Come With Me Now on a Journey Through Time and Space to the World of.....

THE MIGHTY BOOSH!!!!!!!!!!!

If not for the invention of DVR, I may have never stumbled upon this brilliant mess of a show. My days of being awake at 1:00 AM on Sunday night/Monday morning are long behind me but that just happens to be the time slot for The Mighty Boosh on Adult Swim. This show must be huge with insomniacs and shift workers. It originally aired on the BBC and has completed its third season.

I am really not sure how to describe The Mighty Boosh. Let me try: The show follows the adventures of Howard Moon and Vince Noir. Howard is a jazz loving, fashion victim, loser. Vince is the ultra-mod, hair obsessed, club kid. They live with a Shaman named Naboo the Enigma and a talking gorilla named Bollo. Over the course of three seasons they have been zoo keepers, band members and proprietors of a magic shop. Their adventures have taken them to places such as gorilla hell and the forest of the mod wolves. Along the way they have crossed paths with characters like the Crack Fox, killers grannies, the tentacle headed shaman Tony Harrison, and Old Gregg (a tutu wearing mer-man with a "mangina"). Oh yeah, they also manage to work a song into just about every episode.

It sounds insane right? Well it is, but in a good way. The Boosh is the creation of Noel Fielding and Julian Barrett. They play Howard and Vince plus most of the secondary characters. The other main actors are Noel's brother Michael who plays Naboo and routinely steals the show, and Rich Fulcher. Fulcher is the only American and his main character is Bob Fossil who is loud, obnoxious, fat, and always very funny. The Boosh actually started as a radio show in Britain and eventually found its way to the TV. The show is weird, surreal, and always hilarious.

This show is probably hit or miss with most people but it was a home run with me and I would definitely recommend giving it a shot. Besides, what the hell else are you watching at that time?If you aren't a night owl or don't have a DVR, the DVDs of the first three seasons are now available in the US.

A craptastic week in TV.

Life On Mars is not returning for a second year. The good news is that the producers found out about it in time to give the show a proper ending at the end of this season. It will join the ranks of shows like Freaks and Geeks, Murder in Small Town X, and Twin Peaks. All shows that were taken from us too early.


I can't say that I am really surprised, but I am very disappointed. There is a lot of awful garbage on TV that seems to thrive while good shows just fade out. I'm not saying that Life on Mars is the best show ever, but it is much better than most of the mindless crap that returns year after year. Now, I hate plenty of things that pass for programming but reality TV has really become a cancer. I hate to think how many good shows haven't even gotten a chance to be canceled because they need to keep a spot open for The Bachelor, Wife Swap, or The Real Rich Whores of (Insert town here). Most of the stupid "reality" shows aren't even reality any more. Does anyone REALLY believe that The Hills, Hogan Knows Best, or The Girls Next Door aren't scripted? Hulk Hogan had more reality when he was wrestling with Mr. T at Wrestlemania. I don't hate all reality TV, but there is just too much. I was just as addicted to the first season of Survivor as everyone else. The Real World used to be really interesting.... when it was real people and not a bunch of jacked up tool-bags and alcoholic sluts. Top Chef is amazing. Wipeout is stupid, but I love it. There is room for reality TV, but I get more than enough reality in my everyday life.

Oh yeah, thanks to my reader KBHR for breaking the news about Life on Mars to me, yeah, thanks a lot.

In other news, Lost is not on this week. Balls. I don't understand why they insist on putting gaps in the middle of the season. Lost has been much better about that recently but they have announced that there will be two times this season when there will be no new episode. This season has been totally awesome so I will cut them some slack but it still sucks. So now I have nothing to watch tonight except for Ghost Hunters International. I like GHI but it is not as good as the original.

