I'm in love with "Flight of the Conchords" too!

FN Correspondent Jane was right on top of this one, writing a wonderful entry about HBO's incredibly delightful, utterly hilarious and totally addicting "Flight of the Conchords" here on July 8th.

I've finally caught up with and am completely smitten with the show, as is Jane, and love Jermaine more than I can say. To Jane's description of the show, which she described as part "Monkees" and part "Cop Rock", I would add I find some similarities with one of my favorite out-there British comedies, also featuring two guys and a fair bit of music, "The Mighty Boosh".

One of my favorite songs is from Episode 5, a crazy get-down song about Jermaine and his girlfriend having sex, called "Business Time"; watch the clip of it from the show, then watch the equally hilarious live concert version.

Be sure to catch up with it; you will love it and will become as obsessed as Jane and I are! Check out the show's HBO website for the schedule and you can also download the lyrics for all their amazing songs. They're also a hilarious "Bowie in Space" song where they talk about, among other things, Bowie's nipple antennae.

Stuff like this shouldn't be missed. It makes life worth living, kids.

Hoping that MAD MEN Becomes a Little Bit More Insane

MAD MEN premiered on AMC July 19th (Thursdays, 10-11pm) after weeks of multiple orgasms and fanfare from most of the nation's TV critics. While not quite as enthralled as they all seemed to be, I do think it has great potential and is certainly several notches above most summer programming. Warning: If you have recently quit smoking, do not watch this show! You'll be puffing away on those coffin nails again faster than you can flick your Bic. MAD MEN is a inside look at the dark world of Madison Avenue advertising executives in the 1960's. Everybody smoked in the 1960's. Constantly. Plus they also drank brown liquor during work lunches and even had a few snorts before important client meetings. It's a wonder any work got done at all, but they didn't have to work very hard, did they, back then when there was no competition, fragmentation, women in the workforce, or the constant pinging of email coming through your Blackberry. Those were the days.

There are many things about MAD MEN that ring true. The "frat boy" atmosphere of big business in the 60's, complete with every flavor of racism, sexism, anti-semitism and the politically incorrect blue haze of inside smoking, all feels just about right. There are also many things about MAD MEN that feel disjointed or out of place. Like the vacant Valley Girl mews of the girls in the steno pool, 30 years before and 3,000 miles away from where that particular accent was invented. Why do characters for programs set in NYC never have NY accents? Is that too much to ask? Also, I was astonished and horribly jealous to note that a "middle manager" in Manhattan in the 1960's was important enough to have a huge corner office with windows. You practically have to be running the joint to be granted that kind of corporate real estate these days.

I like the lead character (Joe Hamm playing ad exec Don Draper), although he comes across as very dark and introspective. Where is the humor and energy? One of the aspects of the ad industry venue that I have always loved in TV and film (think Tom Hanks throwing pencils up to make them stick in the ceiling in "Nothing in Common"), is the non-stop banter, rocket-like pace and creativity of that business. Ad men, then as now, had to have lightening quick wit to survive in an environment where ideas are the currency. The pace in this first episode of MAD MEN was dreamy and languid and almost devoid of that kind of energy. I hope they can speed things up a bit for future segments.

One very nice touch (thank you AMC) involved the posted ad trivia factoids in between the real commercials. I did not know that Carnival Cruise lines was the first cruise line to advertise on TV. That bit was followed by an actual spot for Carnival. A tidbit after a Geico caveman commercial informed us that the cavemen will have their own sitcom this fall.

Another One Bites the Dust

I knew the news a while back that Court TV was now under the thumbs of the folks who brought you TBS and TNT wasn't exactly good. I knew it was even worse than I first suspected when its position on the DirecTV line-up moved between those two networks, and now, with the unveiling of the new name of the network, it's possibly even worse than I suspected.

