Fall 2012 TV Preview!!

The Wife: Well with the summer basically over, it’s time for us to glue ourselves to the ole’ tube for some Fall TV! The summer season is primarily filled with re-runs, which means when I am watching television it is usually a Pirates baseball game or something on Netflix. Needless to say I am excited for some of my favorite shows to return! Below I share my thoughts on what to expect for this year’s new show seasons. I primarily only cover shows I watch with a few extra, so if your show isn’t covered, then tell me in the comments below what you are and aren’t excited for. Well, on with my most likely bias reviews of what we can expect for the fall television season:

AMC

1. The Walking Dead - I really love AMC’s original programs. It is home to my favorite show, Mad Men, and second favorite show, The Walking Dead. Unfortunately Mad Men won’t return for awhile, but The Walking Dead is set to come back for season three on Oct. 14. It is the show that I am most excited for this fall, which is why I chose to discuss it first! I mean it has zombies, which makes it awesome, but it also provides us with a realistic look at human nature in terms of survival. Last season of Walking Dead ended with a bang. We lost two core characters, Dale and Shane. I saw Shane’s death coming, but Dale’s was completely unexpected. The show also ended with the core group being run off the farm that they had taken refuge at by a herd of zombies. It finally showed the leader, Rick, grow a pair. It showed us more of how sucky and Lady MacBeth-like Rick’s wife, Lori, was. Friendships were tested. We learned that everyone is infected by the zombie virus. (I must note that I totally called that ever since the CDC guy whispered something in Rick’s ear at the end of season one!) It ended with the group overlooking a prison, which has been confirmed as the set for much of season three. If you are a Walking Dead comic fan, you probably were happy to see the arrival of Michonne. This coming season’s trailer makes me think that we are once again in for an epic and intense ride. It will be interesting to see where things go. I am sure the group is still reeling from their losses, Sophia, Dale and even Shane, who regardless of what you thought of his character was a reason the group survived for so long. And the best part of all for Walking Dead this season is the return of Daryl’s crazy brother MERLE! I have been waiting for him to come back with revenge in mind since he was left on the roof in season one! Seriously I could go on and on talking about Walking Dead all day, but there are other shows to discuss! (Return Date: Oct. 14, 9 p.m.)

FOX

1. Glee – So I said repeatedly that last season would be my last of Glee, one of my favorite shows, because I didn’t think it would feel the same after the core characters graduated. However, last season’s emotionally-charged finale, which had me in tears, invested me in season four. Not to mention, many of my favorites will return, such as Rachel Berry and Kurt Hummel! I can’t wait to see their storylines play out in NYC. Also, another Britney tribute episode is in store. Yay! While Glee has lost its mojo (let’s face it, it hasn’t been there since season one), I will still tune in for the laughter and music! (Return Date: Sept. 12, 9 p.m.)

2. New Girl – New Girl is my proclaimed “breakout” show of the 2011-2012 television season. The show is hilarious for one, and the characters have been well established, which is important for sitcoms in today’s drama-filled TV craze. Unlike Whitney (premiered last year on ABC), New Girl really found it’s “mojo” after a few episodes. Zooey Deschanel is great, but it is her quirky roommates that make the show, especially loveable, yet douchey-Schmidt. The will they or won’t they undertones of Deschanel’s character, Jess, and roommate Nick also make the show worth watching. (Return Date: Sept. 24, 8 p.m.)

ABC

1. Greys Anatomy – I gave up on this show after the 2011 finale, but still checked in and caught a few episodes here and there last season. I began to get invested again and then Grey’s creator Shonda Rhymes chose to stab me in the heart by killing off Lexi Grey! Now it has been confirmed that Eric Dane, the oh so hot McSteamy is leaving the show. If they kill him off (which means no guest appearances) I will be furious. Greys used to be my number one show, but I think it’s time to end this medical disaster. It’s become too much like ER with so many characters/revolving cast that it just isn’t that interesting anymore. I miss the old days with the core interns. The show really hasn’t been the same since they killed off George and Izzie left. I am sure I will still try to catch up with Greys, but it certainly is not a priority anymore. (Return Date: Sept. 26, 9 p.m.)

2. Private Practice – Is this show still on?! Seriously it is awful now. I loved Addison on Greys, but her character is terrible on Private Practice. No more Pete now? No. Supposedly Kate Walsh (Addison) says this will be her last season, so hopefully they can somehow salvage this season and give Addison a happy ending. Will I watch this? Doubtful, but I am sure I will still catch up on the plot. Who knows maybe it can get interesting and suck me in again! (Return Date: Sept. 24, 10 p.m.)

