CLASSIC CROSSOVER COMMERCIALS

My thanks to TV Series Finale for pointing out this Crossover Classic!

Maxwell Smart, Jed Clampett, (Willy) Gilligan, and Grandpa Munster are already in the TV Crossover Hall of Fame. June Cleaver and Eddie Haskell are eligible......

BCnU!

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THREE TIMES THE HONOR

In the Wold Newton Universe, there were three Moriarty brothers and all of them named James. Hewing closer to "home," George Foreman has five children, all named George.

So the concept of several siblings sharing the same name is not without precedent, which is why Toobworld Central is proposing this theory of relateeveety.....

THE TRIPLETS FITZHARRIS

October 5, 1932
London

British barrister Sir Barnaby Fitzharris, Esq. (who may have been sharing chambers with a Horace Rumpole back then) and his wife Katherine became the parents of triplets - all girls and all identical. Unfortunately, Katherine died during childbirth. and so her husband decided to bestow variations on the name "Katherine" to their baby girls in memory of his late wife.
('New Tricks', 'Rumpole Of The Bailey')

CATHERINE
Catherine was the first out of the gate, as it were, and she was given the most traditional spelling of the name (although she preferred the nickname of "Cathy"). When she came of age, Cathy met and fell in love with an African farmer named Gale who was on holidays in London. She moved back to his African farm where she learned various skills that would help her make it on her own in the world, including self-defense. This came in handy when Mr. Gale was killed on the farm.

Cathy Gale remained in Africa a few more years before finally returning to England in order to pursue a PhD in anthropology. It was while she was working as the curator for a London museum that she found a new direction in life - as an unofficial operative for BritishIntelligence, working in tandem with top professional John Steed.

Eventually Dr. Cathy Gale left government employ, presumably to return to her former life as a museum curator. However, she may have still been involved in some kind of skullduggery - Steed would later get a Christmas card from Cathy who was in Fort Knox for some reason.

It has been suggested in the fictional universe based on literature that Cathy became involved with one of Steed's other former associates, Dr. David Keel. This could mean that eventually she remarried; she might even have had children.
Of the three sisters, only Cathy seems likely to have ever had children. And if so, it's pozz'ble, just pozz'ble, that her continuation of the family line culminated with Professor Sarah Lasky, who sadly died in 2986 - a victim of a poison dart from her sentient plant creations, the Vervoids. (Cathy Fitzharris Gale (Keel?)'s family tree may have merged with that of the same Lasky lineage that produced another Professor Lasky centuries earlier - Jeremiah Lasky of California University.)
('The Avengers', 'Doctor Who', 'Saved By The Bell - The College Years')


KATHRYN
The next to be born a few minutes later was given a cute variation of "Katharine" as her name, but she apparently wanted nothing to do with it. Even with its unique spelling, she may have found it too plain for her overly-dramatic personality. When she sought a career in the theatre, Kathryn assumed the stage name of Lillian Stanhope. She married a fellow actor a few years older than herself named Nicholas Frame. (Frame, by the way, was a stage name as well. His real name was Nicholas Nelson and he was the twin brother of Admiral Harriman Nelson of the Nelson Oceanographic Institute.)

When their careers hit a lull, Frame and Stanhope used a variation on the "badger game" to hoodwink Sir Roger Haversham into thinking he had a "special relationship" with Lillian. It was all a pretense, however, in order to get him to reopen his theatre and finance their production of the Scottish Play. When he found out that he had been duped, Sir Roger flew into a rage and threatened to expose their scheme. As Sir Roger struggled with Nicholas, Lillian threw a heavy ashtray (It may have been a jar of cold cream) and clobbered the producer, killing him. She and Nicholas took his body out of the theatre in an old trunk and arranged it at his home to look as though he fell down the stairs.

Their scheme might have worked had it not been for that meddling Lt. Columbo, a police detective visiting from Los Angeles. And then they only made matters worse for themselves when Sir Roger's butler discovered the truth and decided to blackmail Nicholas and Lillian.

They played along with Tanner at first, but then Frame murdered him and made it look like suicide. (Had they just come clean before, they might have only faced manslaughter charges.)

When Columbo finally found the "proof" that they had killed Sir Roger, Nicholas Frame went off the deep end; he probably ended up in a prison-like asylum. Although she hadn't meant to kill Sir Roger, Lillian Stanhope was complicit in covering up the crime and was an accessory in the murder of the butler Tanner. She may still be serving time for those crimes, but I think it more likely that she was released at least a decade ago and is now living in seclusion in her later years... perhaps under her original name of Kathryn Fitzharris in order to avoid notoriety.
('Columbo', 'Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea')

KATARINA
The last of the FitzHarris triplets to make her debut into the world got a foreign variation on the name, but it was probably for naught. She also resorted to a nickname - that of Kitty.

Growing up, it looked as though Kitty would likely follow her father Sir Barnaby into law and take up the wig. In fact, she would often give her father a unique perspective on his cases and offer advice on how he should proceed on some legal point. (It all sounds like it couldhave been the making of an early sitcom along the lines of 'My Little Margie'.)

But Kitty had her head and heart turned by an older man, at least ten years her senior, Bertie Campbell. They married and embarked on a lucrative TV career as the hosts of a cooking show on the BBC.

