The Boosh is Back!

Okay, I may have been a little hasty with my BBC America rant the other day. It happens that they have been running some episodes of The Mighty Boosh, but strangely enough, they don't give TMB its own page in the list of programs they air. They used to have a page for it, and it's a shame that it's gone. The only way to you could find it is to scan the listings which is asking a lot from viewers. In any case, looks like Boosh has a Friday night at 1am airtime, but I don't know if that's Eastern or Pacific or what. You'll have to figure that out for yourself....

But may I recommend The Mighty Boosh to you? If you hate insane British comedy, say -- like if you detest Monty Python and wouldn't watch it if your life depended on it -- then skip this one, too. You'd hate it. But if you think you could enjoy the comedy adventures of sort of a post-modern Hope and Crosby duo, a couple of best friends who (at least in Season One) work in a run-down zoo, then The Mighty Boosh is for you!

I discovered it several years and just love it. The creation of Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding, who formally introduced their world of The Mighty Boosh at the famed Edinburgh Festival in the late ‘90s, TMB has since seen life as a BBC Radio series, two seasons on BBC TV, a touring stage show in the UK, and rumors are there may be a movie in the future.

It couldn’t happen to a more talented, insane and original duo. Barratt and Fielding’s comedic vision must be seen to be appreciated, and probably seen more than once; there’s a lot to absorb, and the show’s pace takes no prisoners, but it’s worth the effort. Barratt plays Howard Moon, jazz-lover, frustrated thespian, and zookeeper at the rundown animal park Zoo-Niverse; his partner-in-comedy is Fielding, as Vince Noir, fellow zoo employee, a Cockney clotheshorse who never has a bad hair day, a music-loving boy-toy, and a self-described “Mowgli in flares” for his uncanny ability to communicate with the animals. Together with their boss, the definitely nuts Bob Fossil, who knows nothing about running a zoo -- not even what the animals are called -- and who only has eyes for the Zoo-Niverse’s owner, the dashing and pompous explorer/mad scientist Dixon Bainbridge, and with a little help from Naboo the hip shaman, Howard and Vince embark upon fantastical adventures, meet weird characters, and sing catchy original pop ditties.

It’s not a sketch show, like Little Britain, that other Brit import that’s caught on big over here, and parts of it are a bit of a throwback (in a really good way) -- you’ll find Vince and Howard (at least during the first season of the show) introing the show in front of a curtain –- though it certainly doesn’t quite fit into any one category. The tone has been likened to Monty Python, but aside from the obvious absurdist similarities, The Mighty Boosh is a totally unique and essentially obsessed comic animal, and so will no doubt confuse as many folks as it charms. It’s definitely charmed me and I hope you’ll fall for it, too.

Visit the Official Boosh Website here, and here's Wikipedia's quick overview of the show. There are lots of great Boosh clips and entire shows on YouTube, including this promo for their brand new eagerly awaited Season Three which starts next week on the BBC. Check 'em out!

Dexter -- Our Weekly Love Letter

(As a courtesy to new visitors to The Flaming Nose who may have come here from the Showtime link-- and great to see you here! -- we'll list our other Dexter posts here so you don't miss them: Original Post, Jane's amazing Second Post, Third Post -- the one you've you're about to read is our Fourth -- and a new Fifth Post. Jane's latest Post, our Sixth! More coming soon! Enjoy!)

We haven't posted our weekly paean to Dexter yet -- what's wrong with us, anyway?

The show continues to amaze, and if you are following the excitement, you know that it looks as though Agent Lundy, the FBI guy, might have serious suspicions about Dexter, or at least Dexter thinks so. And of course Sgt. Doakes is convinced -- still -- that Dexter is up to something. Pictured are Dexter (Michael C. Hall) and Lt. LaGuerta (Lauren Velez), who managed to manipulate her way back into her position as division boss by essentially driving her office rival crazy jealous by secretly sleeping with her boyfriend. It was a fascinating reveal when it happened and a thoroughly reprehensible tactic, but you have to admit LaGuerta is really good at her job.

And speaking of Agent Lundy, is he requesting Dexter's forensic services because he really is disgusted with the pervy Masuka, or he is studying Dexter like a bug? It's pretty obvious now that Debra, Dexter's sister, has a crush on Lundy (and rightfully so, say Jane and I!), but is it reciprocated or is he just playing her to get more insight on her brother?

