Pop Culture Curmudgeon

Pop Culture Roundup, May 27

ABC called the Lost finale the TV event of the decade, and the interwebs certainly support that assertion. I did strive to include stories about things other than Lost this week, though.

Lost Recaps/Reactions
Other TV Stories
Supernatural

Lost Recaps/Reactions

Let’s Talk Lost: The Series Finale
Viewer comments on the series finale. It seems like a lot of people think they all died in the plane crash. I think they all died at different times, as we saw in the show, then their spirits found each other in the sideways world. And, yes, that means I believe everything that happened on the island was real. I mean, Christian said something about how “now” doesn’t matter here and that some died before Jack and some died after. What do you think happened?

Lost: The End Finally Arrives in the Series Finale
Ryan’s last Zap2It recap. He shares his reactions more than a scene-by-scene recap of the episode, and his insights are always great fun to read. I will miss Ryan’s recaps almost as much as I miss the show. He reminds me of, well, me when I used to talk about Twin Peaks with my friends, both in person and online, about what we all thought the various details of the show meant. Ryan got to share his thoughts with a much wider group than I did back in 1990-91, though.

Lost: Behind the Numbers of a TV Phenomenon
A look at the economics of Lost and its ability to continue to draw viewers (and dollars) even through it highly serialized nature and increasing complexity.

‘Lost’ Exclusive: ABC Sets the Record Straight about the Series Finale’s Plane Crash Images
ABC, not the show creators, was responsible for the plane crash images at the end of Lost. They hold no meaning relevant to the finale.

Other TV Stories

SoapNet Will Go Dark to Make Way for Disney Junior
TV is our cigarettes. (Yes, I’m referring to the smoking toddler from Indonesia.) The last thing we need is more impetus for kids to sit in front of the TV more hours at a young age.

Interview: Chuck Co-creator Chris Fedak Post Mortems Season Three
What did you think of this past season of Chuck? Compare your opinions to Fedak’s.

Hilarie Burton Heads to White Collar
Finally, a former CW star who is moving in the right direction, unlike our other friends who have gone on to soap stardom, including Sheriff Lamb from Veronica Mars and a couple people from Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill.

Supernatural

Castiel & Bobby to Return in Supernatural Season Six, Plus Spoilers
It seems a little early for season 6 spoilers, but apparently here some are. Don’t click the link if, like me, you prefer to remain unspoiled.

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Pop Culture Roundup, February 11

So, my laptop spent some time in limbo these past few days, deciding whether it would die or whether it just needed a good reformat. The reformat worked, but I still need to do some work to get it to recognize that it does, indeed, have a DVD drive installed. The joy of technology!

Movie Stuff
TV Stories
Supernatural
Random 80s Flashback

Movie Stuff

Dune Film Finds a New Writer
I haven’t decided if I want to see the new Dune movie. I was such a fan of David Lynch’s version (and, yes, I would sit through the entire 13 hour director’s cut) that I am afraid to read the books because they may ruin my perceptions of that movie. I love Lynchs style, and Dune was a great early example of the director who would create my favorite TV show of all time. But, I really enjoyed Taken, so I think this writer has a good chance of making a film I could enjoy. That Sci Fi Channel adaptation was booooooooring.

TV Stories

Why I Caved, Bought Cable TV, and Gave Up on My “Hulu Household”
We’re not there yet, but man, when we can get all of our television content over the Internet, I am so there.

Women Can’t Create, White Men Can’t Jump: Worst Network Pilot Season for Women Pt. 2
Nikki Finke looked at the dearth of female writers in this season’s pilot pickups in this post. Neely Swanson posted an interesting response/further research on the issue. It’s a nice look at the realities of the Hollywood system and the fear that women are not reliable at bringing in audiences.

Dancing with the Scars
Leave it to Chelsea Handler to make me want to read a story about a washed-up Playboy bunny and her stint on a reality show I have never and will never watch.

Friday Night Lights: 10 Reasons Why Season 4 Is the Series’ Best
I know that not everyone agrees with me (and that’s okay, Katie), but I think season 4 has been a return to what makes FNL great. It has felt like season 1 to me, with the depth of storylines and the great acting. I hope all of you who haven’t been watching this show on DirecTV catch it when it premieres on NBC this April. Last night, we said goodbye to some favorite characters and saw others get hurt, get punished, and play some football.

