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Saturday, July 12, 2008 ( 7/12/2008 07:22:00 AM ) Bill S. WEEKEND PET PIC: Many a morning, I'll get up and star at the backyard while I'm waiting for my coffee to drip; about half the time, I'll see neighbor cat Xena on top of the gazebo roof, looking down at the hummingbird feeders and thistle seed pouch. Xena is our landlady's outdoor pet, and she showed up in the neighborhood about the same time we did - so we feel an affinity toward her. Her presence in the backyard drives the dogs crazy.  # | Friday, July 11, 2008 ( 7/11/2008 10:37:00 PM ) Bill S. SUMMER TUBING: Since the writer's strike forced networks to use up many of their prime series reruns early, the need for a strong set of summer shows is greater than ever. (New teevee! We want new teevee! And none of this Big Brother shit either!) This week, USA's Burn Notice saw its season premiere - with two more of the network's sturdy performers (Monk and Psych) on the horizon. Burn's season opener had its moments (how could it not with Bruce Campbell still a solid part of the storyline?) But so far, the USA series that's truly captured my attention has been the Mary McCormack witness protection vehicle, In Plain Sight. Even when the plotlines have been less-than-gripping (e.g., an ep devoted to a gambling addicted basketball player), McCormack and her partner Marshall Mann (Fred Weller) have a neat chemistry between them that more than makes up for it. The episode guest starring Dave Foley as a smarmy witness in need of protection was particularly choice. Haven't said much about NBC's summer anthology series, Fear Itself, though you might have expected me to – in large part because this toned-down retooling of Showtime's Masters of Horror series hasn't been that inspiring - though Stuart Gordon's most recent "The Eater" came close to matching the earlier series at its meanest. I'd hoped that mainstream network restrictions would've forced the show's creators to become more inventive with their scares, but, t'was not to be. Gotta admit it was fun watching John Landis put two actors from Psych (James Roday & Maggie Lawson) through their paces, though. Over on Showtime itself, Weeds has returned strong with its new season, thanks to a guest turn by the incomparable Albert Brooks and two very funny sequences featuring our heroine Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker) as a drug mule. And after watching his great weaselly Doug over the past three seasons, I hereby retract every snarky thing I've ever said in the past about Kevin Nealon. On the other end of the cable spectrum, ABC Family's The Middleman continues to prove amusing, though I absolutely refuse to watch the net's other big summer series, Secret Life of the American Teen. I'm not that desperate for new summer fare. Which leaves TNT's big two summer shows, The Closer and Saving Grace. My taste in revelation television tends toward the goofier digressions of John from Cincinnati, so I tend to favor Kyra Sedgewick's series over Holly Hunter's angsty arguments with the angels. But I know we'll be watching both shows in our house, anyway. Still can't figure out if I wanna watch A&E's The Cleaner or not: the promos don't do a good job of swaying me in either direction. Did catch the first ep of CBS's S.W.A.T. updating, Flashpoint, this evening, though, and despite the reliable presence of Enrico Colantoni, I think I'm glad Monk and/or Psych are coming back to Friday nights next week. (Haven't yet gotten the hang of cable net scheduling in Arizona, so I haven't figure out which'll be on opposite the hostage negotiation show.) Wasn't a fan of S.W.A.T. when it ruled the air; don't see much in this largely indistinguishable group procedural that'll bring me back to it either. Oh yeah, and new Eurekas come at the end of the month. You can keep your grim 'n' gritty Galactica: I'm heading for the quirky small town in the Pacific Northwest . . . # | Thursday, July 10, 2008 ( 7/10/2008 06:21:00 AM ) Bill S.  "IN THE MIDDLE OF A SHADY BAR, BROKEN BOTTLES FLYING THROUGH THE AIR." Three years after their anniversary best-of, Supergrass Is 10, the boys have returned to the basics with their new Diamond Hoo Ha (Astralwerks) – good news for lovers of the Brit band's blend of glammish moves, new wave rockwerk and rush hour soul. After straying from their straight ahead pop-rock sound with the moodier Road to Rouen, the brothers Coombes and company have returned to what matters: sturdy popcraft.Whether this will sell in states, where Supergrass has mainly played the unsatisfying role of underheard critics' darlings, is up for grabs, though perhaps a gig opening for the Foo Fighters this summer will pique some interest. You can hear the band working to stay current with their title album opener, "Diamond Hoo Ha Man," which somehow manages to meld White Stripes-ian proto-blooz with a hint of Oingo Boingo, though to my ears the disc really kicks in with its second and third tracks. Cut two, "Bad Blood," sounds like something Iggy Pop might've moaned his way through in the Berlin days, while "Rebel in You" boasts a soulful melody line that Holland/Dozier would've probably recognized. Now that's the 'grass we know and love. Further in, the Diamond Hoo Ha Men give us an addictive redundant guitar lick reminiscent of discoid Bowie ("The Return of ..."), an Ultravox-y Rob Coombes keyboard hook on "Rough Knuckles," and an engagingly deranged Pete Wareham sax solo on "Whiskey & Green Tea." That last track, with its lyrical ref to being chased by Chinese dragons and William S. Burroughs could be a drug song, but who knows for certain? Though the band saw some temporary personnel shuffling during the recording of this disc -- thanx to a sleepwalking(!) incident which reportedly incapacitated bassist Mick Quinn -- it doesn't seem to have effected the group's core sound, which remains tougher than ever. And while ten-plus years practically constitutes decrepitude when it comes to Brit-pop bands (read Astralwerks' promo material you immediately see mention of the band's recent gigs with Coldplay and Arctic Monkeys: near youth by association), the 'grassers show no diminution of either energy or tunefulness. If anything, the material on Diamond Hoo Ha is consistently stronger than the band's erratic self-titled 1999 x-ray album, which still managed to give us the great "Pumping On Your Stereo." For once, it seems all the hoo-ha is justified. # | Wednesday, July 09, 2008 ( 7/09/2008 06:17:00 AM ) Bill S. MID-WEEK MUSIC VID: From the new Supergrass release, Diamond Hoo Ha (review soon to follow), here's the literally rockin' video for "Bad Blood." # | Tuesday, July 08, 2008 ( 7/08/2008 06:51:00 AM ) Bill S. PROMOS: Okay, we've all grown too accustomed to movie trailers that give away major plot points – but who's the wiseguy at ABC Family who edited The Middleman's big Dr. Phil/Gil counselor-ese punchline into the promo ad appearing right before the episode itself? # | Sunday, July 06, 2008 ( 7/06/2008 09:56:00 AM ) Bill S. WEEKEND PET PIC: Sunday and it's in the triple digits, so let's stay inside with the a-c blastin'. That okay with you, Kyan Pup?  # | |
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