QUICK REVIEWS TO TIDE YOU OVER

Liking Warehouse 13 — epsecially now that they’ve added Claudia. Good group dynamic. REALLY HATE the commercials “SyFy” tends to run, but Warehouse 13 seems to be going well on the track to quirky awesomeness. Nice to see Jane Espenson back in the we can have some fun while doing sci fi game.

Eureka is scoring mostly positives (and hardly any Zane — yippee!). And wonder of wonders, a Taggart sighting in tonight’s advertising. Looking forward to his return.

Testing True was a solid effort on Nick’s part — Nick’s redesigning their logo. At least it’s still orange.

Definitely looking forward to the Wizards movie, although kind of neutral on the vampire storyline so far.

Oh, and below is my impulse purchase of the day, which I am now going to go off and read.

CUSHIONS + OTHER OUTRAGEOUS BEHAVIOR

And on a non rant note, tonight’s episode of The Big Bang Theory is one of this season’s funniest. Paintball fun — nice bits of physical comedy (the shootingof the cushion, the shooting of the Penny, the shooting of the Sheldon), great Sheldon, Penny, Leonard conversations, and Wolowitz and Winkel actually work together…got me up off my favorite cushion so I could get more air to laugh with…Looking forward to the upcoming episode(March 9th) with Summer Glau of the Sarah Connor Chronicles. Raj needs another Raj episode though.

Wizards of Waverly Place and Hannah Montana both seem to be going looser and a bit crazier with the comedy and it is working. From Harper Knows on, the let Alex be Alex and consequences be hanged trend really works. Miley seems more relaxed and comfortable playing Miley/Hannah and Emily Osmet and Mitchell Musso have always had good comic chemistry. Disney shows seem to have second season slumps, but Hannah is coming out of it in a way that bodes well for the movie’s prospects.

True Jackson survivor/secret episode funny in parts but they still seem to be stumbling over plotting. All actors still firing on all comic barrels.

Enjoyed Secrets of the Furious Five on NBC last week, yes, simple, but still fun. Time to rewatch Kung Fu Panda and School of Rock, lonelypond’s suggested Jack Black weekend double feature.

Caught Push in an actual cinema — chess with psychics and nice low key special effects. Liked Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning, Ming Na and Cliff Curtis. The woman at the center of the intrigue did nothing for me and the final fight scene was a bit ludicrous — I’m telekinetic so I’m going to bite your leg with an extra glow, which was disappointing after the actually intriguing gun and mirror battles. But I wanted to see more interaction between the hero group, so points for that. Might be an enjoyable rental if you’re in the mood for chess.

QUICK REVIEWS

Good to see the Vanessa Hudgens/Zac Efron contribution to the musical’s revival acknowledged by including them in the Oscar ceremony…would that there had been more singing and dancing by Beyonce and the High School Musical folks and less by Hugh Jackman.

Bought the HSM 3 DVD and enjoyed it; Flash is still fondest of the second, but she did trot in happy and/or worried a couple of times. Really big, well done numbers..a little too big for the small screen, but still enjoyable. “Scream” sticks around as does “I Want It All;” this one not so memorable for the love songs.

And note to Disney: admit High School Musical, the phenomenon, is a miracle of perfect chemistry/timing and don’t wreck the buzz with a fourth. Thank you.

Nice to see Andy Richter on True Jackson…still funny stuff; main character still behaving randomly in the service of comedy, but not the worst sin.

Dadnapped…Phill Lewis rocks; Jason Earles not so much a believable dire villian…really liked that so much was shot outdoors. I sometimes think about putting down some movie ideas and then I think, well, here at Lonely Pond, we’re all about the natural lighting, how the heck am I going to do that outside? Emily Osment did a good job as did David Henrie, Moises Arias, et al but weak in the script department. Trip Traps fun. According to imdb news links, Dadnapped beat Spectacular in the ratings war 4.6 million to 3.3 million.

