The Sopranos Blackout

June 14, 2007

Why mince words here? We all know what “The Sopranos” finale came down to, don’t we? You either loved it or hated it, and for a show so entrenched in American pop culture during the span of it’s 6 seasons on air “The Sopranos” had a knack for polarizing its audience.

“What was up with that second to last season?” we’ve heard quite a lot and “Where the hell is the lost Russian?” For each and every one of these confused inquiries from otherwise committed fans, David Chase and the rest of “The Sopranos” filmmakers and writers had just one response: silence.

But now we’re just mincing words. What did we think of the finale? Loved it.

We've watched it now 6 times and each viewing puts a smile on our face. We’ve listened to Steve Perry belting out “Don’t Stop Believing” on our iPods enough to put it on our Most Played play list and, again, we can’t help from grinning.

We've been on to AP and all of the sublimely manic, TV-crazed web sites in the internet ether and we’ve read all the news articles and editorial opinions from critics and fans alike as to what really (might of) happened when it all went black at the end; the debate on the merit of such less than slick editing; the rumination on onion rings as communion and all those extras in the diner –- were they Tony’s ghosts of “Sopranos” past? In fact, the amount of chatter (intelligent, informative chatter) reminds us not of great TV (we know: it’s HBO) but rather a great novel; “Sopranos” as book club.

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The Tudors: More Sex, Fewer Treaties

May 14, 2007

I admit that I've grown desensitized to sex on television -- I grew up with it. I come from the era of high school boys who discovered the "Red Shoe Diaries" on Cinemax, which also places me squarely in the demographic for the soft-core history lessons that have been cropping up on pay cable. "Rome," "Carnivale," "Deadwood," "The L Word," or the grandpappy of needless nudity and sexual encounters, "Queer as Folk" -- these are the order of the day.

Which is why I'm confused by Showtime's latest offering. More than halfway through "The Tudors" -- the ten-episode original series hailed as fun, sexy, and scandalous, I'm starting to wonder who's doing the hailing and how much they're getting paid to do it. Don't get me wrong: the series isn't exactly bad, it's just so damn squeaky-clean that I often find myself wanting a little more, well, fun, sex, and scandal.

After a half-dozen episodes, viewers can count on one hand all the bare backsides, bosoms, and bits from this all-star cast of hotties. On the other hand, if ratified treaties, princely edicts, and trials for high treason really do it for you, look no further; "The Tudors" is a XXX-throwdown for that kind of thing.

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"The Class" Needs a Second Chance

April 17, 2007

Back in September, when the new fall shows were rolled out, there were a few that everyone had little hope for. After the pilot episode of “The Class,” I was beside myself – a show I can hate freely and loudly! Had we found a “Joey” for the 2006/2007 season?

The cast was a series of unknowns (some of whom I’d gone to college with) and I felt sorry for them. While they may have been doing good work, they were treading territory all-too-familiar in the sit-com genre.

These kids were all in the same third grade class, you see. And now they’re grown and have become re-acquainted. So, just like your life, someone comes into a room, says something funny, there is a witty comeback, and then canned laughter. Then the clutzy guy falls down. More canned laughter.

Poor things, I thought, they’ll be looking for more work by Thanksgiving.

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