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!
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!
Ah, the 90's. You all remember Right Said Fred? C+C Music Factory? What about Ariel and Efrim? Then check out this clip and get ready for a laugh trip!
NBC had once again revived the Knight Rider franchise. Knight Rider 2008, a made-for-tv movie/backdoor pilot, aired a couple of Sundays ago, 17 February 2008. It's a totally new storyline that ignores the earlier Knight Rider movies (one in 1991 and another in 1994), and that alternate-reality Team Knight Rider series.
This one pretty much comes from the timeline set from the old Knight Rider TV series. And without having to reveal too much, let's just say that, despite a whole new cast and a brand new car- yes, there IS still a Michael Knight connection.
The New Knight Rider
KITT- the Knight Industries Two Thousand- used to be a Black Pontiac Firebird/Trans Am that boasted a molecular bonded shell (read: bulletproof) and some serious AI (the car can talk, man!).
Our new KITT has a whole range of spiffy new enhancements and upgrades- so now it's the Knight Industries Three Thousand. I guess it's the extra 1000 that gives it that extra punch.
Instead of the Black Pontiac Firebird, the new KITT is a 2008 Ford Mustang GT500KR, but has generally the same features of the original KITT- it's black and it talks!
Check out the features of the new and improved KITT, as compiled by Wikipedia:
It is important to note that if KITT's Artificial Intelligence is offline, the self-regeneration mechanism is inactive, making it as vulnerable as an ordinary car. Part of the shutting down procedures of KITT's AI includes the release of the clutch pedal as well as a stick shift to allow manual control.
- 550 horsepower solar hybrid engine
- Sports-tuned suspension
- Xenon headlamps with infrared night-vision
- Metallic paint with nanotech enhanced camouflage including morphing License Plate.
- Military satellite access
- FBI database access
- Self-regeneration and damage repair
- High-speed Internet
- Artificial Intelligence
- Voice-activated GPS
- Apple Wireless Keyboard in the glove box under an accessory drawer
- Biometric Interface to access security features.
- Wireless headset to communicate with passengers within a limited distance.
- Biomedical Scanner.
Other details from the pilot film:Instead of the famous communicator watch, KITT communicates with its operators via a wireless headset, and can access wireless phone networks. Since KITT can tie into numerous computer systems, it is able to emulate many of the functions of the watch, such as unlocking doors.
- Driving cross-country, KITT can average a speed of 191 mph (307 km/h) and travel 627 mi (1,009 km) in 3 h 17 min.
- Although largely solar powered, KITT does use gasoline; with 91% of the energy being recycled, it averages 167 mpg (US) (1.4 l/100 km).
No word yet, as far as I can tell. The Knight Rider made-for-TV movie that aired was really a backdoor pilot- which means that, depending on how it was received by the audience, and on its commercial viability- a network can then choose to pick it up for a regular season, or just dump it in the TV Recycle Bin altogether.Alright, ever since Gossip Girl hit local screens, people have been asking me about it- so here it is.
Gossip Girl is pretty much this season's biggest guilty pleasure. Think of it as The O.C. for 2008- well, more like 2007 to be exact. The CW came out with the show in mid-September of 2007. As of this writing, we're halfway into the first season, which means you have 13 episodes to catch up on to bring yourself up to speed.
I know it's not a huge huge show, but I've read somewhere that despite the show facing massive competish, Gossip Girl is one of the most downloaded or recorded shows (if not the most) of the season- which means people will probably watch their Bionic Woman or Private Practice or America's Next Top Model (when it was shown on Wednesdays), but people will find some way to get their Gossip Girl fix (via TiVo, or downloaded, or whatever).
The truth is, Gossip Girl was one of the most anticipated new shows of the season. If you didn't already know, the soap is based on the popular novel series (of the same name) written by Cecily von Ziegesar. From Wikipedia:
Gossip Girl revolves around the lives of socialite young adults growing up on New York's Upper East Side who attend elite academic institutions while dealing with sex, drugs, and other teenage issues. Featuring an ensemble cast, the series begins by introducing Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively) and best friend Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester), as well as Blair's boyfriend Nate Archibald (Chace Crawford). Other characters in the show include Dan (Penn Badgley) and Jenny Humphrey (Taylor Momsen), who become involved in the lives of the main characters despite being less inclined to merge with the upper-east-side crowd. The series is narrated by a seemingly omniscient character, "Gossip Girl" (voiced by Kristen Bell), who runs a blog about her fellow Upper East Siders — consequently stirring the plot and creating potential rivalries in this exclusive and vicious circle of friends.
I can still remember watching the Pilot episode just before Christmas; at the time I was raving about the new shows Chuck and Reaper, and I had this friend who was raving about this one. She checked out Chuck, and I checked out Gossip Girl. Her selling point? "You know, the narrator on that show is Kirsten Bell..." Ding! I'vebeen hooked ever since."I'm relying on old favorites while exploring current pop music. And since the show revolves primarily around high school students in New York, we'll definitely be using some New York-based bands. But these kids listen to the radio, too."
Now do I really need to give you reasons to watch one of the greatest shows ever to come out on Adult Swim?
Well, probably I do. After all, Aqua Teen Hunger Force (or ATHF, for convenience's sake) has a particular kind of humor that might not be for everybody. I have to admit- its sarcastic, absurdist, twisted sense of humor might not be for everybody. But ATHF is very well something that never fails to make me laugh every time I watch it.
