Category Archives: Television

Features, Television

TV Tales 2014 – “The Walking Dead” Returns

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Last night marked the return of The Walking Dead, AMC’s ratings juggernaut and the at times stand-in for a “bad acting and writing combination” PSA (any scenes that have featured both Rick and the Governor would fall under this category).  My relationship with The Walking Dead began with justified curiosity about what Frank Darabont could do with a television series (my loyalty to The Shawshank Redemption director is as thick as Carl’s chocolate pudding) and those first six episodes that made up the first season were exceptional.  We are now several showrunners, even more lead character deaths, and one too many unnecessary farming diversions away from the early show promise.  The task of maintaining a relationship with this series has not been easy.

The final episode of part one of season four last fall came at a cost: Yes, (SPOILER ALERT!) David Morrissey’s incredibly and increasingly silly Governor finally perished in what can only be seen an act of mercy for the viewing audience.  His destructive walk through this little corner of dystopic Georgia that continues to be the centerpiece of this series (it would be so nice to meet some new people in other parts of the world facing the same inexplicable people eating epidemic) had run its course long ago.  Unfortunately, (SPOILER ALERT!) Hershel’s emotional and tragic death was the cost.  In a world where keeping sane and retaining human dignity is a constant battle (a continual fight for Rick Grimes), Hershel was steadfast and true.  He was impacted like the rest of them and made his share of ill-advised emotional decisions (see: his barn visitors from season two), but his kindness, wisdom, and inspiring pony-tail managed to always step on a higher plane of integrity.  Now that he is gone, where will the stabilizing force of sanity come from on a weekly basis?

Last night’s episode, focused solely on the Grimes duo, Carl and Rick, and the seemingly invincible sword magician, Michonne, put this question, and the future solubility of The Walking Dead to the test.  The “A” story was all about Carl and Rick’s first days separated from the group in the aftermath of the prison bloodbath cliffhanger from last fall.  Spending time with the Grimes family has always been its own kind of horror story for lovers of “acting” and “writing,” but last night thankfully flirted with the idea of a world with one fewer Grimes (sorry Judith, we will wait until you can read dialogue before you can be linked to Mom, Dad, and big brother’s artistic troubles).  Rick took a literal beating back at the prison and then Carl gives him an angsty teenager verbal beating, so he is in really bad shape (the makeup artists were even busier than usual this week with his bloody visage).  We are led to believe, with several clever red herring scenes, that Rick’s elongated nap on the couch may be his own ticket to Walker land.  What if Carl, donning his alien hair, is the only Grimes left?

My initial thoughts on a Rick-less Walking Dead were celebratory.  I cannot recall a “lead character” in a television series who more successfully ostracized viewers with increasingly terrible decisions and a more cringeworthy performance.  I have desired for this day to come for some time, yet, when posed with the potential for a world without Rick and only Carl, I found myself nostalgically changing my tune.  Yes, The Walking Dead has made me feel like Michonne in the scene where she cuts off all of her surrounding walker heads (the mostly depressing “B” story) on many occasion and Rick’s awfulness was often the central reason, but like it or not, the show I began watching all those years ago was really about family and to what lengths you would go to protect it.  The Grimes may infuriate, frustrate, and perplex, but if you were faced with such a unthinkable catastrophe, would you react differently?  For now, Rick, Carl (where’s Judith?!!!), and Michonne have only each other left and for now, we, the audience, must deal with it.1

  1. At least until next week when we see what happened to Daryl’s crew, Glenn, and Maggie. ↩
Features, Music, Television

Now that it’s cancelled, ten takeaways from the US “X Factor” experience

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In a decision that seemed to shock no one and barely popped in the the weekend television news cycle, the United States version of The X Factor will not be returning for a fourth season.  Such a cancellation would have been on the cover of Variety or Entertainment Weekly just a few years ago, but the American X Factor struggled off the gate with overhype, strange host and mentor performances, and, until this fall, winning acts who were not going to translate into viable recording artists1.  Here are ten takeaways from my three seasons of devoted DVR season pass viewing:

1) Steve Jones is not Ryan Seacrest2 and maybe I was “a bit naive” to ever think so.  Let’s just say that composure was not his forté.

