Hot Picks: MADE IN DAGENHAM

"My Summer of Captivity"

Well, "Hannibal" is over for its season, and I haven't checked out NBC's

"Crossing Lines" just yet (great cast, but it all depends on execution--some

of that dialogue in the trailer sounded Ultra-Hokey!)

So, the best thing I've seen evidence of so far is last night's debut of

"Under the Dome," based on the Stephen King novel and executive

produced by Steven Spielberg and Brian K. Vaughan (with Neal Baer.)

It's a formidable team of talented vets who do what they do very well,

added to a great cast (I LOVE Aisha Hinds!) and a very intriguing concept!

I love sci-fi, I love mystery and suspense, and I am a huge

fan of character interaction and large cast ensembles...when done

well! Last night's premiers (of the 13 episode 'mini') was a delightful

little aperitif to whet the appetite!

Dissension amongst townsfolk, secrets and lies bubbling to the surface,

displaced lesbian couples, seizures of unknown origin, hot men, psychopaths,

a dozen deaths (and one murder!) and more sexual and violent tension than

you can shake a stick at!

If you were a fan of "Lost" or "Jericho," or a Stephen King fan...

if you enjoy "Revolution" or "The Killing"....

if you like shows that have diversity and characterization....

you'll probably enjoy "Under the Dome."

I'm looking forward to my new summer addiction!

***

"Canceled, On Hiatus, On the Bubble--Oh, MY!"



(sigh.) No more 'Happy Endings,' and no more half-naked 'Max.'

It's the "Attack of the Gays;" backlash for last season's

gay prominence seen in this coming TV season!

Unbelievably, 3 completely awesome and perhaps the

gayest shows on TV--NBC's "Smash," NBC's "The

New Normal," and (my personal favorite show on air,)

ABC's "Happy Endings" have officially been canceled.

No renewals, all the shows that will be broadcast have

been broadcast, "Hast la vista, baby."

And the carnage worsens; The following laundry list

of perfectly good shows didn't make the cut (or they got

cut--however you want to say it!) within this 2012/2013

season (either due to low ratings or series' endings.)

(We're talking gay content, gay characters, gay hosted,

gay subtext, gay sensibilities, gay interest here--yeah, it's

broad! Sue me--I'm dramatic!)

* 30 rock (fabulous!)

* 666 Park Avenue (Vanessa Williams)

* Anderson Live (duh!)

* The Big C

* Body of Proof (Dana Delaney)

* Bomb Girls (tough females)

* Cult (sexy sci-fi)

* Deception (Grrrrl...DRAMA!)

* Don't Trust The B--- in Apt. 23 (sassy and fiesty)

* Drop Dead Diva (Margaret Cho)

* Futurama (gay robot)

* Go On (featuring lesbian character)

* Gossip Girl (teen soap with wit)

* Kathy (Kathy Griffin's talk show)

* Love You, Mean It with Whitney Cummings

* Merlin

* Spartacus (gladiators!)

* Touch

* Up All Night

* Young Justice

...and of course the gratuitous "we're only tuning in for the

hot men" guilty pleasures of  "Do No Harm," "Golden Boy,"

"Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe," and "Vegas." (Somehow I

think "Rookie Blue," which is a hot soapy mess I love, got

renewed, though!?!?)

Even down-the-pike gay greatness like the revived "In

Living Color" and "Political Animals" (Sigourney Weaver)

rumored returns are dead in the water. And there's to be a new

Dr. Who?!?! This is the final season of "Warehouse 13"?!

The question now becomes...what will be the signs of backlash

in remaining shows?

Will "Arrow" cease to be the prime hot spot for Grade-A

fleshy sex sightings?

Stephen Amell shows off his acting chops. (Mmnnnn--chops...slobber!)

Will "Happily Divorced" lighten up on the gay themes or talk?

Will "Modern Family" and "Necessary Roughness" and

"Parks and Recreation" and "Raising Hope" and "Suburgatory"

lose their wit  and sting?

What's most awful is that we gays have taste, and there are some

really lame-ass puke-a-rama shows being KEPT while quality

programs can't get a fair shake. Ugh! (How did "2 Broke Girls"

ever get a green light, let alone a renewal? Why is "Big Brother"

still on the air?)



