Jason Hughes
St Louis - http://
Review: So You Think You Can Dance - Top 10 Perform
(S06E19) What an amazing and jam-packed night of dance. With ten couple dances and ten solos, it was wall-to-wall performances. Amazingly, almost every single one of the performances was excellent.Honestly, I am so impressed with this entire Top 10, I can't say enough good things about them. Sonya Tayeh finally blew me away as a choreographer. Working with Ellenore is a match made in heaven for both of them, really.
We've got a lot to cover, so why are you still here? Jump into the article and get to reading about all of it already!
Continue reading Review: So You Think You Can Dance - Top 10 Perform
Review: Heroes - The Fifth Stage
(S04E12) One of the comic books that I never expected to enjoy is Marvel's X-Factor. It used to be your typical spandex and fists adventure, but then it changed into a noir detective series, with mutants feature much more subdued powers. One of the best of these is Madrox, also known as Multiple Man. Upon impact of any kind, he splits into two beings, and then his doppelgangers retain this ability.
Why am I talking about a comic book character in a review about Heroes? Well, aside from the obvious connection, we got introduced to a new character this week. With Ray Park's Edgar gone from the Sullivan Bros. circus, Samuel turns to another denizen of the big top to step in and be his right-hand man, or right hands.
Continue reading Review: Heroes - The Fifth Stage
Gone Too Soon: Invasion
After the breakout success of Lost in 2004, the following year saw three big-budget attempts at science fiction series with dense continuity. Unfortunately, it also saw those three series ultimately fail to hang on to their viewers, through internal problems or network mismanagement, and fans were left with three frustrating cliffhangers.
While they were allowed to complete more episodes than many series that followed them, I suspect this trinity of cancellations is a big reason current TV viewers are nervous about jumping on board complex shows with intricate continuity and details.
I watched Surface, Threshold and Invasion that season, but always found myself much more involved with the stories and drama unfolding on the latter of the three. Despite Katrina-related sensitivity due to its hurricane-themed opening, Invasion did an amazing job of building tension during a possible alien infiltration. V could learn a thing or two from this show.
Continue reading Gone Too Soon: Invasion
Sundays With Seth: The best little dry cleaners in Virginia
Hey look, Scrubs is back early!
Oh wait, never mind. That's just Donald Faison on American Dad. How could I have possibly gotten those two things mixed up? I don't know why, but I still get a kick out of guest appearances on animated shows, particularly when the actor who plays the actual character jumps in to do their own voice, as Faison did here.
Plus, it was an interaction with Roger. Ah, Roger. Let's talk about what has to be the single greatest presence of all three Seth MacFarlane shows. I probably don't mention him enough, because sometimes he's not as integral to the plots of AD. But, he's always a huge part of the laughs. As soon as he waddles into a room, you just wait for the zingers or the costume or the antics that will send you off your rocker. His turn this week as a "madame" was sheer brilliance.
Continue reading Sundays With Seth: The best little dry cleaners in Virginia
Review: The Simpsons - Rednecks and Broomsticks
(S21E07) Poor Wiccans, they're so misunderstood. And the three girls representing them weren't really representing Wicca so much as they were representing wayward teens looking for something to latch onto. That, and they probably think their own perceptions of Wicca make it out to be pretty "kewl."
Struggling for something to latch onto in a world that doesn't seem to understand you not only describes virtually every teenager in existence, but Lisa Simpson as well. A sweet intellect in a family of average to well-below-average intellects, Lisa has never fit in at home or at school. So, as long as she can be fairly certain that there's no actual witchcraft going on -- because that would be too scary -- she's in.