Fringe has been really getting on my nerves. The show is great, but that is why it is so frustrating that they keep going away for months at a time. Earlier this year they took a couple months over the holidays when there were no new shows. I can deal with that. A lot of shows break over the holidays. But then after a few weeks back and a really great episode, they announce that Fringe will return in April. Son of a bitch! I'm hoping that it is because the show has become popular and they ordered more episodes or something, but I am just guessing. My biggest concern isn't my lack of viewing options this week, I'll survive, but how do they expect the more casual fan to stay engaged in the show? I'm hoping these breaks don't affect the rating for Fringe, I really don't want to lose both of my new favorite shows.

The only good part about this week is that it has given me the opportunity to revisit some classic TV via DVD. I have mentioned it in a previous post but I need to get the message out that Northern Exposure was and is amazing. Not only do I need to make sure that it gets its own post one day but it deserves its own blog. I have always said that it was one of the greatest shows ever and this week when I popped it in it sucked me right back in. If you have never seen it, please turn off Brooke Knows Best (seriously, if you are watching that, turn it off immediately) and go grab the Northern Exposure DVDs. Your brain will thank you.

The Gang Laughs Their Asses Off

Ok, first things first. I am in no way taking credit for discovering "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" as the hidden gem that it is. I had, in fact, never seen an episode until 2 weeks ago. Had it not been for the prodding of several of my friends, I probably still would have never seen an episode.

That being said, this show kicks ass and I highly recommend that you also get on board.

If "The Young Ones" and "Cheers" got hammered drunk and hooked up, "It's Always Sunny" would be their bastard love child. The show starts off by telling the story of some guys who own a bar together called Paddy's Pub. For the most part, the humor comes from the fact that they are just pretty horrible people. As the show progresses and we get to know the characters, things get weirder and weirder. Charlie, Mac, Dennis, and Dennis' sister Sweet Dee don't even really seem to like each other all that much but they are inseparable. Paddy's Pub is the central location for the show but it is mostly a failure as a business and an excuse for the gang to drink constantly. The characters are all very self-centered, even when the gang starts doing something as a group it usually devolves into an every-man for himself situation. Their adventures take them all over the city of Philadelphia and anyone who knows the city will recognize a lot of the outside shots.

This is one of those shows that doesn't have a stand out star. Just when you think that Charlie is your favorite, Mac will crack you up, then out of nowhere Sweet Dee will do something ridiculous. The addition of Danny Devito in the second season was mainly to save the show from being cancelled by adding a big name but he could not have fit in more perfectly with the cast. This is Taxi Danny Devito, not Twins Danny Devito.

This is one of the funniest shows on TV. Seasons 1+2 and 3 are available on DVD and new episodes air on FX. So, buy the DVDs, watch episodes online, set your DVR to record it. Just watch it. That way when your friends are sitting around saying "Dude, remember when Charlie was Serpico and he had a package 4 the Mare?" you'll know what the hell they are talking about and you can have a good laugh too.

Crunch Time

It's that time of year when all the procrastinators start to panic because they haven't finished all of their holiday shopping. Have no fear, I've got some home-run suggestions for last minute gifts.

The Infinity Gauntlet trade paperback

Before "The Infinity Gauntlet", I was a casual reader of comics. That all changed when I got my hands on this story. This is the perfect example of taking a second tier character and raising them to greatness. Thanos goes from C-list villain to the bane of the entire Marvel universe. You don't need to be a big super-hero fan to enjoy this story, but if you are, this is a must-read. It all boils down to a boy trying to impress a girl. The boy is trying to rule the universe and the girl is Lady Death, but hey, love can get weird.

Northern Exposure on DVD

I cannot say enough good things about this show. Before Lost came along, Northern Exposure was hands down my favorite TV show ever. Lost may have my undivided attention now, but I still consider NX to one of the best. This show was way ahead of its time. The basic story centered on a Jewish doctor who gets roped into moving from New York to a small town in Alaska to become the town's doctor. Dr. Joel Fleischman is forced to deal with all of the extremely quirky characters of Cicely, Alaska. As he learns to deal with these people, he also learns things about himself. Northern Exposure has an amazing cast and very smart, funny writing. If you have never seen this show, you are in for a treat. If you have seen it, what are you waiting for? You know that you want to see it again.

