Last night was the Emmys, with Modern Family, Mad Men and Temple Grandin taking home the big prizes. I took to twitter last night to write about them live as they were happening. Here’s the recap, and follow us at twitter.com/storps to see it there.
Let’s do this, Twitter Nation! Emmy night begins soon. I’ll be tweeting here through the night as the show goes on. -JR
On the couch with 4 minutes to spare. And rewarded with Sofia Vergara. Nice.
First Conan joke of the night! Poehler’s looking pregnant. Strong first 8 minutes. (Post-note: Poehler’s not actually pregnant, but she had her baby about a month ago. Mess-up by me on that one.)
As comedy starts, here’s my top 6 in my comedy power rankingshttp://www.storps.com/2010/08/09/comedy-power-rankings-part-2/
Stonestreet FTW!!! Good for him! Amazing year for him, and he deserved it.
Did the Emmys spoil the winner there? Sounded like they played the Modern Family theme before it was announced.
BTW, just got back from a trip to Cle, Chi (primarily), Mil, and Pitt. Lots of laundry to do. Great trip.
Modern! 2 for 2! Are we feeling sweep?
Greg Daniels: “I’m Rick James, Bitch!” Well, that was a highlight.
Good for Jane Lynch. Thoroughly deserved. South Side of Chicago! I was just there a day ago!
I just realized: This comedy part is gonna be over soon. The thing I care about most is comedy. Uh oh. Could be a long night.
Fallon did a nice job with the cold open, but he’s looked nervous since. Perry and Graham just tanked. Gotta love hilarious Emmy writing!
Glee answers back with 2 in a row! It’s on like Donkey Kong. Is that still on? Is that on anywhere? Either way…the showdown is on.
I feel like Ryan Murphy is an a-hole. He hasn’t really done anything to deserve that. But…might be an a-hole.
Modern answers with a great skit. Business has picked up.
It’s sad that The Office isn’t really a factor in the top comedies right now. A real shame. Let’s hope Carell’s swan song turns it around.
September 8th, 2011: The day I watch You Again on HBO, hide my head in shame, don’t tell anyone, and secretly enjoy it.
Shhhh Jeremy, NPH is on.
So…now what? Baseball time? Special sneak preview of You Again?
Gob Bluth…you’re better than lame banter. COME ON!!!!
The Amazing Race is down, and it can’t get up! Down goes Frasier!
Anyone notice that when the announcer starts talking about the dramatic actors, her voice gets lower? Like they’re more important? Weird.
I’ve never watched Oprah a day in my life, yet these commercials are getting me choked up. What will I do without her?!?!
I’m hungry. What should I eat? Athlete tweet translation: I’m staaaaaarvin y’all!! What should I eat I could eat a horse right now lol!!!!!!
Malcolm Reynolds in the house. Rose Byrne: Underrated hotness.
We’re getting close to that time. Kyle and Connie coming up soon. Clear Eyes. Full Hearts. Can’t Lose.
Bryan Cranston’s daughter…like her. I like her more than baseball, too.
Tyler Perry…really, America?
Ok, America, we get it. Matthew Morrison’s hair is funny. Can we stop now?
A big 0 for 2 for FNL. Crap. Hopefully next year it gets what it deserves. 2011: Wins for Carell, Chandler and Britton? One can dream.
Broadway love!!! The Tonies in da house! Broadway baby! Wooooooooo!
Chase: potential for NBC? It might be good. Wow Gervais looks good.
Gervais killing it at the Emmys: a new yearly tradition. Love it.
Next segment’s prospects are bleak. Folding laundry it is!
Doesn’t Juliana Margulies have an oddly deep voice? Has anyone ever mentioned this?
Clooney, how dare your humanitarian efforts make Betty White have to stand up? She’s tired!
Really nice, honest speech by Clooney. I feel like I should think he’s a d-bag, but I just don’t.
Who’s watching these Cranford movies? They’re nominated every year. Do you know one person who has EVER watched this series???
Can’t get over this Cranford thing. Return to Cranford? Who watches this?
Emminated for a nommy. Funny by Ormond. Seriously. Name me one person who’s watched Cranford and I’ll give you a thousand dollars.
What’s the correlation between ’serious dramatic indie actor’ and ‘growing a dignified beard’? Why do the two always coexist?
So, Temple Grandin is a person? Not a temple? I didn’t wanna watch some religious thing. Oops.
I’m ready for the Jewel comeback. So ready. She just does it for me.
Is there anything better than awards show banter? At all?
So, we have a black president now…is it okay to make a TV show with a white president while the real one is black? Is that kosher?
So, what’s the over/under on mainstream media ‘worshiping Temple Grandin’ puns tomorrow? 20?
Closing with comedy this year. If lost would win, it would close.
Bingo. Mad Men it is. Way to go out on a limb there, academy.
That being said, thrilled that comedy is getting its due this year. Modern Family! Glee! It’s the Emmys on NBC!
Here we go…
Modern!! Good for them. Totally and completely deserved, and hopefully this takes the show to the next level.
That’ll do it here. Off to catch up on 2 episodes of Entourage, which wasn’t represented at the Emmys tonight. Could it be because it sucks?
Thanks for reading, Twitter Nation. Check back to Storps for more updates, and here on Twitter. Goodnight!