Just doing some math, Jennifer Carpenter who plays Debra was born in 1979, and Keith Carradine, who's Lundy, in 1949. Yeah, it's a thirty year difference, but such is the way of the world that it's perfectly plausible that they might hook up. (It's only kinda weird when you realize that Carradine's real-life daughter, actress Martha Plimpton, is nine years older than Carpenter.) It's hardly Lolita time, though....

So much for May-December crushes. Whether or not this one goes any further (I vote yes), on another sexual front Dexter himself has gotten entangled with his loopy Narcotics Anonymous sponsor Lila, putting his ongoing relationship with Rita on the skids. On the Showtime Dexter forums, the character of Lila is pretty much universally pegged as a bad thing for Dexter, and I guess we'll see whether she survives her liaison with our favorite serial killer.

I don't mean to make this show sound like a soap opera, which it certainly isn't. It's deeply intricate drama with fascinating characters, brilliantly executed. Watch it! Listen to it, too -- there's a soundtrack album out and on the Showtime website you can listen to it all. Here's my favorite bit from the score, the Blood theme.

To remind you again, Dexter airs on Showtime Sundays at 9pm.

Torchwood, Anyone?

Does anybody around here watch Torchwood on BBC America? I've been intrigued by the show for a while and have watched parts of several episodes, and am sure that I'd love it if I stuck with it, but haven't so far, not quite. If you're like me, you probably have shows that you're pretty certain that you would like, or are inclined to like merely from the description, but maybe haven't gotten around to yet. Torchwood is one of those for me.

It's from the folks who bring you Doctor Who, and I'd also put the new DW into the "intend to watch but haven't quite gotten there yet" category, too. I've watched several of the recent episodes and have liked them a lot, but haven't quite gotten into the groove of watching regularly. This obviously says more about my intermittent viewing patterns than anything about the show, which has received uniformly positive feedback and deservedly so.

I used to watch a great deal more BBC America than I do these days. There's so much more reality programming than there used to be, which for me is not a positive. BBCA used to program a LOT more British comedy, and that's a real loss for us. They still show Coupling, which is an entertaining show, especially the seasons with Richard Coyne as Jeff. When an episode revolved around him, the show was golden -- insanely hilarious. BBCA still runs Little Britain, thank goodness, and the original The Office, but we're not seeing a lot of the great stuff we used to see. Where's The Mighty Boosh anymore, or Red Dwarf, or other old favorites or especially new cutting edge programs that we're missing over here? My gosh, the channel used to play fascinating stuff like the Dennis Pennis series (savage celebrity punking), Black Books, and other wonderful comedies. I really miss them.

No doubt they're playing it safe by taking the easy way out with middle-of-the-road crowd pleasers like cooking shows, antique shows, home makeover and personal makeover shows -- just like a lot of other cable networks. At least the personalities are Brits, which gives them a leg up in my book, but it's more of the same, isn't it? And also no doubt probably the ratings are up for the network. Any of us who know how TV works understand what you've got to do to attract viewers, but as viewers, some of us long for something a little different, and we're not quite getting it anymore from BBC America, not like we used to.

Am I an old crab? I'm grumbling too much, aren't I? Sorry about that....

Open Channel D!

Sorry for the late notice, but for any readers of The Flaming Nose who still thrill to the 1960s adventures of Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin, Turner Classic Movies is running a day of the compilation movies made from episodes of the iconic TV spy series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. all day today.

I count myself in as a still-loyal U.N.C.L.E. agent after all these years. When I was a kid--and the show came on when I was eleven--this was IT, I mean, I LOVED this show. Cool, action-packed, intelligent, jazzy, funny, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. had everything. I was a Kuryakin gal, preferring the icy blond intellect of David McCallum's character over the more James Bond-ish Solo of Robert Vaughn, but as a pair they were unbeatable.
I used to program U.N.C.L.E. when I was at TNT, and it has recently been airing on the American Life TV channel but seems to be off the regular schedule now. The good news is that it seems to be coming out on DVD soon, which is great news for U.N.C.L.E.-starved baby boomers!

There is a wonderful website The Fans from U.N.C.L.E. which you should check out, and another fan named Lisa has a site full of great screen captures here. It's also worth mentioning that U.N.C.L.E. had some of the greatest music scores ever heard on a TV series, with the work of such noted composers as Jerry Goldsmith (who wrote the unforgettable theme), Lalo Schifrin, Nelson Riddle, Morton Stevens, Gerald Fried and other names who will be familiar to you if you're an aficionado of classic TV music. Much of the music has been re-released on CD and here a link to a page with loads of terrific sound samples.

