Happy Birthday, Zandervision!

Well everyone, today (September 23rd) marks the one year anniversary of when I first started Zandervision. 241 posts since my initial introduction later, a lot's changed. A year ago I was underemployed, living in a smaller apartment, and in full-out election obsession mode (that post came mere days before the first debate). But what hasn't changed is it's premiere week, which means there's plenty of entertainment to be covered (note that I said the same thing about Heroes then that I did 2 days ago. At least I'm consistent).

So happy birthday Zandervision. Gifts will be accepted in the form of hits and/or comments.

But in case you were concerned I would post without anything entertainment-related, have a look at this:

Tonight's Glee may have been my favorite yet. It was also probably the least musical, but I'm not holding that against it. The whole "Single Ladies" dance craze was from months ago, yet somehow Glee found a way to still make it funny, and multiple times. Sorry I couldn't find a clip of the football team doing the dance in unison, cause that already ranks as one of Glee's best moments.

There were plenty of non-Beyonce gems as well. Sue Sylvester now has a segment on a local news show, where she imparts such grand advice to Ohio as to bring back caning (Yes we cane) and to fill the land with litter (so garbage men will have jobs). I'm already calling next year's Emmy for supporting actress in a comedy for Jane Lynch. Plus, we got to learn more about two less often featured Gleeers, Kurt (who had a sweet coming out to his macho dad) and Tina (who I don't think has had a line before but got to sing).

I'm still somewhat confused about this Cabaret production, seeing as Rachel seems to be the only person actually in the cast. But I do know a guest appearance from Kristin Chenoweth next week can only mean good things. So while I can't speak for its long-term potential, I will say that at this moment, Glee wins the battle of the high school shows over Gossip Girl any day.

Observe and Be Puzzled

Grade: C+

Confession time: I saw this all the way back in February, a good 2 months before it even came to theaters. But after a few months went by and I hadn't gotten around to writing about it, it just made more sense to wait until it came to DVD, which, conveniently enough, is today. So if you had thought about seeing it in theaters then forgot about it, here's your chance.

So what took me so long? Guess I just didn't care enough. Back when this was in theaters, it was being called Travis Bickle: Mall Cop, for its attempts to mix Taxi Driver with that other mall cop movie. If that sounds like a weird mix, it is. The movie starts off well enough, with a self-important mall cop with dreams of becoming a police officer seeing a mall-wide streaker as his chance to shine. But somewhere around the midway point it stops being a comedy and gets really, really serious. Then it just gets violent.

Basically, the movie can't decide on a tone, so just when it's told you it's one thing it turns into something else entirely. The bigger problem is it makes a much better comedy than a drama about Seth Rogen's deep-seated desire to become a cop or action movie about Seth Rogen hitting/shooting everything in sight. So by the halfway point, the best is far behind you.

The strange choice of tones may be somewhat explained by the fact that this is director Jody Hill's first studio movie, having previously helmed cult comedy The Foot Fist Way (which launched Danny McBride's career) and funny HBO show Eastbound & Down (which I've been meaning to watch again). As those other projects show, he's clearly talented and has good ideas, but much of Observe & Report feels student film level, like he's still figuring out what to do with the resources he's now been given. So it may be better to look at this as practice for the funnier films he's likely to make in the future.

That's not to say the movie's a complete misfire. Even though Seth Rogen basically plays Danny McBride's character from The Foot Fist Way (and less effectively), this is a big departure from the Apatow characters he's been typecast into, and he largely succeeds in making you forget them. Better yet are the cameos - Danny McBride as a low-level criminal and Aziz Ansari as a mall employee have the funniest scenes in the entire movie. Had their scenes been more typical, this could have been a solid comedy. Instead, we'll just have to wait and see what Jody Hill does next.

Having the Talk, Or Having Georgina

Tonight marked the beginning of premiere week, with all the Monday shows back. Since Heroes had the gall to demand 2 hours of my time right upfront, I may not get to it for awhile. For that matter, I'll probably take awhile to get to a bunch of shows from this week. But here's what I did watch.

In case you were worried about having to go too long without seeing Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother is back, and ready to deal with both of the big events of last year's finale. As most fans care far more about Barney and Robin than Ted and the Mother, the premiere spent most of its time on the former, as Lily forced them to have "the talk" and define their relationship. So far they're keeping a good balance of funny and cute, so let's hope it stays that way.

