RANDOM THOUGHTS:
The following were on my mind between Monday, April 23rd and Monday, April 30th:
- There;s just something that irks me about the way that IMDB allows its users to rate TV shows through it's first season. I would be okay if they allow maybe a few episodes (3-5) to pass, but allowing them to rate a show after 1 episode (and not even before that on some instances)? Just too soon.
- One of the most enjoyable things about having a parent who immigrate to the U.S. after spending the first portion of his life in a communist nation is him slowly being introduced to many aspects of American culture that's been there for years. I bring this up because of this exchange that occurred as I was driving mj50 home last week and the radio was on:
"What new crap is this that's playing right now?"
"This? It's Pink Floyd's 'Another Brick in the Wall.' It's over 30 years old."
"Oh. Well, it stinks."
To be fair, almost everytime we're in the car and I tune into a classic rock station, this song is on, so he must've thought that I was listening to one of those pop stations that play the same hits every hour. That doesn't make it less funny, though (at least to me).
- "Requiem for a Dream": the ultimate anti-drug movie. I'm surprised that schools haven't decided to show this to grade school kids more often. I think it would scare them straight more than any cop instructing a D.A.R.E. program ever could.
- I hate the double standard there is to TV sometimes. People see shows like "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" and "Jersey Shore" and automatically dismiss the whole medium as being filled with trash despite it currently being in its golden age. Meanwhile, that never seems to happen to film whenever something like "Jack & Jill" or a new "Twlight," or to music whenever a new Nickelback or Soulja Boy single is released?
- "NBA Suspends World Peace" was a headline that kept on giving last week.
- I know this is going to sound like a homer coping a loss to a major asset in one of his team's quest for a title, but I wouldn't count the Bulls out just yet despite losing Derrick Rose for the rest of the season...or, at least, don't count them out of going deep into the postseason. They did go 18-9 without him in the regular season, after all! And they beat teams like the Heat, and the 76ers during those 27 games without last year's MVP award winner.
- Last week, I brought back the Thursday night power rankings. This week, I'm doing it again. Here are my rankings for the comedies that aired on NBC Thursday nights for the night of April 26th, a night that was 75% on fire in regards to quality:
1. "30 Rock"- "Live From Studio 6H (East Coast Version)"
While I admired the show for doing last season's clip show, I wasn't a fan of it as most others were (specifically the first one that aired on the East Coast). Much my complaint is of the fact that the show tried too hard to incorporate the swiftness, sharp wit, and eccentric pace of a typical "30 Rock" into the live format in an effort that just proved to not work while also being more notable for the audience's reactions (as I recall, the East Coast audience for that one was very loud and raunchy) than for the laughs. This one, however, was a vast improvement, and will probably end up being one of the my favorite episodes from this season. It featured a lot more laughs, and I like how they changed the format of this season's live show to make it more like a mini-version of "Saturday Night Live" with all those various "flashbacks" regarding the history of live TV on NBC. Even the Jenna plot had its fair share of great moments, most notably Jenna's boyfriend, Paul (played by Will Forte), proposing while singing "Zou Bisou Bisou." Plus, I enjoyed these crop of guest stars more. I thought Donald Glover killed it as Tracy and Jon Hamm was part of the episode's highlight in the "Alfie and Abner" clip with Tracy Morgan. Him screaming "Banjo!" just before getting choked still has me cracking up, even after repeated viewings.
2 (tie). "Community"- "Basic Lupine Urology"
While I imagine that this will be an episode that critics will use as an argument for their belief that the sitcom is nothing but references and parodies, I still found it to be very fun to watch, and very entertaining. Huge props to Dan Harmon, writer Megan Ganz, and director Rob Schrab for making a pitch-perfect parody and getting all of the "Law and Order" details correctly, right down to the opening credits. I also found it, on rewatch, to be one of the third season's funniest episodes, even if the ending was a bit of a downer (sniffles). The show has been on a row since "Pillows & Blankets." Hope that this continues again in the weeks to come.
2 (tie). "Parks and Recreations"- "The Debate"
While this episode may not be at the same level as the two previous ones written by show star Amy Poehler (season 2's "Telethon" and season 3's "The Fight"), it still featured a bunch of great moments that made this my favorite episode of the series since "The Comeback Kid" this past winter. Chris Pratt shined, culminating in some Emmy-worthy re-enactments of old movies, while that entire debate was great in its general silliness, and in its use of some of the show's most memorable side characters from Perd Hapley to Brandi Marxxx.
4. "The Office"- "Fundraiser"
And, once again, here we are, ending this power rankings with another mediocre attempts from one of the best examples in TV sitcom free-fall. I hate to say it, but this was one that just made me wish for those episode with Will Ferrell during the end of last season, and that's saying something. The opening tag wasn't bad though (one of the few things that the show manages to do well these days).
See you next next Monday with more "Random Thoughts!" Until then, I've got a certain hyped superhero to watch in theaters.
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you just have any suggestions or tips for my next blog entry, e-mail me at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mails are greatly appreciated.
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