Wanna Be Your Superhero...

New TV shows are always fun to anticipate: will this be my new favourite place to spend Sunday nights? Or will I hate it in the first 5 minutes and lambast it to all of my friends? Will I discover new writing talent? A new topic to write about? New actors? Or will I wonder how these people ever graduated from school, much less start their own TV shows?

And then there are the shows that we already love that are entering a new season. HBO and Showtime have had a bunch of new shows cropping up -- Nurse Jackie and Hung are the two prominent ones right now -- and because I was finishing my book I barely had time to open the packages much less pop in the DVDs (reviews on at least one coming soon). But when Entourage came to the house, I had to drop everything and watch it.

Entourage is one of those shows you either hate or love. The first time I saw it, I hated it. Immensely. Why would I want to spend my time with a bunch of boys who never left adolescence, who are politically incorrect horndogs who don't care about the famous guy in their midst so much as what they can get out of him? If I cared that much, I'd go and read a biography on Elvis and his Memphis Mafia.

But then I watched the series premiere a second time, and moved to the second episode. And by the third, I wondered where Ari Gold had been all my life.

YES this show is sexist and politically incorrect -- the verbal abuse Ari's "Gaysian" assistant Lloyd takes episode after episode alone is worth a mountain of sexual harassment suits -- but it's the fact that these lines EXPOSE the idiocy of their speakers, and doesn't buoy them up, that redeems them. In the first episode of season 6, when Lloyd threatens to quit if he doesn't get a raise and says he'll go work with his father, Ari counters, "In a dry cleaners?" His father actually owns a business, but that Ari would immediately assume that shows his narrow-mindedness -- and Lloyd's massive eyeroll and quick comeback makes the line hilarious and completely worth it.

The women are typically smarter than the men, despite being completely sexualized in every episode. But this season we move to a new topic: For five seasons we've watched these guys hanging off Vince as he completely carries them financially, giving them a place to live, cars, food. All he asks is that they stay by his side and be there when he needs to talk to them. Turtle is his driver; E is his manager; Drama, his stupid older brother, is the cook.

But what happens when you carry people for so long that you allow them to figure out a way to carve out their own financial -- and emotional -- independence? Turtle is dating Jamie Lynn-Sigler from the Sopranos. Drama has a role in a major NBC show. E not only manages Vince, but other stars. And Vince's star has been fading as of late, even though he's just appeared in a much-touted Scorsese film and has found himself back on top.

But suddenly these guys have other things to do at night. They have other places to be, and in one case, are moving out completely. As Vince wishes them all well in his laid-back, "Sure, no problem" way, the camera pans back to see him playing pool with himself, and you wonder, what does major Hollywood star do when the emotional net he's built for himself has a huge gaping hole in the middle of it? He can't just go out and find new friends or girlfriends -- he's a huge celebrity, and everyone will take advantage of him. And yet he can't expect his buddies to be hangers-on for the rest of his life. There's a telling scene where one of the guys goes out with a girl, and mentions she has a really cute friend, and Vince, who was settling in for a night with his TV, jumps up and says he'll come along. And then appears to be almost begging the girl to pay attention to him.

Season 6 has the same wit and craziness that it always did, but it's going to ask a new question: Who has become the focus, and who is now the entourage?

Sunday Nights on TMN: Must-See TV

Do you remember the golden years of Fox Sunday nights? The Simpsons, King of the Hill, X-Files... there was no night like it on TV. Well, Sunday nights are back, and it's on The Movie Network. This Sunday will see the premieres of HBO's new vampire series, True Blood, and the fifth season of HBO's Entourage. They will be joined on September 28th by Showtime's Dexter. I think y'all know where I'll be on that night.
True Blood is the new show by Alan Ball, he of the legendary Six Feet Under and American Beauty. The series is based on the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris, which are a funny and original take on the vampire myth (unlike Twilight, ahem). Because of a new synthetic blood that is very similar to the real thing, marketed as Tru Blood and sold in six-packs like beer, vampires are finally able to "come out of the coffin," and walk amongst us. They no longer have to hunt humans (not that the nastier ones don't still like to) and instead can survive on the synthetic blood. But there's a twist. The vampire legend states that vamps drink human blood to feel more alive and energetic, and can imbibe some of the soul of the person they drink. In True Blood, if a human drinks vampire blood, it can energize them, heighten their sex drive, and even heal them if they're sick or hurt. So now it's the VAMPIRES who are on the run from the nastier humans. And as we all know, there are a LOT of those around.