August 30, 2010 · Filed under Pop Culture
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This is Part 2 of a 2-part column, ranking the top comedies of the 09-10 TV year. For Part 1, click here.
Before we start with the final 6 shows, I should mention that I didn’t rank South Park, since it’s never clear exactly what label it should get. But it should be acknowledged that it had an outstanding season, and one of its best in years. If I had ranked it, I probably would have put it between numbers 4 and 5 on this list.
6. 30 Rock Still funny, but the element of surprise seems to be gone here. All of these characters have been used so much that nothing that they do or say seems surprising or even particularly interesting anymore. At this point I get that Liz Lemon is a slob, Tracy Jordan says ridiculous things and Kenneth had a crazy upbringing in the south. What can the show do that’s unique? They’ve tried to bring in guest star after guest star, which has worked to a degree, but even that’s getting boring. They need to shake things up, or things will get stagnant quickly. The jokes are still good, but without caring about the characters, like on The Office, it could be a problem. This show would have easily been number 1 for the last 2 or 3 years, so having it this low either means that a lot of fresh blood has come into the comedy scene (which is true) or that this show has really fallen (also true).
5. Curb Your Enthusiasm It feels like years ago that this was on HBO, but it was only one year ago. Larry David put together one of the best seasons in the show’s run, and the Seinfeld reunion to cap it all off worked nicely. He managed to give each person in the show some moments to shine, as well as leaving a few episodes for his usual craziness. At least three or four of the episodes were instant classics, and this season will be remembered for awhile, even if I almost forgot to put it on this list. The one other thing that I took from this season is how funny Jerry Seinfeld is, and that we may have all forgotten that. Each of the other characters were decent on Curb, but Seinfeld and David’s interplay was what really made the season work. Without him, it wouldn’t have been nearly as well done.
4. The League I may be ranking it a bit high at number 4, since it only had six episodes and was still a bit rough around the edges. But I can’t remember a comedy that has ever represented what it’s like to be a sports fan and to be around a group of male friends as well. This is the first show that has accurately described fantasy football. It’s clear that the writers have actually played, and that really helps. But the most important part of the show was the fact that people that don’t like fantasy football could still enjoy it. There’s a fine line between not having the credibility to produce a legitimate comedy about fantasy football and using it so much that it alienates every other person to the show. The writers managed to maintain that balance, and it paid off. Each character had fantastic moments, and the season finale was possibly the best half hour of TV of the entire season. Before judging this show, watch the finale. It’s on Hulu. I beg you. It’s 22 minutes of pure greatness. Was the overall season of Curb better than League? Very possibly. But the potential that The League shows earned it this spot. The other proof: of every show coming back in the fall, I’m the most excited for either this or Eastbound and Down. For that alone, it deserves this high spot.
3. Parks and Recreation What a difference a year makes! In its first season, Parks and Rec felt sloppy and slow; the ugly sister to The Office. But, in its second season, things changed. In the same way that The Office formed its own identity in its second season, after its first season felt like a copy of the British version, P&R did as well. The first season made Leslie Knope, Amy Poehler’s character, seem too much like Michael Scott, but the writers went away from that this season. Leslie’s coworkers began to respect her, even though she was certainly quirky. A dynamite supporting cast was formed, led by rising star Aziz Ansari and Nick Offerman as boss Ron Swanson. The show got better and better, even as ratings fell. It’s amazing how Community and Parks and Recreation made for one of the finest hours on TV all year, but was one of the lowest rated. Bummer. In Parks’ first season, I felt that it had the same potential that The Office showed in its initial six episodes. They were raw, but had the makings of a great show. Parks and Recreation proved me right, and I can’t wait for it to come back midseason.
Now that we’re down to the final two, it’s time to get down to business. Two shows remain, and they’re by far the best two of the season. Let’s match these two up, in a final showdown, to see which deserves the number 1 spot.
