Wayne's World

So I finally got around to seeing the final batch of pilots for the upcoming TV season (minus 4), and here are my thoughts on them…

CHARLIE’S ANGELS:  Good, not great.  The acting was pretty bad and I didn’t like that Bosley is young like the girls and takes part in the missions.  I’ll still give it a chance to see if it gets any better.

GOOD CHRISTIAN BITCHES (renamed to GOOD CHRISTIAN BELLES):  LOVED every minute of it!  It was an even nastier DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES and it has Kristin Chenoweth…enough said.  Oh, and Annie Potts steals every scene she is in.

PERSON OF INTEREST:  Good, not great.  The concept is kind of interesting but I could see it getting old really fast.  And there is only so long I can take the  ”case of the week” shows that this seems to be.

RINGER:  Loved it.  Sarah Michelle Gellar will ALWAYS be Buffy to me so I was bound to like this one anyway but it did have some good twists in the pilot and I am definitely interested to see where it leads.

SMASH:  GLEE on Broadway…so of course I loved it!

UP ALL NIGHT:  Christina Applegate + Will Arnett + Maya Rudolph = a hilarious new show that I have every intention of watching.

NEW GIRL:  Loved it.  I love Zooey Deschanel and if you don’t like her, you will not like this show.  Simple enough.

GRIMM:  Interesting enough show that will have me checking out at least a few more episodes before I decide to stay with it or drop it.

HART OF DIXIE:  Cute (but predictable) show.  Rachel Bilson was adorable, though.

A GIFTED MAN:  THE GHOST WHISPERER with Patrick Wilson as a doctor who becomes THE DOCTOR WHISPERER!  Good enough to see a couple more episodes of it.

REVENGE:  The story has some twists and turns and it is deliciously evil.  I loved every minute of it.

So to condense this blog and the last one, here are the shows that I will definitely watch, give another chance to and skip altogether…

DEFINITELY WATCH:  2 Broke Girls, Suburgatory, Alcatraz, Apartment 23, Good Christian Belles, Ringer, Smash, Up All Night, New Girl and Revenge

GIVE ANOTHER CHANCE TO:  Once Upon A Time, Pan Am, The Playboy Club, Scandal, Whitney, Charlie’s Angels, Person of Interest, Grimm, Hart of Dixie, Bad Mom and A Gifted Man

SKIP ALTOGETHER:  Last Man Standing, Free Agents, How to Be A Gentleman and Are You There, Vodka?  It’s Me Chelsea

I still have not seen TERRA NOVA, ALLEN GREGORY, NAPOLEON DYNAMITE or PRIME SUSPECT but I have a feeling I will at least like 2 of those.

P.S.  Happy birthday, Nicole!!!

So I have seen a few pilots of some shows that will begin airing this upcoming TV season and here are some of the thoughts I have about them (there are still quite a few I need to see, so here is just a partial list):

ONCE UPON A TIME:  Has limited potential.  The fairytale aspect is interesting but I can see it growing old really quickly.

PAN AM:  Did not like this at all.  Will give it another shot but thought they tried way too hard to capture the “Mad Men” vibe and there was just too much going on.

THE PLAYBOY CLUB:  Better than “Pan Am.”  Has potential but could also wear out its welcome pretty quickly.

2 BROKE GIRLS:  Surprisingly hilarious!  Very well-written and Kat Dennings (who was in “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist,” “The House Bunny” and “Thor”) was great.  This will be the first time in many YEARS that I will watch a sitcom on Monday nights on CBS…and that says a lot.

ALCATRAZ:  Very interesting premise and it has the J.J. Abrams seal of approval…so I’m in.

LAST MAN STANDING:  I am not a big Tim Allen fan and this show is a prime example of why I am still not a Tim Allen fan.

APARTMENT 23:  Funny show that had an interesting premise (and Jane from “Breaking Bad”!) but I think it may have limited itself by resolving the main conflict in the pilot.

SUBURGATORY:  Hilarious!

FREE AGENTS:  Awful.

