After three episodes, I can say with confidence that Friday Night Lights -- currently showing on DirecTV before a mid-season run on NBC -- is out of the sophomore slump it seemed to suffer last season. The "Tim gets religion, Landry and Tyra murder mayhem and Jason goes to Mexico" antics are definitely in the rear view mirror and the quality drama is back on the front burner.
What makes Friday Night Lights work so well is that the conflicts are real and more often than not relevant and relatable. The questions are good vs. bad, right vs. wrong...the questions are posed as choices. Nothing is black and white. Buddy Garrity wants all the best for Dillon High. He's not a bad guy. His goal for the school this year is a big, beautiful Jumbotron scoreboard. That's a good thing, right?
"Cruel Intentions": President Bush doesn't want us to think that our government tortures, but he's not doing a particularly good job. Jon wasn't kidding when he said that he wanted to turn back the clock. "O-tay"? Seriously? I suppose Buckwheat references are coming back into style.
Senior Interrogation Analyst John Oliver stopped by to elaborate and make the distinction between some very important words. That giddy applause when Oliver popped on-screen was well-deserved. He hasn't gone wrong in a long time (if ever). Oh, and what was up with all the grammar jokes at the top of the show?
This week, the First Criminal Court in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico dismissed charges against Duane "Dog" Chapman, who was arrested in 2003 on charges of illegal detention after capturing Max Factor heir Andrew Luster. The arrest eventually led to the A&E series Dog the Bounty Hunter.
Last September,Mexican authorities requested Chapman, his son Leland and his work partner Tim Chapman (no relation) be extradited to Mexico to face charges of leaving the country instead of staying for their court date. Chapman has said in interviews that they left the country on the advice of their legal counsel.
(S02E22) Continuing on his quest to become a real adult, Earl goes and finds himself a job. And of course Randy gets a job at the same retail establishment because, well... he's Randy.
This episode was also the very special "laugh n sniff" episode. If you shelled out a couple of bucks for this week's TV Guide, you could pick up a card with 6 different odors. Rub the numbered odor when a number pops up during the episode, and you'll get a bit of extra-sensory Earl. Turns out all the odors smelled a bit like paper and a bit like something else, be it junk food or cologne.
Duane Chapman, known as Dog the Bounty Hunter and star of his own show on A&E, is probably going to be extradited to Mexico to face criminal charges of kidnapping.
He'll face charges of "deprivation of liberty" in Mexico for his 2003 capture of Max Factor heir Andrew Luster, who fled America after being convicted of 86 counts of rape. When Dog got him, Mexican authorities arrested Dog for kidnapping and returned Luster to the U.S. themselves. Chapman was released on $300,000 bail. He could spend up to four years in a Mexican prison if convicted. Although, it's hard to imagine how anybody could send a guy to prison for trying to return a serial rapist to America for justice. When Mexican authorities raided Luster's hotel room, they found his date-rape drug of choice, GHB, and plans to get revenge on those who testified against him.
By the way, it's this Luster case that got Dog so much attention in the first place and led to his reality show on A&E.
(S02E10) I'm always a little wary when a half-hour sitcom decides to extend itself to a "special" one-hour edition. In many instances, the producers and writers want to introduce a new storyline or bring an existing one to some sort of conclusion. In many instances, these extended episodes turn out to be very disappointing. Not this time.
The Mexican federal government has halted their case against Duane "Dog" Chapman until more evidence and witness testimonies can be collected. Chapman, star of the popular A&E series Dog the Bounty Hunter, was arrested by Mexican authorities in 2003 after apprehending Max Factor heir Andrew Luster, who was later convicted of rape and sentenced to prison. Bounty hunting is illegal in Mexico, but after posting bail Dog headed back to the US with his son Leland and his work partner Tim Chapman on the advice of Dog's lawyer in Mexico, who told the bounty hunter it wasn't necessary to return for a scheduled court hearing. That decision came back to haunt them, however, when federal agents arrested the three men back in September. Since then, they've been awaiting an extradition hearing to determine whether they'll be sent back to Mexico to face charges. Fans of the series, as well as some members of congress, have rallied around the famed bounty hunter. Dog has been under house arrest, but a judge recently allowed his monitoring bracelet to be removed.
