Lonestar Walks Alone

Just a few days ago, I decided to hop on Hulu and check out some new shows that I hadn’t seen yet. Lonestar was one of the shows that had received some pre-premiere buzz and I decided to head in that direction.

The handsome young gentleman starring in the leading role, James Wolk as Robert “Bob” Allen, plays a con-man torn between the love of two women in separate Texas towns.

His father, played by David Keith, taught him the ways of the con early on in life and Robert’s been in the family business ever since. Robert Allen’s wife is part of an oil tycoon family where Jon Voight plays the father and head of the black gold-crazed company. “Bob” Allen’s girlfriend lives in a rinky-dink town where most inhabitants have been exploited by Bob. Before they’re onto him, he must leave the town and establish his true lifestyle with his wife. At this point in the pilot, he kind of had a Dawson Leery-esque mental breakdown in the car which had me questioning his manhood. He pulls it together long enough to be torn apart again when his father tells him he MUST pull a con on the oil company at which he was just hired. Yes, his father-in-law’s oil company. It sounds crazy and not really plausible but hey, that’s what makes great TV, right?

And just like that, the show was cancelled! After a mere two episodes of primetime television. How can you make a call like that? The show aired Monday nights at 9 PM on FOX – same time as Dancing With The Stars (which of course I’m a fan of as well). The pilot episode received rave reviews before it even aired and just because of a small numbers issue (only 4.1 million viewers tuned in), it was given the boot. My point is: why didn’t the show do well? It’s lead-in show was House which seems to be everyone’s favorite medical drama these post-E.R. days. Seems like the target audience should have stayed tuned in. I guess some things are just inexplicable. One less show to add to my viewing schedule, though it’s really unfortunate that I won’t get to see James Wolk’s beautiful baby face on primetime again.

Hawaii Five-Okay

I have always been a fan of the phrase “Book ‘em, Danno” ever since I saw them say it in Saved By The Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas. I never had ANY idea that it was a catchphrase made popular by the 80’s hit show, Hawaii Five-0. On Monday night, I tuned in to the premiere of the resurrection of Hawaii Five-O. The fate of a series remake can go one of two ways. Just looking at the CW alone (thanks for bringing it to my attention, Fasy) we have Melrose Place and 90210. Both hit shows in the 90’s that were brought back to life and, in the case of the new Melrose Place, put to rest yet again. What I see in the new Hawaii Five-O is potential. I can’t make any monumental comments about it just yet because the pilot episode simply sets up the season’s premise.

The plot? Detective Steve McGarrett (played by Alex O’Loughlin) is the Navy SEAL son of Detective McGarrett, of the original series, who takes it upon himself to find out who killed his father as demonstrated in the opening scene of the premiere. He enlists the help of Detective Danny “Danno” Williams (played by Scott Caan, a personal favorite) with whom he doesn’t initially see eye-to-eye with. The witty banter and occasional physical contact between these two makes for an entertaining relationship. They also look to add to their team ex-Detective Chin Ho Kelly (played by Daniel Dae Kim) and his cousin, young & beautiful Detective Kona Kalakaua (played by Grace Park). Their team, still searching for a fitting name (wonder what they’ll settle on) answers to Governor Pat Jameson (played by Jean Smart).

Like I said, it’s hard to tell about the fate of a television show until a few episodes in, but I will most likely be situated in front of the television Monday nights at 10 pm tuned in to Fox. I suggest you all do the same.

Episode Grade: B-

Dancing With The Stars: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

Last night kicked off Season 11 of Dancing With The Stars and what will be, in my eyes, the most watched season of the show. The cast is chock-full of stars. Well, technically it’s full of people who have been in the media limelight as well as some that are relative unknowns. A full two-hour show was used to showcase each one of the cast members’ rhythmic talents for the first time. The unveiling was surprising for some members (Rick Fox) and expected for others (Jennifer Grey). In case you missed it, here’s a list of the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The Good

Audrina Patridge: Surprisingly a show-stopper! She already has that DWTS body that usually comes after a full season of meringues and salsas.
Rick Fox: Height’s no problem for this NBA babe. He was elegant and graceful and is sure to go far in this season due to Carrie Ann’s crush on him.
Kyle Massey: As a former avid Disney Channel watcher, I knew exactly who this vivacious teen was. His jaw-dropping performance should be the first of many.
Brandy: As her brother, Ray-J, cheered her on, she performed as many expected her to…with ease.
Jennifer Grey: After an emotional practice session that triggered memories of the late Patrick Swayze, she was ready to flaunt her skills from the Dirty Dancing days.