3. Dancing With the Stars All-Stars – Normally I would leave reality TV off, but this is too good not to mention. For several seasons now I have said they need to do an all-stars cast, and it is finally here! I wish season mirror ball winner and former Steelers player, Hines Ward, would have signed on, but other than that the cast looks pretty good. Of course they brought back Bristol Palin for their token “controversial” contender, which I think is stupid, but oh well! I am not a Bristol basher, as that got annoying during her season, but I do think there were other former contestants they could have put in her place. Oh well, I am giving ABC exactly what they want by talking about her. I look forward to seeing Shawn Johnson again (despite her being paired with “Diva Derek”) as well as Drew Lachey, Emmitt Smith and Gilles Marini. (Return Date: Sept. 23, 8 p.m.)

NBC

1. The Office – I loved The Office for years and while it still holds a place in my heart, I am glad this is its final season. Truthfully the show lost much of its steam after season four. While there are still funny moments, it just isn’t the same. The loss of Michael Scott also hurt the show. Sometimes it is good to end a show before it gets completely stale. I can only hope we see Michael Scott at least one more time before we say goodbye to the crew at Dunder-Mifflin. (Return Date: Sept. 19, 9 p.m.)

2. 30 Rock – Sadly, I just recently began watching this amazing show thanks the beauty of Netflix. It is also set to finish its last season. I love 30 Rock and can’t wait to see what this season brings. It is definitely my pick for “current funniest show.” (Return Date: TBA)

3. Parks and Recreation- Sorry guys but I’ve only watched a handful of episodes on Netflix from season one, so I have no idea what is in store for the final season of Parks and Recreation. Hopefully it will be a good sendoff for Leslie Knope! (Return Date: Sept. 19, 9:30 p.m.)

CBS

1. How I Met Your Mother – Can’t wait for this show to return. Last season’s reveal that Robin is Barney’s future bride has me amped to see what is in store. I am thrilled that Barney and Robin are “endgame.” This season is also the last for HIMYM, so we should finally get the big “mother” reveal. I am not sure how I feel about that. It’s like I want to know, but then I am afraid that she has been so built up that it may be a disappointment. Oh well, we shall see! Besides, I don’t love HIMYM for the mother mystery, I love the show for its comedy and very-“Friends-esque” relationships amongst the main characters. I also look forward to seeing how Marshall and Lily will deal with their new baby, Marvin Wait For It Erickson, this season! It’s going to be, Legen, wait for it, dary! (Return Date: Sept. 23, 8 p.m.)

2. Two and a Half Men – Is this show still on? Sorry Ashton Kutcher, you are much better suited to the role of Kelso. I will only continue to watch this show when I catch the occasional re-run on TV. (Return Date: Sept. 27, 9 p.m.)

3. The Big Bang Theory – Oh Sheldon Cooper, my favorite fictional nerd, how I can’t wait for your return! That is all. (Return Date: Sept. 26, 8 p.m.)

The CW

1. The Vampire Diaries – The Vampire Diaries is the teen drama I anticipate the return of the most. Some call these types of shows guilty pleasures, well I see nothing to be guilty about as I am not afraid to shout my Vampire Diaries love to the world. The third season of Vampire Diaries changed the scope of the show forever with the main protagonist Elena dying and then turning into a vampire, something she said she never wanted to become. It will be interesting to see how she handles her transition, and I personally hope we can see some villainous nature from the often boring, always self-righteous Elena. We also lost fan favorite, Alaric, so I am sure his loss will be felt. The love triangle is surely to continue as now that Elena is a vampire she will remember that she met the sexy Damon first rather than boring, dull Stefan. While she “chose” Stefan at the end of season three before her death much to the chagrin of the majority of Vampire Diaries fans, we knew that it wasn’t over between her and Damon. I really hope the writers can give the fans what they want and explore a real relationship with Elena and Damon. Honestly Elena-Stefan is so played out now, and frankly, I don’t want to wait for the series finale for Damon and Elena to finally end up together. I guess now that Elena is a vampire they have an eternity to decide, however. (Return Date: Oct. 11, 8 p.m.)