While Duane "Dog" Chapman awaits trial to decide if he'll be tried in Mexico after his recentarrest for illegal detention of convicted rapist and Max Factor heir Andrew Luster, twenty-nine members of Congress have asked Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to deny the Mexican government's extradition request to have Chapman sent there for trial. Chapman, along with his son Leland and partner Tim Chapman, were arrested by Mexican authorities for illegal detention after capturing Luster in 2003. The three posted bail but never returned for their court date. Bounty hunting is illegal in Mexico, and Chapman refused to relinquish Luster to the Mexican authorities. Plans to have Chapman extradited to Mexico were put in motion only a few days before the statute of limitations was set to expire.
If you're a fan of bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman and want to stay current about what's been going on with him since his capture last month, A&E has a page on their site where Dog's wife Beth gives fans quick video updates on how Dog is doing, as well as his son Leland and his brother Tim, who were also arrested in connection with the arrest of convicted rapist Andrew Luster in Mexico. I've been trying to follow this since it happened, and not much new news has developed in the last few weeks. Beth's updates reflect this, and she mostly just talks about how everyone is doing emotionally. In that respect, I can only recommend this to those who are diehard fans of the series. People looking for the cold, hard facts aren't going to learn much, at least not at this time.
This evening at 10 pm A&E is airing a one-hour special titled Dog: The Family Speaks. The special will feature exclusive interviews with family members about the recent arrest of Duane "Dog" Chapman, his son Leland and his partner Tim Chapman connected to their arrest of convicted rapist and Max Factor heir Andrew Luster three years ago. Chapman was charged with illegal detention in Mexico after Luster's capture but never returned for his court date after posting bail. US Marshals took the men into custody on Thursday, and currently all three of the men are out on bail and awaiting an extradition hearing to decide if they'll be sent to trial in Mexico.
Bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman, who was arrested in 2003 on charges of illegal detention after his 2003 capture of Max Factor heir Andrew Luster that eventually led to the A&E series Dog the Bounty Hunter has been released from federal prison along with his son Leland and his partner Tim after posting bail (Dog's bail was $300,000 whereas Tim and Leland's was $100,000 each). The three have had charges pending against them for posting bail but never returning for their court date. A judge has ordered the men to wear monitoring bracelets, not to possess any firearms and to remain in Hawaii until they return to court for extradition hearings which will determine whether they'll go to trial in Mexico. If convicted, Chapman could face six months to four years in prison.
A crowd of supporters gathered at the court house, and A&E filmed the event for the next season of the TV show.
(S02E01) The question of whether or not to allow illegal immigrants to remain in this country and eventually become citizens of the United States is a hotly debated issue. Passions run deep on both sides of the coin, and those positions seem to be deeply held and mostly inflexible.
The premiere episode of the second season of 30 Days, produced by Morgan Spurlock (of Super Size Me fame), focuses on the issue of illegal immigration by having Frank George, a member of the Minuteman vigilante group that voluntarily patrols the United States/Mexico border, live with a family of illegals for a period of 30 days in order to understand their situation.
As we all know, Cinco de Mayo is that special day when people everywhere ask
their Mexican friends what the hell "Cinco de Mayo" is, to which the answer is always, "Why are you
asking me? I'm Puerto Rican." Anyway, I thought today was as good a day as any to honor our favorite
"Mexican" cartoon characters. You know, as much as a cartoon character can have a nationality, since cartoon
logic dictates that any character drawn with a sombrero on their head automatically becomes Mexican. Anyway, here's my
shout out to those zany, albeit sometimes stereotypical, animated creatures who gave us a taste of what life was
like south of the cartoon border. What, you may ask, does any of this have to do with Mexican forces defeating the
French army in 1862? Absolutely nothing.