SCANDAL:  Surprisingly entertaining although a little generic.

HOW TO BE A GENTLEMAN:  Awful.

WHITNEY:  Pretty bad.

ARE YOU THERE VODKA?, IT’S ME CHELSEA:  I turned it off after 10 minutes.

BAD MOM:  Okay but will probably not watch it.

The trailers for all these shows are available on YouTube so you can see what I’m talking about.  I still need to see some that I am looking forward to (CHARLIE’S ANGELS, GOOD CHRISTIAN BELLES, PERSON OF INTEREST, RINGER, NEW GIRL, TERRA NOVA, SMASH, PRIME SUSPECT and UP ALL NIGHT) and some that I will check out to see if they are any good (GRIMM, ALLEN GREGORY, NAPOLEON DYNAMITE, HART OF DIXIE, A GIFTED MAN and REVENGE).

So as I have been told, it has been over a month since my last blog (and I didn’t realize that anyone was reading it anyway), so here is some random shit I can throw out so that way I can get some people off my back (you know who you are)!

“Crazy, Stupid, Love” was a fantastic movie. A little long but the acting was solid all around and it was one of the best-written romantic comedies I have seen in quite some time.

“The Help” was one of the best movies I have seen this year…period.

I went to a taping of “Chelsea Lately” yesterday (Aug. 16) and sat in the front row as she interviewed Anne Hathaway (who is absolutely STUNNING in person) and Paul Rudd. I also met Chuy (her “little nugget”) and I think my life flashed before my eyes due to my fear of little people. He was very nice though.

I lucked out and got a ticket to Adele’s concert tonight (Aug. 17) and I cannot wait (sorry, Michelle…don’t hate me)!

I still need to see “Final Destination 5″ and I heard “30 Minutes Or Less” was pretty bad so I may just have to wait on that one.

I also saw “Glee: The 3D Concert Movie” (shocker, I know) and I liked it but hated the “inspirational” stories scattered throughout the actual concert performances. I didn’t care what those people went through and I didn’t want to hear how the show changed their lives. I just wanted to see them sing…in 3D!

That’s it for now…or at least another month until I start getting pestered. I’m just kidding! I appreciate the (insert number here) loyal readers I have and I wouldn’t trade you for anything. Now it’s time for me to get back to work.

So I haven’t written a blog in a while and at the urging of a few people (the only ones who read this) and also a fortune cookie from Panda Express, I was told to get back into it.  So here goes…quick and painless:

I went to see “Cowboys & Aliens” this morning (July 29) and I thought it was ok.  It wasn’t as big a fiasco as “Wild Wild West” but it was not the big summer blockbuster that came out of nowhere and surpassed all expectations (a la “Iron Man”).  Daniel Craig stars as a guy (you find out later in the movie who he is) who wakes up in the middle of nowhere, not knowing who he is and how this contraption got attached to his wrist.  He soon makes his way into a small town and is arrested for being a fugitive.  Harrison Ford plays the leader of the town who had his gold stolen by Craig’s character and wants vengeance.  Soon, aliens appear and begin taking people with them and everyone has no idea what is going on.  As the movie continues, you find out why the aliens are there (I still have a problem with the explanation they gave) and who can stop them.  The movie was entertaining enough (Harrison Ford has always been one of my favorites and I love how he just gets older and more gruff in the roles he takes now) but there was nothing to really recommend it.  I wouldn’t say don’t see it but don’t rush out to it either (unless the only other movie playing is “The Smurfs”).

