Month: May 2010

Jukebox the Ghost Light Themselves On Fire At Bowery Ballroom

Last night Miniature Tigers, Jukebox the Ghost, and Free Energy played to an incredibly packed Bowery Ballroom. Miniature Tigers were the opener, and they succeeded in warming up the crowd for the main event with their unique beats. Next was Jukebox the Ghost, who played the best set I have ever seen from them since my first performance of theirs at Knitting Factory (back when it was still on Leonard St). They played a good mix of old and new tunes, with a cover thrown in the middle. They began with Static and ended with Good Day (which seems to be their classic final piece). The cover I mentioned was Donna Lewis “I Love You Always Forever”, which they gave a fresh feeling to that made the song their own. They also played the classics “Hold It In” and “Victoria” (among others) and some new stuff as well. It was announced that the band has signed with Yep Rock Records and the new album will be released early September. For all the latest news be sure to follow the band on their Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter. I also recently discovered their last.fm page, which elicited possibly a little too much excitement. For me, it showed how big these guys are getting and the bright future they have ahead. After the show, I told Ben about that possibly being the best set ever and how I wasn’t just saying that because of a bias I have for the band. One of the other things I love about them (besides their music) is ever since that day we talked after the Union Square show I have been able to talk to some of the members (and those surrounding them) at every show I have been to. (Note: I have been to almost every show they have played in NYC since that first time I heard them). This isn’t about being crowned #1 Fan though. This is to try to share something special I found out there in the music world. Don’t want to take my word for it? Then find out for yourself. The next date in the area is July 13th at 92Y (which would make it a smaller show than the Bowery one). Although this date has not been posted on the website, it was announced at the show last night. (Anyone affiliated with the band can feel free to correct me if I heard this wrong).

Going back to last night’s show, the final act for the night was Free Energy. This was the only band I had never heard before, but they definitely lived up to their name. There was plenty of energy from both the stage and the audience. It was a great end to what I would describe as a lively and energetic night. I’ve never walked away from a show feeling both energized and exhausted before, but that was what happened last night. I wonder if that’s how the bands who perform feel as well? Anyone who wants to provide an answer to that one can either leave a comment or email me at munchkin275@hotmail.com.

Blockbuster vs Netflix

I track this blog daily, and I know some of you find me via Twitter, which just adds to my ever-growing love for the thing. If any of you follow Whedonesque, you will likely recognize this post from them today.

The Thursday Quote – Topher:”I’m obsolete. This must be what old people feel like.. and Blockbuster. “

After which you probably laughed and thought “It’s funny cause it’s true.” And in my case decided it warranted a blog post about how Netflix changed the movie rental business. You see, Blockbuster was great for its time, but I find more and more people are using Netflix now. The one good thing I can say about Blockbuster was you could rent as many movies as you wanted at one time and my family shared one card. If you want to rent enough movies at once to have an all-night marathon, then Netflix might not be for you. That is not normal consumption though. Normally you want to rent one or two movies at once, which works with Netflix. And if you want to do this process frequently enough, paying a monthly fee becomes a lot cheaper than renting all those movies individually. Add the “instant watching” feature and you have got yourself a great deal. That last point especially made my switch to Netflix money well-spent. I realize Blockbuster also has an online component now, but I compared the two and still found Netflix to be better. Sorry Blockbuster, but Topher was right – you are obsolete.

Tucker & Dale vs Evil

The first time I heard of the movie “Tucker & Dale” it was because one of my favorite actors (Alan Tudyk) was in it. Tudyk was in Firefly and made a few guest appearances on Dollhouse, so if I see he is in something new I always want to check it out. After reading about the movie and watching the trailer, I fell in love with the whole idea.

“Tucker & Dale” is a twist on every horror movie you’ve ever seen. Geoff Carter even called it America’s answer to “Shaun of the Dead” – which is an extremely well done spoof/homage to the genre. “Tucker & Dale” has been making the festival circuit and has some buzz from the international market, but America has not signed on yet. It would be a shame if it didn’t get picked up here, simply because there is obvious potential for a cult following here.

So, how do we make this happen? Spread the word! Whether it is posting the trailer online or just telling your friends about it. The more people who show interest in this, the better chance they have of finding someone who is interested. You can also follow “Tucker & Dale” on Facebook and Twitter.

24: 2-4pm recap

The following was written in real-time (for the most part). Somehow it seemed appropriate. Needless to say, it is chock full of SPOILERS so if you haven’t watched the episode yet then you should probably stop here and fix that IMMEDIATELY. For the rest of you, hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

This is it folks. The moment we have all been waiting for. No, I don’t mean the series finale of Lost – that was last night. Nope, tonight we say goodbye to Jack Bauer and the rest of Team 24.

Last week ended with the massacre of a lot of Russians by our anti-hero, Jack Bauer. We pick up with CTU getting the report on that and Cole finding the guy Jack had been working with now that he and CTU were no longer on speaking terms.

