Blogcritics Author: Aleks Chan

Announcement: Short-content feeds

Phillip Winn — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT

Sunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding.

The 2007 Golden Globe TV Nominees: No Longer Desperate

Aleks Chan — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 08:32:25 EST

BEST DRAMA TV SERIES24Big LoveGrey's AnatomyHeroesLostSo glad to see 24 back in the Best Drama race; it really did have its best season yet, and deserves another statue to put next to its Emmy. Though oddly, I'm irked by Lost's nomination. As people have finally caught on, the castaway drama has grown belaboringly tedious, losing its incredible talent for syncretic storylines and characters. I'd much rather see Veronica Mars in its position, even though the first eight episodes of the third season were the worst yet. Now, if TV's true best drama, The Wire, was given the nod it has deserved from its berth, then I would be ecstatic. Being ecstatic is overrated I guess. Also, where the frak is Battlestar Galactica? BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIESPatrick Dempsey, Grey's AnatomyMichael C. Hall, DexterHugh Laurie, HouseBill Paxton, Big LoveKiefer Sutherland, 24Yes! Yes! Yes! Michael C. Hall! Showtime has made quite the turn as HBO's stepnet, with Hall's perfectly sinister performance of the title character in Dexter getting a much-applauded nod. Otherwise this category is a bag of blah. Sure, Bill Paxton is terrific in Big Love, but like the show, I never really root for it to win anything. It's just nice TV, not much more. Patrick Dempsey? Egh. Hugh Laurie? Alright. Kiefer Sutherland? Maybe. Still looking for Kyle Chandler of Friday Night Lights though... where is he?BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIESPatricia Arquette, MediumEdie Falco, The SopranosEvangeline Lilly, LostEllen Pompeo, Grey's AnatomyKyra Sedgwick, The CloserThis is the limpest group of the bunch. Evangeline Lilly? I hardly noticed anything that warranted a nomination on Lost this year. Maybe Globe voters got her confused with Nathan Fillion guesting as her husband during her flashback in the fall finale? That's it. That's got to be it. I'll mark Edie Falco or Kyra Sedgwick for the win - though I'm pulling for Sedgwick, only because I want her to say one of her thaaaank ewwwwwwws on stage. Another Friday Night Lights snub: Connie Britton as the most humane person in FNL's fictional Dillon, Kyle Chandler's wife.BEST MUSICAL OR COMEDY TV SERIESDesperate HousewivesEntourageThe OfficeUgly BettyWeeds As I watch ABC's Ugly Betty more, the more I dislike it. I'm tired of that boring conspiracy schlock, be done with it already. The Globes (along with Emmy) love newbies, so I expect this to steal the show, even though NBC's The Office/Scrubs and Showtime's Weeds deserve it more.BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL OR COMEDY TV SERIESAlec Baldwin, 30 RockZach Braff, ScrubsSteve Carrell, The OfficeJason Lee, My Name Is EarlTony Shalhoub, Monk Alec Baldwin's soft-spoken braggadocio Jack Donaghy is the must win - him and 30 Rock are the best new things on TV. What's funny is that all but one of these actors are from an NBC sitcom airing on the same night. BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL OR COMEDY TV SERIESMarcia Cross, Desperate HousewivesAmerica Ferrera, Ugly BettyFelicity Huffman, Desperate HousewivesJulia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures of Old ChristineMary-Louise Parker, WeedsNow, I like America Ferrera. Truly I do. I just don't see what the fuss is all about with Ugly Betty. It's like Big Love and me - we're great