There are 33 versions of
the American Idol-style singing competition around the world, in 33 different countries. But, the
Idol franchise is about to launch into new territory. Instead of just one country, it will launch Latin
American Idol, covering an entire region. It will host auditions in four countries and is open to contestants from
Mexico and Central and South America. Except Brazil, which has its own version that launches April 5th.That's an awfully
large region to choose from and I imagine it has some smokin' hot talent.
After three episodes, I can say with confidence that Friday Night Lights -- currently showing on DirecTV before a mid-season run on NBC -- is out of the sophomore slump it seemed to suffer last season. The "Tim gets religion, Landry and Tyra murder mayhem and Jason goes to Mexico" antics are definitely in the rear view mirror and the quality drama is back on the front burner.
"
This week, the First Criminal Court in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico 
(S02E22) Continuing on 
Duane Chapman, known as Dog the Bounty Hunter and star of his own show on A&E, is probably going to be extradited to Mexico to face criminal charges of kidnapping.
(S02E10) I'm always a little wary when a half-hour sitcom decides to extend itself to a "special" one-hour edition. In many instances, the producers and writers want to introduce a new storyline or bring an existing one to some sort of conclusion. In many instances, these extended episodes turn out to be very disappointing. Not this time.
The Mexican federal government has halted their case against Duane "Dog" Chapman until more evidence and witness testimonies can be collected. Chapman, star of the popular A&E series Dog the Bounty Hunter, was arrested by Mexican authorities in 2003 after apprehending Max Factor heir Andrew Luster, who was later convicted of rape and sentenced to prison. Bounty hunting is illegal in Mexico, but after posting bail Dog headed back to the US with his son Leland and his work partner Tim Chapman on the advice of Dog's lawyer in Mexico, who told the bounty hunter it wasn't necessary to return for a scheduled court hearing. That decision came back to haunt them, however, when federal agents arrested the three men back in September. Since then, they've been awaiting an 
While Duane "Dog" Chapman awaits trial to decide if he'll be tried in Mexico after his 
If you're a fan of bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman and want to stay current about what's been going on with him since his 
This evening at 10 pm A&E is airing a one-hour special titled Dog: The Family Speaks. The special will feature exclusive interviews with family members about the 
Bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman, who was 
(S02E01) The question of whether or not to allow illegal immigrants to remain in this country and eventually become citizens of the United States is a hotly debated issue. Passions run deep on both sides of the coin, and those positions seem to be deeply held and mostly inflexible.
As we all know, Cinco de Mayo is that special day when people everywhere ask
their Mexican friends what the hell "Cinco de Mayo" is, to which the answer is always, "Why are you
asking me? I'm Puerto Rican." Anyway, I thought today was as good a day as any to honor our favorite
"Mexican" cartoon characters. You know, as much as a cartoon character can have a nationality, since cartoon
logic dictates that any character drawn with a sombrero on their head automatically becomes Mexican. Anyway, here's my
shout out to those zany, albeit sometimes stereotypical, animated creatures who gave us a taste of what life was
like south of the cartoon border. What, you may ask, does any of this have to do with Mexican forces defeating the
French army in 1862? Absolutely nothing.
There are 33 versions of
the American Idol-style singing competition around the world, in 33 different countries. But, the
Idol franchise is about to launch into new territory. Instead of just one country, it will launch Latin
American Idol, covering an entire region. It will host auditions in four countries and is open to contestants from
Mexico and Central and South America. Except Brazil, which has its own version that launches April 5th.That's an awfully
large region to choose from and I imagine it has some smokin' hot talent.
The TV Squad Podcast: Vik Sahay of Chuck, Oprah talk, brutal timeslots, and more!
TV Squad Ten: Top Ten ESPN shows from worst to first
Andy Richter: The TV Squad Interview
