Back to WW II in "The Pacific" on HBO Tonight

Prepare to be shocked and awed. HBO follows up their acclaimed 2001 miniseries Band of Brothers with The Pacific, the new production from the company headed up by big-names Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. This time they're doing for the Pacific theater of war what they did for the battlefields of Europe last time out. The ten-part miniseries unfolds beginning tonight at 9pm, and it's clearly a do-not-miss event.

The Pacific follows four Marines through their time in the field, and the characters are based closely on real Marines: Leckie (played by the intense James Badge Dale), Basilone (played by the interesting Jon Ceda), Sledge (played by Joe Mazzello, who was the little boy in Jurassic Park!), and Phillips (played by Ashton Holmes). Their lives and missions bring them together in historic wartime locales that most of us know only about from history books -- Guadalcanal, Peleliu, Iwo Jima and Okinawa -- and neither they -- nor we the viewers -- will ever be quite the same again.

From the looks of the comments on the HBO Message Boards for the program, many Americans feel it's high time this important part of WW II history, and the men and women who endured it, were honored with this miniseries. I'm certain many of us will wish our fathers were still alive to see this amazing story that they lived through brought to life like this. I know I do.

In many ways this part of the War has always seemed more real to me, perhaps because my dad Harry (that handsome swabby to the left) was in the Navy on the West Coast in Long Beach, CA, during the war, and also because I've always loved the movies about the Pacific theater. (So Proudly We Hail, anyone? Or Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison? Or even South Pacific...)

We're going to post a selection of trailers for The Pacific here so you can get a good overview of what's in store for you. They are terrific, and will surely get you securely settled in front of your TV come 9pm for tonight's premiere. We also highly recommend that you check out HBO's website for The Pacific, as well as join their Facebook fan page, if that's your thing. You also might like to visit Marines of the Pacific's website, where you can find more info on the real men behind the miniseries.

The Pacific will undoubtedly be the most powerful programs on TV this season, and you've just got to watch it. It's the history of your country and the men who defended it, and we owe it to them to watch. Thanks, Hanks, Spielberg, et al...

Our Favorite William Shatner Will Be "Dad"!

We neglected to offer our heartfelt congrats to Flaming Nose Favorite Forever William Shatner on landing the title role in CBS' pilot Shit My Dad Says (presumably there will be an "*" in the title there somewhere). SMDS is based on a popular Twitter feed of the same name, and if you're not a regular follower, check out the link and get in on the sage amusement it offers. The creative team behind Will and Grace is also behind this one, so expect it to be plenty funny.

We love William Shatner embracing his gift for eccentric humor, and for being such an incredible survivor and TV god! (Check out a great selection of his hilarious moments here.) We can't wait for this show!

Giant Snakes are Coming!

The long running and superb PBS Nature series will feature an awesome hour of giant snakes tomorrow (Sunday) at 8pm. The Invation of the Giant Python is going to slither right into your living room. Who wouldn't want to watch that?!? This invasive species is taking over in South Florida. They can grow 15 feet long and weigh hundreds of pounds. They'll eat humans, deer, sheep, pets. There's video out there showing pythons even consuming Florida's native (former) top carnivore...the alligator!

Don't miss this this real life horror. And if you visit Florida, be careful where you sit!

"Parks" Proves the Death of the TV Comedy has been Greatly Exaggerated

It seems like just a few years ago, pundits were predicting that television comedy was dead. These days, nothing could be further from the truth. Though the ratings might not be quite what they were in decades past, NBC's Thursday night comedies are still thriving in a sea of critical acclaim and Emmy awards. The Office and 30 Rock are well established phenoms now (and truthfully a little "off" this season, although still wonderfully watchable).

The biggest surprise in the line-up, and an absolute don't miss is the gem "Parks and Recreation", at 8:30pm on Thursday nights.

At the helm is Saturday Night Live's versatile Amy Poehler. She plays Leslie, an officious little do-gooder who works for the Parks commission in the small town of Pawnee Indiana. The surprise is that even with a job description that makes you want to hammer nails into your kneecaps, she is absolutely adorable in the role. The rest of the cast is an inspiration, including the wonderfully likable and funny Rashida Jones (formerly of The Office), Nick Offerman as the gruff, whiskey swilling politically incorrect boss, and Aziz Ansari as the hapless nerd who pines for a Canadian hottie who married him only so she could get a green card. Aziz is part of the latest trend in TV comedies, where the funniest breakout character is always of Indian descent (see Dani Pudi as Abed on "Community"). There is no end of quirky characters in this series, and not one of them strikes a false note.

