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Friday, May 09, 2008


Flashbacks: alternative Seinfeld endings, a local astrologer on whether or not President Reagan is basing all of his decisions on the astrological charts, and Deep Throat on Trial


WEST ROAST
5 years ago
May 9, 2003 | Jay Jaroch mused on the bi-coastal lifestyle and the differences between West and East Coasters.

“Sure, it’s been new and exciting, but when you grow up East Coast you learn that you should never take yourself too seriously — unless, of course, you have a graduate degree. Take yourself too seriously, and you can be sure your friends will soon be mocking you right back down to earth: ‘Bill, you’re a systems analyst and you live in Malden. Take the leather pants off.’

“People in Los Angeles don’t discourage that kind of behavior; rather, they climb over each other to emulate it. If Jay-Z appeared in a video with his face dotted with bits of tissue he’d used to clot his shaving mistakes, the next day you’d see Scotties-spotted hipsters on the streets of LA wondering if the mistakes go better with their pants’ legs up or down.” Read Full Article

END GAMES
10 years ago
May 8, 1998 | Dan Tobin pitched alternative endings for Seinfeld.

4. The Force
An anonymous letter reveals that Jerry’s Floridian folks are not his true birth parents. Instead, Newman is Jerry’s real father. “Search your feelings -- you know it to be true,” says Newman, sounding much like James Earl Jones as he nibbles at a Snickers bar. “Oh, hello, father,” Jerry responds snidely. The letter goes on to explain that Elaine is Jerry’s twin sister, and soon the gang is reunited on Riker’s Island as the twins are incarcerated on multiple counts of incest.

5. Nothing happens
Proving that Seinfeld is indeed a show about nothing, the last 15 minutes are just dead air. It’s the least grating 15 minutes in the series’s history.”
 
READING REAGAN
20 years ago
May 6, 1988| Francis J. Connolly interviewed local astrologer extraordinaire Cosmic Muffin, a/k/a Darrell Martinie about the revelation that Ronald Reagan had been consulting astrologers.

Q: Do you think the president is basing all his decisions on the astrological charts?
A: No, that’s obvious. Just look at this: the president is going off for a summit with Gorbachev, the summit in Moscow. And he’s leaving on Memorial Day weekend. Well, if the president were using an astrologer to time all his events—look, Memorial Day weekend begins one of the suckiest cycles I’ve seen, and it’s going to last all the way into July. Mercury is going retrograde, Venus is going retrograde, and there’s going to be a full moon...If an astrologer was dictating the president’s schedule, and the astrologer told the president to start the summit on Memorial Day weekend, that astrologer must have had a lobotomy.
 
Q: Can you make any predictions for Reagan’s future?
A: We’ve all had problems with Reagan’s chart. We just can’t get the exact time of his birth. Back when he was born, when they chiseled that information on the wall of a cave...they didn’t keep very good records. Certainly not in Tampico, Illinois.

Q: So you can’t say anything about Reagan’s future?
A: Oh, sure. Astrologically, his place in history is assured as a great president, like him or not. He’s always done things at just the right time, when conditions were favorable—as contrasted with Jimmy Carter, who did everything at the worst of all possible cycles. He seemed to have an instinct for doing things at the wrong time…You know, there’s never been a treaty or a contract made under a retrograde Mercury that ever worked. And I remember watching the news after the Camp David summit, with Begin and Carter and Sadat all shaking hands. And Mercury was retrograde! I remember saying this thing will never work, it’s a retrograde-Mercury contract. That was Jimmy Carter for you.”
 
DEEP ROTE
35 years ago
May 8, 1973 | Janet Maslin weighed in on the controversy surrounding 70’s cult porn film Deep Throat, on trial for obscenity charges.
“...Deep Throat...lasts for less than an hour and is astonishingly unerotic as these things go, what with its myriad mystiqueless closeups and a score which, in the words of one rock critic, ‘sounds like they walked into a supermarket with a tape recorder.’ It does have its funny moments, a few of them even intentional, as its storybook heroine with the dislocated clitoris searches for what she coyly refers to as ‘tingles’ (‘I want to hear bells, bombs, dams bursting, something!’) En route to a revoltingly happy ending, the story has her falling in love with a joke-happy doctor who physically befriends her (and who makes the kind of wisecracks that wouldn’t pass for funny on Saturday morning TV), and then nursing a bunch of ‘patients’...‘The results,’ as the official synopsis put it, ’will have you holding onto your crotch with laughter.’ Or whatever. Either way, you’re more likely to be holding onto your mouth, suppressing the occasional yawn.” Read Full Article


