A Case of the.... Smallville - Episode 9-10

I don’t know what it is, but Smallville always does the best “Previously” montage videos. Great stuff.

Anyway, Smallville returns from a rather long hiatus and, yet again, we get a Green Arrow-centric episode. I feel like Oliver is going through the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man 2 syndrome, where there’s this inexplicable desire to give him literal increased face time. There have been numerous moments this season where Oliver SHOULD have been in Green Arrow mode, but instead of rocking the bad ass costume, we see him as normal old Oliver. I suppose I can give them a free pass on the Saw-esque episode, because, thematically, it was more about Oliver overcoming his demons than the Green Arrow once again becoming a superhero, but I’m still disappointed that, in the future episodes, we saw Oliver fighting the Kandorians instead of the Green Arrow. I think back to that awesome visual of Oliver aiming his arrows at the sky filled with flying Kryptonians, and it just would have looked THAT much cooler if he was wearing the hood and sunglasses. The dude’s got a pretty awesome costume – let’s take advantage of it.

http://tv.insidepulse.com/2010/01/31/smallville-episode-9-10-review/

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Royal Rumble thoughts and predictions

So tonight is the Royal Rumble, my second favorite (and sometimes most unpredictable) Pay-Per-View of the year. Before getting to my thoughts on this year's event, I encourage everybody to revisit my Top Ten Cases from last year, where I ranked my favorite ten Rumbles of all time. Since I don't think 2009's installment ranks as one of my top ten, the list is still pretty accurate. Enjoy:

http://acaseoftheblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/top-ten-cases-favorite-royal-rumbles.html

Anyway, I have to say, I really have no clue what to expect from this year's Royal Rumble. I've avoided any and all spoilers, so I can't even fathom who might win or who might fill the 5 vacant spots (although I do have some safe guesses). And aside from Undertaker/Shawn Michaels, Edge/Jericho, and Rey/CM Punk, there really haven't been too many rumored WrestleMania matches. I honestly haven't an idea of what's going to happen with the WWE Championsihp.

So I guess the "safest" prediction would be that Shawn Michaels wins the Rumble, Undertaker retains the World Heavyweight Championship, and those two are set for a Mania rematch. A riskier idea would be that Michaels fails to win the Rumble, CM Punk ends up the victor, and the World Heavyweight Championship match occurs after the Rumble match. Michaels costs Taker the gold, Punk fights Mysterio at Mania in a Title vs. Hair match, and Taker seeks out Michaels for vengeance.

Of course, there's a problem with that theory. Namely, will they REALLY give CM Punk the win? And would they dare build the WrestleMania event around him challenging Rey Mysterio? I find that hard to believe.

Then there's Triple H and John Cena. Odd that there's been no significant word on what they'll be doing for WrestleMania. Could one of them win, and challenge Orton for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania? AGAIN???? Or might they actually keep the gold with Sheamus? He's got unfinished business with Cena -- but then again, in their deluded little mind, I'm sure they see the Irishman battling Triple H as a "Dream Match" of sorts.

Alright, so I'll bite the bullet with my predictions:

Mickie James defeats Michelle McCool for the Women's Championship.
Christian retains against Jackson -- although this isn't a given. WWE may decide they have bigger plans for Christian, and don't want to "hold him down" with the ECW Championship at WrestleMania. If that's not a sad outlook on the C Brand, I don't know what is.
Undertaker retains against Rey Mysterio
Sheamus retains against Randy Orton -- although I do see him dropping the title at Elimination Chamber.
And the winner of the Royal Rumble is.... Just too tough to predict! I'll go with Michaels, since that'd be a nice, happy win.

But here are some side predictions:

Either Shawn Michaels eliminates Triple H, or Triple H eliminates Shawn Michaels.
There's always a "marathon" participant who lasts longer than everybody else. This year, I see that honor going to Kofi Kingston.
The Miz and John Morrison will be #1 and #2 (not necessarily respectively).
Possible "surprise" entrants: RVD, Edge, Jeff Hardy (is he officially under TNA contract?), Randy Orton, Tommy Dreamer, and maybe DDP?

Anyway, that's all I got. Enjoy the show, everybody! Be sure to follow me on Twitter tonight as I provide my "live" thoughts of the show.


Oh, and I need the NFC to win!

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A Case of the.... Smallville - Fall 2009 Review

While this season was hyped as “Clark’s darkest hour,” I’m glad to say that the future Superman has remained the moral center of the series. Sure, he exchanged his blue jeans and red jacket for an all black outfit — and he did for a short while distance himself from his human relationships — but if nothing else, the first nine or so episodes of the season have reminded us how different Clark is from the truly troubled characters. In Oliver’s eyes, he’s still self-righteous. As far as Chloe’s concerned, he’s unwilling to get his hands dirty. So it’s all relative, right?