Things I will miss about 24: Chloe’s snarky remarks to people that obviously have subtext asking “Why are you such an idiot?” to every stupid person she comes across.

Cole gets the intel he needs from Guy-whose-name-I-never-bothered-to-find-out and goes to meet Chloe at the UN to help with security. “We cannot let Jack assassinate the Russian President,” he tells her. No frickin DUH, Cole. Hence the you being there to stop it.

Meanwhile President Taylor is in some pretty hot water now. Like way over her head, boiling her alive type deal. She has figured out that this conspiracy goes all the way to the Russian President. This does not sit well with her. Shoulda thought of that before you worked your deal with the Devil, eh Madam President. As annoyed as I am at her, I realize the Devil in this case is a tricky son-of-a-gun. I’m glad we brought Logan back for the final season. He and his aide are both played by extraordinary actors (Gregory Itzin and Reed Diamond respectively) who have lit up the screen these past few weeks.

Back to the show though – Daughter Hassan passes on the message from Meredith to Mrs. Hassan. Mommy is skeptical but still willing to call her and see what she has to say.

Cheer moment #1 goes to Chloe – when she threatens to send the file with the evidence regarding the Russian’s involvement to every media outlet in the nation. That’ll put President Taylor in her place. And possibly get Chloe arrested. Oh well, that just means Jack can bail her out during the pending movie.

Jack has Jason PIllar held at gunpoint and is using him to get through security at the UN. Pillar notices Jack is bleeding, and is just as doubtful as I was that Jack would actually live long enough to carry out his mission. “Not if you stitch me up first, Jason!” Ha! Proof Reed Diamond is an exceptional actor – he plays a shady politician and yet we still kinda feel sorry for him when he is begging for his life. Give the man a gold star! Apparently Jack felt sorry for him too, because he spares his life and knocks him out instead.

Back at HQ, Mrs Hassan can’t get in touch with Meredith, so she goes in search of answers on her own. Who does she turn to for these answers? Why her trusted colleague President Taylor of course! Go ahead and try to keep a straight face as you pretend you don’t know what she is talking about. Or pretend that the accusations are unfounded. That could work too. If by “work” we mean work to make me hate you more. Mrs Hassan and I are both very disappointed in you. We might never speak to you again as long as we live. Of course with the show ending that won’t really be that hard to do. Cheer moment #2 – Mrs Hassan telling her to shove it and shutting down the peace negotiations now that this evidence has come to light. You go girl! Put her in her place. But *le gasp* is that our President using blackmail to keep her from backing out of the treaty? And we thought Jack had gone round the bend. I was trying to see things from her point of view and say she was stuck between a rock and a hard place thanks to Logan but this is going too far. I really hoped you would come around back to the Good Side Of The Force, but it’s not looking so good at this point.

Speaking of our buddy Jack Bauer, he’s sneaking around like the super spy he is and working his way towards the perfect vantage point for a little duck shooting. I hear Russian duck is especially game this time of year. Chloe has his location though, so he’s not in the all clear yet. She’s even packing some firepower thanks to Cole. Chloe with a gun? Sounds pretty badass to me. Tear moment for the night – Jack making his goodbye video to person we assume is Kim, telling his side of the story for when he can’t do so in person. Awww shucks, Jack. Don’t you know you have to be the star of the film? They sold the movie rights, so you gotta live!

And the awkward sauce award goes to President Taylor and Mrs Hassan greeting the Russian President. They all have to try to paste smiles on their faces and be all diplomatic and stuff, each of them knowing the whole awful truth of the matter. Mrs Hassan should get the Nobel Peace Prize for not ripping off his head right then and there. It was kinda comical the speech on honesty and trust we got right before the signing. Maybe she should also get an award for not laughing during the press conference. I know I was cracking up at that point.

But back to more important and uber tense things – like Chloe with a gun! I don’t know why this got me all nervous and excited, but it did. Jack was one step ahead of her though, and grabbed her inside before she could make a move. She tries to reason with him and show him there is a better way. What she gets for her friendship? Well she gets to live and just be passed out in a corner instead of a bullet to the head. Yay, friendship? Still, I couldn’t help but be excited at the idea he had a sniper rifle pointed at Logan’s head. How can you stay mad at the person who is going to potentially exterminate the biggest snake ever?!

And so the Big American Snake calls the Russian Snake and lures him into Bauer’s trap. Chloe continues to try talking sense to Jack, but he is just not hearing any of it. Time is running out on Jack’s plan though, because Cole has called in his location – and kept the shoot-to-kill order. I applaud Chloe for her continued pleas for Jack to stop and think about what he is doing, but I really had my doubts it would work. Of course pulling out the Renee-wouldn’t-have-wanted-this card, that completely changes things. Guess if anyone was going to talk sense to Jack, it was going to be Chloe. They are the only two remaining from the original series. It is only fitting they work together in the final moments. And if working together entails one shooting the other – well what’s a little gunshot wound between friends? The writers really seemed to work overtime in trying to make us doubt Jack would make it through these last two hours alive. Guess they didn’t want knowledge of the movie to take away from the tension the show was famous for.