Unfortunately for Kitty, Bertie proved to be a closet homosexual, at a time when it was still considered a punishable offense. Not that Kitty ever had to face humiliation in divorce proceedings - soon after she discovered her husband being serviced by their male assistant, Bertie died of a heart attack that may have been aggravated by asthma.
Kitty Campbell rallied and continued with the show on her own, parlaying her success into a line of successful cookbooks and several restaurants. But when she was under consideration for the Queen's Honors list to become a Dame in 2005, her former assistant (Binky Baxter) claimed that she had murdered her husband Bertie. The Unsolved Crimes and Open Case Squad (known as UCOS) took the charge seriously and investigated. And although the circumstantial evidence was strong, they couldn't definitively prove that Kitty Campbell was a murderer.

But UCOS would not be foiled - they let the information fall into the hands of the tabloid press which ran with the story. Kitty Campbell vowed to fight the charges, and with her knowledge of the Law, I'm fairly certain she was able to "beat the rap." However, it was more than likely her name was quietly withdrawn from consideration to become a Dame of the British Empire.
('New Tricks')

Of course, it's pure conjecture that these three TV characters were sisters, but I hope I presented a solid argument for it being so. And if not solid, at least entertaining. And if not entertaining.. screw it. I got paid almost 70 bucks to write it!

Cathy Gale - Yesterday & Today

BCnU!

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Novo trailer de "Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World"

De Edgar Wright
Com Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Chris Evans, Brandon Routh, Aubrey Plaza, Kieran Culkin.

Sinopse: Um rapaz com a vida aparentemente perfeita se apaixona por uma mulher misteriosa e tem que enfrentar os sete ex-namorados dela.


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Summer programming

I always underestimate the amount of television that's on over the summer, mainly because British TV doesn't really work seasonally like American TV so there's less of an obvious drought. But considering the fact I watch a lot of US shows (or blog about them more often, anyway), it's still going to be slower than usual from now until September. So I thought I'd mention the shows I'm intending to watch over the summer on broadcast TV, or catch-up with on box-set:

On Now: Spartacus (Bravo, Wednesdays) The jury's out because I didn't like the first episode, but I'm prepared to give it a go because I've been told Spartacus picks up remarkably and the finale's fantastic. Who knows, maybe I'll agree. Or maybe I'll never speak to those people ever again for making me sit through weeks of Lucy Lawless' boobs and blood. Yeah, as if that's a bad thing.

7 June: Persons Unknown (NBC, Mondays) A new series about strangers waking up in a weird, remote town and having to escape. It's The Prisoner meets Lost, then. Sounds horribly derivative, but could be great. Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects) is a good writer, so I have hope for something interesting. I will probably review this in its entirety, as I'm a sucker for the concept.

13 June: True Blood (HBO, Sundays) The jewel of summer programming is this sweaty, sexy vampire drama. As usual, I'll be watching and posting reviews every week. Such a shame the UK trails behind with this series, as season 2 has yet to even start on Channel 4.

1 Aug: Rubicon (AMC, Sundays) This brand new conspiracy thriller starring The Pacific's James Badge Dale (right) and Miranda Richardson has my interest. I'll definitely be checking out the first episode, at any rate.

I won't be reviewing...

25 June: Mad Men (AMC, Fridays) I adore the show, and following the game-changing events of last season's finale I'm tempted to start watching at US-pace, but I think I'll resist. I manage to avoid spoilers for the half-year necessary (rather amazingly), and much prefer watching it on BBC HD in spring.

BOX-SETS / SEASON WRAPUPS

I've been watching three TV shows without reviewing them here every week; either because they're not conducive to episodic review, I haven't had the time to fit them into my schedule weekly, or I actually wanted to do a seasonal summary for them instead.

Expect season reviews for In Treatment Season 1 (left), The Good Wife Season 1 and possibly the short-lived US version of Touching Evil from 2004.

That sounds like plenty to be getting on with, but we'll see how it goes. If there are some obvious gaps going unfilled, I may start reviewing a box-set episodically (as I did Twin Peaks last summer), or check out a few pilots for shows readers often recommend to me. If one of those pilots grabs my interest, maybe I'll continue reviewing it in some way.

Suggestions welcome! I'm often tempted to catch-up with some blind spots in my TV viewing every summer, like The Sopranos or The Shield. Let me know if you think there's something I should get on.

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Trailer de "The Whistleblower"

De Larysa Kondracki
Com Rachel Weisz, Vanessa Redgrave, David Strathairn, Monica Bellucci, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Anna Anissimova.

Sinopse (disponibilizada só em inglês): "Based on a true story, "Whistleblower" chronicles the trials of a female cop from Nebraska who serves as a peacekeeper in post-war Bosnia and exposes a United Nations cover-up of a sex trafficking scandal." ComingSoon.net


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Novo trailer de "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse"

De David Slade
Com Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Ashley Greene, Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Nikki Reed, Kellan Lutz, Jackson Rathbone, Dakota Fanning.

Sinopse: Bella e Edward estão juntos, mas a sua relação proibida é ameaçada de ser destruída novamente por um vampiro mal que ainda busca vingança. E Bella é forçada a escolher entre o amor verdadeiro de Edward ou a sua amizade com Jacob Black, já que as lutas entre vampiros e lobisomens continua. Mas há ainda outra opção para Bella fazer, a mortalidade ou imortalidade?