Glee Vs. Modern Family
Pure Comedy: Let’s answer a quick question: which one was funnier? While Glee had great characters and some priceless lines, every character on Modern Family was a riot. The one-liners here were unparalleled. Edge: Modern Family
Characters: This is among the closest calls. Both shows have created so many complex, deep characters that it’s impossible to choose one. The entire Dunphy family was fresh and totally unique, yet Sue Sylvester may be the best character to come along since Tony Soprano…did I just go there? You bet I did! Both shows created such rich characters in one season, that I can’t choose. Edge: Push
Guest Stars: This one’s a blowout. While Fred Willard, Chazz Palminteri and Benjamin Bratt did nice jobs on Modern Family, Glee’s group of stars were unprecedented. Neil Patrick Harris stole an episode, Kristen Chenoweth was fantastic and Idina Menzel added to the show towards the end of the season. Each person brought in was everything the audience could’ve asked for. Big Edge: Glee
Unsung Heroes: For Modern Family, it’s the kids. Phil and Claire’s three kids, along with Manny, Jay and Gloria’s son, brought far more than anyone could’ve expected. Luke and Manny together could be a sitcom in itself. But a certain ex-host of GUTS stole this category. As Kurt’s straight father, Mike O’Malley may have been the best actor on all of Glee, in his unwavering support of his gay son. If I had given you 100 to 1 odds 5 years ago that Mike O’Malley would be nominated for an Emmy as one of the best serious actors on a hit show, would you have taken it? I doubt it, although to quote Kevin on The Office, “I take 100 to 1 odds on anything. If John Cougar Mellencamp ever wins an Oscar, I’m going to be a very rich man.” O’Malley’s been a revelation, and his presence alone put this show on higher ground. Edge: Glee
Overexposure/Burnout: Both of these were big hits in their first season, leading to worries about both of their future. Fortunately, Modern Family has kept a low profile ever since its season finale, quietly showing reruns on ABC and not doing a ton more. Glee, however, has been everywhere. The cast has gone on tour, a book has been released, albums continue to be cranked out, DVD sales are through the roof, and a phenomenon has been born. What worries me about its future is that the song-and-dance element to the show, which I haven’t even mentioned yet, could become too important to the show’s success. While the music was nice, and I’m always a proponent of more Broadway in my life, what made the show were the characters and the humor. If it weren’t for Sue Sylvester, I believe that this show would have failed. If there’s too much music and not enough story, we’ll lose our commitment to the characters and the show will become almost a revue of old music, in an American Idol world. That’s not a good thing. Fortunately, creator Ryan Murphy said this week that he plans on lessening the music for next season, and keeping the focus on the characters. That’s a good sign. But, still: Edge: Modern Family
Degree of Difficulty: For one, Glee is twice as long as Modern Family, so they had double the content to write for the season. Both shows had to be confined within network TV standards, so there’s no edge there. While Modern Family did show heart in many of its episodes, showing us why we should care for the entire Dunphy family, Glee’s ability to mix humor with true emotion was unparalleled. The ability to go back and forth with verbal sparring between Sue Sylvester and Will Schuster, and then deal with legitimate issues like homosexuality and anorexia, was amazing. There were plot holes galore (How did the musicians in the music numbers always know exactly what song the kids were going to sing, when the kids decide to just sing spontaneously? Are they the greatest players in the world? How did the glee club show up for rehearsals every day and have a fully lit stage waiting for them, lighting cues and all? How did they have a constant struggle for money, yet could afford such a detailed lighting and sound system, and then pay for a professional choir to sing behind them occasionally?), but the ability to tackle these problems made up for them. Edge: Glee
And, finally, the last, and most important questions:
Which was more unique? Which could never be duplicated? When I think about this season in 10 years, what will pop up in my mind? Modern Family is an outstanding show, and will have a great shelf life. It’s extremely well written, and it deserves every accolade it gets. But it’s not hard to imagine another smart, funny, well-written show about a big family coming down the pipe in a few years. The show already feels like a relatable mix of 70 percent Arrested Development, and 30 percent The Office, mixing into a nice hybrid. But I can’t compare Glee to anything that I’ve ever seen on TV. It is completely unique, and it feels like a once in a lifetime phenomenon. Glee captured the country’s attention this year, and it’s high points were higher than anything else’s. Modern Family was more consistent, for sure, but Glee is the one that climbed the furthest. I’ll remember that. So, while it was a nail biter:
2. Modern Family
1. Glee
As Sue Sylvester would say, that’s how I see it.
August 9, 2010 · Filed under Pop Culture, Uncategorized
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How about a mid-summer edition of 20 Questions? I’ve been promising this column for weeks/months, so let’s get right to it. As a reminder, these are all questions that may or may not have an actual answer, but they’re all things that I’ve thought about recently.
1. Isn’t being the T-shirt cannon guy at a sporting event the worst job you could possibly have? You only have at most 50 shirts to give out. So, if you’re in an arena with 15,000 people in it, approximately 99.7 % of the people in attendance will be mad at you for not shooting them a T-shirt. Aren’t those really sucky percentages? It sounds like a drag.
2. Are we all underrating the greatest ironic last name of all time? Brian Cashman is the GM of the Yankees, the team that spends the most money of any team in sports. He’s the guy that signs players to big contracts. He’s literally the cash man. Yet nobody ever talks about how hilarious this is. Why isn’t this talked about more?
3. What’s the appeal of bubble tea? Everywhere you go in New York City, but mainly in Chinatown, people are selling bubble tea, as the most refreshing drink to have on a hot summer day. Here’s what it is. You get some sort of iced tea that has a certain flavor, and it has milk added. It’s all well and good. Kind of like a drink at Starbucks. No issues. Then, through the middle and at the bottom, are dozens of ‘bubbles’ that are actually little balls of tasteless starch. What in the blue hell are the points of these? They taste like NOTHING, and then instead of having the comfort of a refreshing sip of your tea drink, you have to chew on these little flavorless balls until you’re annoyed with them, swallow, and are then thirsty so you need to take the next sip of your drink. The process continues forever. They taste a bit like Dots, otherwise known as The Worst Candy Ever Invented, if Dots had absolutely no flavor and were every bit as chewy and disgusting and stayed in your teeth even longer. What the hell, bubble tea? And I’m not even as mad at the institution of bubble tea as I am at the douchey people who continue to insist that it’s the greatest drink ever. You are playing into the torturous game that these evil makers of this tea want you to play. You can never get the bubble taste out of your mouth, so what do you do? You buy more tea. And it goes on and on and on. And it’s all your fault, hippies who think this is the next wave of great drinks.
