I found myself watching "How I Met Your Mother" from the very start- the beginning of Season One- the other day.
Star World (a cable channel that carries the show) has recently been airing those episodes everyday- which we could catch just right before American Idol or Life or whatever show they have on the primetime slot.
I gotta admit- I love watching "How I Met Your Mother". CBS was right on the money with this one. Some people compare it to "Friends"- but for me, it's like comparing apples and oranges: absolutely no comparison.
What "How I Met Your Mother" Is About
Based from the title, it's really rather straightforward: Ted Mosby (voiced by Bob Saget) has his son and daughter sitting on a couch (in the year 2030) listening to his stories leading to- eventually- how he met their mom.
Which brings us to the current year, where Ted (Josh Radnor) is hanging out with friends from college Marshall Eriksen (played by Jason Segel) and Lily Aldrin (Alyson Hannigan of Buffy and the American Pie series). They are also joined by the modern-day Fonzie, Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris of Doogie Howser, MD) and Robin Scherbatsky (played by the oh-so-hot Cobie Smulders).
So you have the events leading to how Ted eventually hooks up with his future wife as the main story arc, with smaller story arcs within a season. An episode then has the "things-we-did-in-New-York-in-2008" which is all very funny, once you let the dynamics work out among the characters.
Currently, we're on Season Three. Right after the Writers' Strike, a few more episodes would be airing before this current season wraps up. Still, it would be great to get a copy of the DVD to check out the earlier seasons, or you could catch it on your local cable channel (like on Star World, in Asia).
What I Like About The Show
It's fun, it's witty, it's so cleverly written. I care about the characters: what kind of misadventure Barney is getting himself into this time, or how cute Lily and Marshall are together as a couple, or what role Robin would be playing in Ted's future.
Even the recurring characters are a hoot, or the occasional surprise cameo appearance. The show's got a good hold on pop culture, and it's great that they work it so well into the script. Basically you have a lot of catch-phrases in just about any episode.
The theme song? A 15-second edit of "Hey Beautiful" by The Solids. Never fails to cheer me up, no matter how stressed out or crappy I feel. Check it out here on my channel on YouTube.
I gotta thank my good friend, Tessa for the heads up on this. We were just chatting on Yahoo, geeking out on this coming Friday's episode of Battlestar Galactica, when she mentions this nice little promotional video she found in her TiVo.
Fortunately for us who weren't able to catch it, it's actually available online. And I have to say, it's a really funny recap to bring you up to speed. Feel free to play it over and over again if you need to :) I watched it at least thrice already.
Spoiler Warning: the eight-minute clip is filled with spoilers from all three seasons, so don't watch it if you still want to watch your BSG spoiler-free. Otherwise, enjoy!
Hey you CSI fans! William Petersen- who plays Gil Grissom on the CBS drama CSI- has signed on for another year of forensic investigating on the hit show. And he's doing it for US$600k per episode- up 20% from last year, according to TVGuide.com.
Now according to TV.com,
... just because Petersen signed a contract, it doesn't mean it will be "all Gil all the time" on the show. Petersen has a clause in his contract that will allow him to take a few episodes off and pursue other acting endeavors, including some theater work in Chicago.
They say it's the best show on television. I say they're right.
In case you haven't heard, Battlestar Galactica's new season- season 4- premieres this Friday, April 4, on the Sci-Fi channel. We have a brand new episode coming our way, and literally picks up where the end of Season 3 has left off.
Naturally, the past several days have been spent on a marathon of Battlestar Galactica. I definitely have my favorite episodes- usually those involving the Galactica and its Vipers blasting away wave upon wave of Cylon Raiders, or some other impressive operation.
So it made me wonder: exactly what are the fans' favorite BSG episodes? I dug into TV.com's files, and here's what I dug up. I'll try to keep things as spoiler-free as possible.
The Top 10 Battlestar Galactica Episodes, according to TV.com.
