BONES: The Science in the Physicist

Thank you, Milton. Thank you, Jennifer! If I spoke Latin, I’d say this episode was magnificus. I laughed a lot, like season one and season two laughs (ie: Zack: Sometime, when you’re not busy, I wonder if I could ask you a few questions about sexual positions? Booth: If you even try, I will take out my gun and shoot you between the eyes.)

And was that body, if you can even call it that, THE most disgusting one EVER? GAH!

THE CASE:

A premiere physicist’s body is found in garbage bags, and turns out to have been frozen, exploded and also the victim of extreme cancer. An interesting case, and this time I actually felt like the killer was a realistic choice, but I wasn’t sure who it was until the end. Good motives, excellent cast of suspects, all in all a good case. But that body…ugh. The Booth and Brennan stuck in the radiation chamber was awkward, did anyone else think so? But I’m not a complainer. I think what I liked best about this episode was the parallelism between the ‘more than one kind of family’ in the Jeffersonian vs. the cold, and yes, creepy tone of the other science center.

THE SQUINTS:

• Mr. Vincent Nigel Murray: Squintern of the week, #1 in my heart. If he’s not hired on full time as a cast member, I will hire him to hang out with me. MNM was extra Vino-delectable tonight. But my approval means nothing. The person who really MUST approve is….

• Hodgins: Hahaha! The turkey was funny (all I needed was for Booth to be there… “What’s with the turkey, turkeys?”). Experiments = love, and science for the love of discovery is one of the facets of this show I adore. Speaking of Hodgins and adoring…

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CHUCK vs. The Music: The Unofficial CHUCK Soundtrack

If you follow any of us on twitter (@gmmr, @duckydoestv, @mytakeontv, @raelee @justjody) you may have heard reference to a “Chuck soundtrack” and wondered what the heck we were talking about. A CHUCK soundtrack? What’s that you say?

Well, as a long-time fan of The O.C. soundtracks, Just Jody waited patiently for the Chuck soundtrack to arrive. During our exclusive interview with CHUCK creator Josh Schwartz we found out that a CHUCK soundtrack wasn’t in the works, so Just Jody decided to take matters into her own hands. And thus the UNofficial Chuck Soundtrack was born.

Just Jody was kind enough to gift me with the unofficial CHUCK soundtrack as a Christmas present and I have to tell you have I play it all the time…as in almost every time I’m in my car.  It’s one of my favorite CDs.

Now, as a Chuck week treat, we’re offering up the chance for you to have a copy as well.  Just Jody has provided you with the artwork and track listing, so all you have to do is put them together.  The only requirement for helping yourself to a copy of the UNofficial Chuck Soundtrack is that you MUST watch all three remaining episodes of Chuck this season and you must at get at least two new people watching over the new few weeks. Simple, right?

(click to enlarge and right click to save as an image)

Great care and thought, along with many hours of agonizing went into the selection of the songs used on the UNofficial Chuck Soundtrack. Some were chosen for the songs, but many were also chose for the scenes they were used on. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Please be sure to thank Just Jody for all her hard work.

What tracks would YOU want to have on a CHUCK soundtrack?

THE OFFICE’s New ‘Dream Team’: ‘The Michael Scott Paper Company’

It’s Britney, bitch.”

Most of us learned the lesson “be careful what you wish for” last year when NBC overwhelmed us with too many one hour episodes of THE OFFICE.  Forced to think of future syndication, the writers had to construct an hour long episode that would work as individual 30 minute eps. While some of the one hour shows worked, most fell flat after the first thirty minutes.  But last night THE OFFICE offered up two half hour episodes that worked beautifully as individual eps, but would have worked equally as well as an hour long look into the life of Dunder Mifflin and the newly formed Michael Scott Paper Company.