Continue reading Review: The Simpsons - Rednecks and Broomsticks
What Jason is thankful for
I'm not particularly thankful that I'm going to be having my very own battle of the bulge this upcoming week, but I am looking forward to good eats and seeing the family. The older I get, the faster these years wiz by, so it's important that we slow down and take the time to be appreciative of what we have, even if we might always want a little more.This year, we made the jump from a 1997 model 27" Philips Magnavox television to a massive 52" HDTV. We also picked up a PS3, partially for the Blu-Ray player. So I'm thankful to finally be caught up with the rest of the world in television technology. Who knew it could all be so pretty?
More specifically, I think we're in a great era of television, even as viewer numbers continue to erode. There are just so many good shows on television, and thanks to DVRs and online streaming of those shows, we even have better opportunities to watch them. But what specifically am I thankful for this year?
Continue reading What Jason is thankful for
Review: The New Adventures of Old Christine - I Love Woo, I Hate Woo
(S05E09) I'm so glad Hank sucked, because it allowed me to establish a new two-hour block of comedy on Wednesday nights. Just substitute Christine for Hank, and then flip over to The Middle and ABC for the rest of the night. What a satisfying night of laughs.There was no Thanksgiving trimmings for Christine this year; instead it was date night. And while the episode did fall victim to some predictable set-ups, it was still a lot of fun to watch. I particularly liked the twists and turns of Barb's date with Dave. She dragged Christine along to make sure Dave didn't propose to her.
Meanwhile, now that New Christine is pregnant, Richard is ready to woo her as well. But he needn't worry about cleaning up or even trying. Just get her into bed: that's where he really shines.
Continue reading Review: The New Adventures of Old Christine - I Love Woo, I Hate Woo
Review: The Middle - Thanksgiving
(S01E09) While I'm not ready to declare that The Middle is a superior sitcom to Modern Family, if this episode is any indication, I'm ready to say that it's every bit as good. And funny! Man, was this a brilliant holiday episode. I don't know how Thanksgivings go at your house, but ours have gone very much like this one at times. With everyone busy, and family members having to work because they have terrible bosses.I swear, it's like these writers haven't set this in Indiana, but rather in my own Midwestern backyard. And while things were traditionally set up, as we'd expect, for the traditional "sweet comedy" outcomes, The Middle turned some of those conventions on their head.
They also showed us a new way to cook a turkey, though I'm not really sure if it would work all that well. And there's nothing wrong with Axl loving the can-shaped cranberry sauce. That's my favorite, too! Just slice it up and you're good to go.
Continue reading Review: The Middle - Thanksgiving
Review: Modern Family - Fizbo
(S01E09) You've gotta love the use of the dramatic flashback to lead us into the saga of Luke's birthday party. Not only was the affectation utilized well, it again showcased the love and support at the heart of this family saga. Opening us at the hospital the way they did also nicely gave the whole episode that feeling of inevitable dread.
At the same time, they smartly kept the number of people involved in the hospital conversations very small at first so that we would have no choice but to speculate which member of the cast would wind up there, and via what means.
Then, they just sat back and let events unfold as Phil and Claire put together one of the coolest -- and lamest -- parties in the history of television. And still they found a way to let everyone shine for at least a scene or two.
Continue reading Review: Modern Family - Fizbo
Review: V - It's Only the Beginning
(S01E04) Well, that's it until March 2010. The most important thing that V could do this week was to leave us hanging on the edge of our seats as to what's coming next. If the idea was to give us a sense of sheer hopelessness in the face of the power of the Visitors, then that's what we did.More importantly, we got to see the genesis of the Resistance movement led by Jack, Ryan and Erica. It makes an even more powerful figure when you consider that at this point there are exactly four people -- at least that we're following -- taking on 29 Visitor ships with technology and power almost beyond our imagining.
Everyone loves a scrappy underdog, and you couldn't ask for much more than that. But it was great seeing them take some of their first strikes against the Visitors as a unit. This is the struggle, against near impossible odds, that will keep us glued to our seats.
Gone Too Soon: Invasion
Scrubs season nine -- An early look
The TV Squad Podcast: Vik Sahay of Chuck, Oprah talk, brutal timeslots, and more!
