Franklin & Bash "You Can't Take it with You": AKA Friends Forever...

Ladies & gentlemen, I would like to take a moment to give thanks & love to whomever invented the DVR. Thanks to this nifty little black box, which I FINALLY own, I was able to keep my regularly sched Wednesday night drinks appointment AND still come home to an all NEW Franklin & Bash episode. And skipping through commercials, HEAVEN! Honestly it's the little things in life that make me happiest. Please forgive the tangent, it's my new toy.

Once again we find our lovable Infield & Daniels' lawyers with two primary cases. One involving, Kirk Gibbson's lost home run ball from the game one of the 1988 world series, which we quickly learn is a passion of Jared's. The other "The Douchey Dad" case Hanna has been handed. The douchey dad being played by non other than Tom Arnold, as a man who feels reality tv has wrongly portrayed him & just wants out of his contract to do the show.

There is also a small story line of Karp needing to get a video of him "roughing up the suspect", as Pindar puts it, during a sleep study off the Infield Daniels' server. He fears that if it could have a negative effect him, when somewhere down the line he tries to become a judge. He's so desperate in fact, that he goes to the boys, who send him to Pindar. As I'm sure you've guessed it doesn't end well.

But back to baseball, the owner of the ball, a man in his 60's & his daughter, Eileen, not gonna lie hearing MPG say her name made me giggle gleefully, brought the ball to the boys because his sons were now suing him for custody of the ball. Since their sister had the ball authenticated for her father's birthday, the brothers, seeing a chance to sell it and get rich quick, and have started claiming the ball was theirs. After an initial meeting with brothers, (one of whom was played by Ian Reed Kesler, who, for those of you who watch Bones was in the Karaoke episode, "The Wannabe in the Weeds", as Chris Calbasa, or as the boy & I simply call him "the guy who got stuck singing Piano Man"), Jared sees their council is incompetent & therefore, despite Peter's warnings, becomes an adorable mixture of overconfident and a bit cocky, that they have the case locked up.

On a total side note, can we give some props to Pagano/Manwiller for awesome casting, yet again.

Anyway, since he feels the case is a lock, Jared has no problem when Hanna taps Peter to help her with her case. Of course it's never that easy, though, & when they go to trial, the brothers' new lawyer is revealed to be none other than Jared's father, Leonard Franklin, played by Beau Bridges.

So of course Hanna finds some sort of loop hole & she & Peter win their case, and even though things took a strange turn, Jared didn't lose his case, but honestly, none of that really matters.

Last night's episode, at least I thought, a really interesting insight to not only Jared's relationship with his father, but also the other people in his life. That despite all the quips & good natured teasing, Peter really cares for Jared. That he knows him in a way that only a best friend can. It was actually sweet to see how much he wanted to help Jared through what he knew was a really tough time for him, but still knew that ultimately he needed to do this for himself. Honestly, we should all be so lucky to have some one like that in our lives.

Even Infield seems concerned about Jared, and it's revealed, though we don't know how or why yet, that he knows Leonard, and there is some bad blood there. A mystery we'll get an answer to in a future episode I hope. Fingers crossed.

It's nice to see that even a summer replacement, "fluff" show can provide some depth to their characters. I'm not saying the show is Emmy worthy here, but the great thing is that in last night's episode, Peter and Jared's relationship moved beyond the quirky banter & "would you sleep with..." questions, to show a real bond, AND I still found myself laughing out loud during the show. Now, if we could just get the writers to give Hanna & Karp a little more character, I'd be a happy lil lady.

Platinum Hit: AKA I Not Gonna (B/c I Probably Shouldn't) Write You a Love Song

So last night was another episode of Platinum Hit & it was the Love Song Challenge. Which I was actually a bit surprised the contestants didn't do better at. I mean love songs are pretty much the bread & butter of any artist, are they not?

(Warning there may be some spoilers ahead)

Anyways the top hook winner was Sonyae, who I'm always a little skeptical of since she doesn't seem to have the ability to play any sort of musical instrument. Which I just find a bit odd/lazy seeing as this is what she wants to do with her life. In a really smart move she picked Scotty & Brian for her team, who both excel on the music writing & arrangement aspect of the competition. I'm kinda hoping she makes it to the top two, if for no other reason than I want to see what happens when there's no one else there to help her on the arrangements. Still gotta say though, her song, at least what they showed of it, was killer. I'm not even a big R&B fan, but I would totally listen to it.