1. Crossroads, Part 2. The last half of the third season-ender; season 3, episode 19. The writers threw us a curveball on this one- we find out who the four of the final five Cylons are, Baltar's trial comes to a tense conclusion, and Starbuck is back- enlightened and with a new sense of direction.
2. Pegasus. Season 2, episode 10. The Galactica runs into another colonial battlestar- the Mercury-class Pegasus. The crew is overjoyed as the two fleets join forces, until Admiral Cain- commander of the Pegasus- subsequently takes command of the new fleet. The Galactica crew learns about the harsh practices onboard Pegasus, and tension between the two battlestars quickly hit a boiling point.
3. Kobol's Last Gleaming. The first season-ender; season 1, episode 13. The Galactica discovers Kobol- the lost birthplace of humanity. This startling revelation somehow causes a split between Roslin and Adama. Roslin sends Starbuck off to a special mission. Adama sends Boomer off on a mission to blow up the Basestar orbiting Kobol. Someone is shot by a Cylon agent.
4. Resurrection Ship. Season 2, episode 12. The conflict between the two battlestars have been put on hold with the discovery of a Cylon Resurrection ship. As Galactica and Pegasus get ready for a joint attack- Adama and Cain try to outmaneuver each other to seize complete command of the military.
5. Downloaded. Season 2, episode 18. Boomer's consciousness is downloaded into a new body, and this time, she's reborn on Cylon-occupied Caprica. Number Six has been tasked to help her adjust to her new life in Cylon society.
6. Exodus. Season 3, episode 3. The Galactica returns to New Caprica, and with the aid of the Resistance, mounts a daring rescue operation to evacuate the Cylon-occupied planet.
7. Pilot, Part 2. The second half of the 2003 miniseries that kick-started the re-imagined BSG universe. It has been 40 years since the First Cylon War, and war has once again descended upon the Colonies, this time the Cylons wiping out the human home worlds and virtually destroying the Colonial fleet. An old battlestar might just be the only thing standing between the Cylons and the total destruction of the human race. Adama takes command of the remnants of the Colonial fleet. With all others in the line of succession dead, Laura Roslin, the Education Minister, is appointed president of the Thirteen Colonies.
8. Lay Down Your Burdens. The second season-ender; season 2, episode 20. The elections are finally underway, and Starbuck returns from her rescue mission from Cylon-occupied Caprica, along with a Cylon who delivers an unexpected message to Adama and Roslin. Roslin believes Baltar is a Cylon collaborator.
9. Flight of the Phoenix. Season 2, episode 9. The Galactica has been infected with a computer virus that is messing with the battlestar's functions and is scanning them for weaknesses. Tyrol's crew is hard at work on a new fighter they call The Blackbird. Oh, and a whole swarm of Cylon Raiders should be down on them shortly.
10. Home. Season 2, episode 7. Adama reassembles the fleet and heads for Kobol. Roslin and her party searches for The Tomb of Athena- which supposedly leads the way to Earth. Adama and Roslin make their peace and continue on the expedition together.
What are your favorite Battlestar Galactica episodes?
An all-new Battlestar Galactica comes your way this Friday, April 4 at 10pm/9 Central. Check out the new clip here on the SciFi.com official website, and watch Season 3 all over again in time for Friday!
Cheers, everyone!
You've loved her in Juno! Now check out the incomparable Ellen Page as she deals with a zombie and -uh- Count Dracula. In dreamland. Um...just watch the video.
Well at least it looks like the shots were taken from Nathan Petrelli's office or something, using Nathan Petrelli-esque clothes. What do you think?
Saturday Night Live is back on the air, ladies and gentlemen. We've had three episodes (since the Writers' Strike) this year so far, bringing the total live broadcasts to eight this season (we're now on season 33, btw).
It's great to have some old favorites back on TV. Me, I've always been a huge fan of the SNL Digital Shorts. Check this one out called "Hero Song".
OK, so maybe not- but here's a little something for you Project Runway fans.