2) Rachel Crow was a really special talent from season 1.  She is now doing some acting work in Hollywood, so good for her to parlay her obvious talent into a little career.

3) In three seasons, there were nine different judges (if you include the hot second Cheryl Cole was around) and three different hosts.  At least Simon and his producer cohort were trying to make the show work better!

4) It was a treat to watch Simon mold and mentor his artists, especially Fifth Harmony during season 2 and Alex and Sierra during season 3.  There is a reason why Simon has been so successful in the music business beyond the entertainment value of his snarky remarks as a judge.  He is a master identifier and cultivator of talent (as we heard too many times in reference to One Direction) and Fifth Harmony and Alex and Sierra show why.  I am still amazed that he managed to see something in Emblem3.

5) Carly Rose Sonenclar should have won season 2.  This girl is really special and it is unfortunate that her forum for this kind of broad audience exposure was not an early Idol season where she could have more easily broken out.

6) The US X Factor was my introduction to Demi Lovato, who, on her best days, was a pleasure to watch judge her contestants.  Her rapport with Simon over the past two seasons was one the reasons to still watch.

7) Britney Spears thought everything was “amazing” while mentoring contestants during season 2.  The producers thought that the nonsensical murmurings of Paulina Rubio would be a better direction to take for season 3.

8) Living up to Simon’s initial ratings predictions gave The X Factor an unrealistic charge.  Had it come out of the gate as an upcoming act rather than the self-declared one to beat, it might have had an easier time catching on.  Also, the MLB Baseball Playoffs were always the enemy to X Factor momentum.  Competition reality shows cannot just take weeks off and expect to continue to build an audience.

9) My final judge/mentor rankings in order of best to worst: Simon Cowell (season 3), Demi Lovato (season 2), Simon Cowell (season 1), Kelly Rowland (season 3), Simon Cowell (season 2), LA Reid (season 1), LA Reid (season 2), Demi Lovato (season 3), Paula Abdul (season 1), Nicole Scherzinger (season 1), Paulina Rubio (season 3), Britney Spears (season 2). Not enough information: Cheryl Cole (season 1)

10) Alex and Sierra, to quote Britney, were “amazing.”

  1. Yes, we do not know how Alex and Sierra will fair off on their own, but they have the potential to be something special. It is not a coincidence that we have not heard anything from season 1 winner Melanie Amaro in quite sometime and I admittedly had to look up Tate Stevens name (and I wrote a weekly column on season 2!). ↩
  2. I have never appreciated Ryan Seacrest more than during the Steve Jones host experiment. ↩
Features, Let's Get A Few Things Off My Chest, Movies, Music, NFL, Television

Let’s Get a Few Things Off My Chest: Groundhog Day Edition

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From time to time, I need to get a few things off my chest…this is the second installment of 2014.

• Last night’s Super Bowl, a 43-8 Seattle defensive annihilation of Denver’s historically good offense, was a bit of a surprise for all.  It wasn’t as much about what they did, but more so how they did it.  From the opening offensive play safety, to the Peyton Manning cold weather lob interceptions, to the second half opening kickoff return by Percy Harvin who managed to complete a game without injury for the first time this season, there was just a whole lot of weird (Russell Wilson’s consummate game management aside) going on.  Even “talk of the nation” and notable Stanford grad Richard Sherman was carted off the field in the early fourth quarter before he could have a fair shot at an Erin Andrews post-game interview reprise.  On the non-football end of things, the national anthem was delivered by an opera singer not exactly aligned with the pulse of the football viewing audience (Renée Fleming was stunning.  It just speaks to how different one of the world’s best classically trained singers is compared to your average pop star.  On the converse, it speaks to how good Whitney Houston is compared to other pop stars.).  The halftime show, featuring an admittedly exhilarating performance by Bruno Mars, managed to fit in a brief Red Hot Chili Peppers cameo that made no sense next to the retro Motown stylings of Mars.  The New Jersey winter weather, promoted as a major Super Bowl headline, was a non-factor during the game.  Again, there was just a whole lot of weird going on.  In many ways, I am glad that the New England Patriots sat this one out.

