Showing posts with label pushing daisies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pushing daisies. Show all posts

Monday, January 17, 2011

My Top 10: Fictional Eateries I want to visit

It's roughly mid-month, which means it's time for another bizarrely themed Top 10 list! This time I'm profiling some of my favorite imaginary restaurants and cafes from movies and television. Since I've missed out on some really popular shows, I like to refrain from saying "the greatest X of all time," instead substituting "my favorite X of all time." As always, I (futilely) encourage feedback, so you're always free to dispute my choices or offer your own.

10. Monk's from "Seinfeld"An absolutely iconic eatery in television history, this one ranks so low because the food looked like it sucked. But when Reggie's, the bizarro coffee shop, is your only other option, Monk's starts to look like five-star cuisine. If nothing else, I hear the Big Salad is good.

9. Java the Hut from "Veronica Mars" I admit it, this one gets a spot partly because of the awesome name. But it also had plenty of great music acts in addition to secret private investigator meetings. It has the perfect atmosphere of teen hangout mixed with film noir.

8. The Soup Nazi's place from "Seinfeld" Once you get past the delicate ordering procedure, it sounds like the soup is totally worth it. Word to the wise - if they forget to give you bread, just let it go.

7. Rick's Cafe Americain from "Casablanca"Of all the gin joints in all the world, this one is the definition of cool. Suave, classy, and full of intriguing people, Rick's Cafe is the place to be. Referencing any more of the famous quotes would be too easy, so I'll just say that this movie really never does get old...even as time goes by (too easy, but I can't resist).

6. Any diner from any gangster movieIt's basically a requirement for any major gangster, crime drama to have the characters discuss their plans in a diner. Tarantino particularly enjoys this trope, whether the characters openly discuss robbing a diner like in "Pulp Fiction" or they discuss the validity of tipping or the meaning of Madonna songs like in "Reservoir Dogs." So why would I want to visit those places? Because you're guaranteed some drama and shady patrons. The rest of my choices are pretty tame by comparison, so this is my one wild selection.

5. The Krusty Krab from "Spongebob Squarepant
s"The episode where Squidward tried his first Krabby Patty sealed the deal for me - I must have one. They may not be the most healthy food option under the sea, but they're good for your soul.

4. Coffee Bucks from "Scrubs" (or "Cougar Town") Bill Lawrence carried over his fictional coffee chain into "Cougar Town," but it was featured prominently in "Scrubs" first when Kelso put one in the hospital. You'd be guaranteed to run into everyone from Sacred Heart here. Just be sure that you don't pass on your coffee-drinking ways to your kids.

3. La Chocolaterie Maya from "Chocolat"This definitely places high on a list of 'movies not to watch while hungry.' As far as my sweet tooth goes, I would be fine if chocolate was the only candy I could eat for the rest of my life. Vienne knows all sorts of long-held secrets of chocolate preparation, so mix that in with the natural beauty of the French village and you've got one great hot spot for chocolate lovers.

2. Luke's Diner from "Gilmore Girls"
I just wish I could move to Stars Hollow for a few months. Luke makes the best cup of coffee in town, according to the local coffee experts Lorelai and Rory. He'll make you something unique (if he likes you) and handle orders with charm and patience. Not to mention there's always plenty of local character.

1. The Pie Hole from "Pushing Daises"I'm not even a big fan of pie, but if the Piemaker bakes it himself, I'll definitely make the exception. Unlike Keri Russell's inspired pies in "Waitress," the town in "Pushing Daisies" isn't nearly as depressing and the pies are far more magical. This place has the most local color of all since it's like stepping into a fantasy land. The show was best described as a 'forensic fairy tale' and, really, who wouldn't want to take a visit to that genre?

