Pop Vultures

TV, TV: Where Did Our Love Go?

2008-11-03T11:34:20Z

My life has changed quite a bit in the last couple of months. I went from working in a respectable career, earning this remarkable thing called “money”, to being an impoverished student whose primary source of income was the weekly pub quiz.

That’s not the only change. Those who follow this blog might have noticed a change in the frequency of posting. A large part of that is due to the need to write things that actually pay when I have the chance, and between that and the vast amount of time spent consuming fine alcoholic beverages, I simply have less time to post. There’s another reason, though — another big, and very unwelcome change: I have less to say about television.

It doesn’t make sense. I’m doing a masters in Film & Television Studies, and as the only television-focused student in the group, I spend a lot of time defending the small screen. I talk about TV all the time. Surely, I should be able to transfer some of it to this page?

I still love TV, even though it’s trying very hard to push me away. These days, if TV was a lover, it would be staying out late and forgetting our anniversary on a regular basis. Instead of bringing me roses in the form of shows like The Wire, it is stopping at a convenience store on the way home to pick up a bunch of pink carnations in the form of Fringe and The Eleventh Hour. TV, I fear, is taking me for granted. It’s just stopped trying.

I still watch most of my old favorites, but today I tallied up all the shows I still watch, and it averaged out to fewer than two hours a day. TWO. Okay, yeah, that might be a bit much for the average sort, but I am no average TV viewer. I am a TV blogger. It is my sacred duty, imposed upon me by the gods of Wordpress and the Google search function, to watch as much TV as I can possibly get away with.

Maybe it was the strike. Maybe it’s me. Maybe it’s the fact that the networks insist that my life will be better if I watch crap like Worst Week or The Ex List. Maybe it’s the long span of time before Battlestar Galactica and Lost start up again. Whatever it is, TV and I are in a slump. It just doesn’t excite me like it once did.

How are you and TV getting along these days? Are you still close, or has the spark gone out for the moment?

TV, TV: Where Did Our Love Go?

Tidbits for Monday

2008-11-03T11:03:09Z

Good news for Dexter fans, it’s been renewed for two more years, continuing Showtime’s dominance over HBO in the original series category. Who would have ever guessed that a show about a serial killer would last five seasons?

Speaking of HBO, they’ve picked up Curb Your Enthusiasm for yet another season. Fans of dry, ironic comedy are celebrating.

Joss Whedon clears up some of those rumors about who’s going to be living in the Dollhouse and what’s happening to its neighborhood. Our hopes are still high for this one.

Are you wondering how you can get a girlfriend in time for the holiday parties? Here’s Don Draper’s Guide to Picking Up Women. Follow Don’s lead and the women will be falling at your feet.

Tidbits for Monday

Road Tripping With The BBC

2008-10-23T13:03:51Z

I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but there’s this thing going on in America at the moment called a Presidential Election. It’s kind of a big deal, apparently. And in recognition of that fact, the BBC has busted out its big guns and sent two of its finest small-screen stars across the pond, to report back to the mother country about all the fuss going on in that uppity former colony of ours.

I am, of course, ecstatic about this, because one of these stars is Stephen Fry, otherwise known as the only man I would leave my fiancé for, if only he would ask. In Stephen Fry in America, Fry has spent several months travelling across the United States, in a London taxi of all things, and is stopping off in every state of the union in order to report on interesting and unusual things. So far these things have included lobster fishing off the coast of Maine, a meeting with the mafia gang who inspired The Godfather in New York, and a visit to a body farm in Tennessee (and if you don’t know what that is, I suggest you Google with caution).

I am so delighted that my beloved Stephen Fry is back on our screens, being his usual erudite and foppishly-charming self, that I hesitate to voice any complaint at all. But I must admit, this series is not as perfect as it could be, only because too much is crammed into every show. Yes, Fry does go to every state in the Union, but so rapidly that some are simply driven across and remarked upon in passing.

If only we could have a show for every state. I would happily watch Stephen Fry trying to fill an hour of television with interesting facts about Nebraska or Delaware. Let’s face it, if anybody could do it, it’s him. But, this is only a minor quibble, and mostly I find Stephen Fry in America utterly wonderful and delightful, and so will you.

Slightly higher up the didactic ladder, The American Future: A History is Simon Schama’s survey of the history of the United States as a cautionary tale. Or, in other words, everything that is happening now has happened before, and we could all learn a thing or two from it if we would only pay attention. The first episode looked at America’s wartime history, going all the way back to the conflicting perspectives of Jefferson and Hamilton to illustrate the ideological conflicts about the Iraq war that are now at the forefront of the presidential campaigns. It’s stirring and controversial stuff.

In the next episode, apparently, Schama is examining the history of religious pluralism in the United States. It’s all a lot less frivolous than Stephen Fry creating a new flavour of ice cream at the Ben and Jerry’s factory in Vermont, but it’s fascinating viewing nevertheless.

You can find further Stateside hi-jinks with my beloved Fry on BBC1, Sunday nights at 9pm. And if you also want to learn about the minutiae of American history and what it all means for today, you can catch Simon Schama on BBC2, Friday nights at 9pm. I have no doubt both these shows will also be coming to BBC America in no time at all.

