TV Squad http://www.tvsquad.com TV Squad http://www.tvsquad.com/media/feedlogo.gif TV Squad http://www.tvsquad.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Things I Hate About TV: Pop-up adshttp://www.tvsquad.com/2009/11/18/things-i-hate-about-tv-pop-up-ads/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/11/18/things-i-hate-about-tv-pop-up-ads/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/11/18/things-i-hate-about-tv-pop-up-ads/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

tv_rabbit_earsWhen Lewis Black went off at the Emmys a couple of years ago about TV becoming obnoxious with the amount of information splayed on the screen, he hit the nail right on the head. Sad to say, things have not gotten better since that rant. In fact, they're worse. I don't know what's worse, the annoying pop-up ads on the television screen or the annoying pop-up ads on the computer screen. At least in the case of the latter, it's the equivalent of a commercial and -- somewhat -- understandable.

But when you're watching a television show and have to ignore the bug in the corner, then be subjected to a variety of pop-up promotions and reminders for shows you may or may not be interested in watching it's enough to make you turn off the set. I'd say it's enough to make you switch channels, but where can you go to avoid the intrusion? PBS?

Continue reading Things I Hate About TV: Pop-up ads

 

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]]>bugsCNNEmmysESPNLewis BlackLewisBlackpop up adsPopUpAdspromotionsscreensAllison WaldmanWed, 18 Nov 2009 11:29:00 ESTJane After Dark: The Wire, season five (part two)http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/11/16/jane-after-dark-the-wire-season-five-part-two/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/11/16/jane-after-dark-the-wire-season-five-part-two/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/11/16/jane-after-dark-the-wire-season-five-part-two/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

The Wire: Season Five - Omar
And so Jane After Dark has come to the end of The Wire. I need to watch it again to catch more than the one-eighth I caught the first time around. But after watching all five seasons, spanned over most of this year, the thing that keeps popping into my head is that the bureaucratic end of things is really no better than the drug dealer end of things.

In some ways, the drug dealers have more ethics than the suits. At least when a druggie does something that wrongs others in the system, there's no messing around. They're shot. They know they have it coming, and they step up and take it, just like Snoop did, asking if her hair looked ok before being gunned down. Just like Proposition Joe did when he closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable bullet to the head.

Continue reading Jane After Dark: The Wire, season five (part two)

 

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]]>amy ryanAmyRyandeirdre lovejoyDeirdreLovejoydominic westDominicWestjane after darkJaneAfterDarkjimmy mcnultyJimmyMcnultylance reddickLanceReddickomar littlesonja sohnSonjaSohnthe wirethe wire season fiveJane BoursawMon, 16 Nov 2009 09:02:00 ESTJane After Dark: The Wire, season five (part one)http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/11/02/jane-after-dark-the-wire-season-five-part-one/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/11/02/jane-after-dark-the-wire-season-five-part-one/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/11/02/jane-after-dark-the-wire-season-five-part-one/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

The Wire, season five, Not For Attribution
Ah, how good it is to get back to The Wire. I've been steered off track by other DVDs landing on my doorstep for Jane After Dark, so season five of The Wire has been a while coming. One again, the show blows me away with the writing, characters, cinematography and realism. I'm just part-way into season one, but I love all of the references to everything that's happened thus far in the series, and the crew's continued attempts to bring down Marlo's organization. And, apparently, Omar is still in the game ...

