Recycling - Good for the Environment, but TV?

Warning : this may approach venting proportions at times.

We see it all the time in movie theaters nowadays - remakes of old movie franchises, Broadway shows, and comics; all stories we've seen before which producers are determined to sell to us one more time. After all, why make something new when it's already a hit? It's even happening in video games - between last year and this year, it's been the era of sequels. Just look at Mass Effect 2, Bioshock 2, Civ 4 and 5, Fallout 3 : New Vegas, Fable 3, Assassin's Creed 2, and Final Fantasy XIII.

Though some TV shows we always expect to see, like procedurals and teen dramas, we usually hold the hope that when a show promising innovation and quirkiness comes along, it will actually deliver. Look at Joss Whedon - that man does not know the meaning of cliche except when it comes to lamp-shading himself or others. And thanks to our relatively short attention span to TV shows, we have only maybe a decades worth of shows at a time to stand up to.

This whole issue has been brought to my attention rather painfully by my recent watching of a certain show for the first time. About a nerdy guy. Now, this guy, he fixes computers. Until one day, oops, something happens that isn't supposed to, and he has a computer in him that gives him unique abilities such that a secret spy team (as least in part comprised by the NSA) is built for him. Oh, and the computer can't be removed. Bye bye normal loser life, hello lying to everyone. Think you know the show?

It's not Chuck. Well it is. Chuck was premiered in 2007. You know what else it describes? Jake 2.0 (which was shown for one season is 2003).

Yeah. Not so original sounding the second time around. This summer I decided to watch Chuck since I'd heard so much about - and I found it fun, unexpected, and a really cool idea. However, when I posted about Covert Affairs, a friend of mine pointed out that Christopher Gorham used to be the star of a sci fi show I would like - Jake 2.0. And while watching it I thought...wow, it's Chuck. But older. And still really good.

Note: Jake Foley was played by Christopher Gorham. Which means he's been a tech guy for both the NSA and CIA. And he's damn good at it - even though his two characters are extremely different.

I could be ok with similar premises. (Think X-Men versus Heroes) But the most recent episode I watched, the third one, focuses on the manly action guy of the team, Kyle, and his past relationship with another spy. And you know what it made me think of? The Chuck episode about Casey and Karina.

So my question is, does anyone else know any shows like this? Should this not bug me this much or does this stop other people from watching new shows for the fear that they will not be anything new? And does anyone else agree that this is proof that the best super spies are incredibly adorable computer nerds?

Covert Affairs - "Pilot"

SPOILERS: Really? Do I need to even say it?

As I've already said more than a few times, if you're a James Bond fan, you need to be watching this show. I was totally uninterested up until a day before the premiere, when I saw a blurb about one of the character's (Auggie). When the night of the premiere came I didn't decide until 9:58 that I was going to watch it, mostly because Warehouse 13 had been a huge disappointment and I didn't want my night to end on a bad note. Totally a fantastic decision on my part. Go me.

(Unless otherwise cited, pics are courtesy of usanetwork.com)

EVERYTHING that I've been watching

SPOILERS: Since I'm catching up, most descriptions are vague, but they do cover recent episodes of Stargate Universe, Royal Pains, Burn Notice, Eureka, Warehouse 13, Covert Affairs, White Collar, and SYTYCD. Also a few crossover spoilers I've picked up.

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Don't say I didn't warn you

Yes, I have lots of catching up to do. Part of my lack of enthusiasm for posting is because, to be totally honest, I'm a bit disappointed with summer programming so far. It's neither bad nor good, thoroughly not worth writing about. With one MAJOR exception. If you have ever been a James Bond fan, you should be watching Covert Affairs. Not to say you must be a James Bond fan to enjoy it, but for those of us who are it is absolutely wonderful, and though I watched the premiere on a last minute whim, I will be anxiously counting down the seconds until the next episode. But more to come later (as the newest show, it's at the end, and will probably get it's own separate review).

Warehouse 13 Season 2 Episode 1 - "Time Will Tell"

SPOILERS: Massive ones, since this was the season premiere

First off, I think it's necessary to give props to SyFy for one hell of an advertising campaign. I did not like this show for the majority of last summer, but I kept watching due to their fantastic guest stars. It wasn't until the introduction of MacPherson, a truly delightful villain, that I really began getting interested. Yet somehow, between the bus campaigns, the excessive commercials on Comedy Central, and the advertisement on the NYT webpage, I became extremely excited for this episode - and though I'm iffy about how some mysteries turned out, the episode certainly did not fail to disappoint in terms of shockers. (All photos courtesy of syfy.com)

And before this goes any futher - DID YOU SEE WHO'S ON NEXT WEEK? Jewel Staite and Sean Maher - Kaylee and Simon from Firefly. I'm just going to fangirl for a little bit now........
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Ok, all better.

Glee Episodes 21/22 - "Funk" and "Theatricality"

SPOILERS: Well, the episodes for one. Plus a small Season 2 casting spoiler at the end

Ta da! A post! How awesome. It's been a while, and I misplaced all my notes from these two episodes (that's right, I take notes, just for you guys). SO, this is going to be a bit...well...shaky because I'll only be able to write about the things that stood out for me. Also, since I have so much to catch up, I'm combining both episodes into one review. And also, I'm skipping pics for these, since I want to just get them posted - I may go back later and toss some in. Let's get started...

(By the way, I end the post with the casting spoiler, so just stop reading when you see the warning if you don't want to read it)

Proof of Intent :D

Yes, yes, I know - I've somewhat failed at maintaing this blog. In my defense, NY is a much more exciting place to be than either Pittsburgh or Washington D.C., making it extremely difficult to willingly sit down and write. I mean, there is so much free stuff to do when you have an unlimited subway card! And you'll probably hear plenty about it. But I digress...

I have not forgotten about this blog, and to be honest, I'm a bit flattered and surprised by how many people have bugged me about the fact that there is a conspicuous three week gap in my posts. SO, I'm going to try to keep this going - and to prove, here's the list of posts I plan on finally writing this week:

• Glee episodes "Funk" and "Faithfully"
• Stargate Universe two-part finale
• Robin Hood
• Burn Notice premiere and subsequent episodes
• Royal Pains premiere and subsequent episodes
• Richard III (in Central Park, for free) 
• Revival of West Side Story
• Tony Awards
• The Coney Island Mermaid Parade - aka what happens when you add together the beach, BP protestors, lots of body paint, hot dogs with excessive amounts of bacon, something called "orangeade" and a few religious protestors

~ Sarah

Hairspray...the movie....the GOOD one

So, to celebrate one of my last nights at home, last Friday, I decided to do a musical movie marathon, and one of the movies I watched was Hairspray - the recent one based off of the Broadway musical, not the not the not so great first movie that inspired the musical. And I have to say, it was better than I remembered (and I liked it the first time around). What makes the good and bad parts of the movie can really be broken down into its actors. I'm not going to cover everyone, just the few I think will get some discussion. :)