Pepsi Super Bowl XLVIII Halftime Show

• One Super Bowl moment lost in the shuffle of strange was a commercial for the new U2 song “Invisible.”  Released yesterday during the day as a free download for 24 hours, Bank of America, an at times challenging pillar of American big business, will donate $1 to (RED), Bono’s incredible organization attempting to put an end to the AIDS crisis in Africa, for every download.  “Invisible” is announced to be a track on U2’s long awaited (five years next month since their last studio album release, No Line on the Horizon) 2014 album (When? Who knows.  June, maybe?).  The song itself, although not cutting down any Joshua Tree’s as “The Fly” once did, is my favorite “first song from a U2 album” release since All That You Can’t Behind’s “Beautiful Day1” (sorry “Vertigo” and “Get on Your Boots”).  We can all hope that this will be a harbinger for the album to com

• I finally got around to see Frozen this weekend.  I usually try to be on the precipice of a pop culture phenomenon as the Disney animated feature and the “Let it Go” movement have become, but on this one I missed the reindeer ride.  Over two months after its original theatrical release, it was so well worth the wait.  A little late for its own post, here are a quick five things you need to know about Frozen:

1. The direction by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee is outstanding and some of the best I have ever seen in an animated feature.

2. The songs by the Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez are classic and indelible melodies that will quickly find their way into your humming, whistling, and shower singing selves.

3. Kristen Bell has a gorgeous voice and plays Anna most beautifully.  Idina Menzel continues to be a vocal force.  In a career of musical hits, could “Let It Go” be her most beloved?

4. Olaf the snowman, performed brilliantly by Josh Gad, is the best comedic sidekick in a Disney animated feature since the Timon and Pumbaa tandem from The Lion King.

5. Frozen is a movie, that along with Tangled, would fit perfectly in the Disney animated feature renaissance row ofThe Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, and the underrated Pochahontas.  It’s physical form will someday reside on my DVD shelf.

Bill, Amy, and Seth

• Saturday Night Live said goodbye to Seth Meyers this week as he prepares for his new gig at Late Night, beginning later in the month.  As is SNL tradition, some old family members came by to honor his departure.  Amy Poehler, as she often does, said it best when she described him as “the heart of this program for the past twelve years.”  He will be missed.

• Mostly a teaser for what is to come, the exes arrived on Real World: Ex-Plosion this week in the last segment of the episode.  I will share some of my thoughts after the next episode.

Philip Seymour Hoffman

• And finally, I am deeply saddened by the tragic death of Philip Seymour Hoffman.  One of my first posts on this site was a “Five Things You Need to Know” on The Master.  I described him as “America’s (qualifying the nationality of Daniel Day-Lewis) best living film actor.”  I stand by what I wrote at the time.  There was no one better.  My heart goes out to his family and friends, especially to his three young children.  What a momentous loss.

David J. Bloom can be reached on twitter @davidbloom7 and writes about MTV’s “The Challenge,” pop culture, and the NBA for Bishop and Company.

  1. It’s just a great song. ↩
Features, Let's Get A Few Things Off My Chest, Movies, NBA, NFL, Television

Let’s Get A Few Things Off My Chest: MLK Day Edition

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From time to time, I need to get a few things off my chest…this is the first installment of 2014.

• I have never been a regular viewer of network Late Night television (SNL is the exception) and struggle with the traditional monologue/guest/guest/lesser known guest format, but this may have to change (at least through the DVR access point).  I watched the Jimmy Fallon Best of Late Night Primetime Special last week and was thoroughly entertained and impressed.  He does some hilarious things, especially with any form of musical parody, any collaboration with Justin Timberlake, and any time the Roots are involved (I never would have known that the band I struggled to connect with on those spring days on Foss Hill at Wesleyan would become the house band of The Tonight Show!).  I am all in on Jimmy as the host of The Tonight Show and am ready to see what Seth Myers will do with Late Night.  In the branches of the Lorne Michaels tree of comedy prosperity I trust.