This week's episode "Galintine" featured John Larroquette in a guest star roll as the long lost (and most hilariously psychotic) boyfriend of Leslie's mom. I searched in vain for a clip of this or any other episode...they just are no where to be seen on YouTube. I thought NBC was friendlier to online blogging, but I guess they just can't help doing things to tick off viewers these days!

"Faces of America with Henry Louis Gates, Jr." on PBS

We hope that you've begun watching PBS' new four episode series Faces of America with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., a genealogical journey through the lives of twelve prominent Americans, and by extension, all of our lives. Gates, the Harvard professor whose previous PBS efforts were the acclaimed two series of African American Lives, sits down with these dozen celebrities -- a diverse group including Meryl Streep, Yo-Yo Ma, Stephen Colbert, Malcolm Gladwell, Mike Nichols -- and weaves the life stories of their ancestors and their varied paths to America.

It was an interesting and no doubt the right decision not devote separate episodes to individual stories, but rather skip around to tell bits of the immigrant experience behind the subjects. Each episode explores a different theme using traditional genealogical resources and finally in the last episode Gates (right) turns to the latest scientific DNA research to further understand humanity's bonds to each other. (Gates, you may remember, was arrested in July 2009 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, while breaking into his own home after a trip -- off filming this show, in fact -- resulting in much media attention for the bizarre and unpleasant incident. Only in America, right?) Much as there's an over-emphasis on celebrities in our country today, it also was surely the right decision to use this collection of notables to appeal to viewers. A little star power can hopefully be a useful thing, if it brings people to this thoughtful series.

Faces of America with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. will appeal to those who've been bitten by the family tree bug, and should appeal to everybody else, too, since there's nothing more intimate or more fascinating than the lives of real people. This is the kind of reality show that we should be watching. Forget the battling savages of Survivor or all the other unpleasant contestants on the shows littering every network these days -- this is the real deal. And of course, nothing could be more germane than the subject of immigration, one of the key issues of this century. It has yet to be truly understood by todays' citizenry and will inevitably change the face of the future America, just as Faces of America with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. shows how it changed the America that came before.

Check out the website for Faces of American with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., where you can learn all about the series itself and also access resources to help you look back into your own ancestry. Episodes are also available online after their initial airings. Check the PBS website for the airtimes in your local market.

Wouldn't it be great if Americans quit wasting time caring about minor celebrities with nothing but scandal to distinguish them, and tried to understand more about themselves? This series will help the effort.

Temple Grandin on HBO

Heads up from the Nose about an extraordinary (do they make any other kind?) film on HBO Saturday night at 8pm (2-06-2010). "Temple Grandin" is the true story of an autistic woman who overcomes an isolating and little understood affliction, to become a world renowned scientist and animal behavior specialist.

Born in 1947, Dr. Grandin struggled to find her way. Many folks were (are) routinely teased in high school for being a little "out of the box". Temple Grandin endured gulag level torture and ostracism in high school. Through the grace of a favorite science teacher, she persevered and ultimately emerged as one of the world's most accomplished experts in the study of livestock behavior.

Temple Grandin features Claire Danes in the title role as well as Julia Ormond, Cathryn O'Hara and David Strathairn.

Patty Duke for Social Security

Have you seen the series of PSAs for the Social Security Administration, starring our baby boomer TV favorite Patty Duke -- star of course of the classic sitcom The Patty Duke Show -- reprising her Patty and Cathy Lane characters? The spots encourage seniors to go online to conduct their Social Security business.

I guess I've been out of the loop, evidently not watching enough U.S. TV in the wee hours to catch public service announcements, but just this morning I caught one of the five spots. Honestly I didn't pick up on the Patty Duke connection (or even that it was Patty Duke) until they reprised the iconic theme song in the last moments of the PSA, but I've since found out all about them, mainly that they've been around since the beginning of last year. They are cute spots, with enough knowing references to the series that fans won't be rolling their eyes bemoaning their lameness.