Second place hook, went to Nick the Dick, who played the same 90's pop/punk melody he always plays. Honestly, I'm so curious as to if he's really that big of an asshole or if he's just edited to appear that way. Anyway, his team was made up of Jackie & Johnny. Which I thought would be way more entertaining since he's so anti-Jackie, well anti-everyone really, but mostly Jackie but alas a side from a few snarky comments during his confession sessions & a few dirty looks during the writing session, nada.

This left third place winner Jess, left with Melissa, & oh what a shit show that was. First off Jess was writing her song about her showmance with our very own Johnny Marnell. I'll admit it, I had high hopes for this one, I mean you couldn't ask for fresher inspiration right? I mean she spent the few episodes gushing over the boy, now go out and put that gushing to some good use! Unfortunately, Jess got ill during session day & well Melissa was Melissa & didn't pick up any of the slack, so the song, at least what we heard of it was pretty awful. The hook just sounded whiny & immature, sorta like a (not so good) love poem some teenage girl would plunk out in her diary. I understand she was going for simple but yeah....

Also I don't think it's fair that one team only had two members. They should have just had two teams of four, because of course Jess's song was gonna feel under developed, it was just her working on it, since you know apparently Melissa is useless. And even if Melissa had helped work on it that is still less attention than the other songs got, both having three people to collaborate on it.

Surprise, surprise Jess' song was this week's loser. Sonyae won & now has immunity for next week, which judging from previews is a VERY good thing for her. I have to say, this week's Loser Panel was INTENSE! There was crying, pleading, bus throwing & best of all Melissa copping some SERIOUS 'tude, most of which was directed at Kara. In the future Dear Melissa, snapping at the judges, after contributing nothing to a challenge, prob not the best way to stay in the game, just saying...

So Jess got REALLY lucky & we said goodbye to good old crazy Melissa this week, because honestly I think that if Melissa had contributed even a little, then Jess would have been packing her bags.

Next week the contestants have to perform their hooks for the masses, on what looks to be the Santa Monica Pier, maybe? I'm not gonna lie, I'm really interested to see how they handle that & who comes out on top.

The Next Thing You Know: AKA Sometimes Theatre Can Hit WAY Too Close To Home...

Saturday night, I saw Cap 21's production of Next Thing You Know, by Joshua Salzman and Ryan Cunningham, who wrote I Love You Because, which is actually one of my all time favorite shows. Seriously check out the OCR, the music is fun & catchy & the show is loosely based on Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice, which is one of my fav books.

Add my love of I Love You Because to the fact that Next Thing You Know's cast was made up of 4 people 3 of whom I actually knew both from working & the industry & as a friend, & I was pretty confident I would enjoy the show.

So confident in fact that I bought a ticket about a month ago, and then forgot most of the details of the show, including the name whoopsies. I figured since I had liked what else the writers had done, and knew more than 1/2 the cast, I was bound to enjoy it. The point being I walked into the show that night a complete blank slate, knowing only that the show took place (mostly) in a bar.

What followed was a show about being in your late twenties & having to grow up, make choices & moving on with your life, or as Wikipedia described it, "Next Thing You Know looks at a time in life where one day you wake up, and instead of a hangover, you have a job. Instead of a fling, you have a live-in girlfriend. And instead of naïve dreams, you have reality".

Um.....yeah as someone who just crossed into her late twenties, this was a pretty much sucker punch to the gut...um great I went out expecting to see a cute little show, & am now sitting there watching the performance while reevaluating my entire life...fun Saturday night...