5/9/2008 11:16:54 AM by Ian Sands | Comments [0] |  




Thursday, May 01, 2008


Flashbacks: bidding adieu to Dawson’s Creek, the losingest team in basketball, a visit to an “anti-terrorist” driving school, and the most controversial course in Boston


NOT-SO-FOND FAREWELL
5 years ago
May 02, 2003| Joyce Millman bade adieu to the WB’s Dawson’s Creek.

“An era is about to end as one of TV’s most influential series says goodbye. And no, I’m not talking about Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This Wednesday...on the WB, Dawson’s Creek will have its series finale, after six seasons of tortured love geometry, high-school (and college) angst, smart-ass dialogue, and bad film-school pretensions. In any universe (not just the Buffyverse), Buffy — which ends its run May 20 — is the superior show. But though Buffy may have saved the world (a lot) over the past seven seasons (the first five on the WB, the last two on UPN), it was Dawson who won the battle for the soul of the WB — assuming a network that made its reputation on a cartoon frog and a seemingly endless supply of pretty young actors and actresses has a soul.” Read Full Article

STRAIGHT SHOOTERS
20 years ago
May 06, 1988| Ric Kahn gave a glimpse into the Washington Generals, the losingest team in basketball.
 
“Though...it’s not like wrestling, where the outcome is predetermined, the odds are triple-stacked in the Globetrotters’ favor. As [owner/coach ‘Red’ Klotz] Klotz explains it, there are two parts to every Globetrotter-General contest: the game and the show. When it’s showtime — dancing, dribbling, and double dunks — the Generals play the straight part. They know the riffs by heart, after first practicing the routines with the Trotters and then having the bits nightly branded onto their brains...When it’s game time, says Klotz, his guys (and gal) play to W-I-N. ‘They play hard every game.’ Trouble is, with the Trotters getting so many gimme points during showtime, the Generals are always playing come-from-behind. But when the victories dribble in — and the Gens just about have to play a perfect, no-turnovers game to win — it feels as sweet as getting a high-five from heaven.”

BUILDING BETTER BODYGUARDS
30 years ago
May 02, 1978| Michael Matza attended Somerville resident Tony Scotti’s ‘anti-terrorist’ driving school for chauffeurs and bodyguards.
“On the morning we arrive, Scotti is lecturing in the small, wooden, racetrack box office that serves as his classroom...Although the students are eager to get on with the strategic-driving phase of the day’s lesson (bootleggers, J-turns, off-road recoveries), Scotti is intent on emphasizing the value of ‘route planning,’ the practice of constantly altering the path between home and office to avoid becoming predictable...‘They estimate that Aldo Moro was under surveillance in Italy for 35 to 40 days. His driver changed his route daily. But no matter which route he took, he would arrive at church at precisely 7:45 every morning. The same time every day,’ Scotti emphasizes, shaking his head at the simplicity of the error. ‘It proves one thing. You can be religious; just don’t do it on time.’ ” Read Full Article

DRAMA SCHOOL
35 years ago
May 01, 1973| Sid Blumenthal examined a religious argument personified in a Boston classroom.                               

“The most controversial course in the Boston area is offered at Tufts University’s Experimental College. It does not deal with abortion, amnesty, busing, or IQ scores and heredity. The course is entitled ‘Zionism Reconsidered’ and is taught by Marty Blatt, a recent Tufts Graduate.

“...[H]is course, which includes readings from Theodore Herzl, Hannah Arendt, and Jean-Paul Sartre, has been greeted by the traditional Jewish organizations and the Jewish Defense League with intense hostility.

“The JDL termed ‘Zionism Reconsidered’ an ‘anti-Jewish outrage.’ They place Marty Blatt in an anti-Semitic pantheon somewhere between Herman Goering and Albert Speer. ‘Not since Germany in the days of Hitler,’ a JDL statement read, ‘has any university dared to offer a course presenting a one-sided view of any national movement.’

