URL: Leveling the Freedom Center
All I can say is I agree with absolutely everything expressed in this editorial. People like Jeff Jarvis and the family members of those killed were never willing to attempt understanding of the IFC, or willing to make any sort of compromise. Freedom was the real loser here.
URL: Michael Crichton testifies on Global Warming
Up next: Jackie Collins on sexually active teens!
Leave it to Repuiblicans do something as stupid as this.
Well, it’s now official: goodbye Joey! With such a busy night of television, poor little Joey and his friends Will & Grace will have to do without my viewership.
**SPOILERS**
Smallville After what can only be termed as a frustratingly over-sexed fourth season, Smallville may actually be returning to what it did so great in its first three seasons: chronicle and develop the origin myth of Superman. Last night showed great potential and while I know they can’t spend every night developing the Clark Kent’s alter-ego, Superman, I hope the producers will at least have Clark develop into more of the Superman of the comics: the man from a another planet who so boldly proclaims that he will fight for truth, justice, and the American Way.
The fifth season picks up exactly where the fourth left off. We have a black triangular ship sitting in a Smallville, KS field; Clark is in the secluded arctic waste; and Smallville is a scene of utter destruction after yet another meteor shower. Right off, Clark tosses the triangular crystal from the cave into ice and snow, and just like the motion pictures, an ice-like crystalline structure bursts forth to become the Fortress of Solitude. I am a major fan of the first two Superman motion pictures starring the late Christopher Reeve, but I also hated the producers’ vision of Krypton as this barren, crystalline planet — a departure from the comic book mythology — and even more I hated the design of the Fortress, so I was disappointed the TV producers decided to go in the same direction. I guess with a new movie coming out that seems to following the same production designs at the original movies, the TV producers felt they needed to be consistent. Once in the Fortress of Solitude, Clark begins his education with Jor-El; meanwhile, we find out that Chloe was also teleported to the arctic waste and she also makes her way to the Fortress.
Back in Smallville, Lana looks over the ridge of a deep crater to witness the arrival of two aliens who turn out to be survivors from Krypton and Disciples of Zod — another nod to the films. They make short shrift of the police and run off in search of Kal-El. Later, after a confrontation with the Disciples, Lex finds Lana wandering on the road and takes her home.
Once Clark discovers Chloe freezing to death in the Fortress, he has to promise Jor-El he’ll come back at sunset in order to get the freeze out to stop. He rushes her to a hospital only to discover from a news program that his parents didn’t get away. They are at the hospital where the Disciples show up looking for Kal-El. Lana, thanks to some help from a prophetic Lionel Luthor, lures them back to Luthor Mansion where a cache of Kryptonite is waiting. However, the Disciples get the safe door back in place and turn on Lana. Fortunately, Clark shows up. The Disciples explain they are on Earth to take over for Zod and Kal-El can either help them or be dealt with. Being dealt with means banishment to what can only be the Phantom Zone, but once again Clark turns the tables, and the Disciples of Zod are sent into the Zone themselves. Unfortunately for Clark, the sun sets with him still in Smallville. As he reaches down to pick up Lana, he cuts himself on a piece of glass. Jor-El has apparently taken away his super powers because he didn’t return to the Fortress. Then, of course, there’s the last minute appearance of James Marsters, who will be playing Brainiac. Season five is definitely looking up.
Alias After a disappointingly uneven fourth season, the fifth season of Alias got off to a less than stellar start in my opinion. When we left our intrepid lovers, Vaughn was on the verge of telling Sydney a deep, dark secret when they were broadsides by a car. The first episode begins with an ambulance showing up to taken Vaughn and Sydney away. Right off Sydney realizes something is up because the paramedics are armed and trying to drug her. Of course, Sydney gets away, but the bad guys get Vaughn.
Once back at the hospital, Sydney is confronted by a government agent who accuses Vaughn of being a double agent. Sydney finds this hard to believe, but her father — his own demons pertaining to Irina bubbling up — encourages Sydney to help the agent. Vaughn, meanwhile, has been captured by some bad guys who want him to decipher a coded message left for some French guy who, as it turns out, is Vaughn. Of course, Vaughn gets away and makes contact with Sydney. The government agent is still insisting Vaughn in a bad guy, but Sydney decides to support Vaughn. Together, they meet a man who tells Vaughn that his father and several men were part of a secret program to decipher a very old medical text — yes, another ancient text! — nicknamed Prophet Five; however, in order to decipher what it all means, Vaughn must first get an old text. As you can guess, he and Sydney kick some butt and get the text, along the way Sydney finds out she is pregnant with Vaughn’s baby.