Honorable mention: Good Burger from "All That" and "Good Burger," The Drunken Clam from "Family Guy," Weston's from "Gilmore Girls," Independence Inn or Dragonfly Inn from "Gilmore Girls," any of "Chuck"'s random restaurants (Lou's sandwich place, the Orange Orange, Wienerlicious), Pizza Planet from the "Toy Story" movies, Sacred Heart Cafeteria from "Scrubs"

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Some last minute, pre-Emmy Emmy thoughts

The Emmys are this Sunday and I'm actually happy with the nominations. Well, happier than I've been in past years. Since lists of nominees are posted all over the Internet, I'm just going to list the categories I'm going to comment on.

Outstanding Drama Series
Lost
Breaking Bad
Dexter
Mad Men
True Blood
The Good Wife

I think we can just give this one to "Lost" right now, since the Emmys love to give send-off awards for shows that are leaving and had a lasting impact on popular culture. I really hope they don't do this, as I think "Lost" has seen better days and was rewarded for those better days already. This most recent season was rushed, uneven, and rather unfocused. You could feel the writers trying to wrap up storylines as quickly as they could to appease fans when we now know that there was no master plan all along and they just made up most of their answers just for the sake of answering something. Now, I wanted answers and a satisfying conclusion, but "Lost" was at its best when the focus was entirely on the characters. I would love to see "Dexter" finally get its due, especially since it came off a stellar season. I would hate to see "Dexter" never win the Emmys it deserves because it was eclipsed by bigger pop culture sensations. "Breaking Bad" or "Mad Men" are possibilities, neither of which would upset me. They're both excellent shows and they deserve the critical praise they get. The Emmys love "Mad Men," so I wouldn't rule that out completely. "True Blood" getting nominated was enough to make me gag, but I don't anticipate an upset. I regret to say I've never seen "The Good Wife" and can't really comment on it either way.

Outstanding Actor in a Drama
Jon Hamm (Mad Men)
Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights)
Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad)
Hugh Laurie (House MD)
Michael C Hall (Dexter)
Matthew Fox (Lost)

Hamm, Fox and Laurie are consistently good, but Hall and Cranston are in a league of their own, in my humble opinion. I would bet Chandler is in the latter group as well, but I've never seen "Friday Night Lights." I'm a bad TV addict for this, I know, but all the critical praise in the world doesn't make me interested in some Texas football family small-town drama. Cranston would make me happiest for the win for his work on "Breaking Bad." I finally caught up with this show this summer and he is truly remarkable in that role.

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
Beau Bridges (The Closer)
Ted Danson (Damages)
John Lithgow (Dexter)
Alan Cumming (The Good Wife)
Dylan Baker (The Good Wife)
Robert Morse (Mad Men)
Gregory Itzin (24)

I'm still biased because of my love of "Dexter," but this really should be John Lithgow's award. Critics and viewers alike were blown away by his role as the Trinity killer. He should win the award just for the Thanksgiving episode alone.

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
Mary Kay Place (Big Love)
Sissy Spacek (Big Love)
Shirley Jones (The Cleaner)
Lily Tomlin (Damages)
Ann-Margret (Law & Order: SVU)
Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost)

The only reason I list this one is because of Elizabeth Mitchell's nomination. Seriously? I love her, and I loved her in past seasons, but did she even have fifteen minutes of screen time in the last season?

Outstanding Comedy
Glee
Modern Family
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Nurse Jackie
30 Rock
The Office

By now, everyone knows this is a race between "Modern Family" and "Glee." I can't shake the feeling that "Glee" is going to take it because of the media adoration, but "Modern Family" was consistently funny and well written. I'm no fan of "Glee," but I did watch most of the season in an effort to see what people love about it. I can understand its appeal for a certain demographic, but the show is very uneven and, with the exception of Jane Lynch's love-it-or-hate-it snarky bitch role, it's just not that funny.