World of Warcraft

This could be the most addictive game ever made. This game was originally released in 2004 and I still find myself going back to it when I get tired of newer games. World of Warcraft is a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game. You create a character and level him or her up through the ranks as either a member of the Horde or the Alliance. You can choose from 10 races and many different classes like Hunter, Mage, Warrior, or Druid. You can complete many quests alone but you can also team up with other people on-line to make things easier. You can also battle people who are members of the opposing faction. Warcraft is easy to learn and you can jump in and have a lot of fun but it also offers a lot of depth and replay value for veterans of the game. Two expansions are available to extend the gaming experience, but they are not necessary to get started.

OK, now you have some ideas, plus you can always browse through my earlier posts for other great ideas. Such as.......

Freaks and Geeks, The Zombie Survival Guide, The Young Ones, etc., etc.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!!!!!

Life On Crazy

SPOILER ALERT!! I will be talking about more specific things in this post than I normally do. If you have not watched Life on Mars yet, PLEASE get your ass in gear and watch this show. It started off good and has only gotten better.

Ok, things are getting weird, and by weird I mean totally awesome. What is going on?!? It seemed that Sam was most likely in some hospital bed in 2008 having a coma hallucination. They kept us guessing but that seemed like the most plausible explanation for Sam's time displacement. Recent events have made this early assumption less and less likely. Characters are popping up who seem to have information about Sam's predicament.

First there was the young black girl whose things were in the hidden shoebox that Sam expected to find his own things in. This same young girl was the one who led Sam to his mother by singing a song from his childhood. She was also the girl who fell to her death and almost started a race war. The last time that we see her, she is with a second odd character. The old man/bum, who talks to Sam as if he knows what is happening, is only in one episode but he gets the new theory ball rolling. Sam could still just be imagining all of this, but it is starting to seem like there are other forces at work. This brings us to last night's episode.

The episode was really good. It explained what happened to Sam's Dad and helped to explain why Sam is the way that he is. The first 95% was great, but it was the last few minutes that were completely amazing. Sam starts to figure out that all of the cases that he worked on are leading him to something. He discovers an address and when he gets there he finds a place that is a cross between the Evil Dead house and the Black Lodge from Twin Peaks. The phone rings and a mysterious voice tells him that he needs to go to the basement. The end.

Holy Cliffhanger!!!! I can't wait until next...w.e..e..k.... WHAT? New episodes return January 28th. AAAHHHHH. I know, a bit over-dramatic, but the end of January cannot get here fast enough. This is very good news because it means that ABC has picked up the show and we will get to see what is in the basement. Good news part 2: January 28th is a Wednesday. That means a Lost, Life on Mars combo for that night. Very cool.

Questions:

What's in the basement?!?!

Who is the voice on the other end of the line?

Why does the chess game on the table of the "Evil Lodge"(as good a name as any) have all black pieces?

What the hell is really going on with Sam?

Let me know if you have any theories. We have two months to think it over.

Fly Ajira Air

The new Lost promo contained a quick shot of what appears to be the next Lost ARG(Alternate Reality Game). The "Dharma Wants You" game just ended and last year's "Find 815" was pretty interesting. These games are just a form of viral marketing but they can be pretty fun, and in the case of Lost they can give you some occasional insights into the secrets of the show. If you want to give it a try, you can go to www.ajiraairways.com. Right now they are just taking e-mail addresses so that they can update you when it's ready to go. It should be soon since the new season starts on January 21st.

The Real Ghostbusters

Anyone who is interested in the paranormal should check out Ghost Hunters on the SciFi channel. I have always been a fan of shows that take a more serious approach to documenting and researching paranormal activity. Don't get me wrong, I also love horror movies and shows like Fringe or the X-files but I have a special place in my heart for true paranormal investigation.