“On March 13, the JDL decided to take action. They gathered their forces, about a dozen members, and barged into the Tufts’ classroom singing Israeli national songs. One of their number announced that the course was concluded, henceforth and forever. The JDLers refused to speak directly with Blatt. ‘We are not here to debate with an anti-Zionist,’ a leaflet that was distributed said, ‘any more than we would discuss with a Nazi whether Jews should be exterminated, and if so, how many.’ ”

 


5/1/2008 11:47:35 AM by Ian Sands | Comments [0] |  




Friday, March 21, 2008


The Wire: Haikus


 

We know it's over. That hasn't kept it from our heads though. This afternoon, The Wire inspired haikus in us. By Ryan Stewart and Ellee Dean and Nina MacLaughlin.

 

The docks are empty

Loyalty won’t save us now

Handshake, shotgun, gone

(nm)

 

Stringer Bell, Avon

Two kings reign the streets supreme

Brothers, betrayal

(nm)

 

Ziggy plays the fool

A duck, and money burning

He’s got feelings too

(nm)

 

Take another swig

McNulty. Bury your truth:

B’more, your heart, burns.

(nm)

 

Thomas Carcetti

Promising the moon and stars

What price ambition?

(rs)

 

They call him Omar

His targets flee with great haste

The cheese stands alone

(rs)

 

Punch me with your eyes.

Troubled past, now clean, Cutty

I’ll call you Dennis.

(nm)

 

Streetsong won’t lull you

Mopes, dope, cops corrupt as well

Game where no one wins

(nm)

 

Way down in the hole
Under an old Dead blanket
Eyes red like Bubbles

(ed)

 

Down to the fire

Blood on backseats, not lovers

Corners for quick graves

(ed)


3/21/2008 2:54:49 PM by Nina MacLaughlin | Comments [1] |  




Monday, March 17, 2008


Bob Odenkirk and David Cross reuniting on HBO



Mr Show: Change for a dollar

The duo behind the groundbreaking comedy series Mr. Show, Bob Odenkirk and David Cross, are working together on another comedy series for HBO. Reports indicate it will be a sitcom, rather than a Mr. Show-esque sketch comedy show, and that Cross will star while Odenkirk remains behind the camera. And that's completely fine with us.


3/17/2008 7:05:44 PM by Ryan Stewart | Comments [0] |  




Friday, March 07, 2008


The end of the Wire




I haven't seen the finale yet, so I couldn't reveal any details from it even if I wanted to. But there will be discussion of the previous nine episodes of season five after the jump (as well as the series's whole run thus far) after the jump, so if you're waiting for any reason, you probably shouldn't click.


3/7/2008 3:43:49 PM by Ryan Stewart | Comments [0] |  




Thursday, March 06, 2008


A fashion moron's notes on the Project Runway Finale


“Christian Soriano, signing out.”

 

It was a fitting way to end this season of Project Runway. Not because it was he who ultimately won it all. But because in my mind, it was sort of the Christian Soriano show from the beginning last night. From his wonderfully absurd description of what it was he was looking for in a model (“fierce tallness and walks for days”) to his kooky modeling of Jillian Lewis’s ridiculous looking hat prior to the runway show (all the while going “bring it back, bring it back”), Christian downright stole the proceedings. It's this fashion idiot's opinion that without he and Chris March — whose carefree, seen it all, low-key approach proved a good foil for Christian’s fast-talking prima donna act — there surely would have been far fewer reasons to watch this season.

 

As for the rest of the show last night?

 

Notes!

 

- Christian, Rami Kashou, and Jillian take a walk down the never-ending Bryant Park runway. Christian remarks how long it is. God, it’s only a 45 minute show, he says.

 

- Tim Gunn gives a heartfelt pep talk to the remaining 3 designers. He’s no Vince Lombardi. But he speaks from the heart. “Trust that you are superb. You are.”

 

- Jillian says something supremely vapid in her introduction to her show. Which surprises me because she’s no dummy.

 

- Her show? One funny hat after another. The rest is a blur. Though, I should say, all of us watching get very excited when we spot the hat Christian was modeling earlier in the show coming down the runway. For us, it’s a highlight.