If I may quote TV Week, as follows:

July 11, 2007
Court TV Changes Name to truTV
By Jon Lafayette
Turner Broadcasting has picked truTV as the new name for Court TV.
Steve Koonin, president of Turner Entertainment Networks, said the name change reflects the network’s programming, which brings exciting, real-life stories to viewers.
The network also said it put four new projects into development in support of the new brand, including shows from Granada Television, producer of “Nanny 911”; Original Productions, co-producer of “Deadliest Catch”; Bunim/Murray Productions, creators of “The Real World”; and Tiger Aspect USA, producer of “Ms. Adventure.”
The new series follow neighbors feuding, the ski patrol and Texas oil wildcatters, all a far cry from the more cerebral legal and forensic fare for which Court TV has been known.
"The success of the Turner Entertainment Networks can be attributed in a big way to the fact that we have built strong brands that resonate with viewers," said Koonin. "With this new name, truTV joins its sister networks TNT, TBS and TCM in establishing itself a solid, identifiable brand, paving the way for continued growth."
The new name is scheduled to go into effect on Jan. 1.

Well, there goes the neighborhood. There has been a gradual slide into inanity on Court TV for a while now, with psychic investigator shows popping up more often than anything else, it seems. Is Dominick Dunne still even on the network? Maybe his show wasn't exactly hard news, but he was an urbane and intelligent host presence and at least it wasn't more of the same crappy reality programming which can now be found anywhere and everywhere on TV. (I thought I recently read that reality programming was starting to tank a bit -- I live in hope.) If the folks at Court TV thought their transition was going to be any less jarring, well, they don't know those folks at Turner. Good luck to them -- the new truTVers -- and my condolences.

(And may I also take this opportunity to correct the notion that it's their brands that are keeping TNT and TBS at the top of the ratings. Why then, would you spend tons of dough on acquiring all the biggest titles and series, or making your own? It's the programming, stupid; people watch shows, not brands, although don't expect a marketing person to ever admit that. Or don't watch shows, as in the case of TNT's new Heartland series with Treat Williams. Guess that makes the brand sick, not the show, right? Sure it does...)

Place Your Seatbacks in the Upright Position for Flight of the Conchords

FLIGHT of the CONCHORDS debuted a few weeks ago after the final episode of The Sopranos on HBO. It is currently paired with the hilarious ENTOURAGE, a spot-on half hour comedy that follows the show biz shenanigans of a youthful "frat-pack" in Hollywood. The FLIGHT is also about a couple of lads who want to get into the business, but that is where the similarity to THE ENTOURAGE ends. In this case, the boys are New Zealand folk musicians, who exist on the most thread bare fringes of New York City existence. While the boys of Entourage flaunt their designer clothes poolside in Malibu, the boys of Conchord shuffle around the not good neighborhoods of Manhattan dressed in plaid lumberjack coats and corduroy pants. Bret (the shy, easygoing bearded one) and Jermaine (the Mick Jagger lipped, glasses wearing "funny" one), are unknown, unloved and unsung. But that doesn't stop them from breaking into their own songs from time to time, which are strange, yet oddly catchy alt-folk ditties about the stress of life in the big city. Some of these songs can be downloaded off of MySpace (check it out!) and the HBO web site. Be sure to listen to Hip-Hopopotomus, which is as funny, geeky and white-boy sounding as hip-hop is ever going to get.

Bret and Jermaine are joined by other oddball regulars including their worthless and inept agent Murray (reminiscent of the loser agent on The Extras), and the somewhat disturbing Mel, who is the plain Jane, self professed "#1 fan" of the Conchords. Mel spends her days stalking Bret and Jermaine, cornering them on the street while they squirm like a couple of flies in a spider web.

FLIGHT of the CONCHORDS is part "Monkees", part "Cop Rock" with a dash of HBO quirky and three tablespoons of some flavor you've never had before mixed in. It can get a little slow at times, but for my money the program always perks up whenever Jermaine is the focus of the scene. He is fascinating in a sexy/not-sexy kind of way and very hard to ignore. The official HBO site actually describes him as looking like "an ogre who works in a library". If that doesn't make you want to tune in, I don't know what would!

Good Buzz for USA's "Burn Notice"

I haven't seen it yet, and probably you haven't either, but the first two episodes of USA Network's jazzy new spy caper series "Burn Notice" are being repeated tomorrow (Saturday) July 7th, starting at 9am.