4. Why do people continue to take pictures of the field at baseball games when they’re sitting in the upper deck? Do I really need to see pictures that, if I look really closely, will show me Derek Jeter playing shortstop? Can’t I just watch TV for that? Whoa, that’s what I watched on TV, but only now it’s 1,000 times harder to see! Awesome!
5. If only kids from the age of 8 and below read Highlights magazine, can’t they just repeat their magazine every 8 years and get away with it? Do they do this already, but I’m unaware of it because I’m not 8? Am I unlocking a conspiracy here? You can’t tell me that Goofus and Gallant have had unique adventures for 50-plus years. There’s got to be a rerun in there somewhere.
6. How did the term “Don’t touch a black man’s radio!” come into play? I’m a white man. Don’t touch my radio either! That’s my radio! It’s universally uncool to touch the driver’s radio. How did this become a race thing? I can’t imagine anyone being completely fine with the passenger just changing whatever’s on the radio. Not cool at all.
7. This might be my most important question: How did the makers of Coca-Cola come up with the flavor of cola? Hear me out: virtually every flavored thing in the world comes from a natural source. Orange Soda tries to duplicate the taste of an orange; even though it may taste nothing like an actual orange, it has a foundation in which the flavor is based around. The same for Sprite, a lemon-lime drink, and basically every other artificially flavored food there is. Cocoa puffs are supposed to taste like chocolate. Trix are supposed to taste like a few different fruits. Jell-O comes in different flavors that represent fruits. I could go on for days. But Coca-Cola decided to play god and come up with a totally unique flavor based on absolutely nothing that the world would decide to embrace. After extensive research (note: there was no research, I just daydreamed a lot), I came to the conclusion that the only things in the world that were specifically invented to fit the taste buds were cola and bubblegum. I considered including Dr. Pepper, but they say that it’s a blend of 23 flavors that make up the taste, so clearly it’s based on something as well. But what was the invention process? Did scientists come together and figure out the exact right combination of substances that would make for a refreshing drink? This is fascinating to me.
8. I was watching a commercial for an auto-repair store, possibly Pep Boys, when the person in the commercial’s car battery wouldn’t start, and the guy went “Not now…this is the worst time!” This made me think, is there ever a good time for a car battery to die? Whenever you enter your car, you’re going to a destination. Has anyone’s car battery ever died and the person thought, “Well, at least this is a perfect time for my car battery to die!”?
9. I’m always one to defend baseball from its detractors, because I love the sport and enjoy watching it on a night in and night out basis. But can it really be considered a sport when the players chew gum through the entire game? Can you possibly imagine a player in any of the other 4 major sports chewing gum while playing their game? Wouldn’t they choke on it or swallow it within the first minute of playing?
10. Isn’t a whiteout the sports version of a tramp stamp? It’s cheap, it’s easy, and afterwards you can never have the same level of respect as a franchise. It’ll be with you forever, and just makes you look unworthy. And if I really wanted to distract the visiting team, how about a pink-out, or a rainbow-out? Wouldn’t they spend the first five minutes of the game wondering why the hell the entire building was dressed in pink, or how they managed to coordinate it so that the building looked like a gigantic rainbow?
11. Is the phrase “That woman’s accent is so thick, she sounds just like Rosie Perez” now more famous than Actual Rosie Perez? What has she done in the last decade besides making Pineapple Express 17% worse?
12. How old are the jockeys that run in the Kentucky Derby? I couldn’t give you an approximation within 20 years. If you told me that Calvin Borel was 30, I’d believe you. If you told me he was 20, I’d believe you. If you told me he was 60, I’d believe you. Absolutely no clue.
13. Do people still use washboards? The term “washboard abs” is still in the lexicon, but does anyone in America not have a washing machine? When’s the last time that someone actually used a washboard? I know what a washboard looks like, but only because I’ve seen Fiddler on the Roof multiple times. What percentage of the GTL-ing part of the country has ever actually seen a washboard? How do they know what to make their abs look like?
14. Going right along with the washboard abs idea (as in, going as far away from it as possible), how much would it cost to get Lou Bega to come hang out with me? We’re not talking more than 20 to 100 bucks, right? Maybe more on the weekends?
15. How come we can’t have more of a sense of humor at sporting events? When Matt Kemp comes to the plate in a visiting stadium, how come they can’t play a Rihanna song? Everyone would get a kick out of it, and would he really get that offended? It’s so bad to play a song by the girl he’s dating? We need to find more ways to make it fun to be at the ballpark, and that wouldn’t hurt. Speaking of that relationship…
16. Doesn’t Matt Kemp have the smallest shoes in the world to fill when dating Rihanna? Nowhere to go but up.
17. We hear about no-nonsense managers and coaches all the time. Do nonsense managers exist? Are there managers that just let everyone have a grand old time, and don’t bother with any punishments? If guys come to a game late, are they just okay with it, because they’re a nonsense manager? How do their pre-game pep talks go? “Guys, I want you to give it your all out there. And if you don’t, I’m not really gonna care.”
18. How do you riot? Each time a sports team wins their title, I hear about cities rioting afterwards. What’s the process for this? Who starts it? Is there a riot leader? Does he just punch somebody to get it going, almost like lighting the Olympic torch? Do people really get a kick out of throwing trash cans? And would I really be able to set something on fire? I barely know how to work a lighter, so I don’t think torching cars is in my repertoire. I don’t think I’ll be rioting any time soon.
