DVD Tuesday Videodrome reality TV and the temple of the new flesh -- David Cronenberg saw it allAll hail Mike Judges Idiocracy 2006 Every time my mind is boggled by the depths to which some new reality TV show has sunk I cant help but remember the most popular show of Judges dystopian future Ow My Balls Really says it all doesnt it But much though Im amused by Idiocracy David Cronenbergs Videodrome 1983 really blows my mind pace Roxy Musics In Every Dream Home a Heartache The first time I saw it I was in college the product of a world in which there were no PCs no cell phones no IM no PDAs no social networking sites no games more sophisticated than Space Invaders and Pong and yet I knew that Videodrome wasnt just a freaky kick Id been following Cronenberg since his experimental shorts Stereo 1969 and Crimes of the Future 1970 and it was clear to me that he was on to something In some visceral way he got both the seductiveness and
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On tonights Shark 9 pmETCBS newly disbarred LA prosecutor Sebastian Stark bets on finding solace in Las Vegas However since Stark can still practice law in Nevada while there he agrees to defend a former client from murder charges Feeling guilty and helping out is Paula Marshall as the ex-attorney generals office staffer who inadvertently caused Sebastian to lose his California licenseWith Jeri Ryan on maternity leave executive producer Ian Biederman says Marshalls Jordan is much more an equal than Ryans Jessica although not as comfortable in his world But then Sebastian doesnt seem too comfortable right now either This is him going back to defending bad guys explains Biederman He realizes he cant do it anymore As far as the shows future is concerned Biederman is cautiously optimistic that the recent switch from Sundays to Tuesdays will improve its chances We feel like weve earned another shot he says James Woods cocky counselor would co
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As we celebrated the landmark 300th outing of ER tonight with a rare episode directed by series executive producer John Wells I was thrilled to see the powerhouse acting of Maura Tierney and Goran Visnjic as the centerpiece of the episode For those of us who have been fans since that very first episode 14 years ago is that even possible it is gratifying to see this show still telling compelling heartfelt stories about characters that we care about I havent always liked where the story went but Ive certainly enjoyed the ride Thank God Abby finally came clean to Luka I honestly didnt think I was going to be able to take much more of relapse Abby and I was so relieved that all the secrets and lies were out on the table There are a million things I could say about the unfortunate timing of Abbys disclosure in the wake of Lukas loss but my complaint would be mostly about the acrobatics that the writers have had to perform to work aro
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DVD Tuesday Good CopBad CopPsycho Cop James Woods is all three in this pre-LA Confidential James Ellroy thrillerI was reading James Ellroys Hollywood Nocturnes over the weekend and wondering why the success of LA Confidential 1997 did nothing to raise the profile of Cop 1988 a brutal little thriller based on his Blood on the Moon I couldnt come up with a theory but this week I decided to do my bit Cop opened with no fanfare but I was already a James Woods fan I dont think I even knew who Ellroy was back then so I took a flyer on it and I was hooked from the credits sequence black screen two voices a 911 operator and a guy reporting a murder And its grimly hilarious because the good citizen is trying to pussyfoot around the fact that hes a burglar trying to do the right thing while not admitting that his knowledge of the crime hes reporting was acquired mid-BE Woods who coproduced the film with director James B Harris plays LAPD detecti
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Shark creator Ian Biederman has signed a two-year deal with 20th Century Fox TV to continue on as show-runner for the hit drama and develop new projects. Heralding Biederman's success, 20th Century president Dana Walden tells Variety, "Ian has created a larger-than-life character in Sebastian Stark that... captured the imagination of the amazing Jimmy Woods, a feature actor who'd never done a television series. The result was the year's most-watched new drama."Looking ahead to Shark's Season 2, Biederman says, "We want to make it a combination of provocative drama and interesting characters... not just a procedural." Tweaks include Jeri Ryan's DA joining Stark's team, giving the supporting cast meatier stories and bringing back Stark's ex-wife.
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