Just a friendly reminder

So when I posted my survey for the WWE Year-End Awards, I had quite a few people respond and I was very interested in the results up until that point. But over the past few days, there hasn't been any activity. So, if you haven't had a chance already, I just wanted to remind you to take a moment to take this survey. It should only take a minute or two. Like I said, I've been interested in the results.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2LXGLNW

And keep checking. Over the next few days I plan on posting a similar survey for television!

Thanks again!!







Also: Please take a moment to fill out this WWE Year-End Survey - http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2LXGLNW

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Deus ex Machina Housewives

Deus ex Machina - a plot device in which a person or thing appears "out of the blue" to help a character to overcome a seemingly insolvable difficulty.

While I'm not really a fan of Desperate Housewives (although I find it infinitely less offensive than Grey's Anatomy), I am a bit of a sucker for disaster movies. So when the show does its annual "destruction" episode, I usually decide to tune in.

And I must say, it has become increasingly obvious that these episodes are just a mechanism to get certain characters out of precarious situations. The tornado episode conveniently killed Gabrielle's husband so that she could get back together with Carlos, and likewise, last night's plane crash ever so serendipitously rescued another central character from a potentially damaging situation (I won't say who or how, but anyone who saw the episode should know what I'm talking about). And I must say, considering they hype the hell out of these messes, it's highly disappointing when it merely takes up two minutes of the episode.

For that matter, can, like, every show in the universe agree to take a year or so off with this "start the episode off with the climax, then show the _____ days/hours earlier subtitle" method of storytelling?

Anyway, for those interested, here's the plane crash scene in its entirety:










Also: Please take a moment to fill out this WWE Year-End Survey - http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2LXGLNW

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Monk Finale

With most of the shows I watch taking a break until 2010, this seems like the perfect opportunity to discuss a show that recently said good bye: The wildly popular USA Network series, Monk.

It's hard to believe that this show has been on for seven years. Perhaps the greatest way to show this is to look how much Emmy Clarke -- who plays Monk's assistant's daughter -- has grown through the years. She joined the series when she was 11, and by the finale she was 17. She was always a cute kid, but she really grew into a beautiful young lady, several inches taller than her on-screen mom. I hope this isn't the last we see of this talented actress.


Anyway, for my thoughts on the finale, click on the "Read More" link.

Overall, I was satisfied with the ending. Sure, nothing earth shattering happened, but honestly this sort of series, and a character such as this, doesn't lend itself to that sort of ending. And no, there wasn't any huge twist as to who killed Monk's wife (and Entertainment Weekly needlessly spoiled that as well), but I think that's for the best. Sure, it would have been hugely surprising to find out Stottlemeyer actually did the deed, but wouldn't that have needlessly tarnished a friendship that has developed wonderfully over the past near decade?

There were a lot of people expecting Monk and Natalie to get together, but that didn't happen. I'm torn on that. I wouldn't have minded it, but it would have felt thrown together, as it wasn't properly built up throughout the season. But, in the end, I had a nice feeling that everything was going to be okay for this character.

I'm hardly the first one to say this, but it is a bit sad to think about how much Monk has tortured himself for the past twelve years, when the answer to all of his misery was nicely wrapped on his mantle the entire time.







Also: Please take a moment to fill out this WWE Year-End Survey - http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2LXGLNW

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WWE Year-End Awards

Well, most of my shows are on hiatus until 2010, but there are still plenty of reasons to keep visiting the blog! And with the end of the year drawing near, I thought I'd do some year-end awards for wrestling and television. Of course, I'm interested in your opinions as well. So, if you could, please take a moment to fill out the survey below. I'll post the results when I give my opinion later this month. Your participation is appreciated!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2LXGLNW

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ECW: Doomed to the Extreme?

The latest speculation around the wrestling newsroom is that the ECW brand is on the verge of being put to pasture. The story going around is that SyFy isn't happy with the ratings, so the one hour program that currently takes up the Tuesday night 10:00 slot is going to be completely retooled.

While this news -- which is more or less unsubstantiated -- isn't necessarily shocking, I do think it's a tad unfair. The fact of the matter is, ECW is treated like the red headed stepchild of the WWE world. And as I've said in the past, it's difficult for your audience to become invested in a show when it doesn't even seem like the company that owns it cares. The roster has been severely depleted, with several Superstars being prematurely removed and "promoted" to one of the big two. Can you honestly tell me that Evan Bourne and Jack Swagger have been better off on Raw than they were on ECW?