Logan calls Pillar and tells him about the data card that implicates them in working with the Russians. As Pillar searches Chloe for said data card, I go back to hating him as a character and loving him as an actor all at the same time. I also love Chloe ten times more for being clever enough to stash it in her phone. Pillar – you got played son. Oh and while we’re at it, Jack would like to chew your ear off for a minute there. That would be cheer moment #I-officially-lost-count. It took a little longer than Lost but I knew it would happen eventually. Cheers are short-lived though, as Chloe is caught before she has a chance to do anything with the data. It was a valiant effort though. I salute you, Chloe.

The recording ends up in Logan’s hands, as he declares to President Taylor that they have won and it is over. He also says Jack Bauer will never let this go, which is what I was thinking when he said this was over. This will never be over as long as Jack is out there to fight them. Logan paints some scary picture to try to convince Taylor they should execute Jack. “Don’t do it!” I yell at her. “Stop him!” Taylor lets him go, but watches the data file and SURPRISE it is the message that I assumed was for Kim. So where is the taped convo we heard from before? Whatever happened, the message seems to have come through loud and clear, because President Taylor can’t go through with the signing. Instead she finally comes clean and puts an end to this farce of a peace treaty. She then jumps into actions in an attempt to warn them that Jack’s life is in danger. Thank God she finally came to her senses, even though it happens way late in the game. Too bad she didn’t have her epiphany moment sooner though, because Jack has already been abducted.

Surprised at Taylor’s sudden moment of enlightenment? Well there are more surprises ahead. Because Logan is not happy that everything has unraveled. You think his response is going to be to take it out on Bauer? Well you would be WRONG. Nope, instead he takes out PIllar and then puts the gun on himself. So if you were taking bets then you got points for Logan getting shot but lost them since Jack wasn’t the one to do the deed. (Although you could argue he blamed Jack for everything and was therefore indirectly responsible, but that would be a really weak argument in my book).

So now the race is on to find Jack before he gets snuffed out for good. And the only people who could have been tortured for info are dead (or at least brain dead). Drat! Just when it looks like Jack should be saying his final prayers, President Taylor somehow gets in contact with the people assigned to do the deed and stop them in literally the final seconds. Don’t you think you were cutting it a little close there, Prez? Taylor has her mea culpa moment on the phone with Jack, and I actually feel a little sorry for her – but only a little. She tells him he has to leave the country because both the Russian and American governments are still looking for him. And so our anti-hero is cast out from the country he has served for untold years. Before vanishing into the night, Jack thanks Chloe for all her help – not just today but since the moment she joined him at CTU. The final clock counted backwards to zero, which I thought was quite fitting.

Overall I was quite satisfied with the series finale 24 gave us. It wasn’t exactly happily-ever-after, but that is rarely the case with this show. The main problem was eliminated with its usual ramifications left behind. That’s as it should be. Jack will presumably go into hiding until whatever threat comes up in the movie flushes him out again. Or maybe the movie will be about the manhunt that will inevitably follow after the days events. Only time will tell.

So, what did you think of the finale? Satisfied? Disappointed? Sound off with your comments below.

Lost – The End

The following was written as the show progressed, in an attempt to make the writer’s life just a little easier. It is chock full of SPOILERS and lots of commentary. You get the honest to goodness first reactions to the events as they happened. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed the process. There are no concluding remarks at the end, as my brain really couldn’t process much more once it was finished. Maybe I’ll write more after a second viewing in a couple days. For now, sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.

This is it. The moment we have all been waiting for. After 6 years investing our hearts and lives into this show, we have now come to The End of Lost. The finale was quite extensive, but I’m going to try my best to write as coherent a recap as I possibly can.

In Sideways world, Desmond has busted Kate and Sayid out of jail. Sayid has gone with Hurley while Kate has stayed with Desmond, who is going to give her a bit of Enlightenment.

Back on the Island, Jack is fresh from his own brand of Enlightenment, with Jacob passing on the Island torch to him. The stakes: protect the Light or it will be the end for all of them. Hurley says, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” Ya think?! After the scene with the submarine blowing up earlier this season I won’t put anything past these writers. Expect the unexpected, is what I say. Boy was I right about that.

Sideways Hurley telling Sayid, “if you stick with me you’ll be happy you did” made me think of our relationship with Lost. We have stuck with this show for 6 years, and now is the time where we get to be happy we did.

