The Old Stomping Grounds Are Sold!

Several Flaming Nose correspondents have roots at the KTLA studio lot, which had been up for sale by Tribune as a consequence of that company's recent sale to Sam Zell. The transaction was completed a few days ago, and you can read about it here. There's quite a bit of nostalgia in that square block, not only for Hollywood history in general but also for the folks here at TFN.

Back when we worked there (and we're talking circa 1980), there were still fascinating traces of its origins as the original Warner Brothers studio lot: historic glass-sided stages to capture the sunlight for filming, other stages with dressing rooms supposedly used by John Barrymore and his co-stars back in the silent days, one end of the building where classic WB cartoons had been crafted. We were also aware that the powers that be were always renovating, and that any of these amazing spaces could disappear at any moment (and eventually they did).

Always intrepid and interested in history, several of us used to regularly poke around the lot, venturing into closed-off spaces, exploring abandoned offices and mysterious bricked-up tunnels (intriguingly labeled "The Organ Blower"*See Below! -- our favorite find!). We also undertook a bold expedition to the grand former KMPC building across the lot. Formerly home to a bowling alley, on the walls we found extant scribbles and autographs from "pin boys" who worked there long ago. We had wonderful fun, and I just wish we had taken cameras along. Many a lunch hour was spent doing our studio spelunking. Those indeed were the days!

Even a place that drenched in history ultimately becomes mere real estate, but at least it stands now and for that we celebrate it and our fortunate connection to it!

*New info about the "Organ Blower" as follows: "In October 1983, the "Kearns" theatre organ was purchased, one of only three of its kind, and one of the top-of-the-line instruments manufactured by the WurliTzer Company. The organ was originally built for Warner Brothers Vitaphone Company and installed in its Sunset Boulevard Studio in 1929. From here, it was moved to Radio Station KMX, a CBS unit, where it was used daily to play the "Amos ‘n' Andy Show" theme song. In 1955, the late Hollywood actor Joseph Kearns (best known as Mr. Wilson on TV's "Dennis the Menace") bought it and actually built his entire home around it."

So it really was an "organ blower" which is part of the mechanism for a pipe organ! The tunnel was partially bricked up, making it even more creepy! This info comes from the website for the Mansfield Ohio Theatre which now hosts the magnificent organ!

LOST....In the Supermarket

I was pushing my cart through the aisles of Ralph's supermarket yesterday, searching frantically for paper plates. Somewhere between frozen food and hot dogs, I was distracted by a towering organic milk display. I reached out to grab a carton and tumbled through a space-time corridor. That roaring, airplane noise in my head made me realize before I even opened my eyes, that I was back. On the island. Nothing made any sense whatsoever and I didn't care a bit.

It doesn't matter that Hurley is now sometimes in a mental hospital. Whatever. We are not distressed that Charlie is a ghost. Lot's of excellent series have ghost characters these days. The dips, the dives, the about faces...the non-linear gorgeous mess that makes up the inexplicable plot line of Lost does not bother us in the slightest. The waves are lapping and new alliances are forming . Is John a bad guy or a good guy? Are all the bad guys good guys? Are some of the good guys, bad guys? And does it really matter after Hurley does a cannonball?

All hail the return of LOST.

It's the most maddening, engaging, stimulating yet soothing television show on earth. Many LOST fans spend hours spawning intricate theories on "what it all means". These are people who like math and Sudoku. The whole point of LOST is for it to never make sense. Blue water, white sand and a sweaty Sawyer strutting around without a shirt is what it's all about. Sun and Jin's baby, Charlie's heroism, Ben's pale evil eyes and the endless unrequited dance between Jack and Kate is the glue that holds it all together. This is a character series, plain and simple. Well maybe not simple. We LOVE the characters. Plot, action and advancing story lines are all secondary.

It sounds like a plane crashing in aisle #3. I look down and the paper plates are in my cart, nestled between some frozen pizzas and a bottle of ocean blue Windex. How did they get there? Doesn't matter. I'll be back on the island again in a nanosecond, and all will be right with the world.

LOST!

Calling all LOST fans...tonight the curtain rises for the long awaited season premier on ABC! We promise to post our thoughts and most hysterical theories right here on the Flaming Nose over the next few days. Stay tuned!

In Treatment on HBO: Let's Talk About It

You have to give HBO credit for innovation.Here is a brand new half hour series on five nights a week, in the midst of a TV drought. Irish actor Gabriel Byrne plays Paul Weston, a calm and weary looking therapist. Each night he attempts to offer psychological succor to the desperate, the borderline, the boring and the unquestionably unhinged. The premier episode on Monday of this week featured "Laura", a self absorbed nymphomaniac who harbored inappropriate sexual thoughts about her therapist. Well that sounds sort of interesting. But all she did was talk talk talk about her creepy infidelities in a fidgety annoying manner. Instead of being engaged by her story, I became increasingly mesmerized, and then almost lulled to sleep by her mouth, which was shaped like a triangle. This program is very talky. Think "My Dinner With Andre", but you only have to stay awake for 30 minutes instead of a couple of hours. Other episodes this week have focused on a guilty Naval pilot, a miserable married couple and a young gymnast. There are no flash backs, and it all takes place in Paul's office where they all sit around and...talk. One wishes that more talking would come from Gabriel Byrne so we could hear his lovely Irish accent, but it is the thankless job of the therapist to mostly listen. Friday night's episode will feature Paul visiting his own therapist (played by the magnificent Diane Wiest), so maybe redemption is at hand.

