Well gang, I know I’ve been pretty absent this month but finally all of the absence is about to pay off, for me at least. Last night was opening night of the Independent Film Festival of Boston, my other love child. Our opening night film was Brad Anderson’s TRANSSIBERIAN which stars Woody Harrelson, Emily Mortimer, Sir Ben Kinglsey, Kate Mara and more.
With over 800 people in attendance, it was a spectacular start to the fest and one I’m happy is behind us. It was a wild night, incredibly fun but a lot of work. Brad Anderson, Ben Kingsley, Will Conroy and others were in attendance for the film and did a great Q&A (check out some photos). Everyone really seemed to enjoy the film and having Brad back in his hometown of Boston for the East Coast Premiere of the film.
Alas, we’re far from over. That was just opening night, our easiest of the week. With 6 days to go and over 95 more films to play (almost 170+ screenings ahead) it’s go time which means no more blogging about TV until after the fest.
Tonight we have our Coolidge Corner Theatre premiere with WE ARE WIZARDS and a performance by Harry and the Potters. Saturday night, the documentary will be followed by not only Harry and the Potters but Draco and the Malfoys, The Whomping Willows and The Hungarian Horntails. It’s an evening we like to call WIZARDS ROCK! Oh yeah, the amazing Brad Neeley will also be in attendance.
With so many more things to talk about fest wise, I’ll only go into the one’s I’m doing introductions and Q&A’s for. Obviously tonight I’m doing Wizards (followed by BLOOD CAR – frak yes). Later in the weekend I’ll be taking care of Project Runway’s Jay McCarroll, Mary Stuart Masterson, Chris Eigeman, Famke Janssen and more. I somehow I drew a number of our celeb attendees this year. The other staff members are j-to-the-ealous… I kid. Everyone has amazing films they’re assigned to introduce and moderate.
It should be a crazy busy and fun week so if you’re in the Boston area come on out to any of our venues: The Somerville Theatre, The Coolidge Corner Theatre or The Brattle for some film fest fun.
I was lucky enough to score a sneak peek at tomorrow night’s return of SUPERNATURAL and I think the fans will be pleased with how the show comes back. Without giving anything away, as I mentioned previously, “Ghostfacers” is a show within a show in that Sam and Dean find themselves part of “Hell House” returnees Harry and Ed new television pilot. Wackiness ensues… literally.
Here’s some things to look forward to:
- Comedy, lots of it. Not only do Harry and Ed open the show ala Andrew in Buffy’s “Storyteller” episode they now have a rag-tag team of lacky’s assisting them. The interplay between Sam/Dean and the “Ghostfacers” is pure comedy gold.
- Swearing and Bleeps. Supernatural goes Arrested Development on us. I’ve always assumed that Dean swore like a trucker and I now know I was right. The boy gets bleeped and bleeped and bleeped and it’s hysterical! Dean loves to say f*ck and flip the bird.
- The best Writer’s Strike shout out to date.
- One of the scariest horror movie-esque visuals and big bads.
- About 22 minutes in there’s one of the hottest Jensen shots I’ve ever seen in my life.
- Birthday hats will never be the same again. Happy Birthday To Me much?
- Daggett is Dagnasty
- A gay love story (no, not some Wincest)
- “Menudo left their dance bag behind.”
- 2 months gang, you know who only has 2 months…
I truly enjoyed the episode and I loved seeing a good hearty mix of horror and comedy. I’m beyond pleased that Sam and Dean swear and that Dean is the Curse King. There’s some gay interest stuff that I was worried about at first but that I think in the end works and is very sweet.
I just took a few minutes to watch last night’s episode of HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER and I have to say it’s one of the shows finest. Ever since the reveal of Robin Sparkles last season, I’ve been patiently awaiting her cheesy acid washed return. Throw in James Van der Beek and “Don’t Forget The Robot” and I’m in heaven.
Here’s the video you’ve probably seen 1000x already and below are my favorite moments of the night.
Watch Robin Sparkles Video “Sandcastles In The Sand”
Ducky’s Fave Moments:
- Lily: “Louise Marsh? That’s a whore’s name if I ever heard one.”