Five seasons into the show and the writers have found a way to really stir the pot without ruining the meal. We’ve had characters come and go from Dunder Mifflin before.  The longest leave of absence was Jim’s transfer to Stamford back in Season 3.  And while his departure gave us the likes of Karen Filippelli and Andy Bernard (and of course the eventual emotional reunion of Jim and Pam), having Jim out of the Dunder Mifflin Scranton office felt like there was a piece missing from the puzzle.  The same held true with Pam’s absence earlier this season.  So you can imagine how much I was dreading THE OFFICE without Pam and Michael. But I must say I was pleasantly surprised by just how well the show worked even with some of its main (and most beloved) characters working outside the office.

“Dream Job” and “The Michael Scott Paper Company” were a treat for those of us watching who are invested in the characters and not just the number of laughs.  Despite a few key moments, most noticeably the “Take Me Home, Country Roads” sing off with Andy and Dwight”, the show wasn’t all that funny.  But both episodes were so important to fur thing the story and the character arcs that I didn’t even care.

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PARKS AND RECREATION: Erik’s Take

So please to announce that Erik will be handling all PARKS AND RECREATION news and reviews for GMMR this year.  Thanks Erik!

In order to generate a wide audience for Parks & Recreation’s maiden voyage, NBC fired all the weapons in its promotional arsenal. For the past few weeks, it has been impossible to avoid the blanket of commercials, online preview clips, and promotional photos of star Amy Poehler. After making a similar investment to Poehler’s fellow SNL alum Tina Fey, NBC clearly hopes to make the “Baby Mama” duo into the new faces of Thursday night television.

Following tonight’s solid premiere, I would encourage NBC to keep one of Guns N’ Roses’ biggest hits in mind, and exercise a healthy dose of “Patience.”

In her early review of the pilot, Kath wrote that the show, “wasn’t perfect but it has all the right mixins’ to be one of the greats.” That assessment is very accurate, and speaks to the wealth of material that can be unearthed by roaming the halls of a small city government.

Amy Poehler is a gifted performer, and her introduction as Leslie Knope was the strongest aspect of the inaugural episode. Unlike so many of her characters from Saturday Night Live, which elicited quick laughs before fading from our memories, Poehler has the opportunity to build Leslie from the ground up. Many will presume that Leslie Knope is a Michael Scott clone, due to the symmetric relationship between the creative team behind P&R (Let’s go with that abbreviation, since it reminds me of a sandwich) and their days at Dunder Mifflin. In my opinion, that assertion is off-base. From my perspective, Leslie’s journey echoed the best moments from a Christopher Guest film (Best in Show, Waiting For Guffman, A Mighty Wind) more than the typical Office installment.

While I am completely in the bag for Amy Poehler, my biggest concerns about the show’s potential to hold a wide audience rest with her co-stars. It is far too early to worry about wholesale changes, but I think there are areas of improvement for some of Leslie’s colleagues in Pawnee, Indiana.

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30 ROCK: Cutbacks

I don’t expect “Cutbacks” would hold up very well under scrutiny, but life is hard and I laughed like hell, so I won’t look any deeper than that. Also, did you know they sell Sabor de Soledad T-shirts at the NBC Store? You can stuff that little tip right in the ol’ Easter basket along with your “decorative air holders.”

Anyway, as Liz and the TGS crew celebrate their 50th episode, they receive unfortunate news from Jack: the Sheinhardt Wig Company is making cuts, and the entertainment division is going under the knife. Liz responds in true Lemon-like fashion, giving a full-on Steve Jobs presentation to the heavily browed hatchet man brought in to review her budget. Too bad three colorful graphics, some repetitious wordplay, and a TGS clip reel fail to deter said hatchet man (guest star Roger Bart), so she resorts to sexual bartering instead with the help of triple Spanx and the sluttier makeup artist. Only—surprise!—giving Brad “a little taste of the Lemon” has no effect whatsoever, perhaps because, as Jack points out, her top front is her worst quadrant (a revelation that seems to not faze her much, mostly because she’s so worried about getting back her food and straws). It does lead her to drive a widower to tears, however, and ultimately she wins by losing, which is the sort of lesson I’m sure none of us would mind learning. Or not learning, as is the likelier case where L.L. is concerned.