Julie White portrayed a poignant and original (i.e., 'real') character

 Of course, there are the scores of LGBT hopefuls sure to be

viewed weekly as the contestants of "The Voice" and "American

Idol" are notoriously gay-heavy (How many queens were in the

Final 12 on Idol?!!? JESUS!) And, we can lust at the contestants

on "American Ninja Warrior," and the gratuitously shirtless

characters on"Being Human," "Blue Bloods," "Chicago Fire,"

"Teen Wolf," "Supernatural," and others.

We rise and we fall...and there's always netflix

and hulu if the networks fail us!

**************************************

"Feet on the Ground, Feet on the Ground..."

"...everybody keep they damned feet on the ground!"

After singer Miguel literally crushed a fan during a performance

this week, the video was shot around the world, and he was

quite rightfully bashed on for the ridiculously dangerous move.

The butt (ha ha) of jokes all week, the only thing more

stupid was the interview with the fan (a woman, naturally)

who was just so pleased to have come that close to his ass.

"No big!"

However...

the big news--and Weirdness--happened on the

"Dancing with the Stars" finale, when the above move

(seen here in practice, working) was flubbed beyond all compare--

and everyone pretended that nothing had happened!

Jacoby Jones of The Ravens (sadly, it didn't help, as he

obviously can't fly) was making an attempted leap over

partner Karina's head, but two problems occurred.

First, she was facing him at the time,

and second, he didn't make the height required!

WHAM! She got pecker-faced with a vengeance!

It's a good thing her mouth wasn't open!
It's a wonder she wasn't knocked the fuck out.

It's surprising that she has all her teeth.

But they kept up the pretense that it was planned....

even after he rode her face for many seconds like

it was a XXX film.

And the judges didn't acknowledge the problem at all!
They raved over his performance--and he got a perfect score!

(Fortunately the right person ended up winning, but--WTF!?!
Were they afraid he'd groin-slam them if he got a bad score?
Was it compensatory-discrimination?

Whatever the rationale, it was weird to watch--but having
a mix-up keeps things lively.)

Hey, if you're not on wires, stay on the ground, fellas.

***

The Grande Dame, Jeanne Cooper

She was a consummate actress and professional,

a stalwart presence and striking energy for

daytime viewers for almost four decades!

Her commanding delivery and offscreen

firecracker personality made her highly

popular and found her a place in the hearts

of millions of viewers.

Jeanne died Wednesday at age 84.

Thanks to a true bright light for all the many

memories and inspiration.

***

"Call Me Crazy: A Five Film" (event)

If you haven't been watching, Lifetime has a tremendous series of

shorts entitled "CALL ME CRAZY: A FIVE FILM."

The films sport an incredible cast of actresses and directors,

including Ashley Judd, Laura Dern, Jennifer Hudson,

Jennifer Aniston, Brittany Snow, Octavia Spencer,

and many more!

The five short films deal with a range

of different mental health issues through

a single different woman's personal

journey and struggle.

The project was designed to elucidate what

it is to have mental illness (and to deal with a

loved one who has it,) and is designed to erase the

stigma--to start dialogue and healing.

For a more detailed look at the films, the actresses,

and  to get show times for the next movies, check out

"Call Me Crazy" website

***

WTF!?!? A Bomb didn't hit the TV station, did it?

Look, my week has been pretty shitty, and the

last thing I like to do at the end of a difficult day

is dwell on Real World problems and upset.

I like to Veg-out. I like to get lost in fantasy.

I like to drop out for a while so my mind can numb.

Now, granted, my week hasn't been 'lose-an-arm in a bomb'

bad or 'face-full-of-shrapnel' bad, but it's not a fucking

contest and my stress needs dealing with, so...

I was more than a tad annoyed when I tuned in to see

"Revolution" Monday night, only to find it preempted by

more NBC News lack-of-coverage and anything-but-fact-finding.

(Don't get me started on non-stop space-filler 'coverage' of

tragedies where inanities abound. And yes, I was hoping to

escape real-life strife by watching fictional strife; sue me!)

So I heard there was a great ep of "Independent Lens" featuring

the history of Wonder Woman on instead! Eureka!

A solution! I haven't been abandoned by the TV goddesses!

Helllllllll to the No!

They aired (locally, at least) a god-damned episode

about Fort Lauderdale and the history of tarpon fishing!
(Or something to that effect; I was so upset about the

pre-empting, I didn't linger to get the whole scoop!)

All I know is, that by tonight, I better have

some fricking "Happy Endings" on the tube, or there

may be some more upset on the streets soon enough!

