Mr. Show and others coming to IFC

Variety is reporting that HBO original series Mr. Show and Larry Sanders will be re-airing on IFC. Great news for anyone who has had the pleasure of seeing these ground breaking comedies.

Full story: http://bit.ly/fus3p7


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The Walking Dead

When AMC launched their newest original series,The Walking Dead, in October I had mixed feelings. Part of me thought we were getting another series that involved fictitious characters, like True Blood. And with that came the similar format and ensemble of characters. But as we approach the finale of this first season I am happy to say my initial thoughts are unfounded.

Unlike True Blood, the Walking Dead is a case study on the human behavior in dealing with the unknown. We are drawn into this zombie populated world with little idea how everything began and feel as helpless as our protagonist felt after waking up in an abandoned hospital.

The show's first season will come to a close this Sunday with plenty of questions still to be left answered. The show has already been picked up for a second season with more gore and zombie attacks to look forward to. While that aspect makes the show suspenseful, the true action comes from the daily interactions between the survivors. Continuing to build off these tensions is a recipe for success.


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The Amazing Race - Season 17

As of this posting, we have only 5 episodes left of this season's edition of The Amazing Race. I've been an avid viewer of the show the past 4 or 5 renditions and while the premise is essentially the same, it's the competitors who you become attached to and end up caring about.

This year has a had a couple great teams, including the father/son team of Michael & Kevin and the laughable A Cappella Ivy league grads, Connor and Johnathan. Both have been eliminated and we are currently left with 6 teams remaining.

So now it's time for predictions!

Here is my submission for the team I want to win and the team I think will win:

Want: Gary and Mallory
Will: Nat & Kat

Remember, CBS, Sunday nights at 8pm EST. Check it out!

Hell's Kitchen - Season 8 Predictions

The eight iteration of Hell's Kitchen debuted on Wednesday night, surprisingly quick considering that season 7 finished up over the summer. Nevertheless, Gordon Ramsey is back again and if you've seen the show before there's really nothing new going on.

We do have a new maître d’ but no word on whether the old one, Jean Phillipe, simply got tired or his punishment was through. Some may grow tired of Chef Ramsey's antics, I find them riveting and I'm always excited to see which new contestants will challenge Ramsey.

I've enlisted my friend Meghan to give predictions on who we think will end up as the final 2 chefs competing for the grand prize at the season finale. I'll allow Meghan to give her choices and reasoning first:

Jillian
"She's proven herself to be a pretty strong cook, I know it was only one episode but she's fairly consistent."

Louis
"Because he looked normal."

My picks:

Nona
"She's feisty and Chef Ramsey usually wants someone who will stand up for themselves and can be molded in his image. She's a wildcard."

Rob
"He was under the radar in the first episode and it seemed like everyone else got spotlighted for doing something wrong. He's got experience and doesn't act like a fool."

Images courtesy of Fox Broadcasting Company

Game Changer

Today Netflix released their app for the iPhone. 

Subscribers can now watch streaming programming through the app will connected to the 3G network or a WiFi network.  Simply put this changes everything.  The quality is excellent and having the entire Instant Viewing library available is astonishing. 

NETFLIX... FTW!

New Show On Tap

I've fallen behind with my recent travels, but I am excited to start watching Rubicon which premiered a couple weeks ago on AMC before Mad Men.  It should come as no surprise that AMC is looking to go 3 for 3 with their original series after huge success was found with Mad Men and Breaking Bad.

The level of marketing put into the show has been rather unsettling.  I was intrigued from the beginning and could do without the constant reminders that the show is premiering this August ONLY ON AMC! 

As far as the plot goes, Wikipedia breaks it down like this, "the series centers around an intelligence analyst at a national think tank who discovers that he may be working with members of a secret society that manipulates world events on a grand scale."  After hearing that, I'm all in.  It makes me think of the Da Vinci Code + Tom Clancy 'Jack Ryan ' novels which may not be accurate, but has me sold.  The protagonist is played by James Badge Dale, who is capping off a great summer having already starring in the epic mini-series The Pacific.  I believe he is a quality actor just waiting to break out. 

AMC has staked a lot into this series and based on their track record I have to be excited.  Rubicon has the potential to be a hit, but must keep the suspense and thrilling aspect of the show it's key.  I'll report back once I've finished season 1.  Keep on watching.

Rescue Me, Season 2

Just finished season 2 of Rescue Me and I must say things did not end up like I thought they would. I really didn't see this coming. The two big plot points involved Tommy's son getting killed by a drunk driver and Lou getting hustled by a hooker and losing all his money.

While I feel bad for Tommy over losing his son, I felt more sympathy towards Lou. I suppose because Tommy isn't the most likable character and Lou seems to have a heart of gold.

I'm sure both of these events will loom large as we head towards season 3.

Izzy's rating after season 2: 6 out of 10