Meanwhile, Jack’s own cutback is poor Jonathan (!), who he fires and replaces by forcing Kenneth into doing double duty as both NBC page and personal assistant. (Jack’s required three D’s of service: “discretion, docility, and don’t use my bathroom.”) Kenneth is a little less up to the task than one might expect, although I guess it’s not surprising that lying and prioritizing emergencies are not his greatest skills. (Free Showtime! Spiders! The head spins.).

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About Last Night: PARKS AND RECREATION, SOUTHLAND, HARPER’S ISLAND

It was a night of premieres last night. NBC touted out Amy Poehler’s new comedy PARKS AND RECREATION as well SOUTHLAND starring The OC’s Benjamin McKenzie. Over at CBS it was the premiere of the new mystery HARPER’S ISLAND.

Last week I shared my thoughts on PARKS AND RECREATION, but now that you’ve all seen it I’d love to know what you think.

UPDATE: Team GMMR’s Erik will be covering PARKS AND RECREATION for us this season.  So click here to read Erik’s take on last night’s episodes and let him know what YOU think.

Many of you watched the early premiere of SOUTHLAND right here on GMMR. And the comments were quote positive. I watched the show for the first time this morning and I was surprised at how intrigued I was. I’m not usually one for a procedural but the diversity of the characters had me adding this as a season pass to the TiVo by the end of the episode. I didn’t realize just how much I missed Ryan Atwood until Ben McKenzie was on my screen last night.  This isn’t the OC, bitch, but I’m digging it all the same.  (And did anyone catch the cameo by crazy Oliver?!)

I thought HARPER’S ISLAND was actually a lot of fun. You know me, I’m not into all the scary stuff so there were a few times I chose to fast forward, but in general I like what CBS is doing with this show. There’s almost a hint of the reality genre to HARPER’S ISLAND. With someone new getting killed off every week, will you be able to guess the killer? It’s got a lot of competition on Thursday nights at 10pm, but it’s CBS so I would be surprised if it wasn’t the ratings winner. I’m going to stick with it. Are you?

Three big premieres. Which ones did you watch? Which ones will you be watching again?  The forum is open…talk to me.

In the Presence of Greatness – Joss Whedon TONIGHT!

“Remember to always be yourself. Unless you suck.”

While some of you are at home watching DOLLHOUSE tonight,  I’ll be hanging with DOLLHOUSE creator Joss Whedon. Ok, perhaps “hanging with” is a bit misleading, but I will be on hand tonight as Joss receives the “Lifetime Achievement Award in Cultural Humanism” from Harvard University. Joss is the third person to receive this honor. The award was previously presented to novelist Salman Rushdie and punk rocker (and evolutionary biologist) Greg Graffin.

Joss will give a short speech before the presentation and then the floor will be open for a Q&A. As always I’m open to taking your questions although I can’t be sure I’ll have the opportunity to ask any. But I’ll take notes and try to grab a few pictures. Barring any major (and I mean major) announcements, I won’t be live tweeting during Joss’s speech. To each their own, but I find that to be a little rude.

Tonight kicks off my Whedon Week! Tonight in Boston and then on Tuesday & Wednesday I’ll be seeing Joss at the DR. HORRIBLE and DOLLHOUSE Paley panels in L.A. Not too shabby a week if you ask me.

Random fact – The first time I met Joss Whedon was at the Boston WGA rally last year which happened to be at the same venue in Cambridge, MA where he’ll be receiving his award tonight. While walking the streets in the snow and slush we were forced to walk two-by-two. For part of the walk I was paired with Joss. Since he had recently directed an episode of THE OFFICE, Joss and I talked Dunder Mifflin the whole time. I had only seen my first episode of BUFFY the night before…he seemed to get a kick out of that.

Fast forward about a month later and there I was at the BUFFY Reunion at Paley having just finished all seven season of the show.  By that time I was full on Whedonite and in complete awe of this man and his genius. To this day I wish I could go back to that cold, snowy day in Cambridge and have that one-on-one time with Joss back. Oh the things I could have asked him.

If you’ve got any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below.