Ghost Hunters is a documentary type reality show that follows the investigations of TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society). Lead by Jay Hawes and Grant Wilson, TAPS takes a unique approach to investigating the paranormal. Rather than going into a location and trying to prove the accounts of ghost activity, they go in trying to disprove the accounts first. This makes the show much more interesting and believable because when they do come across something that they feel is solid evidence, it is usually quite impressive. The investigations are documented using high tech equipment that has been shown to be useful in the collection of evidence of the paranormal including EMF(electro-magnetic field) detectors, infrared night vision cameras, and thermal imaging cameras, to name a few. Ghost Hunters doesn't rely on the silly gimmicks that some of its predecessors have. One of the worst was MTV's Fear, in which people had cameras stuck to their heads and were forced to run around in the dark until they were freaked out and screaming. Mildly entertaining but stupid. TAPS members always work in groups to cut down on the fear and anxiety that can build up in some of the very scary locations that they investigate.

TAPS will investigate anywhere from a single home to very large locations such as prisons, hotels, or even aircraft carriers. Some of the more impressive locations include Eastern State Penitentiary, Waverly Hills Sanatorium, and The Stanley Hotel (the hotel from The Shining). Recently TAPS traveled to Europe to do some investigations. This trip spawned the spin-off Ghost Hunters International. The two shows share the same time slot on SciFi so when the season of the original Ghost Hunters ends, they pick right back up with Ghost Hunters International.

Note: There is one TAPS member who is a Super-Douche; Brian Harnois. The good news is that he is currently not a member of the original team or the international team but he has been in both so if you are watching reruns, I warned you. He's not bad enough to ruin the show but he is pretty unlikeable.

The new episodes are on Wednesdays at 9 on the SciFi channel but they show tons of reruns and they always have marathons so give it a shot.

Best New Show....Life on Mars

Only one network show has really caught my eye in this new Fall season. It started with a unique ABC ad campaign that used their 1970's logos and sweepers. This was before my time but it did grab my attention immediately. At first I thought that it was just a cop show set in the 70's but when I saw that it was actually about a cop who becomes displaced in time from 2008 to 1973, I became very interested. I have seen the first three episodes and I am pleasantly surprised. Life on Mars has quickly become one of my favorite new shows.

Life on Mars is another in a long line of British remakes(They really are TV geniuses). This one centers on the strange time displacement of detective Sam Tyler. During an investigation, Sam is struck by a car and instantly finds himself transported from 2008 to 1973. Let me take a moment to say that you will have to take a leap of faith as you watch the pilot. Not because you will have to accept that Sam is a time travelling detective, rather because he is not thrown into the insane asylum within his first hour in 1973 New York. He is not very discreet about the fact that he thinks that he is from the future but his new police co-workers aren't too alarmed and just go on with business as usual. His new boss, played by Harvey Keitel, does hand him a few beatings but nothing that stops them from working together. I'll stop nit-picking now.

This show really is very enjoyable. The sets and costumes are amazing. The show was cast very well. I am not a huge Harvey Keitel fan but the character of Lieutenant Gene Hunt suits him quite well. Sam's closest confidants in his new situation are Officer Annie "No Nuts" Norris (you will learn very quickly in the pilot that they want you to understand that women were not equal back then.......we get it) and his new neighbor Windy. Annie is the force that is trying to keep Sam grounded and convince him that his thoughts of 2008 are delusions and he belongs in 1973. Windy, on the other hand, has a more open mind to his situation and in some ways has become his spiritual guide. It is still early in the show to draw too many conclusions but we are always reminded that Sam is being pulled between both times through visions and mysterious communications that seem to manifest from electrical devices.

The show has me hooked and I highly recommend that you check it out too. If nothing else, watch it just to see Michael Imperioli as the stereotypical 70's detective Ray Carling. He's pretty hilarious. Life on Mars is on Thursday Nights at 10:00 on ABC. You can still get caught up on the first few episodes at abc.com.