There is just something about sitting & watching live theater that causes introspection. Are at least that is how it has always been for me. I am a relatively happy person, in fact most people who have to deal with me on a regular bias call me "perky". Still lately, I've been going over all the choices I've made in my life. I like to believe I have a carpe diem attitude to life, often saying that "No good ever came from just going home", & that "The question is never why, but why not?".  But then I think of all my friends who have done all this traveling, two of them toured the country following David Cook's Declaration Tour, another two travel to see different touring companies of Broadway Tours, I even have a friend who is a teacher & her summer breaks are spent traveling the globe, she's been to Egypt, Japan, & Africa among many others & I wonder am I really doing all I could/should be doing with my life. Of course most of this wondering happens when I am stuck sitting on an NJ Transit train, but still it is somewhat valid.

In Next Thing You Know four late 20-somethings who've come to that moment in life where they have big choices to make. Waverly (aka the whiner) is doing everything she possibly do to just "stay" the way she is, in between childhood & adulthood.

Meanwhile her best friend, & seemingly everyone else in her life, is starting to move forward, driving her further & further into a full blown quarter life crises. She dumps her long time boyfriend & starts seeing someone she knows will never be serious.

There are several situations that Waverly has to go through before accepting that you can't freeze time. Time moves on & you have to keep up with it. On a side note the acting was great & I would totally recommend everyone go see it, if Saturday hadn't been the last performance...

I still firmly believe that ever choice we make in life is for a reason & ultimately we all have a path, a destiny. It is not that I am unhappy in where I have come to in life it has just while watching the show, I couldn't help but be reminded of the what ifs. It's been awhile since I have come across a piece of theatre that has made me truly think about life & where I'm headed. It was a nice change of pace from the usual fluff.

June 24th 2011: AKA: A Long Time Coming

I am by no means a political person. I'm the type of person who often gets annoyed when Presidential addresses are on because, um hello, they interrupt my tv shows. I know I know I am what is wrong with America. However there is one issue I feel very strongly about: Equality. More specifically Marriage Equality for Homosexuals.

Though I grew up in a pretty  sheltered little Long Island town, where I didn't know any (openly) gay people. Oh sure our drama teacher was gay, and his "Friend", often helped out with the productions, and there were a few students who ended up coming out years after graduation, but it wasn't something that was really all that out in the open. Maybe it was because I was a theater geek, and came from a family of theatre geeks,  that I am so accepting of it.

Over the years I've made a lot of gay friends, and developed a spot on gaydar...I love my gay friends and honestly believe every girl should have a LGBF (Little Gay Boyfriend). Honestly they are awesome, you can tell them anything, there's never any jealousy with a romantic partner (on either end) and they tend to be more fun to do events, (theatre, chick flicks, shopping) that your actual boyfriend would rather skip.

And it baffles me that although the country (for the most part) has seemed to embrace the homosexual in terms of entertainment, fashion, design industries, they wig out over the idea of them getting married.

Someone legit said to me that they had no problem with them getting the same benefits as heterosexual married couples, but it shouldn't be called marriage.Cut to me biting my tongue to the point where it almost bled. I'm sorry, but do we not remember the civil rights movement? How is that any different from separate drinking fountains for whites & colored? There's no such thing as separate but equal.

Marriage, is not a religious word, and any argument of gay marriage ruining the sanctity of the institution of marriage was long ended by the divorce rate and Celebrity quickie marriages. Maybe, it's because my mind has been warped Disney movies, tv shows and rom-coms but I have just never understood why two people who love each other shouldn't be able to stand up in front of their friends & loved ones and be married.

Anyway, the reason for this whole rant is the fact that last night, New York State FINALLY approved gay marriage. This is a historical event, that has been a long time coming. I  have never been more proud to be a New Yorker, and to have this occur during Pride weekend is amazing. Our world is changing, as it should be, and I am so glad to be witnessing it.

Futurama: AKA An Admition of Geekdom

I am one of those people who LOVED Futurama the first time around. I watched the original episodes, maybe not with the same rabid MUST WATCH syndrome I have for shows now a days, but the point is I watched & really enjoyed. And back when I was in college & it played on Adult Swim every night one of my really good guy friends & I would curl up somewhere & watch together. And when they showed a marathon? Forget about it, we were unreachable for the night, well except for the 1/2 hour they showed "Jurassic Bark" neither of us could really bring ourselves to watch that episode again. If you've watched the episode, you totally know why.