Continue reading Jane After Dark: The Wire, season five (part one)

 

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]]>amy ryanAmyRyandeirdre lovejoyDeirdreLovejoydominic westDominicWestjane after darkJaneAfterDarkjimmy mcnultyJimmyMcnultylance reddickLanceReddickmore with lessMoreWithLessnot for attributionNotForAttributionsonja sohnSonjaSohnthe wirethe wire season fiveTheWireTheWireSeasonFiveunconfirmed reportsUnconfirmedReportsJane BoursawMon, 02 Nov 2009 20:03:00 ESTJane After Dark: Ally McBeal, season onehttp://www.tvsquad.com/2009/10/25/jane-after-dark-ally-mcbeal-season-one/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/10/25/jane-after-dark-ally-mcbeal-season-one/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/10/25/jane-after-dark-ally-mcbeal-season-one/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Ally McBeal, season oneIt's always interesting when you've been hearing about a series for years and then finally sit down to watch it. All the little pieces and pop references of Ally McBeal are starting to come together, like Fishisms, The Biscuit, dancing babies and Vonda Shepard. I have seen the light. Well, at least season one of the light.

I mentioned in my preview last week that Ally McBeal seems like a mix of The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd and My World and Welcome To It. Having reached the end of season one, I still feel that way, with maybe a little Buffy the Vampire Slayer thrown in (hey, don't throw things at me, Ally looks like Buffy).

Molly Dodd because Ally is funny, desperate, strong and cute. My World because of all her fantasies, though not always in cartoon form as was the case with John Monroe / James Thurber.

Continue reading Jane After Dark: Ally McBeal, season one

 

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]]>ally mcbealally mcbeal season oneAllyMcbealAllyMcbealSeasonOnecalista flockhartCalistaFlockhartdancing babyDancingBabydyan cannonDyanCannondylan mcdermottDylanMcdermottfishismsfoxgill bellowsGillBellowsgreg germannGregGermannmy world and welcome to itMyWorldAndWelcomeToItthe days and nights of molly doddTheDaysAndNightsOfMollyDoddvonda shepardVondaShepardJane BoursawSun, 25 Oct 2009 15:03:00 ESTJane After Dark preview: Hooked on Ally McBealhttp://www.tvsquad.com/2009/10/21/jane-after-dark-preview-hooked-on-ally-mcbeal/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/10/21/jane-after-dark-preview-hooked-on-ally-mcbeal/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/10/21/jane-after-dark-preview-hooked-on-ally-mcbeal/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Ally McBeal castI'm watching season one of Ally McBeal for Jane After Dark this week, and will give a full review this weekend. But I have to say, I'm just a few episodes in, and I'm already hooked. It's a weird blend of The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd and My World and Welcome To It.

And it's very weird seeing Calista Flockhart, whom I mainly know from Brothers & Sisters, and all of her co-stars, whom I know from other current shows, on Ally McBeal. What's even more amazing is all of the musicians featured on this show: Elton John, Tina Turner, Mariah Carey, Al Green, and many more.

Continue reading Jane After Dark preview: Hooked on Ally McBeal

 

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]]>ally mcbealally mcbeal complete seriesally mcbeal season oneAllyMcbealAllyMcbealCompleteSeriesAllyMcbealSeasonOnecalista flockhartCalistaFlockhartfoxgill bellowsGillBellowsgreg germannGregGermannmy world and welcome to itMyWorldAndWelcomeToItthe days and nights of molly doddTheDaysAndNightsOfMollyDoddvonda shepardVondaShepardJane BoursawWed, 21 Oct 2009 14:03:00 ESTJane After Dark: Legend of the Seeker, season onehttp://www.tvsquad.com/2009/10/18/jane-after-dark-legend-of-the-seeker-season-one/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/10/18/jane-after-dark-legend-of-the-seeker-season-one/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/10/18/jane-after-dark-legend-of-the-seeker-season-one/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Legend of the Seeker
I've been hearing about this little show called Legend of the Seeker since it debuted last year. Season one was just released on DVD, so I checked it out for Jane After Dark this week. It's a great show. In my neck of the woods, it airs Saturday afternoon at 4 PM, which is a perfect time. If it aired during the regular primetime schedule, I'm afraid it would be eaten up by other shows, but the weekends are a nice home for it.

I've heard that Legend of the Seeker, based on The Sword of Truth novels by Terry Goodkind, is similar to Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess. As with Legend, both of these shows were produced by Sam Raimi and Robert G. Tapert.