So what has happened so far this season?

http://tv.insidepulse.com/2010/01/27/smallville-fall-2009-review/

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A Case of the.... Heroes - Episode 4-16

So I have to admit that I was initially going to hold off on watching Heroes until Tuesday, but I follow Greg Grunberg on Twitter and he kept posting Tweets and Re-Tweets about how incredible the episode was and my curiosity got the best of me, so I decided to plop down at midnight and watch the episode. While it wasn’t bad, I think I would have preferred the extra hour of sleep.

Now, it’s important to me that I don’t give off the false impression that I no longer enjoy this show, because I do. Yes, it can be immensely frustrating, but I still care about a lot of the characters and I’d still like for the show to succeed. So let’s start off with some of the positives.

http://tv.insidepulse.com/2010/01/26/heroes-episode-4-16-review/

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A Case of the.... 24 - Episode 8-5

During 24’s highly underrated third season, I noted how much the series has grown beyond a one person show and into a genuine ensemble drama. As an example, I noted a particular episode in which Jack spent pretty much the entire hour following somebody in his car, while the real action focused on Michelle attempting to quarantine an infected hotel (of course, the 24 would respond to this observation by gutting the entire cast, leaving Jack and Chloe as the only series regulars). This week’s episode reminded me of that, albeit to a far lesser extent. Quite fittingly, Jack was once again pretty much confined to his car, tailing somebody when most of the action revolved around another character (in this case, Renee). I do have to wonder, though: Where the hell in New York City are these characters driving, at 8:00 PM, with the roads so empty?

http://tv.insidepulse.com/2010/01/26/24-episode-8-5-review/

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The Vampire Diaries bites back!

I know we have 24 and Heroes tonight, but I thought I'd comment on another show that is back after a long hiatus -- The Vampire Diaries (which I awarded as the best new show of 2009). In case you haven't seen the episode yet (and really, what are you waiting for?), I won't put all of the details on the main page. So click the "Read More" link for the full column.

I'm a real sucker for when TV shows focus on uncommon couples, and this episode was chock full of that! In fact, the three pairs that we followed -- Elena and Damon, Stefan and Bonnie, and Jeremy and Anna -- were ones that we had never seen before, at least for an extended one-on-one basis. And each of these interactions gave us a deeper glimpse into each character, and helped lead the way for some pretty interesting revelations.

Lets start with Damon and Elena. You know that expression, "Honor amongst thieves"? I sort of get that impression from Damon. Sure, Elena isn't a thief, but their relationship works on that basis. Damon clearly wants something from Elena (or, at the very least, she serves a purpose to him), so in his own twisted way he's honest and relatively truthful with her. When he promises her that he won't use his abilities against her, he doesn't. This even goes back to when he used his mind control to erase Jeremy's memory. He didn't really have to do that. And from what we've seen since, it doesn't appear that he was particularly conniving in the way he handled the task.

And for her part, Elena showed a striking amount of trust while with Damon. Yes, a lot of it was aimed at her anger towards Stefan (not to mention the fact that she's in the middle of a legitimately dangerous place without knowing anybody else), but even so, she really let her guard down and let loose while around him. And I understood why she saved him. Like I said, she truly needs him for her own protection. But I was pretty surprised by how forgiving and concerned she was, considering that she just found out that he killed Lexi. Not a criticism, just an observation.

In a lot of ways, my favorite duo of the episode was Stefan and Bonnie. Truth be told, it was a lot of talk and inaction, but it really helped develop a close bond between two central characters. Remember that episode of Seinfeld where George and Elaine realize they've never hung out without Jerry acting as their middle man? Bonnie and Stefan have a similar relationship. Even if Elena isn't physically there with them, their relationship has always revolved around her. That wasn't the case here. When Stefan initially went to check on her, it was out of concern over the ordeal she had just experienced. And the rest of their time together revolved around Stefan helping her come to terms with what she had gone through. Further, it was nice seeing Stefan around people other than Elena, as it helps the skeptical viewer realize that he's a legitimately nice guy, and that he isn't just putting on an act to impress a girl.

While it wasn't as highlighted as the other two stories, I also enjoyed the budding relationship with Jeremy and Anna. For one, it gave us an explanation about how Jeremy can be reading all about vampires and not be saying, "Wait....what?" As far as he's concerned, vampires are an allegory for the political nonsense going on at the time. This also eased the way into Jeremy learning the truth about what's going on around him.

