Danny California: Chili Peppers Countdown, Prison Break, David Brent Returns, and MORE

Whew, I am back.

A lot to talk about, so I'll get right to it.

First off, since my earlier posts were so Emmy-centric (in retrospect I have to ask myself: why?), I never got to give the proper shout-outs to all of the people who made last weekend a lot of fun. So Abby, Chris, Dan K, Scott, and Jules - was good as always to see all of you this past weekend and I think we had some good adventures in Hollywoodland.

Speaking of Hollywoodland, that is one of a string of upcoming cool UNIVERSAL releases (cheap plug), which is nice as I get to see them all for free (hey, gotta take advantage of the few perks I actually get from this job). So we've got a few kickass looking film noirs in Hollywoodland and The Black Dahlia, and a martial arts epic (apparently Jet Li's "last" - from now on his martial arts movies will be strictly non-epic in nature, I guess) in Fearless all coming in the next few weeks. Nice.

Also in movie news - what is up with IDIOCRACY ...? I remember way back in the Spring of '04, as part of BU's LA Spring Break Trip, a bunch of us star-struck students were treated to a visit with the head of feature comedy-development at FOX. One of the cool little tidbits of info she gave all of us was that the (even then) long-awaited, new Mike Judge film would soon be released, and that it was one to look out for. She didn't have to tell me twice - as far as my opinion goes, everything Mike Judge has done to this point - from Beavis and Butthead to King of the Hill to Office Space, has been comedic gold. So yeah, the premise of his next movie, Idiocracy - about a guy who wakes up in a future where people have gotten so dumb that he, a relative moron, is the world's smartest man - well, it all sounded a little similar to Futurama ... but, come on, it's Mike Judge's take on the future! How could it not be awesome? So I've been waiting for this movie forever now, and all of a sudden it gets canned! What?!?! But now it's back, coming out in limited release this weekend, but getting literally ZERO marketing or promotion from FOX. What is the deal? Is it just due to creative differences between Judge and the suits? Or is the movie so bad that they are simply dumping it? I can't believe that it's that bad, but who knows - after all, Office Space had a storied run as a box-office dud that then went on to become a video cult classic. Will history repeat itself? In any case, I am VERY curious about Idiocracy, and here's hoping it is a fitting follow-up to Office Space. Because if so, we are in for one hell of a comedy.

Speaking of COMEDIC GOLD ...

If you are even a little bit of a fan of the hilarity that is RICKY GERVAIS and the original, best, and British version of THE OFFICE --- you MUST head over to Google Video ASAP and check out the promotional training video that Gervais and Office co-creator Stephen Merchant made for Microsoft. Yes, Microsoft. I can only imagine the bucketloads of sweet, sweet cash that Bill Gates and co threw at Gervais to REPRISE HIS ROLE AS DAVID BRENT, something he said he'd never do, for of all things a corporate training video. But watching the video - I mean, holy crap, it's like an all-new episode of The Office! Gervais is classic as David Brent, surely one of the all-time great comedic creations to grace television - he even does an instant-classic David Brent original song! This is awesome and a MUST-SEE. Let's see if I can find the link to make this easy on you:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9076288729387457440&hl=en

If you like things that are funny - watch this now!

- And one other thing that is hilarious --- if you have not yet seen it, you should really check the listings and catch the next repeat showing of COMEDY CENTRAL'S WILLIAM SHATNER ROAST. I caught this last week and I was laughing my ass off through most of it. It's rare to see comedians work this "blue" on basic cable, but you have gotta love it - Betty White of all people telling dirty jokes, Star Trek's Mr Sulu, George Takei, going all out, so to speak, and everyone from Andy Dick to Lisa Lampinelli to Fred Willard and Patton Oswalt (and even Brett Tomberlin's favorite actor, Jason Alexander, serving as MC). Whether or not you really care about William Shatner, the point is really moot. This is Shatner getting roasted like few have been roasted before, the roasters getting roasted, and everyone ripping each other to shreds until it's a wonder that any of them are not shamed to the point of shriveling up and crawling offstage. What I'm saying is -- this is awesome TV. I'll even grade it for ya' -- My Grade: A