Outstanding Actor in a Comedy
Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm)
Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)
Matthew Morrison (Glee)
Steve Carell (The Office)
Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory)
Tony Shalhoub (Monk)

I only posted this list because of the craziness that is Tony Shalhoub getting nominated again. Did "Monk" even air this year? I'm not as invested in the comedies as I am the dramas just by nature of what shows I watch, but I don't want to see him take this award one more time, even if it is the last time he could.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy
Chris Colfer (Glee)
Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother)
Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family)
Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men)
Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family)
Ty Burrell (Modern Family)

Someone from "Two and a Half Men" must have some incriminating information or something, because someone has to be getting blackmailed for that show to keep getting Emmy recognition. There are a lot of people behind Colfer, and he is funny sometimes on that show, but I have a hard time getting past the character as it's such a complete and total stereotype walking. Same with Lea Michele and her character. I feel like people have pulled off their cliche characters better in other programs. I think this award should and probably will go to Ty Burrell for his work as Phil Dunphy. He nails that character, and much as I love Stonestreet, Burrell is the stand-out. The clever writing helps, but it would be nothing without Burrell's absolutely spot-on delivery.

I have nothing to say about reality, as I don't watch any, but I'm still really pissed that "Torchwood: Children of Earth" wasn't nominated for the miniseries category. I can't blame this on the Emmys, however, since The Powers That Be didn't submit "Torchwood" for consideration. I don't understand this for one second. The five-part miniseries was brilliant and deserves recognition. It should go down in television history as one of the best sci-fi programs ever just for the recent miniseries event.

As far as snubs go, "Cougar Town" is my most egregious snub. Busy Phillipps should have been nominated, without a doubt. Emmy voters should know better than to be turned off by a bad title. I'd also add "Ugly Betty" and, more specifically, Vanessa Williams to the snub list. The show had a creative resurgence in its last season and Williams was always excellent, as was Michael Urie. The Emmys keep giving "Monk" awards and even recognized Kristin Chenoweth's performance on the by-then deceased "Pushing Daisies" last year so "Ugly Betty" shouldn't have been overlooked just because it's over. It's also refreshing this year to see some deserved snubs, like "Grey's Anatomy" and "Desperate Housewives" being largely ignored. And rightly so. I love those shows still, but they didn't deserve nominations.

I'll most likely return with a post-Emmys article, reviewing what thrilled me and what enraged me. I'm not expecting much from the host this year, since it's Jimmy Fallon. But anyone is better than reality show hosts.

Monday, July 12, 2010

"Rizzoli & Isles" - everything I can't stand about procedurals

For the most part, I really can't stand procedurals. I don't understand how people can watch multiple "CSI"s or "Law & Order"s or how Mariska Hargitay can keep getting nominated for Emmys for a role on a procedural. It's a reliable formula, repetitive yet comfortable. It's hard for a network to take a chance on something different, especially when procedurals are so lucrative. For every "Glee," there's a hundred more "Pushing Daisies" or "Eli Stones." A network doesn't care how critically acclaimed a show is if there are no ratings to back it up.

Every single piece of promotion for the new TNT show "Rizzoli & Isles" makes me want to rip my hair out it frustrates me so much. First of all, it sounds like a complete rip-off of "Bones." And about a million other shows. How unique! You're pairing up a tough street-smart cop with a brainy scientist? But that will never work! They're complete opposites! Oh wait, but this time they're both women! On the plus side, I guess that counts out the requisite sexual tension between the lead characters, unless TNT feels like going nuts and making the most cliched concept into something totally different.

The character cliches are what bother me the most. You have the standard opposites attract cliches piled onto female cliches. On television and in movies, the only way a woman is a cop is if she is a tomboy who grew up with lots of brothers, was a military brat, is a lesbian, or has daddy issues. A recent promo in "People" magazine features an ad campaign with pictures of the two women as children with a description of their respective personalities. Rizzoli, the cop, loved "beating her brothers at basketball and armwrestling" as a kid. She liked "shooting a BB gun" and says "When I grow up, I want to find bad guys and put them in jail." On the other side of the page, we have Isles, who loves "reading and solving puzzles." She's the booksmart one who sees the world in scientific terms. She's socially awkward, naturally, but damn good at her work.