2. Gossip Girl – Last season I was excited for Gossip Girl thanks to the hints at finally getting Blair and Dan together. Well they got them together, which produced some of the most-well developed episodes since the show’s inaugural season. It finally showed a seemingly healthy and non-abusive relationship for a show that is primarily about sex, sex and more sex. I am not asking Gossip Girl to become a moral high ground, but it was nice to see Blair fall for the “pauper” Dan and get away from abusive, controlling Chuck. The “Dair” relationship re-invigorated my love of Gossip Girl and showed that the writers were capable of character development. However, this all went to heck when the writers chose to pander to crazy fourteen year old girls who apparently were making death threats if the abuse-centric couple of Blair and Chuck were not reunited. The season five finale was a DISASTER and killed all development for nearly every character. It also majorily jumped the shark by bringing back a character who was supposed to be dead and worst of all sent out the message that abusive relationships are ok. It makes me sick. I once was a Chuck-Blair fan until he sold her for a hotel and then attempted to physically harm her. Sorry, I can’t support a show that makes light of abuse. So goodbye, Gossip Girl and good riddance! Thank goodness season six is the final season for this garbage! (Return Date: Oct. 8, 9 p.m.)

3. 90210- This show has just become so scattered that I only catch episodes here and there. The only character I like is Naomi. I won’t watch on a regular basis but will probably catch some eps online to see what she is up to. Seriously this 90210 isn’t even in the same league as the original Beverly Hills 90210! I mean, they never even hang out at the Peach Pit anymore! Nat must be so sad. I wonder if he is still making up money for all the “on the house” meals he gave to the original gang? (Return Date: Oct. 8, 8 p.m.)

So there you go. My thoughts on what’s to come for the fall 2012 television season. I must note that I also anticipate the return of Downton Abbey, my other favorite show. However, it sadly won’t be back until January. Let us know what shows you look forward to this fall in the comment section. Happy TV watching!!!

Fall 2012 Movie Preview

Truth.

After many months of slacking, the seasonal movie preview returns. I am busy, so lets make this fast. I am here to tell you what my hype level is for a few movies coming this fall. Those levels are: Go see it now! Wait for post theatrical release or, never ever see this movie. I personally shun those who go against my advice.

If I miss anything, please give me my flogging in the comments below.

Resident Evil: Retribution (Sept. 14)
LOL Wut? I saw a long trailer for this online and had no idea there were so many Resident Evil movies. I saw the first one and it was terrible so I moved on with life. I guess someone sees them. I won't be counted among them. Seriously, the zombie and vampire fad is played out. It's time for another mythical creature to take over. I vote for a tale about a unicorn that falls in love with a regular horse, but can't be with her because of a family feud. That would still be a better love story than Twilight.

Dredd (Sept. 21)
Despite the cheese filled dialog of the trailer, I actually want to see this. I know it's a reboot and I usually go all Sons of Scotland on reboots, but I won't lie to you. I will probably wait for Netflix, but it looks entertaining enough, especially it you've seen the original.

House at the End of the Street (Sept. 21)
DON'T GO IN THE BASEMENT! Jennifer Lawrence, you 've survived the Hunger Games and are then stupid enough to get yourself caught in a horror movie and what's the first thing you want to do? You walk to the house at end of the street and go into the basement. I'm not even sorry for you. If you like horror movies, go see it. For everyone else who already knows the ending based on the minute long trailer, move along, nothing to see here.

Taken 2 (Oct. 5)
Liam Neeson is going to find you and kick your ass because he is a Jedi, and an Immortal Batman villain, and the captain of a battleship, and in love, actually... If I say I did not see Taken, will you kick me out of my own blog? I have heard it's good, but never got around to trying it out myself. That said, I can't help but notice how similar this sequel looks to the trailer for the original. I figure I will catch up with both of them on Netfilx before the third one (where they take his dog) comes out.

Cloud Atlas (Oct. 26)
So no one has heard of this. I think it looks interesting. It sure has a lot of stars in it. That doesn't make it good, but I guess it counts for something. If it even comes to theaters here in BFE, then I may convince The Wife to see it. If not, then on to post theatrical release it is!

Wreck-It-Ralph (Nov. 2)
I am genuinely excited for this movie! Classic characters from video games and John C. Reilly? Take my money!

Skyfall (Nov. 9)
Mr. Bond is back to be bruteing and stuff. I saw and liked Casino Royal. I did not see the second one with the confusing name, no matter how many times the Wife may claim I did. Do I really need to see it? No. Will I see Skyfall? No.