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'24', 8.22 – "1:00PM – 2:00PM"

WRITER: David Fury
DIRECTOR: Milan Cheylov
GUEST CAST: Gregory Itzin, Michael Madsen, Thomas Ryan, Nick Jameson, John Boyd, Reed Diamond, Jennifer Westfeldt, Graham McTavish, Necar Zadegan & Navid Negahban

[SPOILERS] A very exciting and engrossing hour, with events heating up as we approach the series finale. There's been no change of plan with where the show's headed recently, it's just doing a very effective job of tightening the screws every hour as Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) takes increasingly drastic measures to avenge his girlfriend's murder. While the peace treaty remains only of vague interest as the "stakes" in this game, I'm enjoying the political tangle of Presidents and former-Presidents trying to manoeuvre their way out of a tough situation with Jack as a kind of boogieman that can't be stopped...

To recap: Reporter Meredith (Jennifer Westfeldt) arranged to meet her editor Klausner (Thomas Ryan) to pass on her evidence that the Russians were behind President Hassan's assassination, unaware that President Taylor (Cherry Jones) was aware of her findings and gave the FBI an executive order to arrest her; Jack got a location for Logan (Gregory Itzin) and attacks his motorcade, kidnapping the former-President and demanding answers about who in the Russian government was behind Renee's death; Chloe (Mary Lyn Rajskub) released Cole (Freddie Prinze Jr) from custody to go after Jack's accomplice Ricker (Michael Madsen); Kayla (Nazneen Contractor) received a call from Meredith telling her about the Russian involvement with her father's death; and Logan assured the visiting President Suvarov (Nick Jameson) that Jack will never uncover his role in the day's events, unaware that Jack's planted a listening device on his collar...

There were some great sequences here, particularly Jack's masked assault on Logan's motorcade single-handed, which saw Logan blubbing like a frightened schoolgirl at the mere sight of his nemesis. The interesting thing right now is that Jack's decision to take matters into his own hands has become a bloodbath, and I'm not sure how the show's going to justify his actions in the end. He's working to expose a terrible lie, but this is by far the most extreme way to go about doing that. And how will Taylor possibly come out of this intact? As Logan says, everything has been her decision, so she'll surely have to resign in disgrace as a tragic casualty of his season from a moral standpoint.

Overall, it really does feel like we're building up to a fantastic conclusion with 24 this year, which I'm so relieved to see.

30 MAY 2010: SKY1/HD, 9PM

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ROSE'S TURN

As Jack lay dying at the end of 'Lost', a plane full of the Island ordeal survivors flew overhead in the Ajira jet to escape back to the mainland - Lapidus, Sawyer, Kate, Claire, Richard, and Miles. Nine were left behind on the Island - Hurley, Ben, Desmond, Rose, Bernard, Cindy and the kids, and you can't forget Vincent. (Come on - is there anybody who didn't well up when Vincent lay down beside Jack to keep him company as he crossed over? And wouldn't you have liked to have seen him in the church as well?)

Of course, I think the Island number quickly dwindled down to five once Desmond took Cindy and the kids back to civilization on board his boat, the Elizabeth. And within two years, I believe the Island tally was reduced by one more.

Jack's father Christian told his son that many of those gathered in the church didn't die for many years after Jack. But that wouldn't have held true for Rose.....

When she landed on the Island, Rose was suffering from terminal cancer. But something about the Island, Jacob's magic perhaps, beat back the Big C into remission. And she knew that should she ever leave the Island, it would kill her.

But I think it killed her anyway. Remember, when Desmond shut off the access to the energy of the Golden Light, a lot of its benefits were discontinued - Not-Locke's invulnerability, Richard's immortality, and if Jin and Sun had survived the submarine attack, there never would have been any more Kwon Kids to keep Ji Yeon company.

We have to add the healing powers enjoyed by Rose. I think within two years, her cancer would have come raging back; and without the proper facilities or medical experts to treat her, her chances may have been even less.

As for Bernard, I think he would have carried on, still staying on the Island even without Rose. I believe she would have insisted on that; no taking a quick way out to join her for ol' Bernie. And for a few years more, he had the steadfast and loving Vincent by his side, until the loyal Lab also passed away a few years later.

BCnU!

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TV Picks: 31 May – 6 June 2010 (5 O'Clock Show, BAFTA TV Awards, Chuck, Fifth Gear, Pulse, The Secret Diaries Of Miss Anne Lister, and more...)

BANK HOLIDAY MONDAY

The 5 O'Clock Show (Channel 4, 5pm) Brand new teatime chat-show, with Peter Andre as the first guest host. Featuring Louis Walsh & Patsy Palmer. Continues weekdaily.
Britain's Got Talent (ITV1, 7.30pm) The live shows begin, with results at 9.30pm. Continued daily until Saturday's finale.
The Secret Diaries Of Miss Anne Lister (BBC2, 9pm) Drama about Yorkshire landowner, traveller, diarist and industrialist Anne Lister. Stars Maxine Peake & Anna Madely.
Chuck (Virgin1, 9pm) Season 3 of the action spy-comedy drama. Stars Zachary Levi, Yvonne Strahovski & Adam Baldwin.

TUESDAY 1st

World Cup's Most Shocking Moments (BBC3, 8pm) Countdown of the 50 biggest shock of the World Cup. Hosted by Richard Bacon & Peter Crouch.
Bodyshock: I'm Turning Into A Giant (Channel 4, 10pm) The story 31-year-old Tanya Angus, who is 6ft 8 and 32 stone but still growing.

WEDNESDAY 2nd

Atlantis: The Evidence – A Timewatch Special (BBC2, 9pm) Investigation into the legendary Lost City of Atlantis.