The best thing going for this program so far, is the fact that HBO is featuring all of the episodes in streaming video on their website. So if you have a particularly lenient workplace with a high speed connection and no firewall, it's a cool thing to watch during lunch. I'm going to hang in there and see if they pick up the pace, because the actors are top notch and Gabriel Byrne is a soothing electronic presence if you're having a stressful day.

Beam Me Up Scotty!

Like fellow Noser Jane, last Monday I had the opportunity to attend the first leg of the 5 year, 40 city journey of Star Trek the Tour at the Queen Mary Dome in Long Beach, California. Attending on a Monday morning there weren't any crowds which made the experience that much more enjoyable. For anyone who is a Star Trek Fan this is a must see event. Unlike a convention that occurs over one weekend, this event lasts an entire month and gives one the advantage of avoiding the weekend mass of crazed trekkies.


Star Trek the Tour is a travelling museum of Star Trek props and costumes from every incarnation of Star Trek from the the original series with Captain Kirk to the last series Enterprise. But not only will you find props and costumes, you can step into a transporter and beam away, sit in the captain's chair on the bridge of both the original Enterprise and the Next Generation (and these chairs are the actual stage props for the series), eat in Ten Forward at tables from the Deep Space series, step through the portal of the Guardian of Forever (and all Star Trek fans know what that is), see yourself in an episode of Star Trek and for those brave enough there are two shuttle craft simulator rides.

The exhibit is set up so that you can go at your own pace where ever you want and spend as much time at any one place. You can also rent a device that allows you to access recorded information at many of the displays if you need a refresher in who a particular alien was or who wore a certain costume. There is a trivia game that you can take to test your Trekkie knowledge and each time you do there are different questions. The last stop in the tour is the Encounter Theater where you are part of a space adventure. I also found the staff to be knowledgeable about Star Trek which I thought to be a nice touch. The only thing lacking from the Tour are the actors, however Shatner did make an appearance on opening day.

I thoroughly enjoyed Star Trek the Tour and encourage any Trek fan close enough to one of the 40 stops to experience it for themselves. This is a Disneyland for Trekkies and a once in a lifetime chance to see all that is Trek.

Live Long and Prosper!

History Channel Does It Right -- In the Underworld!

With a new host up on deck for its second season which starts tonight, History Channel's exciting Cities of the Underworld offers up subterranean suspense with a neat dose of history. Tapped as our new fearless guide to the delights deep down is actor/host Don Wildman, a stalwart and heroic-looking fella who might be familiar to you from his work in myriads of commercials and as host of various adventure-y shows on ESPN, Travel Channel and CNBC.

Wildman seems to have the real life chops necessary to carry out his new mission; he's kind of a smart he-man/Renaissance man, tracing his lineage back to the early Quakers and walking the walk as an amateur pilot, scuba diver and other pursuits perfectly suited to his new gig on Cities of the Underworld. He gets to shimmy down skinny little ratholes, poke around spooky dungeons, and explore forbidden hidden spaces guaranteed to fascinate.

Tell me, who doesn't like the idea of scrambling around dark places looking for creepy secrets? For those of us who prefer our thrills brought to us in a neat package with a cool host, Cities of the Underworld is the perfect solution to our couch potato dreams.

Check out the show on the History Channel website -- loads of information plus vid clips and other cool stuff! The show airs regularly on Monday nights but also pops up in other slots; check out the History Channel's schedule page to search for additional airings.

Star Trek: The Tour

It has been over forty years since the original Star Trek series with William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy first appeared on NBC. Alas, we are no closer to interstellar space travel today, but it is a far more futuristic world we are living in, then one would have imagined in the 60's, when Gene Roddenberry's legendary vision was created. For one thing, most of us carry around these nifty little communication devices...sort of a cross between a communicator and a tricorder. We call them cell phones. And because most of them come equipped with photo and video capabilities, you can find yourself at a Star Trek convention one morning, and by the afternoon, post the entire experience on the Internet for all the world to see. Actually, I used a Sony digital for these shots. But I could have used my cell phone!

Star Trek the Tour is visiting Long Beach, California over the next month. It features interactive rides, models from the films and Captain Kirk's chair from the bridge of the Enterprise (yes you can sit in it, but it has the longest line at the whole show). You can watch yourself get beamed up, have yourself inserted into a favorite episode on video, or even pull up a metal stool and sit at Quark's bar for an intergalactic beverage. On a rainy Sunday morning in Southern California, it was packed with Star Trek fans of every age, size, shape and color. And if you think Disneyland is the happiest place on Earth, you should have seen the looks of joy on the faces of these fans. The word "spiritual" comes to mind. That a colorful sci-fi TV show which only ran a few seasons could have spawned 4 additional TV series, 10 major motion pictures, and such completely unhinged viewer adoration, is utterly amazing. There is even a JJ Abrams directed 11th movie currently under construction, scheduled for a Christmas 2008 release.

It's easy for elitist critics to dismiss a movement that has generated such rabid fan devotion and billions of t-shirts. But more than a handful of real life astronauts have sited "Star Trek" as the reason they decided to make a living reaching for the final frontier. If you look past the glitz and glitter at the Star Trek tour, you'll see a glimpse of what television can achieve at its finest.

Cloverfield!

It's not TV, or even a movie...it's a ride. And worth every penny if you do the ROI compared to a Disneyland ticket.

Thanks to a very successful and brilliant viral campaign (which included embedded video right here on the Flaming Nose), I was compelled to drag all of my willing friends and relatives to see Cloverfield opening weekend. We helped it sell a LOT of popcorn (with white cheese flavored sprinkles in the Pacific theater chain I attended) and break box office records nationwide. Here is my sociological analysis of this event:

• It was interactive. People in the audience felt free to share their thoughts about the movie, in full voice and very colorful language. They were especially vocal at the end, and in some cases, violent. I saw soda cups and Twizzlers thrown forcefully by disgruntled males in the core 12-17 demographic.
  
