As usual, late to the finish line, but still here with a fresh perspective.
HOMELAND is, by far, the best new show on television.
Claire Danes’ portrayal of bi-polar, manic CIA agent Carrie Matheson is stunning — she’s someone who has the right ideas, but no one around to believe her.
Damian Lewis is equally astounding and incredibly believable as the captured, turned military sargeant torn between his love for an Iraqi terrorist and his own family.
Having just finished the season finale, I am desperately grasping out for more of this show.
Incredibly intelligent and suspenseful, Showtime’s latest hourlong drama is far from a shoot-em up.
HOMELAND explores the intricacies of soldiers returning from war, corrupt American government and a world that is still afraid of Muslims and terrorists a decade after 9/11.
Stephen over at Pop! Blerd describes my sentiments best:
Homeland has left me chomping at the bit to pick up where we’ve left off, so much so that, at least for now, the year long wait seems unbearable.
Simply put, go watch this show. The first season just wrapped up so it will be a few months until its fully available for streaming, download or purchase on DVD or Blu-Ray.
I can only imagine how my old friends at Vanguard are feeling right now.
Vanguard is — er, was Current TV‘s critically acclaimed, yet underappreciated documentary series.
Vanguard stood out in a lot of ways.
It strived to tell stories that weren’t being reported and investigated issues in a captivating way that appealed to young people. In part, that’s because the personalities you see on the above poster are younger, hipper and more impassioned than your typical TV reporter.
A lot of people are probably familiar with something about Current.
First off, it was started by Al Gore in 2005. Then there’s the two Vanguard journalists who were detained in North Korea in 2009; Laura Ling and Euna Lee.
More recently, the network brought on progressive liberal talkshow host Keith Olbermann and gave him a major stake in the network to help transform and refine what has been a long, drawn-out experiment in really cool things that didn’t always work (pods, or short-form pieces and user-generated material have been two big ones that have been mostly phased out).
The interesting thing here is that Olbermann revered Vanguard and stated the show would be a focal part of the network’s future. To date, that has included the prime-time 9pm spot after Olbermann’s own show on certain nights.
The New York Times’ Media Decoder blog broke the news Dec. 4:
In what some called a cost-cutting move, the channel last week dismissed most of the roughly 10 “Vanguard” employees. Some were offered other jobs. The channel will continue to produce “Vanguard” documentaries, but with freelancers.
David Bohrman, the president of Current TV, said in a statement that production was not being canceled. “But given the network’s new focus on political news and analysis, we have chosen to change the present in house production model for ‘Vanguard.’
It is essential that Current keeps these talented reporters and producers on board in one form or another. Some of them have been around since the inception of this fledgling cable network and it would be insulting to eliminate the staple that has, although flimsily, kept just a hint of the old Current alive in the midst of the new, politically-charged agenda.
Check out my previous posts on Current and Vanguard. I interned with Vanguard in the Los Angeles offices during a tumultuous time that included Ling and Lee’s return from Korea and unannounced layoffs.
I’m a little late in the game here, but with all the downloading, television recording and seasons of TV shows on disc, everyone is getting to the finish line at different times.
In my case, I just wrapped up season 4 of True Blood, the HBO show about vampires, werewolves and the like.
HBO’s spin on the vampire saga has been refreshingly original from the get-go and a lot less teen-bop than Twilight.
From the first episode of the first season, I appreciated the modern day twist on what often feels like a tried genre.
The show takes place in the Bon Tempe, Louisiana, which is ripe for characters and weird shit. It’s the classic South, except “true blood” is available as a bottled beverage for blood-hungry vampires who don’t wish to suck humans dry.
Best way to make the make-believe believable? Make present day parallels between politics and coexistence.
So the concept works. Solid writing and generally convincing action, violence and sex contribute here too.
But I got a little lost in season four. The creators have been bringing in new species to the world each season, from shape shifters to werewolves and now witches.
The witches of this latest season have been my least favorite.
The supervillainess was a “nekromancer” (see: witch) named Marty, whose level of obnoxiousness grew faster than her level of destruction.
We’re made to believe that Jason, the brother of the sweet, sassy and sexy protagonist Suki, gets turned into a werepanther (think werewolf, but catlike). Except he never turns, so that’s confusing.