On the Island, Smokey and Sawyer are both looking for Desmond at the well, but he has somehow found himself with Rose and Bernard. Oh, and their little dog Vincent too. Looks like we really are bringing everyone back for the big finish. Smokey finds where they are hiding and tells Desmond to come with him or Rose and Bernard will die. He cooperates in exchange for their guaranteed safety.

So Desmond goes with Smokey and Ben to the next phase of “the plan”. When I saw that Ben was still in contact with Miles and hadn’t actually abandoned them I did a little cheer – and then quickly got my head back in the game.

In Sideways world, Miles is heading to the concert that Drive Shaft is supposed to give. I predict all of Sideways world will be at this concert for a huge dose of Enlightenment before we are through. (Was kinda sorta right on this point). Jin and Sun seem to have their moment when Juliet is examining Sun and the baby though. It had to have been incredibly weird for Sun watching she and Jin die in the final flashes of her memory. Still, it was great seeing them suddenly know how to speak English perfectly and using that as a merging of the two worlds.

Back on the Island, the pieces are set up and it is established that everyone is going to the Cave of Wonders for a final showdown. Switching from Island Jack planning on killing Locke to Sideways Jack working to save Locke was quite a transition. They are approaching it from different angles, but both versions are ultimately going to accomplish the same thing. Their versions of Locke are broken in different ways and they are going to fix them. Does that mean merging the two together? Keep reading to find out.

Hooray moment #2 – Frank is still alive! And he is going to fly them all off the island! Hooray!

Back to the main story though – Jack and Smokey face off. Jack looks him dead in the eye and says “I’m gonna kill you. “How are you going to do that?” Smokey asks. “It’s a surprise,” Jack replies. *gets chills* That was almost Cheer Moment #3, but not quite. The real “Hooray” comes when he actually does it. For now it was more of a *gasp*

Sideways world gives us our own *gasp* with Juliet being the mother of Jack’s child. They are all planning on going to the Drive Shaft concert as a little not-quite-perfect family.

Back on the island, I couldn’t help but think the Island brought us to the Light a little too soon. That was until Desmond basically confirmed going into the Light was going to bring them to Sideways world and their own bit of Enlightenment. Then I figured the rest of it had to be the merging of the two worlds. Desmond seems to be the thing connecting the two worlds together. By him going into the Light, it will somehow trigger this merging of the worlds. Or so I thought.

Sideways world gives us back Shannon and Boone, and in that moment also gives Sayid his Enlightenment. Now he can have his second chance. It also brings us one step closer to that merger I just talked about. And back on the Island Desmond is being lowered into the Light to really get this party started.

Speaking of parties, there certainly are a lot of familiar faces at that party/concert that we’ve been gearing up for. Aww shucks moment #I-don’t-even-know-anymore = Charlotte and Dan Faraday meeting in Sideways world. Every couple that meets in this world makes me melt a little more. And it looks like Drive Shaft doesn’t wait till the end to put in their appearance. (Sidebar – damn Faraday is a good piano player). And awww to Charlie and Claire staring at each other when he gets on stage. They were one of my all-time favorite couple on this show. It made Charlie dying even harder.

Island Desmond steps into the Light (literally) and makes Enlightenment look way more painful than the Sideways world had made it seem. Just when you think he will be torn apart, the Light goes out. And then it looks like a lock being opened and I-don’t-even-know-how-to-decribe-it. What the hell did I just witness?! Brain = overloaded. (Maybe that’s how Desmond feels?) Whatever it was just made it so Smokey could bleed – almost like it turned him human. Did Desmond walking into the Light somehow counter Smokey’s powers? Like maybe there is a balance in the universe now? You’ll just have to stay tuned to find out.

Back to Sideways world – Claire’s moment with Charlie seems to have triggered her labour. Everyone say it with me – Of course it has! And how appropriate that Kate is the one there to help her deliver the baby. That doesn’t sound familiar at all? *note the sarcasm* The whole thing makes me believe in fate more than ever – and brings the two a little piece of Enlightenment. And then when Charlie joins the picture – forget about it. No – remember! Everything! Charlie remembers Claire and we all get the moment we’ve wanted since the day Charlie died – the idea they will actually get to be a picture-perfect family and live happily ever after.

Things aren’t nearly as peachy on the island though. As Sideways world gets pieced together, the island starts falling apart. No one said paradise would be easy to reach though, did they? Oh, and hello there Jack and Locke. Them facing off makes my heart stop a little, and I wonder if I will live long enough to post this massive blog I have written. Their fight is purely primal, and sends us back to the early days of man. It is a woman who will save Jack from a knife to the throat though – more specifically Kate. Locke takes a tumble off the cliff and we wave bye-bye.

Sideways world seems to be merging even more, as the cut on Jack’s neck appears in this world as well. And Locke wakes up, knowing that “it worked” – almost as if his two selves had merged as well. And in that moment Locke has his Enlightenment, remembering the first time he walked on the island. Jack starts to remember a little too, even though he tries to fight it. He hurries off quite shaken (which I would be too if the same had happened to me).