Continue reading Jane After Dark: Legend of the Seeker, season one

 

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]]>abcbridget reganBridgetReganbruce spenceBruceSpencecraig hornerCraigHornerkahlan amnellKahlanAmnelllegend of the seekerLegendOfTheSeekerrichard cypherRichardCypherterry goodkindTerryGoodkindwizardszeddicus zul zoranderZeddicusZulZoranderJane BoursawSun, 18 Oct 2009 11:02:00 ESTJane After Dark: Peanuts 1970's Collection, Vol. 1http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/10/11/jane-after-dark-peanuts-1970s-collection-vol-1/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/10/11/jane-after-dark-peanuts-1970s-collection-vol-1/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/10/11/jane-after-dark-peanuts-1970s-collection-vol-1/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Peanuts 1970's Collection, Vol. 1Like most people in the known universe, I grew up with Charlie Brown. In addition to watching all the TV specials, my family amassed a fairly large collection of the paperback Peanuts books and even a few nice hardcovers. Family friendly graphic novels, you might call them.

So I was pretty excited to learn that Warner Home Video was releasing a lot of the TV specials, both individually and in collections. On Oct. 20, the Peanuts 1970's Collection, Vol. 1 will hit store and cyber shelves in a 2-disc set. A nice publicist sent me an advance copy, so I'm happy to devote this week's Jane After Dark to this lovely set.

I'm always harping on all the sex and violence on TV right now -- often in shows that bill themselves as family friendly -- so it's really nice to have something you can watch with your kids that you know won't contain anything offensive or off-color. Not only that, the stories usually have a moral lesson, but they don't whack you over the head with it. It's more subtle, wrapped up in the humor and innocence of the stories and characters.

Continue reading Jane After Dark: Peanuts 1970's Collection, Vol. 1

 

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]]>bill melendezBillMelendezcharles schulzCharlesSchulzcharlie brownCharlieBrownpeanutspeanuts 1970s collectionPeanuts1970sCollectionJane BoursawSun, 11 Oct 2009 10:02:00 ESTJane After Dark: Grey's Anatomy season five; Private Practice season twohttp://www.tvsquad.com/2009/10/04/jane-after-dark-greys-anatomy-season-five-private-practice-se/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/10/04/jane-after-dark-greys-anatomy-season-five-private-practice-se/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/10/04/jane-after-dark-greys-anatomy-season-five-private-practice-se/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Grey's Anatomy, season five dvdWith Grey's Anatomy and its spin-off Private Practice starting new seasons, I decided to refresh my brain with the previous seasons of these two ABC shows. So this week's Jane After Dark was all about the dreamy doctors.

I've been on board with Private Practice since the beginning, and was especially interested to see what happened with Violet and her baby in the season three premiere. Happy ending there, thank goodness! And while Grey's Anatomy has certainly ebbed and flowed since it began in 2005, I've stuck with it because I've grown to love the dysfunctional characters with all their baggage. It makes my life seem just that much better.

Grey's Anatomy, Season Five

There were parts of this season that drove me a little nuts, like Izzie having "mind-boggling sex" with dead Denny. That whole storyline made me want to jump off a roof, but there were plenty of highlights to the season, as well...

Continue reading Jane After Dark: Grey's Anatomy season five; Private Practice season two

 

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]]>derek and meredithDerekAndMeredithellen pompeoEllenPompeogreys anatomygreys anatomy season 5GreysAnatomyGreysAnatomySeason5justin chambersJustinChamberskatherine heiglKatherineHeiglpatrick dempseyPatrickDempseyprivate practiceprivate practice season 2PrivatePracticePrivatePracticeSeason2sandra ohSandraOht.r. knightT.r.KnightJane BoursawSun, 04 Oct 2009 10:00:00 ESTJane After Dark: Five reasons I'm loving Castlehttp://www.tvsquad.com/2009/09/27/jane-after-dark-five-reasons-im-loving-castle/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/09/27/jane-after-dark-five-reasons-im-loving-castle/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/09/27/jane-after-dark-five-reasons-im-loving-castle/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Castle - Stana Katic and Nathan Fillion
This week in Jane After Dark, I caught up with season one of Castle. I'm a sucker for fun whodunits, especially when they feature great male and female characters who've perfected the art of the snappy banter. Specifically, here are five reasons why I'm loving Castle:

1. Nathan Fillion is boyishly charming. I've been a big fan of this Joss Whedon favorite since seeing him in 2005's feature film Serenity. I finally completed that awesome circle by watching Firefly last winter. Fillion has the ability to be goofy one minute and deadly serious the next. In Castle, he plays Richard Castle, a best-selling mystery author who's raising a 15-year-old daughter Alexis (Molly C. Quinn) -- and, in many ways, his free-spirited live-in mother Martha (Susan Sullivan), as well. Having killed off his latest fictional character, Richard found inspiration in NYPD detective Kate Beckett, after being called in to advise on a case. Now they're working as pseudo-partners.

Continue reading Jane After Dark: Five reasons I'm loving Castle

 

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]]>alexis castleAlexisCastlecastlecastle season 1CastleSeason1jane after darkJaneAfterDarkkate beckettKateBeckettmartha rodgersMarthaRodgersmolly c. quinnMollyC.Quinnnathan fillionNathanFillionrichard castleRichardCastlestana katicStanaKaticsusan sullivanSusanSullivanJane BoursawSun, 27 Sep 2009 15:01:00 ESTJane After Dark: Fringe, season one - pudding, ZFT, and The Observerhttp://www.tvsquad.com/2009/09/21/jane-after-dark-fringe-season-one-pudding-zft-and-the-obse/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/09/21/jane-after-dark-fringe-season-one-pudding-zft-and-the-obse/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/09/21/jane-after-dark-fringe-season-one-pudding-zft-and-the-obse/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Fringe: Unleashed
In anticipation of the season two premiere of Fringe last week (read my review and your comments here), I revisited season one to refresh my brain. There are so many subtleties that connect seasons one and two, and it was good to go back and watch it again.

While there were a few creature-feature episodes that appeared to be stand-alones (but who really knows with this show?), for the most part, much of season one was devoted to weaving an intricate mystery and setting things up for season two. It's too much, really, for one small blog post, but a few things sprang to mind ...

Continue reading Jane After Dark: Fringe, season one - pudding, ZFT, and The Observer

 

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]]>alternate universeAlternateUniverseanna torvAnnaTorvcortexiphanfringefringe abilityfringe boundfringe power hungryfringe season 1fringe season 2fringe the arrivalfringe the equationfringe theoriesFringeAbilityFringeBoundFringePowerHungryFringeSeason1FringeSeason2FringeTheArrivalFringeTheEquationFringeTheoriesleonard nimoyLeonardNimoyolivia dunhamOliviaDunhamthe observerTheObserverwilliam bellWilliamBellJane BoursawMon, 21 Sep 2009 09:00:00 ESTJane After Dark: Sexy Samantha talking Greek in Scrubshttp://www.tvsquad.com/2009/09/13/jane-after-dark-sexy-samantha-talking-greek-in-scrubs/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/09/13/jane-after-dark-sexy-samantha-talking-greek-in-scrubs/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/09/13/jane-after-dark-sexy-samantha-talking-greek-in-scrubs/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Dirty Sexy Money Season 2Several DVD sets came my way this week, so I did some marathon viewing sessions for Jane After Dark. I'm brand new to some of these, so you'll get the stark, raw newbie version. But I'll start with one I've watched since the beginning ...

