NBC: Requiring Shots of Earth From Outer Space Since 1966

Doing our due diligence we’ve been watching the trailers for the new series picked up by the big four networks for their respective fall seasons.  Some have been promising, some dead on arrival, and others just somewhere in between.  But there was one – NBC’s new JJ Abrams sci-fi thriller Revolution – that particularly caught our eye.  However, it wasn’t the premise or the cast or the special effects that piqued our interest.  No, it was the last few seconds of the trailer, an insert of the title over a grand wide shot of earth from outer space that stuck with us.  We couldn’t shake the feeling that we’ve seen this before on NBC.  In fact, it appears that this is a well that NBC has been returning to for decades.  You hear a lot these days about how there are no new ideas, but this is a little excessive.

We’d suggest that there’s some kind of corporate conspiracy, or at least mandate, owing to NBC’s ties with Universal (the gold standard in spinning globes), but they didn’t merge under the same umbrella until 2004, so perhaps it is just a lack of imagination.

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Filed under Conspiracy Theory, Makes You Think, Must See TV, We'll Get It In Post

Gratuitous Search Term Bait of the Day: Gratuitously Gratuitous Milestone

There’s basically been one item – neigh, one person – who has been dominating our top search terms for the last few weeks.  Today is no different, with the list reading as follows: “chelsea survivor, survivor chelsea, survivor one world chelsea, chelsea survivor 2012.”  So, you know what, we’re beyond being clever these days.  We’re just going to give you what you want (and this was one of the few days that did not also include the word “boobs” in that group).

Also, this is our 700th post!!!  Yes, we’ve continuously fallen short of our goals and quotas, but it’s still nice to reach that, ahem, round number, and what better way to celebrate than with something that everyone (who is male and/or likes oiled up, surgically enhanced bodies) can enjoy.  We were going to have special novelty glasses made up for the occasion, but they would have been asymmetrical and that totally would have bothered us, so you’ll just have to wait til our 1001th post.

Thanks for memories! (you two, Chelsea.  And no, that was not a typo).

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Filed under Count Bleh, Gratuitous Search Term Bait, Tribal Council, Yasmine Bleeth

Must Flee TV: Friday Night Fits – About ‘Community”s Move to Friday Nights

We’ve admittedly, regrettably, been remiss with our recaps and analysis of NBC’s Thursday night comedies.  There was a time when we provided weekly thoughts on ‘The Office’ (luckily our neglect kicked in just around the time when Friday morning post-mortems on that show would have been unbearable) and periodic temperature checks on ‘Parks and Recreation.’  With the season already complete for half of these shows, and the other two concluding their runs this week, we thought it was high time that we put aside some real estate to check in on these programs, starting today with a discussion about ‘Community’ (whose season (and not series) finale airs Thursday night (preceded by two other new episodes and the ’30 Rock’ closer).  

NBC announced their Fall 2012 pick ups last week and, despite lots of rumors and hand-wringing, Community will return for a fourth season.  That much wasn’t quite a surprise to us.  Could NBC have axed the criminally low-rated comedy?  Sure, and they would have the cold, emotionless Nielsen numbers to back it up.  But, at the same time, they know what they’re getting with Community.  Will it ever break out into a Friends or even These Friends of Mine sized hit?  Unlikely at this point.  But does it have a devoted, die-hard fan base?  Absolutely.  Attractive cast?  You bet.  A smart, discerning, relatively affluent audience?  We guess.  Close to reaching enough episodes for lucrative syndication?  Definitely.  So the renewal, especially for the 13-episode order it received, is not all that shocking to us.  What was unexpected, however, was the announcement at the NBC Upfronts that come this fall Community will be found on Fridays, as the lead-in to…Grimm?

Read on: Go ahead and step back from that ledge…

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Filed under Analysis, Good Humor, Greendale Human, Must Flee TV, Must See TV

‘Survivor: One World’ Finale – Tops and Bottoms

[SPOILER ALERT!!!]