P.S. While we are talking BUFFY, a big congrats to the Slayer herself, Sarah Michelle Gellar and her husband Freddie Prinze Jr. who are expecting their first child in the Fall.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles | 8pm on Fox

Season Finale: The Connors encounter Weaver, and the resulting confrontation becomes a pivotal event for John in the second-season finale.

Tonight’s TV Spotlight…Friday, April 10, 2009

Happy Friday! It’s been a busy and exciting week here on GMMR. The past few days have been our biggest traffic days EVER! Thank you so much! Now it’s all about keeping the momentum going. It might be Friday but there’s still some fantastic TV to check out tonight.

Here’s a few highlights from tonight’s lineup.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles | 8pm on Fox | Season Finale
“Born to Run”
The Connors encounter Weaver, and the resulting confrontation becomes a pivotal event for John in the second-season finale. [GMMR: This is billed as the season finale but will it also serve as the series finale? Rumors are swirling that the show has been axed and the sets torn down.  Fox hasn’t confirmed…but why would they? Not before the finale.]

Friday Night Lights | 9pm on NBC | Season Finale
“Tomorrow Blues”
Matt prepares for college; Lyla’s dreams are in the hands of an estranged uncle; coach Taylor feels uncertain about the future. [GMMR: Get ready for an amazing episode of FNL. There’s a lot that happens so you don’t want to miss a minute. May I just say how amazing it is to have the season finale of FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS without having to worry if the show will return next season? It’s a beautiful thing.]

Dollhouse | 9pm on Fox
“A Spy in the House of Love”
Echo and Sierra are programmed as spy hunters when a traitor is discovered inside the Dollhouse; Ballard gets surprising news from Mellie.

Head Case | 10pm on Starz
“Elizabeth Hughes”
The luster of the wedding rubs off the day after when newlywed Elizabeth’s husband, Jeremy, delivers some shocking news, but Lola helps things out by salvaging a session with Hugh Hefner at the Playboy Mansion. [GMMR: Anyone watching this show?]

Party Down | 10:30pm on Starz
“Investors Dinner“
A land baron demands absolutely perfect service for an important gathering of investors, but Ron’s selfish behavior threatens to ruin the evening; Kyle’s new friend boasts an envious lifestyle that Kyle hopes to emulate. [GMMR: Because I know I get emails about this – No, I haven’t seen this episode and therefore can’t tell you if any VERONICA MARS alums make a special appearance.]

What will YOU be watching?

The New OFFICE Opening Credits

Dunder Mifflin, who? It’s all about the new Michael Scott Paper Company. Here are the new (and probably temporary) opening credits to THE OFFICE.

Two new episodes last night. Check back later this morning for the “rundown” on both episodes (which…spoiler alert…I loved!)

Top 5 CHUCK Episodes…So Far

Man, you guys! There have been so many really great episodes of Chuck that this was a hard list to put together! I know that everyone is going to have different faves and I can’t wait to hear what yours are in the comments. You’ll notice that all of mine come from Season Two, which isn’t a huge surprise since that’s when I feel like the show really, truly hit its stride. The other part of that is that Season One was cut short due to the writers’ strike and was only 13 episodes. But truly, picking out your favorite episodes of Chuck is like picking out your five favorite desserts—anything you pick is going to be a winner!

1. Chuck vs. The Delorean

This episode OWNS me. I am a sucker for everything in it. It’s by far my favorite Sarah episode—I love seeing her backstory and how she got to where she is now, and I think that this was the episode where I realized that the writers truly know their characters thoroughly, in and out, weaknesses and strengths. Gary Cole was outstanding, Chuck stepped comfortably and surprisingly into his spy role, and Josh Schwartz introduced me to a new awesome band (Blitzen Trapper, who I am now in love with). The B-plot also kicked major ass, with Morgan having a Peter Pan complex and Captain Awesome trying to teach him to be a man, which ignited my love for that bromance. Throw in Casey saving the day and you have set my heart on fire.

(Watch the full episode below.)

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My Unenthusiastic Look at Last Night’s LOST

I’m just going to go ahead and chalk this up to someone pissing in my cheerios this morning. For the first time in a long time, I was rather disappointed in LOST. I thought the episode lacked the excitement and storytelling that has been so apparent this season. Perhaps my expectations were set a little too high. I figured an episode centered around the life of Ben Linus would be fascinating. In the end it came off as weak and a bit too bizarre for my liking.