Cue the show. I bet there will be plenty of banter about how bizarre they find each others' way of viewing the world. I bet the streetsmart cop will say something humorous about how the other uses way too much unnecessary technical jargon. I bet the booksmart scientist will roll her eyes or make a humorous comment about her need to explain every tiny thing to her partner. I bet the cop will be brash and sometimes too reckless for her own good. I bet the scientist will be the cool-headed one who reminds her partner to calm down and look at the facts.

It's probably pretty obvious that I won't be watching this show, which debuts tonight at 10:00. It embodies every stereotype and cliche regarding cops and women that I hate about procedurals. I'm so sick of the booksmart/streetsmart clash of personalities partnership concept. It's been a long time since that concept was fresh and funny. Unlikely partners? Maybe if this was 1970. (The show gets one tiny bonus point for casting Lee Thompson Young. The famous Jett Jackson needs a better gig on TV these days, especially after "FlashForward" killed him off in such an annoying way.)


Monday, May 17, 2010

My Top 10: TV Boyfriends

Everyone has them. Their TV/movie boyfriends (or girlfriends). Those characters who are so damn hot, clever, kind, and/or smart you just wish they were real. Being the TV addict that I am, I've thought about this subject a lot. So, to distract me from the intensity of all the season finales, I decided to post for the whole world my ideal TV boyfriends, in order of their awesomeness. As evidenced by some repeats, some actors in general are always going to be my dream TV boyfriends. (And another spoiler? I totally go for nerds. Smart guys are hot.)

10. Henry Grubstick (Christopher Gorham) from "Ugly Betty"
He's the first nerd on my list but he better than anyone else embodies the hot nerd status. Any Henry fan can remember when Betty daydreamed about him as an underwear model...good times. He loses some points for being an accountant, but all in all he seemed like a dependable, sweet boyfriend to have.

9. Ben (Iddo Goldberg) from "Secret Diary of a Call Girl"
If nothing else, I want Ben as a friend (at least then I could take a good picture of him for this blog post). He'll stick by you, even if you let him know that you're actually working as a call girl. Although if you looked like Billie Piper, it wouldn't be hard to get a guy to stay no matter what. Ben has always clashed with Hannah's boyfriends, mainly because they were all pricks, as he reminded us in the most recent season finale. Who didn't think his note to Hannah was adorable? "Duncan was a prick. All your boyfriends were pricks. I'm not a prick." Out of context, it might not sound so romantic, but trust me, it totally was.

8. Jake Foley (Christopher Gorham) from "Jake 2.0"
And nerd number 2! Played once again by Gorham. "Jake 2.0" ran for 16 episodes in 2003 on the UPN so I won't begrudge anyone for not having a clue who I'm talking about. But Jake was the original Chuck Bartowski. He worked at the NSA fixing computers until he stumbled upon super powers thanks to some TV technology. He then got to work as an NSA field agent. He was sort of like Chuck with Intersect 2.0 but he was also able to interface with technology. He beats out Chuck though as my dream TV boyfriend, and I'm not completely sure why. Maybe just because I love Christopher Gorham. Maybe because Gorham, unlike Zachary Levi, can authentically play a nerd. (Levi can act like a nerd, but he will never look like one).

7. George (Russell Tovey) from "Being Human"
This was a toss-up between him and Mitchell (on left), the hottest vampire around (don't let anyone fool you, Edward Cullen has nothing on that sexy Irish beast.) But going on which character I rather date, I'd have to pick the sweet, adorable werewolf George. As long as I avoided him during his time of the month, we'd make a fine couple. And if I ever got kidnapped by or mixed up with some bad vampires, he'd come to rescue me. Not that he'd do it very gracefully, but I'd appreciate the gesture.