And of course we got some juicy revelations! We learned that Stefan and Bonnie's grandmother are old pals -- a tidbit I quite liked (come to think of it, their interaction, while brief, was awfully enjoyable as well). We also discovered that Stefan witnessed the accident that killed Elena's parents, and that he was the one who rescued her (an almost Lost-esque reveal). And, finally, we found out that Elena is adopted, and likely a descendant of Katherine. This led to a nasty little showdown between Elena and Jenna, and could actually result in a fun little role reversal, with Elena being the rebellious and bleak problem child, and Jeremy being the bright and responsible one.

If you're not watching this show -- you should be!

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Now and always, I'm with Coco

So unless you've been living under a rock (and apparently I do know at least two people who have been), you know that this past Friday was Conan O'Brien's last show as host of The Tonight Show. I made it a special point to be home to watch it, as I wanted to put my money where my mouth is, so to speak, in regards to my support for him. And I must say, it was a thoroughly enjoyable -- and surprisingly emotional -- episode. Now when I say "surprisingly emotional," I'm referring to my own experience, and not Conan's. When I watched that montage at the beginning of the show, chronicling some memorable moments over the past seven months, I got legitimately sad. I was disappointed that I wouldn't get to see more moments, and I felt badly for Conan that this reflective moment was happening, as he said, a decade before it should have.

For me, though, the highlight of the episode was Conan's final speech. To me, this perfectly expressed how graceful and gracious the man is, and it's obvious why he's garnered such support from not only fans, but the entire entertainment industry. In the end, you got the sense that Conan is a man at peace with his situation, and I can't help but think of the Montreal Screwjob. Instead of fondly looking back at the decade plus that he had spent with the company, Bret couldn't get over the unfortunate way things ended. And because of that, he carried the heavy baggage of bitterness. And it just feels like he missed out on years of his life.

I'm really glad that Conan seems to be in a better place, mentally and emotionally. I encourage you to watch the video for yourself:



I actually had the pleasure of seeing a Conan taping back when he was hosting Late Night. This was during the writer's strike, so he was on his own out there. And the guy was utterly hilarious. And when he spoke to the audience before the taping began, his quick wit was highly evident. That's why I'm not particularly worried about him losing his crowd-favorite bits. He's funny enough to make anything work. He'll be okay -- it just saddens me that he worked so hard for that proverbial throne, only for it to be taken away from him.

And now my plea, to all the celebrities out there who voiced their support for Conan. Please, PLEASE put your money where your mouth is! When the opportunity to appear on Jay Leno's Tonight Show presents itself, turn it down. Hit him where it hurts -- it's really the only way to make a point.

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Mission Accomplished!

So over at my Twitter page, I've been trying pretty shamelessly to try to get a celebrity to respond to one of my messages. And I'm not even aiming at the Toms Hankses or Jim Carreys. I've tried with Jim Gaffigan, Mickie James, Kelly Kelly, Tiffany, Sarah Hyland (Modern Family), Nina Dobrev (The Vampire Diaries), Kofi Kingston, MythBusters, Hurricane Helms, KidRobot. You get the point. And it was all fruitless. But one of my attempts FINALLY worked today -- with WWE Magazine!!! See below:

This is in my reponse for them to bring back their "Below the Belt" feature, where wrestlers give the inside scoop on their wrestling attire.

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Video: PSA on a growing epidemic!

Something needs to be done!

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A Case of the.... Heroes - Episode 4-15

So I’ll be honest, Heroes had a pretty uphill climb throughout the episode. I mean, the episode was pretty evenly split between Sylar finding himself (for the millionth time) and Hiro having delusions (literally, this time) of heroism and grandeur. Frequent readers must know by now that these are my two favorite subjects. Oh, and the Carnival too.

But it was kinda neat seeing David Anders compete with himself, appearing on both Heroes and 24.

http://tv.insidepulse.com/2010/01/19/heroes-episode-4-15-review/

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A Case of the.... 24 - Episodes 8-3 & 8-4

You know, as I wrote last night’s column I considered mentioning the clichéd scene in which the guy with information dies just as he’s about to reveal what he knows. But then I thought, “Well, he did divulge SOME information” so I decided not to nitpick. But then I thought about it more today, and I realized that, presumably, this guy knows who’s going to assassinate the visiting president. Knowing that, wouldn’t it have been much easier for him to say, “his brother” than “blah blah blah has somebody on the inside”?