Tara, Suki’s best friend, turns out to be gay. She moves back from seclusion in New Orleans to rejoin the supernatural hijinx.
Suki courts two powerful vampires, Bill and Eric, let’s them suck her blood, then leaves them both.
And on and on.
Long story short, when we get to the finale, I’m pretty bored. Things were all the over the place this season, and the storyline seemed stretched. I figured there would be a twist at the end, since that was what kept me coming back after each episode.
And what started out as predictable — all the love triangles settle, lost loved ones are mourned, and the pieces are being put back together.
But in true True Blood fashion, I’m pulled right back in with the events of the last 20 minutes — warnings about the lovable Terry from a dead pyscho ex, Jason gets a vista from an old friend, looks like someone has dug up the infamous Russell Edgington…
Then WHAM — crazy pyscho ex-werewolf girlfriend Debbie pulls a shotgun on Suki and ends up mauling half of Tara. Suki gets Debbie right back with a vicious shotgun blow to the neck, screams, and end scene.
Phew. Clearly a direct setup for the next season more than a wrap-up of the current one.
And I liked it. I continue to tune in to shows that take risks and keep you guessing even as things appear to get dull. The last few twists and turns in this finale came out of nowhere, and while it seemed a little forced, at least the makers aren’t holding back.
Jim Caviezel and Michael Emerson star in the new CBS crime drama "Person of Interest".
New CBS crime drama “Person of Interest” fails to hold its own interest between campy fight scenes and blasé plot points, despite ideal match-ups in acting, writing and producing.
A show meant to involve all the good stuff — grit, guns and government conspiracies, the “Person of Interest” pilot tries a lot and succeeds with little.
The show has all the right elements for a surefire hit, blending conspiratorial thriller with Big Brother paranoia.
But there isn’t much glue holding things together.
An ex-CIA agent played by Jim Cavaziel teams up with a mysterious billionaire (the masterful Michael Emerson) to prevent crimes before they happen, working off tips from a magical machine created for the government to prevent terrorist attacks after Sept. 11.
Where “24” gave us a post-9/11 real American hero, “Person of Interest” gives us an alcoholic bum who cleans up overnight and starts shooting people in the knee while wearing snazzy dress suits.
“24” succeeded in making the threat of terrorism incredibly real and close to home. It kept me on the edge of my seat with the tick-tock pacing, strategic battle scenes and a stellar ensemble cast.
“Person of Interest” does none of that.
Motivation for the two protagonists is weak at best and it’s unclear why these two men want to save people (and the world, presumably) so badly. We’re left to believe its because they’ve both lost someone, but that’s about all that’s offered.
Not to mention, Caviezel’s character slings a stolen machine gun around in broad daylight and loads it up in the back of a New York taxicab. Why?
So he can safely spy on some dirty cops to save or incriminate a woman he doesn’t know based on a social security number some creepy billionaire scientist gave him. Believe that!
The show was created by Jonathan Nolan, who is also the lead writer. If the name sounds familiar that’s because he is brother to renowned director Christopher Nolan. The two have worked together on the “Dark Knight” movies, “Memento” and plenty other critical and financial hits. Unfortunately for “Person of Interest“, there is no thought-provoking dialogue or real-world grittiness to be found.
Caviezel is not bad as the brooding John Reese, but his performance in the pilot doesn’t come close to what I watched in the excellent 2009 AMC miniseries “The Prisoner“.
Emerson, better known as Benjamin Linus from “LOST“, feels like he’s watering down the same stark and cryptic guru. All-knowing and all-confident, with a dark past and unknown loyalty.
To round off the talented team, the one and only J.J. Abrams is executive producer. That’s right, the guy who brought us “LOST”, “Alias”, “Cloverfield”, “Super 8″, the “Star Trek” reboot and “Fringe” is on board too.
J.J., this is strike two.
Last year’s “Undercovers” wasn’t great either. Maybe you should stick to movies for a while. I mean, “Fringe” is still great, but it feels like you’re not even trying.
“Person of Interest” is “Enemy of the State” meets “Minority Report”, with none of what made either of those movies good. No pre-cogs or laser-engraved name balls, no hologram computers or people freaked out and on the run, nervously thinking they’re being watched.
