Showing posts with label Invasion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Invasion. Show all posts

5.17.2006

Crazy TV

Yeah! for the Hippies! ... from beginning to end, no one deserved to win the Amazing Race more than they did ...

* * *

As for Lost ...

Michael is crazy. CRA-zy ... first Izzy. Now Michael ... CRA-zy.

And who the heck is Miss Clue!? What the heck are those tribal Others doing with Walt!?! ... and what's up with the boat!?!

Next week's finale should be stellar.

But the really good news of the day? No repeats next season ...

Entertainment Weekly has some good stuff about the cast and their theories. Also here's an interesting story about Evangeline Lilly dealing with her Lost fame ...

* * *

... and Invasion? (see Dave's blog) ... Wouldn't it have been great if Sheriff Tom and Russell killed off Zura, saved the world and everyone lived happily ever after? I mean, how cool was the opening sequence with Tom and Russell pulling up on the crowd and taking over, and then Dave pulling up in his beater car, and the real Army arriving. The show's not coming back next season, so it would've been the perfect ending to a captivating little mini-series, right!? ...

Nope ...

Instead, after Tom and Russell killed off the alien army, we still had 40 minutes to go. Forty minutes that included Murial trying to help the pregnant women, Tom and Russell chasing after Zura, and Larkin, Dave, Lewis and the kids playing cat and mouse with those two crazies in the sheriff's house ... and then in the ultimate cliffhanger, Tom arrives, scuffles with the crazies and takes 'em down just as one of them fires his gun -- in Larkin's direction ...

Aaaaaaaaaand the last scene we see is Tom apparently dumping Larkin's pregnant body into 'the water,' obviously trying to save her, despite probably infecting her and the baby with the alien disease in the process, while Murial and Russell run up on the beach and see Tom's tortured look ...

That's it!?!?!?!?!

Great. See ya, Invasion. Been nice knowin' ya. Thanks for the memories. It was fun while it lasted.

3.16.2006

TV in review

Quick thoughts on my favorite shows (because few were actually new episodes) this week ...

Amazing Race: ... a ha! So the frat boys thought they were all done when they saw ol' Phil standing at the end of that Moscow square. Then Phil just stared at them and said, 'I'm sorry to tell you...' ... with a long pause during which I was waiting foir him to say ' ... you've been eliminated from the race for flirting too much.' ... but he just told the boys the race wasn't over and made them go on their way. ...Otherwise, no real surprises here. The old folks some how are staying in it, it's not looking like the forgetful pinkies will be hurt too much by their mishap at the pool.

... In the meantime, I've quietly begun establishing affections for BJ & Tyler (The Hippies), David & Lori (The cute 'geek' couple from Manhattan, Kan. ... Woo hoo!) and Wanda & Desiree (the sweet mother-daughter combo).

* * *
Sons & Daughters: ... Love it!

For the record, I haven't seen an episode of the comparable 'Arrested Development' (but that doesn't mean I'm not extremely curious about 'A.D.' or think about renting it every time I stop in a Blockbuster to see what all the buzz is about ...) Still, no matter how much funnier its fans think 'A.D.' is than 'S&D' ... I think the raw and quirky little S&D is pretty darn good and you've got to take it for what it's worth -- a nice little breath of fresh air that, judging the way TV execs think these days, probably won't see the light of primetime next fall.

... through the first four episodes, there's been plenty of laugh-out-loud moments for me and there's not an unlikable character on the family tree -- although Cameron's sister Sharon and her daughter Carrie seem to be the scene-stealers thus far... My favorite moment so far came in the second episode when sex-deprived Sharon and her husband Don got 'that feeling' and, while Don headed to the bedroom, Sharon exhuberantly dialed up brother Cameron and screamed into the phone 'Cameron! We're having sex!' ...

* * *
Invasion ... I was barely hanging on through the fall, but lately, it's been getting better and better every week.

Mariel's one smart gal, surviving creepy Christine's wrath and pulling off that slick trick with the carbon copy board and alerting a doctor that Sheriff Underlay needed to be called ...