Lincoln (Nov. 9)
Let's see if old Spielberg still has what it takes to sneak up behind us and blow our brains out with an awesome movie! I'll tell you one thing, Daniel Day Lewis sure looks like our 16th president. I am moderately excited for this. I'm sure it's already on the Oscar watch list just because of the director and lead actor, but it could still be a bad movie.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 (Nov. 16)
It's finally over! Ring the bells, call the choir! Open the most expensive wine and get ready. It is finally over! At long last we have but one more Twilight movie to suffer through! But seriously, you would have to break my legs, arms and pelvic bone; cut off my eye lids, remove my voice box, plug my fart hole, shave me all over, tie me to an electric chair and force bath salts down my throat for me to sit quietly and watch this underwear stain of a movie. If movies were a person; this would be the two week old dingle-berry hanging from the taint hair of that person.

Third Annual Mothman 5k

Shameless self promotion to follow...

Everyone, did you know the Wife and I put on a world class 5k road race every year? Amazing, but true. The Third Annual Mothman 5k run/walk will be commencing at 8:30 a.m. on September 15, 2012 in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. The run is in coordination with the Eleventh Annual Mothman Festival. You can pre-register for the race by going to this link, downloading the form and sending it in. Pre-registration costs $15 and ends on September 8! You can also show up the day of the race and sign up. Race day registration (or check in and pick up for those pre-registered) begins at 7 a.m. and ends at 8:15 a.m. The cost on race day is $20. The first 50 participants receive a Mothman 5k T-Shirt. All participants receive a goody bag. Optional hugs will also be on hand. Prizes will be given out for the overall Male and Female winners as well as age group winners. For more and up to date details, like Mothman5K on Facebook and follow on Twitter @mothman5k.

The race route travels through historic downtown Point Pleasant. Starting at the beautiful Tu-Endie-Wei State Park, the race travels up Main Street, past the Mothman Statue and Festival area, before turning right onto Ohio Street and then right onto Kanawha Street. A left hand turn puts you on a quick loop around the block near Harmon Park (Camden Ave. to Madison Ave. to Poplar St.) before returning you to Kanawha Street and heading back downtown the way you came. From there the course returns to Ohio Street and then finally back to Main Street. The finish line runs parallel to the iconic Mothman Statue in the heart of the Festival area.

As a former runner I can tell you this course is a lot of fun. Okay, we designed it too, so I'm biased. It is very flat save for a slight incline on Camden Ave. Except for a hundred meters or so of historic brick streets at the start, the course is all asphalt and well kept roads. The route will be well marked with signs, bright neon paint marks with a the pace car from the Point Pleasant Police Department. However, the roads are not closed to traffic during the race, so we do encourage participants to be aware. The course also crosses train tracks. No trains are scheduled at the time of the race, but we do ask participants to be advised and watch your ankles!

The start line at Tu-Endie-Wei State Park has a gorgeous view of the confluence of the Kanawha and Ohio Rivers. The Park itself has many interesting historical markers including The Point Pleasant Battle Monument, erected on October 10, 1909 as a tribute to a battle fought on the same date in 1774. The Park also has The Mansion House Museum, originally a tavern built in 1796, now a historic house museum. Very close to the start line is the Point Pleasant River Museum. The meat of the race takes you through historic downtown Point Pleasant, past the Mothman Statue and the Silver Bridge Memorial. Once the race is over we encourage all participants to stick around for the festival and explore the town of Point Pleasant.

Here is a map! To trick Google Maps I had to use a few extra Destination points (C and E). The start is Point A. Point B is the One Mile mark. Point D is the Two Mile mark. Point F is the finish line!

View Larger Map

Post Theatrical Release

While reviewing The Campaign on Monday, I found myself in a conundrum. I instructed people to "otherwise wait for the video release." In editing, The Wife changed the word "video" to "DVD" because she thinks the term video is too dated. Then I thought, isn't the term DVD dated?

But I don't want to call these Blu-ray either, that sounds like I am supporting Sony over all other formats. Nor do I want to list every platform the film could possibly be ported to. Think about all the ways you can buy or rent movies these days: DVD, Blu-ray, iTunes, Netflix, Redbox, Fancy Tom the bootlegging hobo out behind Wal-Mart, Hulu, Amazon; hell, I bet you can still get VHS copies somewhere. The list goes on. I'm sure someone is working on a new super High Definition format to replace Blu-ray that will beam the image directly into our eyes, melting our corneas.