About a week ago, Amy Winehouse died and it made me really sad because I knew the day would come when I would hear about her death but it still shocked me when that day finally arrived.  It was sad to see such a talented woman throw her life away like that.  She never knew just how much she had to offer and now it’s too late.  The other reason I was saddened was because, like Michael Jackson, I will never get to see her perform in concert.  I know comparing the two of them is like apples and oranges because she is not really a “legend” like MJ but she is (was) one of those performers that was said to be absolutely electric on stage.  I had a chance a few years ago to go see her in Hollywood but I had to work that evening.  Two people I know went to the show (even though they didn’t have tickets) and while they waited in line to see if any tickets became available, they saw a mutual friend there who was working the event.  He got them in (VIP, to boot!) and they saw her perform and then went upstairs where all the VIPs and celebs (Bruce Willis, the cast of “Grey’s Anatomy,” etc.) were hanging out.  As they stood around, Amy walked in and went straight to the bar.  They went up to her, talked to her for a few minutes and even got a picture with her!  I was so jealous at the time but now I am just incredibly sad because I will never have a moment like that.  Now she can finally rest while the rest of us are left wondering what she would have done next in her too-brief career.

So I went to the theater this morning (July 15) to go see “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2,” the final film in the very lucrative Harry Potter franchise that began with the books in 1997 and the films in 2001.  I went in to this film with a mixture of anger (why did they have to split this film into 2 parts?) and sadness (I will never see Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint – not to mention everyone else – as these characters ever again).  The film itself was a great achievement and a wonderful way to cap off this franchise that was able to entertain people of all ages for the better part of a decade.

The books (and films) tell the story of Harry Potter, a young wizard whose parents are killed by an evil wizard named Voldemort.  Harry lives with his aunt, uncle and cousin and is treated poorly…until the day he is asked to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  There he meets Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley (along with plenty of other characters with some amazing names) and Harry is put on the path where he must face Voldemort because only one of them can live while the other must die.  They are bonded in a way that goes back to when Harry’s parents are killed and the best thing about these books is that the author (J.K. Rowling) developed these characters and made them into people that we truly care about.  She took her time over the course of 7 books and did not skimp on any details that were important to the story.  Some people argue that these books take some plot points away from other stories and that she may have not created this fantasy world on her own.  To that, I say who cares.  She got me (as well as millions of others – including quite a few children) into the habit of reading and that cannot be a bad thing.

When the films began in 2001, Chris Columbus (who directed “Home Alone,” “Mrs. Doubtfire” and one of my favorite movies, “Adventures in Babysitting”) took charge and hired 3 unknown kids to play these iconic parts.  He also populated the films with plenty of British actors (including Maggie Smith, Richard Harris, Robbie Coltrane, Alan Rickman and Fiona Shaw) and created the world that Ms. Rowling put on the page.  The film itself, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” was good but also very slow and suffered from the fact that the main trio of kids were novices to acting…and it showed in every scene.  The film made a ton of money (of course) and the following year, everyone returned for “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.”  This film was a little faster story-wise (there was no need to set everything up for people who had not read the books) but the acting by Radcliffe, Watson and Grint was still a little shaky.  In 2004, Alfonso Cuaron took over the directing duties for “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” and this was the film that fired on all cylinders.  The acting became first-rate (especially amongst the kids) and the story had a sense of darkness and foreboding that was missing from the first two films.  This is, far and away, my favorite film in the series.  In 2005, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” hit theaters with a different director (Mike Newell) but much of the same cast (Richard Harris passed away after the second film and Michael Gambon took over the role of Albus Dumbledore).  This was my favorite book and this film was also very good.  It had a lot of action and some suspenseful set-pieces that take place during the Triwizard Tournament.  It also featured Robert Pattinson (pre-”Twilight”) in a role that played a big part in what laid the foundation on where the story would go next.  David Yates took over the directing duties in 2007 with “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” (which featured the death of a major character in Harry’s life) and kept going through 2009′s “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (my least favorite movie…but with an even more shocking death).  He also directed both parts of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” and his comfort showed as the movies went on.  But the biggest surprise is how great Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint became in the course of 8 movies.  They seemed to be completely overwhelmed in the first movie but owned the characters wholly by this last film.  I cannot see anyone else in these roles.  That is how indelible a mark they have made.  I am also glad that the whole cast (except for Richard Harris) played the same parts in all 8 films.  That is unheard of and will be something that will probably never be seen again.

We watched these kids become adults and witnessed their first kisses and first dances and first tests and first uncomfortable feelings towards the opposite sex.  They each had something that we could all relate to and I, for one, am going to miss them.