• Even though the most secretive part of the promotional campaign involved hiding the identity of the actual monster, most people did not want to talk about the monster afterwards. Why? If you ask me, the movie could have been hugely improved by chopping 10 minutes off the opening boring upscale 20-something pretty people party sequence and replacing it with significantly more quality monster time. Especially when it opens its lizard like cheek flaps and nips a helicopter out of the air. That was awesome.
  
• I think the monster was the main character. Has anyone explored its motivation or origin? What if it was an endangered species? Why didn't they just put it to sleep long enough to build a giant wild animal habitat where it could live and be happy and not have to destroy Manhattan? But we would have to neuter it big time, because it spawns horrible small crab babies that bite you and then you get Ebola and explode. Oh, sorry. Forgot the spoiler alert for the 12 people worldwide that are reading the Nose.
• Does anyone else love...LOVE the news reports that theaters are posting warnings outside that people "prone to motion sickness" might want to avoid the movie? I adore a disclaimer that is based, not on sexual or gory content...but camera style. Is this a first? Warning people that the hand held camera jerkiness is something that they might find nauseating? Why was this warning not posted outside the theater for "Flight 93"? Or "Blair Witch"? Clearly, this is a cinematic breakthrough for annoying camera movements.
  
• Why, in the Year of our Lord Two Thousand and Eight, do women still find it necessary to run for blocks and blocks and through devastated monster wrecked tunnels, without taking off their stiletto high heeled shoes? Hate them in 1950's retro horror movies. Hate them now. Just saying.
  

Best question of all; what does this have to do with TV? You're kidding. Everything becomes television eventually. If a ride (Pirates of the Caribbean) can become a movie; then a movie (Cloverfield) can become a video game (no brainer there), which will eventually turn back into a ride with vibrating seats at a theme park. And then we'll buy the DVD. In Blu-Ray. Which we will ultimately view on television in the familiar confines of our living room. Isn't it a great time to be along for the ride? We'll save a seat for you, right here on the Nose.

Life Without People

Life Without People aired Sunday night on the History Channel and I must say it was definitely intriguing. What would happen to the earth if suddenly there were no people. How fast would it revert back to nature and I must say it was surprisingly fast.

I loved seering the cities that exist today that were suddenly abandoned due to nuclear blasts. People left hurriedly and never came back. A playground where no children would ever play was shown, the grand opening was to have been 4 days after the blast-- that is of course if the blast had never happened. Stuck in a time warp. Fascinating! I love time warps.
Temples abandoned by tribes long ago were overtaken by vines and trees all growing over the temples and obscuring them. A stadium in Texas abandoned, the field where football had been played had reverted back to a forest. The grandstand where people had watched falling down and in disrepair.

The show went in progression first in 1 year and then 5 year increments--or something like that--showing what cities would look like if suddenly there were no people to maintain the city. Things we take for granted such as paint on bridges. Without daily, weekly or yearly maintenance the Golden Gate bridge for example would rust and eventually fall apart.
Windows in office buildings--without a careful eye for maintenance--would eventually fall out of their casings and offices would become open to the elements. Pigeons would roost on computers and use papers that were so important and confidential at one time to some one as mere fodder for nesting.

In this age of Blackberry's, IPOD's and razor thin computers none of that means anything if we don't appreciate what we have. How quickly if nature held humans in captivity like a monster, would we see our world as we know it today return to what it once was. Very quickly indeed.

Try and catch this as I'm sure it will be played and played again. It's well worth the watch.

"Life After People" -- Tonight on the History Channel

Quel domage! The Eiffel Tower has turned into the Leaning Tower, and there's nobody left on Earth to prop her back up again. That's the intriguing premise of Life After People, History Channel's new two-hour documentary premiering tonight at 9pm. Envisioning an Earth where humanity has been wiped out, LAP puts on screen the hypothetical conclusions which scientific experts surmise might be the fate of what's left behind after we've gone.

As the cities and landmarks crumble, what of the various ecosystems? Will kudzu take over the Empire State Building? Will wolves roam the White House (and one might ask aren't they already)? Life After People is another one of those amazing apopcalyptic scenarios that are so fascinating (to some of us, at least) and work so well on TV these days thanks to the terrific special effects available to illustrate them.

The special promises intelligent theories, a perhaps shocking and unthinkable possible future, and a chance to ponder the imponderable -- Mother Earth sans her homo sapien inhabitants.

I know I'll be glued to the set, and I hope you are too!

Life After People, tonight at 9pm, and it will run several more times during the week. Check out the History Channel website for more information, the whole schedule, and special features on this riveting special.

Nose-talgia: Some Classic Star Trek

Completely juvenile, and completely funny, what can I say? A very short Star Trek parody from the original series episode "Obsession".

Mega Disasters on History Channel Today!

By now you must know how much The Flaming Nose loves apocalyptic television, such as History Channel's excellent and exciting series Mega Disasters. It's a bit late notice, but there's a three episode mini-marathon of MD today starting at noon eastern time, with "Asteroid Apocalypse", "Mega Freeze" and "New York City Hurricane" all set to wreak havoc. What a line-up!

This is a terrific show, with great CGI sequences and the kind of oh-my-god scenarios that ought to make your everyday annoyances seem fairly inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. Let's hope so, anyway. Programs like this offer good old-fashioned thrills and chills along with a bracing dose of science, and there's hardly a better combination than that. Wow! I can't imagine a kid not being fascinated by this stuff, too. Too scary? Wouldn't you rather know about a possible danger than have it completely surprise you? Give me a little forewarning and I'm good, and I hope you are, too!