- On one other programming note - a finger of SHAME to all those who made FOX's Celebrity Duets a ratings success. I happened to turn on the TV at work the other day and saw the East-Coast feed of this crapfest. Yikes! How the mighty have fallen - the great Peter Frampton appearing alongside suckage-magnets like Michael Bolton on a friggin' reality competition. And how pathetic is it that Chris Jericho, former WWE champion, actually FRONTS A ROCK-BAND (the very lame metal group Fozzy), yet gets eliminated in the show's first round of competition?!?! Why? Because Jericho -- you can't sing for #$%! Dump this singing crap and go back to the squared circle where you belong - you WERE a wrestling legend in the making - don't be that guy who WAS on top but went down a former champ who now appears on VH1 and crappy SciFi original movies. The one positive of this utter black hole of a TV show was Lucy Lawless -- 'nuff said!

- And yeah, I'll mention it one more time -- Who Wants To Be a Superhero should be commended for trying something different - a show that preaches everyday moral values! What a concept! Like I've said, it's hokey as hell, and probably like 85% scripted, but I keep watching this show on Tuesday nights when I should be sleeping, because I somehow get sucked in to its utter sincerity in presentation. It really is amazing - us comic geeks usually obtain our sense of morality almost as much from Superman and Spiderman as from anywhere else, so it really is excelsior!-worthy to see the father of so many comic book legends in Stan Lee taking on a different but almost natural role -- grandmaster in a morality play where Stan the Man is preacher of his own weird but endearing sort of superhero value system. I love it! Stan could probably teach a lot of these spoiled Hollywood execs and stars a thing or two - start with "With great power comes great responsibility," and work from there!

Oh, yeah, how could I forget ...?

PRISON BREAK this week kicked ass! I got some flack last week for apparently being too harsh on the season premiere, but whatever - it was a little directionless. This week's episode, however, fully embraced the "anything can happen" setup of the new season and brought on the action. So many golden moments of over-the-top pulp craziness. Who knew that crooked prison-guard Bellick is one big momma's boy? Makes him even creepier than before, and I can't wait to see him go bounty-hunter on the escapees. Stacy Keach is amazing, no question. He once again proved his sheer awesomeness this week - every scene he was in was brimming with intensity - none more so than when he remembered Scofield's betrayal and went totally ape$%&, and destroyed the model that Michael had built for him in a fit of middle-aged rage! Damn! T-Bag was also wonderfully EVIL in this ep - yes, the entire idea that he somehow RE-ATTACHED his dismembered hand is just ridiculous - but that's what I love about this show! Where else do you see a deranged, white-supremicist serial killer with a thing for boys dispose of the VETERENARIAN who just treated his severed limb by giving a crazy-ass speach about devouring his soul? Wow - this show can be really messed-up, especially when T-Bag is involved ... Anways, Michael and Lincoln's rescue attempt was exciting and suspenseful - especially now that they have a great nemesis in William Fichtner. Once again this week, I have no clue where the show is going - but now, I'm fine with it, because my faith is at least momentarily restored. My Grade: A

- You know, after last season I was extremely burnt out on LOST, but I've got to admit that those mysterious ads they've been running in EW are really piquing my interest. If you haven't seen them, they are what appear to be op-ed pieces written by some anonymous insider, praising "Persephone" for her efforts to expose the Hanso Foundation and slamming the producers of Lost for not accurately representing the events and people that they are featuring (acting as though the Hanso Foundation is a real organization which Lost is using as its inspiration). If these embedded ads are indicative of a new direction for Season 3 of Lost- then I'm all for it. I'd love to see them move on from the focus on the backstories of the main characters, and really start to delve into the mythology they've hinted at. If this happens, I can definitely see some renewed spark coming back to the show. I could see the average viewer being turned off by such a change in direction, but I think most people realize that the show needs to evolve a little bit, because the staying power of the current formula is very limited.

In other news ...

Tommorow:

I am seeing the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS~!