So a lot of things have happened since the last time I wrote a blog. I’m still not working that much so I have had a lot of time to just sleep in, go to the gym, watch TV and movies and basically be a bum this summer. But when I do something that doesn’t involve the aforementioned events, it’s at least worthwhile (to me). True, it’s not as eventful as taking a trip somewhere exotic or learning the meaning of happiness but it gives me something to do. So here goes…

A couple of weeks ago, I went to MOCA downtown for the Art in the Streets exhibit which is “the first major U.S. exhibition of the history of graffiti and street art” (thanks moca.com for the description!). It featured works by a number of artists including Banksy, Spike Jonze, Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat and had a bunch of really cool paintings and sculptures (not to mention painted cars!). A lot of Banksy’s stuff was the best (especially his rendition of the Rodney King incident with the LAPD beating a pinata) as pictured here:

I also started watching the new season of “True Blood” and am very pleased with the way this season has started off.  I was a little skeptical because I thought the last season was awful (even though many people thought it was the best) and was not happy that they introduced werewolves and fairies last season (in addition to vampires and demons) and that they were going to be bringing in witches this season.  But I was wrong.  The first few minutes of the premiere (in Fairyland, as I call it) was really bad but the witch who will be the villain this year is interesting and I think the show finally found its humor again.

I still miss “Glee” (even though most people did not like the second season) but I am getting worried about the next season because the creator, Ryan Murphy, has stated that this upcoming season will be the last for many of the regulars as they will graduate at the end of the season.  I don’t like this idea for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that everyone who watches this show has grown to love these characters and replacing the majority of them (Ryan Murphy said Brittany, Blaine and Sam would not graduate and that Mr. Schuester and Sue Sylvester will stick around…and then a few weeks later, told Chord Overstreet – who plays Sam – that he will no longer be a series regular) is going to alienate all the fans.  It’s like saying 3 seasons in on “Lost” that the major characters would get off the island and new castaways would show up or that on “The Sopranos” we would start following another Mob family.  It just won’t work.  He also said that he didn’t want to have them be in high school for 8 years…and I agree.  But why not start them off when they were freshmen?  And why does every season have to be a full school year?  It is just a bad idea and it seems like Ryan Murphy may be on the verge of killing his most successful show yet.

I have also been trying to catch up on “Breaking Bad” which will have its 4th season premiere in a couple of weeks and I can honestly say, without a doubt, that this is one of the greatest shows I have EVER seen on television.  The premise is that a chemistry teacher is diagnosed with terminal cancer and decides to cook crystal meth with a former student of his in order to save some money for his family.  Of course, nothing can be that easy and they soon encounter trouble from all sides (did I mention that his brother-in-law is a DEA agent?).  This show has some of the best acting (Bryan Cranston is no longer the dad from “Malcolm in the Middle” for me anymore) and the story just keeps going in places I don’t see coming.  Fantastic on all levels!

I also went to see “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” and thought that it was better than the second movie but not as good as the first.  The effects are amazing and I don’t care what you say about Michael Bay, but he sure knows how to do action scenes.  The film was a little too long (2 1/2 hours!) but I was entertained the whole time.  And the new girl (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley) more than made up for the vacuum that was Megan Fox in the first 2 films.  Rosie was actually surprisingly good and Megan can go back to making “Jonah Hex 2.”

I grew a beard for a little over 3 weeks and realized that growing a beard in the summer is a bad idea.  It looked good but is gone now and may make an appearance in the winter.

I also saw the Time Burton exhibit at LACMA and thought that it was pretty awesome.  I saw it at MoMA in NYC in 2010 and it was the same show but I am still in awe at how original and creative that man is (even though “Planet of the Apes” was terrible).  If you get a chance to see it, go because it is worth it (especially to see the Edward Scissorhands outfit and the different eyeballs used for Large Marge in “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure”).

I am going to try and register for some Improv classes at The Groundlings this week as well.  Don’t know if I’ll get in but I figure it would be something cool to do (and I can finally use my comedic chops on some other people…kidding!).