It was in December of 2005, midway into the 31st season, that Saturday Night Live started airing 3-minute short films called "SNL Digital Shorts" as part of its broadcast.
You gotta give credit to The Lonely Island guys- Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone and Andy Samberg for putting all their hard work and comedic talent into making these clips happen. From what I understand, the boys have been largely responsible for writing the stuff, shooting it themselves on digital video cameras, and editing them on a regular PC.
Which is what they've been doing for quite some time during their early Lonely Island days. The very first SNL digital short, which appeared on the 03 December 2005 episode was "Lettuce", which became an instant internet favorite. You can find a clip of "Lettuce" on the NBC official website, but the quality is really bad (we'll feature it when we find a better clip).
What really made it happen for the dudes, was this clip- "Lazy Sunday", which aired 2 weeks later on December 17. It was a huge internet favorite, and racked up some 5 million views on YouTube before NBC pulled it out (but it's now available on the NBC website). Check it out now!
"There's your twenty billion, Brent- drink it in!" bellows an irritated Killface at the beleaguered marketing executives before him. "The fusion chamber alone cost nine billion. The- the- the thrusters another four. You think there's just heaps of money left over for- What did you call it!?"
Remembering how Killface can get terribly violent when upset, Brent musters all the courage to answer, "Uh- Uh- "Media buy?"
"Media buy!" roars the enraged criminal mastermind- he had gunned down another marketing executive earlier today, and it was likely he would do so again. It's hard to destroy the world while you're on a tight budget.
Frisky Dingo is for me, is a work of genius. It's an animated series airing on Adult Swim from the same twisted minds behind Sealab 2021- Matt Thompson and Adam Reed. Each episode is about 15 minutes long (or 11, without the breaks).
The pilot introduces us to the megalomaniac supervillain Killface- think of a Frasier-like fellow hell-bent on world domination only bald, freakishly muscular, undead-looking with T-Rex feet. Just like every supercriminal mastermind, he has grandiose plans of sending the world down a path of destruction- but now he's being bogged down by project costs, media buy and a less-than-enthusiastic marketing department.
The succeeding episode introduces us to billionaire playboy Xander Crews (just like Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark) who dons the garb of the superhero Awesome X- who's been a little too successful at what he does, such that there are simply no more supervillains around to fight anymore.
So Killface needs more cost-effective ways to promote his schemes for global destruction, and Awesome X has to find a way to stay relevant somehow- mostly so he can keep his action figure line in business.
I've just watched the first two episodes, and from what I've seen- it's crazy funny- just the kind of cartoon I need to get a good laugh trip. It's definitely not your usual hero-versus-villain fare. It's a lot more entertaining than you might think.
Check out Frisky Dingo's official website here- they got the pilot, downloads, episode guides and lots of great Frisky goodness! And if that isn't enough, here's another site for show transcripts, fan art, more pics and so much more!
"Renzie on TV" sends out its congratulations to Heroes, for bagging this year's most coveted award on TV.com's Best of 2007!
The super-powered NBC drama rounded up 52% of the more than 10 million votes from TV.com fans, beating out Editors' Choice Lost, which only got around 2% of the vote.
Heroes also won over House (which got 4 million + votes), Friday Night Lights (54,000+ votes), Family Guy (24,000+ votes) and The Sopranos (16,000+ votes).
Here are the other winners of TV.com's Best of 2007:
Best New Fall Show: Pushing Daisies (Editors' Choice), beating out Aliens in America, Bionic Woman, Californication, Kid Nation and Reaper.
Best In Genre: Action/Adventure - 24 (Editors' Choice) runs off with The Best of 2007 Award, leaving CSI: Las Vegas, NCIS, Prison Break, Numb3rs and CSI: New York in the dust.
Best In Genre: Sci Fi - Editors were gunning for Battlestar Galactica, but fans handed the award to Supernatural. Geeks also loved The 4400, Stargate Atlantis, Eureka and Kyle XY.
