A Case of the.... Heroes - Episode 4-3

I forgot to mention this last week, but somebody should really inform Peter that there are plenty of Legal Seafood chains in New Jersey. So instead of needlessly running over two hundred miles, he really could have just taken a scenic twenty minute drive. But hey, who am I to judge?

I seem to remember saying this last season, but by the end of the year the method was a distant memory, but I do appreciate the fact that the writers are not forcing every single character to be in every single episode. For example, this week we didn’t see Hiro, Ando, Nathan, or Tracy, who all played a pretty significant role in the premiere. Likewise, we’re yet to see Mohinder (and thank goodness for that!) This episode was about three things: Claire’s growth and HRG’s acceptance of that independence, Parkman’s descent, and the manipulation of Peter. The characters that didn’t fit into that story simply didn’t appear. And that’s how it should be.

http://tv.insidepulse.com/2009/09/30/heroes-episode-4-2-review/

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TV shows and some other stuff

My Heroes review will likely be posted sometime tomorrow, but I thought I'd take this opportunity to discuss some of the other shows I watch. But before I get to that, I'd like to thank my good friend Neal over at Oblivious to Melody (and he actually deserves the shout out this time -- he updated his blog!) for taking advantage of the Proposition 9/28...er...proposition. Indeed, the big guy purchased me a Simpsons Kidrobot figure and I ended up getting somebody I don't already have -- Marge!! Very appreciated, my friend.

Now, to some of the shows I don't formally review. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten around to watching last week's Vampire Diaries yet, but only because last I checked it hasn't been added to the CW website yet. I also intend to watch Flash Forward, but I haven't gotten around to that either. Actually, I was out Thursday for a work event, and it struck me at that point that I have A LOT of shows to watch that night. The Office, Vampire Diaries, Flash Forward, and Survivor. That's pretty intense. But now onto the shows I have had the chance to watch.

Melrose Place - I've really enjoyed the season thus far, and I think the use of flashbacks have been very clever. It's like a combination between Lost and early Desperate Housewives. Don't get me wrong, it's still a soap opera, and the writing is no where near the level of Lost, but it's been an enjoyable show thus far. Nonetheless, I was HIGHLY disappointed by the explanation provided for Sydney's faked death. When it was announced that her death had been faked, and that Michael had somehow assisted her, I was deeply intrigued. But the story they told was completely thrown together and utterly lazy. Like, I almost found it offensive.

Anybody who was a fan of the early season likely recalls that (a) Michael's cartoonish hair looked nothing like that at any point in the season of the original series. Actually, it was pretty similar to the 'do he sports now, (b) Michael wasn't even in the hospital the night Sydney died -- if I remember right, he was getting thrown through a window by Peter, (c) at the time of Sydney's "death," she and Michael barely interacted any more. At that point, they were no where near close enough that Michael would risk his livelihood for her. Hell, even when they were close he barely liked her, (d) Sydney's death had nothing to do with any hit whatsoever. And it certainly had nothing to do with her husband.

Additionally, for the life of me, I didn't understand the whole deal with her going to jail. Was she caught and sent to jail? Or did she go to jail in place of her dying? I don't know. It was just really disappointing, as THIS backstory was the one I was looking most forward to. It just seems wrong that it was revealed in the third episode in such a lackluster manner.

Oh, and the actor who portrays Jonah really fell ass backwards into a sweet deal, having the two hottest girls on the show fighting over him.

The Cleveland Show - I'm still willing to give this show a chance, but man, that was a pretty rough pilot in my opinion. I'm a MASSIVE fan of Family Guy, and American Dad has grown on me more than I ever imagined it would, so I obviously appreciate of this brand of humor. But the show seemed like it was trying entirely too hard -- and it wasn't very funny. And it was one of those odd situations where the writers say, "Hey, this character is strong enough to carry his own series. Let's change everything about him." The reason I'm willing to give it a shot, though, is because it doesn't compete with any other show I watch. And Family Guy and American Dad have both improved by leaps and bounds since their debut.

Family Guy - Like I said, huge fan of the show, and I found the premiere absolutely brilliant. I sometimes feel like the writers resort to the old "Stewie and Brian hijinx" routine a bit too often, but this was spot on. I positively LOVED the Disney universe (awesome animation, by the way). And the tongue-in-cheek shots at Robot Chicken are always fun.

