Shane Life

WHOA.

Awesome.

Dots - connected. Madness all around. And a cliffhanger to boot.

Benjamin Linus may possibly be one of the single greatest characters in modern television history. Seriously. This is a guy who holds his own against the likes of James Gandolfini’s Tony Soprano, Ian McShane’s Al Swearingen, Ron Rifkin’s Arvin Sloane (a lot of similarities there).

Michael Emerson’s portrayal of the creepy “is he good or bad” character of everyone’s favorite ABC drama is so spot on that it’s scary sometimes. And that’s the point, I think. This is a guy who didn’t even come onto the show until the second season and he’s now probably the single most important character on the show, driving the show almost as much as Jack or Kate or Locke.

We now have 34 episodes left to wrap everything up. (Originally, it was only supposed to be 32, but with the strike-shortened season this year, we get two extra episodes.) [source: Wikipedia]

Tonight’s episode was a fitting wrap to the season and a terrific step in the right direction. The show has its purpose. We can see the finish line of the show, but I’m not ready for it to end just yet. I can’t wait for the next episode…

So, when’s January?

Unfortunately, due to heavy rain and “the conditions for tornadic activity”, The Office was pre-empted tonight. I wouldn’t mind so much if NBC’s streaming video site didn’t suck so much.

Note to NBC: I would have bought the show tonight from iTunes, but you burned that bridge long ago.

Oh yeah, and don’t bother updating your site after the show has aired. I already saw last week’s show, thanks.

How about you put it on Hulu? Nope.

I would have tried to download directly from your site, but you don’t support Macs. Fail.

I would have paid to download it from Amazon Unbox. Wait, what’s that? It’s not updated either? Fail again.

Live TV stinks, but the Internet’s not much better, Tony…not yet at least. Lost is pre-empted as well. Stupid weather.

Tonight’s episode of Lost was a perfect example of why scripted TV is so much better than so-called “reality” TV.

Here’s something to chew on: Aaron is Jack’s half-nephew.

For those who haven’t watched yet, I won’t say anymore. All I know is that Lost is back and it’s better than ever. We finally are getting answers and that is a good thing. I can’t wait for next week!

Via emaw, via The D. Jack fits me pretty well, I think, although I think Alli would prefer me to be more like Sawyer. For a while there, I was concerned I was going to end up as Hurley.

You are Jack

Which Lost Character Are You?

Inspired by this article I got off of digg, I thought it would be a fun exercise to list the things that I think would improve all the shows that I watch on a weekly basis.

As the spring TV season comes to a close, there’s a lot of excitement because season finales are coming up (will the bomb actually go off on Heroes? who is going to die on Lost? the list of questions is endless…) and there’s a lot of speculation as to what will happen.

I love TV. Probably more than I should, but I do. There are some great shows out there that we watch and here are my suggestions to improving some of them:

LOST

Since Lost came back this season, I’ve been loving it. The show is still compelling, but it has its flaws. Here is what I’d do to make it better:

• Simplify. The show has gotten too sprawling. My favorite episodes of the season are the ones that return to the original core characters (Sayid, Jack, Kate, Locke, Sawyer). The Paulo/Nikki aberration this season was just weird. They guest-starred and then died/were buried alive. Juliet is plain evil, but we’ve had enough of her back story. If you’re going to give me the back story of anyone, make it the creepy scientist guy who just showed up on the island last week. I’d like to know what he’s all about. Which brings me to…
• Answer some questions. This is something that has always been a knock against Lost, and with good reason. So many things have happened that should probably be explained. First off…where the heck are they and what is this nonsense about Oceanic 815 being found at the bottom of the ocean? I don’t buy that for a second. I imagine that it is a part of some vast Dharma conspiracy. Creator Damon Lindelof has said numerous times that the castaways are not in purgatory. So WHERE ARE THEY? And who is the Dharma Initiative?
• Kill Charlie. Desmond predicted that Charlie would die. He should. He adds very little to the storyline, he doesn’t have any skills and his relationship with Claire is just annoying. He needs to go.
• Kate needs to decide - the doctor or the delinquent? Sure, she’s shacking up with Sawyer now, but the overt confusion Kate has over her feelings for the two dudes…it’s tired. It’s not like it matters. Has anyone else noticed that the more the show goes on, the more similar Sawyer and Jack become? Now no one trusts Jack and his past (albeit relatively recent past) is in question. Sound like a certain shaggy-haired criminal? Look, I don’t have feelings one way or the other. I don’t care who Kate chooses, although I think that Kate choosing Jack would make for better TV; her choosing Sawyer makes more sense to their characters (kindred criminal spirits and whatnot). Not only that, but Josh Holloway is a much better brooding actor. I just don’t buy Matthew Fox as an actor sometimes. Last week’s episode was some of Holloway’s best acting so far. It made me actually believe that if Fox were to leave the show, it would be in decent hands with Sawyer. I’m not saying that should happen, but the rumor is that there is a cast-changing event on the finale this year. Who’s to say it wouldn’t be Jack? Yeah right.

The Office

I don’t know if there are as many ways to improve The Office as there are to improve Lost. After last week’s “Women’s Appreciation” episode, I don’t know if there are any. These might be a stretch, but let’s see…

• Make Andy less creepy and more diabolical. When Andy came to the show, he was like a breath of fresh fraternity air. I think that the producers noticed that so they brought him and Karen from the Stamford branch to mix things up for the Dundies in Scranton. Last week’s episode, they put forth that he was in fact, the guy who flashed Phyllis (it was subtle, but watch again…you’ll see it). We know Andy’s crazy, but I didn’t see him as a sexual deviant. Go back to when he’d get all frustrated because Jim put his cell phone in the ceiling tiles…THAT was funny. Be real and leave the real creepiness to the king of it all, Creed “He was just hanging some brain” Bratton. Every time Creed is on screen, I laugh hysterically. He’s so subtle, but such an important part of the show.
• More background Kelly and Ryan. Her dancing in the car to Michael’s ring tone was priceless. Her telling Ryan she wanted to name their baby Suri Usher Jennifer Hudson Kapoor. Priceless. Ryan (who has just admitted to Jim that he sent an e-mail to Karen asking her out) saying he wouldn’t want to be in an office relationship was too funny. I think that BJ Novak and Mindy Kaling (who are two of the main writers of the show) are hesitant to put themselves on display, but they always make me laugh.
• Get rid of Jan. I think this may be a foregone conclusion after last week, but we’ll see. I don’t know what it is about her that is both funny and annoying. Last week’s episode put it into great perspective. She’s a dude.

How I Met Your Mother

Marshall and Lily and Barney have dominated this season. Rightfully so…they are the best characters. However, Ted is the driving force behind the show and it’s called How I Met Your Mother. I don’t think that the creators of the show (the real-life Ted and Marshall) are going to change their mind from the first season and Ted and Robin will end up together…I just don’t know where this alleged “mother” is going to come from. I think that there are still people who want it to be Robin, but it’s just not possible in my opinion. That leaves the show very open-ended and gives them the ability to figure out the perfect way for Ted to meet the mother. The show is awesome. It is really my new “Friends”. If you aren’t watching it, you should. I don’t really have any other suggestions.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: I just read that for some reason, CBS has How I Met Your Mother “on the bubble”. That is utter ridiculousness, but it’s been quasi-confirmed by Kristin Veitch at E!Online (watch the video after the link). This was more than disheartening news for me…

Dancing with the Stars

• Get rid of Samantha Harris. Worst. Commentator. Ever.
• Make the Results show a half-hour. It is always an hour, which is totally ridiculous. Completely filler. No reason to be an hour.
• Consistent scoring. Last week when Apolo said that he’d like to see more consistent scoring across the board, I applauded him. Billy Ray Cyrus got a pass up until last night because he got good ratings (for God knows why). I couldn’t ever figure out why Len loved him and then was all over Joey and Apolo when they tried to entertain a little.