Dirty Sexy Money: The Complete Second and Final Season. I really liked this show at the beginning. It had all the elements of a great series, including excellent actors (starting with Donald Sutherland, Jill Clayburgh, and Peter Krause) and intriguing storylines with rich people, sex, murder, and mystery. But by the time they got to season two, the storylines just seemed to fizzle out. I would love to hear your thoughts on why Dirty Sexy Money didn't work. Crummy writing? Poor use of great actors? Too many characters to keep track of? Poor timing with the writer's strike occurring in the middle of its run, resulting in ten months between seasons?

Bonus features: Directing the Darlings (behind the scenes with director Jamie Babbit); A Total Knockout (a day in the life of Natalie Zea, who played Karen); Dirty Sexy Crafty (a featurette about the food on the set); Faux Pas (bloopers); deleted scenes.

Continue reading Jane After Dark: Sexy Samantha talking Greek in Scrubs

 

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]]>bill lawrenceBillLawrencecharisma carpenterCharismaCarpenterchristina applegateChristinaApplegatedirty sexy moneydirty sexy money season 2DirtySexyMoneyDirtySexyMoneySeason2donald sutherlandDonaldSutherlandgreekgreek chapter 3GreekChapter3jill clayburghJillClayburghpeter krausePeterKrausesamantha whosamantha who season 2SamanthaWhoSamanthaWhoSeason2scrubsscrubs season 8scrubs season 9ScrubsSeason8ScrubsSeason9spencer grammerSpencerGrammertiffany dupontTiffanyDupontJane BoursawSun, 13 Sep 2009 10:00:00 ESTJane After Dark: Sons of Anarchy - bikes, guns, sex and Katey Sagalhttp://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/30/jane-after-dark-sons-of-anarchy-bikes-guns-sex-and-katey-sa/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/30/jane-after-dark-sons-of-anarchy-bikes-guns-sex-and-katey-sa/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/30/jane-after-dark-sons-of-anarchy-bikes-guns-sex-and-katey-sa/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Sons of Anarchy - Katey Sagal and Ron Perlman
I've been hearing about an awesome new show on FX since it aired last year, and finally got around to watching season one of Sons of Anarchy this week for Jane After Dark. Being a motorcycle babe myself, I love any show where bikes or gangs are the central focus.

But even if you've never mounted a bad chopper, there are plenty of reasons to love this badass show about the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Originals (SAMCRO). They run a legal automotive business while dealing arms, battling rival gangs, and working with the cops (sometimes) to keep their town of Charming, California a pleasant place to live. You can see all the irony at work here.

Continue reading Jane After Dark: Sons of Anarchy - bikes, guns, sex and Katey Sagal

 

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]]>adam arkinAdamArkinbiker gangsBikerGangsbikerscharlie hunnamCharlieHunnamfxgemma teller morrowGemmaTellerMorrowhenry rollinsHenryRollinsjane after darkJaneAfterDarkkatey sagalKateySagalron perlmanRonPerlmansamcrosons of anarchysons of anarchy musicsons of anarchy season 1SonsOfAnarchySonsOfAnarchyMusicSonsOfAnarchySeason1Jane BoursawSun, 30 Aug 2009 15:12:00 ESTGossip Girl's gag reel makes me laughhttp://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/24/gossip-girls-gag-reel-makes-me-laugh/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/24/gossip-girls-gag-reel-makes-me-laugh/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/24/gossip-girls-gag-reel-makes-me-laugh/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Gossip Girl, Blake LivelyHaving just watched all of these scenes this past week (read my yammer in Jane After Dark), I found this gag reel for season two of Gossip Girl pretty hilarious. I always wonder what wacky hijinks take place behind the scenes, what the actors are like during filming, and how things can go horribly wrong with the cameras still rolling. So I love watching the outtakes on DVD sets.

My favorite here is the scene where an ultra-dandified Chuck is on the Yale campus, and the dudes grab him and stuff the sack over his head. Or rather, TRY to stuff the sack over his head. And then there's Leighton Meester, who is so indelibly "Blair Waldorf" in my head that it's weird seeing her crack up and talk in funny voices. I can't imagine trying to compose myself for a scene after cracking up take after take.

