I was hoping wed get the answer to what John told Dean in the hospital but we didnt We got that killer cliff-hanger instead the one were going to have to live with for who knows how long Stupid hiatus My thoughts were kind of everywhere with Croatoan hence my columns pretty much going to be the same wayHow great was the previously The whole special Sam montage that led into the whole scary Dean section Very cool How great were Sam and Dean in this episode Brotherly love abounded Its always at the core even when the two are making each other angry All it takes is a scene like the one wherein a possibly infected Sammy tells Dean to leave and keep going Dean states Who says I want to Yeah I was pretty much done right there There were so many good moments between the Winchester boys Thats what I want to keep seeing as the season continues Never veer too far from that and Ill be a happy camper How about when Dean threw Sarge the keys to
read more
Just a note: If you're not the type to watch the previews for upcoming episodes, you may want to skip the first paragraph and the last sentence of this column.I love Smallville, I really do, but that was just painful. From beginning to end. OK, not to "end," not by a long shot. The best parts of "Subterranean" were: 1) Lex's evil strut of doom set to that AFI song; that was just badass, 2) Clark's continuing to think about the world as a whole, not just the precious few he saves here and there, and 3) the sneak peek to what's coming up in the second half of the season — especially that last shot of what I guess is the fledgling Justice League of America (I believe we saw Flash, Cyborg, Green Arrow, Clark and Aquaman). I'm not sure when the next new "Smallville" airs, but it needs to be sooner rather than later. We haven't had a new episode in about three weeks. So I really thought the show was going to reward us for our patience; especially since this may be the last fresh (oop...
read more
Was it Opposite Day on Top Chef or what? Sam, Cliff and Frank ending up in the Bottom 3? What gives? I did enjoy seeing the women in the Top 3, even though Elia continues to bug; but she's turning into quite the contender. Mia, Betty and Frank ended up in both the Bottom and the Top 3 during the episode. Luckily for Betty and Mia, their success happened in the elimination challenge. However, in my opinion, Frank was toast the minute he said that he was "on a roll," and I believe he uttered those words a minute into the show. It's like when Carlos said that he was A-OK with being in the middle, the middle was safe. I'm sorry, but when you're in the Bottom 3 with Cliff and Sam, just call it a day. There was no way those two were going home. At least one or both of those guys has a good chance of being in the finals. I had no problem with Frank going; I can't believe he's gone before Michael, but I had no problem with him getting eliminated.I also enjoyed that in the middle of these hi...
read more
In honor of Thanksgiving, I'm going to give thanks to this latest crop of Top Chef hopefuls for being so freakin' dysfunctional. Thank you for Marcel's arrogance (seems to be the word of the day with a few of these chefs); Betty's temper; Carlos' mantra that middle is good; Tom Colicchio's sheer frustration with this bunch; Elia's chocolate meltdown after losing the Quickfire challenge; Anthony Bourdain's colorful critcism; and, well, thank you Mike, for just being Mike.Quickfire challenge: Make a tasty dish using canned goodsWinner: Sam, Cliff, Ilan, Frank & MiaGuest Judge: Tom ColicchioLoved Tom judging this challenge — I'm a big proponent of using Tom as much as possible. It was clear that those who chose to make some sort of salad with the canned food ingredients were going to have the most success. After all, they only had 15 minutes to complete this task. The show mixed things up by granting five of the chefs immunity: Sam, Cliff, Ilan, Frank and Mia. Last week, I wro...