Island Jack isn’t doing so good either though. He has quite the stab wound to contend with. Although he claims he’ll be fine, this viewer isn’t convinced.

Moments that make me smile: Frank giving Miles duct tape (!) to fix the plane. Thus proving my theory that duct tape can fix ANYTHING. He and Ben also get the exchange of the night:

Frank: Don’t bother me
Ben: Sounds like they’re making progress.

Love it! “Don’t bother me” is what we all say to our friends when they try to talk to us during Lost. And we always finish each week thinking we are “making progress”.

It is all happening too fast. Ben is saying “If the island is going down, I’m going down with it” and Jack and Kate are proclaiming their love for each other and I am just done at this point. If you thought it was hard following this review before, then you better hold on because we still have a long way to go before this thing comes in for its final landing.

Whew, ok, I think I’ve composed myself enough to continue. It’s hard when Miles gives me lines like this though:

“I don’t believe in a lot of things, but I do believe in duct tape”

Going back to the actually story though, Sawyer seems to be the only one left in Sideways world who is totally and utterly confused here. He is left wandering the hospital in this state of mind when he runs into none other than Juliet. They get their little flash of Enlightenment and Sawyer is no longer the odd-man-out. Again I say it must be weird for these people seeing the death scenes of them and their partners. It is hard to imagine just how that would feel, but the cast all did a great job of conveying it convincingly enough.

The Enlightenment continues when Kate and Jack run into each other at what remains of the party. Jack is still resisting, but Kate is going to help complete the process.

Meanwhile, Island Jack is embracing his destiny by throwing himself down into the Cave to complete his part in protecting the island. Before he goes he passes the job onto Hurley (who, if you remember, had previously said he was glad it wasn’t him when Jack got the job in the first place). They perform the same ritual that has been tradition from the beginning, and with that Hurley is the new Island Guardian.

Cheer Moment #I-stopped-counting-at-this-point goes to Jack’s line to Desmond, “I’ll see you in another life brother.” We are realizing here that while the island has huge implications, at the same time it doesn’t really matter what happens here or who survives – we’ll see them in another life.

And so we end as we began – with a bunch of people on a plane heading for they-don’t-know-what. They fly off just as the island starts breaking up beneath them. They will live together somewhere, while Jack will die alone on the island.While this sounds rather sad, the scene they paint for us is really quite beautiful. Somehow we are left knowing that this is what Jack was meant to do all along. This is how things are supposed to be.

Sideways world ties it all together in the most beautiful way possible. The scene with Locke and Ben – well, words just can’t even describe. Ben apologizing for what he did and explaining himself, and then Locke forgiving him for everything. Nope, words can’t describe how perfect that felt. Just like there are no words for John getting out of the chair and walking into the church where the other Enlightened Losties were.

Island Ben gets some good final moments too. He guides Hurley along in the learning process that is “what-the-hell-do-we-do-now”. Wish we had something like that here in our post-Lost world.

We still have one final piece of the puzzle before we can wrap this up though. Sideways Jack is ever so slowly working his way towards Final Enlightenment. As he touches the casket his father is to be buried in, it all comes rushing back to him. The first person to be introduced to us is the last one to be Island Enlightened. It seems rather fitting. Nothing could have prepared me for the conversation with his father. Dad tells him he is dead and so is everyone else and SURPRISE Sideways world is what we can possibly interpret as heaven, paradise, whatever-you-want-to-call-it. I could never have imagined a more perfect finish to this show. I never would have believed I’d be happy to see an entire cast die, but really everyone dies at some point (as Christian points out to Jack). And despite all the challenges the island presented, they were happiest when they were together. Now they can live happily-ever-after for all eternity. Can I get an Amen? If the island was purgatory, then they have finally reached their final resting place. And as the Light pours throughout the church, encompassing them all, I am left completely satisfied.

Doctor Who – Vampires of Venice

Last week The Doctor took Amy back home after their adventure with the Weeping Angels. This week brings us to that same night before her wedding. The Doctor gets Amy’s future husband, Rory, to try to sort them out. He sends them both to Venice for the biggest date ever. Little does he know that there are Vampires in Venice.

I loved the giddy reaction Amy and The Doctor had upon discovering the vampires. And poor Rory totally doesn’t know how to handle the situation. The scenario kinda reminded me of Torchwood and the dynamic with Jack, Gwen, and Rhys. Jack and Gwen had a working relationship that Rhys never really understood and at times was jealous of because of the fact that they shared things he was not a part of. The same seems to be the case here with Amy and The Doctor. It’s nothing that threatens the engaged couple, but Rory (like Rhys) is still somewhat jealous of what they share and the fact he is not a part of it. Yes, there were moments in both cases where it looked like there might be something to be jealous of but that was never the case.