Supernatural

Let’s Talk Supernatural, The Song Remains the Same
Maureen Ryan’s recap and review of last week’s episode. She also includes information about a charity auction to benefit the relief efforts in Haiti.

Supernatural: The Song Remains the Same
Another recap/review of last week’s episode, this one from the San Diego Tribune blog.

Supernatural: The Song Remains the Same
Suzanne has our final recap over at Damsel Undistressed. She loved the episode, but I think she might have been basking in the afterglow of the amazing season premiere of Last last week.

Supernatural and Vampire Diaries Taking a 5-Week Hiatus
Sadly, My Bloody Valentine is our last episode of Supernatural for a while. They had best come back from this hiatus with an episode in which we get to see Death. That was my biggest disappointment with this set of episodes. They didn’t resolve the cliffhanger.

Two Previews of Supernatural’s My Bloody Valentine
Need to get the scoop on tonight’s episode? Here are two clips to whet your appetite.

From Smallville to Capain America
More rumors that Jensen Ackles might be Captain America. Make of it what you will.

Supernatural: Preview of Episode 5.13 “The Song Remains the Same”Get ready for tonight’s episode with a synopsis and a clip.

Random 80s Flashback

Secret Admirer
Most movies from the 80s just don’t hold up. The humor was too steeped in the time frame, and the jokes no longer work. The exceptions, though, are great. All of the John Hughes teen films remain awesome. And Secret Admirer, starring a very young Lori Loughlin, Kelly Preston, and C. Thomas Howell (we called him Tommy and looked at his dreamy photos in Bop and Tiger Beat back then), is another timeless comedy. It centers around misplaced love letters, and the stellar cast of adults and teens help keep it from being too formulaic. Rent it from Netflix or catch it on the Reelz Channel.

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Pop Culture Roundup, February 4

How did it get to be February?

Anyway, here are the links from the past week that I found interesting and amusing.

Random Pop Culture Stuff
TV Stories
Supernatural

Random Pop Culture Stuff

Men at Work Stole Tune in 80s Hit “Down Under” from “Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree”
The lovable guys from down under could end up owing a lot of money to the company who owns the copyright to this song (no, not the person who wrote it or even the descendants of the writer, some company). They are asking for 60% of the total royalties earned since the release of the song.

Colin Firth: By Anyone’s Measure, a Leading Man
This is a nice interview of Firth by NPR, focusing on his Oscar nomination and the role that earned it for him.

Why Are There So Few Female Film-makers?
In this Guardian article, Kira Cochrane explores the issues that keep women out of the director’s chair. She provides an interesting history of the treatment of women in popular cinema that made me think back to a paper I wrote in college comparing the lesbian characters in lesbian cinema with those in mainstream film. I always meant to gussy it up and submit it to an academic journal, but I never got around to it. Perhaps one day, I will revisit the topic with a longer-term focus.

TV Stories

Scoop: Heroes Star to Play Alcide’s Sister on True Blood
The casting announcements for season 3 of True Blood are coming fast and furious. This article includes links to the other recent additions to the cast, including Alfre Woodard as Lafayette’s mom. (Have I mentioned lately how happy I am that Lafayette didn’t die at the end of season 1?)

Lost Faces a New Reality in the Final Season Premiere
Need a little help with Tuesday’s season premiere? Ryan at Zap2it has detailed and understandable recaps each week.

Supernatural

The Hardy Boys Are Both, Like, Stuck in this Suckfest
Demian at Television without Pity gives the best recaps. Useful if you missed the last episode, and great fun to read in full even if you didn’t.

Inside the Supernatural 100^th Episode Party
How many times over the years did we worry that our awesome show wouldn’t make it until 100 episodes? But it did, and this is your TV Addict-sponsored look at the party.

Are You There, God? It’s Me, Supernatural: Scifi Series Spins Bible Stories into a Final Fantasy
An interesting look at the mythology of Supernatural and the Bible.

Lost and Supernatural: Have They Become the Same Show?
Maureen Ryan looks at the parallels between Lost and Supernatural. I was thinking the same thing when I was watching Tuesday’s Lost premiere.

Supernatural: Preview of Episode 5.13 “The Song Remains the Same”
Get ready for tonight’s episode with a synopsis and a clip.

Supernatural Countdown Number 12: Driver Picks the Music
More of the countdown of all that is awesome about Supernatural, with some clips of the most effective and fun uses of music on the show.

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The New Year of TV

I am looking forward to January as if it were the beginning of the new fall season.

