Television Nirvana

Victims Katie, Kara and Erin Eastburn Thank goodness for online television viewing because I missed this episode of 20/20 which aired a few weeks back, dealing with the seemingly improbable legal case of Tim Hennis.  I have kept up with much of the Hennis case, involving the brutal 1985 murders of Katie Eastburn and two of her daughters, Kara and Erin.  I read the excellently written book Innocent Victims by Scott Whisnant.  I watched the well done television movie of the same name.  I found the 20/20 segment to be very well done, presenting as much of the overwhelming amount of evidence as possible within the forty or so minutes allowed.  Particularly heartbreaking were the emotional interviews with the victims' husband and father, Gary Eastburn, and the surviving Eastburn child, Jana, who was less than two years old at the time of the murders.  20/20 also interviewed author Scott Whisnant, who continues to hold firm to his belief that Tim Hennis is innocent and has bee

Look, I love both Medium and Supernatural .  Watched both of them since they began.  Now, in the television gods' infinite wisdom, Medium is on Friday nights at 8 and Supernatural at 9.  Not on the same network - - Medium resides at CBS after NBC kicked it to the curb and the CW transferred it from following the incredible and amazing The Vampire Diaries to following the aging POS Smallville - - but how exciting could it be! How exciting indeed, if the season openers are any indication.  And don't get me wrong, I am saying this while thinking that picking my cuticles would be more exciting. Medium had an interesting enough idea, even if it's been done to death.  In a nutshell, Freaky Friday shenanigans happen at Casa DuBois as Allison and Bridgette awaken to find they have switched bodies.  Poor Joe.  As if that man hasn't been through enough in six or so seasons.  Of course, Allison is having visions of a homeless man being murdered and the sickening act is caugh

Photo Source:  tvdramas.about.com Anyone familiar with The Sopranos knows who Michael Imperioli is (he played ChristoPHUH for many years) and has scored a new t.v. series with Detroit 187 . I watched the pilot last week and meant to post about it but got distracted.  I thought it was fairly entertaining, although it did suffer from pilot-itis (a lot going on, trying to introduce characters as well as back stories).  I did decide that I would watch again this week and see what happened. I thought the second episode was better than the first.  Imperioli plays Homicide Detective Louis Fitch to a distanced perfection.  Fitch is the stereotypical single detective, with no wife or kids, who lives and breathes his job.  He reads suspects and perps ideally and manages to figure out clues before newbie detective Hottie (don't know his name, sorry, but he used to work Narcotics) and the female detective whose name I think is Sanchez.  Differing from Law & Order , where there are

Any Ferris Bueller's Day Off fans here?  Yep, loved that movie.  Actor Jeffrey Jones was appropriately stalker-y and slick enough to play Principal Ed Rooney.  The end scene was classic. Anyhow, Jones ran into a little skirmish with the law a few years back when he was pinched for child porn and given 5 years probation as well as counseling and sex offender registration status.  Ouch, right?  You or I would probably get jail time - - and not country club jail but pound you in the ass jail ( TM Office Space ).  As part of his harsh sentence, Jones was required to keep up with his sex offender registration . . . which he chose not to do.  Guess he didn't like it.  So, rather than getting 3 years in jail (again, which you or I would easily get), because failing to keep up with  your registration is a felony , Jones got 250 hours of community service and 3 years probation.  Really?  Why are celebrities somehow given exceptions to the rules the rest of us must abide by?  Doe

Did anyone watch Kirstie Alley's "reality" show on A&E last spring?  If you missed it (and sadly, I was not one of the smart ones who did), it was called My Big Life (pun so totally intended) and A&E passed up that little goldmine (pun so totally intended) after it's freshman season.  Not so with Lifetime, where the suits in their infinite wisdom (pun so totally intended) have decided to snap this little gem up and subject their viewers to Kirstie's half hour of Scientology promotion, her weird daily life and the lemurs she keeps on her property.  Okay, so I like the lemurs.  In other exciting (pun so totally intended) news, Kirstie once again claims to have lost a boatload of weight, thanks to her Scientology b.s. products and blessings from L. Ron Hubbard.  I think Kirstie is totally full of crap about the weight loss but smart enough to realize that the only career she truly has left is gain weight/lose weight.  The photo above is Kirstie in Ital

I think this cover of Billboard speaks for itself, don't you?  I love Bret Michaels.  He is entertaining as hell.  He was the best part of Celebrity Apprentice last season (well, with the exception of Curtis' hotness, Sharon's take charge attitude and Holly's inner bitch coming out for air - - repeatedly) and Rock of Love was perhaps the trashiest show ever put on t.v. (maybe a slight exaggeration).  Buuuuuttt . . . somebody got paid overtime to give old Bret some killer abs via Photoshop because I'm pretty sure beer at 9 a.m., Diet Cokes and insulin injections don't lead to a six pack and super tight leg muscles.  Hmmm . . . maybe he's turned to Kirstie Alley's "miracle" diet and workout program?     