The speech Rory gives about The Doctor not knowing how dangerous he is to the people who are with him hurt more than he could possibly realize. The Doctor most certainly does have an idea how dangerous he can be, which is why he traveled without a companion for awhile. After what happened with Rose and Donna he did not want that to happen to anyone else. I’m not sure what changed his mind and made him decide to take Amy along. He probably just got lonely and convinced himself it would be alright this time.

Going back to the actually story though – turns out the “vampires” are really fish from space. More specifically, they are aliens from Saturn 9. They were running from the cracks that have been popping up everywhere this season. Rosanna asks for a partnership with The Doctor. Reasons why I love The Doctor – this answer: “I’m a Time Lord. You’re a big fish. Think of the children”

So now The Doctor and company have to stop the fish from space before they take over Venice. Super! Yet again The Doctor sends Amy off to the TARDIS when things get too dangerous. I know part of this was b/c of what Rory said but he’s been doing a similar thing all season. And just like in the past, Amy doesn’t listen to a word The Doctor says. Amy picked an equally foolish fellow to marry when she got engaged to Rory though. I get he wants to protect his girl but some of the stuff he tried was just plain stupid. He’s lucky he didn’t get himself killed. It kinda reminded me of when Mickey was on the show in the Rose years. He would eventually become quite brave and clever though, so maybe there is hope for Rory too.

Back to the vampires, I mean, space fish – The Doctor is his usual amazing self and does the thing where he saves the day yet again. The sun shines, the birds sing, and everyone cheers – yippee! Well, not everyone is happy. Rosanna gives The Doctor some guilt trip about another dead race being on his hands that kinda puts a damper on things. We also get a preview for what looks to be an amazing second half of the season.

This week’s Doctor Who Confidential gave us a look at the location where they shot most of the episode. It also showed us some of the research they used to get the story just right. If you enjoy all that behind-the-scenes stuff then this is something you’re definitely going to want to check out.

Doctor Who won’t be on next week, but it will return June 5th with a seemingly super tense episode. So hold onto your sonic screwdrivers, kids. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.

Pac Man 30th Anniversary

In celebration of Pac Man’s 30th Anniversary, Google has a special feature on its page. Just go to google.com and you can play Pac Man right on the home page. Be sure to get your geek moment in before the opportunity goes away. Because once it’s gone, you can’t get it back. (Well I guess you could just play somewhere else, but what fun would that be?)

Lost Recap – What They Died For

Warning: the following should not be viewed by those who don’t want to be spoiled on tonight’s Lost.

Last week we kinda took a break from the main story to get the back story for Jacob and MIB. This week we went back to the island and the remaining survivors of the awful submarine explosion that took half of our group away.

We start in Sideways land with Jack getting a call from Desmond claiming to be from Oceanic Airlines and saying they found his father’s coffin. Sideways world is mostly going to be Desmond coming in contact with everyone else from the flight and trying to get them to remember their Island lives. He even goes as far as to turn himself in for running over Locke so he can get near Sayid and Kate. His story ends with him, Kate, and Sayid escaping their imprisonment with the help of Hurley. Sayid goes with Hurley to we-don’t-know-where while Kate seems to be going to the concert Desmond set up with Charlie, but we aren’t 100% sure. All we know is they are going to a concert and this made the most sense to me.

Over in Island World, we see Ben for the first time in I-can’t-remember-how-long. When someone asked me “what ever happened to him?” I honestly had some false memory in my head of him dying. Oops? Turns out he really had been wandering the island with Miles and Richard (another person whom I had wondered what had happened to). They have a run-in with Witmore, who tells them that he was sent to the island by Jacob to stop Smoke Monster. Speaking of Smokey, he enlists Ben’s help in making a few people dead. First order of business: confront Charles Witmore. Whitmore whispers something to Smokey just before Ben shoots him dead. Apparently the killing isn’t going to stop there, but we will have to wait till next week to see what Smokey’s next move is.

On the other side of the scale, Jacob is back for what looks like could be the final time. He gathers the remains of the group together to share some things with them before he is gone for good. This speech wouldn’t have had as much meaning if it wasn’t for the back story we got last week (nor would the scene where Jacob has Jack drink from the cup before showing him the Light). He mentions how this is his fault due to his mistake (and we now know he means that he created the Smoke Monster). He also shared with the group why he chose them all. He said they needed the island just as much as the island needed them. Whoever replaces Jacob is going to have to protect the Light and kill Smokey. He is not going to choose which one it is though. He wants them to have the choice that he didn’t, so he is going to let them make the decision for themselves. Jack volunteers immediately, saying this is what he’s “supposed to do”. So Jacob takes Jack to show him what he will be guarding for the rest of his life, or as Jacob puts it, “for as long as you can”.