Here are some of my favorite Jimmy Fallon clips:

An a cappella version of “Can’t Stop”:

The “Sesame Street Theme” with childhood instruments:

A lip sync battle between Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Stephen Merchant:

The “History of Rap” performed by Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon:

The “Reading Rainbow” theme sung by the Doors:

• Yes, yesterday’s Patriots AFC Championship game loss to the Denver Broncos was a disappointment (and a crushing blow to a potential Super Bowl hosting party gig), the grieving period will be short-lived.  As a lifelong Boston sports fan, I have both experienced my share of devastating losses (I am looking at you 2008 Super Bowl, 2003 ALCS, 2010 NBA Finals…I could go on) and thankfully, an embarrassment of the richest successes beginning with the first time Brady and Belichick combined forces almost twelve years ago.  The 2013-2014 New England Patriots overachieved amidst a who’s who of best player loss to injury (Gronk, Wilfork, Mayo, and most recently, Talib), free agency (Welker, Woodhead) and incarceration for murder (the increasingly vile tale of Aaron Hernandez).  The defensive offsides penalty had already been thrown on much of this free play of a season, so to even be within one win of the Super Bowl was something to celebrate.  Yesterday, the best football team won.  As Bill Belichick’s full calendar of 2014 draft preparation already shows, it is time to move on to next season.

• The Oscar nominations woke up the West Coast Thursday morning with some surprise inclusions, notable omissions, and endless questions about what the rationale behind the decision to have Chris Hemsworth (“a super hero amongst us”) announce them could have been.  My strongest lingering takeaways:

The Academy dug The Wolf of Wall Street.  With acting nominations for Leonardo DiCaprio (an on the fence possibility going in) and Jonah Hill (considered to be even further on the outside looking in), Martin Scorsese’s eighth directing nomination, and a Best Picture nomination among the field of nine, there is a renewed momentum for this relative latecomer to the awards season party.  After his Golden Globe win and facing a field that does not feature once thought to be juggernaut competition from the likes of Tom Hanks and Robert Redford, I think he has a legitimate shot at winning his first Academy Award.

Speaking of Tom Hanks, his exclusion from the Best Actor race is the hardest omission for me to stomach.  His performance in Captain Phillips (nondescript New England accent aside) was vintage Hanks and deserved to be recognized.

I was most pleased that Paul Hewson, Dave Evans, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen were nominated for Best Song, but it made me uncomfortable when Cheryl Boone Isaacs had to say, “You may know them better as U2.”  Would she have had to similarly qualify the Beatles or the Rolling Stones?

I have six movies to see before the March 2 ceremony in order for me to have fulfilled my viewing quota in the six major categories (Best Picture, Best Actor and Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Actress, Best Director).  Those movies are, in order from “I want to see you” to “this matinee feels like a chore”: 1. Her (always on my list), 2. Dallas Buyer’s Club (I am all in on the “2014 Year of McConaughey” train), 3. August: Osage County (my all-time favorite stage play but not sure about the film version), 4. Nebraska (“Will Forte!”), 5. Philomena (one of those trailers that does not inspire, but the words from mouth that I have heard have been universally praising), 6. Blue Jasmine (I am not sure I want to have a relationship with Woody Allen pictures going forward).

• The second episode of Real World: Ex-Plosion may have been slightly more tolerable than the first, but I am still struggling.  Any chance that Doug will return for more tomfoolery?

• Sherlock came back to US audiences last night and was a most welcome return.  Perhaps as a consequence, it took me two sittings to get through the second episode of the more melancholic and morose True Detective.  I couldn’t help but think that I had already watched the true detective.

• In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, this lullaby of hope never loses its power.  It’s also by Paul Hewson, Dave Evans, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen:

Finally, welcome back Captain Rajon Rondo.  We missed you.