Finally, I went to the NKOTBSB concert at the Staples Center with my friend Aimee (no, I did not lose a bet or anything) and I must say, I was pleasantly surprised.  They did songs together and as separate groups and they did all their hits (which made up for a 2 1/2 hour long concert) and even the Backstreet Boy who left the group a few years ago (Kevin…yes, I know his name) showed up and sang a few songs with the remaining members.  It was cheesy and lame but I still had fun.

OK…my fingers hurt from typing so much and I can’t remember anything worthwhile that happened so that’s it for now.

So I went to see “Bad Teacher” this morning (along with about 10 other people) at the Arclight in Hollywood (bargain matinee: $12.50) and was not going to write a blog reviewing it because I didn’t think it warranted any more of my time but someone (Chelsea) kept hammering home the fact that I should write a blog anyway, so here goes (I’m not going to go over the plot, Chelsea)…

I really wanted to like this movie. I loved “The Sweetest Thing” with Cameron Diaz, Christina Applegate and Selma Blair and thought that this movie would be along the same lines as that one. I think Cameron Diaz is actually a very funny actress and when she is given raunchy material, that’s even better. This had the potential to be “Bad Santa” but with a teacher instead of a mall Santa…but it turned out to be a mildly amusing film that did not really have any big laughs. Cameron was good (she was the best one in it) and Jason Segel had some funny moments as well. Phyllis Smith (who plays Phyllis on “The Office”) also had some funny scenes. Justin Timberlake, on the other hand, was AWFUL. I don’t really think he’s that good of an actor but he is funny whenever he hosts “SNL” and so I thought he would be decent enough in this. I was wrong. He just seemed like he tried too hard to play the dorky substitute teacher and his character never clicked.

When all was said and done, the film was 90 minutes long (but seemed longer) and the only thing that really happened in the movie was that Cameron wanted to save some money to get a boob job. That’s about it. I’ve seen worse movies this year (“Hangover Part II” and “Tree of Life” spring to mind) but this is one of those movies that actually had potential (as evidenced by the red-band trailer I included) but didn’t live up to it.

Bad Teacher red-band trailer

So last night I decided to travel back in time to the early 2000′s and went to a Britney Spears concert for the first time in years (yes, I had been before…I don’t think that would really shock anyone). It was the first time I had seen her on tour in almost 10 years and this was actually the first time I’ve wanted to see her again (I didn’t get tickets to her Onyx Hotel Tour where she injured her knee or The Circus Tour which was a couple of years ago). I thought her newest album (“Femme Fatale”) was pretty good and Nicki Minaj was her opening act so I had pretty good expectations.

When I got to the Staples Center, there were TONS of people. I knew it was going to be busy but I had no idea that she still had the drawing power to sell out the venue. I missed the first opener (a guy in line at the bar said it was “two lesbian DJs and a white girl who wasn’t very good”) and I got to my seat with my Coco-Cola (coconut rum, Diet Coke, Sprite and grenadine) right when Nicki Minaj was about to start. I am not too familiar with her music but she did a good enough job…even though I could not stop thinking that she will never headline her own tour. She will always be an opening act.

40 minutes later, Britney took the stage and the audience went crazy when they saw her. While she did a good mix of new stuff and her greatest hits, I didn’t understand the video that kept playing between sets of her songs (it had to do with some guy who was trying to capture her because she was a spy or something) and the video led to different set pieces throughout the show (Britney is in Japan! Britney in Egypt! Britney is in Pleasantville…or something along those lines!). Her lip syncing was still excellent (I knew what to expect going in) and she actually looked good (not as paunchy as she looked after her meltdown but not 2001 Britney either). The only thing I actually missed was her dancing. She still moved around but ever since her knee injury, she has never danced the same and it showed. Overall, I enjoyed the concert and by the end she had the ENTIRE place jumping.