friends, but not best friends. Otherwise, it's refreshing to see that the Desperate Housewives crew hasn't completely occupied this category. I'm pulling for the hilarious Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, whose underrated physical comedy on The New Adventures of Old Christine (terrible title, great show) is something sitcoms just don't have enough of nowadays. A close second would be the always acerbic Mary-Louis Parker as pot-stirring mother Nancy Botwin of Showtime's Weeds. BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A SERIES, MINISERIES, OR TV MOVIEThomas Haden Church, Broken TrailsJeremy Irons, Elizabeth IJustin Kirk, WeedsMasi Oka, HeroesJeremy Piven, Entourage For the few of us that saw AMC's Broken Trail: give it to Thomas Haden Church! His Tom Harte made Deadwood fade into the background of my mind. Of course, there's someone who should have made this list, but didn't -- Studio 60's Steven Weber. Who else can verbalize the entire history of the FCC and make it so interesting? BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A SERIES, MINISERIES, OR TV MOVIEEmily Blunt, Gideon's DaughterToni Collette, Tsunami, the AftermathKatherine Heigl, Grey's AnatomySarah Paulson, Studio 60 on the Sunset StripElizabeth Perkins, WeedsWhat vexes me most is the Emmy winner from this category, Grey's Anatomy's Sandra Oh, was ungraciously snubbed. While Katherine Heigl did have a great year, and Ellen Pompeo must have dazzled Globe voters with her annoying knack for looking sharp even with a blown-up Kyle Chandler all over her, Oh was the most in need of a nomination - her and Chandra Wilson. But of these, I'd actually pick Studio 60's Sarah Paulson, whose scene-stealing, born-again Harriet Hayes is an actual reason to watch Studio 60.BEST MINISERIES OR TV MOVIEBleak HouseBroken TrailElizabeth IMrs. HarrisPrime Suspect: The Final ActIt's depressing how underestimated PBS is. It's public broadcasting, not an infomercial. The long-running Masterpiece Theater films have more bravura and rich characters than some recent Oscar contenders, which would include the series' best to date, Bleak House. Don't let the title fool you, there's nothing bleak about it - Gillian Anderson and some flittering twentysomethings are caught in a dark and murderous affair of deception and consequence when an inheritance of a large sum begins to untangle. BEST ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR TV MOVIEAndre Braugher, ThiefRobert Duvall, Broken TrailsMichael Ealy, Sleeper Cell: American TerrorChiwetel Ejiofor, Tsunami, the AftermathBen Kingsley, Mrs. HarrisBill Nighy, Gideon's DaughterMatthew Perry, The Ron Clark StoryWhoa. Seven nominations? And only two of those are worth mentioning. How sad. Andre Braugher (who should be in best actor for a drama series, but FX keeps entering the underappreciated, though slightly-misleading - there was minimal theft involved - heist drama Thief as a miniseries, instead of a failed drama series), and Robert Duval, I expect a clean fight.BEST ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR TV MOVIEGillian Anderson, Bleak HouseAnnette Bening, Mrs. HarrisHelen Mirren, Elizabeth IHelen Mirren, Prime Suspect: The Final ActSophie Okonedo, Tsunami, the AftermathGillian Anderson. Her Lady Dedlock, a reserved, demure demoiselle who feigns depression in dark corners, was the best dramatic performance of the year. So many rich layers, so many sound bites, so many emotional scenes - she needs to win. I'll hand it to the crafty Helen Mirren, who scrapped up three well-deserved nods of her own. Of the three though, she was the most magnificent in The Queen - a movie.