Over at Columbia (seen nicely through some exterior shots), Ted struggled with his first day as a professor, especially since he went to the wrong room. The whole nervous about what kind of professor to be thing may have been covered by Friends (though at least Ted didn't adopt a British accent), but the whole wrong room thing actually made for the funniest scene of the episode. Plus, it provided an excuse for an Indiana Jones fedora and whip (though seriously, get the whip away from Marshall).

Finally, someone help me out - did Brad seem drastically different to anyone else? IMDB confirms it's still the same actor, so what up? And I guess this means he broke up with Kara? These are important questions, people.

Ok, I promise I will not be writing about Gossip Girl weekly, cause it's really not an interesting enough show. But I said last week that we wouldn't get to see how they handled college until now, so that seemed worth mentioning.

And actually, the college parts were the best parts of the episode. Seeing as there were no frats and people sat around watching a movie, Gossip Girl is already doing a more realistic depiction of college than most shows (ie Saved by the Bell). Most of the fun was in the Blair/Georgina fight. Blair's always best when she has a target, and Georgina is a whole lot more fun to war with than Teenage Teacher. But Georgina and Dan? I disapprove.

As for the rest of the episode: Serena acted generally bitchy around everyone and decided not to go to Brown cause, you know, it's not in New York, and that would complicate the show. She's annoying me. Nate spent a day in bed when he should have been at Columbia orientation (and then I would have gotten a double dose of Columbia tonight. Way to ruin everything, Nate). Chuck has somehow become the most responsible character on the show. Lily (and now Jenny) is still MIA. And the Ice Truck Killer continues to get creepier, this time by freaking out over a bad professor (or is it proffesor?) recommendation. Guessing that means he didn't go to NYU summer school. Too busy camping outside Dan's loft with binoculars?

So now Dan's got both a stalker half-brother and Georgina after him. He better watch his back.

NPH Was Robbed, but Awesome

After the nightmare that was last year's reality show host experiment, the Emmys needed someone to chase away those painful memories. But Neil Patrick Harris did far more than that tonight, officially becoming the best awards show host out there.

Indeed, the Emmys were at their best whenever he was onstage. Unlike the Tonys which kept us waiting for it, the Emmys gave us NPH singing right off the bat, and his opening song was actually funny in addition to starting things off right. He not only kept the night running smoothly, but had enough well-chosen quips to keep even those long miniseries/TV movie sections from getting too dry. And his Dr. Horrible bit was easily the highlight of the night. If only it could have been a musical number. The fact that many winners felt the need to thank him for doing such a great job shows just how much he stood out from all the rest.

So how was it possible that he lost Best Supporting Actor? And to Jon Cryer, of all people! What were the Emmy voters smoking to reward Two and a Half Men over someone who not only plays the funniest character on TV, but has also proven himself in Dr. Horrible and the Tonys as well. Shame on you Emmy voters. Unforgivable.

Outside of that one egregious mistake, I was otherwise pretty pleased with the awards. If you look back at my picks and predictions, far more of my "should wins" won than my "will wins." I told you that you shouldn't listen to my predictions. So yay to the unexpected wins for Michael Emerson, Kristin Chenowith, and Cherry Jones, the first supporting actor on 24 to be recognized.

And while there were a lot of repeats from last year, the fact is that Mad Men, Alec Baldwin, and The Daily Show all deserved it, and 30 Rock and Glenn Close also did for the most part (both strong #2s in who I rooted for). I would have preferred to see Jon Hamm, Michael C. Hall, or Hugh Laurie win their first Best Actor award, though I understand Breaking Bad needs the attention more. And while I love Tina Fey, Toni Collette was the only winner in the top categories who didn't win last year (and she plays four characters).

However, none of that makes up for picking Jon Cryer over Neil Patrick Harris. The Emmys are just lucky that NPH was able to handle it like a pro, milking the loss for comedy. And they may have trouble finding excuses to ignore him next year. Since if the category hadn't been eliminated, he'd be winning an Emmy next year just for tonight. Oscars, here he comes.

Bored of Bored to Death

Grade: B-

Thanks to HBO putting it On Demand early (and thanks to my being home for Rosh Hashanah where I have access to it), I already got a chance to see the pilot to Bored to Death, which premieres on HBO tonight. Heading into premiere week, I had a feeling this one might get lost in the shuffle. And with far too many shows on my schedule, here's one I can count out.

