TVSquad

The Wire actor Clark Johnson is going to direct a short film about "masculinity and youth" written by nine New York City students. The film, called Misunderstood, was written by students of the High School of Graphic Communication Arts who won a contest held by Scenarios USA. The group of students consists of juniors and seniors, seven girls and two boys. Clark Johnson was on the committee that chose the winner of the contest. He will begin filming this month with a volunteer crew. Misunderstood is going to premiere this winter and will be "distributed to high schools and community groups across the country, streamed on the Internet and air on TV." However, the article did not include what channel(s) would be airing the short film.

Johnson, who played Gus Haynes on The Wire, directed 2006's The Sentinel. His other directing credits include episodes of FX's The Sheild, one episode of The West Wing, and one episode of NYPD Blue among others.

Quick, what do the following TV shows have in common: The Dick Van Dyke Show, Twilight Zone, The Andy Griffith Show, M*A*S*H, Mystery Science Theater 3000, and The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson?

Answer: they're not on Empire Magazine's list of the 50 best greatest TV shows of all-time. Let the arguments begin!

I remember seeing a promo for Generation Kill very briefly after the series finale of The Wire, but at the time I didn't think much of it. Which is crazy, really, because the promo clearly states that it's a new mini-series from the creators of The Wire. I should have been psyched but for whatever reason, I sort of just forgot about it. It's not like it's new or anything. David Simon and Ed Burns have been signed on to the project since Februrary of 2007. With the July air-date approaching, I would imagine they've been working on it since The Wire wrapped back in September. I feel like we've heard nothing about it though. Then last week I was in a Barnes & Noble and I saw the book (same title) that the seven part mini-series is based on. I bought it and read it in about 2 days cover to cover. Holy crap was it good.

They've done the right thing at CBS in casting -- at least it seems right. Brooklyn native Rosie Perez will play Lorna, Geena Davis' cop partner on the force in Exit 19. I say it's the right thing, and good casting, because Lorna is supposed to be a Brooklyn girl. You can't get more authentic than Rosie Perez. She's a New Yorker through and through. In Exit 19, with Geena cast as a cop who works in the city while raising two kids in Long Island, the work atmosphere will likely seem a lot more realistic with Perez as her partner. If they can muster up the chemistry of a Cagney & Lacey, they'll be well on their way to a success. Of course, with Rosie all of five feet, one and a half inches and Geena a statuesque six feet, they're going to look like Mutt and Jeff.

Right on the heels of The Wire 's brilliant series finale, HBO and Warner Home Video have announced the release of the fifth and final season on DVD. According to TV Shows on DVD, the set will be released on August 12th. Set to cost $59.99 (you know it'll be cheaper at Amazon), the four disc compilation will also include the two mini-docs that accompanied this season: Odyssey and The Last Word. As with past Wire DVD sets, there will also be a handful of audio commentaries.

That's really all there is to it. Past DVD sets for this show have always been lacking in the bonus features department, but I have to say that I'm surprised there's no mention of the superb prequels that were made before this season premiered. Also missing? The announcement of any sort of "complete" DVD set. Despite the fact that I own seasons 1 through 4 already, I'd still be willing to buy a complete series set with the hope that it would include at least a few additional extras.

It should also be noted that the box art shown at right is only temporary. However, it seems to correspond with the promotional art for season five, so I'd be surprised if it actually changed at all.

Here's another reason to love The Wire. David Simon, the show's executive producer and creator, actually took the time to pen a heartfelt thank you note to all the fans of the recently departed HBO series. The Wire's final episode aired this past Sunday night.

In the lengthy letter, Simon expresses his gratitude to fans for giving such a complicated and layered show a shot, especially considering the way it changed from season to season. He goes on to issue a challenge to all those fans. If there was one thing to be learned from The Wire, it's that there are far too many important issues flying under the radar. Simon writes, "The Wire is about the America we pay for and tolerate. Perhaps it is possible to pay for, and demand, something more." I couldn't agree more.

Despite the cult following the show developed, it never really captured the masses in terms of ratings. If a letter like that doesn't convince you to go back and take a look at The Wire, I'm not sure what will.

(S05E10) "...the life of kings." - H.L. Mencken

History repeats itself. Just like Daniels said, what's the point if one generation is too busy training the next how not to do the job? More than anything, that was the biggest message that came across in the series finale of The Wire. But there was one more too. You always hear the saying "if it ain't broke don't fix it," but over the course of five seasons and sixty episodes of The Wire, David Simon systematically explained why things that are broken don't seem to get fixed either. And now it's over.

(S05E09) "Deserve got nuthin' to do with it." - Snoop

One down and one to go. The penultimate episode. Talk about depressing. After next Sunday, there won't be any more new episodes of The Wire. I don't think I've been this bummed out about a show ending since Six Feet Under went off the air and let's be honest -- The Wire is way better than Six Feet Under, or anything else... ever. With the finale so close, this episode set a lot of stuff up as you'd expect. Everything that's been percolating all season started to boil over and now all that's left to find out is who gets burned and who doesn't. Quoting Stringer Bell's last words, "get on with it motherf*ckers!"