 

- Reactions from the folks I’m watching with. Lady 1: “Pretty” Lady 2: “Umm.”

 

- Rami’s intro about his collection being about women is the worst. Too scripted, as the oh-so-astute Lady 1 points out. It’s also a veiled swipe at Christian.

 

- His first two dresses look exactly the same to me.

 

- Rami likes pink.

 

- Rami likes redheads.

 

- Rami’s stuff doesn’t sit well with the room. “I really don’t like his clothes,” Lady 1 announces. Ouch.

 

- Christian wins in the intro department.

 

- His stuff, truth be told, gets a little monotonous for me, as the judges — who are clearly wiretapping my brain — will say later.

 

- I see a lot of wicked witches walking down the aisle.

 

- Christian has got one look where he apparently wanted to simulate for the model what it would be like as a blind person. Seriously, the girl can’t see a damn thing with all that shit in her face.

 

- Predictions? Lady 1: Jillian  Lady 2: Jillian  Me: Christian

 

- It’s true: my love for Christian knows no end

 

- Apparently neither does Victoria Beckham’s. The two are already exchanging sweet nothings before the competition is over.

 

- Jillian is eliminated. A collective gasp from the room. Lady 2 passes out. The news proves too astonishing.

 

- Christian wins! I rub it in the faces of those around me. 

 

- Rami goes out in style: “You will be seeing a lot from me and you will be wearing my clothes.”

 

- So too does Christian: “Hello! Did you have a doubt? Come on! What up?”

 

- Fade to black


3/6/2008 11:37:37 AM by Ian Sands | Comments [0] |  


Spaced finally coming to DVD in the US




MTV's Movies blog reports that the English comedy Spaced, created by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright (a/k/a the people behind Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz) is finally coming to DVD on July 23 of this year. People have been begging for this for years.

Unfortunately, though, Fox is still going ahead with a McG-produced Americanized version of Spaced this summer, and Pegg isn't too thrilled about it. From the sounds of things, Pegg and Wright weren't consulted on the US version, which certainly doesn't bode well for the show (the name "McG" doesn't exactly bode well, either). Although, we'll admit it - we might have said something similar about the US version of The Office when it first aired, and that show has had an excellent run (until they started messing with those hourlongs.) So who knows.


3/6/2008 11:02:22 AM by Ryan Stewart | Comments [0] |  




Monday, March 03, 2008


The last episode of The Wire will not be On Demand until after it airs


For this, the fifth and final season of HBO's worthy-of-all-the-breathless-praise-you're-tired-of-reading-about-by-now drama The Wire, HBO has been offering each episode to its On Demand customers a week before it airs. They're not doing this for this coming Sunday's episode, which will be the series finale. We'd guess this is probably to prevent people from watching and blurting out spoilers, but we'll let Sen. Clay Davis elaborate after the jump.


3/3/2008 2:46:11 PM by Ryan Stewart | Comments [0] |  


American Idol Season VII Recap: And then there were 16...


American Idol always disappoints me; it's corny, too long, and I have never in my life felt prompted to buy one of the winner's CDs or even vote for the contestants I like best. But for some reason I have to watch it--if not for Randy Jackson's incessant clarion call of "yah dawg, yah dawg," Paula Abdul's incoherent but saccharine ramblings, and Ryan Seacreast's bronzed douchiness--then at least for Simon Cowell, the shining beacon of sanity whose cutting judgment is nearly always right. It's now two weeks into the live performances of Season VII, and the field has been narrowed down to 16. In case you've missed it, here's a recap before tomorrow night’s episode (8pm on FOX) of some of the best, the worst, and the weirdest performers up till now, along with a few predictions.

 

The Girls:

Amanda Overmeyer, 23
This girl is so tragically white trash it's almost not funny. She's a self-described "Harley ridin' Rock & Roll Nurse!" She’s also been hit by a semi-truck and arrested for a DUI in 2006 (not mentioned on the show, but google it.) She's only 23 but she sounds and looks like she's been drinking whiskey and cokes in a smoky bar for 20 years more than that. For Week 1, she did a Janis Joplin song that was mostly screaming and bizarre jazz scatting. Randy Jackson apparently liked the scatting and loved her patch-worked rocker pants even more, to which Amanda inexplicably replied "Yeah! I couldn't afford a whole pair of pants so I bought three and cut them up!" You can't afford one pair of pants but you can afford to buy 3 pairs and reassemble them? But the judges loved her and deemed her "authentic." Week 2 was Secrets Week and she revealed that she loves to read--but mostly just "biographies of famous rockers." I thought she was going to say Proust. She sang "Carry on My Wayward Son," this time with even bigger hair and crazier pants. She can’t win, but she’ll be around a while longer.