Sookie is portrayed by Anna Paquin, who won the Academy Award for her role in The Piano when she was a young girl (I think she was 11? I can't quite remember, but I do remember her up on the stage in a little purple velvet outfit and this adorable poofy hat, and she kept giggling instead of giving her acceptance speech, and finally in a Kiwi accent said, "I'd like to thank the Academy" and launched into a very mature speech). Here she's a southern belle who can read people's minds, and occasionally the noise around her turns into what Buffy was hearing on Earshot... so many people talking she can barely keep her head straight. She's learned to control it by stopping where she is, closing her eyes, and concentrating, but sometimes it gets the better of her. When a vampire walks into the restaurant/bar where she works, she's fascinated by him because she can't read his mind, and by looking at him it can turn the other voices off. HIs name is Bill (which earns a guffaw from her, saying she'd expected something a little more romantic) and he's from the Civil War. Stephen Moyer plays Bill with a gentlemanly air, since the last time he walked among humans he was opening doors for ladies in hoop skirts. It's a great premise, watching him try to talk to Sookie, who is in short shorts and a tight t-shirt, chomping on her gum, while he's using old-fashioned language and trying to figure out how to communicate with her.

Sookie's brother Jason is a vampire hater, as are a lot of people, and he's about as horny as vampires are fangy. Sookie's grandmother, on the other hand, is fascinated by them, and wants to hear about stories from the Civil War, which is her favourite historical era. The show is light, funny, and there are some genuinely scary moments. Each episode ends on a massive cliffhanger that keeps you guessing until the next week (and since I've seen the first two, I need to wait until the 21st to see how this one's going to be resolved!). Someone commented here that the only reason I didn't like Twilight is because it wasn't Buffy, and I'll never like a vampire story that's not Buffy, but in fact, Twilight is possibly the only vampire story I didn't like. True Blood, on the other hand, is everything Twilight isn't: funny, sensual, alluring, and great storytelling.

To get your funny bone in the mood for True Blood, Entourage returns with season 5. The first episode is a bit of a transition, cleaning up the mess we ended with in season 4 and getting us prepared for the new adventures of our favourite hangers-on. Vincent and E's disastrous Medellin has garnered reviews previously saved up for Vincent Gallo, and Vince has disappeared to Mexico to grow a shaggy beard, forget about the world around him, and get lots of chicks. Turtle has remained there with him, since he has nothing better to do than help lure in the women using his famous friend. Just as Vincent is about to turn into Billy, the horrible director who got him in this spot in the first place, E and Ari show up with an offer that will bring him back to L.A. But it's upon his return that he really sees what Medellin has done to his career.

We've watched E do everything in his power to save Vincent and keep Drama and Turtle at bay while Vincent just ignores him and does his own thing, and usually in the end, Vincent proves things work out if you're charming. But this is one time when Vincent is jolted awake, and when he finally decides to get serious about saving his career, Ari forces him to recognize it just might be too late. Vincent needs to smarten up FAST or all his roles will be taken by Emile Hirsch.

The show still has its zing, and while I'm sure some critics will complain about the samey premise, I love coming back to these guys. Drama still has an ego too big for his apartment; Turtle is still a loser; E is still trying to get some respect from ANYONE; and Ari is still one forehead vein away from a massive coronary. But by the end of the second episode, Ari's wake-up call just might have been enough for Vincent. As Ari yells to him in the closest thing he has to a motivational speech: "It's time for a comeback, Vince! And since Britney Spears fucked hers up, it's all down to you!!"

This season promises guest stars (Leighton Meester, aka Blair from Gossip Girl, guests in the second episode, as does Tony Bennett), heated-up rivalries, humour from the fallout of Medellin (a clip from Richard Roeper ripping it to shreds is hysterical), and more Johnny Drama. For what the future holds and whether or not this season will be worth it, I have just this to say -- Episode 4: Johnny guests on The View. 'Nuff said.

Entourage premieres Sunday, September 7 at 7:30pm on Movie Central and 8:30pm on TMN, and True Blood follows at 8pm on Movie Central and 9pm on TMN.

YAY, TERRY O'QUINN!!
Okay, I hate the Emmys, y'all know that, but I get sucked in like every other TV viewer, still hoping against hope that someone I like from a show I watch might actually win an award. I didn't actually watch the Emmys until the very very end, so I missed most of them, and only found out about the highlights in the paper this morning (or while googling last night while my husband watched The Usual Suspects on MPIX for the tenth time... actually the much better viewing choice). So imagine my surprise to find out that Locke had actually won the Emmy! (And is it just me, or does it look like a price tag is stuck to the bottom of his award in this pic?) And of course, I'm still going to complain -- I wish Michael Emerson had won, because this was his year -- but that said, just think of O'Quinn's performance at the end of "The Man from Tallahassee," where in the flashback we see him get plopped into that wheelchair for the first time and he sees the rest of his life in those four wheels and breaks down, and you know this man deserves an award.