And after college, when we heard of the movies that were being developed we were ecstatic. Finally we were getting an ending to one of our favorite shows! The first one, Bender's Big Score, was definitely my favorite with all it's little references to the original series. Ok, I admit it, I'm a dork, those kinda things make me happy. Still the three other movies that followed were entertaining and I happily bought & watched each one. They wrapped up the series in, at least what I felt was, a completely satisfying way.

Then came the announcement that Comedy Central had acquired the rights to the Futurama reruns, & a short time later that the entire cast was reuniting for brand new episodes and while I wasn't sure where they were gonna go with it, I was still happy for new episodes.

I think maybe why I love Futurama so much is because it is such a smart show. Sure there are the fun silly episodes, like "Less than Hero", where after using a cream given to them by Zoidberg, Fry & Leela are given super powers & they team up with Bender to become Super Heroes, complete with theme song. I still crack up over there being a crab villain named "Citizen Snips"! Or "How Hermes Requisitioned his Groove Back" where Hermes ends up singing about the joys of bureaucracy.

But the show also has a lot of deeper character driven episodes, like the infamous "Jurassic Bark" about Fry's dog Seymour, or "The Devil's Hands are Idle Playthings", where Fry makes a deal with the Robot Devil so he can play the holophoner & impress Leela, & one of my all time fave sappy episodes, "The Sting", with the Space Honey (seriously I won't say anymore on that one because it'll ruin it, but seriously if you haven't seen it yet, GO WATCH!).

Though I don't think I even noticed the first time I watched the episodes, hey, my need to analyze & find symbolism doesn't usually kick in till second or third viewings of things, it is this character driven story telling that makes me love the show so much. It's rare to find an (American, I'm not talking Anime here) animated comedy series, with such a wide arc of character development. I'm sure now that I've said that someone could site examples of others, feel free I'd love to hear them, but Futurama is the only one I have seen.

So why the love letter to Futurama today? Well, because last night Comedy Central aired an full hour of new Futurama. It seems funny to be excited about an HOUR being a selling point, but unlike a majority of the TV I watch Futurama is only a 1/2 hour show, so that means we got 2 new shows, huzzah!

  "Neutopia" & "Benderama" aired back to back. The former being about the crew offering commercial airline service to avoid bankruptcy, and crashing on some crazy planet. Of course the patrons include some awesome throw backs from earlier episodes, the crazy cat lady, the hooker from Nutley NJ, and the construction worker with the heavy NY accent.  Of course mayhem ensues as the meet an alien, who first removes their genders, then switches them.

The later involved Bender using a devise that would create 2 1/2 sized copies of himself, of course this gets out of hand, & there are millions of tiny Benders roaming the earth creating havoc. Also there was a giant ugly monster who ends up raining destruction upon New New York.

Were they my favorite episodes? Hardly. Will that keep me from eagerly tuning in next week? Not a chance. Not every episode can be perfect, or a favorite. Hell sometimes you don't realize how great something is on the first viewing.

Through out the years, Futurama has, almost subliminally, made me invested in the characters. Which is exactly what a good show does.

Franklin & Bash "Bro-Bono": AKA Zack & Travis Leave Me With Questions

So I get home last night to a classy dinner of a PB&J sandwich & flop down onto the couch for an all new Franklin & Bash.

At the start of the episode, Jared brings up the (for lack of a better word) competition he & Karp seem to be in for Hanna's affections, & he seems to be surprised at Karp's ability to play guitar. Does anyone else find this a little weird since just last week they won a beautiful/very expensive guitar off of him? I don't know, the whole Karp/Hanna/Jared triangle thing they've been trying to do, is the one thing about the show that's just not working for me.

As per usual there were two cases, one about a couple going through arbitration since the husband had "cheated". Originally Hannah & Karp were the only two on the case (repping the wife) until Jared inadvertently impresses her with his candor during a chance encounter & she requests he join her team.

Meanwhile Peter & Jared take on a DWI case for an old high school buddy, who for some reason not explained til later in the episode, Jared hates. Btdubs, totally had a moment of happy because I'm pretty sure that  "Double D" was being played by Michael Weaver who played Local Officer Smy, in one of my all time fave movies, Super Troopers. Seriously this show is just a gem of random actors from shows/films I love.