Hey, the new Miley Cyrus video “The Climb” really impressed us. Sounded good, looked like a CMT worthy production. Seems like Disney’s setting her up for launching a country crossover career and heck, she might be really good at it. So good work and good luck.

iCarly — Fred episode fun, although I agree with Freddie. Liked the ostrich; hated the Fred voices. iLook Alike looks like fun. Oh and there can always be more Gibby…best thing about Archuletta episode.

I think this’ll cover me for awhile. Next up, Shakespeare and the a few FT articles that might interest you, but as James Altucher said in his latest column, step away from the computer for awhile and go out and talk to people. On the way to lunch and try that out.

MOVIES, KISSING, ETC.

Can’t get a fairer combination than that. Now, this is the blog entry I meant to start when I got hijacked by holiday melancholy.

Quick Reviews:

Spirited Away — wonderful to watch, amazing visuals, inventive story of a little girl working at a bathhouse for the spirits to rescue her parents from their gluttony induced transformation. Follow the three basic rules: 1. if a small child tells you you’re doing something wrong, you are. 2. Don’t eat the fairy food. 3. Be nice, darn it.

I would have liked this movie more if I had seen it before Howl’s Moving Castle; having fallen in love with that heroine, there are too many similarities between the two story lines. I loved the humor of the little soot monsters; the hovering baby turned mouse was great and the dragon looked cool. Everyone says great movie, but I find it too much like dragon hunting when we played D + D: you go off, there’s some danger, but mostly you come back with a bunch of treasure and higher levels. There was a level of drama and questioning the outcome missing for me.

Mulan: watching it after Spirited Away made the point strongly that the grafted on humor Disney (and many other studios) infect their movies with to be sure someone’s entertained is a CHEAP strategy. Spirited Away made me laugh with the characters and the wonderfully done facial expressions and at surprising moments. Mulan was crisp, cruel, efficient and beautifully drawn, but it lacked poetry. Mulan is still a great story and a heroine I like (Flash appreciated the musical numbers, which I’d forgotten about, although the scary music freaked her out), but the Eddie Murphy bits just rang so very untrue. Humor comes out of character interaction; sure the Batman reference is funny now, but it’s not ever funny. I miss the quality and effort that gets you ever funny. It’s amazing how fast pop culture references and satire go off or are forgotten. Still, Mulan does score as a triumph of human spirit and a score one for the girl story. But such a strong heroine deserved a tale better told.

And now finally to kissing, which neither of the above heroines manages to do…great movies can be a lead up to one kiss; bad movies can be littered with thousands. Hey, I just remembered the New Year’s Eve movie everyone should watch (plus Bachelor Mother because it’s fun) 200 Cigarettes; great ensemble piece with Paul Rudd, Courtney Love (yes, Courtney Love and she’s good), Casey Affleck, Kate Hudson, Martha Plimpton and a bunch of other strong, funny actors.

Where was I — oh, kissing. iCarly and True Jackson are plugging next Saturday’s(Jan. 3rd) show with a “kisses and misses” theme. Will Gibby kiss Carly, will Freddy kiss Sam and does True have a concussion after kissing the boy (yes, Keke Palmer falls funny)…actually, I had an interesting conversation with Joe, the nephew who will admit he watches iCarly, about how we both think Freddie and Sam kind of like each other. I don’t know what it would do to the show if they replaced their hit/insult relationship with kiss/flirt so I doubt it’ll happen, but I admit that I’m interested. Plus, Gibby’s a hoot so it’s always good to see him in an episode — just no more Neville; I’ll scream too, which probably means he’s too good a villian not to have back.

Speaking of villians — or at least actresses who play them (a special breed), Eartha Kitt died at 81…not only one of the better Catwoman’s but also still kicking it as Yzma on The Emperor’s New Clothes. Listen to her Santa Baby before your holiday buzz is gone; it’s phenomenal.