19. Time for a guest question! My friend Brian, of occasional podcast fame, asks this:
What’s the deal with “weather records”? Does anybody out there want to be a part of this?? And why am I supposed to care about being involved in an “historic record breaking day” when it’s either ridiculously cold or ridiculously hot outside?? Is this among the dumbest and least sought after records ever or what? Is this something I’m going to tell my grandkids about?? Are there going to be any grandparents sitting around talking to their grandkids about living through a record breaking weather day?? “Your grandmother and I were a part of history. I remember back in July of 2010 when we were involved in the all time heat record in NYC on a July 8th. We were all a part of something very special that day.”
20. To wrap it up, I’m going to start a new feature called “The One I Found an Answer To”. Whenever I watch Family Guy, in the opening credits a writer by the name of Cherry Chevapravatdumrong is listed. Is this an actual person, or was Seth MacFarlane playing some sort of elaborate joke on the audience? Could someone with this long and crazy of a last name actually exist? I don’t remember anyone ever having a 6-syllable last name, or 1 syllable longer than my entire name. Well, after some quick research on Google, I learned that Ms. Chevapravatdumrong has been a writer on Family Guy since its fourth season, and has written 7 episodes. She was born in Columbus, Ohio, was raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan (How’s that for a college football debate?) and went to Yale. She’s written two young adult novels (under the name Cherry Cheva…tough to put that entire name on the cover of a book) and was recently promoted to co-producer on Family Guy. Good to know! Don’t you feel smarter now?
That’ll do it for today’s 20 Questions. As always, thanks for reading, and if anyone has a question that they’re dying to get out there, send us a message here at Storps and I’ll think about adding it as a guest spot for the next edition.
July 20, 2010 · Filed under MLB, Pop Culture, Uncategorized
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There’s no Magic game to make me upset tonight, the Yankees are mired in a losing streak, and the NHL is giving me fits. So, what should we do for a column? How about a running diary of the NBC Thursday night finales? Am I doing this because I’m so excited about the finales of Community, Parks and Recreation, The Office, and 30 Rock? Is it because I don’t have a column idea for Friday afternoon and my editor (me) is demanding a one? Do I secretly want to gush over my love of Allison Brie and Rashida Jones? Maybe, maybe and Minka Kelly is way hotter. Damn you, Captain Jeter.
We come into tonight with 30 Rock bringing the most consistency early in the season, but both Community and Parks and Recreation have upped their games in the last 3 months so much that the 8 PM hour is now arguably stronger than the 9 PM hour, thanks to the inconsistency of The Office and general apathy towards the characters of 30 Rock. Do I really care if Liz Lemon finds her true love? Either way, Community wraps up its freshman year tonight, Parks and Recreation deals with the potential shutting down of the governmental system by guest auditors Rob Lowe and Adam Scott (of Step Brothers fame, among many other things), The Office wraps up easily its shakiest season by dealing with a brewing controversy involving the catching on fire of Sabre’s (The Office’s parent company) printers, and 30 Rock brings out a wedding finale, with Liz going to three of them on the same day, with Matt Damon guest starring. It’ll be a fun night, and the truest test yet of which shows have potential for a long, prosperous future, and which seem to be on the way out, with more successful shows like Glee and Modern Family taking over the network comedy spotlight.
7:50 We’re 10 minutes away from the beginning of the night. I’m accompanied by a tall glass of Crystal Light lemonade and a box of Reduced Fat Cheez-Its. NBC will start their night by saying “The following programs are brought to you in living color, by NBC”. As opposed to what, dead color? Is that really the best you could come up with, NBC? How about “ The following is the finest 2 hours of comedy on TV, including the winners of the last four Emmy awards for best comedy, The Office and 30 Rock. Enjoy.” That’s not better than full color? Jeez. The Yankees trail 3-2 as 8 PM hits, and the Canadiens are up 2-0 on the Flyers. I’ll be checking in on those games from time to time. Up first is Community, which started fairly slow, but has picked up its game since March thanks to their diverse and quirky cast of characters and sly way of parodying movies and other TV shows within the confines of the show. Check out the episode “Modern Warfare” on Hulu to see what I mean. I’ll be breaking this diary into segments, based on how the shows go.
7:58 Nyjer Morgan is a flat-out good ballplayer. Just thought I’d throw that out there. I have no idea how good of a ballplayer Tracy Morgan is. We’ll catch up with him at 9:30.
FYI: From this moment forward, a massive Spoiler Alert is in full effect. There’s a LOT of spoilers in this column. Just warning you.
8:07 Mmm…Cheez-Its…oh, the diary. Right! A good start to the episode, with quick Dead Poets Society and Woody Allen quips interspersed with the episode. The crew wraps up their first year at community (get it?) college by preparing for the Transfer Dance, for the people that move to real colleges. Otherwise known as “The Tranny Dance”, by the dean (who shows up in conversations whenever someone says “Nothing can go wrong today”). The Jeff (Joel McHale) and Britta (Gillian Jacobs) chemistry and will-they/wont-they charm is in effect, and we’ll see where it goes. A lot of guest stars came back for cameos tonight, including John Oliver, Eric Christian Olsen and John Michael Higgins.