So enjoy Mega Disasters today on The History Channel, starting at noon!

Today's Nose-talgia: Paul Winchell & Jerry Mahoney!

Anybody else like ventriloquists like I do? This is one of the best, Mr. Paul Winchell and his friends Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smiff!

TV Nose-talgia: Lost in Space

This video accompanied the presentation of one of the Lost in Space robots to the Kennedy Space Center visitor center, last June. Enjoy!

Some Flaming Nose Favorites Win at Globes

Despite a severely altered format and correspondingly dismal ratings, the results of Sunday evening's Golden Globes telecast were of some cheer to The Flaming Nose when several of our favorites made out well.

We were happy to see Tina Fey of 30 Rock win as Best Actress in a TV Comedy or Musical, Jeremy Piven of Entourage as Best Supporting Actor in TV, Extras win for Best TV Comedy or Musical, and John Hamm of Mad Men as Best Actor TV Drama and the show itself win for Best Drama. Not happy, of course, to see Michael C. Hall not win for his superb work as Dexter, but Hamm was a solid contender. We were also especially rooting for Alec Baldwin or Ricky Gervais to take Best Actor TV in Comedy, but David Duchovny's equally fascinating and worthy performance in Californication got the award.

Check out our "Labels" section on the righthand side of page to find our previous posts about all these wonderful shows and performers. Congrats!

The Feasty Boys Eat America!

The Feasty Boys are coming to town. Please make sure your prescriptions for cholesterol lowering medication are up to date and filled. Jon Mayer and Jim Stump are two cheerful and rotund cooking advisers, who insist that the main ingredients for balanced meals are the "Four B's": Beer, Butter, Bacon and Better not forget the Cheese!

Jon and Jim hail from Maryland, and together they have provided nearly 600 pounds of Good Ole Boy fun to ESPN's morning show Cold Pizza as well as Good Morning America. Now they will be showcased on The Travel Channel , and you can catch their shenanigans January 16th at 8pm. An upcoming episode has them visiting a cranberry bog in New England so they can demonstrate how to make a deep fried turkey injected with butter and cranberry juice. There are already a few artery clogging cooking shows on the air. Paula Dean on the Food Channel comes to mind...we love it when she says "Butta" in her pearly Georgia drawl. But few look as down home fun as The Feasty Boys. Emeril Lagasse used to be the Pied Piper of cooking for regular guys, but he's just too darn important now. He was the Grand Marshall of the Rose Parade 2008, for heaven's sake! For big boy cookin' with dudes who look like they'd be happy to pull up a lawn chair at your house and crack open a beer, The Feasty Boys are just what the doctor (preferably a cardiac surgeon) ordered.
(This blog is dedicated to my dear brother, the late Eric Collins, who loved science, cooking and pork fat, and not necessarily in that order)

The Terminator's Back -- Tonight on Fox!

It's been nearly twenty-five years since the first Terminator movie came out in 1984, and it's now TV's turn to take over this exciting science fiction franchise. Premiering in two one-hour installments tonight Sunday and tomorrow Monday, Jan. 13 & 14th, 8p and 9p respectively, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles begins as Sarah and her son are thrust again into the fight of man vs. machine.

Beautiful British actress Lena Headey (300) stars, along with Thomas Dekker, Summer Glau and Richard T. Jones. It's an attractive cast and we're always up for some good robot mayhem around The Flaming Nose clubhouse.

Good luck to Fox with this and do check out the show's website here and I'm assuming that if you miss it tonight, it will be available online at Fox very soon. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles' regular timeslot is Mondays at 9pm following Prison Break.

Remembering Johnny Grant

For those of us who worked at KTLA-TV years ago, the Honorary Mayor of Hollywood Johnny Grant was also our co-worker. He was director of Public Affairs at the station for years and it was a boring day indeed if you didn't get a chance to chat with him as he passed by. As many of you probably have heard already, Johnny died on Wednesday, and many very nice tributes are showing up. I wrote one for my other blogger life at Turner Classic Movies Movie Morlocks site, which I will point you to for more info on Johnny and some great links to coverage.

The friend I refer to at the end of the post is indeed fellow Flaming Noser Jane--thanks for the phrase! Johnny Grant was always nice to everybody, and I recommend going to the L.A. Times' article and checking out all the comments that have been posted about him. It's clear that he had a tremendous positive influence on everybody he met, and boy, wouldn't you like somebody to say that about you when you're gone?

He had his own website but it was down yesterday (and it's still down today) because of too much traffic. Let's hope that somebody takes it over and keeps it alive as a tribute to this man who kept Hollywood on the map and never lost the zest for life. So long, Johnny!

US Presidential Election 2008, The Race is On!

As my fellow "Nose" writer Lisa would agree, there is never a shortage of great things to write about in the world of television. We generally write about programs that capture our imaginations,
but here we take a moment to note the tremendous build of excitement being generated over the US Presidential elections, 2008. The interest in the political process, as US citizens attempt to sort it all out and exercise one of their most important rights (voting) is reaching a fevered pitch, and it is effecting all media news, whether TV, Internet, radio or the struggling (and still important) paper press. As the two past primary elections in Iowa and New Hampshire have so amazingly demonstrated, the races on both sides of the political arena are incredibly close. And the viable candidates represent a new spectrum of diversity that is generally not seen in a US presidential election. The prospect has left all the media pundits salivating. There is more posturing, hypothesizing, and flashing red/white/blue graphics on TV right now than you can shake a stick at. But mixed in with all the hysteria and glee, is also an element of hope. Hope that people are actually watching and caring, as this all important political process unfolds. And TV is covering it on every possible pipeline: local news, broadcast news (for the over 80 set), cable news and PBS. If you miss your favorite television coverage, the web is there to provide you with an instant recap, 24 hours a day and on demand.