And here they are:











I did a post here almost two years ago (!) about The Patty Duke Show, so take a look at that if you want to see the original show open that so charmed us all back in the 1960s. Patty Duke did a fair amount of publicity for these PSAs, and one nice interview is here, and I think you will be heartened to know that Ms. Duke volunteered to do these spots, good citizen that she is. (If you'd like to visit the SSA site and watch the vids online, go here.) There is supposed to be an additional spot featuring the remaining castmembers of the show coming up, and we'll be looking forward to that. In October of last year Patty appeared in a spot with flu shot information, also available at the SSA site.

Fans of Patty Duke -- and who isn't, and I mean that -- will want to check out the well-informed website Call Me Anna: The Official Patty Duke Website for the latest on Patty.

Leonard Nimoy on "Mission:Impossible" -- Paris When He Sizzles!

I'm down in Sarasota, Florida, for a few weeks this winter, and was pleasantly surprised to see that a local indie is playing the great Mission: Impossible series in the mornings. Sure, I know you can get them now on DVD, but there's nothing like turning on your television set and seeing something this terrific in front of your eyes in real time. I'm a great believer in the power of shared TV viewing, and I surely hope I wasn't the only Sarasotan watching this morning.

Anyway, they aired an episode from the fourth season of the show, when masters of disguises Martin Landau and Barbara Bain had left the show, and a just-off-the-cancelled-Star Trek Leonard Nimoy stepped in to co-star as Paris, a former magician who was also another master of disguise, a crucial job skill on Mission: Impossible. The episode this morning was the penultimate of that season, called "The Choice", and featured Nimoy in the dual role of Paris and Emile Vautrain, a Rasputin-like mystic who was trying to usurp the throne of a mythical country called Trent. Two Nimoys for the price of one! Very typically good episode, with a bunch of great character actors like Sid Haig and Arthur Franz running around and of course that great Lalo Shifrin music score making everything so dramatic.

I guess I'm trying to get you to try to watch some vintage Mission: Impossible! The show is iconic and eternally classy, and I'd never steer you wrong!

Happy Birthday to Michael C. Hall!

The Flaming Nose wishes a very Happy 39th Birthday today to one of our favorite performers, the talented Michael C. Hall. We send our greatest hopes for continued health and happiness to Mr. Hall, the star of two of our favorites series, Showtime's Dexter and his previous success HBO's incredible Six Feet Under.

Mr. Hall is seen in the above photo with his Dexter co-star and wife, the equally gifted Jennifer Carpenter. If you're as much of a MCH fan as we are, you'll want to check out the Michael C. Hall Online webpage, and this article about his recent win at the Golden Globes, including some info on his ongoing successful battle against cancer.

Happy Birthday, Michael C. Hall! You make television worth watching!

Exiting and Uplifting: Watch "Brace for Impact" on TLC

Sorry for the late notice on this, but if you like riveting true life documentaries with a happy ending, then "Brace for Impact" airing tonight on TLC is definitely worth watching. It tells the harrowing story of the US Air flight that lost both engines over NYC last January after hitting a flock of geese. By now most people on the planet Earth know the story of hero pilot (Captain Sullenberger "Sully") who with expert aviation skills and focus, glided the crippled jet to a perfect landing on the Hudson River.

Very little new information in this mostly feel good docu-drama, but the interviews with Sully and some of the passengers on the flight are still compelling. I wish they would have made it a bit longer to focus more on the additional heroism of the first responder ferry boat people, and NYC emergency personnel who raced to pull the passengers out of the freezing cold river before the aircraft sank.

I also think the story of how Sully and his family have fared in this past year is very interesting. Their lives have been catapulted from ordinary family into the highest realms of fame. But just like his landing in the river, Captain Sullenberger has handled his sudden celebrity with grace and calm focus. While so many actors, athletes and politicians turn out to have feet of clay, this man is the real deal.

Art Clokey, Creator of "Gumby" has died

The Flaming Nose mourns the passing of animator genius Art Clokey who passed away yesterday on January 8th. Creator of Gumby, the claymation series about a little green boy with a slanted head, and Pokey, his trusty orange horse and best friend.

