90210 Sneak Peak

I did not expect to see Michael from "The Wire" on the new 90210. Most people are skeptical of this show, but how could it be any worse than "One Tree Hill"?

Flight of the Conchords

With all due respect to Jack Black and Kyle Gass, Flight of the Conchords are what Tenacious D wishes they were. FOTC are funny, talented, and popular. By FOTC, I am referring to the band and the show. HBO picked up the program for a second season (unfortunately, it's not set to air until January 2009) and the group's new album debuted at #3 on the Billboard charts a few weeks ago. The album is composed entirely of songs from season 1 -- which are great but I'd rather wait on the DVDs.

90210

The CW officially picked up a BH9er spin-off, cleverly titled "90210," for the Fall 2008 lineup. The show will revolve around West Beverly High and Kelly Taylor is back...as a guidance counselor. I don't know where that came from but I like it. Apparently, Donna Martin will return as well. No word yet on Brandon, Dylan, Steve, or David.

In what would have to be her third or fourth CW series, Aunt Becky from "Full House" (Lori Loughlin) will be a main character in 90210, as will Lucille Bluth from "Arrested Development." Two great casting jobs there. There is also a teen star from "Degrassi" who will join this cast. Let's hope that 90210, like Degrassi, "goes there."

I expect this brief post to be the first of many 90210 posts to come in the next several months. Stay tuned as the full cast gets announced. With the abundance of mediocre scripted TV today, I welcome back 90210 with open arms. The creators need to get on the horn with Brandon Walsh and give him whatever he wants.

Late Night Talk Shows

I've thought about it for over a week, and I still think Jimmy Fallon replacing Conan O'Brien on Late Night in May 2009 is a TERRIBLE idea for many reasons. One, Fallon is not that funny. Have you seen Fever Pitch? Two, I cannot imagine him interacting well with a wide variety of guests. Conan could interview actors, comedians, musicians, athletes, kids, Martha Stewart, etc. and the conversations always flowed well. No other talk show host has the ability to make his interview style seem so unforced. Most of the interviews I've seen with Fallon (in which he is the guest) appear a bit awkward. I just don't understand what makes Fallon so appealing to NBC? He left Saturday Night Live to pursue a movie career, which has gone absolutely nowhere. While he was on SNL, he was maybe the fourth funniest person on the show and he made a career of laughing (and breaking character) while Will Ferrell killed it.

NBC could have made a worse choice (see Carson Daly, Kathy Griffin, Jeff Foxworthy, among others) and I suppose there are people that find Jimmy Fallon funny and/or charming, but the choice does nothing for me. While I am glad that NBC is finally forcing Jay Leno out on the Tonight Show and Conan does deserve the top spot, it will be sad to see Conan leave Late Night. Will he have to do the Tonight Show from LA rather than NYC? Can he still have such risqué characters as the Webcam Manatee, the Masturbating Bear, and Vomiting Kermit? NBC executives may turn a blind eye to some of the skits when the show airs at 1 AM, but they will regulate the Tonight Show.

I wonder if Conan is even excited about the promotion. It will undoubtedly mean more money, but does he even consider it a promotion? I felt like over the last five years, Conan landed as many big stars are Leno and Letterman, despite the late time slot. His guests had equal star power and he had more leeway with inappropriate skits. Will the infamous Preparation H Raymond come with Conan to the Tonight Show? I love Letterman, but the Late Show has gone downhill over the last 5 or 6 years and his ratings are in big trouble when Conan moves to 11:30.

Actors just aren't meant to be talk show hosts. Ellen is one of the better actor-hosts, but I could not see her doing a late night talk show. She is better suited for the afternoon. Jimmy Kimmel is good, but he is technically not an actor. Same for Craig Kilborn (not sure where he disappeared to). I hope Fallon is good because I don't watch the Craig Ferguson show (CBS), but I will be surprised if he is. I assume Conan will take his writers with him, which will hurt Fallon even more. Fallon will no longer be able to ride on the coattails of Tina Fey's writing and Will Ferrell's physical comedy.

Kevin From Real World 1: Where Is He Now?

Remember the aggressive African-American journalist from the first season of the Real World? You know, the guy that often wore denim overalls underneath nice blazers. The guy that sparked verbal race wars with 19-year old Julie from Alabama. His name is Kevin Powell and he may be the most successful Real World alumnus (sorry, doing Gauntlet/Inferno challenges doesn't qualify you as famous).

See the clip below (especially around the 7-10 minute mark for the final blowout) ASIDE: notice 1) how weak the apartment/loft is compared to the mansions that current Real Worlders live in, 2) sometimes you can see the other cameramen/equipment, 3) this cast had jobs, and 4) there was no confessional room -- they just set up a camera outside so a cast member could say "And then etc. etc. etc. happened..."

After watching the video and refreshing your memory, click on the link below the video to see what Kevin Powell is doing today.





http://www.kevinpowellforcongress.org/about_kevin/

"Wait a minute, Doc. Ah... Are you telling me you built a time machine... out of a DeLorean?"