THURSDAY 3rd

Fifth Gear (Five, 7.30pm) New series of the motoring magazine show.
Pulse (BBC3, 9pm) Medical-horror pilot about a trainee doctor who realizes the hospital she's being taught at hides a terrifying secret. Stars Claire Foy & Ben Mills.
Little Ships (BBC2, 9.30pm) 50 surviving ships from Dunkirk return to France to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the legendary WWII rescue effort.

FRIDAY 4th

When Romeo Met Juliet (BBC2, 9pm) Two schools work together on a production of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet.
Fighting The Red Baron (Channel 4, 9pm) Documentary about two modern pilots facing challenges that WWI pilots faced.

SATURDAY 5th

Nothing.

SUNDAY 6th

Scrapheap Challenge (Channel 4, 5.25pm) Engineering challenge show. Hosted by Dick Strawbridge.
Soccer Aid (ITV1, 6pm) Charity match between England and The Rest Of The World. Featuring Robbie Williams, Gordon Ramsay, Mike Myers, Zinedine Zidane, Paolo Maldini & Alan Shearer. Hosted by Dermot O'Leary, Orlando Bloom & Gary Barlow.
BAFTA Television Awards (BBC1, 8pm) Annual awards ceremony. Hosted by Graham Norton.
Hammond Meets Moss (BBC4, 9pm) Top Gear's Richard Hammond meets racing car legend Stirling Moss.
Big Brother Exposed: The Inside Story (Channel 4, 10pm) Documentary looking back at a decade of Big Brother, as the reality show is about to start its final series.
Piers Morgan's World Cup South Africa (ITV1, 10pm) Documentary about the host nation of the football World Cup for 2010.

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AS SEEN ON TV: JOE KENNEDY, JR.

Our "As Seen On TV" showcase for Memorial Day....

JOE KENNEDY, JR.

AS SEEN IN:
"Young Joe, The Forgotten Kennedy"

AS PLAYED BY:
Peter Strauss

From Wikipedia:
Joseph Patrick "Joe" Kennedy, Jr. (July 25, 1915 – August 12, 1944) was an American bomber pilot during World War II. He was the eldest of nine children born to Joseph Patrick Kennedy, Sr., and Rose Elizabeth (née Fitzgerald) Kennedy.

The elder brother of future U.S. President John F. Kennedy, he had been expected to become the family's political standard-bearer, especially after his father's political exile for apparent defeatism during the advent of World War II. However, he was killed in action, and the task fell to his brother John.

BCnU.....

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MEMORIAL DAY, 2010: JOSEPH CARTWRIGHT

For Memorial Day in Toobworld, we remember a particular TV character who died in military service. (At least we try to do so - last year I was on vacation and away from a computer. But in 2008, we honored the memory of General Frank Savage from '12 O'Clock High'.)

First off, a quick reminder of the origins of Memorial Day from Wikipedia:

Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May (May 31 in 2010). Formerly known as Decoration Day, it commemorates U.S. men and women who died while in the military service. First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War (it is celebrated near the day of reunification after the Civil War), it was expanded after World War I.

That expansion is why we're remembering Little Joe Cartwright of 'Bonanza' today.....



"Little Joe" Cartwright died on July 1, 1898, leaving behind a son Benjamin and a daughter Sara.

BCnU.......

TOOBNOTE: This is the only picture I have of Michael Landon in uniform (from an episode of 'Cheyenne'). But he's far too young in this picture for it to be 1898, and the uniform is not even the right one for the Battle of San Juan Hill. The picture on the right would be closer to how Little Joe would have looked in 1898, approximately 56 years old.

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Armored (2009) [Blu-ray]

DIRECTOR: Nimród Antal
WRITER: James V. Simpson
CAST: Matt Dillon, Jean Reno, Laurence Fishburne, Amaury Nolasco, Milo Ventimiglia, Skeet Ulrich & Columbus Short
RUNNING TIME: 88 mins. BUDGET: $20m

Directed with unfussy precision by Nimród Antal, Armored is a B-movie heist with an interesting mix of actors helping keep interest in what unfortunately doesn't have a devastating impact, killer twist or unexpected resolution up its sleeve to turn it into a cult classic. It's content to be a serviceable and occasionally inventive crime thriller with a decent premise that's easy to achieve on a relatively low budget and limited locations...

Ty Hackett's (Columbus Short) a veteran of the Iraq War now employed by a security company to transfer money between banks as part of an armoured car transport team. The guardian of his delinquent kid brother following the death of their parents, money's tight and social services are threatening to take Ty's sibling into care, so in desperation he agrees to help his work colleagues steal $42 million from the Federal Reserve by faking their own robbery mid-transit and hiding the cash in an abandoned steel mill. As expected, even simple and apparently infallible plans tend to go awry when you involve so many people and fail to consider every variable -- not least a crisis of conscience...

Armored: Official UK Sony Site

This is a neat idea for a tight, efficient thriller. Armored proves to be watchable and occasionally compelling, helped by the surprising calibre of the cast: Matt Dillon as greedy ringleader Cochrane, Laurence Fishburne as unhinged Baines, Skeet Ulrich as the desperate Dobbs, a wasted Jean Reno as loner Quinn, Amaury Nolasco (Prison Break) as the conflicted Palmer, and Milo Ventimiglia (Heroes) as a young cop who stumbles upon the heist. Short makes for a decent lead, but this is one of those movies where everyone's on the level of archetypes and he's simply "the black guy with a conscience" who decides to sabotage the robbery once it starts to go off the rails and results in the death of an innocent bystander.