Dammit--I ask for so very little!
How much endless cycling or horrible images do

people really need, anyway!!??

Just Sayin'



"Ummm.....it's The Apocalypse, girlfriend...

You gots to learn to fucking MULTI-TASK!!!"

-Georgia Unity



A Favorite Uncle Passes

My first memories of the 'Dynamic Duo' of Roger & Gene

must have been from about age 12 or 13. I was a hopeless

insomniac, and would watch the overnight syndicated TV shows

as one of my means of getting through the night.

And there it would be, their movie review show, with

witty yet venomous banter, intelligent speaking on the

art and history of cinema, and I was mesmerized.

I knew I was into movies as an escapist forum, but

I was only just coming to understand my love for

the knowledge of actors, directors, nuances, and so forth.

Certainly I had no one to help cultivate such interests in

Southern Podunkia, and now I had found an outlet and

an inspiration for truly experiencing film.

I was exposed to so many ideas and textures, indeed

exposed to films themselves. I was so excited by footage of

the 1986 French film, "Summer"/"The Green Ray" (Le Rayon Vert,)

that I sought out a special Saturday morning foreign film showing

in Tampa--my first foreign film, I'm sure--and was mesmerized!

Film became not just an isolated experience, but a trip into

the larger world.

On a family outing in Daytona Beach, while everyone else was

gung-ho for watching some stock racing one night, I slipped

away to a theatre I had spied with a showing of "Shy People"

(an incredible movie with Jill Clayburgh, Barbara Hershey,

and Martha Plimpton) at the age of 17, knowing where

my true heart was to be found. It was amazing, and I had been

introduced to the film by an episode of  "At The Movies."

I learned whose opinion jived with mine and whose was

the polar opposite, and either way I was able to accurately

determine which movies to avoid or rush to probably 95%

of the time. For a long time, Roger's outlook nearly identically

mirrored my own, until he seemed to swing in a different

direction. And still I enjoyed his evaluations!

But the idea of having the input, the familiarity, the connection

of these two film aficionados and critics to turn to on a

regular basis was a large part of my life, and I will always

appreciate the impact these two gents had.

Thanks for the education and the memories, Roger...

I'll see you at the movies.

The Seventh Sign (1988)

"The Seventh Sign" trailer

***

"Jesus of Montreal" full movie

"Jesus of Montreal" full movie

***

TV Favorites, Episode 3

If you're not already watching, check out these great shows on

netflix, hulu, or the shows'/networks' websites to catch up with

older episodes.

***

The Walking Dead: Pisses and Moans

Michonne (Danai Gurira) was brilliant as always,

but...Thank Goodness we got to see more of the Real Deal!

She holds it in when Rick the Dick starts his posturing

and pissing contest early on, and simply maintains herself.

After saving his bone-head life, (and later the twerp's

too,) she still gets hassled, but stays the course.

Hell yeah she's gonna eat the food of your equally-

crazy friend! The mat did in fact say "Welcome!"

(Yeah, ya let somebody else down Rick, ya self-

absorbed control freak!)

Go sweat yourself, high-and-mighty narcissist nut-job Rick;

my girl side-stepped your baloney like a pro.

And finally, someone tells that kid to get off too!
"Cut the bullshit!"

I just felt bad for that hitchhiker, but I guess we

needed yet another guidepost as to how far down

our protagonists have been taken by their

ordeal. Survival's a bitch. Trust, a luxury.

***

Bragging Rites

Better Late Than Never...

both for his recognition by the Academy

(more or less) and my

giving a nod of approval to my honorary

husband, Ben Affleck.

And damn if that beard doesn't look goooood!

***

Monday Night Suspense-Fest

In what could otherwise easily be referred to as

one of the most atrocious nights of the week in

terms of broadcast television, Monday

nights have been rocking lately thanks to

two new entries in the suspense/drama category.

"The Following" (FOX, 9 p.m. EST)

followed by "Deception" (NBC, 10 p.m. EST)

are great addictive TV, replete with sprawling

quality casts, intricate pot-burner mysteries,

and fast-paced story lines that keep you hooked tight.

If you've taken up knitting on Monday nights,

check out these hot new series today!

***

30 Rock finale

The '30 rock' cast and crew

Well, after last season's Desperate Housewives finale, I learned to

bag expectations for final episodes. Fortunately that's how I went into

the final '30 rock' the other week.