I love Entourage, I love Jeremy Piven, I adore Ari, but I wish Rainn Wilson had taken it.

James Spader over James Gandolfini? Does ANYONE watch Boston Legal? Anyone?? (How sucky that they both have the same first name; I said to my husband, I bet Gandolfini was almost getting out of his chair until the person said, "Spader.") And what happened to James Spader?? He used to be SO hot. Now he's puffy and looks like he's been having donut-eating competitions with Shatner. Yikes.

30 Rock winning best comedy! I was rooting for The Office, but considering they were rock bottom in the ratings last year, I hope this helps. Then again, it didn't help Arrested Development, but we can still dream. I love 30 Rock.

The Sopranos won best drama over Heroes, and it comes as no surprise. But I think it was actually the right choice, too. Over all those other shows, The Sopranos changed the face of television and what we watch, how we watch it, etc. It's caused shows like 24 and Lost to experiment with January to May uninterrupted runs. It's allowed more profanity, violence, and nudity into prime-time shows (and I don't mean that as a bad thing). It's improved the soundtracks of most dramas. But most of all, it's shown us that television writing can be as compelling, daring, and groundbreaking as film writing. It deserved that award more than any show in the past year (with the exception of The Wire, but I'm not going to go there again... let me repeat: best season of ANY series, EVER).

By most accounts, the highlight was the lyric faceoff between Kanye and Rainn, and I watched it on YouTube and it was hilarious. Kanye West is an immensely talented performer, but a WHINER. He whines that he was robbed at the Grammys. He bitches when he doesn't get an AMA. He declares racism when he's beat out at the VMAs (by Rihanna, no less... uh... what?) But at the end of the day, he can still laugh at himself. So here's a competition that he should absolutely win... and he doesn't. I love it.

Exciting Casting News!!
I've got good news and bad news. Last week it was announced Kristen Bell had turned down the offer to appear on Lost in season 4 (boo). But... Bell has officially joined the cast of Heroes (yay!) It's probably what she was holding out for, and figured it was the better bet career-wise. Her character's name will be Elle, and she'll be connected to three other existing characters (I won't say who, in case people deem that a spoiler). More info can be found here.

Entourage and Flight of the Conchords have both been renewed for new seasons. I have to catch up on FotC, but Entourage has been great in the second half of this season. Last night's ep was great (maybe it was because there was less Turtle and Drama predictable bumbling, and more Ari), though it left you a little uneasy from Eric's point of view. And is it wrong of me to have been upset that Walsh's girlfriend had taken the bullets out of the gun? Dammit... I can't wait until we finally see Medellin. Who thinks it's going to be terrible?

I swear this guy is Dorian Gray.

In other news, Finding Lost Season 3 has gone to the printer, and I'm excited about that, and I've been asked to be a part of another book project called The Essential Cult Television Reader. Yay! And I'm also going to appear in a book on Heroes this fall. I'll do a blog soon just on that book.

My daughter's birthday party was a success. Eighteen adults and six children, and not a single child was hurt or crying or upset, so that was a good thing. And my daughter suddenly dropped off to sleep at 7:20, which was worth the entire day itself. Ah... a three-year-old. How time flies...

I'm Back, Babeeeee
Honestly, my serious ineptitude will soon be a thing of the past, I PROMISE. For the last week I've been trying to log on, and blogger wouldn't accept any of my email addresses, it wouldn't take my username, and I couldn't remember my password (it's what happens when you do everything from one computer that just has cookies, and then you try to switch to another!) But thankfully, after much hardship, I realized I was using the wrong username (duh) and now I'm back. And I have lots to say.

Hell's Kitchen: Sorry, Virginia; Gordon Ramsay isn't Santa Clause. I was happy with the results of this show. While I actually liked Virginia a lot, the girl would have been lost in a kitchen on her own. Heather was FAR more talented and skilled in a kitchen, though I must say, Gordon Ramsay certainly had his work cut out for him with those two. It's too bad he had such a bunch of yahoos to work with from the beginning. Can't FOX find anyone out there who is an actual chef, or is the fun in throwing a bunch of idiots in a kitchen and wondering who will set themselves on fire first?

Entourage: This week's episode was HILARIOUS. Ari was at his personal best. Martin Landau is brilliant in the role of the aging movie producer, and Ari's frustration with him mirrors his same frustrations with E in season one. I LOVE this show.

