TV Review: Veronica Mars 1×10 “An Echoll’s Family Christmas”

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Buy Veronica Mars – The Complete First Seasonon Amazon.com

This Christmas episode from season one of Veronica Mars starts out with Veronica and Keith decorating the tree. This caring family environment is quickly brought into stark contrast when we head to the Echoll’s house. Logan is hosting a poker game. Duncan appears to be drunk. Weirdly, Weevil is playing with them. We’ve come in at the end of the game. It’s down to Logan and Weevil. Weevil wins and Logan goes to pay him, however the money box is empty. This does not go over well with Weevil. Through Weevil’s efforts to find the money, we find out Duncan and Logan both own the same reindeer boxer shorts.

Weevil starts stealing the 09ers possessions, saying they’ll get them back when he gets his money. Duncan’s laptop is missing, so Veronica goes to Weevil and says she’ll solve the case. Weevil tells Veronica how he bought into the poker game.

Meanwhile, Keith is hired by Lynn Echolls to find out who is stalking her husband, Aaron. They’re throwing a big Christmas party and she doesn’t want anything to go wrong. This doesn’t end up working out too well, and Aaron’s affairs are brought into the open.

Duncan thinks Logan stole the money, so he and Logan aren’t getting along too well. Veronica talks to Sean and Connor, who were also there. The clues keep coming. Everyone had an opportunity to steal the money, and everyone seems to have been hiding something.

I won’t give away the answer to the mystery, but it’s a good one. Veronica makes them all gather for another poker game and buy her in, she wants to send her dad to baseball camp for Christmas. Before the game, she unravels the mystery, then takes the place of the guilty party.

This is one of my favorite episodes of Veronica Mars. I often have no idea who commits the crimes on this show, but this case was extremely surprising to me. I also really enjoy the scene with Veronica and Logan. It is a hint at what’s to come and has the great line, “Annoy tiny blonde one, annoy like the wind.”

This is also a big episode in the overall continuity of the show. This isn’t just a throwaway holiday episode. There are things in this episode that affect the rest of the series. I think this is an excellent example of a great holiday episode of television.

(photo: Warner Brothers/vm-caps.com)

Quadruple Z Episode #002: Review of Chuck 1×1 – “Pilot”

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Buy Chuck: The Complete First Season on Amazon.com

quadz_logochuckJoin Tabz, Kim and Faith (the Vampire Slayer) as they discuss Chuck Season 1, Ep 1 – “Pilot”.

TV.com Recap:
Chuck Bartowski is an average computer geek until files upon files of government secrets are downloaded into his brain. He is soon scouted by the CIA and NSA to act in place of their computer.

This episode was edited by Tabitha Grace Smith

Love Chuck?
Check out these great resources:
ChuckTV.net
Chuck vs. the Podcast

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode! Leave them below or email us at betweenthelinesstudios-at-gmail.com. We’ll read them on an upcoming episode!

(Photo: ChuckTV.net/NBC/Warner Bros. Television)

It’s Christmas! Review: Muppet Christmas Carol

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Buy The Muppet Christmas Carol on Amazon.

My favorite holiday movie (and there are several that I love), The Muppet Christmas Carol is one of the finest examples of the magic that has come from the Muppets, especially in recent years.

Having been a fan of the Muppets for many years now, it’s no surprise that I’m well acquainted with this feature film that transports the Muppet characters into the world of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. All the familiar Muppet characters are here, playing parts appropriate to this tale: Kermit takes on the role of Bob Cratchit, Miss Piggy as Bob’s wife Emily, Fozzie Bear as Mr. Fozziwig (a revamped version of Scrooge’s old boss), and Gonzo plays the Narrator, Charles Dickens.

With rousing and sometimes poignant songs that will surely leave you humming along well after the movie is finished, the cast of the Muppets weaves this tale about a old British gentleman who seems to look upon Christmas with disdain, until three ghosts that visit him make him change his mind.