Aleks Chan is a young (16) writer living in San Antonio, and hopes to one day leave the homeland to be Gillian Flynn's successor at Entertainment Weekly.

TV Review: Scrubs

Aleks Chan — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 07:16:39 EST

NBC's Scrubs is like a child's fantasy: full of whimsy, charm, and loony characters, its a hideaway from the overly-serious world - or in this case, a hospital. To call the antics and oddball daydreams of Scrubs juvenile would only be undermining the show's credibility, which in its sixth season, remains intact in its new home on Thursday nights, acting as anchor to NBC's newly-revived Must See TV lineup.Most of Scrubs' charm comes from the series' unmatchable knack to juggle emotions, storylines, and characters at whim. This season opens to daffy doctor J.D. (Zach Braff, as charming and boyish as ever) discovering that his new girlfriend (guest star Elizabeth Banks) is pregnant. Meanwhile his best friend Turk (Donald Faison) and wife Carla (Judy Reyes) are having a baby of their own. Scrubs is experiencing an oddly-placed baby boom, but the show has always taught us to never second guess it. Even with children on the way, there's plenty of fun still to be had. Imagine J.D. as a doting father - better yet, imagine the gags we'll get to see with Braff. In a classic moment, the hospital employees start freestyle dancing to 'N Sync's "Bye Bye Bye." The funniest part, however, is the that song is being used as a cellphone ringtone by Turk, who's getting a frantic call from a preggers-freaked J.D. And don't worry, parenthood won't hinder the supertight duo of J.D. and Brown Bear: in a grand gesture, J.D. and Turk gather a marching band to accompany Carla on her trip to deliver their baby.Much of Scrubs has remained the same, which in its own way, is a great thing. It's loony, energetic, and sweet, which can all be afforded by the impeccable cast, which has grown cofident and loose, creating a genuine bond on screen that Friends never could attain. Especially endearing are the show’s trademark juxtaposing scenes - a serious talk about abortion can quickly turn into a religious pun. Even its hilarious non-sequiturs, and lengthy, highly complex fantasy sequences are done with a bouncy grace - like best friends making home movies, these characters act as if there are no expectations, making everything seem effortless. NBC's child-like sitcom wants to be a kid forever. I don't blame it.

Aleks Chan is a young (16) writer living in San Antonio, and hopes to one day leave the homeland to be Gillian Flynn's successor at Entertainment Weekly.

TV Review: The Real World: Denver

Aleks Chan — Thu, 7 Dec 2006 08:38:01 EST

Ah, The Real World. A shameless drunken social experiment that lost its lust sometime between season 400 and 1,287, it still lives in order to reheat the comfort food of the new Internet Generation. Popularized for incessant censoring bleeps, nights on the town with way too much booze, endless hook-ups (in the now traditional hot tub), and always-changing sexual orientations. It's possible that Real World will never die, making it either MTV's golden child or very clear after many deplorable seasons of drunken twenty-somethings, that its psychological brainteaser masked as a reality show on acid is actually a right of passage (or both). You can't grow up without first having an obsession with a season of The Real World. Which is okay, because even after all these years, the show still is a delightful - if stale - guilty pleasure.The formula is simplistic to follow, because it never had an in-depth one to begin with (look back at season one, I dare you). Here it is (Real World veterans skip to the next paragraph): seven "strangers" (this term is used very loosely), all from different backgrounds (education, race, families, sexual identities), come together in an over-priced loft in a metropolitan area (this time around Denver, CO) and live together. What they turn into is truly a sinister cabal.Meet Colie (22, New Jersey), with a fiery, tongue-in-cheek personality, and a "hobby" like making out, she's a pure-bred Real World-er. From the very beginning she explains that she wants be all over the youngest housemate, crooner Alex (21, Arizona). Alex is the resident macho man (there's always at least one). And as happens every season, things get complicated from day one. Let's just say Colie's new Oakland Raiderette "friend," Jenn (22, California), gets "cozy" with Colie's new beau. Also a trend (and an annoying one): the instant stars and the late bloomers. We won't learn much about Tyrie (23, Nebraska), Stephen (22, Washington D.C.), and Brooke (24, Tennessee) besides that they're, witty, conservative, and cloyingly blithe. Then there's Davis (22, Florida), who represents the redundant gay-man-coming-to-terms-with-his-own-sexuality set that continually fuels arguments with the highly conservative housemate, in this case, Stephen. The only interesting thing left here is the irony: Davis was also born into a conservative, religious family. Yet, his wish to be openly gay has left him and his family estranged. It's not entirely tear-inducing, but it's progress for the "character" Davis is inhabiting. Of all these younglings it's Colie who has the most panache. Utterly complacent, she's free spirited in a destructive, risible way that holds so much desire for Las Vegas' Trishelle. In one of the show's overly-candid "confessionals" she explains herself along the lines of "I'm not good at baseball, but I'm great at making out." Which holds true for The Real World franchise as well - sort of. It's not great at keeping it original, but at least it maintains what little grace it has left (Wait, did it ever have any grace?). Ultimately, the show has aged well, ready to blatantly program teens to "stop being polite" - and act as a worthy guilty pleasure - almost 20 years later.

