Did y’all watch the new HBO show Flight of the Conchords Sunday night? So funny. SO SO funny. And after a hilarious Entourage too. Below is just a taste of the episode, but at HBO.com you can watch the whole thing. (You can also download the entire episode or some selected scenes for free at iTunes.) The Robot video is funny, but it’s not as good as this song. This show is some of the funniest deadpan humor I’ve seen in a while, especially the songs. These guys are supposed to be New Zealand’s fourth most popular digi-folk music group trying to make it big in the U.S. Oh man, I can’t wait for episode two.
I’ve got two words to say about the American Idol finale this week: Who cares? Alright, fine, I’ve got more than two words, but I write them hesitantly. After all, I really could care less about the final matchup between Jordin and Blake. Really. I mean, I predicted all the way back on March 8 — that’s right, March 8!! — that Jordin was going to win the whole thing (it was pretty obvious even then), and since she’s up against Blake in the final, well, there’s no contest there. And can you believe she’s only 17? (Ha!) I’m so uninterested in the whole thing that I actually have plans on Wednesday night, so I won’t be home to watch. And when I get home, I’m turning on Lost. Now, before you jump to any conclusions, no, this is not about Haley. I mean, not entirely. I just think this has been the worst season yet for Idol, and as soon as it’s over, that means summer can begin. So I say to Jordin and Blake, sing out — and then shut up.
It’s hard to believe the TV season is already coming to a close. I feel like it was just beginning and now all the networks have already announced their new shows for fall. Actually, one of the best laughs I got this week came from CBS’ announcement of one of their new shows. It’s called Kid Nation and here’s the gist: 40 kids, ages 8–15, are left alone to live in an abandoned New Mexico town with no adult supervision for 40 days. It’s like Lord of the Flies crossed with The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. The kids have to govern themselves, work, cook, clean … all by themselves. Sounds like a total mess, right? So check out the clip below (or watch it here) and try not to laugh too hard. At the nerdy white kid who quotes Martin Luther King, Jr., or the princess girl who says she doesn’t work, or how earnest some of the kids are, or how so many of the kids seem to cry at the drop of a hat. The best laugh of all is when one kid screams out, “This is butter, not soap!” Kid Nation airs this fall on Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. You know I’ll be watching.
You already know I’m a big fan of Kate Walsh’s Addison Montgomery character on Grey’s Anatomy. So I was looking forward to the big two-hour episode Thursday night that would serve as a pilot for an Addison-centric show. But if it’s going to be anything like this, I hope she’ll decide to stay in Seattle. The episode played out sort of like how the second season of Ally McBeal did: all of Grey’s quirks became more pronounced and were the feature attraction of the L.A. part of the show, not the characters themselves. Actually, there were so many big names in the cast that it almost seemed like an all-star medical show, which was a real distraction for me. And it was all too, I dunno, perfect at times and it almost became a total cliche (the three women oogling the surfer dude receptionist? Puh-leeze). The contrast with the action back at Seattle Grace made it so clear which would be the better show of the two. Frankly, the best part of the episode for me was seeing Merrin Dungey and David Anders (both former stars of Alias) back on TV again. So while I’d continue to watch Addison transition to L.A. where she’d (hopefully) be much happier (I like Addison and Merrin Dungey that much and I like that guy Paul Adelstein, who was in one of my favorite movies, Intolerable Cruelty), I hope she’ll stay in Seattle come the fall TV season.
* Will the weather actually be as nice as predicted this weekend, and will it stay that way until the fall? Does this mean winter is really over?
* Can Dice-K beat the Yankees on Sunday, or will he have the same lame result as his last two games, where it looks alright but he still loses? Is he really the worst starter on the team??
* If a crowded T train on the morning commute is bad, then is there much worse than having to be stuck next to a guy who reeks of cigarette smoke?
* Is there a funnier show on TV right now than 30 Rock?
I know writing about it will serve as nothing more than a jinx, but I just had to mention that I’ve developed some really good T karma lately. For the past week, every day, as soon as I’ve gotten to the Boylston T stop to go home (or within a minute of my arrival), the C line has shown up. There’s been no waiting, and I’ve gotten home within about 20 minutes of leaving the office. It’s been almost as if the car was just idling by, waiting for me to get to the bottom of the stairs so it could pull up and let me get on. Did you hear me? This happens every day. That’s unheard of! It’s miraculous! It’s beyond the realm of possibility! It even happened yesterday, a Sunday, when I went to the movies. I thought I was powerful before. Now it seems I can will a T into arriving at my whim. That’s awesome.