Hope you catch some of the movies on TCM today! I'm off to the Del Floria Tailor Shop for my latest mission. (True U.N.C.L.E. fans will understand...!).

Mr. TV's Fall TV Update

For those of you who are interested in a detailed and interesting assessment of the current TV season, I highly recommend that you watch Mr. TV's Fall TV update webcast, which took place live yesterday but can be viewed here. "Mr. TV" Mark Berman, who writes for MediaWeek magazine, presents a detailed and fascinating night-by-night survey of the status of all the broadcast networks, with the latest ratings and survival odds.

It's a great presentation with a gallery of slides (which can be downloaded and saved for further perusal). A lot of you may already receive Mark's Programming Insider enewsletter in your mailboxes each morning, but if not, go to MediaWeek's website and subscribe. It's insightful stuff!

Curb Your Enthusiasm -- This Sunday

The next-to-last of the latest batch of Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm is on this coming Sunday, and I just found out (courtesy of a great article in The New Yorker) that Steve Coogan, one of my favorite British comedians, is making a guest appearance as a psychiatrist.

Now, unfortunately, though a lot of The New Yorker is available online, whenever I want to recommend something, it's never one of the articles that is, including the one in the Nov. 5th issue about Steve Coogan. So, sorry about that! (If you're terribly interested, let me know and I'll scan it for you, or you could buy it, of course. The free flow of information is what I'm all about.)

Anyway, you may already be familiar with Steve Coogan from his movie appearances -- mainstream like his turn with Jackie Chan in Disney's Around the World in 80 Days from a few years ago, or otherwise like A Cock and Bull Story or 24 Hour Party People and others. More likely is that you've seen his comedy series playing on BBC America, including his several starring Coogan as the character of hapless media personality Alan Partridge and the current Saxondale. I think he's amazing, and you might like to check out some of his stuff on YouTube, including this hilarious clip where Partridge interviews an outraged farmer or this one where he meets up with an old enemy with a microwaved apple pie as his only weapon. As The New Yorker article by John Lahr points out, Steve Coogan's Alan Partridge is in the same broad comedy vein as Larry David's character on CYE, only even more extreme. Only the British seem to be able to dive headlong into absurdity with such relish; I love it.

Coogan, who's beyond a household name in Britain yet fairly under-celebrated here, should be incredible in this episode so I highly recommend it! Even without Steve Coogan, Curb Your Enthusiasm is a prickly delight and always to be enjoyed!

The Leader of the Pack

He trains dogs...he rehabilitates people. Cesar Millan is my hero. Watch a couple of episodes of "The Dog Whisperer" on National Geographic (Nat Geo now per their announcers), and you may feel the same way. Mr. Millan is one of the most reasonable and, (to his canine customers and their hapless human families), powerful people on the planet Earth. Over the past few seasons that this show has aired, he has taken on the large (a Great Dane afraid of slippery floors), the medium (a bulldog obsessed with attacking skate board riders) and the microscopic (a terrifying teacup sized Chihuahua who hated nearly everyone). Cesar Millan comes to the rescue when people who love their dogs, have dogs that make you want to run screaming towards the nearest high rise balcony and pitch yourself over the side.

His rules are simple, and established clearly in the beginning of every episode, no matter how challenging the dog or nutcase human consort. "Set boundaries. Stay calm and centered. Show no fear. Be patient. Always, and every day....walk, walk, walk." It sounds like an awful self-help mantra, but the producers of The Dog Whisperer have cleverly focused on dogs and owners that are incredibly troubled or weird, but at the same time sympathetic. If you watch the first few minutes, it is impossible to not stick around for the outcome.

Calm and centered is good advice for two legged humans and four legged furry canine friends alike. Obviously, The Dog Whisperer, is about dogs. But what I really love about this show is how wonderfully Cesar Millan reacts with the dog families. From the billionaires in Beverly Hills with a dyed pink petite poodle, to the nice gay couple with a show dog or the suburban family with a pooch who can't stay out of the backyard pool. Cesar Milan helps them all, without being maudlin or apologetic for insisting that what what both dogs and people need most is a little discipline, a lot of exercise and some calm and centered understanding.

Now...if only we could convince him to do cats!