Entourage

• Make Vince less of a moron. The dude is seriously one of the worst decision makers I’ve ever seen. Perhaps that is on purpose, but it is annoying. Honestly, he is probably the worst character on the show. (Aside: I LOVED Adam Goldberg on Sunday’s episode…Hilarious.)
• Give Turtle something to do. Anything. I actually liked watching him last season try to be a manager. This year, he is Drama’s errand boy. He needs to progress a little as a character.
• More Lloyd. The relationship between Lloyd and Ari is the best part of the show. He’s been gone the last two episodes. BRING BACK LLOYD.

Heroes

This is a tough one because it’s new and I like it a lot, but I still have some opinions.

• Get rid of Nikki/Jessica. Ali Larter is an absolutely AWFUL actress. She shouldn’t be on the show.
• Have something happen to Peter that makes him lose all his powers. This is getting ridiculous. Sylar is likely going to die in the season finale…something should happen to Peter to keep him from gaining everyone’s power because either he will be like the ultimate hero or he’ll just be lame.
• Tell me what Mama Petrelli’s power is. Seriously. It is driving me nuts. I want to know!
• Get rid of Thompson (Eric Roberts). I think he is supposed to be sinister, but he just bugs me.

American Idol

I saved the most popular show on TV for last. Here’s my suggestion:

End the show. I wouldn’t buy the album of any of these fools left. Quit while you are ahead. If you can’t do that, at least replace Randy and Paula with people who speak English. If I have to hear “you worked it out” or “it just didn’t work for me” or “but you know I love you” or “you’re great” one more time, I’m going to puke. REAL CRITICISM, PEOPLE! That’s what you are there for!

If I’m being totally honest, I’ll say that I will watch ANYTHING that JJ Abrams puts his name behind. It could be a TV show about a sensitive garbage man who gets sucked into the world of mobsters and has to save the planet starring Greg Grunberg and I’d still watch it.

JJ Abrams is the man.

Even Felicity was a decent show. ALIAS was one of my all-time favorites and made Jennifer Garner a star (for a while…she has returned to obscurity now). Mission Impossible: III was the best of the franchise. But let’s be honest. LOST is what made him famous.

Rightfully so. The first season of Lost was genius. It was just strange enough to keep people completely rapt, but the characters were so strong that they were drawn in to the island completely.

Season Two carried on the tradition pretty well, but as the season went on, it faded. That loss of sheen has been more prevalent during this 3rd season, particularly since none of the writers seem to want to answer any questions. The early rumors were that JJ originally pitched Lost as an 8-season arc. If the ratings don’t improve over this season, I imagine they’ll have to figure out a way to wrap it up sooner than that.

That being said, last night’s episode of Lost was probably the best of Season 3. The reason? The writers finally abandoned the Jake/Kate/Sawyer forced love triangle (see Ross/Rachel/Joey) and got back to the basics…answering some questions and focusing on the most interesting characters, namely Sayid.

Naveen Andrews portrayal of the former Iraqi Republican Guard Interrogator (read: torturer) has always been terrifically spot-on. In this episode, we get more of his backstory when he and Locke and Kate (and that crazy French lady) discover another Dharma station called The Flame that is manned by the mysterious man in the eye patch.

Without giving too much away, I’ll say this: if they can manage a couple more solid episodes like this one before the end of the season, I’ll watch Season 4. If not…well…you might find yourself permanently deleted from my DVR schedule. I watch too much TV as it is.

It’s 1:48 AM.

Big night.

Corporate Challenge Volleyball Finals (we won).
American Idol Finale (Michael McDonald II won).
Top Chef Finale (my boy Harold won).
Lost Finale (I got goosebumps…such an awesome show).

It’s time for bed. More on the above later.