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A Case of the.... Smallville - Episode 9-1

So Smallville has returned for its ninth season (hard to believe, isn’t it?) In a lot of ways, this series is barely recognizable when compared to when it first premiered, with Lex, Lana, Lionel, Jonathan, Martha, and Pete having all been written off. Even classic characters like Kara and Jimmy, who dropped by for a cup of coffee, are no longer on the show.

Not that this is a criticism. Actually, I think trimming down the cast and limiting it, to the most part, with characters that are essential to the Superman mythology is what the series needs at this point. I do wish Lex were still on, but if this season is destined to focus on Clark’s love for Lois and his ability to fly, there will be no complaints from me.

http://tv.insidepulse.com/2009/09/28/smallville-episode-9-1-review/

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[a case of the summer] - Video of the Week - Season Finale

Better late than never, right?

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Proposition 9/28

I know Wednesdays are typically the "Video of the Week" day, but the season finale I have filmed is over the allotted 10 minute mark, so I'm going to need a bit more time to trim it down. But expect it before the end of the week.

Anyway, in case people here haven't been watching my videos, let me reiterate a birthday idea I have. As many of you know, I collect the Kidrobot Futurama and Simpsons figurines. The ones I already own are shown above. Anyway, these figures come in "blind boxes," which means that you don't know which character you're getting when you make the purchase (each character has different odds).

My proposition is simple: If you'd like to get me a gift for my birthday (the 28th of this month), why not spend $8 or $9 on one of these items? The Futurama ones are $9, and the Simpsons ones are $8. And here's the kicker -- if I already own the character you bought me, I'll give you the option of keeping it! And if you don't want it, I'll find somebody else who does! So, potentially, you're really just buying yourself a gift.

For what it's worth, I'd really like to get the Robot Devil, Zoidberg, Mr. Burns, and Duff Man.

These items can be found at Urban Outfitters, MetroPark, or just order them from the Kidrobot website:

http://www.kidrobot.com/category.cfm/kidrobot/toys-minifigures

E-mail me if you need mailing address information. Just consider it -- it's a relatively small investment.

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A Case of the.... Heroes - Episodes 4-1 & 4-2

Long-time readers will know that I’ve been a very loyal Heroes apologist. While everybody else has gone on and on about how the show is in critical condition and on the verge of cancelation, I’ve rightly noted that it’s still one of the highest rated shows on NBC (the network in, what, fourth place?) and brings in the most alluring demographics (which means money). Yet I have to admit that I’ve been majorly frustrated with the previews I’ve read for the fourth season. Nearly every single one has a cast member acknowledging that season three was a bit shaky, but that things are really going to pick up this season, with the heroes attempting to live normal lives. I feel like I read the EXACT same thing last season. And if last season failed to reach expectations – as the actors seem to acknowledge – then what assurances should I have for this upcoming season?

And truth be told, I didn’t even mind last season. I thought it was a HUGE improvement over season two, particularly the “Fugitives” arc. Part of me wishes the actors and producers would take the Matthew Fox/Lost approach, and basically just say, “No, the critics are wrong. The show is still great. You’ll see.” And he was right. A lot of fans argued that the third season of Lost was weak – I don’t agree – but ultimately, I believe, those same fans would agree that it paid off in the grand scheme of things.

There’s owning up to things and there’s taking ownership. Last year those involved with Heroes rightly owned up to the previous season’s weaknesses. This year I would have preferred they taken ownership of what was an adequate and acceptable season. Did they capture that same magic we saw in season one? No – but they never will. So they shouldn’t even try. Using Lost as an example again, the writers aren’t trying to recreate the first season (time travel comments aside), they’re instead progressing the story. And that’s why I was partially disappointed to read that these characters are “going back” to living normal lives. I don’t want them to “go back” to anything. I want them to move forward – the one thing the show has constantly struggled to do.

Nonetheless, I have come into this premiere with a positive attitude. Admittedly, I am more skeptical than I once was. My greatest hope is that the writers will show some restraint, and the real, for me, will be whether Sylar appears. And if he does, in what capacity. Last season, I made the bold suggestion that they wait until the finale before we see him emerge from Nathan’s persona. I doubt that’ll happen, but I’m curious to see what sort of self-control they show.