We end with Smokey explaining that Witmore told him Desmond is a fail safe created by Jacob in case the candidates all die, and he is going to use Desmond to destroy the Island. This brings us to the final episode, which airs this Sunday. If you want to watch the pilot and remember how it all started, that will air just before the finale. It looks like a lot of big things are going to happen, so make sure you tune in for our final hours on the island of Lost.

Edit: As was pointed out, I got my signals crossed a bit. There is a special airing just before the finale. The pilot airs Saturday at 8pm. Thanks for keeping me honest, friend.

24: 1-2pm

Sorry for the late post here, but it’s been a crazy last couple of days. Due to that fact, this will be a shorter recap than usual. There will still be some spoilers though, as is the nature of the beast, so viewer discretion is advised.

First notable event of the evening: Logan tries to convince President Taylor to stop the story that Jack has given to the reporter, but Taylor seems to be seeing the error of her ways. She definitely is not happy with Logan when they are discussing the matter. “I never should have let you do this!” she screams in frustration. This doesn’t seem to stop her from following Logan’s advice though. Maybe she has realized what she has been doing is wrong, but she is in too deep now and it is too late for her to stop. That must be her thought process anyway.

Meanwhile Reed (the reporter) calls the story that Jack gave her in to her publisher. And Jack gets ready to take Logan down. I expected lots of torture to be involved here but Logan was too scared of Jack for it to get that far. Still, it was great seeing Logan practically in tears being so scared of Jack when Bauer first captures him. At the same time, the image of Jack with the mask and own personal arsenal was quite frightening. If you didn’t already know it, you would finally have realized how completely gone Jack is. I’m not saying he is wrong for going after these men, but you can tell the situation is justification for him to get revenge for Renee’s death. Logan squeals like a little girl and gives Jack the name of the Russian who was behind all of the day’s events. Jack surprisingly takes the info and runs without killing Logan. Signs of restraint or just didn’t want to get caught? Either way it made me think that maybe he wasn’t completely gone. That was until we saw the end result of his next move.

Jack’s next move was for the Russian who’s name I’m not even going to try to spell out here. He can just be known here as The Russian. When making his move, Jack gets stabbed by one of The Russian’s men. It’s only enough to complicate things without being instantly fatal though.

This week ended with Reed getting arrested by the FBI. This wasn’t until after telling Hassan’s daughter that she had important evidence to give to Mrs. Hassan. Hopefully the daughter does the right thing and tells her mother before it is too late.

And finally, we end on a shot that looks like a massacre happened. The Russian and all his men are dead. Apparently he didn’t say anything, just came in shooting, but we only get a secondhand account. So much for Jack not being completely gone. If this was about bringing people to justice then he should have brought them in for questioning. I realize being a rogue agent this would be hard, but “shoot first, ask questions never” really wasn’t the way to go here. Logan calls the Russian President to warn him, but Jack has bugged Logan’s shirt collar and hears everything. Next week we’ll probably see him use this information, but only if he doesn’t bleed to death first. It looks like that wound is getting worse. Will time run out on Jack before he finishes his mission? Tune in next week to find out.

Desperate Housewives – I Guess This Is Goodbye

Wow. Wow. Wow. To this entire season of Desperate Housewives. Just, wow. Two things I must warn you of before you proceed any further in this post. 1) Obviously if you haven’t watched yet then you should hold off as there will be spoilers. 2) I’m going to try and break this down by storyline but since there is some crossover between the characters that will get tricky (especially towards the end). I’ll do the best I can though and hopefully you can follow along.

Lynette – We picked up right where we left off with Lynette – she has just found out Eddie is the Fairview Strangler and is now being held hostage. So of course this is the moment her water decides to break. She begs him to take her to the hospital, but he is worried that she will tell someone about what he has done. Just as he relents is when Tom shows up at the house looking for Lynette. By the time he leaves it is too late and she is ready to give birth. My thoughts: Fastest. Labor. EVER. I mean really now, Tom wasn’t there that long and she is already rearing to get this baby out. And the rest of it seemed to go by just as fast. I realize they only have an hour and there are other stories but there was no indication that any significant amount of time had passed here. At least give us that. On the other hand, things moving that quickly added to the tension, so I guess I can forgive the writers on those grounds. And it was great seeing Eddie deliver the baby. After all of the lives he has taken, he finally gets the chance to bring one into the world. When the whole birthing process has finished, Lynette tries to act like a Mom to Eddie and advises him not to run. People have complained that she has been blind to his secret and should have known better but I think deep down she always cared for him as if he were her son. I was glad to see she never gave up on him and finally got him to do the right thing. Kudos to the writers for giving a serial killer a heart and making us actually feel for him. I hope that Eddie gets the help he needs to sort out his psychological problems and ultimately ends up living with Lynette and becoming part of her family.