Continue reading Gossip Girl's gag reel makes me laugh

 

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]]>blair waldorfBlairWaldorfblake livelyBlakeLivelychuck bassChuckBassed westwickEdWestwickgag reelGagReelgossip girlgossip girl season 2GossipGirlGossipGirlSeason2leighton meesterLeightonMeesterouttakesthe cwTheCwJane BoursawMon, 24 Aug 2009 17:03:00 ESTJane After Dark: Eight things I learned while watching Gossip Girlhttp://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/23/jane-after-dark-eight-things-i-learned-while-watching-gossip-gi/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/23/jane-after-dark-eight-things-i-learned-while-watching-gossip-gi/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/23/jane-after-dark-eight-things-i-learned-while-watching-gossip-gi/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Gossip Girl
I'm almost to the end of Gossip Girl season two, and frankly, I couldn't be happier! It's been quite taxing watching rich snobs backstab their best friends night after night. I'll need a short break before season three premieres on The CW on Sept. 14.

But, as with everything, I try to glean some small bits of wisdom here and there, things to help me in my quest for peace, serenity, and large amounts of cash. Here are a few things I've learned from Gossip Girl:

1. Never tell the truth. Apparently, this is the first thing they learn in finishing schools. Never tell the truth, whether you're lying to your best friend about getting into Yale, lying to your girlfriend about where you've been for the past three days, or lying to your kids about their sibling you gave away at birth. Keep a spreadsheet handy to keep track of all the various lies you've told and plan to tell.

Continue reading Jane After Dark: Eight things I learned while watching Gossip Girl

 

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]]>blake livelyBlakeLivelychace crawfordChaceCrawforded westwickEdWestwickgossip girlgossip girl listsgossip girl season 2GossipGirlGossipGirlListsGossipGirlSeason2jane after darkJaneAfterDarkleighton meesterLeightonMeesterpenn badgleyPennBadgleythe cwTheCwJane BoursawSun, 23 Aug 2009 11:17:00 ESTJane After Dark: Gossip Girl, season 2 - sex, lies, and ... more sexhttp://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/16/jane-after-dark-gossip-girl-season-2-sex-lies-and-more/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/16/jane-after-dark-gossip-girl-season-2-sex-lies-and-more/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/16/jane-after-dark-gossip-girl-season-2-sex-lies-and-more/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Penn Badgley as Dan Humphrey on Gossip Girl
As is often the case lately, I watch the first season of a show, fall in love with it (see my Mad Men post from last week), miss the second season on TV, and have to wait for the DVD to be released. By then, I've all but forgotten what happened in season one and have to do a little refresher course.

Such is the case with Gossip Girl, season two of which I've been watching this week on DVD. But, really, it's only taken me a few episodes to get caught back up ...

Continue reading Jane After Dark: Gossip Girl, season 2 - sex, lies, and ... more sex

 

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]]>blake livelyBlakeLivelychace crawfordChaceCrawforded westwickEdWestwickgossip girlgossip girl season 2GossipGirlGossipGirlSeason2jane after darkJaneAfterDarkleighton meesterLeightonMeesterpenn badgleyPennBadgleythe cwTheCwJane BoursawSun, 16 Aug 2009 17:04:00 ESTJane After Dark: Mad Men, season two - Meditations on a stylish TV showhttp://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/09/jane-after-dark-mad-men-season-two-meditations-on-a-stylish/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/09/jane-after-dark-mad-men-season-two-meditations-on-a-stylish/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/09/jane-after-dark-mad-men-season-two-meditations-on-a-stylish/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Mad Men - Season Two
First of all, I have to say that I'm terribly distracted at the moment, because my daughter is watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Even though I just watched it a few months ago, I wouldn't mind watching the entire series again from start to finish. But, alas, there are other things in my stack o' DVDs, so I'll have to be content with hearing it in the background while I work. She just watched the first two eps, and I had totally forgotten that Darla showed up in the very first episode. Interesting. Anyways...