But that’s not all that’s going well lately. We’re now within the last 24 hours of Passover, and I can already taste the hot rolls and pasta dinner that I’ll enjoy at Bertucci’s tomorrow night. The Sox are back at home (and a bonus: Harry Connick Jr. is set to sing the National Anthem before the game on Tuesday). I learned this weekend that Felicity is back (to back) on television, on Fuse. I found MP3s of an awesome live show by Amy Winehouse. And, I’m pretty sure Haley is safe. Now, if only the weather would warm up, then things would be near perfect.
And yes, I expect most, if not all of what I’ve written about to cease immediately (sorry, Haley). There’s nothing like talking about good things to make them end.
Something tells me I’m into something good: What a great performance by Haley Scarnato tonight! I think she might actually have a shot of lasting longer than a few weeks. And her singing was pretty good too! Actually, it was a much better show than I expected. By far. I even liked LaKisha’s performance, and I generally think she’s overrated (though I still prefer the song as a backing track for Kanye West). I thought Blake was bad, as were Stephanie, Gina and Phil. Chris Richardson did a pretty good job. Chris Sligh brought chubby back. Mindy Doo was very good, as usual. But best vocal of the night goes to Jordin Sparks. And Haley? Wow. I love that girl. If her fiancee doesn’t stick around, I’ll be ready and waiting. What an outfit.
Still, the best best best best best thing tonight was the girl that Sunjaya made cry. I mean, he was so awful and this girl was a complete waterworks. Too funny. You had to see it. Not hear it. See it. But the worst part about it? I think it guaranteed that Sunjaya will stick around another week. So, goodbye, Stephanie. It’s been nice.
I’ve been saying for weeks now that Haley Scarnato will go far on this season of American Idol. Well, now she’s made it to the finals, to the top 12, and I couldn’t be happier for her. Sure, I don’t think she’s actually going to win it all (I’m predicting Jordin Sparks will do that), but since her first appearance on the show, people haven’t been giving her much of a shot while I’ve been saying she’s one of the more underrated contestants this year. Her performance Wednesday night (of Faith Hill’s “If My Heart Had Wings”) was one of her best, and I expect at least a couple more good ones from her. I mean, after all, at the very least, she’s better than Sunjaya! So get used to her, America — Haley’s here to stay.
For all the unpredictability that accompanies this year’s Best Picture nominees, the rest of the major categories look to go according to plan. As a result, there’s not so much interesting about an Oscar predictions post this year. I’ll say I hope The Departed wins Best Picture, but I expect Little Miss Sunshine to actually win — which is fine, because Sunshine is a great movie. Otherwise, Scorsese, Hudson, Whitaker and Mirren will all win (though I’d rather Judi Dench take Best Actress). And The Departed and Sunshine will win the screenplay categories. Perhaps the only surprise might come in Best Supporting Actor, where Jeffrey Wells has convinced me that Alan Arkin might actually win, not Eddie Murphy. So I hope Ellen DeGeneres does a great hosting job, because the show is not shaping up to be a suspenseful one. (And by the way, if you need a ballot to keep track of the winners, here’s one.)
Either way, the show has to be better than the one in 1989, when Snow White and, yes, Rob Lowe opened the show by singing, among other things, “Proud Mary.” If you’ve never seen it, here’s your chance. The year after this debacle, Billy Crystal hosted and all was right with the world. But this is a great reminder of how bad the Oscars can be. So at 12:30, when the show is still going on, remember: it could always be worse. (And thanks to David Poland for the tip.)
I really and truly wish I was upset about The O.C. ending its run tonight, but I just can’t get too wistful anymore. Actually, I’m happy it’s ending because the show got so bad halfway through season two and never quite recovered, and I feel like I started watching it again this season mostly because it was ending, and in doing so, I’ve missed out on watching supposedly better shows like 30 Rock. (Fortunately, I have a dual-tuner cable box, so I don’t have to miss Grey’s Anatomy.)
I mean, there was a time when I really really really liked this show. I was so excited to go to California just because I knew I’d be going on a tour of O.C. locations. The Chrismukkah episodes were a highlight of the holiday season. There was always great music. And of course, Summer Roberts. Mmmm…Summer Roberts.
But the bloom fell off the rose and I stopped watching for a while. And now that the show is ending, I’m actually happy about it. So, I’ll be watching tonight (after Grey’s, of course), but I won’t miss The O.C. when it’s gone.
Martin's Musings 