It is a wonder that Mr. Clokey was able to create such a sweet and surreal television series, considering his horrific, almost Dickensian childhood. He lost his father at a young age and was subsequently abandoned by his mother to an orphanage. At the age of 12 he was adopted by Joseph Clokey, a music composer who taught at Pomona College and who encouraged Art's artistic inclinations.

I grew up watching and loving Gumby and even once appeared in a KTTV-TV Christmas promo with a giant Gumby (wearing a matching green dress). I still have that Gumby and was going to post a picture of it here, but unfortunately my dumb iPhone has not yet delivered it to my email box.

Take a look at the video above for some classic, vintage Gumby from 1956. Rest in peace, Art Clokey. You enchanted many generations of fans.

Veteran TV Producer David Gerber has Died

The Flaming Nose is sorry to hear of the death of talented and prolific television producer and executive David Gerber. Read the obituary from The Hollywood Reporter here:

TV producer, exec David Gerber dies

In addition to his studio duties, he was the brains behind such popular series as Police Woman (below) starring the alluring Angie Dickinson as the kick-butt lady cop Pepper Anderson, and the still fondly remembered (by Babyboomers at least) sitcoms The Ghost and Mrs. Muir and Nanny and the Professor (check out great site TV Intros for more of these wonderful show opens!). He was also the exec producer of important TV movies and miniseries such as 1984's George Washington (above left), starring Barry Bostwick as the first President and Patty Duke as his wife Martha and more recently 2006's Flight 93. Also some fun ones, like Elvis and the Beauty Queen (below) from 1981, starring Don Johnson as The King and Stephanie Zimbalist as Linda Thompson, and 1980's Civil War-set romance Beulah Land miniseries (right) with Lesley Ann Warren and Michael Sarrazin, and so many others.

David Gerber was one of the stalwarts of the television world we all grew up loving, and his contributions will continue to be appreciated by all of us.

The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Episode is Coming!

Heads up everybody, the Fox network is turning yellow next week in honor of the longest running TV comedy of all time. Homer, Marge, Lisa, Bart and Maggie will be celebrating a 20th birthday on Sunday, January 10th at 8pm, with a special anniversary episode on Fox television. The 450th episode of the world's most lovable and dysfunctional family is called "Once Upon a Time in Springfield" and it promises to unleash your inner Simpson, no matter which character is your cup of tea. Personally, I'm quite fond of Groundskeeper Willie the Scotsman and I loved the U2 guest cameo from about a million seasons ago.

My son quite literally grew up with this venerable series. He claims that it "jumped the shark" about 8 years ago, but that still leaves a dozen year's worth of wonder to celebrate this coming Sunday. This special is for anyone who's ever coveted Homer's pink donut, or pondered the relationship between Mr. Burns and his assistant, or wondered why Lisa plays the saxophone or....well the list goes on and on and on. Don't have a cow or anything, but Reagan was the President when The Simpsons debuted as a segment on fledgling Fox network's "Tracy Ullman Show" in 1987. The 80's and The Gipper are long gone, but Matt Groening, James L. Brooks and crew still keep churning out original episodes week after week.

For that reason alone, it will be worth checking out the 450th episode on Sunday, as well as an incredible anniversary special on 1-14-2010 called THE SIMPSONS 20TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL-IN 3-D-ON ICE! Don't miss it for a reminder of why this series has won a grand total of 24 Emmy awards over the years.

2009 - 2010 New Year's Eve, TV Style

Although it seems as though New Year's Eve television programming isn't as creative as it used to be -- i.e., when I was programming it -- there still are enough interesting offerings to guide us couch potatoes smoothly into 2010.

First on the list is AMC's classic Three Stooges Marathon, with newly remastered episodes playing starting from early this morning until 6am on New Year's Day (or whenever in your particular time zone -- I'm using Eastern). There's been a dearth of Stooges on television as of late -- I used to watch them on a Boston station but no sign of them recently -- and I'm thrilled to see that AMC seems to have picked up the torch. There is nothing better than one of the best Stooges shorts (I'm thinking for instance of something like "Pardon My Scotch" playing at about 2:30pm today), or lots of other good ones particularly after midnight tonight.