Instead, the buzzworthy show jumps between too many events in the first hour and feels campy and implausible.
Like when Reese hijacks a gang’s weapons by shooting them all in the knees with their own gun, loading up a rifle in a New York taxicab and slinging the gun under his peacoat in an alleyway like somebody isn’t going to notice.
You can’t (shouldn’t?) judge a book by it’s first few pages, but “Person of Interest” better get a lot better in the next two episodes if it plans to 1. stay on air and 2. have me keep tuning in.
The liberal firebrand news host known as Keith Olbermann returns to television tonight after departing from MSNBC a little under six months ago.
As I reported HERE, Olbermann takes his “Countdown” show to the fledgling TV station and Web community known as Current TV and Current.com. (Current was founded in 2005 and pulls in under 60,000 viewers during peak hours according to the New York Times)
The real motivation for Olbermann here is a majority stake in the company. He joins former Vice President Al Gore and businessman Joel Hyatt as an executive of the company.
Full disclosure: I interned for Current’sVanguard back in summer ’09. Blogged about my experience here and also contributed to Current’s news blog here and here.
Current is not exactly a house name just yet, but getting a heavy hitter such as Olbermann on board may start to change that — at lest that’s what the station is banking on.
Besides Vanguard and now Olbermann, the network received mass media spotlight for its two reporters, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, that were held captive in North Korea.
Keep an eye on this five-year-old channel, because despite setbacks and low ratings, (around 25,000 viewers during prime time) shows like Vanguard, infoMania and now Olbermann’s are worthy of your attention.
Current has always been forward-facing: it initially gathered much of it’s programming through incorporating submissions from online contributors and was the first station to incorporate tweets into it’s coverage of the 2008 presidential debate.
But with new efforts focused on getting the station into more homes and a recent redesign (or more like design overhaul), I have heard few outcries but my own over what I find to be one very big problem:
Current, which was known for bridging the online and televised worlds, stopped allowing full episodes online. So much for anywhere, any time. What year is it?
The channel says the only way to continue carriage on networks like Verizon, TimeWarner and Comcast was to offer exclusive deals and Olbermann tweeted that the TV companies have them “over a barrel.”
Instead, Current is pushing clips big time, all over Hulu, iTunes and YouTube.
But for those of us who already cancelled our exorbitant cable subscriptions, we’re shit out of luck.
I can’t even legally purchase the shows in their entirety…anywhere. Now that’s just not right.
That’s why I scheduled a viewing party of sorts at a friends house for tonight’s premieres of Countdown with Keith Olbermann and a new season of Vanguard.
WATCH TONIGHT: Countdown premieres at 8/9c and Vanguard’s new season follows at 9/8c.
Check out behind the scenes with “Countdown” HERE.
I’m a little late in the game on this one, but I finally got around to watching the season finale of NBC’s “The Event.“
While far from one of my favorite shows (LOST, 24, Fringe), “The Event” blends all the genres I love: action, adventure, sci-fi and drama.
But, as good-but-expensive television series go, it was recently announced that “The Event” was cancelled. Damn!
Every time I get engrossed in a good new series, the money-hungry network execs cancel the crap out of them.
Last year it was “Flash Forward” and this year it was the “The Event.”
I was REALLY, REALLY upset when I found out about “Flash Forward” last season. Loved this show and I was totally hooked. Great character development, intriguing government conspiracies, double-crossing intelligence agents, the works — everything a man needs for a good TV show.
Both shows ended after a single season, and both ended with a bang — basically the same concept that started the show’s plot happened again. Sounds cheesy, but it worked for me. Same sort of thing worked for Keifer Sutherland’s Jack Bauer in eight seasons of “24.” (Where’s that “24″ movie we’ve been hearing about anyway?)
The real news here is the rumor that “The Event” may resurface on SyFy.
According to media blog The Deadline, the producers of the show have received interest from multiple cable and digital entities, including Netflix and SyFy.
If there’s one trend I like in the TV world these days, is the continuing rise of services like Netflix and Hulu and a creative desire to try out new kinds of programming. Or in this case, find a home for a quality show that didn’t have enough viewers to remain on primetime.