The majority of Armored is a fun and (literally) contained piece of tight drama, particularly once Ty locks himself inside a debilitated armoured truck with $21 million and every intention of raising the alarm, meaning his "friends" are under pressure to neutralize him and retrieve the remaining money before their superiors begin to suspect something's happened.

Armored also works as reflection of widespread public contempt and anger at the banking system, as it essentially boils down to a blue-collar gang stealing back the millions that taxpayers have pumped into the banks to keep them afloat during the global recession. Is it coincidence the security firm's called Eagle Shield, as that bird of prey's the symbol of the United States? The characters in Armored may be stealing, but there's a Robin Hood flavour to their plan, and I have no doubt audiences will feel a degree of sympathy seeing everyday folk recoup some of the public's lost finances, at least until desperation and greed starts to push the characters into dark, unforgivable places.

Armored: Official UK Sony Site

Blu-ray Review

Picture: (2.35:1, 1080p/AVC MPEG-4) A very detailed and generally pleasing image, especially during close-ups, although the black levels looked crushed occasionally.

Sound: (English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1) A solid sound-mix with clear dialogue, rumbling bass, and a strong dynamic range with good use of speakers, but nothing to raise it above enjoyable.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Producer Dan Farah joins actors Skeet Ulrich and Milo Ventimiglia for a yak-track consisting of anecdotes and some insight into what didn't make the cut from the script. As expected whenever actors get together, it's a little lacking in many areas and there are some noticeable silences, so I wouldn't recommend this. Shame director Nimród Antal wasn't involved in this.

Planning The Heist: Making Of (HD, 15 mins.) A decent featurette that looks at how the movie was put together and individual characters, plus a nice anecdote from Nimród Antal about how a real armoured truck company severed ties with the production crew when they were robbed shortly after providing the film crew some insight into their working practices. A word of warning: don't watch this if you haven't seen the movie first, as it gives away a few twists.

Armed & Underground: Production Design (HD, 6 mins.) Serviceable EPK about how production designer Jon Gary Steele created the abandoned steel mill (a real location for exteriors, but a sound-stage for the interiors), but this wasn't really engrossing.

Crash Course: Stunts (HD, 11 mins.) Take-it-or-leave-it featurette about the film's stunts by Lance Gilbert, which didn't grab my interest until a reveal that in one sequence Gilbert was strapped onto a truck's roof to drive the vehicle from above, but removed using digital technology.

Previews: Trailers for "2012", "Michael Jackson's This Is It" and the ubiquitous "Blu-ray Is High Definition" promo.

Extras: BD Live and MovieQ functionality is included, for the few people who bother to use them.

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'DOCTOR WHO' 5.9 - "Cold Blood"

WRITER: Chris Chibnall
DIRECTOR: Ashley Way
GUEST CAST: Arthur Darvill, Neve McIntosh, Meerya Syal, Robert Pugh, Nia Roberts, Richard Hope, Stephen Moore, Alun Raglan & Samuel Davies

[SPOILERS] A spirited conclusion to last week's scene-setter, if inherently less suspenseful and let down by bathetic moments and a trite voice-over/prologue that gave everything a pretentious feel. "Cold Blood" was nevertheless a bouncy hour, if one that never found a way to become the action-packed instalment it could have easily become, choosing instead to focus on rather dull discussion about the possibility of a Silurian/human alliance...

This was the kind of episode where individual moments worked very well, but the bigger picture disappointed. I loved how companions Amy (Karen Gillan) and Rory (Arthur Darvill) were treated, however; both engaged in stories above and below the surface that separated them from The Doctor (Matt Smith) for awhile, who was instead partnered with Nasreen (Meera Syal). Amy picking a pocket to escape from her restraints and creep around corridors with a giant laser-gun showed her character at its assertive best, until the script started giving her silly quips and showing her in a bad light (head in her arms, bored at a meeting to broker peace with the Silurians.) Failing that, she could usually be found screeching "Doctor!" before and after pouting. It's frustrating because I think Karen Gillan could be marvellous in this role (watch "The Eleventh Hour" again), but most of the writers don't seem to know how to write for a brusque, flirtatious, confident, sexy young woman. So she often just becomes a spikier version of Rose.

The guest cast were stronger this week, particularly Nia Robert's character Ambrose, who wound up electrocuting Silurian prisoner Alaya (Neve McIntosh) to death over her desperation to get her kidnapped son Elliot (Samuel Davies) back home safely. It was a moment that ultimately destroyed any chance of peace between humans and Silurians, much to The Doctor's obvious anger and disappointment as the instrument of that potential peace. It's actually very interesting and mildly shocking whenever The Doctor's faith in humanity is defeated like this. "Cold Blood" also made him appear quite fragile when he was captured and endured a painful Silurian scan. Actually seeing The Doctor in pain (or wrong about trusting people to behave impeccably) doesn't happen all that often, which makes it more dramatic when it does. The Eleventh Doctor's not to everyone's taste, but I appreciate how his presence no longer makes you naturally relax and feel everything's going to be okay in the end. He's more fallible and easily angered than recent incarnations.