LOIS, CUFFLINKS AND CARLY(PLUS MIDDLENEWS)

Right, quick insomniac stream of conciousness TV and multi media notes:

SMALLVILLE: still not great Lois writing, but some great Lois and Clark moments in the Doomsday meets Chloe wedding disaster. Great use of limited special effects, much heightening of drama. Erica Durance and Tom Welling do good work and fit in well together at the farm, there’s a nice feel. The return of Kristin Kreuk as Lana Lang got me in trouble — if you’re going to come back, come back in style — and she did. Wow. And with the “Did the Archer believe you?” message, the intrigue vibe came with her. Some beautiful moments — excellent visuals by the director — and the last sequence was breathtaking and beautiful and actually made me want to watch the next episode (but no joy there ’til Jan. 15th); don’t take any kryptonite cookies and avoid Kristin Kreuk in black leather or anything resembling it, that’s my advice.

iCarly — downloaded iWin a Date, which is another of my favorite episodes…Gibby’s great fun. Also watched iWon’t Tell (I think that’s the title) and realized that Miranda Cosgrove is a master of the comic meltdown rant, a core iCarly concept. Between iCarly’s “Random Dancing” segments and True Jackson’s “Dance Party” have decided I need an actual stereo with speakers I can control remotely from any room downstairs. More dancing always good. True Jackson continues funny, but they keep throwing in these “I’m only a teen in way over my head moments” and I just don’t like them.

Disney: Bolt’s getting good and neutral tweets on Twitter; the “Harper Knows” Wizards of Waverly Place(Flash does not approve of Wizards; for her Selena Gomez is always the villanous Mikayla, we think) episode was actually fun — between that show and the Big Bang Theory there will be so much embrace your inner and outer geek going on that I dread to see what shows filter out of the next iteration of inspiration based on that premise.

Anything else? Hmmm, have Spirited Away on loan, must watch sometime this week and see if anime love lingers post Howl’s Moving Castle.

All right, I’m done and too tired to link. Google, Ask or Yahoo…you’ll find it. Good night all. Enjoy your Monday(yes, even if it requires large amounts of lasagna).

Oh, A Middleman update(I’ll link for fellow Middleman lovers) — apparently Natalie Morales has been signed for a pilot of something scifi Star trek spoofy and here’s a blog containing interviews about the future (or not) of the Middleman. Kevin Sorbo’s in there too –oddly, I just iPwatched the episode he appeared in…tomorrow, maybe episode 11????? The DVD set should come with a bonus CD of the show’s music to soothe the no season 2 heartbreak.

ADVENTURES IN WEEKEND WATCHING

Did not crack open the minty fresh Kung Fu Panda DVDm but did “Rip The Wrap*” on Adventures in Babysitting. We kept wandering by the $5.50 movie mini wall at Target and Gayle would go “oohhh Sabrina” and I would say “must get Adventures in Babysitting” and never be exactly sure why. The weeke before it went down to $4.75, I acquired my copy and we watched it on Friday — Saturday being reserved for the pie episode of iCarly –more on that further down. Well, I thought the main role was played by Kristy Swanson when it was actually Elisabeth Shue but once that was sorted out, the fun began.

It was a riot — a fun visit to both Chicago and the hairstyles of the late 80’s. Great soundtrack…plus the scene that embedded itself in my deep deep memory — “Babysittin’ Blues” — a tour de force of panic and performance. The heroine, of course, chooses the wrong guy(I call it the Ivanhoe effect, although with Ivanhoe, it was the wrong girl) — George Newbern’s frat boy beats out the classy but felonius Joe Gipp (Calvin Levels). Great adventure, solid performances. Good comic turn as the runaway, totally spooked best friend by Penelope Ann Miller. Now my soon to see again list of movie favorites includes The Shadow, Year of the Comet (can’t find on DVD) and The Saint.

Opening sequence where Elisabeth Shue dresses for a date and sings along to “Then He Kissed Me” (I believe) made the Lizzie McGuire Movie and Camp Rock openings look derivative (although Hilary Duff falls funnier than nearly anyone else currently in the business) — but it’s not derivative if it’s an homage to a classic, right. Anyway, pick up “Adventures in Babysitting” for $5.50 or $4.75. It is a classic — and if you don’t want to admit that sometimes you like movies without explicit sex and gore and very serious drama, then save it for some time when you’re feeling under the weather and want coddling. You’ll laugh and that’s always good medicine.