Once they have the text, Vaughn and Sydney arrange to meet the same man from earlier; however, the government agent is on their tail and shows up. Turns out he’s no government agent — quelle suprise! — and both Vaughn and the man he came to meet are shot several times with machine guns. Sydney gets Vaughn to a hospital where he is operated on, but the wounds are too much and he, supposedly, dies. There’s a funeral with the proper amount of mourning, and in the last few minutes of the show Sydney goes to London so she cane make contact with Vaughn’s partner, code-named The Raven.
Of course, I doubt we’ve seen the last of Vaughn. Maybe while he’s in the land of the dead, Michael Vartan can discover a razor. The man has stubble that has to be 10 years old!
Night Stalker Based on the classic 70s TV series that inspired the likes of Chris Carter, creator of The X-Files, and many of those who worked on the show with Carter, Night Stalker has been updated for the 21st century. Developed by one of the former producers of The X-Files, this "re-imagined" Night Stalker got off to a good start last night. It maintained the suspense and scariness of the early show my brother and I used to watch when we were kids, while at the same time developing a mythology of conspiracy about just why these strange things are happening. Of course, we get no answers in the first episode and I was annoyed the producers chose not to give us a better look at the creatures, but overall it was a scarily fun show to watch. While very, very different from Darren McGavin — who, by the way, made a nice little CGI guest appearance — Stuart Townsend is, none the less, very good in the role. A Carl Kolchak for the 21st century, Townsend brings an impressive movie career to the role and fills McGavin’s shows quite well, but in a different way. Along for the ride is Gabrielle Union, Kolchak’s superior at the LA Beacon, and her assistant Jain played by Eric Jungmann.
I have to say, I really enjoyed this new version of the classic TV show. In a season with several genre shows, many of them good, I think Night Stalker will stand out as one of the best — if done correctly. Of course, it has monster competition with CSI on side and The Apprentice on the other, but I think it will still do well. I will certainly be tuning in.
URL: Brown Shifts Blame for Katrina Response
Looks like Mr. Brown is taking a page from the Bush Playbook: blame everyone else and accept no responsibility. No one should be shocked by this stupidity, but it still does a great dishonor to the thousands of displaced New Orleans citizens, not to mention the dead.
URL: ‘The 4400′ Returns To USA Network
While The 4400 certainly faltered in its second, and first full, season the show really started to grow and become something new over its 13-episode summer run. I’m glad to see that USA Network is renewing the show for a third season; of course, it seemed like a forgone conclusion with near 4 million views each week — a near blockbuster hit for cable. The major problem faced by continuing the series was the cliffhanger at the end of the fist-season mini: that the 4,400 abductees were brought forward through time to be changed and sent back so that mankind doesn’t destroy itself in the future. Basically, the writers blew their load and were left with picking up the pieces. Well, they certainly faltered in the first few episodes, but as the season progressed we gradually start to realize that maybe these future humans are not necessarily the good guys, and the government is downright scared shitless and willing to let 4,400 people die rather than allow them to exist with all these strange powers. With the finale episode, the writers and producers were able to turn the page and give themselves some breathing room. Hopefully, they won’t squander that chance.
Ah, here’s that compassionate conservative pro-life stance we’ve to know and love from the wing nuts on the radio. You know I read a lot postings asking why African-Americans would ever choose to be a part of Republican Party; and it’s a fair question on the part of African-Americans to ask just what the hell the Democratic Party has done for them in the last 30 years. The answer, of course, is very little; but, I can’t recall any pro-choice Democrat every saying the crime rate could be lowered by aborting "black babies."
URL: Governor Bars Freedom Center at Ground Zero
Pataki is a coward. I’m sure if you jump over to Jeff Jarvis’ site you see glad tidings, but in the end "freedom" was a the real loser here.
URL: Attendants Fume over "Flightplan"
I think some flight attendants need to get over themselves and move on. Here’s a clue: it’s a movie!
URL: Who is Roy Blunt?
It is neither good for the country nor good for Missouri that Roy Blunt, daddy of our disastrously bad governor Matt, will become the House Majority Leader. The best thing that could happen on this man’s watch is that Republicans lose their majority in the House.
URL: What are the best sci-fi TV shows ever made?
You know, Sci-Fi is so mainstream these days it’s almost no fun to be a Trekker and a lover of Sci-Fi Channels Friday night line-up. I certainly agree with the #1 choice: Star Trek: The Original Series, but I seriously question if Sliders should be considered a good show, let alone a good sci-fi chow and while I am a big fan of Stargate:SG-1, is is really top 10 material? Oh, well, it fun to see sci-fi, or more accurately genre television since very little of it is science fiction, get so much attention these days.