SyFy features a two day-long Twilight Zone Marathon, of course, again borrowing a leaf from the various independent stations who pioneered the TZ Marathon concept back in the 1980s.

USA Network features a marathon of their successful and immensely entertaining Burn Notice (left) series all day today and tonight until 6am Friday, at which time they switch over to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Ick -- from charming rogues to serial rapists, murdered hookers and sexually abused children...don't like that transition much! Nothing like celebrating the New Year with tales of the most unpleasant criminality out there, is there? Creepy.

Comedy Central has South Park all day, culiminating with the SP movie, all ending at 5am tomorrow morning. Logo has a marathon of The Sarah Silverman Show until 3am tonight, TV Guide Network features a day and night of specials about celebrities who died during 2009, including of course several hours on Michael Jackson. History has a string of their Strange Rituals series lined up, with a look at weird rites of passage and other incredible ordeals, if that's your thing.

HBO has a marathon of their Thomas Jane-starring series Hung beginning at midnight tonight. This is probably the most appealing line-up next to the Three Stooges, as Hung is a very watchable show with not only a heavy dose of ribald comedy but with a melancholy wry tone that really captures the mood of the world today. Worth watching if for nothing else than the wonderful performance of Jane Adams as the main character's friend and lady pimp.

If you like your New Year Eve celebration classy and classic, tune into Turner Classic Movies for an all-night marathon of The Thin Man movies. If newer science fiction is more your taste, join BBC America for a marathon of Doctor Who episodes and movies starting at midnight tonight, and culminating on Saturday evening with the final episode of the series starring the wonderful David Tennant (below) as the Doctor. Highly recommended!

Whatever you choose, have a very Happy New Year and here's to a great 2010 from everyone here at The Flaming Nose!

See "The Gates" Documentary on HBO

During the December TV doldrums, try to catch the wonderful documentary, THE GATES, now running on HBO. The Gates chronicles the long and winding road that artists Christo and his wife Jeanne Claude endured to erect their gorgeous public art project in Central Park. It starts in 1979, when they first approached NYC officials to get permission for their progressive effort. If you ever want to see the utter banality, futility and folly of bureaucracy in action, watch the first 30 minutes of The Gates. Even though Christo and Jeanne Claude always intended to use their own money (ultimately $20 million) to produce this art spectacle, they were accused of being everything from racists to environmental terrorists.

Fast forward to 2005, and Mayor Bloomberg, an art lover, finally gave the famous artists the thumbs up. The documentary shows the flowing orange curtains being erected, unfurled and, most gloriously, enjoyed thoroughly by an appreciative populace. As children run through the Gates, and lovers stroll hand in hand, and musicians play symphonies and Buddhist monks worship, The Gates are vindicated and public art triumphs.

I had the extreme good fortune of seeing The Gates in person, when they briefly turned the grey winter sidewalks of Central Park into a trail of golden glory. Beautiful Jean Claude, who's flame colored hair matched the color of the nylon panels in the artwork, just passed away this November 2009 at the age of 74. This documentary, which can be found on HBO on Demand, is a fitting tribute to her tenacity and talent.

ELF: A Christmas Classic for the 21st Century

While we are waiting for original TV episodes to start again in January, I thought I would give a long overdue shout out to the fantastic movie "Elf", which happens to be playing everywhere on television during this holiday season. I caught my version this year on Comcast HD on Demand. Alas it was PPV, but I love this movie so much it was worth the $$ to see it in high def without interruption.

"Elf" is a side splitting but surprisingly warm comedy starring Will Ferrell (before his lost boy persona wore thin) as Buddy, the over sized human adopted by elves and raised at the north pole. In the video above, he has traveled to NYC to search for his real father (James Caan in a lovely nuanced performance) and landed a job at Gimbels department store as...what else....a Christmas elf. In classic "fish out of water" fashion, Buddy navigates the mean streets of New York, spreading holiday cheer and maple syrup everywhere and even falling in love. There are wonderful performances from Bob Newhart (Buddy's adopted elf dad), Ed Asner (Santa) and Zooey Deschanel as the co-worker girl friend with the voice of an angel.