8:18 Whoa! Britta just admitted she was in love with Jeff! I actually didn’t see that coming. Annie is transferring with her boyfriend, and if I don’t have Allison Brie in my life, I’m going to be miserable. This better not be for real. Abed, the movie freak that is as likable a character as any in this block, continues to turn the lights off and give off catchphrases like “Study’s Over” and “Last Call”. He and Troy, the jock turned student, are considering moving in to the same dorm room. Troy wants in, but Abed thinks it’ll have “a spinoff vibe” and they’ll have a fight and have to duct tape their room in half. Troy’s solution: “We just won’t buy duct tape!” Abed says their relationship will jump the shark with a move-in, and Troy delivers the line of the night. “And by the way, there was an episode of Happy Days where Fonzie LITERALLY JUMPED OVER A SHARK. It was the best episode ever!”
8:27 A good episode, and a lot higher on the drama than I expected. Britta and Slater (Jeff’s ex-girlfriend) both say they’re in love with him, and the entire Tranny Dance is divided into three camps: Team Britta, Team Slater (whose dress is described as ‘very Fatal Attraction’) and Bring Back Conan. As the episode ends, he chooses…Annie, who decides to stay and live in the moment with Jeff. They hook up, and the episode ends. Wow. I guess we start there next year. On to Parks and Rec. Community: B+
8:38 A strong start to Parks and Rec, with an ongoing fantastic cameo by Rob Lowe as a fitness nut who is sent to slash the Pawnee budget. He’s run 65,000 miles over the last 20 years, which is a third of the way to the moon. He plans to run to the moon. Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari) is too busy having sex with his girlfriend and playing Boys II Men (As he says, “In what other situation would I be playing Boys II Men?”) to help Leslie throw a children’s concert with Freddy Spaghetti. Mark, Ann (Rashida Jones)’s ex-boyfriend, decides to leave his job, and he’s in fact leaving the show. Leslie finally gets help from Jerry and April, two of the staff workers. Jerry’s one of the funniest characters on the show, and he’s the subject of ridicule for the rest of the staff of the department. The jokes used on him have been great. Ron (the great Nick Offerman) is excited about the slashing of all of the salaries, and tries to high-five the other workers on the board for budget constraints. A good start.
8:46 Andy and April finally admit that they have feelings for each other, but April thinks that Ann still has feelings for Andy and won’t be a part of that. Drama, drama, drama! In non-chick flick-y storylines, Ron (the same guy that was all about slashing budget) strongly defends Leslie as being the best that Pawnee has to offer and his finest worker, and that he would quit if it could save her job. It’s amazing how this show has developed Poehler’s character from a Michael Scott knockoff into a competent, unique, eccentric but exceedingly likable person. It’s a testament to this writing and acting team. Freddy Spaghetti isn’t able to make it to the concert, since he had made another plan after being cancelled on by the budgeters. Andy’s band, Mouse Rat, is set on playing their hit song Sex Hair (or Pickle Hair after making it family friendly…which still sounds like sex, according to Tom). As he’s leaving, Andy gets hit by a car, breaking his arm. Uh oh. A great mix of drama and comedy all put together. Really excellent.
8:57 We enter the hospital to check on Andy, when the doctor says that he broke his left arm and left hand. Andy replies, “That’s the side that hurts!”. The concert is saved when Freddy Spaghetti shows up, thanks to money given by Ben, Adam Scott’s character, who had been the Bad Cop to Lowe’s Good Cop the whole time. He explains that he isn’t a monster, but that cuts were coming and Leslie could lose her job. Leslie tells him to just relax and enjoy finally doing a good deed for good people. A touching and honest moment; something that has helped elevate this show to the best of the Thursday comedies. Ann kisses Andy in the hospital, but Andy doesn’t want a part of it. April comes by and says that she wants to pursue a relationship with him, and Andy says that he just kissed Ann, to be totally honest. April leaves in a huff. This angle was fascinating throughout the season, but it felt overly melodramatic tonight. They decided that they had to amp up the stakes because it was the finale, and it felt forced. But, the episode is revitalized by an amazing moment with Leslie and Mark, as Mark’s about to leave the show for good. Mark gives Leslie a blueprint that he drew up for a park. Leslie knows that she has no money for a new park, but as the episode ends, Mark says, “I wouldn’t bet against you.” Actually inspiring, as we fade to black. The end tag reveals to us that Ron had been sleeping with Tom’s ex-wife, but we’ll mull over that one another time. The ending with Leslie and Mark was what really put a cap on a surprisingly fantastic season. Parks and Recreation: A
9:07 We move on to The Office, my favorite show of all time. We open on Michael fielding questions about the faulty printers that Dunder Mifflin was selling. We get an appearance from Todd Packer, via phone, busting his chops. So Michael is famous now? Remember when this was a show that was rooted in reality? All of a sudden it’s about as realistic as Glee. Kathy Bates returns as Jo, the CEO of Sabre. Andy is accused of being the whistleblower, which he denies by saying “I’m not a whistleblower. In fact, the Bernards have long been known for silencing whistleblowes.” I love Andy. If Steve Carell leaves in a year, as is rumored, he’d be one of the reasons I’d still watch. He’s a fascinating character, and kudos to Ed Helms for blending into this cast after not being on the show the first two years. It’s then revealed that Darryl (the also great Craig Robinson) spoke to a reporter, and could be the person who told everyone about the printers. This has been okay, but not overly funny at any point.