I can’t wait to see how they explain the Kate/Peter relationship on White Collar. I am looking forward to seeing all of the loose ends get tied up on Lost. And our Winchesters will be back!

But, by far the most exciting series return in January is Chuck. NBC is launching the new season with a multi-day extravaganza. The first episodes of the new season will air Sunday, January 10, and then the show will settle back into it’s Monday night time slot.

Can’t wait til January? Join fellow Chuck fans in daily missions in the Chuck Me Out game.

What shows are you looking forward to in the new year?

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My Fall TV Viewing Schedule

[digg=http://digg.com/television/My_Fall_TV_Viewing_Schedule]Now that the fall lineups have been announced, my viewing plans are falling into place. Mondays and Thursdays are still full, especially now that NBC has announced that they will not move Chuck to Fridays.

Mondays, I’ll be on CBS, watching How I Met Your Mother at 8 and giving Accidentally on Purpose a Chance at 8:30. I’ll be recording Gossip Girl and most likely watching it at 9. Then to ABC for Castle. I am okay with the thought that I am breaking up with Heroes, but we’ll see if Mr. PCC records it on his DVR.

Tuesdays, it appears that no one has given me a reason to break up with 90210, so I’ll be all CW, all the time, watching 90210 at 8 and Melrose Place at 9.

Wednesdays are free until 9, when I visit Fox for Glee and then move to ABC for Eastwick.

Thursdays are pretty standard. Watch Vampire Diaries on the CW at 8 and DVR Flash Forward. Stick with the CW for Supernatural at 9 (obviously) and record The Office and Community/30 Rock. [Edited to add: Thanks to Rainn Wilson and Twitter, I realized that Joel McHale has a show coming out this fall: Community. I watched the preview at Zap2it, and it looks pretty funny.]

Fridays, I’ll be watching Dollhouse, but that is pretty much it. Thanks, Fox, for picking up this show for a second season.

My weekends look free. When DirecTV announces when it will play Friday Night Lights, I’ll update the spreadsheet I keep so that I won’t miss out on a new show I am interested in. (Yes, I’m that much of a TV geek. I make a spreadsheet each May and use it when the new shows premiere in the fall.)

Most of my favorite shows and ideas are slated for midseason: Chuck (NBC), Lost (ABC), Better Off Ted (ABC), The Body Politic (CW), Happy Town (ABC), V (ABC). I haven’t decided if I will follow Tyler Labine to Sons of Tucson.

Here are links to night-by-night grids to help you do your own fall TV planning, spreadsheet suggested but not required.

Lost Makes Me Feel Dumb

I watched the season premiere of Lost last night, and as usual, it made me feel dumb for not paying better attention. I typically read or write while I watch tv, but this is a huge mistake with shows like Lost that have a ridiculously rich mythology and 30 Rock that have subtle and clever humor.

I often feel dumb when I’m watching Heroes, too, both for not quite getting what is going on and for actually continuing to watch the show. I’m holding out hope that the return of Bryan Fuller to the writing staff will help it return to its roots, when it actually deserved a People’s Choice Award. (I’m still bitter that it beat out Supernatural!)

How do you follow the mythology of Lost? Do you visit Ryan’s Lost blog at zap2it? The TWOP forums? Some other discussion site I’m not familiar with?

That was my life when Twin Peaks was on. I spent many an evening on the newsgroups (the only Internet discussion we had back then) when I should have been studying. And I usually had the tv on while I was doing it. Lost is enjoyable to watch, but it hasn’t grabbed me the way Twin Peaks did. Twin Peaks made me feel smart for picking such an inventive show and for keeping the mythology straight. Perhaps that’s the difference for me.

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Competitive Programming

Why do they have to put shows that compete against each other on at the same time? Especially with the current dearth of programming. I mean, I get that Thursday night is the most lucrative night of the week, so everyone wants a piece of that ad revenue. But, do Lost and Supernatural have to be on at the same time? Really?

My memory of when I was younger was that shows that targeted different audiences were on a the same time, so old people could watch Murder She Wrote and I could watch something good. (No I don’t remember what exactly I watched when Murder She Wrote was on, but I know it wasn’t targeted at the geriatric crowd.) Everyone was happy.

Am I remembering wrong? Or was that truly a golden age for viewers who never had to choose between two shows? (Or more than two shows, since that’s all my DVR can handle at once.)

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