... and throughout the episode I couldn't help from longing that somebody would just knock off Christine and put her out of her misery ... Then! Thank you Zura for popping her right in the forehead ...

... But as my buddy Brian pointed out today: is she really dead? ... One can only hope.

... and that whole scene in the gym with the basketball players blindly passing the ball around!! How freaky was that!?!?!

1.19.2006

Phenomenons

Great night. Great, fun conversation. Cool atmosphere. All with really good people…

It’s just too bad when the occasion is to say goodbye to a person you really enjoyed working with and being around…

* * *

As the basis for an upcoming story, I went to a “gaming” store last night. I of course was easily captivated by the walls of sports cards and magazines and collectibles just inside the door. The owner quickly started showing off some of his best items and we swapped stories about our own collections…

But that’s not why I was there…

I was there to explore the phenomenon of gaming, particularly online gaming …

This store, located in a small, aged but refurbished downtown building, was divided in two halves. On one side was a series of tables, set up with various board games and surrounded by a handful of teens playing Yu-Gi-Oh or some other popular collector card game…

In the other half of the store -- the coolest part --was a softly-lit room filled wall to wall with sleek computer terminals and comfy leather desk chairs -- all for online gaming. A full-out Internet café …

Although, the place draws people of all ages, races and genders, the owners tell me it’s teaching the youth social skills because they’re making new friends every time they come to the café and, while they’re playing the games, they’re competing and communicating with people across the globe (which is pretty awesome in itself. This one kid told me he’s learned some German …). Plus, the gamers are learning teamwork skills and they’re staying out of trouble …

Now, I’ve haven’t been caught up in this whole online gaming thing -- yet -- but man, if I ever did get into it -- and I was 14 years old again, and rich -- I’d probably be at this place for several hours every night.

OK, maybe not that much…

But I just might take my $25 and spend a Saturday there for sure. That would be cool …

* * *

After being out late last night, I stayed up even later trying to catch up on ‘Lost’ and ‘Invasion’ because lord knows my cohorts would be talking about them today …

‘Lost’ continues to move at a snail’s pace, yet we love and suck up every second of it because we know (or at least hope) it’s all going to lead to the completion of one gargantuan puzzle in the end. My favorite part last night: The end! Jack looking at Ana and asking how long it might take to train an army was priceless (although the whole ‘James’ and Locke thing was good too, and I enjoyed seeing more of Jack’s backstory with Sarah -- but that’s just because I like Julie Bowen …).

And ‘Invasion’!?… Whoah. Last night’s episode was more like a horror movie than a mediocre primetime drama! …Now, we’re getting somewhere with this show!!!

11.09.2005

Thursday night TV

If you Tivo'd tonight's 'Lost' and 'Invasion' you might want to stop reading ...

... OK. For the last week ABC, in typical overblown fashion, had been advertising last night's episode of 'Lost' as 'every year there's one episode that everybody is talking about. This is the episode ... blah, blah, blah' ... tonight's episode, as usual, hardly stood up that claim ...

Until.

Shannon was shot. Shannon!! Shot!! ...and presumably killed. And oh! the look on Sayid's face when he looked up to see 'Mean Girl' from the back of the plane. Ooooooh boy! if people didn't like her before, they're REALLY not going to like her now!

So ok. The promos did deliver on one aspect. In the week leading up to the episode, we knew one survivor was going to be 'lost forever.' For all we knew it was going to be some obscure person, probably from the back of the plane. Yeah, like the writers could really kill off another prominent survivor, we thought. ... Nevermind Sawyer, he wasn't exactly 'lost,' so the former seemed to be the case when Cindy suddenly dissappeared. But then Shannon ...

Aside from the last five minutes, though, I wasn't impressed. It's too bad this was one of the few episodes that really made me feel for Shannon -- and want to slug her step-mother ... And was it just me or did anyone else see Jack whiz by as the doctor was preparing to tell Shannon and her step-mother the news that her father had died? ...