I used the term video, because I knew that everyone would understand what I meant. I did not originally use DVD, because that is very specific to a DVD disc. It never occurred to me that people would instantly associate video with VHS, but the first person to read the term sure did. So what can I call them? Someone please help me! I hate brand association. I want a term for a movie that was in theaters and is now in a format that allows you to buy or rent a copy. The list below are a few of my own suggestions. What are yours?

PTR - Post Theatrical Release Copy (Bleck!!! That's boring. Also, thanks to Fifty Shades of Grey, The Wife giggles everytime I use the word "release")
VIWHUTYKUWT - Version I will have to update in two years to keep up with technology (a little wordy)
SSE - Small Screen Edition (sounds fancy!)
Rental (simple but only works for Netflix, Redbox and the others, not so much for if you buy it)

Review: The Campaign

The Wife: With two new movies coming out, The Campaign and The Bourne Legacy, we had to pick one to see first. Well, for those of you that actually know me, you know that there was really no contest. While I enjoy the Bourne series, Will Ferrell movies will always win out! Plus a Bourne movie without Matt Damon can wait another week.

I carry a biased opinion somewhat because as mentioned above, I love Will Ferrell movies. Pairing him with The Hangover’s Zach Galifianakis seemed like a recipe of pure, comedic gold for me, so The Campaign = a win-win situation. Not to mention a movie that mocks both sides of the political spectrum was the perfect medicine after weeks of reading useless, pointless, annoying Facebook arguments regarding the upcoming Presidential election. Well, The Campaign was exactly what I hoped and expected it to be: a couple hours of sheer stupidity and hilarious comedy. Ferrell was at his best, as usual, and Galifianakis simply added to the hilarity. Also, the brief appearance from Jason Sudeikis, who play’s Ferrell’s character’s campaign advisor, was notable as well.

The name of the movie is pretty self-explanatory as the movie centers on the election of Democrat Incumbent Cam Brady (Ferrell) and Republican new-comer and challenger, Marty Huggins (Galifianakis). Of course, the two engage in entertaining debates filled with stupid rhetoric as well as take part in ridiculous campaign mudslinging. Much of these things pokes fun at our current political debates/issues, which at times was scary since so much of what was on screen actually does happen in some (less funny, of course), way. There is a moral of the story at some point as the movie does have a semi-plot, but come one folks, a plot and moral is not why we watch Will Ferrell movies. And if you do watch his movies seeking these things then you really need to re-think your life.

Overall, The Campaign was simply put (as I’ve said way too many times in this review) hilarious. Fortunately, not all funny parts were shown in the previews, which sadly happens with many comedies. I enjoyed that this movie mocked politics as well as poked fun at “both sides” of the political spectrum. Sometimes you just need to laugh and you need a stupid movie, where you don’t have to use too much brain power. Frankly, for those of you who are on the anti-funny movie train, please grow a sense of humor. Not everything you see needs to be Oscar-worthy. If you are one of those types, I truly feel sorry for you. Lighten up! If you are as jaded with politics as I am and love Will Ferrell movies, then by all means head to the theatre for this one. However, if you enjoy funny movies but want to save your money, then this would be ok to wait for Netflix too as it really isn’t anything new from Ferrell (which is fine by me).

Hobo Dan: If you have seen any Will Ferrell movie ever made, you have a good idea what to expect from The Campaign. He is the quintessential dumb, slap stick, bumbling fool everyone loves to laugh at. Every movie he is in turns into this. Pay no attention to any of the other actors in the film; Will is here to be Will. I thought Zach Galifianakis could overcome this effect. I was wrong. Zach is totally over shadowed by the dumbness of Will Ferrell in this movie. I usually get a good laugh or two from Galifianakis and his subtle facial expressions, but he seemed totally lost in The Campaign. Lost, or in awe of just how dumb Will Ferrell really can be.

Don’t get me wrong, this movie had some really funny parts. I laughed. But nothing took me rolling into the aisles, giggling wildly as slurpee spews from my nostrils. I don’t know if Ferrell and company have lost a step, or just keep repeating the same old antics to the point that I am now immune to that form of idiocy. I suspect the latter. I never thought this could be true, but maybe I can only laugh at a full grown man acting like a retarded twelve year old so many times. Please understand, this kind of comedy has its place. I loved Anchorman and Talladega Nights. Step Brothers is the underrated king of the Will Ferrell genre in my opinion. I just think at this point in my life (and after the endless string of movies like this), I am ready for something a little more clever than crass. If you still hold a special place in your heart for Will Ferrell, then go see this, otherwise wait for the DVD release.