Are Vs The New Cylons?

With the premiere of V last Tuesday, we witnessed the arrival of ABC’s latest alien reptiles. The series promises many things — including a “relationship” with a female FBI agent and a priest. However, if there is one thing that’s for certain, it’s this:

Anyone can be a V.

Sounds familiar? If your a fan of the sci-fi genre, it should. Battlestar Galactica based their whole run on the idea that anyone can be a cylon. Season 3′s finale rocked us by revealing four out of the last five. Even though we kept speculating on the identity of the fifth throughout its final season, and were eventually let down, we felt somewhat fulfilled.

So, will V try to build off of the same reservation that BSG did? Yes. Will it work for them? Probably not.

Battle of the Blades

If you missed the first episode of CBC’s Battle of the Blades, you missed 90 minutes of rugged, old hockey players clunk around the ice all in the name of charity. If you’re not familiar with Canada’s newest form of brainless entertainment, professional female figure skaters grab well-known players and choreograph a little ditty.

So who is this show aimed for? Not younger people. I don’t know anyone who wants to see their father’s hockey idol prance around. Most of the men partaking are obviously not comfortable “figure skating” since they all danced to macho country and rock ‘n roll tunes that are now available on 8-tracks boxed up in your attic.

Yet, surprisingly, by week two the men were getting better… but it’s still embarrassing to watch.

They try and spice it up with judges — whose scores mean absolutely nothing. Special guest judges Don Cherry and Kelly Hrudey also show the country that they know diddly about a triple twist.

So what’s the point? Charity.

Make-A-Wish, Diabetes Hope Foundation and others do prosper from this. It makes me feel terrible bashing the show, but the fact is, the show isn’t up to par.

Please CBC, finish this up ASAP and move on. This show has a great timeslot: 8pm on Sundays. It premiered the same night Heartland did. The horse whispering, family drama brought in one million viewers in its first episode of the latest season. That’s a huge achievement. When more fans jump on the Heartland express throughout the year, do you think they’ll stay on the channel to see old men figure skate? I doubt it. Build on this crowd. You need to get this country watching more original Canadian television series.

And to do that, you can’t have Battle of the Blades.

A Must Watch: Party Down

As workplace comedies like The Office start to run their course, it’s series like Party Down that bring a freshness to the screen.

Half-hour comedies are based on one thing – character. With that trailer you can see this has plenty. Be warned, the comedy is little over the top. It also has many scenarios that we’ve seen before, but it works brilliantly because it’s based around these people who are at the bottom and craving to be at the top.

Each episode follows a L.A. catering company as they work events from a college conservative union caucus to an after party for the adult film awards. Working for the company are different actors, has-beens and wannabes, who are waiting for their big break. Until then, they’re stuck with each other.

Haven’t heard of this one? Well, that’s because it’s a Starz original series (the same guys who make Crash). But even though the season’s over, it’s easy to catch up on all ten episodes. The second season doesn’t start until April 2010, so you have lots of time to check it out.

And you’ll probably recognize some of the names involved with Party Down. The series was created by John Enborn, Dan Etheridge, Rob Thomas, and Paul Rudd – yes, that Paul Rudd. Out of the ten episodes, the directing job is shared between two men: Bryan Gordon and Fred Savage – yes, that Fred Savage.

I threw down an unltimatum and The Vampire Diaries pulls through.

Kevin Williamson, Executive Producer.

Last week, I was a rather harsh when it came to The Vampire Diaries. I had watched the first three episodes and thrashed the whole concept of the series. But I also said this:

“(Kevin) Williamson is also hitting all the right story beats. If he wants to stay on the right track, he needs to create a mob to go after the vampires. After three episodes, and a handful of dead, bloodless corpses, people in this small city need to find out why these malicious attacks are happening. If they don’t go on this search than this show is a bust. I’m gone. I’m out.”

So, I decided to give the series one last shot. It took them till the very end, but they definitely followed through with my request:

http://watch.ctv.ca/the-vampire-diaries/season-1/the-vampire-diaries-104-family-ties/#clip219442

In this clip, the hook starts at 4:31. It appears that the mayor, the wife, the sheriff, and a TV reporter are a part of a secret society that are familiar with the vampires in this small town, including their history. So, will it be easy for them to find out Stefan and Damon’s identity? Only time will tell.

So, to Mr. Williamson and his team of writers, you have me for a few more episodes. But be warned, you’ve exhausted all the conflict between the two brothers and it’s only been four episodes. Yikes. Time to bring it up a notch so you can keep me entertained and my blood pumpin’.

FlashForward bulks up the supporting cast with two of 24’s best villains.

The ones in charge on ABC’s FlashForward are doing something right. They’re filling in their supporting characters’ spots with some great talent. With last episode’s White to Play, we saw a sneak peek of two characters who will probably play big roles in secondary storylines. And is it chance that they both happen to be actors who took their roles in FOX’s 24 to the next level? Probably not.

We’ve seen diabolical villains in 24, from Tobin Bell, Penny Johnson, and Dennis Hopper. In fact, it’s the antagonists and their schemes which refresh us every season – how will Jack Bauer deal with a new terrorist’ threat on the US?

