July 7th, 2008 09:09am
Richard Pulfer
One of the best shows on PBS is without a doubt “CARRIER”, a documentary focusing on the lives of the men and women aboard the USS Nimitz. The mini-series is immensely in-depth, covering every job aboard the Nimitz, from the fighter pilots to the floor scrubbers. In doing so, “CARRIER” doesn’t hold back, illustrating the full range of emotion aboard the Nimitz, ranging from patriotism and comradely to stress and frustration. Best of all, there’s no narration on the “CARRIER” and hence no barrier between you and the crew – the documentary dives head first into their lives without any exposition. “CARRIER” airs Wednesday at 10:00 PM, but the entire series is available for viewing online at www.pbs.org.
June 30th, 2008 08:45am
Richard Pulfer
Since superheroes have shown no signs of stopping on the big screen, they’ve moved to the small screen with hits like Heroes and Smallville. The Middleman, based on the Viper Comic of the same name, is ABC Family’s latest example. Struggling artist Wendy Watson (Natalie Morales) is recruited by the Middleman (Matt Keeslar), a fast-talking secret agent who maintains most everything in comic books is real – especially the supervillains him and Watson are now tasked with fighting. Though Middleman lacks the fairy tale clarity of Pushing Daisies or working stiff ethos of Reaper, it is equally apt at dishing out hilarious one-liners as the two heavy hitters. The Middleman airs on ABC Family Mondays at 9:00 PM Central.
June 23rd, 2008 09:23am
Richard Pulfer
Swingtown, CBS’s 1970’s summer show, has a great cast and an enthralling premise, centering on Bruce (Jack Davenport) and Susan Miller (Molly Parker), two parents swept up in the social/sexual revolution of the 70’s. After several experimental flings, “free love” starts to have consequences on Bruce and Susan’s relationship, as the two find themselves – and their children – torn between tradition and change. But while the writing and the cast are first-rate, the execution isn’t. Some episodes have considerable trouble picking up steam. Worst, the supporting characters seem defined only by either their traditional values or adherence to “free love” – and not much else. In other words, they exist solely to point Bruce and Susan one way or the other, but fail as well-rounded characters themselves. Swingtown airs Thursdays on CBS at 9:00 PM.
June 16th, 2008 09:40am
Richard Pulfer
USA Network is one of the best reasons to look forward to summer, as the network has one more reason to watch. In Plain Sight follows US Marshall Mary Shannon (Mary McCormack). Paired with her unpredictable partner Marshall Mann (Fred Weller) and her equally quirky boss Stan McQueen (Paul Ben-Victor), Mary must protect valuable witnesses – both innocent and not – while attending to her chaotic personal life. From the beat-up car she drives to her rough-and-tumble luck, Mary Shannon feels extremely real, further reinforced by McCormack’s engaging performance. Funny and immensely entertaining, In Plain Sight is the perfect appetizer for USA’s quirky line-up. In Plain Sight airs Sundays on USA at 9:00 PM.
June 9th, 2008 10:02am
Richard Pulfer
The Japanese-styled anime is just any other genre of TV – there are good TV shows and bad TV shows. Fortunately, the popular Bleach on Cartoon Network’s late night Adult Swim is definitely one of the better ones. The gist of Bleach is the teenage Ichigo, who along with his friends, discovers an underworld of spirits, reapers and more running parallel to the real world. The mythology is infinitely more complex than that, providing something of a hurdle to new viewers. However, the show does have its moments of sidesplitting humor. Often times, twists and gags alike directly defy anime conventions, making the show all the more enjoyable. One thing to keep in mind: Bleach is aimed at adults, although its content on cable isn’t anything much higher than PG-13. Bleach airs new episodes on Cartoon Network Saturday at 11:00 PM.
June 9th, 2008 09:31am
Richard Pulfer
Just when I was lamenting there’s nothing good on Saturday morning, the most spectacular exception arrived. Spectacular Spider-Man on CW is slick and above all smart addition to the comic book franchise which has already included three movies, ten cartoons, countless video games and even a live-action series. Like the best of its animated brethren, Spectacular Spider-Man effectively covers not only the quips of the web-slinger, but also the quirks of his supporting cast, which includes a surprising variety of characters true to the comic roots yet re-imagined for a fresh start. The series is also one of the best in recent memory to capture Spider-Man’s trademark agility, making the character just plain fun to watch – as any Saturday morning cartoon should be. Spectacular Spider-Man airs Saturday on the CW at 9:00 AM.