The show is now on its sixth season (woohoo!)- which means some 10 new episodes coming out, according to Wikipedia.
So here we are, the Top 10 Reasons to Watch Aqua Teen Hunger Force!
1. Dr. Weird. "Gentlemen- behold!" I've always loved the cold opens from the first few seasons. They feature our favorite mad scientist presenting his latest creation to his lone lab assistant, Steve ("Hey, um, Dr. Weird- I thought that grant was to cure diseases or something like that...") which initially provided the focus for the stories, and eventually just became hilarious non-sequiturs by the middle of Season 1.
My personal favorite: "My ass has decided to eat me! It hungers...for more!" You have to see it to believe it.
By the third season, we instead see Emory and Oglethorpe (see below) as the characters for the show's cold opens. While they're both funny as hell as well, I sure miss Dr. Weird...
Dr. Weird is voiced by C. Martin Croker- the same dude who voices Zorak in the Space Ghost Coast to Coast and The Brak Show series. Incidentally, Croker also voices Steve.
2. The Theme Song! "Coz we are tha Aqua Teen! Make tha homies say 'Ho!' and the girlies wanna scream!" Rumor has it that Schooly D composed this opening rap in the limo as he was on his way to the recording studio. It's a fun TV theme- the kind that gets you all pumped up before an episode, you know? And there are two versions out, in case you didn't know- the standard opening theme cut, and another slightly longer cut which you can check out here, with other earlier [Adult Swim] songs.
3. Carl! He's uncouth, he's totally unsexy, he's Carl Brutananadilewski. Or just plain ol' Carl. He's the Aqua Teen Hunger Force's next-door neighbor (who doesn't like them very much, btw), with a penchant for classic rock, pornography, prostitutes and hot wings.
He is visited by misfortune in almost every episode, and is occasionally seen completely dead. He is usually seen suffering horribly; i.e. having bug eggs hatching in his stomach, having his skin ripped off, having his fingers chopped off, shooting himself in the foot and bleeding for hours in his living room next to an apathetic Master Shake, being raped by the artificial dog Handbanana or being shot in the shoulder with a flaming arrow by Ted Nugent.
It is shown that he and his father used to work in what is said to be insulation making when he was only 8, shown to be having a rather dilapidated house on Christmas, where he gets a piece of carpet that is to be boiled and eaten, thus explaining his eating of carpets on occasion. He dropped out of high school in his senior year, 1982, because, according to their XM radio show, the school refused to play "I Want to Rock and Roll All Night" at his senior prom, but he was failing anyway.
4. Master Shake. Wikipedia describes him as a......lazy, stingy, simple-minded, mean-spirited, illiterate, sadistic, and self-centered milkshake in the form of a white cup with a pink straw and two yellow kitchen gloves.
His special power is that he is able to shoot pistachio milkshake onto the ground, suck liquids (up to 85 gallons) using his straw, and is very proficient with firearms and bows. Also, almost everything he throws to the ground after picking up (with the principal exception of tennis rackets) tends to explode, although none of the team seem to notice most of the time.
5. Frylock. Definitely the brains of the group, quite possibly the team's voice of reason, and probably the only one with "real" superpowers. Described in Wikipedia as......A floating red box of French fries sporting a "van dyke" beard, dental braces, and a blue mystic jewel embedded in his back.
He uses his fries to grip things and occasionally as a fry radar or 'Frydar.' He is also able to shoot all of his fries at a target simultaneously (referred to once as "The Defense of Idahocules" in commentary).
Frylock is scientifically-minded and conducts experiments in his room, which contains his library, supercomputer (which Shake purchased, but avoided actually paying for), cloner, and various other lab equipment. He is the most intellectual of the ATHF characters, and also attempts to provide the others with some sense of morality.
His jewel gives him various powers, such as the ability to fly (or mostly hover around), and shoot lasers, fireballs, lightning, and even fire-extinguisher foam from his eyes.
Even more simple-minded than Master Shake, child-like (with a plastic chew-toy for a brain), and as such, is often the subject of Shake's cruel practical jokes and exploitative behavior....such as Dewey the paper towel roll, Vanessa the apple, Jeffy the garden hose, and Boxy Brown, a cardboard box decorated with the face of a generic blaxploitation protagonist.
7. The Mooninites. Ignignokt and Er are our recurring two-dimensional characters; Ignignokt is laid-back but arrogant and smug, while Er is more belligerent, and known for his trash-talking.
Oglethorpe the fat, orange one, while Emory is the tall, green Plutonian. Oglethorpe seems to be Austrian/German based on his accent, claims to be a genius, but is probably just as simple-minded as Master Shake or Meatwad.
9. MC Pee Pants. MC Pee Pants is our mentally insane, eight-foot spider who wears a shower cap and a diaper. He usually has some twisted scheme for world domination, and uses rap to sugar-coat his criminal master-plans. From Wikipedia:
He is frequently killed, after which he is reincarnated by Satan in a new form with another convoluted scheme. Thus far he's been a cow (Sir Loin), an old man and briefly a vampire (Little Brittle), an earthworm, and, finally, a fly in the ATHF movie.
10. The Box Set DVD is out! Because you just have to watch 'em all over again just before plopping yourself down to enjoy the newest Aqua Teen Hunger Force DVD Box Set out in the market!
"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.
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.