Jason Hughes
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Review: 'Heroes' - 'Brave New World' (season finale)
(S04E19) Volume Five came to a climactic end, and as with past volumes, it was both exciting and a little bit of a letdown. But also in keeping with tradition, it left the door open for exciting possibilities in Volume Six, teased at the end of the episode, despite a fifth season not being a certainty at this point.
I suspect, though, that NBC will in fact bring the show back, despite it's lackluster ratings performance. A reboot, of sorts, to the franchise could revitalize it in the same way 'Chuck' has seen ratings improve this season. Properly handled, 'Heroes' is a show that could go several seasons. "Properly handled" is the key to that phrase, and it has been mismanaged for too long.
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Review: 'Caprica' - 'Reins of a Waterfall'
(S01E03) Now begins the reign of mistrust. With the characters generally established, as well as their relationships to one another, it's time for the show to start sowing the seeds of conflict, and they get right down to it. The first thing they do is establish the Add to that the difficulties the Graystone's are dealing with now that Amanda has blurted out to all the twelve colonies that their daughter Zoe was a terrorist, and responsible for the train bombing that killed her, her boyfriend Ben and Joseph Adama's wife and daughter, among many other people. The unfair thing to Zoe is that while we know better, how can anything different be proven?
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Review: 'Community' - 'Romantic Expressionism'
(S01E15) This episode would have been great for the scene where the study group looked around the room thinking of one another sexually. Without a single word, there was so much spoken with facial expressions and eyes and turns of the head.I am glad we got more, though. Abed's 'Mystery Science Theater 3000' inspired movie nights reminded me of my own college experience. We used to do the exact same thing; it made 'Waterworld' and 'Battlefield Earth' instant classics. Unfortunately, we got into such bad habits that to this day I find myself mocking and ridiculing even good movies and TV shows.
Luckily, I'm a little quicker on the draw than Pierce. Kudos to him, though, for taking it the extra step and preparing for the next night. That's doing it 'MST3K' style, for real!
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Review: 'The Middle' - 'The Yelling'
(S01E14) I kind of like the relationship developing between Bob and Mike. When Mike threw him out of the house a few weeks back, I was actually a bit taken aback. Sure, Bob's a bit -- okay, a lot awkward, but he has a good heart and he's a decent guy. And he's good friends with Frankie.It's made the writing seem a little uneven, as there are times Mike hasn't seemed nearly as bothered by Bob as he was that day. This week, we found out for certain why Mike gets annoyed by Bob. In fact, I'll take it one step further and say that we were right there with him. Good lord, how does Frankie even handle him? Oh, that's right. She's so fixated on her own messed up life, she hardly pays any attention to him. Mike should try that.
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Review: 'Modern Family' - 'Moon Landing'
(S01E14) Sometimes I wonder if I could just write up a review of 'Modern Family' by listing all of the great quotes that come out of this show. Line for line, this has to be one of the cleverest series on television today. Even the episode title, 'Moon Landing,' recalls a great moment.The action this week was split between Jay and Cameron heading off to the gym to play racquetball, Mitchell helping Gloria with a traffic-related legal problem, and Claire's reunion with an old work colleague from before Claire became a stay-at-home mom. Minnie Driver was well cast as the friend, Valerie, but her performance was completely overshadowed by the brilliance of the episode itself.
Continue reading Review: 'Modern Family' - 'Moon Landing'
Review: 'The Biggest Loser' - 'Week Five'
(S09E05) This was the week the Blue and Yellow teams have been waiting for. After four weeks at home, working out without their trainers, both teams were back on campus to see which would be allowed the chance to return to the show. It came down to which pair had the highest percentage of weight loss.But before they got on the scales, Bob and Jillian treated them to their first -- and for one of them, their last -- "Last Chance Workout." I couldn't help but feel for the team that was going to be heading home again. Twice they'd come to the Ranch to participate in 'The Biggest Loser,' and twice they'd come up short. At least they still had the chance at that "At Home" prize.
This week also saw Alison handing out immunities like they were going out of style, as well as a two-pound penalty to the team to finish the week's challenge last. I'm a huge proponent of this element being added, as it keeps the incentive on the contestants to give it their all until the finish.
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Oprah Winfrey Setting Up 'The Nate Berkus Show'
Oprah Winfrey may be leaving syndication for her own cable network, but that doesn't mean her empire won't continue. Hot on the heels of the successful launch of 'The Dr. Oz Show,' another frequent guest of 'The Oprah Winfrey Show', Nate Berkus is getting his own show. 'The Nate Berkus Show' will spotlight interior design advice for guests, as well as general lifestyle tips and personal style.Berkus has appeared on Winfrey's show many times over the years, and even served as host for her one-season prime time venture, 'Oprah's Big Give.' He's already a bestselling author, radio host, and has his own home line on Home Shopping Network, and at Linens 'n Things.
I guess with Martha Stewart leaving syndication as well, Oprah saw an opening for home decoration and interior design. She'd already taken a bite out of the cooking genre with Rachael Ray. The question is: what's left for Oprah to conquer? Is it time to horn in on the sleazy talk shows like Jerry Springer and Maury Povich? Does she have a judge she can trot out?
Review: 'Heroes' - 'The Wall'
(S04E17) While not quite as surreal as Pink Floyd's version, 'The Wall' still offered a pretty trippy experience for Sylar and Peter. Several years and a few hours later, it didn't seem like they were going to make any progress on Peter's hare-brained scheme to bust Sylar out of his mental prison.
The rest of the episode showed us Samuel's attempts to create a permanent rift between Claire and Noah by revealing to Claire, and us, the "Secret Origin" of H.R.G. By that I don't mean the origins of the odd fashion choice Mr. Bennett has made in eyewear, but the secret past he hasn't shared with Claire, Sandra or anyone in his life.
Why do this? Because apparently, and I still don't know why, Claire is important to Samuel's plans. In that she is a "special," I agree. In any other regard, she's not that remarkable. And where he left things, it seems he just might have figured that out.
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'Secret Diary of a Call Girl' Season Three - An Early Look
Billie Piper returns in the other role that's made her famous, only this one definitely isn't for kids of all ages. UK fans caught the premiere of the third series of Piper's 'Secret Diary of a Call Girl' last Thursday, January 28 on ITV2. But this time, stateside fans won't have to wait nearly as long for their first glimpse, as Showtime's season premiere is tonight, Monday, February 1, 2010 at 10 PM ET.The network was kind enough to send along all eight episodes of the third season for me to look at, and I have to give credit in two areas right off the top. After spending much of last season trying to have a normal romance, Belle wrapped things up by publishing 'The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl,' ironically the very book the television series is based on.
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Spike TV Letting 'Scrappers' and 'Half Pint Brawlers' Loose on the Network
Little people are the next big thing on television, apparently. 'Little People, Big World' has been recently joined by 'The Little Couple,' 'Little Chocolatiers' and 'Pit Boss.' Now, Spike TV is getting in on the action, quite literally, by greenlighting a six-episode series about a troupe of traveling little person wrestlers.The network has ordered ten episodes of 'Scrappers,' which follows a group of scrap-metal workers as they root around in Brooklyn looking for the best crap. So tell me, how does a show about people scrapping metal score more episodes than a series about the Half Pint Brawlers, a group of little people wrestlers led by Puppet "The Psycho Dwarf."
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Henry Louis Gates, Jr. on 'Faces of America' and the Beer Summit
Six Reasons Why '24' Has Jumped the You-Know-What
The Super Bowl Commercials: The Best