Thus episode climaxed on a surprising note of failure for The Doctor, as another "crack" appeared and distracted everyone long enough for anti-human Silurian Restak (Neve McIntosh again) to kill Rory with a fatal laser blast. Even worse, the crack's tendrils of energy snared Rory's body and essentially erased his timeline, rendering the grief-stricken Amy oblivious to her fiancé ever existing a few minutes later in the TARDIS. It was a tragic end for their relationship (similar to Donna Noble's memory-wipe in series 4), and a failure only The Doctor's aware of and thus burdened with. Juicy stuff, to be sure, although the lack of chemistry between Gillan and Darvill meant the moment didn't resonate on an emotional level, and it was unfortunate Rory had recently "died" during "Amy's Choice". Amy losing him and realizing how much she actually loved him has become his sole reason to exist on the show.

Overall, "Cold Blood" could have been a lot more challenging and creative in where its story went, but the use of all the characters was a huge improvement over last week (even Meera Syal was better, if still dull), and there were enough impressive moments to keep you engaged. This was definitely a decent end to a lukewarm start, if unlikely to be an episode you'll ever want to revisit.

Asides

• The effects and gleaming set design for the Silurian's underground city was excellent, considering the budget. Unlike ABC's remake of V, the use of greenscreen wasn't extensive or prolonged enough for you to notice its falseness., too.
• Very interesting to see that the "shrapnel" of the explosion that caused the crack appears to be the TARDIS itself. Obviously they're unlikely to destroy the TARDIS in the finale, so I expected The Doctor to prevent the crack from ever appearing. And might that mean Rory's death will be reversed.
• I enjoyed seeing peace ruined totally by the humans, as it's so often the aliens that are the villains and saboteurs in sci-fi. But here, it was clear that it's the humans who are to blame for everything. I wonder if The Doctor will be tempted to jump forward in time by 1,000 years to see if the amicable return of the Silurian race went ahead? I get the impression those told to spread the word and turn the agreement into legend/religion will just have forgotten.
• There was a horrible voice-over and a very unnecessary epilogue that actually ruined the story because you knew everything would pan out just fine. Totally unjustified in its use.
• Writer Chris Chibnall watched the Silurians' debut TV adventure and read the novelisation "Doctor Who And The Cave Monsters" as preparation for this two-part story.
• Stephen Moore, playing Eldane, is the voice of Marvin the Paranoid Android in the BBC radio adaptation of Douglas Adams' The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy.
• At one point, The Doctor mentions wanting celery -- a likely call-back to The Fifth Doctor's (Peter Davison) love of the vegetable, which he even pinned a stick of to his jacket's lapel. That trend didn't catch on around '80s playgrounds.

29 MAY 2010: BBC1/HD, 7PM

Next Time...

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Novo trailer de "Toy Story 3"

De Lee Unkrich
Com Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn, Estelle Harris, John Ratzenberger, Ned Beatty, Jodi Benson, Michael Keaton.

Sinopse: O filme irá acompanhar a jornada de Buzz, Woody e seus amigos quando Andy, o dono deles, vai para a faculdade.


Trailer

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Novo trailer de "Holy Rollers"

De Kevin Asch
Com Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Bartha, Ari Graynor, Jason Fuchs, Bern Cohen.

Sinopse (disponibilizada só em inglês): "In Brooklyn, a youth from an Orthodox Jewish community is lured into becoming an Ecstasy dealer by his pal who has ties to an Israel drug cartel." IMDB


Trailer

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Novo trailer de "Get Him To The Greek"

De Nicholas Stoller
Com Jonah Hill, Russell Brand, Rose Byrne, Sean Combs, Elisabeth Moss.

Sinopse: Jovem recém-formado se torna segurança de uma estrela do rock descontrolada, durante sua viagem de Londres para Los Angeles, onde fará um grande show.


Trailer

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Novo trailer de "[Rec] 2"

De Jaume Balagueró, Paco Plaza
Com Manuela Velasco, Leticia Dolera, Juli Fàbregas.

Sinopse: Na continuação de [REC], o filme de terror que conquistou público e a crítica em 2008 e que reinventou o género. Os maiores horrores voltam a ser registrados no mesmo prédio onde dezenas de pessoas foram brutalmente assassinadas.


Trailer



Trailer com restrições. Só para M/18 anos. Para ver o trailer digite a sua data de nascimento. :: Trailer with age restrictions. If you are over 18 years insert you birth date to watch the trailer.

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Novo trailer de "The Expendables"

De Sylvester Stallone
Com Sylvester Stallone, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Eric Roberts, Mickey Rourke, Jet Li, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren.

Sinopse: "The Expendables" segue uma equipa de marcenários numa missão para derrubar um ditador Sul Americano.


Trailer

ComingSoon.net

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TELE-QUICKIE: SPRINGFIELD TRIFLE

Last Sunday, 'The Simpsons' did their best to draw viewers away from the series finale of 'Lost'.......
BCnU!

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"LOST" FLASHBOOK

Did anybody else get a "Lord Of The Flies" Piggy vibe when this happened in the series finale of 'Lost'?

BCnU!

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JANE MARPLE AND AUNT ETHEL

No, not the character from 'Sanford & Son'! Honestly.....

In the main Toobworld, Miss Jane Marple was portrayed by the late Dame Joan Hickson. She was a very staid, quiet woman who had a keen eye when it came to human behavior.

But that doesn't mean she was influenced by anyone in her family to become that way while growing up.

Joan Hickson played another Agatha Christie character in Toobworld who was not as... reserved as Miss Marple. She was more likely to be drinking a martini rather than tea.....