9:17 Jo talks to others in the office, including Toby, who is revealed to have had a novel he wrote on his hard drive. Jo thinks he’s innocent, but is critical of the novel. “If the man hates society, then why would he fall in love with his maid?”, she asks. Toby says to the camera for her to get her own novel. Pam reveals that she told someone at childcare about the printers who was married to a reporter. Michael gets word, and somehow through sign language gets Pam to meet with him and Darryl in Meredith’s van. Michael does have his intelligent moments sometimes, which only enhances Carell’s always amazing performance. Kelly also comes to the van when she realizes that she definitely leaked the information on Twitter and other social networking sites, which Ryan is trying to combine into a ‘Woof’. What’s a woof? A place where you can get all of your social networking in one place. Actually a good idea! A not very funny bit over the candy machine occurs with Dwight and Toby, and we finally get to the only really funny moment in the episode so far. Jo tells Michael to tell her what he knows. She continuously says “Speak”. Finally, her dog behind her barks. Random comedy, but I enjoyed it. This episode has been so heavy on the drama that there hasn’t been any room for comedy, for the most part. It’s annoying me.
9:30 Michael reveals to Jo that he’s had a horrible year. He bought a video camera, but only found 12 minutes in his life worthy of using it. And most of that was of the birds in his condo. He tells her how much he misses Holly, the HR representative that was transferred to Nashua while in a relationship with Michael. This show may have slipped, but Carell’s acting continues to be magnificent. The fact that he still hasn’t won an Emmy for this character is a crime. And now with the influx of new comedies on the scene, it’s likely that he’ll never win won. And that is really sad, because Michael continues to be the most fascinating character on TV, even when the show has gone downhill. Carell deserves to be seriously commended. It’s revealed that the true whistleblower was in fact David Wallace, the ex-CEO of Dunder Mifflin who was fired earlier in the season. Interesting twist! He hasn’t been on the show in months. Jo stops interrogating Michael’s staff when Michael agrees to speak to the press for Jo, so that she will look strong. Michael relishes the attention, as he always does, and does a big favor for Jo at the same time. As season 6 ends (season 6? Wow. Time flies.), Jo tells Michael that if there’s anything she can do to make him happier, she’s all ears. He asks her about transferring Holly back to Scranton, and she says she’ll see what she can do. That would be a really nice maneuver. Well done, Office. That was a nice moment. But, to be honest, this episode left me cold. For a finale, there was a startling lack of heart involved. This was all about corporate posturing, and the whole episode felt a bit unrealistic and very, very cold. I want to laugh more with these characters that I’ve grown to love so very much, and I didn’t get that tonight. I hope the Office regains its ways in season 7, and gives us what we all want: to connect with this lovable cast of misfits again. The Office: C
9:33 As 30 Rock starts, we get a rare “Previously on 30 Rock” montage. Well, that felt awkward. Julianne Moore and her ridiculous Boston accent come onto the screen, and the one-liners start to fly. There’s been more comedy in the first 3 minutes of 30 Rock as there was in the entire Office episode. The episode centers around Liz Lemon’s appearances at three weddings on the same day, flanked by her on-again, off-again boyfriend who she hates, Wesley Snipes. Played by Michael Sheen, an excellent British actor. People who don’t watch 30 Rock are seriously confused by that statement. The other issue is Jack Donaghy’s ongoing pursuing of Moore and Elizabeth Banks, playing a TV reporter. He can’t decide, and wants to have both. “I just want to be sandwiched with them, like a S’more you can shower with.” Matt Damon comes on as a pilot that loves TGS, Liz’s show. She’s instantly head over heels for him, and they hit it off. Damon describes to her “Sky Law”, where he can turn on the fasten seatbelts sign and tell everyone to shut up for ten minutes whenever he pleases. He makes it up, but everyone on the plane believes it. The two of them go on to the weddings.
9:42 Damon continues to bring the funny, saying that “You know what I don’t do? Hit birds. Why does Sully get credit for that?” Liz comes into wedding #2 in a nice yellow dress. Good look for you, Tina! This is the point in live diaries where I get delirious. It’s happening. I can feel it. Kenneth the page is fired for being rude to executives of NBC, and when he leaves he hands in his page tag…and his gun. Jenna (Jane Krakowski) thinks that Liz’ll get married soon, and says, “Let’s have a bachelorette party! The theme will be sluts!”.
10:00 Wesley leaves the wedding when he sees Liz with Matt Damon’s character, whose name is Carol (as if it matters). He leaves by saying, “There’s only one Wesley Snipes in this world!” as Liz says “You know that’s not true.” Jack finally decides on Banks’ character, who reveals that she’s pregnant. A Donaghy baby! Say it ain’t so! Also, I feel violated by Banks slutting it up with another TV character. She had JD’s baby on Scrubs! And now she goes and has another baby with Jack Donaghy? And she said that she hates babies on Modern Family with Mitchell and Cameron! So what the hell? Damn you and your multiple sitcom guest spots! The episode was funny, but ends smugly with everyone dancing, and a black choir singing a version of the theme song. This felt really self-satisfied. It felt like they were telling the viewers how great they were, with their multiple Emmys and all. On a bright note, the trailers for Inception look amazing. They were on all night, and I enjoyed them each time. 30 Rock: B
All in all, this night went just about as I predicted. The 8 PM hour easily outshone the 9 PM hour, and if you told me that would happen back in September I wouldn’t believe it. The show that I believe had the best season by far, Parks and Recreation, won’t be back until midseason next year. That is really a major bummer. To the world out there: Go watch this show. It’s struggling to get ratings and it doesn’t have the groundswell of goodwill that multiple Emmy wins can get a show. At least not yet. But the acting is excellent, the writing is superb and Amy Poehler has proven that she can carry a sitcom on her own. She, and the rest of the cast, deserve the chance to take the ball and run with it.