Prison Break -- Lets go back to Wentworth

I'm falling out of love with Prison Break as it launches into it's 3rd season. I used to recap it with someone at work the next day after it aired and we were very intrigued about the show and it's twists and turns and its sordid array of people--wondering if Lincoln or Michael would ever get out.
Now I often times forget to watch and find myself catching up on recaps on the web but not as often as I used to which says to me I'm slowly losing interest in the plot. Not sure why, and I will still remind myself to watch the show...or not. Yawn. Does he still have his body tatoo of his escape plan? Hmmmm.

Sunday afternoon as I sat around a food filled table with friends--one of whom I hadn't seen in many years (the friend not the food)--I was reminded of a show that had buried itself deep in the video tape library compartment in my head--and as if on cue it came back to life like an old VCR, insert tape, hit play and it played in my brain as though it were on the current new series list. And I sort of wish it were.

Anyone out there remember Prisoner Cell Block H? Go back to the late 70's. Were you watching KTLA? You might have been. Who could forget Wentworh Detention Center the fictional high security center for women in Melbourne, Australia? Remember?
Remember the tough talking lesbian Franky Doyle and her girlfriend Doreen? What about Lizzie Birdsworth who worked in the kitchen even though she was accused of poisoning someone? What about Lynn Warner accused of burying a child while in her care alive!!!?
No?
Well the characters live on with in websites. I haven't gone to Net Flix yet to check and see if it is available but that may be coming up soon.

Until later...see you on The Flaming Nose
Jeri

Dexter's Back and It Bothers Us that We Love Him

Some drama series get you in the mood from the very first moments of the opening montage. The Sopranos was that way; Tony and his fat cigar driving through the Jersey wastelands with Alabama 3 wailing in the background. DEXTER is most certainly that way, and a more original opening sequence would be hard to imagine. While creepy, almost silly, haunted house music sets the tone, Dexter slices blood oranges, snacks on raw meat and cracks eggs into a frying pan...all in extreme close-up. It's like a food snuff film. I should be appalled, we all should be appalled. But I'm not, because I know that I'm about to experience one hell of a great hour of TV. Tonight's season premier (9-30-07, 9pm eastern on Showtime) lived (died?) up to all expectations.

When we last saw Dexter at the end of the first season, he had saved his step sister and dispatched, in the usual creative Dexter-like manner, his evil, irredeemable serial killer brother. As everyone surely knows by now, Dexter is a serial killer too, but none of his victims are innocent. In fact, Dexter, in a code enforced by his deceased adoptive cop father, only kills the worst of the worst.

But Dexter has a problem. He's trying to get back in the groove again, first with a blind voodoo murderer possessed by the Devil and then with a monstrous 6 foot 10 inch gang banger who's killed at least three people. Dexter is unable to finish the job in either case and he just can't figure out why. A curse? A conscience? What the heck is the matter with Dexter? What's worse, scuba diving treasure hunters discover the underwater graveyard where Dexter has been stashing his victims. Black plastic trash bags full of body parts, as far as the eyes can see.

I love everything about this series, and then hate myself for it. The sly humor, mixed with the darkest crimes. The Miami setting so authentic, you can practically smell the pressed pork sandwiches. The supporting cast is dynamite, and they look shiny and sweaty all the time, which is as it should be in the 110% humidity of South Florida. Best of all, there is Michael C. Hall, who is superb as the enigmatic, enormously attractive and oddly sympathetic Dexter. Pour yourself a tall Mojito, turn on the ceiling fan, and enjoy the rest of the season for one of the most fantastic crime dramas you will ever see.

Season Premier of The Office: The Corporate Carnival Returns!

The one hour season premier of The Office was strange, somewhat disturbing and frequently hilarious. It did not disappoint. This quirky show has such an enormous ensemble cast, and yet each character is clearly drawn, unique and essential. As the boss, Steve Carell's Michael is the narcissistic and mentally handicapped glue that holds it all together. The exquisitely weird Rainn Wilson has become a classic breakout character, playing the perfectly named Dwight Schrute. He is not so much weird, as absolutely deranged. In this episode, he is responsible for euthanizing a sick fluffy cat (Sprinkles) by placing the doomed feline in the freezer. I am haunted by the description of the clawed bags of frozen peas. Angela plays Dwight's blond office Nazi girl friend Angela, and her sorrow over the loss of Sprinkles makes her almost likable for the first time ever. Jim and Pam are back and finally together as the perfect office couple. When they kiss, all is right with the world. Michael has his own romance cooking, with the seriously in need of rehab Jan now living in his condo. Kevin the fat guy is fast becoming my favorite character. Along with Creed (the older quality control manager who gets my vote as the one most likely to climb a tower and start shooting) and Stanley (the deeply cynical and ironic black guy), Kevin forms a water cooler Greek chorus, observing and commenting upon the insane tapestry woven by the others in this Office from Hell.