In the adaptation of "Why Didn't They Ask Evans?", Mrs. Ethel Rivington was a friend of the late John Savage. And we can see from her behavior that she may have been a bit of a lush. She more than likely kicked up her heels quite a few times as a younger woman.

The story takes place in the mid to late 1930's, so Mrs. Rivington wouldn't so much be an identical cousin as she may have been Miss Marple's lookalike auntie. Why not?

BCnU!

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DEAD DROP

The website Mania has a morbid list of the 20 most unexpected deaths of TV characters over the years. Check it out......

Personally, I would have found room on that list to include Rosalind Shays' trip down the elevator shaft on 'L.A. Law'.

[Thanks to Bill Crider for pointing this out!]

BCnU!

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AS SEEN ON TV: ANTHONY EDEN

ANTHONY EDEN

AS SEEN IN:
'Edward & Mrs. Simpson'

AS PLAYED BY:
Hugh Fraser

From Wikipedia:
Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, KG, MC, PC (12 June 1897 – 14 January 1977) was a British Conservative politician, who was Prime Minister from 1955 to 1957. He was also Foreign Secretary for three periods between 1935 and 1955, including during World War II.

Eden's worldwide reputation as an opponent of appeasement, a 'Man of Peace', and a skilled diplomat was overshadowed in the second year of his premiership by his handling of the Suez Crisis of 1956, which critics across party lines regarded as a historic setback for British foreign policy, signalling the end of British predominance in the Middle East.

In the post-war years, Eden was a protagonist of the change in British policy on war criminal trials, which was perhaps best symbolised by his signature under the pardon conceded to the German Field Marshal Albert Kesselring on 24 October 1952.

He is generally ranked among the least successful British Prime Ministers of the twentieth century, although two broadly sympathetic biographies (in 1986 and 2003) have gone some way to redressing the balance of opinion.

BCnU!

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THE HAT SQUAD: DENNIS HOPPER (3)

Another Dennis Hopper TV appearance....



BCnU.....

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THE HAT SQUAD: DENNIS HOPPER (2)

With the passing of Dennis Hopper today at the age of 74, I wanted to find something that exemplified him as a member of the League of Themselves - people who appear as fictionalized versions of themselves in Toobworld. I was thinking of the time he was in an episode of 'Entourage', but I found instead this interview he did with Jiminy Glick for Netflix.......



BCnU.....

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THE HAT SQUAD: DENNIS HOPPER (1)

Dennis Hopper died today at the age of 74.

I'm sorry the quality isn't very good on this, but here's Hopper as the Utah Kid in an episode of 'Cheyenne'.



If you ever get the chance, you should seek out his performance as Billy the Kid in the debut episode of 'Sugarfoot'. I know the Paley Center for Media has it......

Good night and may God bless.

BCnU......

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MAKE SURE THE KIDS AREN'T IN THE ROOM!

Hey, kids! It's Saturday morning!

Fix yourself a big bowl of sugary cereal and plop yourself down to watch some children's programming.....



Of course, in American TV nothing is ever that subtle......



I'm a baaaaaaaaad boy.....

BCnU!

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(Un)Obsessed With Film

I've decided to leave Obsessed With Film, which at least gives me an opportunity to cite "creative differences". I've always wanted to do that! To explain further, despite OWF's revamp and its ambitious agenda, the site's creators were unhappy with the response from their readership post-relaunch and have decided to reverse May's changes in an effort to woo back lost visitors. Ironically, my reviews were the most popular posts there (definitely in terms of comments), but overall interaction was down. The belief is that existing OWF readers didn't like or understand the new design and were turned off by the changes/improvements.

Now, it was part of the agreement when I joined OWF that the site was to be revamped, partly to take advantage of my input with the new TV section, but also to generally improve and thus attract a wider audience. However, considering the fact OWF's back to being a simple "film blog" with a leaning towards "geekdom", I don't think it's worth my time doing for OWF exactly what I'm doing here at DMD. There can be no true TV "section" in that format and it's basically not what I signed up for.

I don't like the cartoon-y design they've reverted back to, either. I'd have preferred they continue improving the new version, or experimented with a compromise between the two styles. Something that looks sophisticated but is easy to navigate and use. But hey, it was a drastic reversal and therefore I know it was decision that wasn't taken lightly.

I just don't agree with what's happened, but if it works for them -- that's fair enough. It's just not for me. There's little chance to accomplish what I wanted to do at OWF because of this decision, so I think it's best to cut my ties and move on amicably. A shame it didn't last longer, as I was initially very excited about the partnership.

I wish everyone at OWF well (particularly editor Matt Holmes), and a massive thanks to everyone here who supported my short-lived venture over there. It's just a pity OWF's own readership weren't more supportive of the site's changes, or at the very least willing to give constructive feedback. In fact, the experience has made me value the support and sense of community that's been nurtured here all the more. So for that I'm grateful.

And hey, I'm now open to offers of similar work, if more cautious when promises are made...