I have two people in my own world, who are utterly captivated by the upcoming election, and both will be first time voters in America. One is my son, who will turn 18 just in time to cast his very first vote in a US Presidential election. The other is a co-worker, who has just become a new US citizen in 2007. They are just the tip of the interest surge, but beneath the waves, an entire iceberg of jaded American voters is just beginning to thaw. US politics are suddenly (wonderfully) hot and important for everyone. Television news producers take note. Take advantage. I think it will continue. Who would have imagined, that the writer's strike could have such an impact? It just might be responsible for the biggest voter turnout in US history. When there is nothing else on TV, it turns out American viewers love politics after all.

It's Official -- "Dexter" on CBS in February

This just in: the first season of Showtime's hit series --and The Flaming Nose's fave, too-- Dexter will air on CBS Sunday nights beginning in February. The cleaned-up versions of the gritty, grisly and gruesome (especially in the 1st season!) episodes will be broadcast at 10pm beginning Sunday, Feb. 17th, and continue for the next eleven weeks.

Pictured above are Jennifer Carpenter and Michael C. Hall as Debra and her brother Dexter, just two of the wonderful actors that mainstream America will now be able to enjoy with the broadening of Dexter's viewing base, by many, many multiples.

Obviously Dexter is a great fit--at least promotion-wise--with CBS' many crime dramas, but the inclusion of Dexter could have the unintended side-effect of making all those other shows seem just a little bit lame in comparison. It will be interesting to see how the show feels with the rougher and bloodier edges honed away, but the excellence will remain intact, no doubt.

Season One of Dexter was incredible, what with the whole Ice Truck Killer thing, and what a treat CBS viewers have in store for them! Dexter, welcome to Middle America!

P.S.: Check out this detailed article from yesterday's Variety with more information on the Dexter CBS pick-up. Interesting remarks from a Dexter producer about the appropriateness of Dex as a character for mainstream TV, and from a Showtime exec who says that the show, cut-down, will be "exactly" the show it was and that that cuts are things that nobody would miss. That's pushing it a little, but let's assume the edits will be done well and won't hurt the show, at least. I love the show, too, and I understand the exigencies of making the show suitable for CBS, but hey, they're cutting it. It won't be the same. That's just the way it is; you can't pretend otherwise. But don't worry, it will probably work just fine. It's that good.

"Lost" Episodes in HD Streaming Video on ABC.com

Lost fans among us -- and who isn't one? -- will be pleased to know that ABC.com has all three previous seasons of Lost available online in streaming HD, in anticipation of the new season coming up at the end of this month. The quality is great and if you've missed any episodes or just want a comprehensive refresher course, this is the place to go. The only problem I can see is that they don't have the episodes numbered, but if you go to the site and click on whatever season, if you scroll down the first episodes are at the bottom of the list, not the top. So, if you want Season 1, to get to the pilot go to the last listing. And pay no attention to the dates they have on there; must be the dates the videos were posted because they mostly don't seem to correspond with airdates (except for Season 3).

Not everybody likes watching TV on their computer but I think it's super. If you do too then enjoy this generous serving of Lost while you can!

How To Look Good Nekkid -- on Lifetime

Okay, I'm not a fan of makeover or reality shows, but the good review in the New York Times prompted me to take a look at Lifetime's new show premiering tonight at 9pm. How to Look Good Naked, based on the British show of the same name, pairs host Carson Kressley (from Queer Eye) with a woman who has a negative body image, and he then helps her overcome the self-loathing. Big job, thanks to the years of propaganda and conditioning that all women are in varying degrees aware of throughout their lives.

Kressley became the breakout star of Queer Eye a few years back because of his over-the-top personality, and frankly I'm sure that many of us had just about enough of him when that show was on top. However, he seems like he has a good heart (or can play like he has one on TV) and it makes HtLGN kind of sweet and I ended up liking it. If you're already a Size 0 and can't fathom why these curvy gals are even allowed to live then you might want to skip the show, but for the rest of us, I think we might be able to discover a little something and ease up, already, on ourselves.

Lifetime has made the first episode available online so if you don't catch it tonight do take a look at it here. The How to Look Good Naked website has lots of features which you might also want to explore at your leisure.

Yikes! Monsters!

I'm in love with History Channel's new-ish wonderful (in the true sense of the word) series MonsterQuest, a weekly journey into cryptozoology (the study of mysterious, rare and elusive animals). Now, whether or not something this exciting and fanciful even belongs on History Channel is certainly up for discussion, but I understand their desire for younger demos and this may be a great way to capture them. If the show weren't so well done there might be an issue, but it's super. Nat Geo already has Is It Real? which deals with some of the same subject matter (and seems quite at home on the channel), and it's good too, but there's something about MonsterQuest -- probably starting with the hilarious menacing beastly eye logo that shows up frequently during the show (as seen above)-- that is extra-exciting and oh so watchable.

If you've never checked out this well-made and serious-minded show, you've got a chance tomorrow, Sat. Jan. 5th, when they're running six episodes on a row starting at 11am. You'll see the latest on Giant Squids, Sasquatch, strange big cat attacks (kind of relevant really, with that tiger attack at the S.F. Zoo, and what about the revelations that those boys may have been taunting the tiger with slingshots? Ick. The Flaming Nose hates animal abuse and that changes the whole story, doesn't it?), Killer Apemen (with kooky CGI footage of an army of Russian chimp footsoldiers marching in Red Square, very much worth tuning in for!), Swamp Beasts, and giant killer fish. It doesn't get much better than that.