David J. Bloom can be reached on twitter @davidbloom7 and writes about MTV’s “The Challenge,” pop culture, and the NBA for Bishop and Company.

Features, Television

TV Tales 2014 – 71st Golden Globes, TRUE DETECTIVE, GIRLS, REAL WORLD: EX-PLOSION

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With television’s recent array of Golden Age shows (many would argue that Mad Men is the last of this early 2000s bunch) coming to the end of their runs (and in Mad Men’s case, it will be a long final lap – the final season is being drawn out over two years – AMC!), the next wave of contenders are all vying for their standing in our DVR queues and paid streaming service binges (as enabled by the passwords we mooch off our parents).  2013 was a masterful year of television.  It brought us some most promising new dramatic series talent (Masters of Sex, The Americans, House of Cards, Orange is the New Black), brilliant material from our British friends across the Atlantic (Black Mirror, Broadchurch), a most welcome return of the mini-series (Top of the Lake), some established shows continuing to find their sweet spot (of which Game of Thrones was my favorite), and the best season of television I have ever seen (the final season of Breaking Bad).

2014 is ready to build on this momentum with dozens of most intriguing upcoming shows (I have “summer” already circled on my calendar for the premiere of The Leftovers, Damon Lindelof’s post Lost television project on HBO), most welcome returns of old flames (even 24 wants some of the good will), and the continued maturation and evolution of a medium that is at the center of the collective pop culture conversation.  I will be commenting every few weeks on the many television musings that come across my path throughout the year, make recommendations, and will try to make sense of the changes in the “what” and “how” of how we consume our TV.  There is no better place to begin than last night…

THE 71st GOLDEN GLOBES

Some of my television-centric takeaways (there will be no Jacqueline Bisset sanity inquiries here)…

brooklyn_nine_nine

• Although Brooklyn Nine-Nine remains the only fall 2013 new network show that I consistently watch each week, I admit that it is still finding its comedic and storytelling footing.  Its win for Best Television Series – Comedy and Best Performance by An Actor in a Comedy Series for Andy Samberg were both a bit of a surprise and may be a little before their time, but I like this symbolic vote of confidence.  With The Office and 30 Rock gone, The Mindy Project mired in an unfortunate vortex of quality inconsistency, Modern Family recycling most stories, and the brilliant Parks and Recreation a brutal victim of NBC’s horrendous scheduling decision quality and on its likely final local government campaign, the network single camera throne is up for grabs.  Brooklyn Nine-Nine may just have the goods to take it and with a full season already ordered and a coveted (and unexpected) post-Super Bowl slot to showcase it to the masses, the Golden Globes wins may be a harbinger for promising things to come.  After so many too early show cancellations, the thought of the great Andre Braugher with a stable job is the ultimate form of television justice.  I will be rooting for it.

• Apparently the people in charge of the seating chart didn’t get the memo that the people winning television awards would need easy access to the stage.  The Breaking Bad creative team seemed to have to journey from a room across the street to accept Best Television Series – Drama.

• Tina Fey and Amy Poehler were as lovely as ever, but I thought last year’s hosting performance was more memorable.  Something seemed to be a little too produced this year, whereas last year had a more organic feel throughout (this does not include Amy Poehler’s make out session with Bono after her award acceptance).

• Speaking of Amy Poehler and awards, her win (finally!) for Parks and Recreation could not have been more deserved.

• Although NBC must be happy with the best Golden Globe ratings in years, the biggest television winner of the night may have been Lorne Michaels and his Saturday Night Live empire.  With Amy and Tina hosting, Amy and Andy winning comedic acting awards, and as the heavy promotional material kept reminding you, Jimmy Fallon and Seth Myers starting new late night gigs in February, it is a good time to be Lorne.  Even SNL alum Julia Louis-Dreyfus was game for some of the best gags of the night.

• Aaron Paul loves award shows and loves opportunities in which he can be Jesse Pinkman again.  There is no one more excited for the 2014 Emmys.