Brief Synopsis :  Gone Baby Gone director Ben Affleck adapts author Chuck Hogan's Hammett Prize-winning novel concerning four thieves who are hunted on the streets of Boston by a determined FBI agent and a woman with the power to bring them all to their knees.   My Say:    You don't have to be a fan of Ben Affleck to appreciate this film but at the very least you should have a respect and admiration for his ability to not only star in this flick, but to direct the script that he wrote.  Affleck should rightfully be considered a triple threat for such a feat, and he pulls it off with nary a wrinkle. The Town sets a bar for heist movies that will be hard to meet, much less top.  The script is fluid and strong and the action is consistent without being gratitious.  Affleck directs with a firm and assured hand and the actors are all flawless, working together in unison and bringing blue collar Boston to life.  The Town also manages to be an unlikely love story between Affleck

There is probably more false press about Suri Cruise (Suri is studying acting!  Suri is a natural athlete!  Suri is Tom Cruise's child!) than any other pseudo-celebrity child on the planet so I generally take everything I read with a grain of salt.  However, when the "news" is about the excessive sums that Tom Cruise and his hired robot Katie Holmes spend on the child, I tend to believe it.  The most recent newsworthy (hah!) tale is that the Cruise-azies have spent $6,000 on a princess outfit for Halloween for The Amazing Woman (what Katie called Suri in an interview when Suri was less than 2 years old).  Allegedly Tom made arrangements to have a one of a kind princess outfit made for the spoiled 5 4 year old.   Wonder if Tom had a matching princess dress made for himself?  Or maybe he took the idea for Suir's dress from his own? Anyhow . . . what a bargain!  $6,000 for a dress that Suri will wear for a couple of hours, once.  In an economic environment where peo

Ah, just another day in the life of the fortunate of Beverly Hills. Annie proved that she walks with hot beverages about as well as she drives Mulholland when people are lying in the road.  She's in some coffee shop in Silverlake (note big sign) and so busy reading a book (I know, I'm shocked too that she can actually read) that she turns and immediately runs into a guy with serious issues of his own and spills her coffee all over his pants and shirt.  I say the guy has serious issues because he immediately hits on Annie.  Annie?!  Annie does this lame comedy-like routine, grabbing napkins and attempting to clean off his pants and I'm cringing, thinking of how in the later seasons of the original Beverly Hills 90210 , Donna Martin Does Comedy became an episode requirement.  So Ruined Pants Guy hits on Annie, which geeks her all out and she leaves coffee shop with his number.  Ho hum.  And wait a minute . . . how is Annie getting to a coffee shop in Silverlake or anywhere

Photo Source: fanpop.com God, I love this show!  Where else can you have a high school with a a former cheerleader (human) dating a 165 or so year old vampire hottie, her younger brother who has died or nearly died more times in the last six months than I have shaved my legs, her best friend is a bitchy witch, her other best friend is the blonde homecoming queen who is a baby vampire (and who is also dating her former boyfriend), a varsity athlete whose eyes become werewolf-y when he gets pissed, and a teacher who has a ring that prevents him from dying and who himself was married to a vampire who also happens to be the former cheerleader's birth mother?  Nowhere, right?  Bless the CW.  Is there any other show that keeps the action coming constantly and while feeling as though it's part of the overall storyline and not just a ploy to be action laden?  Last week's episode dealt with a carnival being hosted by Mystic Falls High.  Great idea considering that the last ca

 Photo Source: screencrave.com  If you haven't heard of NBC's new show The Event , you have had your tv off and haven't gone to the movies because NBC has advertised and marketed the hell out of this thing.  I was initially on the fence because (1) the television ads gave me absolutely no idea what the show was about and (2) I was sick to death of the ads.  Oversaturate much?   But my brother in law saw a commercial at the movie theater (I know, right?  Ostensibly we go to the movies to bypass the whole commercial thing) and said it made the show look phenomenal.  Since DirectTV has NBC in this area (damn DirectTV for not having the CW, it's a crime) I decided to give it a go. Impressive, NBC .  The Event was better than I thought it would be.   The show started with some cataclysmic happening, as seen through the camera of a news crew.  The viewer had no idea what it was, but it sure looked bad.  Perhaps an earthquake or some other deadly force of nature?  Fo