The Bad

Bristol Palin: Performing to “Momma Told Me Not To Come” was the beginning of her downfall. The extent of her talent was shaking her booty which couldn’t help me think about it contributing to her teen pregnancy.
Florence Henderson: Her performance was only so-so, but her body is not a day over 40. She is 76 years old and livelier than some of the other performers.
Kurt Warner: This ex-NFL Superbowl MVP has a 1,000 mega-watt smile but lacks the elegance and grace of a dancer. Perhaps a few more practice sessions?

The Ugly

Margaret Cho: You are a comedian. Not a dancer. Do not try to mix the two in an attempt to gain support.
Michael Bolton: I love Michael Bolton, I really do. First cassette tape I ever owned. He can’t dance. Just stick to singing and I will continue with my undying affection for you.
Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino: His name in the credits is actually “The Situation”? Wow. He only had about five days to rehearse and I wouldn’t have said his routine was that awful, but he needs to improve a lot to stick around for future episodes.

You may have noticed that I didn’t talk about The Hoff. David Hasselhoff cannot be categorized as any of the above. His performance was indescribable. But I’ll try. He ripped off his clothes, made crazy faces, and got the crowd going. He’s not half-bad, but he hasn’t quite teetered over to the good side. I’ll be sure to keep watching for more of his grunting outbursts during practice sessions.

Notable stars in the audience included Jamie Lee Curtis (there to support Jennifer Grey), The Situation’s sister who has appeared on a few Jersey Shore episodes, Eliza Dushku (Rick Fox’s girlfriend, 20 years his junior), and Ray-J. Not in attendance was Sarah Palin. Don’t worry- she’ll be there next week!

Episode Grade: B+

When people stop being polite...you get The Real World: New Orleans

So…I’ve been keeping up with this season of The Real World: New Orleans which is really not normal for me. I mean, MTV’s The 10 Spot will hold a special place in my heart back in the days of the Real World New York with Mike aka WWE’s the Miz, but since then, I’ve only channel surfed through MTV around 10 pm. However, I can honestly say that this is the best season of The Real World since Las Vegas and we know how out-of-control, not-appropriate-for-television that season was. But this season is different. They actually chose a great cast that interacts well and have seemingly equal air time.

Let me start off by saying that ever since The Real World upped the cast number from seven to eight, they’ve had better drama. Four boys and four girls go together much more evenly than the awkward third wheel, or dreaded fifth wheel. And speaking from someone who has been the third wheel in a lot of situations, no one likes to sit there awkwardly like while two people canoodle at dinner.

Back to this season- the cast is awesome and it seems like all of them have some pretty hefty back-stories which makes me love each and every one of them a little bit more, save Ryan. That crazy kook is downward spiraling so fast that I don’t even know what happened to him. Other castmates I love to hate or hate to love:

Jemmye – She has this crazy accent/possible speech impediment, regularly gets belligerent on Bourbon Street, usually cries every episode, but is still somehow lovable. Also, her relationship with Knight brings me to my next hate to love character.

Knight – The fact that he is visibly losing weight on the show due to his recent stint in rehab says a lot about his past. He was addicted to pain meds, has slayed over 50 girls, but is absolutely adorable. When I see him and Jemmye together, I’m either cringing or cooing because it’s just too darn cute.

Ryan – Ah, the villain. He has the weirdest isms I’ve ever seen: he uses his blow dryer on himself to keep warm, he rubs people’s earlobes, and has the weakest gag reflex known to man. Not a fan. If anyone IS a fan out there (and I know you exist because of Youtube videos like this) you should seriously reconsider your life choices.

Eric – I’m simply putting Eric’s name on here so I can talk about how delicious looking he is. Blue eyes, light brown skin. He had me at hello.

The season finale is on next week (9/15) at 10 pm and even if you haven’t watched this season thus far, I strongly suggest you tune in because Ryan, aka the Villain, is coming back and it should provide some good television.


The Real World New Orleans: A-