- Barney’s Degrassi shout out…. holla!
- The Beek’s amazingly large 80s hair and his sickly thinning hair of today. Seriously, they never made a man look so bad before.
- The Winning Point System devised by the group. Robin so won.
- The Beek’s saving lives at the waterslides speech and demonstration.
- Barney bolting at finding out there’s another Robin Sparkles video out there.
- Revertigo
- Lily and Michelle = homegirls of hilarity
- Barney (while watching “Sandcastles In The Sand”): “You know if you reedit this – there’s a tampon commercial in here somewhere.”
I only have a minute but I wanted to quick post about something that my friend Jeff and I were just talking about in regards to Battlestar Galactica.
Because I haven’t had the chance to blog about the return of BSG, I wanted to mention a couple things. First of all I think that the first two episodes of the season have been frakkin’ amazing. The premiere was so well paced, the space combat scenes were a welcomed comeback and the effects incredible. The acting, top notch. Not a bad thing to say, well other than I’m not a fan of the whole harum/cult thing and I think that bug eyed actress who’s the head of them is a really really bad actress. The other one, the one that’s willing to kill for Baltar, I’m fine with her.
Last week’s episode had me crying like a little bitch. Katee Sackhoff did some incredible work as the increasingly tortured Starbuck. From her initial standoff with Roslin to her painful talk with Admiral Adama she dominated the screen like she hasn’t been able to since Season 1. Her prison cell scene with Lee was sad yet hot business and how amazing was her redemption with Adama and Helo? So great.
Anyway, this is no longer a “quick post”…
For the last two weeks I’ve been talking to Jeff about how I feel that Zac Adama is going to be coming back to the show somehow. This is just a theory I have, I haven’t read about it at all it just came to me (so if its out there online as common knowledge, I apologize but whatevs). He was referenced in the premiere, he was brought up again this past week and also this past week we saw a picture of him.
I originally thought that maybe he would be back as the final Cylon but really would that make much sense or impact because how is one of Adama’s son’s a cylon but not the other, yadda yadda yadda. Plus, do we really care shock-wise if Zac is the final Cylon? Sure it will kill the Adama and Starbucks of the fleet but I don’t know if its the most powerful choice.
So then we were talking about how maybe he’s not dead and he’s actually already on Earth. It could be a situation like Starbuck’s. We saw her viper explode, she should have been dead but looky-loo she’s back. She went to Earth in her downtime. A mini-vaca if you will. What if the same happened to Zac but he never was sent back or never came back, or something? What if the Adama’s have some link to Earth and that’s why Starbuck is meant to bring them there?
I don’t know, I talking out of my ass (clearly) so nevermind.
Oh and the other thing we were talking about. The preview for tonight’s episode shows Callie maybe finding out that Chief is a Cylon and then they show someone hit the airlock button. What if instead of Callie going out the airlock, she flushes her hybrid baby? She frakkin’ HATES the Toasters, so I don’t see her dealing with the revelation that her husband and baby are of the cylon clan. I’m praying we see an infant get sucked out the airlock tonight! How inhumane will that be? Amazing, I love it. Make it happen!
I apologize that I’ve been so busy, not blogging much and def not promoting the bleep out of the return of GOSSIP GIRL. That will change (at least for the moment) because it’s CONTEST TIME!!!
Here’s your chance to get creative Gossip Girl fans. At stake is not only your reputation but your fashion sense and social standing in the blogosphere.
Enter to win an official Gossip Girl t-shirt by watching the brilliantly racy video below and in the comments section filling in the bleep. What would you like Serena to say to Dan in that moment. Be smart, be witty, be sassy and best of all be the bitch you know you can be!
Gossip Girl returns to the CW on Monday, April 21st… OMFG!
I’ve watched The Biggest Loser (finale tonight, GO ALI) and Battlestar Galactica (Katee Sackoff was phenom this past week and I wept like a little bitch) and that’s about it.