- Now I'll admit, my enthusiasm for the group has really dropped off over the last few years. I've enjoyed their music, sure, but I feel like they've just been releasing one radio-friendly, middle-of-the-road single after another. A lot of their songs fall into a pattern of being very mellow witha few obligatory moments of fast-paced funk, but overall I feel like their newer big hits, from Dani California to By the Way and others, all kind of sound the same at this point. What happened to the group that blew the doors off of the rock n' roll scene in the early 90's with Blood Sugar Sex Magik? Even on One Hot Minute - they still were first and foremost a ROCK band. Now, at least as far as their new musical output goes, I fear they've lost a lot of their edge. But, and this is a big one, the Chili Peppers have always, always been known as one of the most kickass live bands around. And I am pretty confidant that they will bring the house down tommorow at the Forum. So I am excited, and hopefully by the end of the show, I will remember why the Chili Peppers once ruled the world of rock.

Here are my Top 10 All-Time Favorite Red Hot Chili Pepper Songs:

1. Give It Away - this for me was RHCP at their best - crazy, hard-rocking, and to use a cliche, in your face. The ultimate sign of this tune's iconic status in the modern-rock cannon? It has a kickass Weird Al parody.

2. Under the Bridge - this is just a great song - only downside is, its popularity started a trend that every Chili Peppers song had to be a mellow contemplation of love and loss in LA, one that continues to this day.

3. My Friends - I always used to think he was singing "I was a little girl ..." and wondered what he meant ... hahaha oh man ...

4. Scar Tissue - who else could rhyme "saw" and "push-up bra" in such a memorable way?

5. Warped - all-out rock that is much more hard-rockin' and crazy than much of the recent stuff

6. Californication - of the Chili Pepper's more recent mellow-mediations on California livin', this one is probably their most solid

7. Love Rollercoaster - who would have thought that such a catchy tune would come from the soundtrack to Beavis and Butthead Do America?

8. Higher Ground / Aeroplane - both of these are really fun, funky, upbeat songs - good stuff

9. Suck My Kiss - one more classic, in yo' face style jam

10. Pea - this song, done totally solo by the man called Flea, is still one of the most messed-up songs I've ever heard, with some of the funniest lyrics ever. Give it a listen if you've yet to hear it. Sidenote: How much did FLEA used to rock in MTV's heydey when he was a regulae in the classic Rock n' Jock basketball showdowns? I still remember him getting the win via like a 50-point shot or something, and the announcer going off and being like "The Eliminators have won, and it's all thanks to a little man named Flea!" That was awesome.

So yeah, there will be some rock and/or roll goin' down tommorow night!

- And ... holy allusions to the heydey of MTV, tonight MTV strives to regain a little street cred with those of us in the over-14 crowd by getting reliable funny-man and Tenacious D'er Jack Black to host the VMA's. Like I've nostalgically waxed about many a-time in this blog, the VMA's used to be one of the big events for all of us MTV-addicted kids back in the day. However, they may have hit rock bottom last year in a travesty of a show hosted by P.Diddy. Since MTV no longer plays videos, and I have no idea what most of the big videos out now are even lookin' like, I really have no opinion at all on who wins, not even sure who's nominated. But here's hoping that MTV gets a little of its old edge back and does some crazy stuff, so that poor old Kurt Loder can actually be legitimately excited in the post-show coverage when he has to pretend that, at age 60 or whatever, he actually gives a damn about the lame "artists" that MTV is mostly peddling these days. But yeah, even though odds are it will suck, and be nauseating in its honoring of the faves of MTV's new target audience (and the nominees are: Jessica Simpson! Jessica Simpson! And ... Ashley Simpson!) I'll probably watch for a bit, if only to recapture the days when it was easy to find what was new and cool - by turning on MTV.

- So what else?

- Well, my birthday (the big 24 - holy lord! Can you smell quarter-life crisis?!?!) is fast approaching, and I am slightly stumped as to how to celebrate. Any suggestions from the peanut gallery?

- Quick plug for I-Tunes: see a movie in the next few weeks at an AMC theater / National Cinemas - make sure to pick up a free gift card on your way in or out, and use said card to get a FREE download of the pilot ep of NBC's new epic show Heroes, a full month before it airs on TV! Good deal, right?

- Also on I-Tunes: We've got a bunch of new shows up there for download: Eureka, Passions, and lots more. Check it out.

- And on that note of soul-diminishing corporate shilling, I am out. Have a good labor day weekend - don't work too hard.