ECW has become entirely too polarized. In the past there was a nice mix of no-names, young guys trying to find their niche, upper midcard guys who are lost in the shuffle on Raw and Smackdown, and veterans. Now it's basically guys straight out of the minors, guys going no where, and Christian.

Then there's the schizophrenic ECW Championship. Is it a World Title? Is it at the level of the Intercontinental or United States Championship? I don't even know, and I don't think WWE does either. Several months ago WWE Magazine claimed that Matt Hardy was the first Hardy brother to capture a World title, as he had won the ECW Championship. This past Monday on Raw, Big Show commented on how he held all three World titles -- the WWE, WCW, and ECW Championships. But by that same token, former ECW Champions Jack Swagger, Chavo Guerrero, and Mark Henry participated in the Break Through #1 Contenders Tournament, which stipulated that you never held a World title. Likewise, WWE Magazine includes former champions like John Morrison and Jack Swagger as "Tomorrow's Champions."

And it's sad. A couple of years ago the ECW Championship was a legitimate option for the winner of the Royal Rumble (remember when Undertaker stood in the ring with WWE Champion John Cena, World Heavyweight Champion Batista, and ECW Champion Lashley?) Could you imagine the same when Chavo Guerrero was the ECW Champ?

What's even sadder is that the ECW Championship wasn't even defended on the past few PPVs. It only received 8 seconds at SummerSlam. And at Survivor Series, the ECW Champion played second fiddle to Raw's pet project. And the ECW Championship match has been left out in the cold at all of these concept PPVs, which promise a specialty match for the "main events." So I guess the ECW Title isn't even main event worthy? Hell, they were completely ignored during Bragging Rights -- an event entirely devoted to proving brand supremacy!

The long and short of it: If ECW is deemed a failure, WWE has nobody to blame but themselves. When the brand doesn't even feature a Pay-Per-View match, what's the theoretical point of watching? Is the brand salveable? Probably -- just throw them a bone!

Here's what I'd do: First off, I'd move Evan Bourne back to ECW. After completely losing steam on Raw, I'd also give them MVP. I'd even go as far as suggesting that he turn heel and capture the Champioship. I'd also move Charlie Haas over to ECW, where he can form a loose alliance with Shelton Benjamin. I think R-Truth would fit nicely there as well. And since the brand needs a legitimate main event-level Superstar, I'd offer them Kane. Yeah, not the best option, but probably the most realistic one.

Moral of the story: I kinda like the belt. It's grown on me. So I'd hate to see the brand die.

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This is creepy

I can't really put my finger on why, but this Gap commercial really creeps me out:

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A Case of the.... Heroes - Episode 4-12

So was this the end of the volume? If so, talk about going out with a whimper. I don’t recall any hype leading to this finale – and if it was the last episode of this volume, with one exception, it really didn’t deliver a climatic conclusion.

That one exception, ironically enough, is the whole Sylar/Nathan story. I’ve been awfully critical of this arc, particularly with the lack of restraint exhibited by the writers, but I have to admit that they did a wonderful job of wrapping things up. It really was a genuinely heartfelt, touching, emotional, and nicely scripted character departure. They hit all the right notes, and the acting was spot on.

http://tv.insidepulse.com/2009/12/01/heroes-episode-4-12-review/

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Survivor: Suggesting a season

Long-time reader Javier left this comment on my previous post:

Hey Matt, as you know, I've been a loyal reader of all your columns for years and have enjoyed them very much. To be completely honest, in 19 seasons, I had never seen one episode of Survivor. I know it's a good show but I was never able to watch it. While reading your comments on the latest season I decided to give Survivor a try and I was pleasantly surprised as to how much I enjoyed the show. I've been catching up with this season and it's been a fun ride, so I want to thank you for introducing me to Survivor. I was gonna ask you, since I've missed years of this show, what past seasons would you recommend me to watch? What are your favorites? Thanks.

Survivor is a real interesting beast, making this question very tough to answer. I find myself getting extraordinarily into a particular season, yet a year or so later struggle to remember the names of anybody other than the final few competitors.