Freaks and Geeks got it right.

Freaks and Geeks makes me happy and sad all at once. It is one of the best shows that I have ever seen. The unknown young cast of Freaks and Geeks have almost all gone on to huge success(James Franco, Seth Rogen, Linda Cardellini, Jason Segal, etc.). Freaks and Geeks had the perfect balance of comedy and drama without being too corny or overly sappy.

It only makes me sad because it wasn't given the chance that it deserved. This amazing show was under promoted and buried in bad time slots. This resulted in the show being cancelled after only one season. In retrospect, this may not have been a terrible thing for true fans of the show. The creators must have seen the writing on the wall because the series has the feel of a contained story that comes to a satisfying end. You will always want more, but they don't leave you hanging, which is nice.

The series was created by Judd Apatow who has become a Hollywood powerhouse as of late. He is responsible for The 40 Year-Old Virgin, Anchorman, Talledega Nights, Knocked-up, and Super-Bad...just to name a few. I personally think that Freaks and Geeks is still the best of all of his work. It has a "real" feel to it and you can put yourself in the shoes of any of the characters.

The idea is basic; a brother and sister try to fit in at their high school. I know......that sounds SO original, but after one episode you'll see that it delivers some of the most entertaining and original TV in a long time. The main cast is great but the supporting cast is also well stocked with names like Joe Flaherty and Ben Foster. Back to the Future fans will be happy to see Coach Fredricks who is well played by Tom Wilson (Biff in BTTF).

The complete series is available on DVD and it contains 2 episodes that were never seen in the original run. This is a show that I go back to time and time again and I have never had anything but a positive reaction when I recommend it to someone. This is true must see TV.

Forever Young

Some things will always be funny. The Young Ones is one of them.

The Young Ones premiered on British television 25 years ago. Like many other British shows, it had a short run; 12 episodes. They understand the concept of not running an idea into the ground. Those 12 episodes contain some of the funniest moments I've ever seen.

The series revolves around 4 college room mates(although they never seem to go to college or study). The Young Ones are Rick (a self-absorbed anarchist poet), Neil (a hippie), Mike (the self proclaimed cool person) and Vyvyan Bastard (the punk rock medical student). They live in a filthy apartment that serves as the main stage for the show, and seems to be a magnet for strange situations. Many of the situations involve the characters fighting in violent and hilarious ways, in part due to their boredom with everyday life.

The Young Ones mixes a sitcom with a variety show. This was actually done so that they could get a larger budget by being classified as a variety show. The result is a surreal comedy that includes stand-up comics, puppets, and musical acts. Motorhead, Dexy's Midnight Runners and Madness all made appearances on the show.

I have seen all the episodes many times but I always go back for more. I highly recommend this if you have never seen it before. If you have seen it, watch it again. You can get the entire series in a DVD collection called The Young Ones: Every Stoopid Episode.

Fringe

Fringe is one of the only new shows that I have any interest in this season. I was really excited about it since it was created by J.J. Abrams who also created Lost and Cloverfield. If you have not checked it out or need to get caught up, the first four episodes are still available to watch at the Fringe site.

Don't rush to judgement on Fringe. The pilot is good but it isn't great. That tends to happen with this kind of show due to all the set-up and character development that is crammed down your throat in the first hour or so. The series, so far, revolves around the experiments of a mad scientist named Walter Bishop who has been locked in a mental institution for years. Someone is using the experiments on people in society, this phenomenon has become known as "The Pattern". FBI agent Olivia Dunham releases Walter with the help of his son Peter and they work together to figure out what is going on. Joshua Jackson is an annoying douche in the pilot but he starts to settle into the character and becomes much more likeable as Peter Bishop. "Fringe" refers to fringe science or theoretical science. The gimmick of the show is that all of the events have a valid scientific theory behind them which does serve to give it a creepy feel.

