I’ve watched an awful lot of crap in the last few days. I’ve been trying out new half-hour sitcoms trying to find something fresh.
Here are some of the new shows I have tried.
Running Wilde – It’s got Will Arnett. Will Arnett is very funny. He was very funny in a supporting role in Arrested Development
Running Wilde, Falling Flat
HBO may well be the second best TV station in the world. I haven’t watched every show that they’ve produced, but I’ve seen quite a few and I like what I’ve seen. From Sex and the City
In almost every instance where I committed to an HBO show, it’s come after the show has already broken out. This time I thought I would try something different. The only things I know about Boardwalk Empire before watching are that it stars Steve Buscemi and it’s directed by Martin Scorsese. That’s a heady combo. Crazy Eyes out of Mr. Deeds
Victoria Coren - Better looking than William G. Stewart
I love quiz shows. I watch University Challenge every week and I really like Only Connect too. I used to really like Fifteen-to-One when it was on as well.
The common thread is that I like quiz shows with real questions. I like it when the questions are hard. I like feeling good when I can answer them. I don’t like feeling tricked when I can’t.
Cyrus Garza in Outlaw
I guess it all comes down to where you stand on Jimmy Smits. Me? I’m ambivalent. Let’s review.
He first showed up in L.A. Law
I’ve just read this fascinating interview with the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire in The Guardian.
The Duchess is the last of the Mitford sisters–a set with which I was only peripherally familiar. Still a life on the interwebs means I’m able to fill in the gaps fairly quickly.
Shaggy and Scrappy
Another day, another TV pilot reviewed. Terriers is one of those shows that defies programming logic. It doesn’t belong on the air and yet here it is. It doesn’t have a well-known cast. It doesn’t have a unique premise. There is nothing original about the entire enterprise.
So how does a show like this get made? Well it’s chock full of talent. Industry talent. The kind of talent that gets shows made. Shawn Ryan is the big name to notice here. Ryan created The Shield
Maggie Q as Nikita
There have been several incarnations of Nikita and I’ve seen them all.
The original movie Nikita
King Dork by Frank Portman
I just finished reading King Dork
The Mr. T Experience have released 10 studio albums over the past 25 years with titles like Milk Milk Lemonade
In the past 41 years, 43 books have been awarded the Booker Prize, now called the Man Booker Prize. As of last night, I have read 27 of the 43 which is a pretty fair hit rate. Of the last 25 winners, I have read 21 (sorry, Barry Unsworth).
A selection of Bookers. How many have you read?
All that means is, I’m a sucker for awards. I’m the reason they give out literary awards. Statistics prove that I am more likely to buy a book by an author I have never read if it wins the Booker.