Grounded in hard science and with much use of DNA and modern identification techniques, MonsterQuest has one foot planted in crazyville and the other in the laboratory. I love the sincerity of those who study this field and hope that one day they'll find their Yeti, Nessie, Ogopogo or whatever else they search for. Until then, we can all go along for the ride and experience our vicarious monster-hunting thrills on History Channel's MonsterQuest!

(If you don't catch up with tomorrow's marathon, MonsterQuest regularly airs Wednesdays at 10pm. Check out the show's website for more information and fun extras! I also found this nice interview with MonsterQuest's creator Doug Hajicek right here.)

Okay, I Know This is a Movie, But...

Wow! I can't wait! If you're not excited by this, you ought to be!

Maybe the Best Moment on TV Last Year?

From the Extras Finale, with Ricky Gervais --

Happy New Year with "The Jack Benny Show"!

From back in the day, check out this adorable New Year's Eve episode of The Jack Benny Show on Veoh (another great source for online TV), originally broadcast on December 31, 1961! The Flaming Nose loves classic TV and we all grew up on it.

I particularly love and admire Jack Benny, whose easy comedic style and phenomenally popular weekly show made the transition from radio to TV in 1949, though he did both until 1955 when he stopped the radio show. This episode finds Jack facing New Year's Eve without a date, poor fella....

Happy New Year to all our TFN fans, as Jane related in her post!

Happy New Year Flaming Nose Fans

What would the end of the year be without yet another top 10 list? Here is mine, for all of our Flaming Nose fans around the world (all 12 of you). May you all have a prosperous and peaceful New Year. And may the power of television and the Internet bring us closer in the days to come.

Here we go, in no particular order...

• Best Ending in a TV Series Ever...The Sopranos-I still feel high when I remember that unprecedented cut to black. Amazing, shocking, and I still think that the onion rings on the diner table signified that Tony lived through the "circle of life".
• Weirdest Nod to Sub-Sub-Cult...The Entourage episode when Drama hooked up with a "Furrie" fetish girl and did the dirty deed in a full body squirrel suit. I'm going to have to guess this was a first for television.
  
• Greatest TV-Internet Event that Nobody Ever Heard of: When local TV affiliate KNBC broadcast the funeral of local town (Torrance California) hero on streaming video. Private Anzack had been captured and killed in Iraq and Torrance citizens honored him with full honors and a horse pulled caisson through the streets of their mid-sized California town. This sad and proud moment proved that small moments can be beautiful when TV and web merge to broadcast local events.
• Funniest Actor on TV...Alec Baldwin as the glorious Jack Donaghy on NBC's Great, Great, Great comedy 30 Rock. Not since the Dick Van Dyke show has a show about TV been this smart, funny, and magnificent. And Alec Baldwin is the absolute soul and pilot of the show. As an actor and a human being, he's had a rough year. As a character, he is top of the heap.
• Best Internet Television...Everything is YouTube, blah blah blah. That could all change on a dime. Here is a place where you can find short form user generated video as well as traditional long form television programming! All for free, of course. MySpace TV HuLu has it all; a place for TV fans to click onto many, many versions of great TV past and present. It's better than candy.
• Best Sidekick...Dwight Schrute (Rainne Wilson) For eveyone who has followed his manic path through this season's episode's of The Office, who would not worship the demented Dwight? From his unrequited, almost heroic love for boss Michael, to his clumsy pursuit of Angela, the blond office Nazi. Yeah, there was a terrible moment involving a cat in a freezer (we all felt really bad about that and talked about it endlessly the next day at work). Never mind, Dwight is the sidekick waiting to happen, he could go Supernova if the writer's strike ever ends.
  
• Best Weird Serial Killer Show...Dexter on Showtime. See past 10+ blogs on the Flaming Nose for details.
• Best Tech Moment...Finally in 2007, the prices got low enough to purchase an HDTV. And this Flaming Nose correspondent is here to tell you that it is...glorious, beautiful, heavenly. I got it a couple of months ago, and I can just barely remember TV life prior to its existence. Strangest thing to notice on HDTV---all the guys on regular TV series look like they are wearing lipstick (they are, we just never noticed in the old format). Best thing to watch so far in HDTV--The Discovery Channel. You just can't beat the glory of nature in high-Def!
• Most Innovative TV Hit that Didn't Stand a Chance...Flight of the Conchords on HBO. Who would have dreamed that a half hour comedy about a couple of down and out folk singers from New Zealand (and their frequent bursts into song) would be the most darling show on TV? I can't wait for its return.
• Best Overall TV Episode of the Year...The season finale of "The Extras" on HBO, broadcast in December. It had everything...EVERYTHING...that the best of television should ever have. Fall down funny. Surprise. Heartbreak. If you look in the dictionary under "perfect TV", you will see a picture of Ricky Gervais in the Extras.

Special Memorial Mention for 2007: We mourn the passing of Charles Nelson Reilly and Brett Somers, both most well known for their feisty double entendres on the classic game show THE MATCH GAME. You can still see their hilarious and edgy banter on the Game Show Network.

God Bless and a Happy New Year to all the Flaming Nose Fans!

---Jane

Happy Holidays from The Flaming Nose!

Sic Semper Tyrannis! Tonight on the History Channel

I've got a bit of a thing for both Abraham Lincoln and his misguided assassin John Wilkes Booth. The History Channel premieres a new special The Hunt for John Wilkes Booth tonight at 8pm eastern time, and it should be a good two hours with enough history and adventure to satisfy anyone.