Sure, it’s easier to get lost in the sea of Web videos, between YouTube’s memes and Vimeo’s fledgling filmmakers, but we must do something to keep the quality.
America has already been sucked deep into reality shows like “The Real Housewives”, “The Bachelor”, “Survivor” and “American Idol.” Personally, I don’t need to turn on the TV to see what other people’s “real” lives are scripted to look like. It’s all just a bunch of cat fights and teary-eyed nonsense anyway.
But here’s to forward-thinking operations. It’s 2011, come on guys. If a show musters up a hardcore niche fanbase, no matter how relative sized it may be, that’s got to be something worth banking on. What about iTunes launching its own series? Season pass only.
Or how about Comcast, who now owns NBC and controls plentiful TV pipes, going iPad-only on a show like the Event? We can AirPlay it or Slingbox it onto our widescreens and get the full experience for a fraction of the investment.
Since summer, I’ve been following the journey of one contestant in the Miss California USA beauty pageant.
Her name is Kelleen Lim Chea and she’s a recent Cal Poly Pomona grad. I got exclusive, behind the scenes access to her life as an aspiring beauty queen and how she made it to this weekend’s contest.
On Friday, I had a major feature air on 89.3 KPCC, the largest Southern California NPR station.
Here is the text, but be sure to listen to the report so you can hear my voice and audio from the interviews!
Good luck to Kelleen, representing the city of Anaheim and all the other ladies.
The “Miss California USA” pageant is this weekend in Palm Springs. Close to 400 young women are competing to represent the Golden State at next year’s “Miss USA” pageant. One of the contestants is a recent graduate of Cal Poly Pomona.
It’s a hot summer evening in August. Kelleen Lim Chea – or as her sash says, Miss Anaheim USA – glides across the floor of a rowdy Huntington Beach nightclub in high heels & a form-fitting evening gown. She’s leading a parade of young women in bikinis and lingerie. It’s a fashion fundraiser. A portion of the proceeds go to a campaign to help stop human trafficking. It’s just another day on the job for an aspiring beauty queen.
“I had this expectation of becoming a doctor but I just don’t feel like it’s my time or it’s my passion,” says Chea.
Since graduating from Cal Poly Pomona with a chemistry degree, Chea’s had one eye on her career and another on beauty pageant glory. Now, she’s seeking the crown of Miss California. Med school will have to wait.
“And it’s been a struggle because I always knew this is what my family expected of me; however, deep down inside it just didn’t feel right,” says the petite 23-year-old.
But with her silky long black hair, winning smile and girl next door good looks, Chea is just right for pageant recruiters like Erik DeSando.
I met DeSando at a busy outdoor cafe in West Hollywood. He’s the middle man between pageant producers and the thousands of girls who apply for the Miss California and Teen USA pageants every year. He gets more than a dozen messages during our interview.
“The type of girl I attract for the contest is a five-finger girl. On the four fingers, we have loving, caring,” says DeSando.
“Then I point to my big finger, middle finger which is non-judgment. Then on the thumb, that’s where the beauty comes in.”
So now you know; the thumb is the most beautiful digit.
Kelleen Lim Chea tries to keep her beauty wholesome. Scar removal below the knee and teeth whitening are the only surgical enhancements she’s had. There are however other enhancements. Interview skills and stage presence are sharpened with the help of a pageant coach; Giselle Boone, a fashion show choreographer and former model. Chea & Boone spent the summer working on everything from posture to stage presence.
Competing in beauty pageants also means marketing a glamorous image through sponsorship deals. Sponsors help raise money, and Chea needs it. All contestants must pay a $1700 dollar entrance fee just to compete in this weekend’s pageant. That covers everything from food to personal security.
“You wanna do this? I will show you 15 different ways to get that money together,” says Miss California recruiter Erik DeSando laying out another unconventional beauty pageant formula.
“A girl has a 20-100 sponsor. A 20-100 sponsor is $20 from 100 people,” laughs DeSando. “Now it’s simple as hell, but think about it, you can find 100 people to give you 20 bucks.”
You can also find friends willing to work for you on the cheap as agents, photographers and stylists. Chea has tapped several. It didn’t always work out though. Several friendships, including with her now x-pageant coach Giselle Boone, were cast aside in the quest for the crown.