6. Jess Mariano (Milo Ventimiglia) from "Gilmore Girls"
Take away the music snobbery, and Jess would be an ideal boyfriend. After his rough years, of course, when he finally got his act together. I liked Dean well enough, but he was never right for Rory and Jared Padalecki was better off as Sam Winchester. And I absolutely loathed Logan and was thrilled when Jess told Rory what a jerk he was. Jess may have been a bit of an ass to people he didn't like, but he was great with Rory most of the time. And he definitely knew how to romance a girl - take her on a picnic lunch, ice cream, concerts, attend town events, talk endlessly about movies, music, and books.

5. Simon Tam (Sean Maher) from "Firefly"
He started out as a nerd, but he definitely held his own in "Serenity." You know, until he got shot. But he finally manned up and told Kaylee how he felt, and that's the kind of man you want. He's a genius, but more than that, he gave up everything, all the privilege in his life, to save his sister. More than simply smart, he was noble and selfless.

4. The Doctor (David Tennant) from "Doctor Who"
On one hand, you'd think he'd definitely make the cut because he saves the universe on a regular basis. On the other hand, you'd think he wouldn't make the cut because being his companion means you will meet an unfortunate end at some point. At best, you'll end up in an alternate universe. At worst, you witness the massacre of planet Earth and the torture of your family at the hands of a maniac. But as Sarah Jane Smith said, he's worth it. He's probably not the best boyfriend material, what with all the emotional baggage, but I'd settle for being a companion. Or a stowaway on the TARDIS...or a time agent/stalker...or a member of UNIT/stalker...

3. Aaron Tyler (Lee Pace) from "Wonderfalls"
This is yet another criminally unknown show since it was cancelled early in its run. Much like "Pushing Daisies," it was quirky, clever, and critically acclaimed. For those not in the know, that equals cancellation in the TV world. But in the short time I got to know him, I adored Aaron. He's getting his PhD in comparative religions, he's an atheist, he's still a bit of a slacker, he doesn't see the point in always buttoning his shirt up all the way, and he is very sweet with his eventual girlfriend, Mahandra. He genuinely worries about his sister and even goes to Canada to rescue the family housekeeper. He's probably the most realistic dream boyfriend on this list, which makes it all that much more painful that he doesn't exist.

2. Ned the Piemaker (Lee Pace) from "Pushing Daisies"
He bakes pies and wakes the dead. Need I say more? He's got his own emotional baggage, but unlike his girlfriend, I could actually give him a hug to make him feel better. While I'd have to compete with Chuck and Olive, I'm game. He leads a pretty sheltered life, running the Pie Hole and solving crimes, but I'd rather take a quiet, long life with Ned than a crazy, short, ill-fated life with the Doctor.

1. Scotty Wandell (Luke Macfarlane) from "Brothers & Sisters"
This one might shock some of my friends, as Ned almost wins first place. My personality type would probably go best with Ned, but my absolute favorite onscreen man is Scotty. I know this is cheating though because one, he's gay and two, he's taken by his husband Kevin. But since this is all hypothetical, I can dream about him. Of course, then it depresses me to think that there are no straight guys in existence like Scotty - he's sweet, a perpetual optimist, incredibly sexy, a fantastic chef, and a loyal partner. And he clearly has the patience of a saint to be able to withstand the Walker clan he married into.

Honorable Mention: Oliver Queen (Justin Hartley) from "Smallville" and JD (Zach Braff) from "Scrubs." Who doesn't love a superhero? Especially when moody Clark "Slave to Destiny" Kent is around making Oliver "Green Arrow" Queen look better. But my attraction to him is purely shallow, since he's wealthy and looks better than any man has a right to in green leather (see below). JD seems like a fun guy to hang out with and I dream of a time when every man is as confident in their sexuality as he is, but he's kind of awful with his girlfriends.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

"Chuck" - "That's us in 30 years"