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DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES 6.17 – "Chromolume #7"

WRITER: Marco Pennette
DIRECTOR: Lonny Price
GUEST CAST: Julie Benz, Max Carver, Shawn Pyfrom, Sam Page, Suzanne Costallos, Helena Mattsson, Ellen Crawford, Jonathon Adams, Barry Livingstone, Tracy Fraim, Heidi Klum & Paulina Porizkova

[SPOILERS] If, like me, you read the title of this episode and went "eh?!" then fear not, the answer is at hand: like a majority of the episode titles this season, "Chromolume #7" is taken from a song from a Stephen Sondheim musical. Housewives creator Marc Cherry is a big fan, apparently. According to the resource engine that is Yahoo! Answers: "Chromolume #7" is the name of a fictional color and light machine in the Stephen Sondheim musical "Sunday in the Park with George." If you're still thinking "eh?!" then fear not -- I am, too. Not for the first time in recent memory, I have been totally non-plussed by the frankly ridiculous and seemingly unrelatable choice of episode names. Bringing to light new revelations is the closest association I can think of, and that's at a stretch.

On to the episode itself, and my opinion of that is far more positive. This week's visit to Wisteria Lane felt like it regained a certain punchiness and purposeful direction (as well as a spark to the humour) which elevated it above the rather by-the-numbers installments of late.

The dynamic between Angie (Drea de Matteo) and Gabrielle (Eva Longoria Parker) as they flew to New York to once again break up Danny (Beau Mirchoff) and aspiring model Ana (Mairia Walsh) was superb: Gaby sharing stories (read: bragging) of her glory days as a model to a cagey and uninterested Angie. Running into her former agent Luke Rayfield (Jonathon Adams), as well as notable guest stars Heidi Klum and Paulina Porizkova (both of whom really can't act but just about got by on star appeal), lead Gaby to realize how much of a queen bitch she used to be (duh!). This is her second epiphany in as many episodes -- we soon won't recognize her if this character transformation continues!

Gaby's vow to change starts with owning up to Angie about overhearing her row with husband Nick (Jeffrey Nordling) some weeks ago, only for Angie to reciprocate by revealing a startling amount about her shady past with the enigma that is Patrick Logan -- including the shocking disclosure that Danny is Patrick's son and not Nick's. I find it hard to believe that Angie, having been so careful for 18 years, would suddenly decide to spill -- especially to someone as gossipy as Gaby -- but for the good of plot and character progression, it worked well. Thanks to a tip-off from nosy neighbour Iris (Ellen Crawford) while Angie is picking up Danny from her estranged mother's (Suzanne Costallos) house, it won't be long before Patrick is once again back in the Bolen's life's...

Andrew Van De Kamp's (Shawn Pyfrom) distrust over do-gooder Sam Allen's (Sam Page) promotion within Bree's (Marcia Cross) catering company came to a head this week, resulting in a drunken physical confrontation. Ironically, it turns out that the jealous son's suspicions were correct, when Bree discovers a photograph of a much younger Sam with Bree's ex-husband, the deceased Rex, at Sam's house. Eventually given a chance to explain himself, Sam reveals that Rex and his mother had a one night stand prior to Rex meeting Bree. I cannot believe that this is the end of this speedily exposed storyline (and was surprised at how little Bree seemed to dwell on Rex's secret life), and would like to see it progress further, if only to see how head-strong Andrew reacts to Sam being his half-brother.

Returning from a trip around Europe you never even knew he'd set off on, Preston Scavo (Max Carver) arrived home this week sporting a ridiculous 80s 'tache and a sexy new girlfriend in Russian Irina (Helena Mattsson). Cautious Lynette was instantly unimpressed ("she's way out of his league; what does she really want?!") and set out to prove Irina a gold-digger by swapping her grandmother's engagement ring for a cheap copy, upon learning of Parker's hasty proposal. The indication seems to be that Irina has Lynette figured out, but whether that proves over-protective Mummy Scavo's theory or is just a cunning tactic on the Russian's part is yet to be seen.

Katherine Mayfair (Dana Delaney) is still bewildered after her passionate night with house guest Robin (Julie Benz). Episode writer Marco Pennette chose to take the pressure off the sexually confused housewife by getting Robin out of her hair for the majority of the episode (she was at a family wedding, apparently), leaving Katherine free to chat to Bob (Tuc Watkins) and Lee (Kevin Rahm) about the possibility that she has "turned gay." The couple laugh the suggestion off -- and rightfully so -- but it was a humorously quirky conversation nonetheless, if only for Bob and Lee's bickering. A returning Robin, however, is less willing to believe the night was a "drunken mistake" (funny, I don't remember alcohol being a factor last week?), leading to a rather forced kiss.

Finally this week, Susan Mayer (Teri Hatcher) has used part of the money she received from selling her share in gentleman's club "Double D's" to pay off husband Mike's (James Denton) business loan -- without his knowledge. Coupled with the slowly spreading news of his former partner's "leprechaun" encounter with the former stripper (a chucklesome mishearing), Mike is left feeling somewhat emasculated, and after an attempt to reassert his masculinity with a kitchen romp leads to hilariously embarrassing awkwardness (and a bump on the head), Susan agrees to cancel the bank cheque and allow Mike to pay off the loan by himself.

26 MAY 2010: CHANNEL 4/HD, 9PM

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Scr3am for a blooper!

Here at BacktoFrankBlack we wish there could be Millennium news everyday, but that of course isn't possible. So, we try to post things that we think all of you will enjoy besides Millennium content. You will see more updates on what cast & crew are up to currently. Many of them have exciting projects coming up and are very happy to share them with us.

We also enjoy a good laugh. One of the great things about DVD and Blu-ray releases is that you usually get a blooper reel. Well, we have another gem from Lance Henriksen. As I am sure you all know, Lance was in Scream 3 and let's just say that he was having an issue with one of his lines.

Take it away Lance!

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