My favorite scene is Buddy's first glimpse of the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Plaza, which brings tears to my eyes with childhood memories of NYC in the snow. But for quirky hilarity, nothing beats Buddy in the doctor's office popping cotton balls into his mouth like it's grandma's divine divinity candy.

A lot of people are saying that they enjoy watching this 2003 issued movie over and over each holiday season, so it's on the way to becoming a classic treat. "Elf" doesn't have the gravitas of "It's a Wonderful Life", but it's about 50 times more funny. And the messages are timeless too.... sing loud, have spirit and be nice to your family at Christmas. And everything tastes better with maple syrup on top.

Our Current Masthead Photo -- "The Twilight Zone" Lives On!

Hope you're enjoying our latest Nose photo header, this time of course instantly recognizable as the great William Shatner from the classic Twilight Zone episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet." Shatner is the epitome of the nervous flyer in this iconic half-hour, updated (but not bettered) for the big screen in the infamous 1983 Twilight Zone: The Movie with the talented John Lithgow -- who's now getting on so many award nomination lists for his just-completed role as The Trinity Killer on Dexter -- (right) taking Shatner's role. (Infamous for the scandal and trial surrounding the death of actor Vic Morrow and two young children in a gruesome on location helicopter accident.)

In case you haven't seen the episode lately, you can take a look at it here now! (The terrific photo montage at the top of this post is by Mike Peters, from TVCrazy.net, a neat site with lots of stuff for TV fans.) Enjoy!

Fascinating Classic "Star Trek" Website!

I just stumbled upon this terrific Star Trek website -- Star Trek History.com! If you are a Trek fan, you will love this treasure trove of rare behind-the-scenes images from the series, as well as interviews and other delights!

As you know, we're all into Star Trek -- all Star Trek -- at The Flaming Nose!

AFI Names Its Top Ten TV Shows for 2009 -- and We Like Them!

We're always up for a well-informed Top Ten list around here, and today's announcement from the AFI of their Top Ten Movies and TV Shows from 2009 fits the bill. Because we're mostly about television here at the Nose we won't talk about the cinema choices, but we like what we see on the TV side. Their list, in alphabetical order, consists of many Flaming Nose favorites and others that's we've watched and liked, and one that we've never covered and can't imagine why not! So, the AFI Awards 2009, AFI TV Programs of the Year, Official Selections are:


The Big Bang Theory -- you know how much we like this CBS Monday night comedy, a geeky delight featuring a talented and hilarious cast and clever writing (which I must say with some dismay has started to rely a little too much on sexual innuendo -- actually way more than innuendo -- making some scenes play like creator Chuck Lorre's other hitcom Two and Half Men, which isn't necessarily a good thing.) But we still love it and we're happy to see it on this list!

Big Love -- star and producer Bill Paxton keeps this HBO saga about a polygamist Mormon family man on the right path, just absurd enough to be extremely entertaining but with a serious vein that never goes in for easy ridicule or cheap melodrama. With a gaggle of female co-stars who are some of the best actresses around -- Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloe Sevigny and Grace Zabriskie among them -- Big Love is compelling and doesn't always get the credit it deserves. So good to see it on the AFI list!

Friday Night Lights -- I know this is a great NBC show, but I've never watched an entire episode. It's the high school football millieu that has turned me off -- wrongly, of course -- and I vow to make this acclaimed show part of my viewing retinue. Good on AFI for calling out this terrific show that has managed to survive for three seasons so far and has earned the loyalty of many devoted viewers.


Glee -- Fox's new hit comedy/drama/musical is a favorite of Flaming Nose correspondent Jane, and we salute her foresight in calling this one a success right out of the box. This is one dare we say "quirky" show that has managed to wriggle its way into mainstream coverage, and its choice by the AFI is proof of its far-reaching appeal and unique qualities.


Mad Men -- Of course AMC's Mad Men has to be on any list like this. The TV show that's more a piece of art than a simple television series, MM entices the viewer to travel back to a time when men and women were still learning many things about each other, at home and in the workplace, and work itself -- especially in a cushy Madison Avenue ad agency -- was both a privileged and a cutthroat endeavour. Would have loved to see AMC's other excellent drama Breaking Bad on this list also, but maybe another time.