I wanted to like Bored to Death. Really, I did. But it just wasn't happening. The show stars Jason Schwartzman as novelist Jonathan Ames (who's real, and produces the show). We first see him as his girlfriend leaves him because he "smokes too much pot and drinks too much white wine." Laughing yet? What about the twentieth time he says it? Unsure how to crack his second novel, Ames posts an ad on Craiglist offering himself as a private eye, and soon enough he's got a case.

A noir comedy is definitely my style, but there's no comedy to be found here. Maybe I laughed once. Probably not. And this isn't one of those fake comedies like Hung, that's a half hour long but doesn't even try to make you laugh. No, this one tries, it just doesn't succeed. Which is all the more impressive seeing as the rest of the cast features Zach Galifianakis, fresh off his Hangover hilarity, and Ted Danson, making a return to comedy after his brilliantly creepy turn on Damages.

It's not all in the writing either. There's something about the tone of the show that just doesn't work. Each scene is scored to downbeat indie music that may fit a Wes Anderson movie, but doesn't quite belong here. And sometimes the production values seem more like a student film than "it's not TV it's HBO." However, Bored to Death does have one thing going for it: it has a great theme song. If only the rest of the show matched it.

Emmy Predictions

In case you forgot, the Emmy Awards are tomorrow (Sunday) night, and with Neil Patrick Harris hosting it may actually be worth watching, even if the awards are less than exciting. If you're on the fence, maybe this will help make up your mind: Dr. Horrible musical number. Yeah. That's what I thought. In the meantime, here are my predictions for how the awards part will go down. As predictable as they seem, I'm sure I'll still miss most. You should really never trust me on these things.

BEST DRAMA

Will Win: Mad Men

Should Win: Mad Men

Could Win: Breaking Bad?

Mad Men's second year was as good and arguably better than its first. It's hard to imagine anything keeping it from repeating.

BEST ACTOR, DRAMA

Will Win: Jon Hamm, Mad Men

Should Win: Michael C. Hall, Dexter

Could Win: Hugh Laurie, House

You could swap those three around if you like, since all three are deserving and all three have yet to win. I feel like it's Jon Hamm's year, but still don't be surprised if Bryan Cranston repeats for Breaking Bad, even if only critics watch that show.

BEST ACTRESS, DRAMA

Will Win: Glenn Close, Damages

Should Win: Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men

Could Win: Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men

Elisabeth Moss deserves to win the Emmy for that season finale scene with Pete alone. But even if Damages wasn't at its best this season, Glenn Close was.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, DRAMA

Will Win: Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad

Should Win: Michael Emerson, Lost

Could Win: Someone from Boston Legal

I'm not quite sure what to make of this category. William Hurt's a big name, but he wasn't all that great on Damages. John Slattery seemed more likely for Mad Men last year. So I'm gonna go with Aaron Paul, since people who watch Breaking Bad seem to like him, and the Emmys clearly like the show. Still, you can never underestimate their unexplainable love for all things Boston Legal. If only Jimmy Smits had submitted here instead of guest actor for Dexter.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, DRAMA

Will Win: Hope Davis, In Treatment

Should Win: Rose Byrne, Damages

Could Win: Rose Byrne, Damages

Dianne Wiest won last year for In Treatment, so I see Hope Davis reaping the same benefit from that actors' showcase. I nearly put 24's Cherry Jones as my should win, since anyone who can say 24 dialogue with a straight face deserves praise, but I have to go with Rose Byrne, even if she's actually the lead on the show.

BEST COMEDY

Will Win: 30 Rock

Should Win: How I Met Your Mother

Could Win: How I Met Your Mother

Most people may disagree, but I'm going to go ahead and say it: How I Met Your Mother is a better show than 30 Rock. Furthermore, 30 Rock was especially inconsistent this year, with a dud in between every funny episode. Since Emmys judge on single episodes and buzz, that won't matter.

BEST ACTOR, COMEDY

Will Win: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

Should Win: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

Could Win: Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

It's amazing how much people seem to love Jim Parsons on The Big Bang Theory. But there's still no arguing with El Generalissimo. Unless Tony Shalhoub wins for the 13th time.