• Line of the night from Tina Fey: “And now, like a supermodel’s vagina, let’s all give a warm welcome to Leonardo DiCaprio.” Zing!  Leo, who deservedly one Best Actor in a Comedy Film, could not have taken the roast more graciously.

TRUE DETECTIVE

true-detective1

Just about the time when P. Diddy sang “Let it Flow” and confused the audience after U2 won its Best Original Song Golden Globe for “Ordinary Love,” HBO unleashed its new anthology series, True Detective, starring movie stars Woody Harrelson (an old television veteran) and Matthew McConaughey, the early frontrunner for “Best 2014 of any person on Earth” (the Golden Globe win for Best Actor in Dallas Buyer’s Club later in the evening is just the beginning).  Harrelson and McConaughey play Louisiana detectives investigating a brutal, satanic murder in 1995.  Storytelling uniquely combines interviews from 2012 with flashbacks to 1995.  True Detective’s first season (and the only one Harrelson and McConaughey will appear) will run eight episodes and complete a serialized mystery story.  According to showrunner Nic Pizzolatto, future seasons will star different actors and will feature a different central mystery.  The conceit is intriguing on its own, but, after watching the premiere, the show has the potential to be something really special.  Its unique voice and vision are already clearly defined (each episode is written by Pizzolatto and directed by Cary Kukunaga) and the performances, especially McConaughey, will win awards.  I will write more on it as the season progresses, but for now, you cannot ask for a more engrossing first hour of a series.

GIRLS

In what can only be seen as accidental counter programming, the Girls season three premiere (two episodes!) debuted right after True Detective.  Early trends include much more Adam and Shoshana (both are great things) and a focus on the relationships of these girls to each other as opposed to these girls to their respective, challenging lives.  Some of season 2 landed as a reaction to the unnecessary and unyielding criticism mounted on season 1 for reasons unbeknownst to logic.  My hope for the uber-talented Miss Dunham here is continue to make the show that she wants to make.  Already, some of the humor that had drifted away last season seems to be back (I will gladly take more scenes between Adam and Shoshana!) and I think Marnie will only benefit from having Charlie completely out of the picture (Apparently Christopher Abbott wasn’t sure he wanted to play the character anymore.  Oops.).  I will definitely be spending some quality time with HBO on Sunday nights for the foreseeable future (Another piece of gold in its 2014 treasure chest of riches had its coming out party last night as well. HBO released the first trailer for the fourth season of Game of Thrones.  Yep.)

Real World: Ex-Plosion

mtv-real-world-explosion

Finally, the premiere of season 29 of The Real World debuted on Wednesday night.  If you have spent any time on the Bishop and Company site, you know that my relationship with The Real World and its amazing offshoot, The Challenge, is longstanding, loyal, and passionate.  Despite trepidation about the new format – the true story of seven strangers picked to live together and then…Surprise!  Your exes are also moving in – I was obviously going to give it a shot.  My true story after Wednesday – I hated it (critics seem to agree).  Yes, the exes have not moved in yet (as the countdown clock won’t seem to let me forget), but the show I watched on Wednesday night was not The Real World that I have given so much of my viewing lifeblood to watch.  Obviously, The Real World has been a different show than its original version, a social experiment dealing with real issues and the reality tv pioneer, for some time now, but this show did even resemble the positive things about recent incarnations.  Everything on it felt forced and overtly contrived, from the camera crews capturing the acceptance phone calls, to the decision to show boom mics and cameramen on person, to Ashley’s phone call to production about where they were going out that night.  Because the exes conceit is its central premise, we are inundated with conversations about exes and all the potential ensuing drama.  I wasn’t having any of it.  Begrudgingly, out of loyalty and respect to this beloved franchise, and to scout for future The Challenge competitors, I will at least stick around to see how the exes arrival goes down (25 days!), but I am considering jumping off of this sinking ship.

David J. Bloom can be reached on twitter @davidbloom7 and writes about MTV’s “The Challenge,” pop culture, and the NBA for Bishop and Company.