long-winded and I'm not talking about the eye-glazingly horrid performance by Sonic Youth and other indie-types pretending to be protesting troubadors (I'm not gonna explain it, as it would take all day). No, it's the lead actress who is long-winded. But it's nice that annoying people have their own show. It has a decent audience for The CW and maybe they'll stick around for the infinitely better Veronica Mars.
Friday Night Lights - I liked the soundtrack of the movie but I'm kinda doubting that Explosions in the Sky are going to be doing the soundtrack for the TV series. I'm not that into football to think that I would care about the drama of a high school team and I don't see any names associated with this that suggest it will be worthwhile. Pass.
Big Day - A show following a single wedding day. 24 for the Estrogen set... honey, please don't wake me up when this is on.
NCIS - A show that was past its prime in the first season so resorts to gimmicks. This year Mark Harmon has "lost his memory" -- is that like the oldest trick in the book for a TV show? I find the goth smart chick just so incredibly insulting to young people on soooo many levels. I'm planning on not being home when this is on.
Notes From the Underbelly - Sex and the City for pregnant chicks. **long sustained shudder**
Dancing With The Stars - I'm amazed at just how content-starved the viewing public must be to make this a hit. Hint: if you put good drama and comedies on TV, people will watch them. Until then, they'll eyeball whatever gimmicky reality TV show you can throw at them because watching "real" people (or E-list actors dance) and their spontaneous utterances is more enjoyable than or whatever crappy scripted show is being pushed on the networks.
The Unit - I get enough guys in cammies on cable news every night. Don't wanna see a drama about it.
Standoff - Two police negotiators handle prison riots, bank robbers with hostages, etc. etc. Ron Livingstone stars so it might be okay but there are so many other cop dramas out there, one more is going to be lost unless it stands out for other reasons and Livingstone is a bit bland for this type of role. This is the kind of show that will get a makeover mid-season and some scene stealer will be inserted to give the show some oomph.
The Knights of Prosperity - Hey, Donal Logue is in it and it's not a family sitcom.
House - I really find this show just as tedious as other medical dramas. I think House is winning the MurderSheWrote-Matlock demographic. He's like a cranky old person.
Law and Order: Criminel Intent - Performance artist Eric Bogosian joins the cast. Wouldn't mind seeing a few good scenes with him and Vincent D'Onofrio just to see what it's like.
Help Me Help You - Like Julia-Louise Dreyfuss, Ted Danson just won't go away.
Boston Legal - Get rid of everyone else but Shatner, Spaader and a few foils and this would be the best legal show on TV, perhaps best ever. In other words, please can Candice Bergen and the assorted personality-free young and beautiful lawyers that litter the script each week?
Smith - Another ripoff from the Brits (Hustle). Ray Liotta oughta make it worth watching once, though.
Law and Order: SVU. This is the one with the psycho from Oz and Richard Belzer and Ice-T. I've maybe seen it once and found it pretty mediocre. Everytime I see the title, I think it's about Sports Utility Vehicles.

My Fall TV Preview - Monday

Studio 60 on Sunset Strip: Long names are death to TV shows so they should shorten it. I saw this pilot and man it was fine until D.L. Hughley hit the screen. That guy can't act and he's in a show filled with some fine TV actors. Sorkin's shows always a cloying and manipulative but I'll probably watch again, if not to see Matthew Perry's hair stand on its end as much as to see if Amanda Peet can keep her fine sheen going.
7h Heaven - Never watched it never will. It's like bran cereal supposed to be good for you but oh so awful to contemplate actually eating.
The Class: I'll reserve judgement for now but the whole premise of a guy getting together his third grade class buddies sounds pretty lame. I can't even remember who was in my third grade class and probably wouldn't want to see them if I did.
Deal or No Deal: Wait -- the DEAL was that Howie Mandel would never be seen on TV again.
How I Met Your Mother: Watched it a few times. Harmless although Doogie Howser steals every scene he is in and Willow from Buffy is a bit lost here as the horny wife of the loser gym shorted drummer from Freaks and Geeks. That's the co-stars - I can't even picture the guy who is actually supposed to be the star of the show or the female lead. Ha ha.
Two and A Half Men - I guess the joke is which man is the half man. But in all truth, don't know, don't care. and really, this is as stupid a sitcom as Sisters.
Runaway - A sort of Fugitive Family from The CW. Donnie Wahlburg as a guy falsely accused of something who goes on the lam with his wife, his dreamy teen son (gotta stoke that teen girl demographic) and his toher brats. But do we really want to see a buncha kids and wife whine about life on the road week after week?
The Bachelor Rome - Um, must I even waste my time writing about this monstrous stupidity?
Heroes - Shouldn't this be on Friday nights when the geek demographic takes over TV programming because they can't get dates (where didya think Sci-Fi Friday came from?). Anyway, I suppose its sorta like X-Men but with lots more angst then even that.
The New Adventures of Old Christine - Not funny. The lead actress should be happy to collect royalty checks from Seinfeld for the rest of her life and give it up, sympathy Emmy or not.
What About Brian? - What about the idiot who greenlighted this lameosity? What about his Benz going up on E-Bay within a few months?
CSI: Miami - David Caruso has got to be one of the worst lead actors on TV. His "intense" delivery of nearly every line and his intense eye glaring has me rolling on the floor laughing. "Who....took... ... ... my... coffee" William Shatner's Kirk has now been eclipsed.

My Fall TV Preview - Sunday Edition

Brothers and Sisters: Refugees and rejects from other shows in a sort of soapie Family Stone. Count me... out.

Everybody Hates Chris: I don't know about everyone else, but I hate Everybody Hates Chris. Supposed to be funny cuz it's associated with one of those comics named Chris, but I don't care.
All of Us: I'm laughing because it's in its third season and I have never heard of it. It's on the CW so does anyone care?
The Simpsons: Creaky and aging, it's jumped the shark by becoming a "who's the hot guest star showing up in animated form" show. Bye, bye, Homer. We had lotsa laffs.
The Game: Apparently a ripoff of the Beeb's Footballer's Wives itself a ripoff of something else. It's on CW. Who cares.
Girfriends: Who? Is this an actual show?
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition: Ty Puddington is rapidly rising on the list of network stars who deserve to be run over by a beer truck
The Amazing Race: The Amazing Bore. Turn the sound off so you don't hear the constant bickering and you get a few seconds each week of some sites around the world. The host needs to be slapped around a bit.
American Dad: Go away, American Dad.
Family Guy: About the only show on the networks I would watch. Unfortunately, it is put in a crappy timeslot against whatever big serial show HBO is showing each week. I'll have to wait until these eps show up in repeats on TBS or Adult Swim.
Cold Case: Never seen it. Never want to.
Desperate Housewives: Watched this show for like five minutes. What's the big deal - it's yet another crappy network drama.
The War At Home: Michael Rappaport is probably a nice guy but he must be a masochist to be humiliated like this every week.
Without A Trace: I wish it would go away without a trace.