“I know I lied to you and voted you out, but I have no boobs left so have a little mercy.” – Kim 

It is somewhat fitting and poetic that in a game defined by boobs – both anatomical and intellectual – it was the least endowed woman who triumphed over her more busty peers (and, no, we’re not talking about Nina).  In the end, it’s not what you have here (pointing to our chest), but what you have here (pointing to our head).  And whatever Kim may not have or may have lost in her bosom, she certainly more than made for up with her brains (we could also note how she played the game with a lot of heart, but that would require also pointing to our chest, which would confuse the whole point.  She also played with a lot of guts, but if we’re going to point to anyone’s stomach, it’ll be Colton’s to giggle at his doughy appendix scar).

More: The road to the final goes through the Valley of the Fallen Mikes…

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Filed under Analysis, Century 21 Reality, Flashback!, Freak Out Control, The Worst, Tribal Council

The Beanery

We got our hands on the exclusive, never-before-seen trailer for The King’s Speech, featuring the original actor earmarked for the role of King George VI.  As much as we like Colin Firth, we think they should have stuck with their first choice.

Chills.

[btw, Rowan Atkinson is EXCELLENT in Love Actually]

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Filed under Across the pond, The Big Screen, We'll Get It In Post

They’re Finally Together

After more than a decade it looks like David Wain & Michael Showalter’s Wet Hot American Summer follow-up They Came Together is finally going to be made, if Variety is to be trusted (and, really, can they???).   Much like Wet Hot took on 80s summer camp flicks, this one has rom-coms in its crosshairs.  And, much like Wet Hot, They Came Together will star Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler, and also likely the rest of The State and Zak Orth and A.D. Miles and Elizabeth Banks and Mather Zickel and Nina Hellman (not that we’re complaining.  In fact, we’re crossing our fingers).

You can see a very brief, very blurry clip from the They Came Together read through at this year’s SF Sketchfest here, or, instead, watch this iconic Rudd clip from Wet Hot.  The choice is yours.

We’re starting the campaign for a Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan cameo now.

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Filed under Good Humor, Good News!, Hanx, The Big Screen, The State

We Know Someone From ‘Growing Pains’ When We See Someone From ‘Growing Pains’

Lost amid the Downey Jrs. and the Ruffalos and the Johanssons and the Smulderses in The Avengers was the brief but vital appearance of one Ashley Johnson, better known to millions across the globe as Chrissy Seaver.  When we first glimpsed her as a [SPOILER ALERT] Noo Yawky waitress in a Noo Yawky diner our Growing Pains Sense immediately went off.  But what was she doing in Joss Whedon’s Avengers?  Couldn’t be her, right?  Wasn’t that shade of blonde just a bit too golden for Chrissy Seaver?

Well, we’re happy to say, Yahoo confirmed it.  That was just the right shade of blonde for Chrissy Seaver  and that was Ashley Johnson in the supporting role.  To celebrate her long-awaited comeback, why not take a look back at her earlier work?

FINALLY, some good press for the Seavers.

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Filed under Geekery, Growing Pains, The Big Screen

Rehab, Redemption, Robots: A Reel Steal

This one’s for all our friends in North Carolina.  It mixes their two biggest passions: country music and destroying stuff.

(btw, Gwyneth was a DELIGHT to work with)

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Filed under Robots, The Big Screen, We'll Get It In Post

Monkeying Around

We’re little late making this observation, but it seems like last summer’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes may have been recycling some footage.  Who knew that Andy Serkis got his start in commercials?

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Filed under The Big Screen, We'll Get It In Post

In Memorium: Maurice Sendak

Full disclosure: as far as we know, we’ve never read anything by Maurice Sendak.  We haven’t even seen Where the Wild Things are.  The closest we’ve come is putting that Arcade Fire song on a mix once.  But, clearly, Sendak meant a lot to a lot of people, and, if our Facebook newsfeed is to be any judge, his words affected several generations.  Maybe for them, he was their Jim Henson.  For us, our lasting image of Sendak will be, quite literally, his last image, his brilliant appearance on the Colbert Report this past January.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

It’s easy for someone to be a subversive, fiercely free-speaking iconoclast in their 20s.  Try doing it til the day you die.

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Filed under In Memoriam, Literarally