Anyway having rushed to the defense of a friend in a golf cart, since he's living with his grandmother in her retirement community, Double D, then gets into a bar brawl & ends up accidentally punching a plain clothed police officer. Unable to charge him on the brawl, without appearing to be singling him out, so he is charged with DWI for driving the golf cart across a public street, which is a total of 30 something feet.

Of course (somewhat controlled) mayhem ensues. Highlights include Pindar falling for a 74 year old hooker, & Jared shotgunning a couple of beers in court & giving a drunken closing argument.

Hanna admits to having had sex with Jared, & apparently it was so good she had "19 orgasms & saw flying unicorns". Once again, I'm not entirely sure I believe it. I mean, am I the only one who doesn't really see any sexual chemistry between those two? Sure, Jared seems to be turned on by Hanna, but for some reason, I just don't buy it being a mutual thing.

Once again, the show was filled with witty dialogue, ("You better be, Jared" "You better be Peter"), and the chemistry between MPG & Breckin Meyers is undeniable. Made even more adorable by Breckin's twitter confession of:

From: @breckinmeyer
Sent: Jun 23, 2011 1:00a

Franklin & Bash Full Disclosure: @MP_Gosselaar had to teach me how to shotgun a beer. Had never done it before. #I'veNeverTrulyLived.

sent via TwitBird

I find this fact a little shocking as come on the boy was in Road Trip! But then again that explains his shaky execution of the task. Hey, I hung out with Fraternity guys in college, I may not shotgun myself, I def know how too.

For the first time, I left for this episode not only eager to see next week's episode, for amusement purposes, but also to get some questions answered. Seriously when do we get to see [insert character name here]'s fiancee? I mean, we hear about him enough, & when we do actually get to meet him is he gonna be James Van Der Beek? Come on, we know he's gonna be on the show at some point...

Also & this may just be me being...well over analytical, but I really want to know what was in that box! During the resolve of the divorce case Infeld is walking around carrying a small box, which all though he never opens, plays around with. He turns it over a few times & even holds it up to his ear & shakes it. So now I'm deeply curious to find out what was in it. Though for all I know it could just be illustrating the fact that Stanton Infield is a bit quirky.

Either way we'll have to wait till next week to find out. And now I leave you with this gem from Reed Diamond, as a thank you to those who watch...

Thank You Dance

Franklin & Bash "Jennifer of Troy": AKA Zack & Travis Examine Beauty

Ok, I know I know I am a week behind, thus the problem with living in a DVR/internet-less home, it forces you to choose between having a life & watching the shows you love. But fear not, as of this Friday this shall be resolved! I can not begin to express my utter joy at getting back the SyFy & WE channels, as well as getting Phineas & Ferb on demand!

But I digress, having had some down time today, ok on my lunch, I decided to sit down at my comp, headphones in left ear, come on I gotta retain some air of work-dom, & watch last weeks episode of Franklin & Bash, entitled "Jennifer of Troy". As we've come to expect, the show involved two case. On a woman (Jennifer) who is claiming to have been fired from her job at a prestigious men's magazine because she was "too pretty". Our boy's not only take the case but bet their "double wide" office against [insert character name here]'s sweet guitar, that they'll win. I have to say I fully enjoy Infield's gleeful reaction to this competitive spirit with in the company.

Well of course you know it's not gonna be that easy, when the boy's meet Jennifer, she's more of an adorable chubby (but movie/tv/mag opinion at least) little cherub of sunshine. They're screwed, or so they think.

Lacking the cruelty, and well the balls to tell this girl she is not the fierce, sexy beauty she thinks she is, the boys accept the case & set out to prove beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

The second case? When Pindar crashes "the grid" in the cave, the boys call in the only guy who can fix it, Gene Troy, who informs them he has been wrongfully accused of a crime in China town & therefore is being black balled & has to move, thus making him unable to finish the job. The boys are heartbroken over their friend's misfortune....ok, ok, the clearly have their own selfish interests in keeping him around, but that is not the point. They resolve to get Gene's name cleared. Of course, unaware of how China town works the boys f* it up and in a slight surprise move Infield decides to take on the cause.

