Snagged from Oprah.com’s behind the scenes video.
Category: TV
Review of Doctor Who S5 Ep1: Eleventh Hour
Quote of the Episode
I’m saving the world.
I need a decent shirt. – the Doctor
Non-Spoilery Review:
After what seems like a millennia Matthew Smith has taken over as the 11th Doctor. This episode, penned by the new show-runner Stephen Moffat takes everything we love about Doctor Who and promises eager fans that, while actors may change, Doctor Who is always the same.
Recap:
The Doctor has regenerated into a brand new man, but danger strikes before he can even recover. With the TARDIS wrecked, and the sonic screwdriver destroyed, the new Doctor has just 20 minutes to save the whole world – and only Amy Pond to help him.
– TV.com
Spoilery Review
I must admit, I was not one of the skeptics when it came to “can Matt Smith pull off the Doctor”. As much as I’m a David Tennant fangirl, I was very excited for Doctor Who to be run by Steven Moffat (who wrote my all-time favorite episode of Doctor Who: Blink and a close second: The Girl in the Fireplace). I will give Russel T. Davis his due for having revamped a classic TV show and made it even more relevant and timely than it’s previous incarnation, but Moffat really holds the qualities of storytelling that I find so fascinating.
That said, Eleventh Hour surpassed my expectations. The episode highlighted the very thing most fans love about the Doctor, through young Amelia Pond we have a picture of the average Doctor Who fan. Some one fascinated with the mythos of a mad man in a blue box who can come and save the world. The childish innocence and strength of young Amelia was clearly accentuated through her interactions with the Doctor. Those are, after all, the Doctor’s favorite things about humans.
And, of course, the ever present (and very needed) element of humor was throughout the episode. From the crash landing (apples, swimming pools and the like) to the Doctor’s final choice of outfit (bowties are cool). My favorite moments were the food tasting, especially hurling the plate of bread and butter out the door and commanding it not to come back.
The alien was great too, the perfect combination of scary enough (the corner of your eye bit was fantastically done), but not overwhelming to the main part of the story (The Doctor and Amy’s journey together). Some great special effects too with the same voice coming out of the mother and both girls at the end and with the teeth.
I also like the set up for what promises to be the series arch (the Silence, the crack appearing on the Tardis’ screen, the duck pond… okay, maybe not the duck pond). Also loved the Doctor’s ability to help random strangers (like Jeff). It’s something I’d missed from previous seasons.
Matt Smith has big shoes to fill, and I don’t envy the microscope his acting will be under for the next few months, but I am very happy to see a lot of doubting Thomas types now sold on Matt being a great Doctor.
Doing Something Good: Help Out Operation Smile by Uploading a Photo!
Every year 200,000 children are born with a severe cleft condition that leaves them unable to eat, speak, socialize or smile. Too often their parents can’t afford the costly surgery to help their children out. That’s where Operation Smile comes in. Operation Smile is an organization that provides surgeries for these children, giving them the chance to smile and lead a normal life.
Celebrity Jessica Simpson has been working with Operation Smile for seven years and in her new reality series “The Price of Beauty” she’s taking a trip to India to meet Meena, a 13 year old girl who suffers from a cleft lip and cleft palate. The episode, which airs March 29 on VH1, will document Meena’s journey as volunteers from Operation Smile perform an operation to correct Meena’s condition.
How Can You Help
Operation Smile and VH1 are encouraging viewers to share their smiles during this season of “The Price of Beauty.” As part of the Smiles for Smiles campaign, people are invited to upload photos of their own smiles, which will become part of a mosaic composite featuring photos from the show. For every photo uploaded VH1 will donate $1 to Operation Smile. Visit www.vh1smile.com to upload photos, check out other smile mosaics and donate to Operation Smile.
Want to Do More?
Visit www.operationsmile.org and read about the various ways to get involved and donate to the organization.
(Photo: Jessica Simpson, Meena and Ken Paves – Photo from Operation Smile)
Check Out Between the Lions’ Roadshow!
Leona & Theo Reading © WGBH/Sirius Thinking
If you’re along the East Coast or Southern USA and have preschool age kids you’re gonna want to check out Between the Lions Live!. I share a special love for this show not only because it always makes me do a double take (Between the Lines Studios being our podcast group’s name), but also because it encourages kids to read!
Between the Lions’ Roadshow performances are designed to bring the television series to life, encouraging children to read, sing along with the Lions, and recognize words in the world around them. Engaging and animated books such as Is Your Mama a Llama? and Click, Clack, Moo will encourage audience participation, and Aaron Nigel Smith, founder of FUNdamentals of Music and Movement, will be back to join the Roadshow, adding his original award-winning music to the mix.