Aleks Chan is a young (16) writer living in San Antonio, and hopes to one day leave the homeland to be Gillian Flynn's successor at Entertainment Weekly.

An Unsolicited Letter To Gilmore Girls

Aleks Chan — Sun, 3 Dec 2006 10:29:35 EST

Dear Gilmore Girls, If you hadn't noticed (we, your adoring fans, sure have though), longtime show runners Amy Sherman-Palladino and husband Daniel are have flown the coop! We were worried that the Gilmore Girls we once knew would become a heaping pile of crap. Guess what? You're about to get deleted from people's Season Pass lists, and you have no one to blame but none other than new show runner David S. Rosenthal. You're almost certifiably crappy. And don't expect anyone to be fooled by the drippy, ooey-gooey extravaganza of the November 14 episode - unsubtly titled "The Proposal - as not jumping the shark, which was exactly what it did. Fret not, I have constructed a list of what needs to be done to save you from complete and total revilement:1. Get Rid of ChristopherOnce his and Lorelai's marriage is inevitably nixed, of course (rumored to be in February, which isn't soon enough). Though David Sutcliffe and Lauren Graham's undeniable chemistry would be hard to recreate with Luke, they were meant to be. Bringing Christopher back would be an ugly reminder (of your near-failure) you won't need - once it's over, its over. His return would only signify that you haven't been able to move on, and need him to succeed - you don't.2. Buy Rory a PonyOr something that would stave off our diminishing interest in the soon-to-be college grad. Bring Logan back from London, have her spend more time with Lorelai, and get her away from her über-annoying "art" friends, and pitch the possible rekindle-a-romance-that-never-existed-with-Marty story altogether. Get her a job at a busy and superfluous magazine or newspaper -- Alexis Bledel handles flustered well. Lastly, chop off some hair, and give her that awesome bob thing from season five - that way we won't confuse Rory with those damn Aerie Girls.3. Explore Your Secondary CharactersZach (Todd Lowe), Lane (Keiko Agena), Mrs. Kim (Emily Kuroda), Luke (Scott Paterson), and Paris (Liza Weil) are all characters worth investing in. Yeah, you have that lukewarm, threadbare arc for Lane and Zach's pregnancy, but it would be even better if you took some time out every week and developed it. Burn April (Vanessa Marano) at a stake, send her to boarding school, let her get hit by Kirk (Sean Gunn) driving a golf cart -- we don't care, just get rid of her. And have Lorelai check to see if her parents are still alive. We miss our weekly Richard (Edward Herrmann) and Emily (Kelly Bishop) fix. And could we please have more Paris? Pretty please?4. Buy Some DVDsGilmore Girls seasons one through six will suffice. Take notes, and listen carefully. Call Amy Sherman-Palladino and ask for some tips on how to write pop culture references with some bite. You'll need more than that though, so start subscribing to entertainment magazines like People, Us Weekly, Rolling Stone, Blender, Vanity Fair, Entertainment Weekly, and Premiere.5. Get Rid of Those Aerie GirlsIt's not bad enough that the youth flocks to American Eagle clothing outlets (which ironically promotes nudism) by the second; the most permeated troupe of frivolous girls are forced upon us to "discuss" the show. Hardly. These girls don't represent the far more sophisticated (and college-educated) audience that watches the show, they represent what The CW considers to be the target audience: women who have no idea what's happening in their lives, thus they live on a rock in Zanzibar.Best regards, Aleks Chan P.S. More Paris please!

Aleks Chan is a young (16) writer living in San Antonio, and hopes to one day leave the homeland to be Gillian Flynn's successor at Entertainment Weekly.

TV Review: The O.C.