I remember when The Office was ratings-starved and was on the verge of cancellation. But, the show became a hit on reruns, Steve Carell became a big star, John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer made names for themselves and the show took off. While I haven’t loved every direction it’s gone in, I’m thrilled that it’s had the chance. Now it’s primed for season 7 and will continue to go on for a few more years after that at least. I can only hope that a show with the potential of Parks and Recreation can do the same.
Final Grades
Parks and Recreation: A: The perfect cap to an outstanding season.
Community: B+: The show that started the weakest ended the strongest in the last month. It has tons of momentum moving forward.
30 Rock: B: Always consistently funny, but I’ve lost any attachment to the characters. I wouldn’t say the writing has faded, but I’m having trouble caring anymore. I only look for quick jokes with this show now. That’s what I do for Family Guy. That isn’t a good thing.
The Office: C I still absolutely adore parts of the show, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that it has fallen off from its peak in 2006. I hope it can regain its momentum, but I’m worried. Nonetheless, Steve Carell remains great, and the supporting cast is strong. I’m holding out hope that it gets its groove back. It’s shown flashes, but not nearly as consistently as it did a few years ago. I’m rooting for it.
May 21, 2010 · Filed under Pop Culture
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Once in awhile, I venture into my imaginary laboratory and conjure up inventions that will change the world as we know it. Or, at the very least, give me something to rant about for a few fleeting moments. They may not be physical things, but they all exist in some form, at least in my mind. Here’s a few of them.
Parent ‘Hood My follow-up to the ratings-challenged yet strong NBC freshman show Parenthood. We move Parenthood into the ‘hood, and see what happens. How many deadbeat dads are there? Do we have crack babies? Are there metal detectors in the schools? What about gangs? Do we have rival gangs in the elementary schools? Which of the parents show up to conferences at the school? Is there one dad who has 8 different kids in 8 different gangs, in an Antonio Cromartie-like situation? He would show up unexpectedly in the town one day, reveal who he was to each of them, bail again, and leave the town in shock. Now THAT would be a plot twist. Plus, you’d have kids in dreadlocks. And who doesn’t love kids in dreadlocks?
The Legal Calendar A simple concept: A tear-off, 365 days a year calendar that tells you each day of a new girl that turns 18. It could either be a calendar or a blog; I’m not sure which. Either way, the audience is there. Lawrence Taylor would buy 900 copies. Perverted people wouldn’t buy this? Their money is as good as anyone else’s. Like this wouldn’t sell like hotcakes? And do hotcakes really sell that well in this calorie-conscious environment anymore? Can we change that phrase?
This next and last one is simple. It can be almost completely described in two words…
Pope Idol Either “Pope Idol”, “The World’s Next Top Pope” or “Project Vatican”. Pretty simple. A reality show that chooses the next pope. The contestants can deliver sermons and be judged by Paula Abdul, they can lead prayers, and they can be judged on how they look in a big hat and robe. And for a changeup, there can be break dancing week! The final episode can be from the Vatican, when there’s only two people left. They can each give a half-hour sermon and sing a rendition of “A Moment Like This”. The winner would instantly become Pope for a year. Each year, the Pope would potentially change, but the presiding Pope could be a contestant each year. There won’t be any complacency for the holy one, since he would have to defend his title every year. The Pope should also be required to carry around a WWE Title belt, but that’s a story for another day.
Those are all of my inventions for today, if you don’t count the endless ways I thought of to kill Jon Miller for saying “Adrian BelTRAY” over and over again during Sunday Night Baseball. Some included a belt and a serving tray. Serves him right. I must say, though, as bad as the Sunday Night Baseball telecast was on Sunday, it was redeemed by Steve Nash’s heroics during game 4 of the Suns/Spurs game. For anyone that didn’t see what happened to his eye and what he looked like when he came back into the game, Google it. It was gross enough that I don’t want to link to it. But he came back, took over the game and advanced the Suns to the 3rd round. A truly unbelievable performance, especially for someone who I wouldn’t let my imaginary kids within 50 feet of, when looking like that. Obviously, I’m rooting for my Orlando Magic to win the NBA title (and they’re looking damn good so far), but this Suns team is as likable as any that I can remember in recent years.
One last note: The Storpcast with myself and Allen Pines has been on hiatus for the last few weeks, since there’ve been a bit too many guest episodes. I’ve wanted to get back to the meat and the potatoes of the show, with Allen and me in studio together. He’s home, and we’re hoping to have some new episodes within the next week. So hang in there, and we’ll be back with new episodes soon and throughout the summer. Also, look out for a new installment of “20 Questions” on Friday. Thanks, readers, and happy playoffs.
May 11, 2010 · Filed under MLB, Pop Culture
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