Photo Source:  entertainmentwallpaper.com So House returned last night and to quote Gregory House, M.D.  himself:  "Don't . . . don't!"  When the writers titled this episode "What Next?" they had no idea how apt those particular words were.  Only I would be saying it sarcastically, while pulling at my hair. I watch House in part for the medical mysteries and in part for Hugh Laurie's snappy, wise ass delivery as the sure-to-be-sued-in-real-life acerbic doctor.  I do not watch it for 40+ minutes of relationship angst and bullshit.  I have never liked House and Cuddy together.  Let them flirt and dance around the issue but having them "finally" hook up is a big mistake.  Cuddy is House's supervisor.  Even before they did the nasty, she was already giving him preferential treatment and deferring to his opinions.  How is that going to go now? My favorite relationship of the show has always been the bromance between House and Wilson and

90210 returned to the air this past Monday (although I had to wait for the show to be available online) and apparently the writers believe that their viewing audience (which sadly includes yours truly) all suffered head injuries and memories losses over the summer because if reality wasn't always present last season, it has completely and totally left the building this year. First and foremost, Annie - - who, if you recall, mowed down a homeless guy who had the unfortunate luck to be inexplicably lying in the road, after drinking herself more stupid than usual after a party at the end of sophomore year, baby! - - apparently had that entire, inconvenient issue resolved.  Poor widdle Annie had to spend her entire summer under house arrest and is on probation until she's twenty-five.  How on earth does she deal with life's cruelty and unfairness?  And Ryan ("Mr.") Matthews has the audacity to tell her that she's paid her dues to society?  Really?  And then he n

This weekend should prove to be a relatively good one at the movies, with a handful of new flicks making their official big screen debuts.  In a quick run down, here are the newbies: Alpha and Omega This should be the big movie for the younger set this weekend.  Alpha and Omega is the animated tale of two wolves (voiced by Justin Long and Hayden Panettiere) trying to find their way home to their pack after being kidnapped. Christina Ricci, Danny Glover, Dennis Hopper, and Larry Miller also supply voices for the Crest Animation production, helmed by Anthony Bell and Ben Gluck from a script by Chris Denk. Rated PG for rude humor and some mild action.  Runtime:  1 hr. 28 min. My take:  Certain to be a sure-fire hit for the kids (and kids at heart) who love animated flicks. Devil M. Night Shyamalan is back in this first in a series of collaborations between the writer/director and Media Rights Capital.   Devil  is a supernatural thriller based on an idea by Shyamalan.  Going

Photo Source:  Boston Herald Don't you just love how cheaters always have a supposedly valid excuse for why they cheat?  LeAnn Rimes is the newest member of the "It Wasn't My Fault That A Penis Other Than My Husband's Wound Up in My Vajayjay" Club.  Don't you just hate it when that happens?  You forget to pay your water bill, you run a stop sign, you slip and find a foreign penis in your nether regions . . . it happens. So LeAnn tells People (OF COURSE) that the time she had with her ex-husband Mr. Rimes (otherwise known as Dean Sheremet) was "great" but they ultimately couldn't make it work.  I have a comment (as I'm sure you knew I would).  First, their time together couldn't have been too "great" as LeAnn didn't keep the goody basket at home.  And obviously they couldn't make it work - - Eddie Cibrian was sneaking dips in the pool.    So back to LeAnn and her rationalizations.  She states that the way she go

And the award goes to . . . MICHAEL GRIMM! Yes, total surprise.  Don't get me wrong.  I think the guy is fabulous.  Great singer and his voice is to die for.  He was performing live , people and he sounded like Joe Cocker in the studio.  The man definitely deserves a recording contract and a successful career.  No doubt about it. But as a Vegas act?  When I think of Vegas I think of acts that you either wouldn't see or wouldn't pay to see elsewhere.  Out of the four talents competing for America's Got Talent 's Season 5 crown, that meant Fighting Gravity or Prince Poppycock.  And since Prince Poppycock seemed to lose some of his steam this week, I would have given the prize to Fighting Gravity.  They are a true Vegas act, through and through. Not that any of the three runners-up (including the angelically voiced Jackie Evancho) will be pining for jobs -- all of them should be signing contracts with record labels and/or agents after their appearance on the show

Photo Source:  scifinow.co.uk As I settled in to watch the first new epi of The Vampire Diaries ' sophomore season I was reminded why this show was one of my favorite, if not my absolute favorite, last season.  Because it's freaking awesome, people!  I was disappointed that I could not watch this epi last Thursday night at 8 (my family doesn't get the CW on this DirectTV) and had to wait until the CW posted the epi on their website so I could watch it on my computer.  It was worth the wait because the summer hiatus did not slow The Vampire Diaries down.  At all. All last season we waited for Katherine Pierce's return and she brought it immediately.  Is she ever evil!  A nasty, bitchy, shit stirring vampire simply cannot be beat and Katherine does not disappoint.  From her attempted murder of Uncle John to threatening Bonnie to professing her (literally) undying love to Stefan while telling Damon that she never loved him and never would because it would always be Ste