 

 

Asia'h Epperson, 19:
Ok, right off the bat, I'm hating the spelling of the name. Was her mom a stripper? But I felt bad for this girl because she said her dad died two days before her audition. Except she's strangely nonchalant and cheery about the whole thing in a way that creeps me out. Then again, her "secret" on Week 2 was that she used to a professional cheerleader. She's got a huge voice but sort of in an unoriginal "strong, black, and sassy" way I feel like I've seen before. She also has a huge mouth and looks like she's eating the microphone. Last week she sang the Eric Carmen/Celine Dion song "All By Myself" and Simon said "This is one of the biggest diva songs of all time. You've got to be one heck of a singer to pull that off. And unfortunately you're not. The song showed you up.” Still, she's better than a lot of the rest and should be around a while longer.

 

Kady Malloy, 18
Well, the only thing remarkable about this girl is that she does a scarily good impression of Britney Spears and can even sing opera. Then when she performs, she's absolutely, disgustingly average. On Week 1, Simon said a pencil had more personality than her. Week 2 (70's week) she sang "Magic Man" by Heart and they still thought she sucked. Simon told her to stop trying to sing like Christina Aguilera because she'll never be as good. I predict she's probably going home next week. She is, however the most attractive of the 3 or 4 blonde girls.

 

Carly Smithson, 24
I don't get why this girl is even in the competition. She's already had a record deal (which supposedly fell through) and her own music video, under a different name. And she's Irish? I thought this was Uh-mer-eh-cun Idol.  She does have pretty a good voice but I didn't understand Randy's effusive assertion on Week 1 that it was "THE BEST VOCAL OF THE LAST 2 DAYS! WHAT, WHAT! YAH DAWG YAH DAWG." Paula said "You're like the lucky coin in your pocket" whatever that means. Simon said that she was cabaret and overrated. Week 2, she sang "Crazy on You" by Heart and by the end she was panting like a dog in heat. Simon made fun of her for being so out of breath and said she hasn't been choosing songs that show off her voice. Girl needs to put down the Guinness and get on a treadmill.

 

The Guys:

David Archuleta, 17
Ok, I'm saying it right now, this kid is going to win the competition, dawg. Week 1 he sang Captain & Tennille's "Shop Around" and somehow made it sound good. But it was Week 2's risky acoustic performance of John Lennon's "Imagine" that was really amazing. Simon applauded him for doing a fresh interpretation while Paula started crying and said "I want to squish you, squeeze you, and dangle you from my rear view mirror!" If he doesn't win, then he could definitely have his own show on the Disney Channel in a minute. The only thing I don’t like is he's milking this "Gee whiz, I'm just an innocent 17-year old cute kid and I’m so speechless!" thing for all it's worth. Only someone from Utah could be this wholesome (he’s from Utah.) Then again, his bio says his favorite quote is "You'll never be lonely if you learn to befriend yourself." That's sort of poetic. I like this kid, for now.

 

Jason Castro, 20
This guy looked familiar so I did a little digging and found out Jason played the love interest of Cheyenne on MTV's "Cheyenne"...a horrible little show that no one else besides me has probably seen. I can't figure out why no one's said anything about this kid's hair. It's like the elephant in the room no one will talk about. He reminds me of a Kling-on or one of those freaky albino creatures from The Matrix. White people with dreads? I can't think of a worse idea. Then again, he's ethnically ambiguous so I apologize in advance on that one if I'm wrong. The first week he sang "Day Dream" and everyone ate it up, him looking all rasta with his acoustic guitar, but I wasn't buying his Jack Johnson-ey "good times, man" vibe. On week 2 he sang Andy Gibb's  "I Just Want to Be Your Everything" and everyone realized he was just hiding behind the guitar and had an average voice. But he apparently already has a hardcore fan base who call themselves "Castronauts" or "Dreadheads" so I think he'll have some staying power, though I'd "dread" to see him win...ha, ha.