So let the countdown begin for next week -- the episode I've been waiting for all season!! -- the one where we find out about what happened to the back of the plane!! -- it'll be like the first episode all over again, from a different perspective!! Woo Hoo!!

Want more? 'Lost' message boards

* * *
As for 'Invasion' ... nice!

The story surrounding Larkin trapped in her vehicle and the fight to find her at the beginning of the episode was pretty intense. Then she gets in a truck with a creepy 'fisherman' (who appeared at first to be a killer) and the episode started to go a little south -- aside from the parts that cut away just before Tom was about to speak into his radio ...

Alas, all was revealed in the end and we find out that Tom was working with Mr. Fisherman the whole time ...

Love it.

10.13.2005

In retrospect ...


It's everywhere ...

No matter where you went today. No matter what water cooler you drank from. No matter what newspaper you read. No matter what TV station you watched. It was there ...

NBC's Brian Williams tonight called it 'The call heard 'round the world.' Already going down as a play in postseason lore, it will become even more notorious if the Angels lose this series.

Almost 24 hours later I'm still having trouble getting over it. And even after debating the play with a cohort at work today -- who I might add is a pretty hard Sox fan who seems to thinks he's always right -- I'm still convinced the ump, Doug Eddings, made the wrong call. And I was reassured that I (let's emphasize the capital I...) was right when they showed the replay for the one zillionth time on local news tonight in super slow motion and it shows Angels catcher Josh Paul's mitt clearly between the ground and the ball. The way I saw it, the ball dropped into the outer webbing of Paul's outstretched mitt and then bounced into the palm of the glove. On top of that, how Eddings, standing behind Paul, had a clear view of the ball's direction is beyond me...

It seems a majority of the talking heads and polls tonight, I might add, are also showing that most people believe the ump made the wrong call. You'd never know by listening to A.J. Pierzynski though. Every new interview I see of him, starting with the postgame last night to standing at his locker this afternoon, shows him stretching the truth further. Last night he said he ran on pure instinct. Today's he's saying her heard two clear noises as if the ball hit the dirt and then skipped into Paul's glove...

Ah, who am I kidding... Mike Scioscia said it best after the game. If the Angels had played better, we wouldn't even be talking about this. ... Let's hope the Angels play well enough to keep us from lumping the play with Don Deckinger, Bill Buckner and Steve Bartman.

Here's what others are saying:
a Chicago Tribune, Mike Downey: An ending too unbelievable for words
a Associated Press: The morning after -- Angels and White Sox head West, fans head for water coolers
a LA Times: Angels Lose Game in Bizarre Ending
a USA Today: White Sox pull out controversial win in ninth
a Tim Dahlberg: Controversy makes series worth watching
a Jim Caple: Mr. Eddings ... you're guilty
a Umpire's Call Is Defended By MLB
a NY Times: Umpire Giveth, and White Sox Taketh Away

and pllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaassssse!!!

Pierzynski is NOT a hero...

* * *
'Lost' last night was pretty good. Maybe even the best of the season thus far ...

Yes, Hurley's dream during the opening sequence was a trip, but it didn't trick me. I had it pegged for a dream the moment Jin started speaking English. Yet, I found Hurley's backstory and his reasonable resistance to change to be one of the most endearing of any on the island. ... The best part of the episode were the scenes of everyone, thanks to Hurley, laughing and feasting on the beach. And then we got that topped with the revelation that Rose's significant other really is ok!

But please. Finally, we were treated to an episode during which Jack wasn't Mr. Attitude. (The scene of him walking in on Kate in the shower was pretty comical) Thank you ... now we have to deal with Miss Attitude leading 'the others' clan. I agree, Sawyer SHOULD kill her ...

... I didn't get around to watching 'Invasion' (...which by the way has a cool web site!) until my lunch break this morning. And, thankfully, last night's episode finally kept my attention for almost all 60 minutes. ... Now if only the writers could give us one of those 'Lost'-like flashbacks to show us what the heck is Tom's (aka Sheriff Creepy's) backstory.