I forgot to even record 30 Rock or The Office from last Thursday not to mention I totes forgot to record the last two weeks of How I Met Your Mother and Big Bang Theory (though, have they even been on?). I’m still a couple weeks behind on Torchwood (maybe only 1 week), Idol is youtube when I have a minute or two at work and who knew last night was the return of Bones?
In other words, TV is so not happening until May. That also means I’m going to miss the return of Gossip Girl next Monday and Supernatural next Thursday (though I can watch it today, if I had time… might find the time).
Hey gang, real quick before I get back to festival work I thought that I would share that similar to GMMR’s Project Buffy I’ve embarked on my own TV show I’ve always wanted to watch marathon. Instead of plowing through 7 seasons of Buffy, my first task as to take on a show I always wished I watched and always knew I would love while on my daily commutes!
UGLY BETTY!
Just this week I finished watching Season 1 of Ugly Betty while riding the subway. I can watch an episode and some change a day just on my subway rides to and from work so it’s perfect time to catch up on some seriously ignored showage on my part.
Ugly Betty was a pilot I really liked back in the summer of 2006. The first episode was hysterical but I was worried about that thin line between campy and cheesy and I knew that with one false move, Betty could become VIP or worse, something hideously cheesy like MTV’s Undressed.
I’m over the moon to report that not only did the first season surprise me in how funny, touching and down right gay it was but in how well the cast works together as an ensemble. America Ferrera is simply divine as the always awkward and always reliable Betty Suarez but she’s nothing without this incredible cast of characters she gets to play off. Marc and Amanda are so funny that I want to marry both of them and have a cult somewhere in Texas where we breed thousands of little Justin Suarez’s. That kid slays me and the way they’ve allowed him to be his little fey self is a breath of fresh air. Hilda is the shit! Wilhelmina Slater you’re the devil and I bask in your bitchery! Harrison JohnJoe Henry takes my breath away, seriously. Nacho Ignacio is a good father, a good core for the family and I hope he gets out of Mexico. Santos… Santos, how I hated you and your narrow mind in the beginning and how I cried for you in the end.
Then there’s the Meade’s. Daniel (Eric Mabius) is a little limited as a character but damn if he and Betty don’t have one hell of a relationship. Bradford is chilly and coniving and ideal for the ruler of their evil empire. The introduction of Alexis is a hoot and I’m blown away that they’ve explored the tranny storyline with no apologies. Finally, Claire Meade, girl… you’re my second favorite drunk mom of the last 5 years (second only to Jessica Walters in Arrested Development).
Now I’m in no way saying that the show is genius or brilliant or anything crazy like that, I’m just saying that I fell in love with it and that overall its frakkin good. There seems to be a conscious effort in making the show over the top camp while still maintaining some normalcy through the relationships and emotions between the characters. Sure there are moments of utter cheese but they’re few and far between and to be honest they’d all be forgiven because of the hilarity and genius of Marc, Amanda and Wilhelmina. There are lines I never thought would be spoken on network television and I have to praise ABC for not trying to censor them. Same for the portrayal of Justin. They’ve done a really honest and sweet representation of a confident gay youth and I applaud the show for not backing down from that hot gay mess.
Now remember, I’ve only made it through Season 1 so if you’re going to comment, please leave out any spoilers for Season 2. Sure I know a couple things but just don’t…
Ducky’s Top 6 (Five wasn’t enough) Ugly Betty Season 1 Episodes: Fey’s Sleigh Ride
Four Thanksgivings and a Funeral
Swag
Derailed
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
Secretaries Day
Ducky’s Favorite Ugly Betty Season 1 Quotes:
Okay, so it’s damn near impossible to pick the best quotes. I mean, just copy down any banter between Marc and Amanda or most of the snarky comments between Marc and Whilly or anything out of Hilda’s mouth when she’s all riled up and you’ve got a list of my favorite quotes. Serious gems in every single episode. Here’s a sampling of some of my faves…
Marc: What?! You can’t pass. I’m not going stag, hag.
Amanda: Guess you’ll just have to buy your own beer, queer.
Marc: You can’t just ditch, bi-
Amanda: (cuts him off) Shut up!
