He’s played an Elvis impersonator on an episode of “The Golden Girls,” parodied himself on Margaret Cho’s “All-American Girl” sitcom, and served as a guest judge on that taste vacuum known as “American Idol.” Under the column marked “mitigating factors,” however, was choosing to direct a Very Special Episode of “CSI” in 2005, when the […]
Archives – Television series
Posted inArts & Culture
Whitechapel: The Ripper Returns
That’s a tough case to crack, especially when Chandler’s fellow squad members — who heavily resent his promotion in the first place — don’t buy in to his theory. But this BBC tale being titled “Whitechapel,” after all, we know that Chandler is correct. And that revelation — strengthened with the discovery of each subsequent […]
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30 Rock: Season 5
Now that “Season 5” is here — all 22 episodes, all three discs — I realize how much I genuinely missed its regular presence. While no longer the award-hogging “it” comedy it once was, it’s still scene-to-scene hilarious. The start of the season finds the gang at “TGS” in flux. Overeager former NBC page Kenneth […]
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Modern Family: The Complete Second Season / The League: The Complete Season Two
While its recent Emmy sweep was well-deserved, “Modern Family” may never be as good as the new-to-disc sophomore season. Because roughly halfway into the current airing one, the show has failed to be anything but a hair above average, and sometimes going a week without a single laugh. But that second season was fairly solid, especially […]
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Justified: The Complete Second Season
Fresh off an Emmy nomination for his starring role, Timothy Olyphant owns his character of U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens to such a degree, it just may prove to be the one that defines his career. In short: He’s badass. Givens remains in his godforsaken hometown of Harlan County, Ky., a backwater, redneck-ridden hellhole that he […]
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Delocated! Seasons 1 & 2
“Delocated!” is the latest of such series. Its premise is that a married couple and their one son are moved from Small Town, USA, to New York City, because they’re in the Witness Protection Program. “Delocated!” is their presumed reality show. The gag is that they all wear black ski masks. If this sounds more […]
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Mildred Pierce
In a way, Todd Haynes’ adaptation of “Mildred Pierce” for HBO is as subversive as the “Superstar” of 1988 — the difference being the manner of millions and a legal release. A more-faithful remake of the 1945 Oscar winner, “Mildred Pierce” adheres tightly to the time, place and dialogue of James M. Cain’s 1941 novel, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Mildred Pierce
In a way, Todd Haynes’ adaptation of “Mildred Pierce” for HBO is as subversive as the “Superstar” of 1988 — the difference being the manner of millions and a legal release. A more-faithful remake of the 1945 Oscar winner, “Mildred Pierce” adheres tightly to the time, place and dialogue of James M. Cain’s 1941 novel, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Portlandia: Season One / The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret: Series One
The short answer is yes, and not really, in that order. I didn’t think I’d like “Portlandia” much, because Fred Armisen never has done much for me in his time on “Saturday Night Live.” But now I totally understand what “SNL” godfather Lorne Michaels ever saw in him. The free-reign work he does here with […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Portlandia: Season One / The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret: Series One
The short answer is yes, and not really, in that order. I didn’t think I’d like “Portlandia” much, because Fred Armisen never has done much for me in his time on “Saturday Night Live.” But now I totally understand what “SNL” godfather Lorne Michaels ever saw in him. The free-reign work he does here with […]