THE FOLLOWING IS A SPECIAL GUEST BLOG FROM "BIG" DAVE FRIEDMAN:

I first saw Back to the Future in 1986 at a friend’s house. I loved the movie, but for over 20 years something has bothered me about the film. No, I am not talking about how Marty McFly's girlfriend Jennifer was portrayed by Claudia Wells in BTTF 1 and Elisabeth Shue in BTTF 2-3. I want answers as to how the friendship of Marty and Doc came to be. No explanation was ever given. What could a high school senior and a wacky 50 year old scientist have in common? I have thought about this for quite some time and have come up with a few possible explanations.

1. Marty met Doc at a musical instrument shop when Doc bought the giant amplifier. Marty and Doc starting talking and Doc agreed to let Marty use the amp in exchange for help on some science experiments.

2. Perhaps Doc was once a science teacher at Marty’s school. How else would Principal Strickland know about him? (In case you forgot, he mentions Doc Brown when Marty and Jennifer arrive late at school)

3. We all know that near the end of the movie Marty writes Doc a letter explaining that Libyan terrorists will kill him the night that he sends Marty back in time. Doc shreds the letter, but tapes it back together as we see when Marty returns from 1955. Because Marty was in 1955, he altered history so Doc would seek him out in the 80s. This is a simple explanation and makes sense. But wait!!!! Marty went back in time and since he altered history, many things would have changed – including his own life!!! Marty arrives back in 1985 about ten minutes early, witnessing Doc being shot and another Marty driving the DeLorean back into time. Here comes the big WTF moment. What the hell happens to the SECOND Marty who goes back in time near the end of the movie? Marty 2’s life is drastically different than Marty 1’s life. When Marty 1 left his father George was Biff’s personal bitch, his mother Lorraine was an alcoholic, and his siblings were losers. Now in the new 1985 they’re all successful. Biff is even washing George’s car! Marty 1 is confused and even asks his brother, now wearing a suit instead of a Burger King uniform, what’s going on. Marty obviously has no memory of anything Marty 2 did. Won’t his family and friends find it odd that Marty 1 will have no memory of any events that have taken place? Not to mention, does Marty 2 just evaporate? Does he go back to 1955? With Doc knowing the consequences of the time machine, does he deliberately make Marty 2’s DeLorean a fake and stash the plutonium somewhere else, knowing full well that Marty 1 will return in 1985 with a working time machine? The thought of this makes my head hurt, so perhaps it is a question better left unanswered. Chop, let’s go watch Cash Cab.

Reality Check

Sports and reality TV consume somewhere between 70-80% of my every day life. If I had my druthers, it would be closer to 100%. How I Met Your Mother is the only show I currently watch that is neither sports-related, a reality/trivia show, a rerun, nor on HBO. My sports and reality TV trivia knowledge is both impressive and shameful. I can name all 19 cities that have hosted a Real World cast (NYC hosted two seasons), the last 50 NCAA Men’s Basketball champions, every Super Bowl champion, each American Idol winner, and every boyfriend LC has had on The Hills and Laguna Beach – all in chronological order. I get five ESPN channels in my cable lineup, and I watch each of them daily. I know where every single player in the NBA went to college. I watch Top Chef religiously, and I cannot even cook an egg. Seriously.

I was recently watching Cash Cab (best trivia show on TV), and I came to the sad realization that my knowledge of pop culture, sports, and random trivia far exceeds my knowledge of meaningful, intellectual, or educationally-relevant information. I probably cannot list every U.S. President, certainly not in chronological order. I would be lucky to correctly name 35 of the 50 state capitals. Identifying important world leaders is not one of my strengths.

I check CNN.com once or twice a day, but I peruse ESPN.com roughly a baker’s dozen times a day. I would like to have more worldly knowledge, but I do not consciously gravitate toward educational television. Why would I watch the History Channel when I can watch Ryan Sheckler complain about his parents’ divorce and his love life (or lack thereof) on Life of Ryan? Almost every show on MTV makes me feel stupider than I was before I started watching, yet I keep several MTV shows in my rotation (that will remain unnamed).

A reality trend that I strongly oppose is dating competitions. I was a fan of classics such as Blind Date, Elimidate, Change of Heart, and Joe Millionaire for several years, but newer shows like A Shot of Love with Tila Tequila, Flavor of Love (even though I’m not mad at Flava Flav), Rock of Love with Bret Michaels, I Love New York, and That’s Amore are giving the genre a bad name. I’m sure Bret and Tila will find love this season. I am quite certain that Missy from Las Vegas wants to stay in the house and continue to rock your world, Bret.

I did find a way to seek knowledge without going to school or feeling like I am studying -- Wikipedia. It less than five seconds, I just learned that the capital of Somalia is Mogadishu. Tonight, I will learn all 50 U.S. capitals. Right after Top Chef.

Chris Rock

I watched I Think I Love My Wife last weekend, which once again proved my theory: Chris Rock will never make a funny or even watchable movie (except CB4). I actually had medium to high expectations of I Think I Love My Wife, but it was dreadful. The plot was weak, the acting was mediocre, the laughs were non-existent, and Rock was just not believable as an investment banker. Stick with the stand-up, Chris.