“I couldn’t say if it was me or the other party, all I can say is we’re just not in alignment for the path I’m going to,” says Chea.
“My mother, she would probably be wishing that I would be going to medical school right now. But she understands life is short. Do you what you want to do.
But the life of an aspiring beauty queen is short. Kelleen Lim Chea is 23. At 28, you’re considered over the hill – even if you’re a winner. But just showing up to compete can pay off handsomely in scholarship money, endorsements, modeling jobs and more.
And the winner of this weekend’s pageant also gets the chance to represent the Golden State at Donald Trump’s Miss USA pageant in Las Vegas next summer.
Live stream on Justin.TV - http://justin.tv/missca2011/b/274306759
"Plastic Beach" by Gorillaz, released March 8, 2010
Virtual band Gorillaz released its first album in five years Tuesday, just in time to transfix listeners before a headlining gig on the third day of Coachella in April.
“Plastic Beach”, the third studio album from co-creators Damian Albarn and Jamie Hewlett is equally exotic, interesting, refreshing and weird. And you can stream the whole thing right now on NPR.
And there’s a good chance that’s exactly the intentions of Albarn, the former Blur frontman, and Hewlett, the comic book artist known for creating “Tank Girl”.
The two created Gorillaz after getting sick of watching MTV somewhere around 1998 and created a cartoon band to comment on the “music” channel’s “lack of substance.”
The new album incorporates the usual electro-funk hip-hop goodness Gorillaz is known for. But this time around, there’s some special guest stars to make things extra juicy.
Most notably are appearances from Snoop Dogg, Mos Def, De La Soul, Little Dragon and even Lou Reed.
The concept stems from Albarn’s experiences at landfills in Western Africa and London – how he viewed the world in a new, optimistic way. He decided plastic was actually part of nature and not against it.
The recognizable and intentionally unemotional singing from fictional lead singer 2D (Albarn) that we all remember from Gorillaz debut hit “Clint Eastwood” doesn’t come in until the fourth track, “Rhinestone Eyes.”
Until we get there, we’re presented with an instrumental intro, a laid-back Snoop Dogg welcome and a electronic-orchestral mashup featuring hip-hop stylings by British rappers Bashy and Kano.
But nothing really sticks until Albarn’s singing is laid over some synthesizer-laden beats in “Rhinestone”, which is where we should fine a surefire new Gorillaz hit. It’s got pop sensibilities and a funkiness that could only come from an amalgam of a band that probably started as a joke.
“Stylo”, “Some Kind of Nature” and “Plastic Beach” are also standouts.
The nice thing here is that Albarn and Hewlett are doing what they want with “Plastic Beach.”
It sounds a lot less mainstream than parts of 2005′s “Demon Days” (I think we’ve all heard “D.A.R.E” one too many times) and it’s unlikely to pervade pop culture as heavily. Though that doesn’t mean it won’t be popular. It will be.
“Plastic Beach” is a mixed bag of melancholy hip-hop and pop songs worth checking out. Don’t expect any Gnarls Barkley on this beach, but the album should shine enough to keep it hot through summer.
Also worth mentioning is that Gorillaz brought in more guests than even appear on this album. Expect some B-sides to include more collabs with De La Soul and Mos Def, as well as performances by British garage rock band The Horrors.
Oh and don’t forget to check out the interactive Plastic Beach Game if you’re looking to venture a little deeper down the rabbit hole.
This post originally published here on the Current TV News Blog.
I’ve been out of college for a little while now.
Six months, two weeks and one day to be exact.
Thing is, I’m not totally sure what I’m doing.
Then again, who is?
Options for college graduates are slim in this economy. And recovery isn’t happening overnight.
Jobs — or at least good ones — are still hard to come by.
One in 10 people in this country are unemployed. In California, it’s one in 12.
Fewer than 20 percent of 2009 grads that applied for a job have one, according to this survey. And it’s no better back in school.
State universities have been cutting courses and programs, like labs for science classes and student exchange programs. All with fewer days of education and tuition fees that keep increasing.
President Obama addressed the needs of the middle class during his first State of the Union address yesterday and expectations were high. He has plans on the way to help the job market, reform higher and lower education, cut taxes and keep his presidency accountable.