Road Tripping With The BBC

Monday’s TV

2008-10-20T15:26:07Z

Monday’s top picks:

There’s something for everyone on Monday night. How I Met Your Mother still makes me laugh every week, which is something I never thought I’d say for a CBS comedy. CBS, 8:30

Chuck also still makes me laugh. So does Heroes, which follows it, though I’m pretty sure Chuck is the only one that’s intentionally funny. NBC, 8:00 and 9:00

For cheesy goodness, Gossip Girl’s second season has more than lived up to the promise of the first one. Chuck may be the greatest soap villain since Amanda Woodward first flexed her claws. CW, 8:00

Monday’s TV

Tidbits for Monday

2008-10-20T15:53:58Z

If you’ve been rewatching your Firefly box set in order to get your Nathan Fillion fix, Spike.com has got your back. PG Porn is a James Gunn short that features the majestically-armed one as a frisky, acting-impaired carpenter. Definitely worth a view.

Still bitter about Deadwood’s cancellation? Then here’s an item for your Christmas list. HBO is releasing a 19 disc set of the complete series — complete with an explanation of where the series would have gone if HBO had not cruelly yanked it off the air. Oh, Al. How I miss you.

Speaking of series we miss, Battlestar Galactica only has ten episodes left. Ten. That’s such a small number. The final episodes have a launch date. On January 16, we finally get to see what happens now that they’ve found Earth.

It’s good news/bad news for fans of sci-fi TV. The Sarah Connor Chronicles has been picked up for a full season, which is good news for those that are still watching. The bad news is that this might be because Whedon’s Dollhouse won’t be available as a mid-season replacement.

Tidbits for Monday

Linking the Night Away

2008-10-17T22:38:11Z

Buzz spent some phone time with Lee Pace, whose delightful show you should really all be watching. (BuzzSugar)
Daemon’s TV shared an interview with Chris Diamontopoulos from The Starter Wife set visit. (Daemon’s TV)
GMMR is not a judgey judge. If Nathan Fillion wants to do porn then I’m going to support his aspirations . Have you seen “PG Porn” yet? (Give Me My Remote)
I graded the new season of Heroes and decided it was thoroughly mediocre. (Pop Vultures)
Just in time for The Starter Wife premiere, Rae shared an interview with David Alan Basche who plays Kenny Kagan on the show. (RTVW)
Scooter chats with Frank Caliendo, the Frank in Frank TV, about Barack Obama, Tina Fey’s Sarah Palin, life after George Bush, and of course Charles Barkley. (Scooter McGavin’s 9th Green)
Vance was on holidays in LA but still spent some time at The Office (with some pictures to prove it!). (Tapeworthy)
This week, Jace took an in-depth look at Season Two of 30 Rock on DVD and felt much better about the merits of that series than NBC’s latest comedy effort, Kath & Kim. (Televisionary)
Aided by the lovely and charming Anne Hathaway, the gang at Saturday Night Live turned in one of the stronger episodes of the season thus far. (TiFaux)
The TV Addict explains why he’s done with HEROES (The TV Addict)
Raoul chatted with Anthony and Stephanie from The Amazing Race (TV Filter)

Linking the Night Away

5 Great Film Actors That We Met On TV

2008-10-18T13:14:25Z

Poor TV. It often gets such a bad rap in comparison to its larger screened cousin, cinema. No matter how much respect TV has earned over the years, and how many wonderful opportunities it provides actors, most TV actors seem to long for movie roles at some point in their careers. Of course, for most of them, film fame never quite arrives — just ask David Caruso or Julianna Marguiles. It seems that once an actor has achieved fame via television, it’s rather difficult to achieve equal kudos on the big screen. Fortunately, there are a few notable exceptions. This week’s Friday 5 looks at those actors who not only first appeared on television, but came to fame in that medium — and were still able to transition into a successful film career.

5 Great Film Actors That We Met On TV

Thursday’s TV

2008-10-13T12:55:56Z

Thursday’s top picks:

Supernatural does what it does best tonight, playing with pop culture in the form of horror movie icons. CW, 9:00

Michael and Dwight prepare for the birth of Jan’s child on The Office. That won’t end well. NBC, 9:00

The most shocking Ugly Betty ever, when Betty finally gets rid of her braces. No, not really. Gio does come back, though. ABC, 8:00

Thursday’s TV

No Sign of Intelligent Life on Mars

2008-10-15T16:55:25Z

Usually, I feel it’s not really fair to judge an entire series on its pilot episode. Premiere or pilot episodes are often a bit clunky; the actors haven’t settled into their roles yet, the sets have a tendency to look cheap and unfinished (because they often are), and the entire thing is really just a sales pitch. “Like this? We’ll make more!” There’s a lot of room for forgiveness in a pilot episode. My normal policy is to give a series a three-episode grace period, to determine if it’s going to be something that interests me enough to allow it to cut into my reading and Internet time.

The American version of Life on Mars is getting no such grace period.

No Sign of Intelligent Life on Mars

Wednesday’s TV

2008-10-13T12:34:45Z

Wednesday’s top picks:

Pushing Daisies is worth watching tonight, if only because it will provide an opportunity to use the phrase “undercover nuns.” ABC, 9:00

As much as I’m ready to give up on Project Runway, I’ll still be watching tonight’s finale. Bravo, 9:00

Wednesday’s TV