June 8th, 2008 09:26pm
Jonathan Bradley
My bachelor party was this past Saturday and holy hell was it a blast! From start to finish it was 100% fun and right up my alley. Bill, my brother, was the master mind of the event that found me being transported at the beginning of the day to Chicago to go to Dave & Buster’s. If you know me at all it should strike you as obvious that the idea of combining amazing food and beer with video games and prize-winning sounds like heaven on earth to me. And true enough it was an awesome time. I was able to hang out with some people that I normally don’t see due to getting older and having grown up responsibilities. Being a huge fan of Rockford we of course came back to my town and went to my favorite, favorite, favorite place, Old Chicago before bringing the party back to my buddy Jason’s. There is no better way to end a night than playing some drunken Mario Kart and barbecuing shrimp. Thank you to all my friends and my brother for giving me the best bachelor party I could possibly have.
What’s next? I’m getting married this Saturday to a wonderful girl, April. I love her so much and this wedding is going to be fantastic! My family is back in the States and everyone I know and love will be converging at one place at one time on Saturday, it really is a dream come true. The guests will arrive at the reception and wait until they hear Europe’s, “Final Countdown”, introduce the wedding party, which is in and of itself an all-star lineup. After the party is introduced the opening track to Ok Go’s, “Oh No”, album, “Invincible”, will blare and April and I stride in as husband and wife. I’m counting down the days…
June 2nd, 2008 07:17am
Richard Pulfer
Deadliest Catch is one of the most popular shows on Discovery Channel, and it’s easy to see why, as the show crafts that perfect balance between drama and realism most reality TV shows either lack or just plain ignore. Narrated by Mike Rowe (Dirty Jobs), Deadliest Catch follows the crews of several crab-fishing ships off the Alaskan coast. Adversity goes hand-in-hand in the raging sea, and while some crews triumph in the harsh conditions, others spiral into backstabbing and bruised egos. The only problem is the show uses so many flashbacks its get in the way of the real-life drama on the deck. Still, Deadliest Catch is a must-see for reality TV. Catch it on the Discovery Channel Tuesday at 8:00 PM.
May 26th, 2008 09:54am
Jonathan Bradley
…things are crazy! I’m still dealing with my new job while trying to help plan my wedding. Making matters worse is that the wedding is less that THREE weeks away! My grandfather passed away suddenly a couple of weeks ago and my family and I have been dealing with the aftermath of that. It was an extremely sad event as you might expect. I am starting to have this fear that I’m going to lose all my hair one day which may seem irrational at this point and I’m not normally that vain but if there was ever one thing I cared about as far as my image is concerned, it’s my ability to grow hair.
I figured I would get all of the negative aspects of my present life out the way so I can focus on the positive and more relavant to the title of this column. One thing I’ve learned, personally, is that the 90’s TV show, “Home Improvement”, for some reason, makes me feel good after a hard day. That, and a beer, of course (Spotted Cow, for those wondering which type of beer). My DVR is full of X-Files and Home Improvement and that seems to clear my head. Picking out the music for the wedding was probably my favorite part of the planning process and I truly believe that my wedding soundtrack could go platinum if sold nationally. Lastly, once the hecticness of the wedding has passed then I could get into the studio and finally get to serious work on the second album at Darkhouse Productions! It’s been so long…I hope they’ll still have me.
May 23rd, 2008 08:56am
Richard Pulfer
Last Comic Standing is NBC’s answer to American Idol – for comedians. Despite the difference in subject matter, the two shows share many similarities, including great judges (including Richard Belzer and Fred Willard) and mediocre hosts (Bill Bellamy outdoes Ryan Seacrest in this regard). Like American Idol, half of the fun comes from the insanely unfunny (or downright insane) auditions, with the other spurning from jokes as they come fast and furious from the various competitors. Last Comic Standing is simply a great show with a lost of great guest stars. Last Comic Standing airs on NBC Thursdays at 7:30 PM.
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