They’re minor in comparison to last year’s massive bailouts and the struggling healthcare overhaul, but not a bad start.
While the president attempted to bring back some of that hope we’ve all been missing, I was still left uneasy about the state of the nation.
My generation is experiencing the toughest times our age group has ever seen.
Today’s students, while often supported by their parents, have it harder than ever: we’re constantly under pressure to perform.
Between SAT scores, AP classes and GPAs, there’s always a new way of evaluating how qualified we are for the next step.
Yet, when do we have time to actually figure out what that next step is?
Personally, I’m in a hurry to stop losing money. I work part-time and freelance on the side, but the freelance market for writers isn’t exactly what it used to be.
Savings is a thing of the past. While my parents supported me through college, the deal was you’re on your own once you finish.
So I’m thrown into the wild with $15,000 in debt, not enough work in the field and little time to figure things out when rent is due each month.
There doesn’t appear to be any clear-cut path anymore.
“A high school diploma no longer guarantees a good job,” Obama told the nation yesterday. Yeah, well neither does a college degree.
But at least he’s listening. “In the United States of America, no one should go broke because they chose to go to college” was another line from his speech.
It was our generation that ushered him into office, after all, so we should be entitled to some high expectations.
Obama is promising a $10,000 tax subsidyfor community college students and loan repayment reform that forgets a students’ debt after 20 years.
He’s also planning to give tax breaks to parents with kids in college, extend unemployment and create new green jobs.
It all sounds great. Let’s just hope it happens — sooner, rather than later.
Today, our good friends in the government approved the merging of Ticketmaster and Livenation. The Justice Department, who oversees antitrust policy, says the joint will “preserve competition.”
I sincerely hope they are kidding. If we’re lucky enough to see ticket prices go down, the fees will surely only go up.
The latest in major corporate mergers gives the new company, Livenation Entertainment Inc. an 80 percent stranglehold on not just the concert market, but the music business as a whole.
The merger doesn’t significantly expand the market share of either company. Instead, it creates one company that will have a hand in just about every corner of the music business. - WSJ
This vertical integration gives one corporation a piece of the pie in just about every aspect of music from ticket sales to artist management and concert promotion.
It might as well be Clear Channel all over again. Which, if you don’t recall from the early ’00s, was the corporate juggernaut of last decade, (still) running the majority of radio stations and live music events, along with all the advertising needed to create one giant load of synergy. The conglomerate’s practices weren’t exactly friendly, and it pretty much forced any significant artist to run with Clear Channel stations and venues for fear of being dropped from of all of the subsidiaries.
For a much more recent example, we need only look back a little more than a month. General Electric just sold NBC Universal to Comcast on Dec. 9. With 51 percent in Comcast’s pockets (49 percent is still owned by G.E.), the nation’s largest cable provider now has even more power over what transmits through our tubes and how much it costs.
Consumer choice seems all but lost.
Perhaps today’s merger was unstoppable, but we have most assuredly created one more monster:
Live Nation stages more concerts and concert tours than any other promoter, and owns or operates 75 major venues in the U.S. Ticketmaster sells tickets for the majority of major sports and entertainment venues in the U.S., and has an artist management division that handles the affairs of hundreds of the biggest acts in pop, rock and country. Ticketmaster’s Front Line Management unit represents over 200 acts, ranging from veterans like the Eagles and Journey to newcomers like Miley Cyrus and Kings of Leon. - Wall Street Journal
The only good news? A few restrictions thanks to Obama’s new antitrust chief Christine Varney:
•Livenation Entertainment Inc. will not be able to retaliate against artists that use competitors for ticket services — like when Clear Channel threatened to pull bands like Blink 182 off all its stations in 2001.
•Ticketing and concert promotion will have be sold separately, not as a bundle, within the new company.
•Certain data will not be shared between departments to prevent the stifling of whatever competition is left.
Somehow, I get the feeling government isn’t really working these days. This is a failure of Washington on multiple fronts. These massive mergers are textbook cases for what our country’s antitrust laws are supposed to prevent.
Read the laws for yourself: http://www.ftc.gov/bc/antitrust/antitrust_laws.shtm
“…Certain acts are considered so harmful to competition that they are almost always illegal.”
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