Some highlights of the film:

There are many awesome moments in this film, but I’ll try to narrow it down to just a few. Bean Bunny makes a couple of appearances in this film, as a little caroler who gets spurned by Scrooge early on in the film, and then is seen later, shivering in the cold, dark night. He appears at the end of the film as Scrooge hires him to get the biggest turkey from the butcher. True to Muppet physics, somehow Bean can hold on to the turkey (that’s as big as he is, or bigger) with little to no problem as he, Scrooge, and many other townsfolk wind their way towards the Cratchit household.

Another highlight is the banter that Gonzo, who is joined by Rizzo the Rat, engage in throughout the film. These two characters break the fourth wall and talk to the audience as if you are sharing the ongoing tale with them. One such moment occurs towards the end, where the third, and most frightening, ghost to visit Scrooge appears. Gonzo and Rizzo echo the fright the audience is no doubt feeling at this moment, and tell you that they will be back for the end of the story – they don’t want to stay for the scary part! When they return, they again talk to the audience, proclaiming, “We told you we’d be back!” While involving the audience in the story in this manner, they also provide some added humor, which is a delight to experience.

Whether you are young or old, The Muppet Christmas Carol will surely get you into the holiday spirit as only the Muppets can.

Comic Review: Stranger Comics’ –The Untamed #1, A Sinner’s Prayer

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Stranger ComicsIf you were given the opportunity to leave hell for seven days, what would you do?

For one man, locked in hell after the death of his wife and daughter, killed when he was, the answer is simple: Vengeance.

As we are taken on this man’s journey, his return to his hometown, it is clear that he is no ordinary man. He once ran the town, Oasis, and was cruel to its people. However, he was not the only one to pay the price.

When first asked to watch/read this comic, I was interested, but I’ve never been a huge comic fan. There are some I have read (Buffy, Fray, X-Men, and others), but I wasn’t as ‘into’ them as some of my friends. However, from the beginning of this animated comic, I was hooked. The art is beautiful, the music heart-wrenching. The story itself opens up with an image reminiscent of various underworld myths. The first one that springs to mind is the ferryman of the Greek river Styx and the dead he would take to Hades. The familiar image of the Reaper is ferrying the protagonist of the story out of the underworld and back to shore. He states that he was only ‘given’ seven days to send seven souls to hell, and that he doesn’t remember what he came back for. Death’s watchers, in the form of crows, follows him on his past.

I use the word protagonist loosely, because such a word can not fully describe this man, this ‘sinner’. He doesn’t react the way the normal ‘good guy’ might; for example, he ignores a woman who begs him for help, instead moving on to visit a blacksmith who reveals more of the man’s story, yet is unable to reap his reward.

After watching this comic, I surprisingly want to know more. What will happen in the next six days? Will he find his vengeance? Will he fulfill his duty to the underworld? Will a girl’s eyes dissuade him? The Untamed is an amazing comic, whether watched or read, and I, for one, will be on the lookout for more. However, I strongly recommend watching the animated version for best results. The music and the artwork, coupled with light animation (bringing to mind favorite cartoons from the early 90s), adds an incredible depth and richness to the story.

The Untamed, A Sinner’s Prayer is written, produced, and directed by Sebastian A. Jones, with art by Peter Bergting. The comic can be found online at this site: http://www.strangercomics.com/asunda/untamed1/ where it is available in both written and animated forms. There is also an amazing gallery of artwork from the comic, as well as an alternate cover. I sincerely recommend this amazing tale to comic readers everywhere.

DVD Review: The Cheesy Adventures of Captain Macaroni: The Greastest Treasure

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Buy The Cheesy Adventures of Captain Macaroni: The Greastest Treasure on Amazon.com.

When I first received a screener copy of The Cheesy Adventures of Captain Macaroni I was extremely excited. I grew up on a variety of great Christian kids programs (like The Greatest Adventure Stories From The Bible, The Flying House and Superbook). I was delighted to get the same enjoyable, funny and memorable experience with The Cheesy Adventures of Captain Macaroni that I did with my childhood videos.