Shohreh Aghdashloo from 24. Is it me, or are the best antagonists killed off halfway through the day?

Well, I’m more than happy to see that two of my favourites appear on Thursday’s episode of FlashFoward. The first being the latest an Emmy winner for Supporting Actress in a TV/Mini-Series Shohreh Aghdashloo.

In 24, she played opposite Jonathan Ahdout as a sleeper cell disguised as a happy family in the United States. Her role turned out to be quite complex since she was the new female antagonist since the death of Sherry Palmer the season prior. It was this role that proved 24 writers can create the top female characters on television. In following years, both Jean Smart and Cherry Jones were nominated for Emmys in their first season with the series. Jones did so well as the US President that she walked away with the award this past year.

With FlashForward, her character’s vision was reading the file regarding John Cho’s death. Turns out Cho’s fears about not having a glimpse of the future are true. He’ll die six weeks before April 29, 2010. This is a secondary story that I don’t think the creators will let fizzle away. Even though she is scheduled for next week’s 137 Sekunden, I hope we see more of her. Her presence is unforgettable.

Another episode of Glee airs tonight.

If you didn’t see last week’s episode of Glee, well, this is what you missed.

I still cringe when they break into a choreographed dance. I’m just not sure if it’s a good cringe or a bad cringe. And that is where the problem lies.

When you watch Glee, you WILL feel uncomfortable at some point. Well, at least I do. Women seem to love this show. (I think it’s because they all belonged to a Glee club at some point — or at least wanted to.) So, men, if you’re undecided, be warned, you will at some point turn your head from the TV, laugh, then sigh.

If you enjoy that routine, then this show might be for you.

The Beutiful Life: TBL fans need to “nut” up.

Sarah Paxton won't be walking down the catwalk anymore.

For the fans of The Beautiful Life: TBL, they’re praying that The CW will notice their outcry when it comes to the recently cancelled program. It didn’t take long for the execs to pull the plug either. After two episodes, it was replaced by reruns of the new Melrose Place.

Sarah Paxton confirmed everything on Twitter, “Its true were cancelled we found out in the middle of filming last night. So unfair and cruel! Cw didn’t even give us a chance. Boo on u”

Oh, and it gets worse. “…they won’t even be airing the other episodes. Which were great. Story lines were about to get so racy!”

I’ll be honest, I haven’t watched either of the episodes. The show which is somewhat based on Ashton Kutcher’s modeling career isn’t for me. However, I am a Chicago Cubs fan. Meaning I had to spend the whole summer seeing ads for The CW lineup while I watched my team crash and burn. These ads included Smallville, 90210, Supernatural, and The Vampire Diaries. It’s safe to say I saw The Beautiful Life: TBL’s advertisement dozens of times. Ones like this:

Do we need to put a stake through The Vampire Diaries?

I just don’t get it. I’ve tried to figure it out and I’ve tried to become a fan. That fact is, vampires have become a bore.

Many people would immediately disagree. Within themselves is a love for Buffy, Anne Rice, True Blood, or the Twilight series. When confronted with hostility, fans will immediately lash out at you. Why would you think vampires are boring? Twilight’s awesome. Robert Pattinson’s hot! Edward’s a complicated character and knows how to treat a lady, duh! Look at the huge audience who has embraced it. So for you to say vampires are a waste of time makes you an idiot… apparently.

But when is too much too much? The CW needs to ask themselves this. Will The Vampire Diaries build off of Twilight’s fame? Or will everyone see it for what it is, another girl meets vampire soap opera? Only time will tell.

Other than that, here’s my big bump with this series: What man has a diary?

This is why the series is not aimed for men. I can’t relate. Even though I’m a writer, I’ve never had my own little, bitty, stupid diary. I write, bloggers write, to an audience. We want people to read our words. People who write in diaries want to keep their thoughts to themselves. It’s rather creepy when you think about it.

FlashForward borrows from the best to create an impressive pilot.

It’s really rare to find a pilot of any television series to hook you in its first episode. Glee had me laughing and feeling good while Defying Gravity had me believing in the human race and that anything was possible.

Then there’s FlashForward. There are few times where I can remember screaming at my television, especially in the first episode of a series. ABC’s latest had me doing just that.

Imagine if everyone in the world blacked out simultaneously for the same amount of time.  Now imagine while everyone’s unconscious, each individual sees a glimpse of his or her future – all on April 29th, 2010 at 10pm.

This crazy concept is based from Robert J. Sawyer’s novel. David S. Goyer, who is known for the The Dark Knight, joined Sawyer in creating the series. Leading that cast is Joseph Fiennes who plays a recovering alcoholic/F.B.I. agent who tries to make sense of the blackout. His partner, John Cho, fits into his role perfectly and finally proves he can only play more than just a stoner.

ABC viewers are used to seeing glimpses of the future and time travel with shows like LOST, but not necessarily with this cast. So, they decided to add some familiar faces with Sonya Walger (Penelope) and Dominic Monaghan (Charlie) whom we recognize. As Entertainment Weekly reported, Monaghan signed on without even looking at the script. His character wasn’t in the pilot, but if he didn’t see a word of dialogue, his character Simon must be one of a kind.