Incidentally, the ones that I've enjoyed in recent memory are ones you probably wouldn't appreciate without being a long-time fan -- All Stars and Fans vs. Favorites. Of course, there's the belief that the original is always the best, and a fair argument could be made for that. The show has become synonymous with the word "alliance" and the idea of a group of masterminds picking off the underdogs one by one, but in the first season this strategy was a novel and innovative concept.

I might also suggest Guatemala, as it was the first season to introduce Exile Island and the hidden immunity idol. I also thought China was pretty good. But does anybody else have any suggestions?

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Survivor: A response to the conspiracy theorists

Those who follow my Twitter page are likely already aware of my enjoyment of this latest installment of Survivor. The show is clearly pushing Russell as this season's "star," and I'm drinking the proverbial Kool-Aid. From his slithering behavior to his nearly flawless strategy to the impeccable way he's read and manipulated people, I've been utterly entertained by his antics. And since the merge, I've sometimes literally been sitting at the edge of my seat wondering who would be voted off. It's been a long time since I've been this drawn to a season of Survivor -- surely no small feat considering this is the 19th edition of the popular reality series.

Naturally, IMDb.com -- a forum that has become increasingly unbearable to read -- has found a way to put a damper on this season. You have countless people (who I assume to be a vocal minority) who believe that the show is rigged. They argue that there's absolutely no way that Russell could possibly find three immunity idols, two of which he received no clues for. Likewise, they find it unbelievable that he hasn't already been voted off, and that the other contestants are being urged to keep him on the show. And anybody who believes that the show isn't fixed is simply being "naive."

First off, since Survivor is a contest that rewards the winner with money, it is ILLEGAL to tamper with the results in any way -- and that especially includes rigging variables that would ensure that a particular contestant remains in the game.

Further, what do the powers that be benefit from such a stunt? Mark Burnett, who produces the show, perhaps has more to lose than anybody. In addition to Survivor, he's involved with The Apprentice, The Contender, Shark Tank, and a variety of other reality show contests. If it's revealed that one of his competitions has been fixed, his entire career loses credibility. What does he gain from that?

Then there's CBS, currently the #1 network on television. As the so-called King of the Mountain, they're really not all that desperate to bring in audience. Tarnishing one of their most identifiable programs -- which typically brings in over 13 million viewers -- is hardly a necessary evil. Likewise, another popular series known as The Amazing Race calls CBS home as well. Tampering with the credibility of one of these programs can easily hinder the other. Again -- the ends don't justify the means here.

And finally, what do the other contestants gain from keeping a legitimate threat in the game? They're competing against each other for money, after all.

And you would think that this point should go without saying, but obviously it needs to be said: We are merely seeing an edited version of what has happened. It may seem like Russell stumbled upon these hidden idols without much work or complication, but what we don't see is that he may have been spending ten hours a day, three days straight looking for these idols. And, as host Jeff Probst has said, producers WANT the contestants to find the idols, because it adds a new element to the game. It's a bit pointless to hide it if nobody's going to find it. And as we saw from a recent episode, other contestants are more interested in following Russell as he looks for the idol, instead of looking for the idol themselves. He seems to be the only one who cares to find it.

So, no, I do not believe that this latest season of Survivor is rigged. I just think they hit the jackpot with a great character and they're doing everything they can, through editing, to make him the star of the show. And you know what? More people are talking about the show than I remember in quite some time.

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A Case of the.... Heroes - Episode 4-11

This might surprise some, but I honestly really don’t have anything critical to say about this week’s episode of Heroes. Indeed, despite the lack of action, it was one of the most focused episodes I’ve seen in quite some time. The three stories related to each other through a central theme, and the characters that appeared in the episode were restricted to the bare essentials (consider the fact that there were just as many central characters as there were regulars).

While “concept” episodes such as “A very special Thanksgiving” tend to be a risk, I think Heroes pulled it off. As I alluded to earlier, the episode revolved around three families – the Bennets, the Petrellis, and the Carnival – celebrating the holiday. And while all three families experienced turmoil, they ultimately arrived at three different destinations. The Bennets overcame their conflicts and began the mending process of becoming a modern nuclear family. The Carnival began to implode. And the Petrellis attempted to defy all logic and rationalization to somehow continue to be a family.

http://tv.insidepulse.com/2009/11/25/heroes-episode-4-11-review/

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