Spare Parts

Flying... Put aside the reasons why Jack Bauer was airborne at the start of last night’s ‘24’ for a moment. Simply bring to mind the amazing cinematography that allowed the viewers to gain a surreal perspective from the point of view of Jack perched high up in the helicopter. Being able to peak over his shoulders, as he saw himself surrounded by military fighters ready to take him down was astounding. While below, the New York City skyline glistened in all of its majestic and humbling glory. Makes you wonder why they didn’t tape all previous seasons in the Big Apple. It gave us a breathtaking view, which we - who work right in the mix of the city - never get to see with such intimacy. But when Jack landed the chopper and walked out of it with a kind of casual stride, you knew this hour was just about to get crazy. Right under the noses and pointed guns of the CTU team sent by Miz O’Brien, Jack decided to hide in plain sight. Right past the NYC police officers, Jack was stri...

I don't know what's the matter with me! Oh, wait...perhaps it was the whole flood thingy. But I just realized that I have been hotly devoted to FOX television's latest phenomenon GLEE and have yet to blog about it. GLEE, for those of you not in the know, is an hour-long musical television drama/comedy (dramedy) that gleefully combines the minimalist raunchiness of Grease with the scrubbed-clean (with industrial strength Disney) wholesomeness of High School Musical . From somewhere at the core of these two song-and-dance spectacles comes GLEE – an unexpected offspring of seemingly questionable innocence. The show is aimed at the coveted 18-to 24 demographic, but with enough adult meaty writing to keep the oldies interested. Mix this all up and viola! A hit is born! The Premise A group of misfit student singers – plucked from every corner of society – led by an overly optimistic and charming young male teacher set off to change the views about geek...

There is a simple mantra Jack Bauer has always followed: “I only take orders from the President of the United States.” So it stands to reason that when said president, be that Charles Logan or the current President Allison Taylor, acts in a less than honorable way, for Jack all bets are off. So it came to pass last evening that the respect most viewers had for President Taylor fell by the wayside when, finding herself in the unfamiliar territory of siding with Charles Logan, she allowed herself to be swayed “for the greater good” [translation – all honor and glory to herself]. Taylor, who at one point was seen almost gagging on the name Charles Logan suddenly opened the door and allowed herself to be quite easily brainwashed and manipulated into kicking her once adored Agent Jack Bauer to the curb. Shame on her! Suddenly it appeared that sitting at a conference table at the United Nations in the company of Russian assassins and terrorists is okay in President Taylor’s book. Suddenly,...

There is a reason I haven't written one thing this season with regard to American Idol. Truth be told, I am forcing myself to watch this year purely out of a sense of loyalty for a show I have been a fan of since its inception. But you know, the honeymoon is definitely over. Sure, it is the first year Idol is on without Paula Abdul and I could use that as an easy excuse, but that isn't it. She might have been deemed crazy, but I think she is crazy like a fox. She knew a sinking ship when she saw one. And so does Simon Cowell, apparently. It's no secret that Mr. Cowell is on his way out of Idol following this season. He is probably as skilled at sniffing out the end of a road, as he is at sniffing out new talent. Fear not, though. We won't be completely stripped of Mr. Cowell's acerbic commentary, if his dream to bring British hit show "The X Factor" to America comes to fruition. And what we do know of this man is that he can turn a dream into reality pret...