Tour Dates and Venues
Catch Theo and Leona’s live performances in Atlanta, GA on Friday, April 30 (venue TBA). Next, they spend five days at the Georgia State Fair in Macon, GA from May 1-5. Finally, the lions travel to Columbia, SC on May 6 and Charlotte, NC from May 7-8 (venues TBA).
Tune in to Between the Lions
Between the Lions airs nationally on PBS KIDS (check your local listings). If you live in one of the areas located on the fourth annual Roadshow tour, you can catch the series on:
-Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) weekdays at 1:00 p.m.
-South Carolina ETV (SCETV) weekdays at 1:30 p.m.
-UNC-TV (North Carolina) Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 12:00 noon
For more information on the series and to view updates to the schedule of tour dates and venues, please visit: pbskids.org/lions
Are you on the run? Enter to Win a Fugitive Chronicles Prize Pack from A&E
Yesterday we let you know of A&E’s new show Fugitive Chronicles. Today we’re giving away a prize pack from A&E to help you on your next daring escape (or, you know, fan convention).
About Fugitive Chronicles
At the heart of each gripping real-life manhunt will be the cinematic reconstruction of the exhaustive efforts that take place, often in very dangerous conditions, to find and bring a fugitive to justice. Told from the perspective of the hunter and the hunted, these dramatic true-life stories are told through exclusive interviews with law enforcement officials closest to the case and the fugitive’s story based on real interrogation tapes, court transcripts and news footage. Officials will share exactly when they learned of the fugitive’s flight, what their first course of action was and how they went about executing their heart-pounding takedown. Become a fan on Facebook!
Watch the trailer here:
The Fugitive Chronicles on A&E Extended Trailer
Uploaded by AEVideos. – Full seasons and entire episodes online.
Fugitive Chronicles premieres Thursday April 1st at 10/9c on A&E! On Thursday March 25th at 9/8c, a link will be posted on the official Facebook page where you will be able to watch a secret preview on AETV.com!
Enter to win a Fugitive Chronicles prize pack!
– Fugitive Chronicles compass/flashlight
– Fugitive Chronicles t-shirt
How to Enter
Main Entry: (you must complete this entry in order to participate, otherwise all other entries will be disqualified)
Friend the Fugitive Chronicles on Facebook. (leave a comment here saying you have).
Extra Entries:
1. Tweet this review using the text below and leave a comment with your Twitter handle:
Enter & win a Fugitive Chronicles prize pack QuadrupleZ from A&E: http://bit.ly/aEQJQR #giveaway
2. Leave a comment on another QuadZ post (come back here and leave a comment to say you did so)
3. Subscribe to us via email: Subscribe to Quadruple Z by Email (leave a comment to say you did so or if you’re already a subscriber)
4. Blog about this giveaway and leave us the link in the comments.
Open to US Residents only, prizes chosen at random using random.org, prizes provided by A&E.
A&E Gives Facebook Fans a Sneak Peek of Fugitive Chronicles
I love a great social media marketing campaign and A&E is doing it up right with their new series Fugitive Chronicles. To get some buzz going before the first episode airs they’re offering Facebook fans a sneak peek on Facebook.
Just add their fan page -> http://www.facebook.com/FugitiveChronicles
On Thursday March 25th at 9/8c, a link will be posted on the official Facebook page where you will be able to watch a secret preview on AETV.com!
I love real life crime story docudramas, so this series looks like it’s going to be a lot of fun. First episode airs Wednesday, April 1st, 10/9C on A&E.
Photo courtesy of A&E/ElectricArtists
Fans Can Help Transylvania Television Produce a Halloween Special!
Fans of the cult hit Transylvania Television (TVTV) can pledge their “undying” loyalty and money through http://www.kickstarter.com. Funds raised will help produce an hour-long Halloween special on the Twin Cities network CW (formally known as WB23). Fans can locate the pledge page by visiting http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/transylvaniatv/transylvania-television-halloween-special. Pledges can be as little as $10 and depending on the level of sponsorships, fans and donors can receive various gifts for their pledges including buttons, character shrinky-dinks, autographed pieces from the set, and personalized video greetings from the Transylvania Television cast.
For over two years, TVTV has been attracting college and Generation X audiences by blending traditional stand up, sitcom television, and pop culture references with their own cutting edge humor. TVTV continues to gather steam as they launch their third season and the producers and fleece animators of TVTV continue to expand their audience base. Using the Web and guerilla marketing tactics, TVTV has been reaching out to audiences via Facebook (under transylvaniatv), iTunes, and Twitter while creating an army of “zombie minions” for their cult hit.