What followed of course, was me sitting captivated at my desk, trying to keep my giggling out loud to a minimum. And the immense jealousy I had when Peter kissed Jennifer on the stand. If going to court is all it takes to get to make out with MPG, well then I'm gonna have to find someone to sue FAST!

Ok, sorry, locking the 8 year old me away again. I was once again happy to see Malcolm McDowell being utilized again makes me happy & it's nice to see them try to include Hanna more, and give her some sense of character. Though I'm still not really sure if I actually like her yet. Currently, I find her character kinda boring. She seems only to exist to create competition between Karp & Jared for her affection, & it's seeming a bit forced.

I have to admit I was sorta worried the show wasn't going to be as entertaining once the luster of yeay-MPG-and-Breckin-Meyer-

have-found-employment had dulled, but here we are 3 episodes in & I am eager to watch tonight's new episode.

Platinum Hit: Rap Heros: AKA Will Someone Please Join Me in My Musical Reality Show

So 4 episodes in & I am publicly admitting I am watching Platinum Hit on Bravo (Monday nights at 10pm). It is my newest guilty pleasure. I admit I started watching because I had seen Johnny Marnell play in NYC last year & absolutely fell in love with his music. Seriously if you haven't DLed he's EP yet go do it NOW! It's ok, I'll wait....

...

Welcome back, toats worth the pause right? Anyways, so I started watching to get to hear more Johnny, & after the 1st episode was pretty sure I was only gonna watch till he got the boot. I have to say I am thoroughly impressed with that boy's versatility, I mean, Whoa, who knew the boy could rap like that? But as the show has progressed, I find myself more & more invested. Kara DioGuardi annoys me far less than she did on Idol, & Jewel seems to be warming up to the job, she has WAY more personality & her critics seem, at least to me, to be more thoughtful than the first couple of episodes.

I actually wanna see how long Jackie actually lasts, or if she completely cracks. Speaking of lasting, how long are Melissa & Brian gonna get carried through? Cause, at least from what I've seen I'm not too sure how/why they are both still there. Honestly I thought Brian should have been the first to go, though that might just be because I think keeping Nevin around would have been more entertaining, after as he told us, he spoke for the widow, he spoke for the orphan. Seriously people, I can't make shit like that up.

I wanna see what Scotty's got in him, oh & I am dying to see Nick the Douche get eliminated. I mean seriously if the only thing this contest accomplishes is to knock that boy's ego down a few pegs I feel it will have been a success.

Come the show has something for everyone, there's a  sass, a douche, a man who thinks he's the reincarnation of Elvis

So now I actually find myself anticipating & rushing home to catch each week's episode of a show I figured would just be some good fluff to fill the void left in my tv time by the season finale of Castle. There is only one problem...I don't know anyone else who's watching.

When of the best parts of tv shows (especially guilty pleasure tv shows) is having people to discuss them with. Like the early days of Project Runway, coming into work & discussing Vincent's basket hat, those of you who watched know exactly what I am talking about. Or coming in to discuss RHOBH and just how much of a delirious whack job Camile seemed to be.

The bond over people who are crazier than oneself is what fuels the reality tv craze. So come on now peeps let's get on this! I wanna have discussions!

Franklin & Bash "She Came Upstairs to Kill Me": AKA Zack & Travis as Lawyers: I'm Still Amused...

So last night was the second ep of Franklin & Bash, entitled "She Came Upstairs to Kill Me". Seriously the marketing of this show is kinda brilliant as both Mark Paul Gosselaar & Breckin Meyers yet again decided to live tweet during both the East & West Coast broadcasts. Cut to me, sitting on the couch, constantly refreshing my phones twitter feed during commercials to see what sort of ridiculous & nonsensical "facts" the two leads were spouting out.

This week's premise was just the sort of silly, outlandish case that the shows ads have been promising from the very beginning. Isabel (played by the gorgeous Natalie Zea of Justified) was on trial for murdering her billionaire husband...with her va-jay-jay. Yep, that's right, she is accused of over sexing her husband to death. Seriously.