Looks like it could be fun, and of course about the best news ever is that perennial favorite Bruce Campbell is co-starring in the series, along with Jeffrey Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar, and the always appealing Sharon Gless.

I'll have more to say after tomorrow morning's viewings, but I'm sort of set up to like this one! It takes place in Miami, which was also the setting of my favorite new series "Dexter" on Showtime, so the vibes are good. And if they show delicious food all the time, like "Dexter" did, making me insanely hungry everytime I watched the show, well, that's a bonus!

My fingers are crossed for a good show! Do try to catch it!

For more information and a complete schedule, check out the "Burn Notice" section on the USA Network website.

Another Dramatic Series Black-Out

My goodness. First it was The Sopranos controversial cut-to-black ending. This time, if you've been following FX's Rescue Me, then you know about the shocking event at the very close of this week's episode. If you missed it on Wednesday, you have a couple more chances to catch it -- tonight Friday at 11pm Eastern, and Sunday evening at 10pm Eastern. The show appears to be going on a two week hiatus but will be back after that.

There's a viewers guide that you can download which might be useful if you've missed any of the show, and even if you're a captivated fan from day one, it's a great resource. It's a little too heavy on production personnel bios rather than show background, but take a look. Be warned: it's an 80MB download. I know that Flaming Nose correspondent Jane is a huge fan; we haven't spoken about this latest episode yet, but oh, my.... If you've any doubts that you should be watching, read her earlier appreciation of the first episode of this season.

If you want to play catch-up, the three previous seasons of Rescue Me are all available on DVD now. I think you will be hooked, but be aware that the language is delightfully salty and often explicity and hilariously sexual. If you've a delicate sensibility you have been warned.

-- lisa

Rescue Me 2007, Episode 1

I've been waiting for someone to blog about Rescue Me to I could send in comments about it, but alas, no one has contributed. I will offer my comments in bullet point format as I don't have the energy for sparkling prose tonight.

WHAT I LOVED ABOUT IT:

• Anything in the firehouse venue including the hockey vs basketball argument, the endless comic banter, the return of the chief with pizzas in hand, but excluding the new boring silver haired guy who wants to talk about propane.
• The outstanding special effects, element of surprise and edge of your seat drama of the exploding house and multiple cat rescue.
• The music...consistently weird and memorable throughout.

WHAT I HATED ABOUT IT:

• Any scene with the horrible, selfish, annoying and endlessly boring ex-wife.
• Any scene with the new plastic doll baby.
• Any scene with the horrible teenage daughter who takes after her mother.
• The stupid girl who saved Tommy Gavin. And I hate her dumb purple dress from Barneys.

I didn't really mind Tatum O'Neil and her porn obsession, but I wish they'd give her some better lines. It needs more focus on Kenny, he's the funniest guy on the series and always the most realistic.

Kind of a mixed beginning, but hope springs eternal that they'll iron out the wrinkles as the season goes along.

Rescue Me Returns

Those of you who live in NY or LA, may have noticed some interesting billboards trumpeting the return of Rescue Me on fX (Wednesday, 6-13-07 at 10pm). Am I the only one who thinks that Denis Leary is channeling the giant mother bug from the movie "Alien" in this picture? The long, muscular neck...the mouth opened wide enough to swallow almost an entire human. And those teeth! All it needs is a gooey strand of poisonous alien drool, dripping from his chin and ready to burn a hole through the deck of his fire engine. I'm not sure if it means that Rescue Me is going to have a sci-fi flavor this season, but boy-oh-boy, does Denis have an extra long neck. Stay tuned for the first episode Nose Fans!

Woke Up This Morning, Had a Blue Moon in my Eyes

And so, after months of anticipation, speculation and enough verbal ejaculation to sink Tony Soprano's boat the Stugots, the final episode of what is considered the greatest TV drama ever comes to an end.

