"I'm Straight-Up Trippin'!"

Man, what a long, tiring week. I guess after two Monday-less work weeks in a row, going the full five days is really taking its toll. This is also one of those weeks where I wanted to leave my weekend completely open, as I've got a lot of stuff planned. That means that getting home from work every day only leads to a seemingly neverending assortment of errands and chores. Laundry, cleaning, groceries, etc. All of that combined with the fact that I watch too much TV does not make for a relaxing week, and I've been getting much too little sleep over the last few days. Also, strange, messed-up dreams are pretty normal for me, but the last few days I've just been waking up in a cold sweat from the sheer weirdness and horrific nature of some of these dreams I've been having. I guess the Friday the 13th vibe I've been on is starting to seep into my dreams or something.

In any case, this weekend should be a good one. Friday is my annual Halloween Horror Movie-Thon, which has been going strong since the BU days. Saturday, me and a few intrepid thrill-seekers make a return visit to Knotts' Scary Farm, which has gotta be one of the absolute coolest places to visit during the Halloween season. Basically, the entire theme park (normally a Six Flags-esque park called Knotts' Berry Farm), is converted into a dark, sprawling labrynth of haunted mazes, each amusingly themed, covering the gamut of horror faves from vampires to pirates to killer clowns. They really do a great job - the only comparable experience I've been to was when they used to have Haunted Happenings in the old G. Fox building in Hartford, though that was one giant haunted hause whereas this is like fifteen separate attractions scattered throughout the park. And, the haunts here definitely beat the cheesy attractions in Salem, MA, although you can't beat the sheer atmosphere of walking around Salem in all its authentic haunted glory. That's one thing about being here in LA in October - it just doesn't have the same feel to it as being in New England - as the leaves turn orange, the air begins to chill, and it really begins to feel like Halloween as October comes 'round.

Anyways, this weekend should be great. My only other regret is that I am already kind of nostalgic for last year when we had a great group of NBC pages who participated in all of these events. Now, many have gone their seperate ways, and getting a big group together for anything these days is about the equivalent of pulling teeth.

But yeah ... tommorow is Friday the 13th, a slight chill is in the California air, and I'm primed and ready for a weekend of scary fun. Hopefully, there's also time to catch up on a little sleep ...

TV STUFF:

LOST - I thought last night's ep, like the premiere, was a really well-put together hour of TV. Excellent acting from all involved, and I almost always enjoy the Jin and Sun-centric episodes. Just the mere fact that tens of millions of typically xenophobic Americans are tuned into an episode of a show that is primarily subtitled really amuses me. But aside from that, the Jin/Sun eps tend to have a kind of simplicity and intensity to the flashbacks that I enjoy - they really do take on the rythems of a foreign film in some ways. And man, the Others were real bastards in this ep, so I was all excited when Sawyer began to kick some Other ass (btw, I still laugh out loud whenever Jin says "Others" - just something funny about that to me). But yeah, this show is amazing when it comes to manipulating emotions and heightening the tension. And mostly, this ep got away with having little to no plot advancement because, from the start, it was almost purely about the character dynamics. So I wasn't too bothered by the continually glacial pace at which the show reveals information. And I love how the diehard Lost fans are like "No! A ton was revealed! Now we know that they live in 2004 and it's been 69 days since they crashed and they are in the real world!" Um, no. Whoever said they WEREN'T in the real world? Giving an answer to a hypothetical question is not plot advancement, fanboys. If it is, then I cant wait for the next big series of revelations, where it's revealed that the Castaways are NOT in outer space, that they are NOT in an alternate dimension, and that they are NOT actually figments of the imagination of their genetically-mutated clones. Jeebus. But hey, the Redsox bit was funny, I admit, and the episode had a lot of cool character moments and nearly every scene was gripping and had my full attention. The Sawyer-Kate stuff, the Jin/Sun backstory, the Henry Gale / Benjamin Linus scenes, and the continuing intrigue behind the character of Juliette - all top-notch. For now, I'm just watching in leave-brain-at-the-door mode. But sorry, it's against my nature to be that way for long.

My Grade: B+

And since all the geeks are disecting the name Benjamin Linus ... well here's my own two cents ... Benjamin = the youngest brother of the Bible's Joseph - the one innocent one who did NOT participate in assaulting Joseph in the famous incident involving the Coat of Many Colors.
Linus = the innocent boy-child of Peanuts fame, who goes nowhere without his security blanket and waits and waits for the Great Pumpkin to appear every Halloween to minimal success.

Thusly, the man formerly known as Henry Gale may be the boychild who has lost his innocence - the prodigal son of the Dharma initiative's founders who has now been hardened by his responsibilities as leader of the group.