Everybody knows how Booth shot Lincoln in the head at Ford's Theater in Washington D.C., but less known is the story of Booth's unbearable and ultimately futile flight from justice. After breaking his leg in his jump to Ford's stage and then hobbling to his waiting horse, Booth managed to squeak past road guards to escape the city, accompanied by young David Herold. Making his way to the house of Dr. Samuel Mudd -- great controversy here, of course; were they acquaintances, did Mudd help the assassin? (well, of course, but not knowing he killed Lincoln, I would say, and unless Booth was a hell of a good actor Mudd must have known who he was, but maybe not....) -- where his leg was temporarily splinted and then Booth and Herold disappeared off into the Maryland and Virginia countryside to evade capture by Union troops.

For nearly two weeks they survived out in the wild, taking fateful wrong turns in borrowed boats, begging food from rebel sympathizers, and desperately hiding out in fetid swamps, with all the while Booth scribbling emotional tirades in his diary and watching his broken leg go rotten. Finally they stumbled onto the Garrett farm, where they stayed for a couple of days but finally ended up consigned to the barn when the family became suspicious of their strange guests. Union soldiers followed clues to the Garrett place, Booth and Herold were trapped in a burning barn -- but you should really watch the show to find out the rest.

The rest of the story includes, bizarrely enough, Booth getting shot by a crazed Union soldier named Boston Corbett, a truly mad hatter and religious fanatic who castrated himself a few years before the War. You can't make up stuff like that. I know I'll be fascinated to see how The History Channel tells this unique real life tale. It's difficult to have sympathy, perhaps, for the murderer of one of the most incredible figures in American history, but John Wilkes Booth was a troubled and misguided soul, but also extremely fascinating in his own right. (And so was Booth's brother Edwin, who has a movie about him, 1955's Prince of Players starring Richard Burton, with John Derek as JWB.)

If only some day someone would properly put John Wilkes Booth's story on film! I know that the new National Treasure: Book of Secrets movie deals with Lincoln assassination lore, with actor Christian Camargo, who so expertly played the Ice Truck Killer on the first season of Dexter -- you knew we had to get it in here somehow! -- onscreen briefly as Booth. Director/writer Todd Field (In the Bedroom) has/had a Booth film in the works for a while, but haven't heard much about it lately. With the right actor as Booth, someone able to capture his charm, talent, touch of madness and bravado...it could be great. Maybe someday!

Anyway, make like a history student and watch The Hunt for John Wilkes Booth tonight on The History Channel; two runs tonight then it plays a couple of times early in the new year. Check out the special's website for more background information on this important moment in United States history.

So, Did You Watch The "Extras" Finale on HBO Yet?

If you already have, watch it again. If you haven't, be sure to catch it while it's still running. We hate to nag you (we've already told you about this special), but we feel we need to.

Sure, it's funny, but like most of the Extras episodes, it's got an undercurrent of melancholy and dissatisfaction that is completely mesmerizing. If you can't stand your comedy mixed up with your drama, leave this one alone. It will bug you too much if all you want is kicks and giggles.

If, on the other hand, you relish the heartbreaking along with the hilarious, this series finale of Extras (which isn't really a Christmas show at all, which is fine) will give you all the ammunition you need to once again assert with complete assurance that the British simply do it better than anyone else.

Especially great in this episode is Ashley Jensen (you may know her better from Ugly Betty) as Maggie, now-successful Andy (Ricky Gervais) Millman's best friend who's been shunted to the sidelines and finds herself on hard times. Tremendously effective use of Kate Bush's song "This Woman's Work" underscores Maggie's rather desperate and affecting circumstances. All women of a certain age should understand and respond to Jensen's amazing work here. Also wonderful, as always, is Stephen Merchant as Andy's (ex) agent Darren. What am I saying? They're all good, of course.

Don't miss this one! If you're not convinced yet, watch this short promo for the episode with Gervais and Merchant. Check out the HBO Extras website for info and schedule information -- it runs tomorrow on HBO and of course on HBO Comedy, and other times, too.

Enjoy.

Hide Your Eyes -- Funny Cat Video

Okay, The Flaming Nose and its correspondents have been good about not talking about cats -- which we happen to love -- but I just caught up with this very amusing two-part cat video that you can find here. It was in Daisy Whitney's column on the TV Week website last Friday; I missed it then.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. But if you don't, well...you get what you pay for. We will justify its inclusion here because the cats appear to be watching TV, or at least there is a TV on in the background of the clip. Good enough for us!

More Kudos for Hulu

If you read Jane's previous post about the Hulu video interface on MySpace, you might already be turned on to this nice new service that's just made for TV lovers. I went to the Hulu website and signed up, and you should too! I'm watching an episode of Lost in Space right now, and the video is smooth -- no lag, seamless, better than AOL In2TV which though it has a tremendous library I find is not as nice a viewing experience.

The idea of getting TV online is one of my favorite things about the internet, and Hulu looks like it's going to be a good. And it's not just for classic TV lovers -- there are plenty of new shows on there, too!

Do check Hulu out and read Jane's post about hulu on MySpace! She called it first!

"EveryBody Lies" (Don't Read if you Have Not Seen Season Finale)

It's over. I feel strangely detached. Sort of like Dexter, I suppose. The season two finale has come and gone. Sgt. Doakes became the sacrificial lamb in a spectacularly staged explosion reminiscent of Apocalypse Now, and Lila was butchered for her treachery.