read more
Supernatural just keeps getting better and better doesnt it For me Crossroad Blues had the perfect balance of everything that the show does well Taking on the legend of blues great Robert Johnson gave us a supremely rich colorful scary rollercoaster ride that featured hellhounds going after the people who made a deal with the devil mostly for shallow superficial reasons The hour gave us twists humor blues music brotherly banter angst a Sam pep talk Dean speaking Latin and the Impala Then the show tweaked the formula once again to give us a sneak preview of whats to come in the next original episode as well as what I imagine will be waiting for us in the second part of the season Let me give kudos to Sera Gamble Shes one of the best writers on the show and has either written or co-written some of Supernaturals finest episodes including Faith Dead in the Water Nightmare Salvation and Bloodlust The Brotherly Humor Its a given were going
read more
I'm not going to say I didn't like "Static"; I am going to say that parts of it were very frustrating. The episode ended and I just really didn't know how to feel about it. Much of the hour featured Lex and Lana's "love" story, a story I'm just not completely feeling. Thanks to this "142" meteor-freak dude (we find out later his name is Bronson), Lex and Lana are living on different frequencies. It all actually reminded me of the movie Frequency starring Dennis Quaid and James Caviezel, not to mention R.E.M's "What's the Frequency Kenneth?" Anyway, while the two are spending time on alternate planes of existence, Lex hears Lana open up to Chloe about their relationship. Later, when she figures out Lex can hear her, she lets him in on her pregnancy. I feel like the show was trying really hard for us to get into their relationship. Did that happen? Not so much. Especially when Lana admitted that Lex has been more honest with her than anyone has ever been (yet another dig against Clark...
read more
We all knew there was going to be a double elimination; I just didn't think it was going to be this week, until three teams did so horribly in the elimination challenge. Josie and Marisa were both forced to pack their knives and leave the competition. I was simply happy that Marisa got her walking papers. But after Josie's "talented" comments about herself, I was actually glad she was given the boot, too. And speaking of Josie and Marisa, when in the world did they become BFFs? I didn't have one clue that they were tight until this episode. And, of course, saying that in the first five minutes of the show all but guaranteed their elimination. Unlike the guest judges that sometimes pop in on American Idol, the ones on Top Chef are real contributors to the process, and I've loved pretty much every one. Tom, Gail and guest chef Michelle Bernstein were very vocal and, might I add, kinda cranky. I think they had every right to be. But first, let's start things off with the Quickfire chal...
read more
Remember all the brotherly banter and moments that were missing from No Exit They must have been saving them for The Usual Suspects This episode showcased just how in-sync Sam and Dean are with each other it was creepy and it was funny In fact not only did Dean get to bring the funny Sam did too The Exorcists Linda Blair and Jason Gedrick remember Iron Eagle were present and accounted for Blairs scenes with Jared were particularly good Please dont make me talk about the pea soup comment at the end however I did love how the cops knew or at least thought they knew everything about the boys They are leaving more of a paper trail than I thought Its fun to see how normal people deal with the mysterious ways of the WinchestersThe Previously No classic-rock tune needed a montage of so many of Sam and Deans aliases and cover stories since the pilot is just what the doctor ordered My favorites Mr Berkowitz Nigel Tufnel Dr Jerry Kaplan a
read more
It's an early Thanksgiving on Smallville, and Ollie's experiencing some sort of souped-up 'roid rage; Lana's got a bun in the oven; and Martha and Lionel are dealing with some serious sexual tension. And Clark? Well, Clark's just trying to hold everything together. Someone in my last column posted that Clark seemed to be channeling Jonathan Kent. I think a lot of that was going on with this episode, too, but more on that later.So, Lana's preggers, huh? I wonder how long she's going to keep this a secret from Lex? When the doctor asked Lana if she's ever fainted before and she told him three times within the last month, she needed to be telling him that she's passed out tons — that's what happens when you're constantly being attacked, possessed and/or kidnapped. But I'm curious to see where this pregnancy business will lead. Clark tried to talk to Lana again. I hope he stops trying soon, because she was right: Her problems or issues aren't any of Clark's business anymore. Hope s...
read more
What's with all the cheating on Top Chef, huh? First Otto, now this. Here's a question: When is it the appropriate time for someone to speak up about fellow contestants possibly cheating? Right when you see the alleged infraction? Or when it's time to get your proverbial butt out of the frying pan of elimination? That latter tactic has worked on Top Chef twice now. Marisa didn't have to go home even though she deserved to, and now, no one's going home this week. You know what? I hope that means we're about to get a double elimination soon. And if I were Carlos, I'd lobby to get immunity for one more challenge. After all, he won the Quickfire challenge, but since no one went home, having immunity really meant nothing.Quickfire Challenge: Create an amuse-bouche in 30 minutesWinner: CarlosRunners-up: Frank and IlanGuest Judge: Former Food & Wine Best New Chef Suzanne Goin (owner and executive chef of Lucques and A.O.C.)Here's the kicker with this challenge: The chefs had to get ing...
read more