BEST ACTRESS, COMEDY

Will Win: Toni Collette, United States of Tara

Should Win: Toni Collette, United States of Tara

Could Win: Tina Fey, 30 Rock

Yeah, this was the year of Tina Fey and all, but Toni Collette played 4 completely different characters, and (mostly) kept from going too over-the-top. Hard to imagine bigger Emmy bait.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, COMEDY

Will Win: Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother

Should Win: Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother

Could Win: Someone from 30 Rock

This is without a doubt NPH's year to win. I mean, he's the host! They can't let the host go home empty-handed! Plus, he should be collecting his 4th statue, not his first, for his (sorry, I have to) legendary performance as Barney Stinson. I'd be more worried about the guys from 30 Rock if there was just one of them, but I feel like 30 Rock fans may end up splitting their vote. And if Dwight or Drama wins, the Emmys will be beyond redemption.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, COMEDY

Will Win: Amy Poehler, Saturday Night Live

Should Win: Kristin Chenowith, Pushing Daisies

Could Win: Kristin Wiig, Saturday Night Live

The Emmys are going SNL crazy this year, not only giving guest actress to Tina Fey but guest actor to Justin Timberlake for hosting (over 30 Rock's Jon Hamm and Alan Alda? That seems worthy of a "Really?!?! with Seth and Amy"). Since Amy Poehler won't take lead actress since her show sucks, they'll make it up to her here.

BEST REALITY-COMPETITION PROGRAM

Will Win: The Amazing Race

Should Win: Top Chef

Could Win: Hah!

The Amazing Race has won this award EVERY YEAR SINCE IT WAS CREATED. It's the biggest sure-thing of the night.

BEST HOST FOR A REALITY PROGRAM

Will Win: Ryan Seacrest, American Idol

Should Win: Padma Lakshmi and Tom Colicchio, Top Chef

Could Win: Phil Keoghan, The Amazing Race

This award should have been eliminated as punishment for last year's atrocity. I'm picking Ryan Seacrest cause I assume he owns half of the voters by this point, but I'm always going to root for Top Chef.

BEST VARIETY, MUSIC, OR COMEDY SHOW

Will Win: The Daily Show

Should Win: The Daily Show

Could Win: Saturday Night Live

The Daily Show has won I think the past six years or so, and has deserved it every single time. While this year's no exception, SNL had a few good sketches during election season, and Emmy voters are stupid enough to ignore the other 85% of the season that was crap.

So those are my predictions. Who are you rooting for? Who do you think is inevitable? And will you watch the awards, or just fast forward to the NPH parts?

NBC Thursday

Thursday night marked the return of a number of shows on NBC. I don't watch Parks & Recreation (after that humorless pilot, it would take a lot for me to give it another shot), and SNL's pretty low priority, but I would like to chime in on a premiere and a pilot, in that order.

Count this week's episode of The Office in the category of "I can't believe they've never done an episode on this before." How in the world did it take five seasons to think of office rumors as fodder for comedy? However, unlike the other seemingly obvious idea (the Michael Scott roast), this one actually (mostly) worked.

On the one hand, amazing that Michael's attempt at obviously fake rumors so often came out true (most notably in Pam being pregnant). But far funnier were some of his less plausible rumors. My favorites: that Kevin had someone else inside him and that Toby was a virgin (not nearly enough Toby hating last year. I'm glad it's back). While seeing Michael end Stanley's marriage was maybe not so funny, it's nice to see this past-its-prime comedy still has some good ideas left in it. Maybe there is a sixth season left in it after all.

One final gripe though: it took five seasons to bring in interns, and that's all the show did with them? There's so many jokes to be made about interns, especially in that setting, and they barely scratched the surface. The new blood alone would have been welcome. Farewell, Jet Li, Julia Stiles, and Robin Thicke. We hardly knew ye. Or why Michael chose those nicknames (except Julia Stiles, he's right on that one).

Grade: B

First pilot review of the season! And critics said it's one of the better ones. I'd say it's got exactly three things working for it so far:

1. John Oliver. Hilarious in every single one of his scenes.

2. Joel McHale. While at first too sarcastic, he soon proved himself a likable and funny central character.

3. The writing is actually (if only sporadically) funny.

Otherwise, the show's more of a mixed bag. I'll add Britta (the girl Joel McHale keeps asking out) to the list of people I like, but the rest of the cast still seem too much like types. Abed had promise, until he turned into "guy who quotes movies constantly" (it's NEVER funny! when will they realize that!) It's funny to see Pete Campbell's wife as Aderall Annie, but the nickname seems the extent of her character. And Chevy Chase, well, I don't even know.

I also don't know how exciting a show about a study group can actually be. Will we have to actually see them study? I'm guessing the show will quickly become more of that, and do hope it can make a college-set show (other than Undeclared) work. And with Joel McHale's likability and some Arrested Development writers in charge, I'm certainly willing to give it a few more episodes. But if things don't pick up soon, I won't be bothering to find it once 30 Rock reclaims its time slot.