It had all the elements we've come to love and expect from this series. Another funeral filled with steaming mounds of pasta and "waddayagonna do?". An SUV exploded spectacularly, with Bob Dylan moaning in the background, "it's alright, Ma...I'm only bleeding". Even while it was all happening, I was already mourning the end of the best lines in the world. Paulie says..."You can take 2007 and give it back to the Indians!". Oh how I am going to miss the non-stop flickering parade of current events and cultural references marching by just underneath the main action on the screen. Terrorism! Little Italy has turned into Chinatown! AJ is going to join the army and go to Afghanistan! Where else are we going to find a scene like tonight, where the Soprano soldiers are holed up in their safe house with an old TV show playing in the background. And while we watch the final episode of the Sopranos, we hear the soothing sounds of the Twilight Zone and they are saying, "TV is looking for talent and quality...talent and quality, and good writing!".

Where else, across 800 channels and 9 billion websites, are we going to find, outside of an independent film or two, such breath taking cinematography. Who wouldn't love the artistry of Tony meeting with Phil's henchmen in the wherehouse. Here, in our living rooms we've got, not Citizen Kane in Xanadu with his mile long oak dining table. Here we have Tony and the guys, sitting on white plastic lawn chairs in a cavernous garage. The detritus of their "off the back of the truck" lives, a jumble of giant tires and boxes, formed a beautiful backdrop to their crumbling moments of power.

In the end, it wasn't television, it wasn't even HBO, it was all about the movies. The Sopranos was a movie, chopped up into pieces and fed to our hungry eyes over an eight year stretch. And now, all other media, TV and film alike, have to be measured against its brilliance. Tonight we waited to see who would live and who would die. We watched a New Jersey family, order dinner in a roadside diner, while an annoying Journey song played on the jukebox. We watched because anything could happen. Well of course, in this post 911 world, anything COULD happen to any of us, at any time and for no particular reason at all.

Five minutes to go before the end of the final episode. We waited for their food to come. We waited for Meadow to figure out how to parallel park. We waited and prayed for the high pitched wailing of the Journey song to end. And we wondered. Why is that guy sitting at the counter staring at Tony, and is he going to pull a Michael Corleone when he comes back from the bathroom?

We waited...and then...just...nothing. Black. Not even fade to black. No sound, no picture, just gone.

And while I fumbled with my remote, thinking the cable had gone out, I finally got the joke. Now, we are all left to wonder eternally. What did happen to that Russian guy in the woods? Will Miami Steve ever come out of a coma so he can play in the next Springsteen tour with the real New Jersey Boss? Will Carmella ever become a great real estate agent? And for me, what the heck is it that David Chase has about animals, anyway? From mallard ducks in the swimming pool to black bears in suburbia, to Tony's beautiful race horse. Even tonight, an orange cat had a prominent role. Thank God it wasn't whacked.

Bravo, Mr. Chase. You ended it just like a movie. But please don't do a sequel. There will never be a higher note to go out on, than this. What an exhilarating finale to a phenomenal show. It's finished. But it will never be over.

Arrevederci, Tone. I'm sure gonna miss ya. Sunday nights will never be the same.

Television Anytime, Anywhere

Friday afternoon I was sitting at my desk when I got an email message from my sister saying she was about to watch the launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis on the NASA cable TV channel. I had a moment of sadness thinking I was going to miss it. My work day still had another couple of hours to go, and I didn't have access to a television. Then I realized, there was another way to see this event. The Fox News Channel regularly covers shuttle launches, even though most of the other networks have abandoned the space program and seldom cover it unless there is a disaster. I went to the Fox News website on my laptop, and sure enough they planned to cover the entire launch by picking up the NASA feed and running it as streaming video. I watched Atlantis take off while sitting at my desk. Even though it was just a little square on my laptop screen, the sound was great and the picture was glorious.

This is the world of wonder that we are living in....not only that there are space shuttles, but that you can watch them head for the sky from a TV, or a computer or even a cell phone. Increasingly, television is available to us anywhere, whether it's coming from the back of a seat on a Jet Blue airplane, or an iPod. Last Friday afternoon, television came through a laptop, bringing an astronaut's view of the entire world into a windowless office.