Modern Family -- ABC's new situation comedy about a collection of unconventional families who personify some of the diverse family groups out in the world today is a critical and audience favorite already. Though the people in the show may be nothing like you or your particular family, the universality of their problems and ultimate devotion to each other are certainly something everyone can understand and enjoy. Good choice for the list.


The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency -- HBO's charming Botswana, Africa-set light mystery series, is a wonderful addition to the list. Our Jane also called this one, loving its attitude and its seductive charismatic performances. More gentle than most of the breakout cable dramas getting so much publicity these days, this is a darling series with much to delight us all.

Nurse Jackie -- Showtime's brittle, brutal, heartbreaking, sexy dramedy starring the exquisite Edie Falco definitely belongs here. Is it more a comedy than a drama? Probably if you count the minutes, but Falco's performance is pure dramatic gold. Unusual, delving into the skilled Jackie's convoluted personal and professional life, Nurse Jackie is a show where good people don't always get the chance to do all the good things they'd like, but also get the chance to do the bad things that sometimes need to be done, too. Terrific choice by the AFI.

Party Down -- Where oh where was The Flaming Nose when this little gem ran on Starz? We were obviously asleep at the wheel, because we completely missed this one. (I never even saw ONE episode of this and have to confess I didn't recognize the title when I read it on AFI's list. My bad.) Party Down is a comedy about moonlighting aspiring actors, with a wonderful cast and the kind of comic sensibility that would have made it a hit if it had run on HBO, let's say, or even NBC. Don't miss this one if Starz repeats it, or seek it out online. Good for AFI to find this series and bestow some deserved limelight on this hidden delight.

TrueBlood -- HBO's vampilicious melodrama boasts not only one of the most attractive casts in recent memory, but they're giving some genuinely outstanding performances and bringing alive the kind of outlandish exploits that could sink a less skilled troupe. No worries here, though; TrueBlood is sexy and savage enough to make anyone a believer in the children of the night. It's one of the most fun shows out there, too, combining thrills and whimsy in a delicious Louisianna gumbo of gorey greatness. We love TrueBlood, can you tell?

Congrats to all the honorees!

"Flight of the Conchords" Have Flown the Coop

Check out this article from the NY Times about the recent announcement about our beloved TV show Flight of the Conchords on HBO. Despite increased critical kudos and several Emmy nominations, the duo has decided to call it quits on their series.

Bad news for all of us who loved the boys' wonderful crazy adventures, and their great cast of characters -- stars Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, Murray their hapless manager played with such earnest and hilarious devotion by Rhys Darby, their uberfan Mel (Kristin Schaal), and Arj Barker as their shopkeeper pal Dave.

In case you've forgotten just how wonderful the series was, refresh your memory with this terrific article from UK's The Guardian on the best songs from the second season, written back in July, with accompanying videos. (Glad to see they included "The Tough Brets" which was one of my faves.)

Waaah! is all we can say. We're collectively in love with the Flight of the Conchords around here, and hope that perhaps there could be a change of heart in the future. We miss you already, Bret and Jemaine!

The Comcast Yule Log!

After three weeks of endless packing and relocating to the San Francisco Bay area of California...I'm back! One thousand apologies for being away from the Flaming Nose for so long. I'm returning to the fold with this brief post about the weirdness of getting used to a new cable-TV provider...in this case Comcast. I'm not going to go down the hater route, although the path to this new system from my decades with Time Warner has been a very rocky road. It's all getting ironed out and tonight after a long day at work I came home to discover the joy of "Yule Log on Demand".

Some of you may remember Yule Logs from independent television years ago. It was always a stationary picture with holiday music in the background. When I was growing up in the NYC area, Channel 9 was the go-to station for Yule Loggy moments, and it only existed on Christmas Eve.

Here in Silicon Valley, the Comcast Yule log goes a few steps further, especially in HD. It crackles, it hisses, the logs shift. There are wide angles and close ups and side views of the burning logs. It does everything but send the smell of smoke into your living room, and I'm sure they are working on that. And if you get tired of the quintessential log, they have a few other lovely Winter screen saver scenes to switch too (I liked Glacier lake) with sound effects and 3-D.

As soon as I figure out how to use my new remote control, I hope to be back in action with reviews of all our favorite TV shows. Until then...I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season and...I missed you all!