Oddly enough, the new Hannah Montana anticipated my call for the flinging of food with Miley tossing cooked chickens around, always fun, although Miley Cyrus isn’t my first choice for a physical comedian. Jason Earles ducks funny though.(NOTE TO DISNEY: Flash misses the old theme song) iCarly vs. pie wasn’t the physical pie flinging fest I had expected — Sam was reliably hungry and caustic (“wake me at quarter to pie”), Spencer was reliably over the top, and Freddy did a very good pie nirvana face while Miranda Cosgrove kept the craziness centered as usual. But considering how well all the actors do physical comedy and that they had 40 plus pies sitting around the apartment, too little craziness…and the last pie never got flung like a frisbee…ah well, that’s what anticipation and a vivid imagination’ll do for you. Still a solid episode.

True Jackson not quite so funny as the pilot, but that’s to be expected. Now we have to get to know the characters a little…I like Lulu better and Max is great, but Cricket was funny and I think the fanatasy sequence went on a little long and made me long for Wendie Malick’s fashion diva spoofing (Just Shoot Me.)

O.K., now I must write an article about walking tours and figure out dinner. Good night.

*Rip That Wrap –maybe the economy is now ready for this. The idea is instead of going out on a Friday night, you pull an unopened DVD(gift, impulse purchase, fell off a shelf and followed you home, 2 for 1 sale, spontaneously generated) off the top of the DVD pile and try to remember why you wanted it, accompanied by some form of comfort food — we opted for home made fajitas. Originally, I was pushing for a regular once a week event, but once a month seems more likely. Try it this weekend; drop off a review in the comment box.

iGo CRAZY, TRULY

Well, Gayle’s putting the finishing touches on dinner (I chopped garlic and zucchini and made my marvelous secret recipe cheese mashup), my interviews are done so I have time for a quick iGo Japan review and you have a chance to see it tonight if you missed it — 7 p.m. on Nick, 10 on the 3 hour plus digital cable channel version of Nick).

Started off funny, but a bit brutal — Sam throwing things at Freddie again; good showcase for Spencer, learning Japanese via the electroshock method. Freddie’s mom once again proved she can be quite funny.

They spent their movie budget on stunts, I think. Lots of falls, lots of fights, lots of funny. 1st half hour B+ for funny, second half hour a little slow, last half hour rocked — the Japanese comedy duo does better at evil than funny and I think the iCarly creative team missed a HUGE opportunity by not translating their talking/fighting into English subtitles — just imagine, massive and angry words back and forth, with English subtitles saying : I like your new tatoo; these Americans are so clueless; blah, blah, blah; should my hair be mauve, I think my hair should be mauve; will the blonde eat the seat covers if we keep driving; Will she eat her shoes? Comic opportunity missed and slow half hour as a result.

However, when Freddie’s mom reveals how they can find Freddie, iGo Japan swings into top gear in its last half hour, and we get A+ interaction with Japanese security guards, more fighting, more falling and Carly and Sam reenacting their adventure in an attempt to overcome the language barrier. Funny funny funny. So watch at least part, just not the middle part.

The True Jackson preview started off falling funny and apparently that’s going to be a motif. Good. Everyone in the cast seems to be able to manage that test of a physical comedian’s skills. Good to see Keke Palmer, she did seem to have more mischief in her makeup than Jump In allowed — funny flashes in music videos — she managed the sharp fast talking humor well. The only drag was when they stopped for a serious moment — just skip those; it doesn’t seem to be what Nick Teen shows do. And why waste a minute you could spend being truly funny. I hope they bring the Cricket character back — a good bad secretary/assistant is a great thing.

And now, to spend fifteen minutes on my article before dinner. Cheers.