Photo Source:  truebloodnet.com Sam is unhinged, Jessica and Hoyt are shacking up, Terry is emotional, Lafayette is hallucinating, Jesus is a witch, Russell is in deep shit, Jason continues to be gullible, Tara cut her hair, Eric and Pam continue to be badasses, Bill is good, no Bill is bad, no, Bill is good and Sookie is glittery. And that pretty much sums up how season three ended.  I, for one, was somewhat disappointed.  It's the season finale, people.  It should blow me away, make me frustrated at the thought of waiting another six months or so for the next season.  And yet . . . I am underwhelmed.  First, I am over Tara.  In a major way.  Girlfriend needs therapy at least as far as her choices with boyfriends go.  And heck, friends too.  Don't forget, she hooked up with Mary Anne and brought that crazy bitch into Sookie's home and has yet to truly apologize to Sookie for the total trash job on Gran's house.  Unforgivable!  Her new haircut is cute although all

Alison "Breakfast Club" Iraheta has gotten on her Huffy bike and ridden away from Jive Records, where she had signed after her fourth place finish on Season 8 of American Idol (also known as the last season with that goddess of clarity and sense, Paula).  What is the bigger mystery?  That Breakfast Club, who sounds like Janis Joplin after a three day bender on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, failed to get much radio play or sell many CDs, or that Douchey Geeky managed to squint his way into a third place finish, ahead of the far more talented Breakfast Club.  Breakfast Club does remain signed with 19 Recordings (the label arm of the company that produces Idol ) and is currently opening for Adam Lambert on his Glam Nation Tour.  Is there any better tour name?  Didn't think so.  And just because there can never be enough Adam and Ring of Fire , here you go.

In the "better late than never" category and following up to my earlier posts on Tim Hennis from my other blog ( HERE , HERE and HERE ), in April of this year the former Master Sergeant was sentenced to death for the 1985 slayings of Army wife Kathryn Eastburn and two of her young daughters.  Hennis was originally convicted and sentenced to death in civilian court but received a new trial in which he was acquitted.  He is the only person known to have been acquitted in civilian court and later convicted and sentenced to death in military court for the same crime.  He has become the sixth person on the military's death row at Fort Leavenworth.  Perhaps not coincidentally, four of the six hail from military bases in North Carolina.  For anyone not familiar with the Hennis/Eastburn case, I encourage you to read my earlier posts, as well as Scott Whisnant's Innocent Victims if you can get your hands on a copy.  If you've heard about this case, what do you thin

I normally don't watch America's Got Talent but while staying with family, I watch what they watch and I get suckered into shows with very little effort.  Such is the case with AGT .  Not that it's any huge inconvenience for me because I love Sharon Osbourne.  How can you not?  She's witty, she's outspoken and she's tough enough to have put up with Ozzy Osbourne for something like thirty years.  In any event, the final four named to the talent show are Michael Grimm (singer), Prince Poppycock (singer), Jackie Evancho (singer) and Fighting Gravity (performance troupe).  Jackie Evancho's slot is no surprise - - no way this 10 year old opera singing phenom wouldn't get voted through.  There is no argument that Jackie is incredibly talented and has quite a career ahead of her but is she really qualified as a Vegas act?  I don't think so. Same for Michael Grimm, whose soulful voice is rich and sultry and should be gracing CDs and radio stations. 

Does anyone still believe these two are “real”? Is it any coincidence that Katie has a film coming out ( The Romantics ) and suddenly we see her, with her “amazing” husband, on the red carpet? When was the last time these two were seen together? . . . (crickets) . . . Anyone? . . .I’m waiting . . . Exactly! Exhibit A.  Photo to the left.  Nevermind how horrible Katie looks – - although I do wonder how someone with Tom Cruise’s black AmEx card and plenty of stylists available can continue to look like fashion roadkill. Who on earth told her it was cool or trendy to pair beige shoes with black hose? And if this crazy woman tries to tell us one more time that her fashion felonies are a result of the ever resourceful Suri choosing her clothes, I'm going to scream.  Good God! Look at Tom. He sure is enamored of his wife, isn’t he? Sure is attracted to her. Because most men would keep their hands safely crammed in their pockets if they are truly in love with their wives and proud of t