I'll get back to The Wire -- I still have season five to watch -- but this week's Jane After Dark is all about Mad Men. Sometimes I fall deeply and madly in love with a TV show, and that's how it is with AMC's love letter to the 1960s. I raced through season one right after it was released on DVD, but stupidly waited for season two on DVD. I bought it last week and watched the entire season, devouring it like a hearty tenderloin that's perfectly cooked, so I'd be caught up for the season three premiere on August 16. If you haven't watched season two yet, spoilers follow after the jump...

Continue reading Jane After Dark: Mad Men, season two - Meditations on a stylish TV show

 

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]]>1960samcbetty draperBettyDraperchristina hendricksChristinaHendricksdon draperDonDraperelizabeth mossElizabethMossjanuary jonesJanuaryJonesjoan hollowayJoanHollowayjon hammJonHammmad menmad men season 2MadMenMadMenSeason2peggy olsonPeggyOlsonpop culturePopCultureJane BoursawSun, 09 Aug 2009 16:15:00 ESTJane After Dark: The Wire - season four ends, alliances shifthttp://www.tvsquad.com/2009/07/26/jane-after-dark-the-wire-season-four-ends-alliances-shift/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/07/26/jane-after-dark-the-wire-season-four-ends-alliances-shift/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/07/26/jane-after-dark-the-wire-season-four-ends-alliances-shift/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

The Wire, Season 4, Final Grades, Bodie

Well, well, well. How interesting to see the purchase of the nail gun we saw in the first episode of season four of The Wire come back around to bring everything together. "It's a tomb," says Freamon in "A New Day," and it all makes sense to me. Well, some of it makes sense anyway.

And then there's the teetering decision of whether Freamon will keep getting crap from the higher-ups about going out and looking for Marlo's bodies, using up manpower, and upping the murder rate of the city, or whether they'll do the right thing and actually do their jobs. Oh, the bodies that rolled in.

Continue reading Jane After Dark: The Wire - season four ends, alliances shift

 

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]]>aidan gillenAidanGillenandre royoAndreRoyoavon barksdaleAvonBarksdalecop showsCopShowsdavid simonDavidSimondeirdre lovejoyDeirdreLovejoydominic westDominicWestfinal gradesFinalGradeshboidris elbaIdrisElbajane after darkJaneAfterDarkjimmy mcnultyJimmyMcnultyjohn domanJohnDomanlance reddickLanceReddickomar littleOmarLittlethe wirethe wire season 4TheWireTheWireSeason4way down in the holeWayDownInTheHoleJane BoursawSun, 26 Jul 2009 18:00:00 ESTJane After Dark: The Wire, season 4 - The kids are not alrighthttp://www.tvsquad.com/2009/07/19/jane-after-dark-the-wire-season-4-the-kids-are-not-alright/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/07/19/jane-after-dark-the-wire-season-4-the-kids-are-not-alright/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/07/19/jane-after-dark-the-wire-season-4-the-kids-are-not-alright/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

The Wire - Season 4
I'm well into season four of The Wire (just finished "Margin of Error"; read my other Jane After Dark installments), and getting into the guts of the Baltimore political scene and how it's all interwoven with the cops and drug business.

Oh, those kids! It really makes you see how they've gotta be extremely driven to get out of that life, because a lot of the adults are just priming them to continue the drug business into the next generation. Not only their parents -- which is really sad -- but people like Marlo, who has his minions handing out back-to-school cash to build goodwill with the kids. At that rate, those kids don't have a shot of clawing their way out of a life of crime.

It will take me another run-through or two to really fit all the pieces together, but I'm digging how all of the characters have evolved ... or not ...