The best part of the DVD was the characters. Captain Macaroni is a lovable, enjoyable super hero who is a bit silly but also wise. His sidekick, a cream-pie throwing rooster named Cheese, brings in the comedic value and offers a good foil for Captain Macaroni. I was especially impressed with the inclusion of a Hispanic character, Eddie and an African-American character, Mikey. Eddie is a genius and gets to throw in a tiny bit of Spanish when talking with Captain Macaroni.

Another great part of the DVD was the humor. It was, as the name suggests, kind of cheesy, but fun. With jokes that kids and adults can enjoy, while still being clean and wholesome. I was very glad to see there was little in the way of teasing or poking fun at other characters (an extremely easy to pick up trait that kids shouldn’t get help with).

The animation is done by the Animation Collective, who also work on cartoons for Disney, Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon. I really liked the hybrid of Anime and traditional animation styles, which make the cartoon seem modern and enjoyable. Produced in conjunction with Daystar the plot is focused on good values, but told in a way that makes it fun (not preachy).

If you’re looking for a great, wholesome DVD for kids 4-9, I’d say give Captain Mac.A.Roni a try!

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of “The Cheesy Adventures of Captain Macaroni: The Greatest Treasure of All” for review, but the review is entirely my own personal opinion and I was not compensated for this post.

Joss Whedon fans are reaching their goal to raise $150,000 at the “Can’t Stop The Serenity” Worldwide Charity Events

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Season Finale Charity Auction offers chance to tour Dollhouse costume department and more

Since 2006, fans of popular cult television and film writer/director Joss Whedon have hosted charity events worldwide to raise money for Equality Now, a charity dedicated to promoting the human rights of beleaguered women and girls. In 2009, they have already raised over $128,000 for charity. This auction aims to reach the goal of $150,000 raised by “Can’t Stop the Serenity” in 2009.

For the fourth year in a row, in over 50 cities across 7 countries, thousands of people around the world have participated in “Can’t Stop the Serenity” fund-raising events to benefit “Equality Now,” a charity organization working to protect the basic human rights of women and girls across the planet. Since 2006, more than a quarter of a million dollars has been raised, and in 2009 we’re aiming to add another $150,000. And we’re almost there.

The final effort to reach that goal is a global charity auction, featuring dozens of prizes that will be much sought after by fans.

One of the auction highlights is a chance to tour the Dollhouse costume department with costume designer, Shawna Trpcic. With the recent news heralding the cancellation of Joss Whedon’s latest television adventure, this is a once-in-a-lifetime never-to-be-repeated chance to get up close and personal with a piece of the Dollhouse. This may be one of the last opportunities for a lucky fan to see the depths of the Dollhouse wardrobe, and explore the many looks of Echo, Sierra, Victor, Adele, Topher, Boyd, Ballard and the rest of the Dollhouse team. Shawna Trpcic is the creative genius behind the unique looks of each of the dolls as they go from persona to persona, and has generously donated this rare chance to take a behind the scenes look into this cult series. In addition to Dollhouse, Shawna is also responsible for costume design on Firefly and Dr Horrible’s Sing-along Blog.

Other prizes up for grabs is autographed memborabilia from Joss Whedon, Dollhouse‘s Dichen Lachman, the cast of the Emmy Award Winning Dr Horrible’s Sing-along Blog, and Felicia Day’s The Guild, as well as props from Serenity and Dollhouse, rare scripts and more.

The auctions will run until the end of November, and a full list of prizes can be found on the Can’t Stop the Serenity Auction Guide.

All proceeds from the auction will be donated to Equality Now to help fight for the rights of women and girls who can’t fight for themselves.

For more information on the auction, see www.CantStopTheSerenity.com or contact:
Jen Cummings
Global CSTS Auction Coordinator
Jen@CantStopTheSerenity.com
About Can’t Stop the Serenity:
Conceived in late 2005 by Christopher “TheOneTrueB!x” Frankonis, “Can’t Stop the Serenity” (or “Serenity Now/Equality Now” as it was known in it’s first year) included over 41 charity screenings in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, most held around June 23 (Joss Whedon’s birthday). All to benefit Equality Now, one of writer/director Whedon’s favorite charities. And all organised entirely by volunteer fans. This staggering achievement raised over US$65,000 and began a movement that is growing stronger each year. In 2007, 42 cities in 7 countries raised over US$106,000. And in 2008, this grew to 45 cities and over US$107,000 for Equality Now. Over $250,000 has been raised for Equality Now to date. In 2009, we are proud to have 55 cities in 7 countries involved in Can’t Stop the Serenity.