Anyway, a few people have noted that the season has gotten off to a slow start. I think it’s fair to say that many of the premieres over the past few years have taken a more laid back approach. After a while, I think the series realized they have their core set of fans that are going to watch no matter what, and they don’t need to do something utterly shocking or explosive in the first episode in order to get people to watch. Personally, I’ve come to the point that I appreciate their restraint. Yes, sometimes you need to give something extraordinary, but keep in mind that the season that kicked off with the biggest bang was season six, undeniably the worst season of the show yet.

http://tv.insidepulse.com/2010/01/18/24-episodes-8-3-8-4-review/

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A Case of the.... 24 - Episodes 8-1 & 8-2

Just remember, it’s not a purse, it’s a satchel!

So this season we once again get a new setting, this time New York City. I’ve been arguing for years that the show should move to the city, which I believe is far more suitable location for the terrorist attack premise. The whole Los Angeles thing always seemed a bit off to me. In all of paranoia and terror threats since 9/11, has there any been a substantial warning against LA? What exactly would they be attacking, anyway? The Hollywood sign? Having last season take place in DC was a step in the right direction, but I think the city is the place to be.

So if last year is any indication, the season doesn’t really pick up until the end of the second night of the two day premiere, so much of my comments will be saved for tomorrow night. Nonetheless, here are my initial thoughts to the season eight premiere of 24.

http://tv.insidepulse.com/2010/01/17/24-episodes-8-1-8-2-review/

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What's that he said about giving the new guys a chance?

And doesn't the above all but confirm that the masterminds now behind TNA don't have a clue what their audience wants? I mean, how could they???

But then again, should we really be surprised? I mean, despite what he claims, Bischoff has always been about putting the spotlight on the established "old guard" rather than putting the spotlight on the relative fresh new faces that are an arm's length away from main event status.

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Lost: The Preparatory Guide to the Final Season

If my calculations are correct, the final season of Lost premieres in 17 days. That's good news for those of you who missed out on the terrific fifth season, as this provides you with the opportunity to watch one episode every day until the exhilarating season premiere!

As such, I present to you the Preparatory Guide to the Final Season of Lost!! I have conveniently provided a link to each episode (courtesy of Hulu!), as well as my initial review of the episode, in addition to the Revisited column that I posted the following week. And, as an added bonus, I've provided each episode of the entertaining Lost! Untangled as well! Soak it in, folks:

Episodes 5-1 & 5-2 – “Because You Left” & “The Lie”
WATCH: BECAUSE YOU LEFT - THE LIE
Episode Review – Revisited

Episode 5-3 – “Jughead”
WATCH THE FULL EPISODE
Episode Review – Revisited

Episode 5-4 – “The Little Prince”
WATCH THE FULL EPISODE
Episode Review – Revisited
Watch: Lost! Untangled

Episode 5-5 – “This Place is Death”
WATCH THE FULL EPISODE
Episode Review – Revisited
Watch: Lost! Untangled

Episode 5-6 – “316”
WATCH THE FULL EPISODE
Episode Review – Revisited
Watch: Lost! Untangled

Episode 5-7 – “The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham”
WATCH THE FULL EPISODE
Episode Review – Revisited
Watch: Lost! Untangled

Episode 5-8 – “LaFleur”
WATCH THE FULL EPISODE
Episode Review – Revisited: Part 1 – Part 2
Watch: Lost! Untangled

Episode 5-9 – “Namaste”
WATCH THE FULL EPISODE
Episode Review – Revisited
Watch: Lost! Untangled

Episode 5-10 – “He’s Our You”
WATCH THE FULL EPISODE
Episode Review
Watch: Lost! Untangled

Episode 5-11 – “Whatever Happened, Happened”
WATCH THE FULL EPISODE
Episode Review – Revisited
Watch: Lost! Untangled

Episode 5-12 – “Dead is Dead”
WATCH THE FULL EPISODE
Episode Review – Revisited
Watch: Lost! Untangled

Episode 5-13 – “Some Like it Hoth”
WATCH THE FULL EPISODE
Episode Review – Revisited
Watch: Lost! Untangled

Episode 5-14 – “The Variable”
WATCH THE FULL EPISODE
Episode Review – Revisited
Watch: Lost! Untangled

Episode 5-15 – “Follow the Leader”
WATCH THE FULL EPISODE
Episode Review – Revisited
Watch: Lost! Untangled

Episodes 5-16 & 5-17 – “The Incident”
WATCH: PART 1 - PART 2
Episode Review – Revisited


The final season of Lost kicks off with a three hour extravaganza on Tuesday, February 2nd at 8:00.

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I'm with CoCo!