Continue reading Jane After Dark: The Wire, season 4 - The kids are not alright

 

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]]>aidan gillenAidanGillenandre royoAndreRoyoavon barksdaleAvonBarksdalecop showsCopShowsdavid simonDavidSimondeirdre lovejoyDeirdreLovejoydominic westDominicWesthboidris elbaIdrisElbajane after darkJaneAfterDarkjimmy mcnultyJimmyMcnultyjohn domanJohnDomanlance reddickLanceReddickmargin of errorMarginOfErroromar littleOmarLittlethe wirethe wire season 4TheWireTheWireSeason4way down in the holeWayDownInTheHoleJane BoursawSun, 19 Jul 2009 13:01:00 ESTJane After Dark: The Wire, season three - Oh, Stringer! http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/07/12/jane-after-dark-the-wire-season-three-oh-stringer/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/07/12/jane-after-dark-the-wire-season-three-oh-stringer/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/07/12/jane-after-dark-the-wire-season-three-oh-stringer/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

The Wire - Middle Ground

Well, holy cow. I did not see that coming, although from what you've all said, I was prepared for just about anything to happen on The Wire. Except that!

I feel like season three ended on a high note. Well, sort of ... at least for McNulty, now walking the beat in the Western Division. Even though he's wearing a uniform, which is just weird for him, he's talking and laughing with the residents, and that's really what it's all about. And Rhonda and Cedric are together (oh, that chiseled butt of his!).

Even with all the busts, though, the drug business sails onward, with Marlo moving up in the hierarchy and Dennis' boxing gym virtually deserted, all the kids lured back into the streets. But mostly, season three was all about Episode 11, "Middle Ground"; in particular, a few penultimate scenes...

Continue reading Jane After Dark: The Wire, season three - Oh, Stringer!

 

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]]>avon barksdaleAvonBarksdalecop showsCopShowsdavid simonDavidSimondominic westDominicWesthboidris elbaIdrisElbajane after darkJaneAfterDarkjimmy mcnultyJimmyMcnultyjohn domanJohnDomanlance reddickLanceReddickneville brothersNevilleBrothersomar littleOmarLittlestringer bellStringerBellthe wirethe wire season threeTheWireTheWireSeasonThreeway down in the holeWayDownInTheHoleJane BoursawSun, 12 Jul 2009 10:03:00 ESTJane After Dark: The Wire, season 3 - Stringer wears a suit, Omar gets rashhttp://www.tvsquad.com/2009/07/05/jane-after-dark-the-wire-season-3-stringer-wears-a-suit-oma/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/07/05/jane-after-dark-the-wire-season-3-stringer-wears-a-suit-oma/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/07/05/jane-after-dark-the-wire-season-3-stringer-wears-a-suit-oma/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

The Wire, season 3 - Omar and Bunk
After a brief break to watch season four of Weeds last week, Jane After Dark is back with The Wire. I'm half-way into season three, and while there are definitely parts of this show that put me to sleep (ducking and running for cover), it's still a brilliant drama. My teenage son popped in for part of an episode, decided it was too "real," and promptly lost interest.

To help me organize my thoughts, let's take a look at a few characters:

Stringer Bell. I'm really digging Idris Elba dressed up in his fancy suit, running the real estate company, working with government officials, and holding drug meetings using Robert's Rules of Order. It's fascinating that there's this whole hierarchy within the gangs that most of them respect and follow.

Continue reading Jane After Dark: The Wire, season 3 - Stringer wears a suit, Omar gets rash

 

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]]>cop showsCopShowsdavid simonDavidSimondominic westDominicWesthboidris elbaIdrisElbajane after darkJaneAfterDarkjimmy mcnultyJimmyMcnultyjohn domanJohnDomanlance reddickLanceReddickneville brothersNevilleBrothersomar littleOmarLittlestringer bellStringerBellthe wirethe wire season threeTheWireTheWireSeasonThreeway down in the holeWayDownInTheHoleJane BoursawSun, 05 Jul 2009 14:05:00 EST