Best Episode: According to the fans, it was the series premiere of Pushing Daisies - "Pie-Lette". Editors put their money on Lost's "Looking Through The Looking Glass". Other contenders were Damages' "Because I Know Patty", Family Guy's "Blue Harvest", the unaired pilot of Babylon Fields, and The Sopranos' "Made In America"
My personal take: a rather good year for Heroes, but the biggest surprise for me is Pushing Daisies- gotta check that one out. Sarah Shahi is another reason for me to check out Life, and I'm totally intrigued by these two new cartoons - Adult Swim's Metalocalypse and Frisky Dingo. Man, I gotta move on past Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Sealab 2021 now.
Also gotta get me a copy of that 28-DVD Twilight Zone pack- now that's a lot of Twilight Zone. Other shows to possibly watch out for are Cavemen and Kid Nation- though I'm not particularly wild about that whole Kid Nation idea."Chuck" is undoubtedly one of my more favorite shows for the season. It's a good mix of comedy and action-adventure, with lots of eye-candy, fun characters, and geek-culture references. Looks like production's on hold though, thanks to the ongoing writer's strike.
Which disappoints me to no end, because it means I have to wait quite a bit to see more Yvonne Strahovski on TV. Yvonne is probably this season's breakout female lead. She comes all the way from Australia, where she auditioned from to land the role of CIA Special Agent Sarah Walker on the hit NBC spy thriller-comedy. 
Basically her character keeps close to Chuck as a guardian angel of sorts. With a deadly proficiency for throwing knives and other concealed weapons, apparently.
Yvonne's name is really spelled as 'Strzechowski', as in Yvonne Strzechowski. To help us all out, she has been using the more phonetic spelling of Yvonne Strahovski as her stage name.
In any case, I'm just glad Josh Schwartz (same dude who gave us "The O.C." and "Gossip Girl") cast her for the part, and it always is something for fan-boys like me to look forward to whenever "Chuck" comes on.
Check out Yvonne's entry on IMDb here, and her Wikipedia entry here.
As long as TV keeps coming up with delicious eye-candy, this blog's feature on "Favorite TV Chicks" will be on hand to get to know more about our fine female performers who make our TV shows a little bit more interesting. Only on "Too Much TV: Renzie on TV!"
Cheers, everyone!
I was able to catch the 2-hour season premiere of American Idol on Star World, even after I came home from a dinner date. For the most part, I'm really just curious what this season has to offer. It's really more of a guilty pleasure, I suppose. There were already a couple of times when I swore off American Idol, only to get hooked on it again.
As you might probably expect, you'll have yourself a few good singers, some human interest story-pieces that tug at your heart-strings, but also some very interesting characters.
Sometimes you get all three- easily one of my favorites for American Idol season 7 is Kristy Lee Cook.
Did you catch her bio? She wrestles and trains for cage-fighting- which means she can literally kick my ass (or anybody else's for that matter). She lives in a log cabin surrounded by pine trees and raises horses in here spare time. She's darned cute. And she sings well. Well enough, at the very least, to move to the Hollywood round.
A quick Google search has brought me to an old website that was promoting her CD back in 2005. Interesting. It would be nice to hear (and see!) some more of her.
Here's something we got from that old website, CDBaby.com...
Kristy's music idols are Martina, Faith and Shania (do we really need last names). She also loves the music of Garth Brooks and Gary Allen. Kristy has her own unique sound and style, which will be easily recognizable.
At 5'8", Kristy Lee looks like a blonde, blue-eyed Brook Shields, has an incredible voice and is the wholesome, All-American 'girl next door'. The entertainment world is in for a treat! Here's the REAL American Idol!!!
I might be a media guy, but my field is really more into radio and marketing more than anything else. For the most part, it means that what I know about television is pretty much stuff just about anyone can know- so don't expect me to go technical or anything. 
Hey, Renzie here at your service, and thanks for stopping by to check out the stuff on this blog.