Also in this week's episode were Fred Willard (who to me will always be Ron Albertson from Waiting for Guffman) & Thomas F. Wilson (AKA BIFF!! Of Back to the Future).

And this appears to be just the beginning of famous faces, the ever amusing MPG tweeted that we could look forward to seeing James Van Der Beek, who I feel like is currently trying to relaunch his career, even though he never really went away to begin with. I mean, is it just me or is he like EVERYWHERE lately? Then again I may just still be bitter that he is going to be on ABC's mid season Apartment 23, instead of former *NSYNC member, Lance Bass. Oh Lanceton, how you are missed. Beau Bridges, Jason Alexander (George of Seinfeld, but more importantly Albert Peterson of the 1995 Tv movie version of Bye Bye Birdie), & Tricia Helfer (Burn Notice) will all be making appearances.

Awesome guest stars aside, I think the best part of this episode, was the fact that we got to see Malcolm McDowell's Stanton Infeld serve as first chair on a case. It was great to see them utilize his great comedic acting & have his character actually DO something as opposed to just popping in the episodes to mediate between Franklin & Bash v. Damien Karp (Reed Diamond). The bit where he and Bash try to work out what song is stuck in his head is priceless.

I was glad to see that the second episode of this summer fluff just as fun & irrelevant as the pilot. Also glad to see MPG showing his abs again...sorry, that was the little Zack Morris fan girl in me, who is quite happy that just b/c he's a lawyer doesn't mean that he's confined to suits. Huzzah!

Rewatching Firefly: AKA Joss Whedon's Ability to Scare the Hell Out of Me & Still Make Me Love Him

I have strange taste when it comes to television programing. I'm one of those people who love shows that are weird & keep you guessing as to what's next. I get annoyed by sitcom comedies where you know 3 steps ahead of the characters what's going to happen. I'm not saying they are bad or that there is no place for them, clearly the viewers of shows like Two & a Half Men enjoy that sorta shtick, it's just not my cup of tea.  Which is probably why I love the works of JJ Abrams & of course Joss Whedon. I have been a fan of The Whedonverse since back in the day when Buffy still aired on the WB (btws as far as I am concerned it will always be the WB). Let's face it the man is brilliant at creating characters you care about, keeping you guessing, & scaring the CRAP out of the viewer.

Since summer has come & taken most of my beloved shows into reruns I've begun my Rewatch Project. To kick it all off I've begun with Firefly, because with Castle in reruns I need a little Nathan Fillion in my life. Though I love the show, and am still baffled by the stupidity of FOX for canceling it, it had been so long since I had watched it I'd almost forgotten just how insanely strange & wonderful the show truly is, almost.

As I sat down & watched the (tragically only one season) series I was struck by several realizations. First off the cast is fantastical, it is impossible to talk Firefly without making some mention of the dream cast that was assembled. Seriously Nathan Fillion, Alan Tudyk, Gina Torres, Sean Maher, Morena Baccarin, Summer Glau, Jewel Straite, Ron Glass, & Adam Baldwin, all amazing in their portrayals. To have a cast that large & still manage to make each character interesting & important to the story is a pretty daunting task, however Firefly makes it appear almost  effortless.

Secondly I always forget just how fucking scary Joss's shows can be. Still there I sat, on my big comfy couch clutching Bear-ick Jetter (my NY Yankees pillow pet) in terror, watching "Ariel" as the blue handed men pulled out their little brain explody devise. I felt my stomach drop as River sing-songingly muttered "Two by two hands of blue". And no, this was not the first time I had seen this episode and I still had to stop after it ended for a breather, that is how terrifying I find those men to be.

Still, to me, the scariest moment in, probably, the entire series (& I'm not include Serenity in this) is in "Objects in Space" where Bounty Hunter, Jubel Early, has Kaylee cornered in the engine room and point blank asks "You ever been raped?" Seriously points to Richard Brooks for his deadpan delivery of the line, makes my skin craw. Between that & the look of sheer terror on Jewel Straite' s face, I was done. I've seen the episode before, & clearly knew that Kaylee & her virtue remain intact at the end, but watching it? I felt the same horror, dread & fear for her as I did the first time.