Click the link below for the full column:

http://tv.insidepulse.com/2009/09/22/heroes-episode-4-1-4-2-review/


**Please note that "PrimeTimePulse" is now "Inside Pulse TV." For simplicity sake, I will continue to refer to the site as PrimeTimePulse in the "labels" section.**

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[a case of the summer] - The Final Pet Peeves

This being the final edition of Pet Peeves, I figured I'd just list the rest of the annoyances I had saved. But don't worry, I'm sure this doesn't even crack the surface of what gets under my skin. Also, check back later tonight/sometime tomorrow for my Heroes premiere recap!

1. Reading other people's handwriting.

2. When people say "no pun intended" when it was clearly intended.

3. The fact that CBS.com puts the link for the Survivor "Final Words" video -- effectively revealing who was voted off -- before the link the episode itself.

4. When you order a fruit smoothie believing that it will be blended with fresh fruit, only to see them whip out a pre-mixed formula.

5. People who get personally offended when you change lanes to pass them. I just consider you a slow driver, I'm not banging your wife or anything.

6. When television shows awkwardly integrate Facebook and Twitter into dialogue in a blatant attempt to sound hip and trendy.

We also have two from our friend Neal. For what it's worth, I'm pretty sure I'm guilty of the second offense:

7. Anything that has to do with Harry Potter.

8. When people pronounce the word template like tem-PLATE instead of tem-PLIT.

And our final one is from Frank:

9. People who don't use turn signals and then get mad that you didn't let them in.

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[a case of the summer] - The Final Brief Case - Less brief than ever!

As this is the final edition of the Brief Case, I'm not going to give the back story on one briefcase photo. Oh no, what would be so special about that? You'll be getting FIVE backstories!

Photo location: Super Shop

How's this for a fun fact? The establishment in which I took this photograph is no longer in business. I used to go to this mart for coffee, and last winter while there I noticed this giant Slush Puppy inflatable advertisement. It was just sitting there. Not quite in the trash, but clearly intended to be trash. So what did I do? I snapped this photograph. And I may have taken the Slush Puppy home. But I'm not quite ready to admit that yet.

But I do love the contrast with the white snow, with the bright blue and red Slush Puppy.

Photo location: The Palisades

In northern Bergen County, where I live and grew up, there's a great view of New York City from the Palisades. I decided to take advantage of this great scenery, and snapped a shot of the Case of the Blog briefcase with the epic George Washington Bridge in the background. In addition to being a legitimately nice photo, I also like this one because of it's connection to my personal life. And plus NYC is quite the hotspot of the entertainment industry.

Photo location: Chatham, NJ

On my way back to work from grabbing lunch in Chatham one day, I noticed this really cool looking mailbox. It's real neat -- it's built to resemble a tractor. So obviously, I ran back to my car and grabbed the briefcase for this unique photo opportunity. I did have the good sense of removing the family name before sending it to print. Perhaps the owner is reading this right now.

Photo location: Palisades Center Mall

At the Palisades Center Mall in Nyack, NY, they have a crapload of coin operated rides. One of which is a Spider-Man car. One night I was meeting a bunch of friends at one of the Buffalo Wild Wings, and I realized that all of the clothing stores were closed, leaving the mall virtually empty. I decided to take advantage of this rare opportunity where I could roam the mall without any people being around. So I brought my briefcase and looked for fun photo ops. This was one of the ones I went with (why Spider Man has to drive, I haven't the faintest idea). I just wish the briefcase fit the seat a little better.

Photo location: Hackensack, NJ

Every morning when I head to work, I pass by a liquor store in Hackensack. One day I noticed that they have this copper statue sitting on a bench right by the entrance. I haven't a clue who it's of or how long he's been there -- but one day I just noticed it. I became determined to photograph the briefcase with him, and figured that the morning was the best time to do it (again, because there wouldn't be anybody around). I do remember it being absolutely freezing that day. I think it was in the midst of a snow storm.

For what it's worth, I attempted to do some research online to find out the significance of the statue, but came up with nothing. Of course, I did take a photo with him months later, though (as he prepared for St. Patrick's Day):

View all of the Briefcase Photos

View Briefcase Photo Outtakes

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Did I really just see that?

So I'm driving around my neighborhood -- which is extremely residential -- and what do I see as I am heading down a typically busy street? A mailman essentially trapped in his truck as a giant turkey (!!!!!) roams around trying to get in. What? I had to pull over just to make sure I was actually witnessing this.

Figures, the one time I don't have my camera on me.

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[a case of the summer] - Video of the Week

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