Rock Star: I've only recently started watching this show and I was hooked immediately (seriously, my taste usually doesn't run to reality television unless it's America's Next Top Model or Amazing Race, but in the summer, what else can ya do??) I thought Lukas was weird as hell the first week (I can't remember what he sang, but his back was to the audience the entire time) but now I'm weirdly fascinated by him. Not to mention he looks exactly like Hawksley Workman, a BRILLIANT artist from Toronto. (If you don't know who he is, start with Last Night We Were the Delicious Wolves and prepare to be awed.) Hate Patrice, and I hope she goes soon. I kinda like Storm, but I think she's rather insincere, too, so I don't want to see her win. Magni is pretty cool, and Delana rocks.

Thank You for Smoking: I just saw this movie last night FINALLY (I'm so out of touch these days) and frankly, I was rather disappointed. I'd heard from SO many people that it was this awesome film, but I laughed once, when Rob Lowe's assistant commented that Lowe was obsessed with "Asian shit." Otherwise it was just a stylized satire of lobbyists, which I wouldn't have minded if it hadn't have been anti-smoking lobbyists. It turned a tobacco lobbyist into a hero, and that was just... weird.

Little Miss Sunshine: Or maybe I was disappointed in TYFS because it wasn't Little Miss Sunshine, which is the best movie I've seen in ages. I laughed, cried, and wanted the DVD. And I think that happened just in the opening credits. GO SEE IT.

I have some more to say on a completely different topic, but I think I'll post on that separately. In other news, my book is at the printer, and while it was there a photo agency came through with a photo of Henry Ian Cusick (Desmond on Lost). No matter where I looked, photos of this guy didn't seem to exist. My publisher tried every agency, photographer, even tracked down his agent, all to no avail, and then he made some appearance on the weekend at the Creative Emmys and boom, photo. And my wonderful publisher is now going to change one of the photos in the final section and flip in the Cusick picture instead, which has me seriously doing happy somersaults. Well, not really, or I'd probably throw out a hip, but I'll watch my toddler do somersaults and pretend it's me. :)

"Let's Hug It Out, Bitch"

OK, so let me first explain that I'm one of those people who always started diaries on January 1st, and I have reams of diaries with no entries beyond February 10th. So it should probably come as no surprise that I excitedly set up a blog about a month ago, made two entries, and then abandoned it. But it's been a busy month. I handed in the almost-to-last part of my Finding Lost manuscript on June 30th, and it was edited. In July I had to read a Dickens book, as I've mentioned, and finish the final chapter in the book, which was creating a map and a travel guide to the filming locations for the show in Oahu, Hawaii. These last two chapters sort of hung over my head as the two things I needed to do, and the moment they were FINALLY done, everything ended up right back in my lap at the proofreading stage, and I had two days to go over it. I had to choose the photos, place them in the book, and write captions, and as of August 2nd, the beast finally went to the printer, and I've finally been able to breathe again.

Of course, around that same date, we moved my daughter from a crib to a toddler bed, and a whole other can of worms has been opened. Needless to say, my evenings are still pretty busy.

But I am pleased to report that once Lost was off my plate, my husband and I finally began watching Entourage, one of those shows I've been dying to watch for ages. We bombed through all of season one in about two nights (it's only 8 episodes long), then watched season two over the following week, and this past weekend finished off season two and watched all of season three so far. It's brilliant. Crazy brilliant. I can't recommend this show enough.

But confession time: I'd actually seen the pilot months ago, and thought it was an awful show. I couldn't figure out why anyone would want to watch a show about a dullard of an actor who has an evil agent and three hangers-on who are a bunch of sexist pigs. I've always thought Elvis's "Memphis Mafia" was a disgusting display of a bunch of people using someone for their money, and a pathetic guy who gave them the money because he wanted his "friends" close by. But the pilot of Entourage is typical of most HBO shows. I remember watching Six Feet Under's pilot and thinking, "Eh." It took me about 3 months to get around to watching episode 2. The Sopranos similarly left me a little cold, though I still went right into the second episode. Deadwood didn't do it for me, either. In all of these shows, HBO packs so much backstory into the pilot that the show becomes a massive history lesson, and it's only on the second and third episodes that it eases up a bit, and you start to get to know the characters. Then Sal just has to has to sneer, or David just has to give that look to Nate, or Ari looks like he's going to strangle his cellphone, and I'm laughing.

So watch Entourage if you're not already. It's a fabulous show, and very funny. And make sure you watch it with someone else, because like most comedies, it's funnier to watch it with friends. Any reference to Johnny Drama's resumé, or Ari's comments to Lloyd (and Lloyd's comebacks) are worth the entire show.

P.S. I tried six times to post a photo with this blog, but I'm apparently technologically illiterate, so it won't be happ'nin. Here's hoping I can figure out what I'm doing wrong...