Bree – Last week Sam had blackmailed her with info he found out about Andrew. She shares this latest development with her family, and they try to convince her not to give in to his blackmail. Andrew even offers to turn himself in, but she doesn’t want to see her son go to jail. She sells Sam the business with as much class and dignity as only Bree can offer in even the murkiest of times. I thought she handled herself very well, telling Sam she felt sorry for him instead of getting angry. After the transfer is complete, Orson argues with her about the similarities between the situation with Andrew and when she sent Orson to jail for a similar crime. Orson is disappointed that she does not hold Andrew to the same high standards that she had held him to and tells her that he is leaving. So to recap: they spend all season fighting and after they finally start working together as a family he decides to leave her. Right then, moving on… Bree knows Orson is right (and I kinda did too) and asks Andrew permission to tell Gaby the truth. All we see is Bree telling Gaby they need to talk but it is assumed that is what they are talking about. Aftermath of this will have to be dealt with in the next season. It is safe to assume that Gaby will not be happy, but is there a chance she doesn’t tell Carlos? After all, I feel like there was no love loss between Gaby and Carlos’ mother. He is the one more likely to blow a gasket over this. Would Gaby keep this secret to protect her friend? And is there any way Andrew goes to jail without Carlos figuring out why? Guess we can add that to the list of questions for next season.

Susan – Last week, Susan had announced she was moving from her house and renting it out to make enough money to pay all her bills. This week we see her making preparations for the move. There is a garage sale and a slightly comedic moment involving a T-Rex, but overall there is only one thing that is really important in this story – the moment I finally cared. I have been very vocal in past weeks how I felt about this story. Most of it was because everything else going on around this story was so much bigger that it just got left in the dust, in my opinion. When Susan was having her meltdown moment with Mike and blaming him for having to leave the house her kids grew up in, it finally hit me how big this was for them. And the story is about to get a whole lot bigger, considering who the new resident is that’s moving in to their house. Anyone remember Mary Alice? Of course you do, she only narrates the show! Well her hubby is moving back on the Lane – and into Susan’s house. Looks like things are going to get a whole lot more interesting on that front. My biggest question is probably shared by all of you – What is he doing back on Wisteria Lane? Something tells me it is not to catch up with all his old neighbors. Big things are going to happen, just you wait.

Gaby – There was some crossover with Gaby and Angie, but I’m going to try to separate their stories as best as I can. Last week Angie had snuck a note to Gaby instructing her to tell Nick what their situation was. He asks her to drive him to the house to get them out. She does, but Nick passes out just as they arrive. Now it is all up to Gaby. Ok, crossover time here. Susan comes over to say goodbye and Gaby sends her to Angie’s to use her as a distraction while she goes to try and free Danny. Susan’s part is actually way shorter here than I expected it to be. I honestly thought her part would be much bigger, in order to make her overall story more interesting. But this is supposed to be about Gaby now. She climbs through the window and unties him just as they hear the explosion that is Patrick’s car blowing up. (More on that when I talk about Angie). Gaby gives the Bolens enough money to get out of dodge and start fresh. I love that she has always been the most superficial of the ladies, but ends up showing how big her heart can truly be here. It showed another layer to the character that made her seem more real. More kudos to the writers on that one.

Angie – Finally we get to my favorite story of the show (as well as the reason this was my favorite season yet). Last week Patrick had asked Angie to build him a bomb. Once she finishes he tells her that she will be accompanying him to Oregon, where he plans to detonate the bomb. Except he leaves the bomb inside her house instead… WTF?! It all makes sense when he explains how badly he was hurt by her actions in taking Danny and that he wants to make her suffer just as much as he did. He tells her she has 30 seconds to try to save Danny. She starts running but suddenly stops, turns, and waves to Patrick. Turns out she actually put the bomb in the detonator. We watch as the car explodes. I’m not sure what was louder, the car exploding or my gasp at all these events happening at once. (Gaby trying to untie Danny happens at the same time as the events leading up to the bomb exploding). For a minute I was really scared the house would blow up with Danny and Gaby inside. Nick and Angie move to start their new life in Atlanta, but send Danny to live in New York with his grandmother. And me? I mourn the end of the greatest story Desperate Housewives ever told. I was really starting to get attached to the Bolen family and am sad to see them go. I know a huge part of what made this story great for me was the addition of John Barrowman and his character interacting with Angie but by the end of the season I really just loved this family and wanted them to stick around longer. They made for a great addition to Wisteria Lane and will be missed.

There was one other story involving a dying nurse who confessed something in her final moments. We don’t know all the details, but it involves one of the ladies on Wisteria Lane raising a child that isn’t really theirs. This will likely be one of the main stories for next season, along with the stuff I already brought up.

So all you Desperate fans… what did you think of the season and its final moments? Liked it? Loved it? Was a little disappointed? Looking forward to all your comments so don’t hold back.