Hooray! Finals are over and I can get back to focusing on what really matters: great TV. (I've got a lot of blogging to catch up on. I'm the catch-up girl. Not to be confused with the ketchup girl. [I love you Lorelai Gilmore]). "Chuck vs. the Role Models" was a nice break from studying. Some might call it a filler episode, as it was part of the additional episode order when they had to stretch out the season (you know, when NBC realized it was screwed and needed at least one show with a solid fan base). But I don't care - not every episode can be as pivotal as the last few. And at the end of the day, I just want more "Chuck." It's one of those shows I can just sit back and relax with. This week's fun guest stars were Fred Willard and Swoosie Kurtz. As a big fan of "Pushing Daisies," I loved hearing Kurtz say things like "don't be a booze snob." Along with the fact that Willard was just on "Modern Family," all I could think is "in 30 years, Sarah and Chuck are going to turn into Aunt Lily and Phil Dunphy's Dad."

The set-up of shadowing the almighty spy couple was a tad contrived, as was the General ordering Morgan trained, but I'm willing to overlook that. This is the kind of show where you suspend your belief and I think these things were completely within the show's established boundaries of craziness. You just knew something was up when the veteran spies "screwed up" the mission early on. You knew some sort of double-cross was going to happen and I initially thought they really had triple-crossed Chuck and Sarah in the end. It seemed logical: pretend to betray your younger partners, coax the bad guy out of hiding and into the open where you can nail him, then admit that it was the plan all along. But no, it was just a double-cross, but then they had a change of heart. I wasn't completely satisfied with the wrap-up of that conflict and I felt like Willard and Kurtz were a little underused, but it was still incredibly entertaining so I won't bother nitpicking here. In the end, Sarah and Chuck moved in together while getting a little warning from their would-be mentors: "The CIA has a way of breaking young idealists. Especially if they're in love."

Meanwhile, Casey and Morgan are going through their spy training, which was also pretty funny to watch. If nothing else, Morgan can BS his way out of a lot. And run. Is it weird that I was really really hoping "Wipe Out" would play as Morgan ran from the tiger, a la "The Sandlot?"

I'm liking how they're handling Ellie and Awesome. I thought their leaving would mean less of them, because I couldn't figure out how they would tie in an Africa storyline to the main stuff in Burbank. I'm assuming that maybe they were meant to be in Africa over the summer break, but when they got the additional episode order, they wrote in a storyline for them? Either way, I'm happy with how they handled it. Although I was really nervous they were going to work some sort of love triangle there after focusing on that one guy. It's hard to pull off love triangles, (Sarah-Chuck-Bryce=compelling, Sarah-Chuck-Shaw=meh) and even harder to do when the core couple is so...excellent. I'm ready to see where this dastardly plotline goes. Although, wouldn't Awesome and Ellie have been taking malaria pills and known that it was weird to get malaria anyway? Or does that just happen sometimes anyway? I'm no doctor. It's just wonderful to see Ellie and Awesome together and happy for the most part. (Sidenote: Awesome looked very nice in the rain. Can it please rain more on this show?)

Random other thoughts:
  • Ellie, with all your concerns about Africa and Doctors Without Borders, have you never seen "ER?"

  • Morgan's dream sequence. Absolutely loved it.

  • It's fun to see how much better Chuck has gotten at extemporaneous lying on a mission, but he's still the same old Chuck, evidenced by moments like....

  • ...the ordeal with the tiger. "I am not letting you shoot a tiger. They are endangered and majestic."

  • Did Sarah and Chuck really think handcuffs would hold two seasoned CIA agents? The second I saw that I was waiting for the moment they would escape.

  • Awesome's nickname from the native people, which translates loosely to "Doctor Super-Fantastic White Person." Genius.

  • And randomly, "Friday Night Lights" is still on? I kept seeing commercials for it during the break and was really surprised. If they can manage to keep that show on the air, surely they can keep "Chuck" around too.