This year's season opener started out with a real bang. Michael ran over Meredith (the red haired office lush) in the Dunder Mifflin parking lot. In the hospital with a broken pelvis, Meredith refuses to forgive Michael, and he begins to wonder if The Office is cursed. He decides to redeem himself by creating a 5K run for the Cure for Rabies, and everyone in the office has to participate. Although I admire the many clever ways writers get the cast out of the claustrophobic office environment and into the fresh air of Scranton PA, the charity race didn't work quite as well as past outings. Last year's beach trip was a classic. the new season kick off was a good (not great) start. But a good episode of The Office is a thousand times better than just about anything else on TV.

Dexter -- Second Season Starts This Sunday On Showtime!

Falling Out of Love with TMYLM

Hmmm. Seldom have I switched affections so rapidly, but boy, Tell Me You Love Me has become, in three short weeks, a nearly complete downer. Not that I require happy people having fun in order to appreciate something, but this is a bit of a depressing brew and I'm not sure how long I can hang in there. And is it just me, or is the sex getting less explicit and more infrequent? Or am I just getting bored?

I'm still going to give it another go, but perhaps it's just paining me too much to see the fabulous Ally Walker's character and her hubby having such a horrible time of it. And yet, they seem to be the most realistic couple. As if that isn't a god-awful thought....

Tell Me You Love Me

A few days ago Jane wrote a little about HBO's new series Tell Me You Love Me which premiered last Sunday night. It's about several couples and their problematic sex lives, and touts itself as being probably the most explicit TV so far (with mainstream actors). After watching the preem and then catching parts of the first episode a couple more times throughout the week, I've seen lots of whining, many tits and Luke Kirby's balls, and I'd say that show is not without interest. It's midway between your standard TV drama and really soft soft-core porn, but also uncomfortably like seeing your parents fuck. You might know and like some of these actors from previous roles, and sorta feel bad for them for having to cavort around in their birthday suits.

On the other hand, I'm all for America getting a little more adult about sex. I especially liked (thought that may be the wrong word) the scene at the end of the first show where actress Sonya Walger, as the high-strung wife trying to get pregnant, gives her husband a depressing hand job as he watches TV. Now, it looked pretty real, and they did show some ejaculate, or a reasonable facsimile thereof. I've since read around a bit and the consensus seems to be that the penis was prosthetic (ergo fake cum, too), as were Luke Kirby's balls, mentioned in the previous paragraph. I have to say that I'm a tad disappointed (again, that might not be quite the right word) to learn that basically everything except the breasts on the women are faked. But hey, these are actors, not porn stars, and I will admit that the cast members (and their members, real or not) of TMYLM are, on the whole, quite a bit more talented than your average pornsters. And have considerably fewer tattoos. (If there's one thing that kinda gives away the rough edges around porn, it's gotta be those ink-stained bodies. There are tattoos everywhere on those folks.)

I think I've gotten spoiled from watching Canadian pay TV, where quite hardcore material frequently airs in the overnight hours and no big deal is made over it. The only thing that TMYLM has that the latenight movies don't is, ironically, the ejaculation shot. Aficionados may prefer to refer to it as "the money shot" but never was it as joyless as in the HBO show.

I do think a shout out to several of the actors on TMYLM is in order. Ally Walker, whom you probably remember from her starring role as The Profiler a few years back, is superb as the bereft wife in a near-platonic suburban marriage. Walker, an intelligent actress--she's a physics major and worked in a genetics lab before devoting herself to acting--is perfectly paired with the likeable Tim DeKay who was so marvelous in HBO's sadly-cancelled Carnivale from a couple seasons ago. Luke Kirby is attractive as a young newlywed who can't quite get his head around the idea of lifelong fidelity, and of course, as Jane mentioned before, Jane Alexander is also a serene and wise presence as the therapist. Everybody in the cast is good; you might end up having a favorite couple, if you can stick with the possibly overwrought navel-gazing long enough. Truly, you need a little skin to help you get through the whines.

