Today I tried a new variety of Sun Chips - Peppercorn Ranch. My usual flavor of choice is Garden Salsa, but i couldn't resist the shiny "New" label emblazoned on the package as it sat there in the local Burbank Subway. The verdict? A bit like a watered down Cool Ranch Dorito, but with a satisfyingly subdued taste. Will this particular flavor replace Garden Salsa as my go-to Turkey sandwich accessory? I wouldn't go that far. But I would call Peppercorn Ranch a worthy addition to the Sun Chips stable.
Yes folks, after an abscense of a couple days, I am back on the blog and ready to roll. As I alluded to in my last entry, my thoughts of late have been focused on my impending Birthright Israel trip, especially since earlier this week I had my group orientation, where I met with about 25 or so of the 40 people who I'll be spending ten days with in the Holy Land come January 6th. It was a lot to take in - not so much the various rules and guidelines and helpful tidbits - but moreso the onslaught of personalities. Hopefully it will be a great group, and overall I'm psyched for the trip. So, yeah, more to come - stay tuned.
Other than the Israel trip, I'm mostly just excited to have a few much-needed days off over the next two weeks. I'll be using some of those days to prep for my trip, but I'm also eager to catch up on sleep, see the remaining handful of end-of-year movies, spend some quality time with the PS3, and hang out with friends. And of course, celebrate Hannukah.
Of course, I am gearing up for my annual Best-Of Lists as well. As always, right here on the blog, I'll be counting down the best in Movies, TV, Music, and Comics. These lists are often some of the biggest and best entries I write all year, so be sure to check 'em out.
Now, some ...
TV STUFF:
- I really enjoyed this week's CHUCK. A fun Christmas episode that cleverly intertwined Chuck's secret agent work with his life at the Buy More, the highlight of the ep had to be the guest appearance by none other than Reginald Veljohnson. Yes, CARL WINSLOW himself was on the show, and it was glorious. Not only did Reginald reprise his same role as a twinkie-chompin' cop from DIE HARD, but it turned out that his character was actually a cousin of Big Mike, the Buy More's hard-ass manager. Awesome. Like some recent episodes of Chuck, this one got a little cheesy at times and overly sentimental, sometimes at the expense of the show's sense of humor - but hey, it was a holiday episode, so I guess in this case they were entitled.
My Grade: B+
- I never got around to writing my usual PRISON BREAK review this week, but that's not to say I didn't really enjoy this past week's ep. Still, there is kind of that feeling that the show is now continuing on past it's natural endpoint. I mean, how deep into all of this Company stuff are they really going to get. With this ep's talk of world-domination via some kind of crazy elemental doomsday devices or somesuch sci-fi craziness, you have to wonder where this is all going. Now, as far back as Season 2, Prison Break introduced the idea that Scofield has some kind of weird genetically-engineered origin, and the completist in me wants to see them address this. And it looks like they will, which is cool. But here's the thing - all the out-there sci-fi stuff tends to require a lot of exposition. Hopefully, that won't detract from the show doing what it does best and being a gritty, pulpy, badass drama. That said, I'm curious to see where this all goes, as the first part of the season concludes this Monday.
My Grade: B+
- Still catching up on PUSHING DAISIES. But I did recently watch *last week's* episode (the one with the lighthouse-keeper mystery), and thought it was absolutely great. Despite having watched it kind of late at night, I was almost tempted to jump right into this week's ep on the DVR, because, man, last week's ended on one hell of a cliffhanger. It's interesting how mythology-driven this show has become this season, and at this point, with the show poised for cancellation, it's practically impenetrable for new viewers. But man, despite its now-complex web of of a narrative, the show really is firing on all cylinders. And the performances from the ensemble seem to get better every week. Kristen Chenoweth in particular ... always great, but just totally on top of her game the last couple of weeks. Give her an Emmy, Golden Globe, whatever - please!
Now, the great geek debate wages over whether you'd rather see Bryan Fuller continue to produce Pushing Daisies (no longer a possibility), or go back to his old show HEROES as a consultant / writer (which he is now doing). Personally, Heroes just seems too broken for any one writer to fix. If every episode from this point on could be as good as Season 1's classic "Company Man," then sure, I'd be back onboard in a heartbeat. But even in Season 1 - Company Man was the rare "A" episode in a sea of "B's." Meanwhile, Pushing Daisies is a show where A-level episodes have been the rule rather than the exception. Whereas Heroes never quite fulfilled on the promise of its high-concept premise, each episode of Pushing Daisies has expanded and built upon the foundation and quality-level established by the amazing pilot. Luckily, Fuller has a new deal with NBC Universal to develop original new shows, so I'm excited to see what he comes up with next.
- As a kid, there were few things I loved more than THE MUPPETS. I used to religiously watch The Muppet Babies, The Muppet Show, and every Muppet special that aired on TV. Loved Fraggle Rock, loved all things Jim Henson. So yeah, despite now being 26, I was really excited to check out the new Muppet Christmas Special that ran on Wednesday on NBC. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was actually really pleasantly surprised. This special was classic Muppets, and it brought a tear to my eye to see beloved characters like Kermit, Gonzo, and Fozzy back on my TV and funny as ever. There was tons of vintage Henson humor to be found in this one (special shoutout to my boy the Swedish Chef), and great use of guest stars like Uma Thurman, Nathan Lane, and Whoopi Goldberg. To me, there is a real magic in the puppetry of the characters. I love seeing how expressive and alive the Muppets are even though you can often see their strings being pulled. Great voice-work as always by the usual Henson crew, too. The one negative here was that the original songs were not very memorable - not in the same league as the classic Muppet tunes. But, lame songs aside, the special as a whole was one of the most enjoyable things I've watched on TV in a while. Kudos to the wizards at the Jim Henson co for continuing to bring the goodness. Can't wait for the new movie.
My Grade: A-
- Finally, I've got to mention the Season 2 premiere of FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS, which premiered online this week, for free, on FunnyOrDie.com. I became a huge, huge fan of the Conchords last year, and man, the brilliance of this episode reminded me how much I have missed this show. It pains me to think that because my cable co still charges an arm and a leg for HBO, I will probably wait for the DVD to check out the new season in full. But man, the season premiere was absolutely hilarious. Give huge credit to Rhyss Darby as the Conchords' hapless manager, Murray. The guy is freaking funny as hell, and steals the show with many of the episode's best lines, as well as the main singing part on the featured song. The Conchords are back, baby, and they like to rock the party.
My Grade: A
- Alright, it's about time to wrap things up in anticipation of the almighty weekend. Cya.
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