 

Danny Noriega, 18
Inexplicably, on Week 1 this flamboyant hipster chose Elvis's Jailhouse Rock so he could show off his "swagger and attitude." Randy liked it ok and then Paula had her first bat-shit crazy remark: "I liked how you went in and out of all the colors, there are a lot of colors in your voice!" Simon snapped him in half and called his performance "hideous" and "verging on the grotesque." Miss Noriega was not having that and he seemed convinced it was great. I'm so sick of this "you'll like me because I snap my fingers and make catty remarks" act. Go on Project Runway. He also loses points for not being able to his control his sassy-black-girl-head-shake both while he speaks and sings, even after Simon warned him to stop. I'd say he'll get kicked off soon, but the Vote for the Worst crowd has already rallied behind him and he could be this season's Sanjaya.

David Hernandez, 24
On Week 2, David admitted his secret, which was that he was a child gymnast who won the Grand Canyon Olympics! Then he sang a creepy version of “Papa Was a Rolling Stone.” Randy liked it, Paula obviously liked it, and Simon said he appreciated that he took all his criticism to heart...and then I feel asleep. Don’t get me wrong, he has a pretty good voice, but he’s just so damn boring. Until I found out his real secret...Apparently he used to be a stripper who worked at a gay bar. think we might have another Clay Aiken on our hands.

 

A Tribute to the Fallen:

8 contestants have already been kicked off. Here is one sentence each to remember them by:

Amy Davis: Pictorial in Maxim, otherwise completely forgettable

Joann Borgella: Plus-size model?--You go, girl.

Colton Berry: Looked like Ellen Degeneres, sang even worse

Garrett Haley: Peter Frampton, before puberty

Alaina Whitaker: Sang Olivia Newton John, dressed by grandma

Alex-andrea Lushington: Seacrest mispronounces name, she got pissed

Robbie Carrico: Former boy band member gone “bad”...real bad

Jason Yeagher: Future child molester?

 

-- Adam Winograd


3/3/2008 12:24:12 PM by phloggist | Comments [0] |  




Friday, February 15, 2008


How To Go From Designer Douchebag to Sartorial Deity In Just One Step



On Project Runway, Michael Kors is an asshole. He is the Jewish, Long Island-y version of what Christian will be in about 40 years. However, he is a Top American Designer (thx, Heidi!) and therefore an expert on fashionologie. And, we must admit, usually, for the most part, he's got decent taste, and he gives witty soundbites for us to mock.

But anyone who knows us well knows that we're suckers for people who delight in parading their guilty pleasures around for everyone to see. It's the verbal equivalent of bending over in your new super low-low jeans only to show off the butt-floss you decided to rock that day, or smiling really big at the person you're trying to impress with food in your teeth, or acting like you're best friends with someone when you have the distinct inclination they might actually hate you. And not caring.

Anyway, Michael Kors is a fan of our beloved Spice Girls. Take a gander at the manner in which he confessed this secret love of the Girl Power to our sartorial Bible, WWD:

On Wednesday, Michael Kors and CFDA executive director Steven Kolb took in the Spice spectacular at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J., where they had a chance to meet the group backstage. "Of course I am a Spice Girls fan," Kors said. "I love everything that teenage girls love. I am the oldest teenage girl."

That's so fucking beautiful in a dead-bird way--one of our favorite ways! Thank you, Michael "Tranny Spice" Kors. You win. For now.

2/15/2008 12:53:08 PM by Sharon Steel | Comments [0] |  




Monday, February 11, 2008


UPDATE: Writers to vote on ending strike Tuesday


The WGA's leadership has approved the deal for now. On Tuesday, if a majority of the WGA West's and East's membership vote to end the strike, writers could be back on the job on Wednesday. Also, via Ain't It Cool News, we found this handy link from TV Guide regarding the future of most shows.


2/11/2008 11:30:34 AM by Ryan Stewart | Comments [0] |  




Friday, February 08, 2008


The WGA Strike - Not over yet, but maybe after this weekend?