About Joss Whedon:
Whedon is a well known proponent of encouraging gender equality, from his mother being actively involved in Amnesty International and helping to found Equality Now precessing his dedication to the organization, to the well known strong female characters he has created in stories like Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel, Dollhouse, Firefly and Serenity. “There are two ways to fight a battle like ours.” says Joss Whedon, “One is to whisper in the ear of the masses, try subtly and gradually to change the gender expectations and mythic structures of our culture. That’s me. The other is to step up and confront the thousands of atrocities that are taking place around the world on an immediate, one-by-one basis. That’s a great deal harder, and that’s Equality Now. It’s not about politics; it’s about basic human decency.”

About Equality Now:
Equality Now was founded in 1992 to work for the protection and promotion of the human rights of women around the world. Working with national human rights organizations and individual activists, Equality Now documents violence and discrimination against women and mobilizes international action to support their efforts to stop these human rights abuses. For more information, visit www.EqualityNow.org or contact Amanda Sullivan, Director, Women’s Action Network, Equality Now at (212) 586-0906

About Serenity:
A passenger with a deadly secret. Six rebels on the run. An assassin in pursuit. When the renegade crew of Serenity agrees to hide a fugitive on their ship, they find themselves in an action-packed battle between the relentless military might of a totalitarian regime who will destroy anything – or anyone – to get the girl back and the bloodthirsty creatures who roam the uncharted areas of space. But, the greatest danger of all may be on their ship. From the mind of Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel) comes a new edge-of-your-seat adventure loaded with explosive battles, gripping special effects and fantastic new worlds!

Book Review- “Interview with the Vampire”

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Buy Interview with the Vampire on Amazon.com

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice is the story of Louis in the series, The Vampire Chronicles. Louis is a wealthy aristocrat in New Orleans. He is bitten by the vampire, Lestat. Lestat makes him into his only companion. Louis struggles with being a vampire. He questions things like good and evil. He only feeds on animals for many years. Lestat will not answer any of Louis’ questions about being a vampire or if there are others. Lestat does not want to lose his companion.

Lestat finally convinces Louis that he must feed on humans. Louis does this, but only on the worst of them, until one night. Louis finds a young girl next to her dead mother one night during his hunt. The girl is close to death. He feeds on the girl, and then Lestat turns her into a vampire. By doing this, he is able to keep Louis from leaving him. Louis has become increasingly repulsed by Lestat, but is now tied to him by their new “vampire daughter.” They name her Claudia.

Claudia’s body remains that of a young girl, but her brain matures. She takes to killing very easily. Louis dotes on her and is happy for a time. After many years of living as a “family,” Claudia decides they should kill Lestat. She’s no fonder of him than Louis has been. She also wants to seek out the “old world” vampires in Europe, and Lestat is dead set against that.

I won’t go any further, so as not to spoil the main plot of the book. The story is told by Louis to a reporter, so sometimes it jumps out of the narrative. It’s a very effective story telling technique. It’s nice to have the reporter there to react or ask questions.

I’ve only seen the movie version of Interview with the Vampire once, but from what I remember, the movie did a great job of depicting the book. One thing that can’t come across in the movie as well is Louis’ inner struggle. He is very torn by his vampire nature against his morality. He still thinks as a human, as the vampire Armand puts it late in the book.

I definitely recommend this book, especially if you like vampires. I plan to continue on with the whole Vampire Chronicles series.

Want a 7 Night Cruise for You and 9 Friends? Watch the Bonnie Hunt Show!

