Feels like old times, having a Sunday HBO lineup to get excited about again. But excited I am, having seen the first five episodes of the wildly entertaining new vampire mystery/romance/comedy/thriller hybrid True Blood, and the first four episodes of Entourage’s much-improved fifth season.I posted my initial thoughts on True Blood in a Dispatch filed shortly after HBO’s presentation during TCA press tour this summer, at which time I had screened the first two episodes. Since then, I’ve watched more and have also devoured the first two books in Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse series, which are also great fun. (Season one of True Blood roughly tracks the plot of Harris’s first volume, Dead Until Dark.) All I can say is: I’m hooked.Alan Ball’s colorful adaptation goes way over the top as only pay cable can do, both in terms of sexuality (especially where Sookie’s horndog brother is concerned) and in terms of broadly played Southern caricatur...
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Happy New Year ER After a wonderful though repeat-filled holiday season it is nice to settle into 2007 with some fresh story lines isnt it And how great to have an episode that shined the spotlight squarely on our dear Dr Kerry Weaver But more on that later Okay Ive been on the fence all season about John Stamos Tony Gates and tonight Ive finally decided I really dont like him In numerous articles and commentaries Ive read about this season people have compared this character to George Clooneys flawed but immensely appealing Doug Ross I dont know if it was the way that character was written or the charisma and soulfulness that Clooney brought to the role but even at his lowest I dont ever remember Doug coming off as so unlikable and I say that with the knowledge that he charmed and bedded many random women before impregnating his long-suffering formerly suicidal girlfriend with twins and leaving her to
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Hours after the effects of the tryptophan from the fabulous Thanksgiving dinner I had with friends wore off, I gave thanks for a new episode of Grey's. This episode was anything but a turkey. How many of you were screaming "yes!" to the TV as soon as you heard Sandra Oh's voice in the opening narration rather than Ellen Pompeo's? Not that I dislike Meredith Grey being the show's narrator — it is called Grey’s Anatomy. But it's a nice diversion when someone else takes over for a change. Last time this happened, it was T.R. Knight's narrative voice and I remember how most of you were thrilled and only a few of you insisted on having it be Meredith's voice. It made such good sense for Cristina to narrate at the opening and closing of the show since it was a heavily Cristina-centric episode. In fact, the entire super-sized hour and 10 minutes made such good sense, I kept thinking how satisfied I was. In fact, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I'd like to send a thank you note to ...
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