Aleks Chan — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 23:21:29 EST

Yes, it may seem surprising to hear that The O.C. - Fox's ex-hit teen drama, supplanting sex, "bitch," and Seth Cohen on the masses - is actually still airing. Fans will remember the near-perfect first season (and the perfect pilot, where we met Phantom Planet's polarizing "Califooooooorniaaaa"), and the show's unique brand of clever soapy storytelling. Of course, that's until the bottom falls out midway through season two. At least season two had its promising and engaging moments (porn scandals, short-lived lesbian trysts), whereas season three was an exorable string of bootless charity cases for Marissa (Mischa Barton), whose acts of kindness ended in her death in a not-so-shocking season finale. Barton, supposedly unintentionally, spilled the beans to Access Hollywood two days earlier. Where to next? It seems like the perfect question, since four episodes into the fourth season, there's yet to be major plot movement to occur that could direct the show into becoming anything other than a saddening disappointment. The O.C. is stuck (for now) in an exacerbating, indefinite throat-clearing phase.It's odd how Marissa, once limply-acted by paper-thin Mischa Barton, is only interesting now that she's dead. Season four picks up five months after the car accident that killed her, with everybody - namely, Ryan (Benjamin McKenzie) and Summer (Rachel Bilson) - grieving in their own way. Marrisa's ex-beau Ryan turned to...cage fighting? Of all of The O.C.'s self-serving ways, this sidetracking seems to be the most gauchey. Ryan and Seth's (Adam Brody) manhunt trip to Mexico where they humorlessly try to track down Marissa's killer, Cam Gigadent's bendy Volchok was fun though, acting as a nice throwback to a similar episode in season one. Elsewhere, Summer, once a lovable demoiselle, has devolved into an agrestic naturalist. She hid away at college in Rhode Island, febrile from Marissa Died Syndrome. "I don't do sarcasm anymore. I'm post-ironic," she explains to her shelved boyfriend back home, Seth. She putatively began protesting eco-style to bury her depression, though she quickly overcomes that with a borderline-ingenious, Summer-style roundabout the five stages of grief, completely contained in an opening scene. It's never a good idea to leave too much of the idea making to The O.C. show-runners though, as they set yet another counteractive character between Seth and Summer: Chris Pratt's (late of Everwood) Che. Che, the buddy Matthew McConaughey should have had in Dazed and Confused, acts almost as an unwelcome distraction, save for Chris Pratt's incredible performance as a righteous tree lover. Though it seems familiar — remember season two's manstraction Zach, whose Michael Cassidy was even more boring than Marissa?As with previous seasons, there's potential for some sudsy fun. Look at this season's best story arcs: New regular Taylor Townsend (Autumn Reeser, who very well may outplace Bilson's Summer) returns from France married, unhappy, and as effervescent as ever. Reeser, a fast-talking (faster than those Gilmore women for sure) sultry vixen, is a welcome addition. Plus, the hint towards a possible Ryan-Taylor lovefest is good O.C. fun. On the home front, Julie Cooper-Nichol (Melinda Clarke) has had another falling out with an entrepreneur, this time being Summer's father (Michael Nouri). Mourning, a side we haven't seen from Julie (her late husband Caleb wasn't deserving of much tears), is envoked from the layering Clarke brings to the character. Her rebound as a Desperate elder women looking for younger men is deliciously sordid, and a fine sampling of season one. Willa Holland as Marissa's trouble-prone little sister Kaitlin, and the Cohens (Peter Gallagher and Kelly Rowen's Sandy and Kirsten) remain the sanest people in all of Newport, resting cozily on decent. Out of all the ludicrousness, The O.C. (slightly) maintains its promise from the pilot: no matter how ridiculous or implausible a situation may seem, its characters act in (semi)believable ways (though it's hard to see how anything would lead to cage fighting). Breaking away from Marissa seems to force the show into a corner, though the November 16th episode showed major progress, for which we can be thankful. Amongst all of this, The O.C. has managed to be as self-aware (it has its own mockusoap called The Valley, wherein the show admits its own faults), and surprisingly sharp-tongued as before. Nasty, overly-dramatic, and wry, The O.C. is almost back - sort of.

Aleks Chan is a young (16) writer living in San Antonio, and hopes to one day leave the homeland to be Gillian Flynn's successor at Entertainment Weekly.