At least it's a little more brazen than the usual ho-hum stuff, as is Showtime's David Duchovny sex-filled comedy/drama Californication which has been on a few weeks. I haven't quite warmed to it yet but Duchovny is always watchable, though I am creeped out a bit by the actress playing his teenage daughter. It's like she escaped from the brunette version of Children of the Damned. Very strange face and I think I really believe in alien/human hybrids now.

Such is the state of people having sex in mainstream U.S. media.

"Tell Me You Love Me" on HBO tonight

I hope that several Flaming Nose folks chime in on HBO's new sex-laden series "Tell Me You Love Me" which premiered tonight. I will post tomorrow!

Also a new season of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" finally shows up.

Although our beloved Conchords may have left for now (thought I hate to say that I wasn't wild about their last episode...I hate when that happens!) we do have consolations!

Plus, Showtime's "Dexter" comes back at the end of this month!

It's the End of the World --Almost -- on The Science Channel!

Oh my goodness! Saw a wonderful special on The Science Channel last Sunday evening, and it looks like it will be repeated this coming Monday Sept. 10th at 9am -- not sure whether this is Eastern time or what, but you need to figure it out and record this!

It's called "Super Comet" and it's all about what would happen if a comet collided with the earth today. Two hours long, it's chockful of well-done dramatic sequences interspersed with, best of all, real scientists offering the grim facts behind the dramatics. Naturally, the scientists are the best part of the show -- god, it's so wonderful seeing amazingly smart people on TV talking about what they know -- but the fictional sequences are pretty good, too.

You can run and you darn well better hide if a comet comes a'callin' here on Earth -- whew, it won't be a nice place afterwards. For me, one of the most eerie and telling moments is when a scientist who specializes in analyzing human reactions to disasters talks about how people simply cannot fathom the level of destruction that would result from such a thing. The mind can't wrap itself around the utter annihilation which lies ahead. And of course it's one of those inevitable things that's going to happen to our little planet one of these days.

"Super Comet" was fascinating and completely riveting. I highly recommend that you record and watch it. Unless apocalyptic futures don't float your boat, of course...

Survivorman--See it on The Science Channel

Just a brief shout out to folks who might enjoy the "survivor" reality genre but hate the contrived nature of the (big broadcast TV) program that spawned the whole movement. Here is one that, as far as we can tell, really isn't smoke and mirrors. Expert nature man Les Stroud is SURVIVORMAN on the Science Channel, and he is airlifted in to remote places around the world with his backpack, his camera equipment, and that's about it. He is given a week before the helicopters come pick his much abused body out of any God forsaken swamp, desert, and who knows where the Hell it is part of the world. Because he is on his own (no crew...all camera work is his), there is a nice air of authenticity to the whole production.

I stumbled across this program accidentally and started watching it on DVR recordings. As a professional worrier, I often wonder about how I would survive in catastrophic moments like; plane crash, drought, terrorist attack, asteroid or (weirdly horrific for me, because it has never happened) bee sting. This program might not save you from any of these things, but the calm, level headed outdoor tapestry that Les weaves on his show will at least make you believe that you have a glimmer of a chance....to survive.

http://www.survivorman.ca/
http://science.discovery.com/convergence/survivorman/survivorman.html

Our Boys Will Be Back!

HBO has announced a renewal for The Flaming Nose's favorite fellas from New Zealand! Flight of the Conchords has been picked up for a second season, and at least Jane and I couldn't be happier!

I think we're both in love with Jemaine Clement -- he has that certain strange gruff but sexy quality that has always attracted us, at least hypothetically -- but his musical and comedic partner Bret McKenzie couldn't be cuter, and they are both funny as hell. And their manager Murray, played by Rhys Darby, is an extremely earnest and likable wannabe, working hard to put his boys on the map.

Comedy is an intensely personal taste, of course, and maybe Flight of the Conchords will leave you cold, but if it hits your spot, you will absolutely love it. HBO runs it all over the place so check out the links on the two previous posts about the show and check it out!

Also, HBO announced a renewal of its equally delightful Entourage for its fifth season, another reason to celebrate. If you were a fan of HBO's other new show, John from Cincinnati, well, condolences from The Nose, because that's been cancelled. HBO's obviously searching for a dramatic show with the potential to become another Sopranos , and that won't be easy.

But thanks to them for Flight of the Conchords!