The entire cast was superb as always, but it was a very lackluster effort

overall (the script) as it just seemed to meander. There were cute bits,

and it wasn't horrible, but let me just say this; Jane Krakowski saved it

from being a greater loss with her "Rrrr-Jrr" ("Rural Juror") performance

which had me splitting my seams.



The significance? Well, maybe you had to be there. Be there for the last

several years, to be in on the joke. But stunning, still--and it was a fun ride.

"Law & Order: SVU" is Red-Hot

SPOILER ALERT:
Discusses plot elements from the

February 6th show.

***

Another great episode of Law &Order SVU this last week! (Man this

season is shaping up into one of their best!)

Mike Tyson was great as an adult survivor, and it's always nice to

see (you know what I mean) the end run of childhood abuse, all

those many years later played out. The story was well-crafted and

reliably intricate. Ed Asner had a tremendous role as well, definitely

a turn for him.

But back to Tyson; I was really shocked that he would take such a role,

and it's so important. Not just because male survivors have it so tough

but also because black men in particular have such a burden with

bearing things silently.

And anytime the Injustice System gets put on trial, it's a good day.

Another job well done, all the way around.

***

2013 Oscar Noms: Silver Linings, Life of Pi, Zero Dark...Oh MY!

Still a ways off until the 85th annual Academy Awards ceremony,

and I'm mixed about the rather strange choice of host (Seth MacFarlane,)

but the one thing you can't go wrong with?

Checking out all the awesome movies ahead of time so you can

enjoy them and be better informed come Oscar night!

And, throw down with a mad Oscar-party if you can! Debating and

cheering and jeering is the best part!

For a complete list of the nominations, check out the official site:

Oscar Nominations 2013

and then watch the Oscars Live on

Sunday, February 26th.

******

Totally Addictive TV Shows

Just a few of my favorite addictive

'fast-forward-through-the-credits-to-see-the-next-ep'

shows on disc!

Smart, complex, witty, and well-acted,

these babies are the shit!

Are they some of your faves, too?
Which ones did I miss?

Nothing like a marathon of mayhem and melodrama

to get you through a night!

'Big Brother' Thrillers:Too Close To Home

With all the undue paranoia going on

post-November elections, I thought it would be fun to

 revisit some of my favorite on-the-money

flicks about actual Big Brother, big government,

encroachment of civil liberties and personal freedoms,

and all the matter-of-fact erosion of our

society that were brilliantly forecast in these films.

My first offering, "Eagle Eye" was a stupendously great movie...

almost all the way through. The ending was bogus and

sucked ass, but probably most people won't be on the

same page there, so... If you can work it out that the

'pretty, sappy, Hollywood ending' was just a dream and

the movie actually ended four minutes earlier like it

should have...it's perfect!

Although horribly misrepresented and mismarketed,

'Man of the Year' remains a great, solid film

that superbly mixes drama, humor, intrigue,

and politics. Frightening and engaging, Robin

Williams and Laura Linney made a great combo,

and a perfect supporting cast (Christopher Walken,

Lewis Black, Jeff Goldblum) add to the quirky nature

of the film.

The fourth movie in the "Die Hard" franchise supports a

bevy of new-breed Hollywood kids, much like

"Enemy of the State" had done years earlier, but it's

a fine match if even Kevin Smith can be tolerable.

Fast-paced, action-packed, and heavy on surprises,

it's a fine addition to the movie's heritage.

That some great political commentary gets worked

in is bonus!

"Enemy of the State" is a fun and exciting

dissection of a man and his life as Will Smith's character

gets unknowingly embroiled in--what else?-- a government

scandal. (Well, it's not trite if there really are a mountain

of corrupt assholes running things, is it?)

Great cast, especially Regina King, and plenty of

eye candy like Scott Caan and Barry Pepper.

A great find if you missed it, and a great second of third

watch if it's been a while.

A frighteningly accurate depiction of 'things to come'

is the superb thriller with Samuel L. Jackson and Geena Davis

which turns spy movies on their ears; "The Long Kiss Goodnight."

Action, adventure, suspense, intrigue, sex, politics, and

buddy film. What else can you ask for?

An oldie (modern) but a goodie; "The Net." Even with the outdated

electronics references, the concept and content of

this one are ever on-the-money. A great chase thriller,

plus we get to see lots and lots of hunky Jeremy

Northam...which can never be bad!

(Plus, Dennis Miller meets a fitting end!)

***

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