The brilliance of this episode, and in fact, of the entire season, was the underlying tapestry that "everyone lies". They are either lying to themselves like Angel, who saw first hand that Lila was Satan in a tank top, but followed her down a dark path with his libido leading the way. They are lying to themselves like Debra, who was too deeply in denial to see small lies (like Agent Lundy pretending that he would ever be anything but an aging workaholic), or monumental lies (like the creepiness at the underbelly of her own brother, who leads the ultimate double life). Even Rita the sugar queen is lying...to herself, to her kids. She is the type who wants everything to be fine, but that's never going to happen. There is never a fairy tale ending for people like Rita. The most she can ever hope for long term is an affordable mobile home and a beer bellied boyfriend who doesn't beat her. Instead she has Dexter, who she thinks is a God, but is instead the dark sociopath that walks among us with a box of donuts and a pleasant smile.

I feel very sad that Sgt Doakes had to die so horribly, and that his last days were torturous. That Dexter doesn't show any remorse whatsoever, even though he put Doakes in harms way, is immensely troubling. Dexter, killer of bad guys, has now caused a good cop's death, and he's so delighted to be off the hook, he's practically skipping off to Rita's for a little post murder roll in the hay. Please pass the pancakes before I gag.

Dear old Dad said, "don't get caught", but that's exactly why I'll be tuning in next season. I think Dexter will be going down.

OK, Nose fans, it's time to end the Dext-Fest and go on to some lighter fantasy fare. "American Idol" anyone? How about "Lost"? Both are right around the corner!

"Dexter" Final Episode Countdown: 3 Hours to Go!

Our Favorite Villainess, Lila West, aka Lila Tournay.

Boo. Hiss.

Expertly played by Jaime Murray.

"Dexter" Final Episode Countdown: 6 1/2 hrs. to Go!

"Dexter" Final Episode Countdown: 9 Hours to Go!

"Dexter" Final Episode Countdown: 12 Hours to Go!

Well, at least in my time zone...close enough to start getting excited!

Golden Globe Noms -- Michael C. Hall, at least...

Flaming Nose readers will be happy to hear that FN favorite Michael C. Hall, who is so amazingly good in the title role of Dexter, has been nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor, Drama Series. Oddly, the show wasn't nominated as Best Drama, which is a bit of a drag. Oh well...we all know what the Best Drama is already, don't we?

We will all be rooting for our favorite serial killer!

Congratulations on the nomination, Michael C. Hall! And also congrats to one of our other favorites 30 Rock which received nominations for Best Comedy, Best Actress in a Comedy for Tina Fey, and Best Actor in a Comedy for Alec Baldwin. Also to Ricky Gervais and Extras (what a sublime series that is...), which received noms for Best Comedy and Ricky G. for Best Actor in a Comedy. And another Flaming Nose favorite, Kevin Dillon for Best Supporting Actor for Entourage.

If you're interested in the entire nomination list, check out this article from Zap2It.com.

New "30 Rock" Tonight at 9pm!

We turn from the our dark side -- the abject worship of Dexter -- to one of The Flaming Nose's other favorite things, the delightful Tina Fey's delightful sitcom 30 Rock on NBC. There's a new episode tonight at 9pm, after an hour-long The Office, so don't miss either one!

I just read a nice article on the CBC website about Tina Fey, and you might also enjoy taking a look at it here. She's certainly hilarious and adorable and smart, and we also can't say enough great things about Alec Baldwin as her boss Jack on 30 Rock. He's in a tie here at The Flaming Nose for most attractive and irresistible older man on TV -- tied with Keith Carradine as Special Agent Lundy on Dexter -- and we desperately love them both.

Why aren't more people watching this show? Do you think they're mistakenly confusing it with the old 3rd Rock from the Sun? (I'm only half-joking; that might be enough to put anybody off.)

If you haven't warmed to 30 Rock yet, cuddle up with your remote and start tonight, then go online and catch up with episodes and recaps and all sorts of other resources to put you in the know. You know how important laughter is -- it heals, for heaven's sake! -- so get yourself a dose!

Dexter, We Hardly Knew Ye

And, as the last days of Dexter (season two) draw near, we are left to wonder....who the Hell is Dexter anyway? Our hero's Code of honor is kaput, the Feds are closing in, and Sgt. Doakes (poor thing) is still in a cage...all with one episode left to go. Oy vey.

The ambivalent Dexter is very conflicted, and that leaves us all feeling the same way. His relief at deciding to turn himself in to the feds felt very real. His decision (after a good steak and a few beers with Deb) to keep being true to his righteous serial killer self felt...well...crazy. And isn't that the kicker right there? Dexter IS crazy! It is only through the amazing acting skills of Michael C. Hall and phenomenal loopy script writing, that we have been able to accept good old Dexter, as just that cute boy next door who has an unusual hobby. For me, the hobby crossed the line into big time creepy, when he hosted Rita and the kids on his boat for a little pre-prison R and R. This was the first time the little ones (who clearly adore Dexter) were brought into his physical world. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who found the thought of them running around the deck that once held mounds of chopped body parts, not just a little stomach churning.

Oh Dexter fans...where do we go from here? The teaser for next week's final episode hints at an apocalyptic explosion in the swamp. We know that our Dexter won't be caught in the flames (spoiler haters, go take a bathroom break) as Lisa has already assured us there will be a third season. We most fervently hope that Doakes won't be caught in the flames, as Erik King's brilliantly nuanced performance has made this caged Special Agent a hugely sympathetic and engaging character. I love Angel to death, but as they said over and over again in this episode, he was warned about Lila. All bets are off for Angel's survival.

Ah yes...Lila. Here's what I think Dexter-ites, and I don't care a bit if it's trite. I'm hoping there is an eleven foot Gator out there in the Everglades who likes lean meat.

One. More. Dexter. Episode. Left. We will all need a 12 step program to get us through Dexter withdrawal until Season # 3!