White Light, Black Rain...In Response with the Next Generation

I was moved to watch White Light, Black Rain on HBO after reading Lisa's excellent review. I watched that special with mixed feelings. My Dad was a WWII veteran, and he was being sent off into the Pacific theater right before the bomb was dropped. The bomb ended the war, so instead of going off to fight in Japan, my Dad was part of the recovery crew that landed in Nagasaki, 6 months after the bomb. The pictures that I am showing here, are ones that he took after he landed.

This posting has little to do with television, and a lot to do with hope...that after such suffering (the victims of the bombing at Nagasaki/Hiroshima) there could be anything...even 60 years later...to say that would be positive on their behalf.

But here it is. Last December, my son Tommy's high school band hosted 1o0 students from another school band from Japan. Many of the band parents in Torrance California volunteered to have Japanese students stay at their homes for a couple of days, during this exchange student event. We ended up having Aya and Yuka stay with us. Between the two of them, they spoke maybe 8 words of English, and most of those words had to do with Disneyland. Tommy rallied his high school musician friends, one of whom was Japanese American and fluent in both languages. He came to our house to translate, and they all had a spontaneous band jam in my living room that first night...(trumpets, trombones, guitars...my neighbors must have hated me!) Somehow, between Tommy's fledgling Japanese, our translater friend, sign language and lots of flipping through our 800 cable channels (we actually found a Japanese language news channel for them on Time Warner cable) we were able to communicate through a 2 day visit. To be honest, it was food, and not television, that formed the most delightful bonds with our guests. It wasn't always clear what they like to watch on TV, but it was instantly clear that they loved the pizza, or fruit tree, or (biggest hit of all) Denny's cheese omelet and hash browns take out.

Aya and Yuka had an excellent visit, played wonderfully at a local concert hall and were treated like royalty by my son Tommy and his friends. Everyone exchanged email addresses, and they still keep in touch. Throughout the visit, I could not help but think...60 years ago, Tommy's grandparents, and Yuka and Aya's grandparents...were trying to destroy each other.
But you would never know it from their encounter, here in Torrance, California, just a few months ago.

White Light, Black Rain was a heart rending documentary. The world's only survivors of nuclear weapons, serve as living examples for why the world must never again come to that brink of horrific destruction. I think that kids like Tommy and Aya and Yuka...will make sure of it.

You Must Watch This Documentary

Believe me, it's not easy, and you won't feel carefree afterwards, but you must watch HBO's White Light, Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, playing this month, the 62nd anniversary of the atomic bombings of those two cities on August 6th and 9th of 1945.

Sure, that was then, and this is now, and it's a little late to debate the morality of dropping the bomb, but in light of the current state of the world, a good stiff dose of the reality of the aftermath from any contemplated "nuclear option" is certainly in order. The sheer horror of the destruction, and the overwhelming human agony which ensued, is bracing stuff. The documentary features interviews with Americans involved with the dropping of the bombs, but the most enlightening segments are the reminiscences of the actual survivors. They tell of their physical suffering, beyond all imagining, begging medical personnel to kill them, put them out of their misery. And yet today, these people are thoughtful, sad, brave, changed forever, and we should be too, after hearing their stories.

Check out the White Light, Black Rain website on HBO.com, and the schedule for additional airings.

If America craves so-called "reality" programming, well, it doesn't get more real than this.

Stay Tuned for Our Fall Preview!

The summer isn't the best time to start a blog, although thanks to the cable networks taking advantage of broadcast network reruns, we have essentially a summer season, which is a relatively new idea. Both TNT (Saving Grace) and FX (Damages) have new shows which we haven't covered yet, which probably means no Flaming Nosers have been been watching them, though Damages is sounding good and we need to catch up on it. We'll try to get something up on them (although for personal and ex-professional reasons I boycott all Turner entertainment networks except TCM so don't hold your breath! :-) ).

We've already spoken here about USA's successful Burn Notice, which has turned out to be an entertaining romp with lots of sizzling fun and which happily utilizes its veteran supporting co-stars -- the delightful Bruce Campbell and equally delightful Sharon Gless -- to great effect. It's been renewed for additional episodes, a good move, and I personally wish it all the luck in the world.

One thing I'm always a little amused by is the announcement that a show has been renewed for another season, in that a season isn't exactly what a season used to be. In the broadcast world it's still traditionally probably 22 episodes or so, but in the cable world, seasons are 13 episodes at most and sometimes less. Going the distance doesn't quite mean what it used to, does it?