"So we'll march day and ni-i-ight, by the big cooling tower
They have the [studios], but we have the power [sorta]"


In spite of what Michael Eisner says, the WGA strike is not over. This Saturday, WGA leadership will meet with members to discuss the language of a possible deal, then on Sunday, the WGA's board will vote on whether or not to accept it. This all may sound great, particularly to those of us who are really really hoping they find time to finish this season of Lost before, like, August, but Deadline Hollywood Daily's Nikki Finke (who's really the best source out there for this stuff) cautions against getting too optimistic:

I'm told that one of the purposes of Saturday's informational meetings is for the governing boards to decide whether the membership will approve the contract or not. This, insiders say, will determine if the bigwigs call off the strike or not.

Once the governing bodies recommend the contract and call off the strike, then procedures will kick in to send out ballots to the membership on both coasts to vote on the contract.

Of course, some snafus may occur. For instance, I'm told that if no draft language is ready in time for Saturday, "it's a very different ballgame".

So it looks like we'll know more after Monday. As we mentioned before, we don't even really miss TV all that much (somewhat to our surprise), we just want Lost. (And The Wire, too, but that's in the can already.)


2/8/2008 9:53:47 AM by Ryan Stewart | Comments [0] |  




Thursday, January 31, 2008


TV Tonight: Lost (Spoilers?)




We've been waiting about eight months for this.


1/31/2008 4:19:27 PM by Ryan Stewart | Comments [0] |  




Wednesday, January 23, 2008


Project Runway: the cold, hard facts


I just discovered this handy, helpful chart on the Project Runway Season 4 wiki page, whilst dreamily envisioning what fashion challenges our beloved contestents might encounter on tonight's episode. (Who needs writers when we've still got the two best shows on television, Proj Run and History Detectives?). [Ed. note - You're a writer.] Oh, right. Nevermind. I <3 writers. Anyway, here's the chart:



This is the squinty, mini version, of course. For the real thing, look here. So, let's get out our pointers and consult the cold hard facts of the chart, shall we? Judging solely on wins, Christian, Jillian, Rami and Victorya seem to be the top contenders, although Kevin ranked high scores for four out of seven challenges - but now he's out. My money for winner is on Jillian or Christian, even though he's ranked low on two challenges - the judges just don't understand sometimes, ya know? I mean, Nina Garcia never changes her effing hairstyle! Does anyone else notice this? Why is it always down? Never a casual ponytail, or maybe a Chanel scarf. Nope, nothing - totally boring. And Heidi flops between dramatic hairstyles like they're sticks of Juicy Fruit. Nina, it's a show about fashion, live it up a little! How can we trust you in that repetitive, vanilla 'do? I digress, back to investigating the chart. The next one out, according to lowest scores, should be Rami (Rami! He's so complex), Sweet P (but I'd miss her funny commentary!), and Ricky. Ah, Ricky. How has he possibly made it this far? Is he bribing someone at Bravo? Does nobody notice these horrible mesh, male escortish police hats he wears every day? I'll bet you $15 worth of Mode fabrics that he'll be out tonight. I miss Kit already.


1/23/2008 11:42:00 AM by Caitlin | Comments [0] |  




Wednesday, January 09, 2008


Blooper Reel: The Worst of New Hampshire Primary Night


Five worst quotes we heard last night:

5. New York Times on Grandmama Obama:
"It's pretty amazing to see her as she sorts her corn on the ground."

4. Douchebag local radio interns, heckling Hillary:
"Iron my shirt!"

3. Bill Bennett on John McCain's unlikely comeback:
"Here's a guy who's 71 years old, a guy with broken bones, a guy who can't comb his hair."

2. John McCain, recalling his unlikely comeback strategy:
"I'm goin' to New Hampshire and by gum I'm gunna tell 'em the truth!"
[ed note: we made up the "by gum" part]

1. Tom Brokaw, on the mainstream media's coverage of New Hampshire:
"We got some explaining to do."

Craig's List Alert: Stage Managers Needed

1. Mitt Romney, stepping to the podium microphone: "I just spent 45 minutes writing some very carefully thought out notes on exactly what I want to say. They're right here. But there's no podium, so I'm not gonna use those." Oopsy. But hey,