Some TV and a movie.

[jlh]

So much media!

One of the first things ziggy1278 said to me once he moved here was, "We're going to see Live Free or Die Hard!" Thus, we were front and center (well, more medium back on the right) on Wednesday night for the opening. It's a Die Hard movie, in every way. If you liked the first one, you'll like this one. I thought it was awesome. I love how it boils the essence of the hero down to really just one quality: they don't die. I mean, that's pretty much it. They just don't die.

I came home and saw Top Chef. Just to catch up on the last two weeks: Hung seems more aggressive and selfish than assholish; Tre's intensity is a bit much; I cannot tell Camille and Casey apart; Clay was so clearly dead meat from the moment he walked off that plane but I'm sad Sandee is gone; Joey is immature and doesn't cook that well; I'm intrigued by both the Saras and Micah; Brian seems pretty nutty so far; Howie needs to ease up on the "no friends" schtick; CJ, Lia and Dale are my favs so far.

That said, in episode 3 Micah was really annoying. I feel like she had the season-2-Mia breakdown, just a good deal earlier, and as SaraN said, she was really inconsistent. I hope that his win gives Howie a better attitude. I'm sad that Gail can't be there every week as she's actually my favorite judge but if I can't have her I'm glad to have Ted. Oh, and as for guest judges: Bourdain for the win as always; Norman was interesting but unfortunately encouraged Colicchio to show more cleavage than I really needed to see; Portale was nerdy and adorable, especially in his defense of Americans' love of ketchup. Also, I am now craving sloppy joes and tater tots.

sistermagpie came over last night to eat burritos and watch SYTYCD and Studio 60 and much fun was had. I hadn't watched the dances until last night because after Die Hard I only had one hour of reality TV in me. I'm now a fan of Hok and Jaimie, Dom and Sabra, and Kameron and Lacey. I wish Neil and Lauren would step it up. I also wish Pasha was paired with Shauna. I like Sara a lot. Everyone else I either cannot stand (Cedric, Danny) or don't care about (Anya). I'm really sad that Jesus is gone, you have no idea. While I liked Jessi, from Nigel's attitude and what I've seen on the blogs it might be best that she's gone, sadly, though I was pretty shocked at the time.

In a non-spoilers, I'm amazed at what a great host Ryan Seacrest is. Cat is really good—miles better than that dreadful girl on On the Lot. But watching the whole weird judging of Cedric and Shauna, I felt that Ryan would have been able to cut that shit off. First, you'd think that Nigel would have learned from Idol that if you really bash a contestant, then everyone will vote for them out of sympathy. Even Simon has figured this out by now, and when he forgets, Ryan comes in and heads him off. I know that Nigel is a producer while Simon is not, but if I were Cat I would ask him for permission to cut him off and keep the show moving. Second, Ryan would never have let Cedric make that whole little speech. We've seen him cut off the singers with a "Don't say it" and then going right into the numbers. But Cat just stood there and held the mike. This isn't the same thing as when Ryan tries to goad the singers into talking back, because he's more in control of that. Which is really my whole point: on the Idol stage, Ryan is in control. On the SYTYCD stage, Nigel seems to be kind of in control, only not completely, and that leads to shit like this. Cat needs to step up, and Nigel needs to back off, or the show will continue to be a bit unbalanced.

Studio 60 ended last night and the best thing I can say about it is, at least it was an actual ending. We had four hours of complications and drama that were neatly tied up in one hour of happy endings, as though it were a Shakespearean romance. I was pleased that Tom and Lucy were together (and of course for Tom's brother being safe). I was pleased with Danny and Jordan, whom I always liked despite the stalker weirdness. I was even pleased with the throwaway idea of Jeannie and Andy, since they're both sort of lonely and she seems like the kind of really outgoing girl that would do well with a shy guy like Andy, and clearly she likes writers. As for Matt and Harriet, whatever, they exhausted me long ago, and as Magpie said, "yeah, THAT's gonna last."

Mostly, though, I'm just so disappointed in this show, so sad that this is where we ended up. I mean, I don't feel like, why did I watch these last episodes—I'm glad I did, because I got closure—but the show just never really jelled the way that it needed to, I think because Aaron couldn't decide what he wanted the show to be. Was it a behind the scenes dramady? Too bad, because no one cared. Was it a romantic comedy set in a workplace? Too bad, because one of the main couples was completely irritating, and the other one, sped up because of a real-life pregnancy, was sometimes kinda creepy. Was it a drama commenting on the political events of our time? Too bad, because we already saw that show from you, Aaron, and maybe if you hadn't had to quit you would have been there to talk about it. Or is it that ultimately, it was you, Aaron, getting back at NBC, the Bush Administration, your ex-girlfriend Kristen Chenowith, Television Without Pity, and anyone else who has ever pissed you off? Too bad, because no one else cares, and it wasn't enough to base a show on. Ultimately, a tragic waste of an incredibly talented cast. But given the work done, I'm fairly sure that at least Nate Corddry and probably others will go on to bigger and better things.

So, are Tommy Schlamme and Aaron Sorkin heterosexual life partners?

Also, I dunno, friends, after this and VMars I'm feeling kinda burnt out on network TV dramas. Eh, I should watch less TV anyway …

Comments

[toastoos.livejournal.com]

Ryan is amazing. I almost take him for granted til I see these other people take a crack at it. They could learn a lot from him. Cuz I wanted to slap Cat on Weds. It's like, stop letting Cedric butt in and give speeches like that! You're right, she needs to learn to take more control over situations. How they got done on time on Weds. I'll never know.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

It's weird what a difference Ryan makes--he sort of adds something, even beyond just being in control, that Cat doesn't. He's more of a voice in the preceedings all the time, like they're more equal.

I wonder what Aaron Sorkin will do next. Or if the next show will be revenge for the poor reception this show got...