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Watch The Bonnie Hunt Show every day for your chance to win a 7-night cruise for you and 9 of your Facebook friends on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas, the world’s largest and most revolutionary cruise ship! Air travel provided by Southwest Airlines. Simply tune-in to The Bonnie Hunt Show, watch for the word of the day, and then enter online at www.bonniehunt.com/fantasticvoyage.

Each correct entry will be eligible to win the Grand Prize, as well as one of ten Bonnie Prize Packs that will be given away daily. Entry is limited to one per person per day during the promotion period (November 9 – 20, 2009).

As an added bonus, anyone who becomes a fan of The Bonnie Hunt Show on Facebook and shares the FAN-TASTIC Voyage Sweepstakes with their friends will be automatically entered to win a trip to Los Angeles to see a taping of the show.

Disclaimer: I am part of the Warner Brother’s Word of Mouth Marketing Team and am compensated for spreading the word about their TV shows and contests. This, however, doesn’t stop this contest from being totally awesome.

Please Vote for Buffy Between the Lines

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Our sister podcast, Buffy Between the Lines, is a finalist in the prestigious Podcast Awards and we’d love your help in helping it win it’s category. If you love Buffy the Vampire Slayer or appreciate the work that Between the Lines Studios does (like this podcast) we’d really appreciate your help.

If Buffy Between the Lines wins we’re going to do a full episode explaining what happened after the Season 7 conclusion. So if you want to know what Buffy and company did after Sunnydale became a sink hole, please go and rock the vote!

Please vote ONCE a day, every day between today and November 30th. You must validate your vote via email, so enter a real email address.

Click here to vote!

Click here to sign up for a daily email reminder: Subscribe to Buffy Between the Lines by Email



CBS.com Launches CSI-Inspired Application Through Facebook Connect

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(Press Release from CBS.com)

Just in time for the CSI Trilogy week, CBS.com announced the launch of the CSI Zeta Casefile site, dedicated to bringing fans exclusive content from three CSI series. The Website features a new application that lets fans be part of a CSI-inspired video and create customized suspect dossiers pulling images and information through Facebook Connect. The site will also feature exclusive interviews with cast and real CSI experts, virtual tours of the three CSI crime labs, and the chance to win a trip to the set of CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION.* To access the Zeta Casefile site, please visit: www.csicrossover.com

The Cadillac sponsored site will debut in conjunction with the highly anticipated CSI Trilogy episodes. The three episode story line involves an interstate trucking ring that specializes in human cargo and black market organ harvesting set to air on Nov. 9 at 10:00 PM, ET/PT (CSI: MIAMI), Nov. 11 at 10:00 PM, ET/PT (CSI: NY), and Nov. 12 at 9:00 PM ET/PT (CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION).

This CSI Zeta Casefile application uses Facebook Connect to pull photos and information from the user’s Facebook account to produce a personalized criminal file and video, including artificial information on past crimes, aliases, and last known locations. Fans can share their experience with other fans and friends in their Facebook network.

Fans can also visit the CSI Zeta Casefile site to watch interviews with real CSI experts, who discuss the evolution of technology and innovation within CSI crime solving. Fans can take virtual tours of the labs featured on each of the three CSI series, allowing them a deeper look at the special effects, set designs and other various technologies used on the shows. The video content is complemented by a comprehensive photo gallery, showcasing stills and images of the set locations and cast interactions.

“Each of the CSI series continues to be among the most popular shows on CBS,” said Bill Binenstock, Vice President and Manager of CBS.com. “The upcoming CSI Trilogy has caused enormous buzz throughout the CBS.com CSI communities, and we wanted to build a site that would give fans a fascinating and exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the three series. The Zeta Casefile program is a creative and fun way to keep users engaged, while the behind-the-scenes content will give fans a deeper look into how the fictional CSI series are the most realistic looking shows on television.”

*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to legal residents of one of the 50 US or DC, 18 or over or age of majority in state of residence. Sweepstakes starts on Nov. 9, 2009 and ends at 11:59:59 am ET on December 31, 2009. Void where prohibited by law. See Official Rules and details at www.csicrossover.com or www.zetasyndicate.com

(Press Release from CBS.com)