Here on GMMR we celebrate the diversity of opinion. I emphasize this because I’m thinking my opinion is going to be smacked around like a bad kid on Christmas. I’ve read many a Facebook update, Tweet and review from people who really dug last night’s episode. To each their own.

Ben’s backstory was a little less exciting than I hoped it would be. We learned that he kidnapped Alex right from the arms of Rosseau and he raised her as his own daughter. Ben watched carefully over Alex as Charles Widmore had one ordered her dead. In the end maybe it was the island that wanted her dead.  Ben didn’t do anything to stop it and he seems guilt ridden. He offered himself up to the smoke monster and his life was spared…on the condition that he follow the gospel according to John (Locke).

The supernatural elements of LOST have always been my least favorite aspect, and therefore my own bias might have tainted my view of last night’s episode. The smoke monster scene, while surely fascinating to some, had me rolling my eyes so far back into my head that I was seeing the wall behind me.

I was glad to find out (a) then Ben didn’t kill Penny and (b) that he doesn’t have some semblence of a heart.  Sometimes I wonder.

Sorry for the quick and dirty low down on LOST but for some reason my lack of enthusiasm for the episode has left me unable to write much more. It’s not that I hated the episode.  I didn’t.  I just didn’t find myself particularly loving it. Maybe it needs a second look?  You tell me.

As always, I’ve opened the comments for you to share your thoughts.

About Last Night: Will THE UNUSUALS Be Usual Viewing For You?

Did you guys watch the series premiere of ABC’s THE UNUSUALS last night?  What did you think? Will this one be added to your TiVo right away or are you going to pass? Should others be watching or should they not waste their time?

Vote in the poll below and then share your thoughts in the comments.

What GMMR readers are saying….

I think this is a great new show. Unusual? Yes!…and THAT IS the draw. Amber Tamblyn is a wonderful little actress and I knew she would only lend her talents to a show that would be interesting and fun… and DIFFERENT! I cannot wait to see the exploits of the other characters again. More than 2 thumbs up for this on

— Carolyn

Advance Review of PARKS AND RECREATION

In case you missed it, here’s my review of the premiere of Parks and Recreation. (Originally posted on April 3, 2009)

Nothing to make a rainy, dreary day better than a little Amy Poehler at your door step.  Tonight I came home to find the screener for NBC’s newest comedy PARKS AND RECREATION. To say I was excited would be a bit of an understatement.  I’ve been waiting a long time for this one.

I’ll be honest. I was a bit nervous before watching it.  I knew the show had all the right ingredients: Amy Poehler in the lead; the very funny Aziz Ansari and Rashida Jones along side her; and most importantly the creative team of Greg Daniels and Michael Schur (Gods in my world). But I wanted to like the show so much that I was afraid I set my expectations too high. Would I be disappointed? The answer? No. After watching the pilot I can tell you that I thought PARKS AND RECREATION was very funny and it was just as great as I expected it to be.  It wasn’t perfect but it has all the right mixins’ to be one of the greats.

Creators/Executive Producers Greg Daniels and Michael Schur have insisted that this isn’t a spinoff of THE OFFICE.  And that’s true. There aren’t any Dunder Mifflin crossovers to speak of (although the potential is certainly there). But the two shows are so similar in tone and style that it certainly felt like a spinoff. The comparisons can’t be avoided. PARKS AND RECREATION and THE OFFICE will be a pitch perfect match for Thursday nights.  They will compliment each other like no other two shows on the air. For better or worse I was reminded of THE OFFICE while watching the entire episode. Better, because THE OFFICE is my favorite show. Worse, because at times P&R was a little too much like THE OFFICE.

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Harper’s Island | 10pm on CBS

Series Premiere: Seven years after her mother and five others were murdered on Harper’s Island, Abby Mills returns for the wedding of her best friend, but a week of celebration turns to a fight for survival as people start dying.

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