* * *
It hasn't taken a lot of news-watching lately to make me awestuck at what kind of crazy year this has been ... a tsunami, the unending war in Iraq, Katrina, the Pakistan earthquake and now flooding in the northeast ...

Makes you really thankful for what you've got and reminds you NEVER to take anything for granted ...

10.05.2005

Help me out, I'm lost

‘Lost’

Whoah.

The crazy ‘Dharma Initiative’ film (did you see the polar bears!?) and the look on Jack’s face, followed by Locke saying ‘We’re going to have to watch that again’ were priceless. Heck yeah, I wanted to watch it again! It was arguably the best scene we’ve seen in the first three episodes of the season …

Meanwhile the story going with Sawyer, Michael & Jin is moving a snail’s pace …

And I’m getting pretty sick of Jack’s king of pessimism attitude. If he keeps trying to fight fate, his demons and everything else he can’t stand about the island, I predict he’ll end up shooting himself in the head within a couple more episodes. Just chill out, man …You’re not going anywhere, so you better learn to soak up the sun and live with it.

And ‘Invasion’ …? ….Eh.

I’m just not getting into it. It’s like the good-looking girl that you date, but you can’t commit because you just don’t feel any chemistry with her.

… well, Murial obviously found some chemistry with the water. Geez, she was practically making out with it the whole show!

…It’s not as fast-paced as ‘Lost’ and I find it somewhat predictable. Plus the little girl that plays Rosey ruins just about every scene she’s in. As far as I can tell, the only purpose she has on the show is to see ‘the lights’ and be cute … Other than that, she’s just annoying.

Thank you and good night.

9.21.2005

Bring on the hurricanes

The worst hurricane ever.

Ah, Rita. … As if Katrina weren’t enough. The 10 ‘o clock news showed Rita heading straight for Houston, and probably sideswiping what’s left of New Orleans on the way.

Better fill up on gas first thing tomorrow …Heck, better fill up a couple gas cans too with the way things are going. Wire stories were reporting today that we haven’t even hit the peak of hurricane season yet -- that comes in October! And if that ain’t enough, another story reported we can expect these types of storms for the next 10 to 20 years.

All this of course inspired a fun discussion at work today about how they name hurricanes and my buddy, Brian, and I went to work on the Internet (it's a great thing isn't it?) digging up what we could. Here's the fruits of our labors at about.com and KOMO News in Seattle. Pretty interesting stuff.

Hey people living in the Gulf Coast: Pack up your stuff and never go back!

* * *

Let’s just hope we don’t have aliens infiltrating our world like they’re supposedly doing on ‘Invasion’ …Kates and I watched the premiere tonight, but I’m kind of lukewarm on it, at best.

The story seemed to move much slower than ‘Lost’ and it didn’t grip you the way ‘Lost’ has … But I'll keep watching.

Speaking of ‘Lost!’ Let me catch my breath …

How could you not grin and be excited for the new season when the premiere opened, yet again, with a close-up of someone’s eye opening. That, of course, evolved into scenes of some guy waking up, making a breakfast and showering -- and that mind-blowing music -- in what seemed like some 1970s-era apartment …

Then there’s the detonation of explosives to open the hatch. …Everything changes, the guy starts moving mirrors all over the place and we see Jack and Locke staring down the tunnel…

Whoah.

The rest of the episode was in some ways a waste as it provided minute clues of what was to come and filled in the gaps for details we already know, primarily Jack saving and meeting Sarah.

…Until Jack runs into the jogger at the stadium and lo and behold, it’s the same guy living inside some Matrix-like world beneath the hatch.

Talk about tune in next week. The opening line of next week’s previews was something like: “In just one week the fate of all the survivors will be revealed.”

…Sha-right. Their fates will be revealed FOR NOW. Until some other unexplainable creature, room or person appears in the woods that is the infamous island.

Here's some other good reviews of the show:
a 'Lost' premiere raises more mystery
a 'Lost' finds a way to keep you hooked
a 'Lost' worth the wait, unlike 'Stewart'