Still, I feel like the key to Lost's plotline may lie HERE - in the Twilight Zone episode "It's a Good Life," in which an omnipotent little boy uses his powers to keep a town wrapped around his bratty fingers, which means that Linus may indeed be "a bad man, a very bad man!" Thoughts?

HEROES - Again, I find myself loving anything on this show having to do with Hiro. A great, fun character, and that scene with him stopping time to save a girl from getting run over was awesome. But nearly everything else about this show is marred by poor casting, wooden writing, and bland plotting and characterization. I don't mind the show being dark, in fact I respect the fact that it's willing to go into some pretty out-there, creepy territory (ie the shocking ending visual, which due to less than ideal f/x came off as slightly cheesy ...). But, in a show about, well, heroes, they need to mix in a sense of wonder, of awe, in with the brooding darkness. Only Hiro so far brings any of that element to the show. I'm also increasingly souring on Claire, aka Cheerverine, who has become almost comical as a walking death-magnet, getting assaulted, mauled, or fatally injured in each episode to date. The two brothers are just not working for me, and neither are Ali Larter, her annoying son, the Indian professor and his totally nonsensical scenes, or the psychic cop who is about as bland as can be. Plus, that heavy-handed narration has got to go. There are glimmers of greatness in this show (mostly in the form of Hiro), but there's way too much that is falling flat.

My Grade: B -

VERONICA MARS - Well, the latest EW echoed my concerns that this season will be Veronica-lite, and this ep continued with an entertaining but still slightly off installment that had all the great dialogue, character, and style I expect from the show, but slightly less bite. But man, talk about cool cameos. Freaks and Geeks' Sam Levine! Boy Meets World's Ryder Strong! Hahaha, talk about a blast from the past. As only Veronica Mars is capable of, this ep took a somewhat pedestrian mystery on the surface and turned it into a Hammett-worthy potboiler. I still just feel like the main storyarc feels a bit too OC, and the Kieth arc, dark and gritty to compensate, is still confusing and has yet to really draw me in. But these are the critiques of a huge Mars fan -- this is still barnone one of the best TV shows out there, and I have faith that this opening arc is merely the calm before the storm.

My Grade: B+

GILMORE GIRLS - Sorry, but there's something awkward and slightly creepy about seeing eternally innocent Rory and Lane having extended conversations about phone sex. There just is, I don't care how adult little Rory has become. That aside, this was another good ep made all the better by the welcome return of grandparents Richard and Emily. The etiquette class that Emily taught was hilarious, and these two actors just bring a totally different level of class and quality to this show. Overall good stuff, but I can't take much more of Rory and Lorelai being so, well, dirty. More wholesomeness with my Gilmore Girls, please.

My Grade: B

- So I also tuned in Tuesday to watch Ken Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz on Spike TV. I flipped back to Veronica as the fighters were introduced, flip back at the next commercial, and the fight was over! Talk about anticlimactic ... this is why UFC has nothing on fake wrestling - I like my epic grudge matches to actually be epic, thank you very much.

30 ROCK - NBC's latest sitcom is pretty friggin' funny so far, thanks largely to Tracy Morgan given freedom to do his thing. I've been a huge fan of Morgan's comedy since I first saw him go back and forth with Norm McDonald on SNL's weekend update as Dominican Lou. Morgan's over the top delivery, randomness, and general insanity had me rolling, and of course there's also Alec Baldwin doing his deadpan thing to great effect. This show definitely had more laughs than most. I do feel like, so far, it's a bit uneven. While it had plenty of great one-liners, it had a kind of thrown-together feel that left me questioning how invested I was in any of these characters. Plus, I liked it better with Rachel Dratch in a lead role. Still, this was good stuff - a much welcome lighter look at the TV biz compared to the overly serious Studio 60. And yes, the NBC Page character is hilarious, and I give points for the authenticity of his polyester uniform, hideous tie and all.

My Grade: B+

20 Good Years - The old school charm of this show is tempered by a distinct feeling that everything is forced. While Lithgow and Tambor give it their all, there's only so much tht these two verteran talents can do with a by-the-numbers script that is saved only by the sheer enthusiasm and charisma that the two leads bring to their roles. But man, that laugh track really stood out to me - more so than on other traditional sitcoms, this one felt like a smart, hpotentially hilarious single camera trapped within the confines of the multi-camera, laugh-track sweetened boundaries. Still, I get a kick out of Lithgow's ranting and raving and Lithgow's put-upon grimacing - I just wish they had material that was more worthy of their natural abilities. I want to like this show, it just doesn't feel as funny as smart or as sharp as it could be. But yeah, "I am the reborn!" got a hearty chuckle out of me.

My Grade: B -

Alright, peace - out until next time.