There's another point I'd like to bring up that I failed to mention in my post yesterday. While I don't watch NBC all that often, I will say this: I don't recall ever once, this television season, seeing an advertisement for the Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. I usually see at least one Jay Leno Show ad. And for what it's worth, before the transition, I used to be bombarded with Tonight Show with Jay Leno commercials. Point being, NBC did a piss poor job of promoting their new host.

Again, I don't watch NBC all that often (but then again, who does?), but that's been my personal experience.

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A Case of the.... Heroes - Episode 4-14

I’ve said it before, and a fair argument could be made that the writers have already hammered this point home, but I really do love how HRG’s actions – no matter how despicable they may be – can always be attributed to his love for Claire. Look at all he had gone through this episode, from tracking this woman down to attaining Parkman’s assistance to infiltrating the Carnival – it was all done for Claire. And all the while, he tried to be a respectful, “normal” father by keeping his distance when she needed some space. I know a lot of people tire easily of Claire – and I’m sure HRG’s fan club has diminished somewhat – but these two will ALWAYS be the highlight of the series for me.

http://tv.insidepulse.com/2010/01/12/heroes-episode-4-14-review/

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Team Conan!

http://www.popeater.com/2010/01/11/why-were-on-team-conan-obrien/?icid=mainmaindl2link3http%3A%2F%2Fwww.popeater.com%2F2010%2F01%2F11%2Fwhy-were-on-team-conan-obrien%2F

The above link does a far better job of pointing out how unfairly Conan has been treated throughout this ordeal, and how he was really destined to fail given the circumstances. Be sure to give it a read.

Admittedly, I have ALWAYS been partial to Conan. When he was hosting Late Night, I'd constantly refer to him as the best in late night television, better than Letterman and far funnier than Leno. I couldn't wait for him to take his seat at the Tonight Show desk -- a throne he has surely earned. And it's disappointing to see how this has played out.

Leno is quick to note the absurdity of being "canceled" when he was #1 in the industry. First off, that's an extremely egotistical low blow. The show wasn't canceled, the host was replaced. And secondly, NBC was put in a position where they needed to crap or get off the pot. NBC had invested over a decade in Conan when they signed him to that infamous contract in 2004. Quite frankly, they risked losing him, and that would have been a devastating loss given the amount of time they had already devoted to grooming him for the "main event."

On top of that, it's not as if NBC said to Leno, "finish up the month, then you're out." They gave him five years to prepare for his departure. That's longer than a term as President of the United States! And by the end of his tenure, Leno had served as host of the Tonight Show for 17 years. That's hardly being shoved out the front door.

And in regards to Leno being #1, I think a fair argument could be made that this transition wouldn't have worked, at all, in any other circumstance. Sure, the ratings took a decline when Conan took over (which should be expected), but if we had simply waited until the Tonight Show's well had dried, it very well could have marked the end of the franchise.

Point being: It was time for Leno to pass the torch, and for him to stick around really hurt his replacement (for great examples of how, click the above link).

Of course, Leno doesn't deserve all of the criticism, as NBC should have stuck with their guns and solidly hitched their horse to Conan's wagon. By attempting to hold onto Leno, they did severe damage to Conan's transition as Tonight Show host. And they're literally making the same exact mistake again, except now they're going as far as to give him Conan's time slot.

At least Conan drew a line in the sand, and in his statement, he exemplified how classy, intelligent, and humorous he truly is. Give it a read:

Click here to Read Conan's full statement


Oh, and you gotta love how Conan brought up the idiocy of how they're essentially airing "The Tonight Show" what is technically "tomorrow."

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New Ani-Matted photos added!

I'm pleased to announce that I've added a new photo album to my Photobucket page. This section -- cleverly titled "Ani-Matted" (get it?!?!?) -- features some artwork that features an animated (get it?!?!?!) version of myself, whether it be a Simpsons version, South Park version, or an original drawing that I drew myself (like the image that appears on my blog banner and Twitter page). This may be updated pretty frequently, as there are a lot of promotional programs out there that allow you to make altered versions of yourself (like that new Avatar one).

Anyway, check 'em out:

http://s653.photobucket.com/albums/uu256/acaseoftheblog/Ani-Matted%20Images/

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Playing games with the Playoffs

As we approach the NFL playoffs, my office has decided to run a football pool. However, the picks are made on a round by round basis (as in, you're not completely screwed if the team you have winning the championship is eliminated in the first round). I'm a bit saddened to say I don't know a thing about the NFL (I probably couldn't name ten players), so I thought I'd have a little fun and make my picks based on completely ridiculous criteria, and seeing how I fare against experts superfans.

This round, I'm making my picks based on which mascot I think would win in a fight. So, here are my picks:

New England

Jets

Cowboys

Packers


Wish me luck!!

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