So I’ve had the same movies from Netflix for almost a year (don’t judge…I’ve been busy), and I finally decided to start watching them and the first one I watched was an independent film from 2007 called “Boy A.” It stars Andrew Garfield (“The Social Network” and “The Amazing Spider-Man”) and Peter Mullan (“Trainspotting” and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Parts 1 & 2″) and tells the story of Jack (Garfield), who is released from prison at the beginning of the film and is given a chance to start his life over with a new identity. Throughout the film, we get little snippets of his past and we are able to piece together the crime that he committed. As he begins to live his new life, he makes friends at work, falls in love with a girl and experiences things he’s never had the chance to do. Then one day, he and a co-worker come across a car that went off the road and he saves a little girl’s life. He is soon declared a local hero and his picture is shown on the news and in the papers and that is when his past life begins to catch up with him.

I rented this film originally because of Andrew Garfield. He was declared the next big thing in movies because of “The Social Network” and he had just been given the role of Peter Parker/Spiderman and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Now, while I thought he was actually the best person in “The Social Network” (he was sooooo much better than Jesse Eisenberg, who was overrated in my opinion), he was simply phenomenal in this film (his first). He projected so much innocence and his character was so sympathetic that you can’t help but feel sorry for him when his past catches up with him. While the act he did as a child was deplorable, you know why he did it and you also know that he regrets it with every fiber of his being. He truly was heartbreaking in this film. If you get a chance to rent this film (and don’t mind some thick accents), watch it because it is one of those films that snuck up and floored me.

Here is the trailer:

\”Boy A\” trailer

So a few months ago, I bought tickets to a Florence + the Machine show at The Greek Theatre for June 14 (since the June 13 show had sold out). Then, when I was in Indianapolis for the NFL Combine, I saw that a show had been added for the Bruno Mars/Janelle Monae Hooligans in Wondaland Tour. I had a terrible internet connection in the production truck so I texted my friend Christine (sorry, Schmistine) to buy me a ticket because I really wanted to go. She did and I was really excited…until I got back to LA and noticed that it was the SAME EXACT NIGHT as the Florence + the Machine show. What were the odds of that happening? So now I had to make a choice. Fortunately, my friend Tom had tickets to both Florence shows and said that if I couldn’t find someone to take my Tuesday tickets, he would give me his Monday tickets and find a couple more people to join him on Tuesday. I did everything I could to try and exchange my tickets with no luck. Then, about 2 weeks ago, I posted an ad on Craigslist asking for anyone to switch tickets with me. I got a response from this girl who said she had tickets for Monday’s show but couldn’t go and was looking for tickets to Tuesday’s show. Her seats? Section B, row U, seats 147 and 149. My seats? Section B, row U, seats 113 and 115. It was totally meant to be. So I met her and exchanged tickets and karma was good. The Florence show was great but that is not the point of this blog.

The Hooligans in Wondaland Tour with Bruno Mars and Janelle Monae was absolutely amazing and one of the best shows I have been to in years! I saw the two of them perform at the Grammys this year and they were both fantastic but I was a little skeptical because I wasn’t too familiar with her work and he is fairly new as an artist and to have him headline a tour may have been asking for too much (even though he has some great songs). Well, I was wrong. Janelle was electrifying on stage (I hate to use that word because it sounds too critic-y but that is the only word I can think of). She had me mesmerized and commanded that stage. From the black and white set to the black and white costumes that her and the backup dancers and singers were wearing, it just seemed so retro visually. She sang a few songs from both her CDs (both of which I immediately bought after her performance at the merchandise booth) and she also did a cover of the Jackson 5′s “I Want You Back” (which I included that someone else recorded onto YouTube) and she made it very clear that I was now going to have to start going to every show of hers.

Bruno Mars was equally amazing. For being so young and so new, he commanded that stage and had the audience in the palm of his hand the whole night. He seemed very genuine and had a good rapport with everyone and his performance style was fantastic. He covered all the hits and gave everyone what they wanted.

I know this review is kind of all over the place (it’s hard to review a concert when no one else was there and will most likely not see it) but trust me…they were both amazing performers who showed that old-fashioned talent will always win in the end.

Janelle Monae covers \"I Want You Back\"