That's what is so truly special about the worlds that Joss Whedon has created. You get lost in them, & despite the fact that they are often have some element of fantasy/sci-fi to them (Buffy slayed Vamps, Firefly happened mostly on a Spaceship) they feel real. Which is probably why the Whedonverse has such die hard fans.

As I rewatched Firefly it reminded me just how much I loved these characters. How much, as much as it is in no way Utopian existence, & I'll admit it, River kinda wigs me out, I almost  wish I could be a part of that world, if for no other reason then to hang out with the inhabitants of Serenity. That to me is the best judge of just how great a show is.

Franklin & Bash: AKA The Return of Zack & Travis into My Life

Last night marked a milestone for me... Last night became the first night that I purposely tuned in to TNT. Don't get me wrong, I have often been channel surfing & stayed on the cable channel after seeing that they were running some sort of Law & Order marathon or rerunning a show I watch, like Bones, but never before have I looked at the clock & demanded TNT be turned on.

What could cause this oddity to occur? The premiere of TNT's new original series Franklin & Bash, starring Mark Paul Gosselaar & Breckin Meyer, or as I had been calling it Zack Morris & Travis  Birkenstock's return to my life.

Because let's face it there is a whole generation of us out there who grew up on Saved By the Bell & can recite most of Clueless off the top of our heads. We all remember the episode "Jessie's Song", where Jessie becomes addicted to caffeine pills (I feel it is important to note that I knew the title of that ep off the top of my head) and can recite the confrontation scene between Zack & Jessie. ("I'm so excited, I'm so excited, I'm so I'm so scared...").

As for Clueless, seriously that movie WAS the teen movie of our youth. Inspiring a whole new lexicon for a generation, not to mention bringing Paul Rudd to our attention in a whole new way, oh Josh....but I digress...

I was giddy about a Gosselaar/Meyer show from the moment I found out it was in the works. In fact I may or may not have told clients coming in to audition that if they booked it the would HAVE to get me a set visit & introduce me to MPG & Breckin (I was only mostly kidding).

Then came the promos (on weretotallylawyer.com) which only added to my excitement. Whoever was in charge of marketing on this one, major props! Instead of the normal, look at these clips from our show approach the add campaign decided to make mock lawyer adds. Seriously, aside from the info on when & where the show was airing at the end they looked like all those awfully cheesy local lawyer commercials you see all over tv, complete with awful fake hallways/walking graphics.

Combine the promos with all the talk MPG has been doing on his twitter, seriously the boy has been doing some hardcore promoting, I was beyond ready/excited for last night's premiere, even taking over the BIG tv in the living room, as opposed to retreating to the bedroom to watch.

The show did not disappoint. It was, as promised a slightly off the wall quirky comedy with a heart. I admit to the fact at one point laughing so hard I squeaked, much to the amusement of the boy who was watching with me. MPG & Breckin have amazing chemistry.

It was so great to see MPG in a role which showcased his comic ability. Considering my last memory of him was as a Porn Star on Law & Order: SVU, I skipped out on Raising the Bar, I just couldn't take the hair, but hey I watched Hyperion Bay & Commander in Chief, so that has to count for something. His Peter Bash is the perfect combination of smarts & smart ass. Speaking of asses, as shown in last night episode that boy has a toned one. Damn...

Breckin's Jared Franklin is spot on in his quirky sexy charm. I totally forgive him for Garfield. Despite being a little smarmy, you can't help but fall for his adorable antics. Dude, I'd totally sing karaoke in the office with him. Seriously you just wanna put him in your pocket & keep him around all the time to just hang out & be silly with.

I'm interested to see more of the supporting cast. Though another spot on casting move is Malcolm McDowell as Stanton Infeld. The slightly eccentric patriarch of the firm which hires Franklin & Bash on and let's face it the man plays eccentric to a tee.

Is Franklin & Bash ground breaking? Hardly, but all and all a cute & funny show, which I will def gladly be tuning in weekly. Do yourself a favor and make a date to watch Franklin & Bash on Wednesday nights at 9pm on TNT.