The show overall has an X-files kind of vibe to it. It is also set up similar to the X-files in that the episodes are self contained stories that complement the bigger story of "The Pattern". While Fringe doesn't resemble Lost (even though they do both start with a plane crash....hmmm) it is beginning to reveal Easter eggs, codes, and patterns in the episodes and the advertising images. Fans of Lost will be happy to know that they can now spend hours trying to figure out the secrets of Fringe on the internet. I really like this show but I'm not going to drive myself crazy over it.....yet. Check it out, get caught up, and we can discuss the weird stuff that is starting to go down.

Go Team Venture!

I am a very big fan of Adult Swim on the Cartoon Network. If nothing else, they show Family Guy almost every night. They also have a lot of great original programs. Check out Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Robot Chicken, the Tim and Eric Show, Lucy: Daughter of the Devil, and Sealab 2021.

The show that stands out from the crowd is The Venture Bros. This show has become must watch TV for me. At first glance it looks like an updated version of Johnny Quest, but it doesn't take long to realize that the similarities are only superficial. The Venture Bros takes full advantage of the Adult in Adult Swim. It's got all the things that you might expect, like robots, villains, and super-science but it also gives you sex, violence, dysfunctional families and a sprinkling of dick jokes.

The Venture family is the focus of the show but the cast of characters that surrounds them is what really makes the show great. Their friends and enemies steal then show every week. Their arch enemy The Monarch has become just as important to the story line of the show as the Ventures. This show is addictive, and you get hooked fast, so check it out. Plus, if I make a Dr. Girlfriend reference you can be in on the joke.

The first 2 seasons are out on DVD but you can still watch episodes every Sunday on Adult Swim. You can also see some episodes at adultswim.com. Do yourself a favor and become a part of team Venture.

LOST....best show ever!

Let me start off by saying that I was not an early supporter of Lost. I am at times, unfortunately, a TV snob. That being said, I almost missed out on perhaps the greatest thing to happen to TV.

When Lost premiered on ABC in the fall of 2004 I was indifferent. As its popularity grew over the first season, I became more and more sure that this show could not possibly appeal to me. How could a show with legions of fans and critical acclaim not be a piece of fluff that panders to the lowest common denominator? Did I mention that I can be a bit of a snob?

I finally picked up the DVD of season one just after season 3 started. I now humbly admit that I was an ASS. In the battle of my stubbornness vs. the Lost pilot, I was beaten to a bloody pulp. I have never been so instantly captivated by a show. When the white LOST logo popped up at the end of that episode, I knew that I had just become part of something very special. This show had it all it wasn't going to hold anything back. You go into the pilot thinking that you are going to see a dramatic interpretation of Gilligan's Island and you leave wondering what the hell just happened....in a good way. I had an instant moment of pity for the people who started watching it during the original airing, they had to wait. I proceeded to watch the next 22 episodes in 2 days. The writing and acting are some of the best that I have ever seen in a TV show. No disappointments. This was followed by season 2 the next weekend. Again no disappointments. Then my waiting began and it was brutal but worth it. I finally got season 3 and cruised through that. I watched season 4 on TV with everyone else and to my surprise, I kind of liked the waiting week to week. It gave me the opportunity to stop and think about the episodes, and with this show that can greatly enhance the experience. Lost is a very smart show full of Easter eggs and hidden connections that can be researched and analysed for hours on end, but you can also enjoy it as a casual viewer. Lost is truly a one of a kind show.

Watching Lost is a no brainer and I was almost the guy with no brain. I will say that this is not something that you want to jump into late. It's just not set up to be enjoyed that way. Fortunately, there are options available to get caught up. The most obvious is the DVDs. I will own all the DVDs and they will be watched multiple times. Another great way to get caught up is at the ABC site, they have every episode available in streaming video at great quality. If you are already a Lost junkie like me, I highly recommend Nikki Stafford's blog "Nik at Nite". She does an amazing job of recapping every episode and pointing out things that you may have missed.

The morel of this story, Just Watch It.