• At 7, CBS has a new 60 Minutes, then a new Big Brother.
• ABC has a new America's Funniest Home Videos at 7, then a new Extreme Makeover, the series premiere of Oprah's Big Give, and a new Here Come The Newlyweds.
• NBC has a new, two hour Dateline at 7, followed by a new Deal Or No Deal.
• At 8, FOX has a new Simpsons, then new episodes of King of the Hill and Family Guy, and then the series premiere of Unhitched.
• The CW has a new Everybody Hates Chris at 8, followed by a new Aliens in America.
• There's a new Challenge on Food Network at 8, then new episodes of Ultimate Recipe Showdown and Iron Chef America.
• At 9, Lifetime has the new movie The Perfect Assistant.
• HBO has a new episode of The Wire at 9, then a new Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam.
• Showtime has a new L Word at 9.
• Sundance has a new Shameless at 9.
• At 10, CBS has an episode of Dexter.
• AMC has a new Breaking Bad at 10.
• Also at 10: FX has the season premiere of Dirt.
• At 11:45, Cartoon Network has a new Aqua Teen Hunger Force, followed by new episodes of Squidbillies and Frisky Dingo.

Check your local TV listings for more.

(S05E08) "A lie ain't a side of a story. It's just a lie." - Terry Hanning

Rest in peace Omar Little. Wow. Honestly, that's all I really want to talk about. So let's get everything else out of the way first. I'll come back to Omar. Where to start then? How about my weekly rant on Scott Templeton? When I first saw that quote at the head of the episode, I was wondering who the hell Terry Hanning was. I figured he must hold some weight if his quote was the one selected to grace the episode though. Then we saw him. The military vet that Scott "interviewed" under the bridge the day he went slumming with the homeless. I've been waiting all season for a moment like this.

• At 7, CBS has a new 60 Minutes, then a new Big Brother.
• ABC has the Barbara Walters Special at 7, followed by The Oscars.
• The CW has a new CW Now at 7.
• At 9, PBS has a new Masterpiece.
• Food Network has a new Ultimate Recipe Showdown at 9, then a new Iron Chef America.
• HBO has a new episode of The Wire at 9, then a new Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam.
• Showtime has a new L Word at 9.
• Also at 9: VH-1 has a new Rock of Love with Bret Michaels, followed by new episodes of Scott Baio is 46...and Pregnant and My Fair Brady.
• At 11:45, Cartoon Network has a new Aqua Teen Hunger Force, then a new Squidbillies.
• At midnight (or whenever the post-Oscars news is over), there's a new Jimmy Kimmel Live, with Ben Affleck, Jon Stewart, and Mary J. Blige.

Check your local TV listings for more.

What's happening on other blogs via the interweb.

• Bill O'Reilly goes on Jay Leno and talks about David Letterman.
• A Q & A with David Simon, creator of The Wire.
• Do you remember Supertrain?
• The standup of Daily Show correspondent John Oliver.
• Women's Murder Club is returning.
• A George Clooney episode of The Facts of Life, in 5 minutes.
• TV writer Earl Pomerantz (Becker, Cheers, Taxi, Mary Tyler Moore, etc) now has a blog.
• Watching The Oscars on ABC tonight? Here's a complete guide.

(S05E07) "They don't teach it in law school." - Pearlman

McNulty finally got his wish. After weeks of lies, Carcetti caved to the potential implications of a serial killer running amuck. For a man with aspirations to run for governor of Maryland, that can't happen. So Jimmy's case finally became a true red ball and the floodgates opened. Not even McNulty could have expected the insanity that came along with the department's complete cooperation. As it stands right now, McNulty can have anything or anyone he wants. While he and Lester had been feverishly awaiting this moment, it quickly turned into exactly what they didn't need.

(S05E06) "If you have a problem with this, I understand completely." - Freamon

I thought the theme of this season was supposed to be newspapers and the media? Maybe it's just me, but more than any other season of The Wire, this one seems to be focusing the least on its stated theme. Other than the steady story of Scott "worst journalist ever" Templeton, we really don't see The Sun as much as I'd like. I love Gus Haynes. He's a great character and I hope that the final four episodes take a little more time to dig deeper into his role.

That being said, I realize this is the final season and I'm hugely appreciative that any and all plots (new and old) are being addressed. Most shows don't take the time to wrap everything up properly. Remember the final season of Alias? What a mess. I just think things could be a bit more evenly balanced.

• At 7, CBS has a new 60 Minutes, then The Grammy Awards.
• ABC has a new America's Funniest Home Videos, then new episodes of Extreme Makeover and Brothers and Sisters.
• There's a new CW Now on The CW at 7.
• At 8, PBS has a new Nature, then a new Masterpiece.
• Food Network has a new Challenge at 8, then new episodes of Iron Chef America and Throwdown with Bobby Flay.
• At 8:30, FOX has a new King of the Hill.
• At 9, HBO has a new episode of The Wire, then a new Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam.
• Showtime has a new L Word at 9.
• At 10, AMC has a new Breaking Bad.

Check your local TV listings for more.