Reservoir Dolls: An Analysis on Spy in the House of Love
A while back, Smart Pop Books announced a Dollhouse essay contest. This is my submission, which failed to make the minimum requirement of 3,000 words. The following is a half-joking comparison between Spy in the House of Love, and the 1992 crime film, Reservoir Dogs. Contains spoilers for both properties, of course.
CBS.com Wants You
Fans Can Upload Impersonation Videos To CBS.Com For The Chance To Win $5,000
San Francisco – January 11, 2010: CBS.com announced today the launch of a contest searching for the best impersonation of CSI: MIAMI’s lead detective Lieutenant Horatio Caine, portrayed by actor David Caruso. Starting today through February 22nd, fans of CSI: MIAMI can log on to the contest site to upload a 30-second or less video clip of themselves delivering the most memorable Horatio Caine one-liners from the show. The top 10 videos, selected by a combination of votes from the public and CBS.com judges, will be announced on March 1st, followed by the top 5 videos on March 8th, the top 3 videos on March 15th and the winner on March 22nd.
“Ever since we created Horatio, the fans have been passionate about the character, sunglasses and all,” says David Caruso. “For years, everyone from Jim Carrey to Laurence Fishburne has tried to do their best imitation of him but I think the fans are the ones who get it right. Now is the chance for them to showcase their best.”
“Even in his eighth season, the character of Horatio Caine continues to be a major fan favorite on CBS.com,” says Joe Ferreira, SVP, Network and Studio Liaison at CBS Interactive. “We wanted to give Caine’s passionate community of fans the opportunity to show us how well they really know his character and showcase their abilities to re-enact his famous mannerisms.”
For more information about the contest, visit: www.cbs.com/primetime/csi_miami/upload
TV Review: Veronica Mars 2×10 One Angry Veronica
Buy Veronica Mars – The Complete Second Season
It’s the end of the school day, just before Christmas vacation, and Veronica Mars is severely lacking in holiday cheer. Not even the cafeteria’s Christmas Cake has the power to lift her spirits. Who could blame her? She’s dating Duncan Kane, again. I kid, but seriously, little Miss Mars has good reason to be all “Bah, Humbug!”
Her friend Meg is in the hospital. What’s more, the bed-ridden girl is pregnant with Duncan’s baby. It’s a long story. Meanwhile, Veronica’s gumshoe Dad, Keith has been assigned by the Mayor (Steve Guttenberg. That’s right.) to investigate Neptune’s finest. It seems someone broke into the evidence room and stole some incriminating video footage. The tapes feature a roll in the sheets between Aaron Echolls, the movie star Father of Veronica’s previous boyfriend, and Lilly Kane, Veronica’s dead best friend and Duncan’s Sister. That’s an even longer story.
All of that pertains to the continued, over arching mystery of the season proper. However, the real treat of this episode comes in the form of a subplot involving Veronica getting stuck with Jury Duty. Once she is bestowed the title of Foreman, it’s off to the races. In a smart, delightful tribute to Sidney Lumet’s classic film adaptation of Reginald Rose’s TV play, 12 Angry Men, One Angry Veronica deals with a curious case about two stoners, a hooker and her pimp. This side story takes place in just one room, and is completely dialogue and character driven, making it my favorite episode of the entire second season. In fact, one could almost edit everything else out and safely watch just these scenes in the jury room.
Though Christmas first seems like a simple, inconsequential backdrop, the holiday setting does actually manage to have relevance to the episode, one of two scenes in particular actually directly influences the jury room B-plot. First, in what is my personal favorite scene of the episode (as Father/Daughter scenes in the Mars household usually are), Keith comes home from his investigation at the precinct, having not much luck. He opens the door to a “Winter Wonderland” of colored lights, candy canes and tinsel. At the center of it all, Veronica has prepared a feast fit for a family of two with a middle-class income. The both of them decide to spend this important time together, before they go back to dealing with violence, sex and theft during Christmas. I love it when Keith refers to Veronica as simply, “Elf.”
This scene is crucial in that it not only provides much needed warmth and positivity for the characters and the audience, but it also helps Veronica save the day in the jury room. Her Dad upgrades her computer’s hard drive and processing power as an early Christmas present, but he also conveniently leaves substantial information on the screen that leads Veronica to later solve the case. Mars Investigations strikes again.
The second instance of Christmas magic comes at the end of the episode, when Veronica needs it the most. Though she solves the case, she learns some devastating news about one of her dear friends. Fed up with the recent events of this depressing holiday, Veronica accepts defeat and settles for New Year’s pizza with her Dad. That is, until a Christmas miracle happens and Veronica gets a surprise visit from a long-lost best friend. This finally renews her sense of Christmas spirit, and Veronica looks ahead to the new year with hope.
I bet that Christmas Cake would be much more appreciated now.
(Photo: Warner Brothers)