Hilda: (about Valerie) She’s 130 pounds of bitch!
Valerie: What did you say?
Hilda: 120?
Henry: I can’t believe Alexis is doing this to Daniel. They’re family! Even Erica Kane forgave her daughter Kendall for sleeping with her fourth husband… “All My Children”. It’s just something I know.
Wilhemina: Higher. I said higher!
Christina: Any higher and I’ll be giving you a pelvic exam.
Marc: We’ll always have that fake pregnacy scare!
Amanda: Oh, that was a real scare you idiot, it just wasn’t yours!
Christina: (enters Wilhelmina’s office) You rang? Do you want something hemmed?
Wilhelmina: You’re not here to stitch. You’re here to snitch.
Marc: She needs info, bitch. (Wilhelmina glares at him) I thought we were rhyming.
Justin: Come on mom, Don’t Phunk with My Heart!
Wilhelmina: (to Marc) You’ll be my seeing-eye gay.
I could go on but I won’t. The point in posting this was to let you know that I’m making my way through shows I’ve missed out on over the past couple years and the my first selection was superb. I’ve currently started on Ducky’s Subway Screening Series #2 but I’m not telling you what that show is until I’ve finished watching Season 1. Until then…
Thank god this amazing performance from the So You Think You Can Dance kids was the opening number of the show because I didn’t start watching until almost 1:30am.
Amazing energy, amazing choreography, amazing Travis Wall… the only thing missing was Neil Haskell and some Cat Deeley! Hell, the show even had some Mary Murphy screaming, what wasn’t to love?
It’s a great week for all of us So You Think You Can Dancefans!!! First My 2007 Summer TV BF Neil Haskell scored himself a high profile gig in the Off-Broadway hit Altar Boyz and now it seems that a ton of the previous SYTYCD’ers will be strutting their stuff on tonight’s IDOL GIVES BACK special.
Here’s a picture courtesy of Celebrity Dirt that shows some Idol contestants wrapped around some Dance faves. I spy with my little eye: My 2006 Summer TV BF Travis Wall, Hammy McHamsalot Benji Schwimmer, Lacey Schwimmer, Hok, Danny Tidwell, my girl Donyelle, is that Cousin Heidi? Who else? Dmitry? Lauren’s stupid face with Jaymz… I think that’s Season 2’s Ashlee with her damn hat on the right. Is that Sabra with Archuleta all the way to the left?
I’ll try to find a higher-res photo. Until then though, how frakkin fun is that? Too bad I won’t be home to watch it tonight. Boooooo.
I seriously can’t stand how invested I am in NBC’s THE BIGGEST LOSER! As you all know, I’d never watched the show prior to this season and I’m 100% convinced its one of the best shows on television at the moment. Not only is it a great competition reality show, it’s inspirational, motivational, emotional, and just flippin’ amazing to watch!
Tonight was the last episode before the live finale next Tuesday night and I seriously cried for the majority of the episode. I’ve just grown so damn attached to these contestants and I never expected to. Watching them be torn down and then rebuilt as these lean mean fighting machines is really taxing on the viewer and I’m a sucker for getting this emotionally attached to these guys.
Watching their journey videos was unreal because they’ve all come so far. As much as I don’t really care for Roger, there is no denying how much weight he’s lost and how this show has changed his life. Kelly continues to blow me away each week. She’s a shell of the human she walked in as. It’s crazy how much weight she’s lost as well. Go girl. Poor thing though, she’s got that big head and there’s no amount of weight that will modify that noggin! Doesn’t mean I don’t love her though.
Then there’s my two favorite contestants of The Biggest Loser Season 5. Mark and Ali.
When the season started, Mark was this bully of a douche of a man and I wanted him gone the first night. He’s slowly changed and I serously love the guy now. His transformation is incredible to me and it blows my mind to think that he’s even the same man that walked through the doors 15 weeks ago. Not only has his physical appearance drastically changed, so has his attitude and his personality. He’s no longer that bastard bully, he’s a cry baby and a motivator. I walk a showdown for the finale and it involves Mark going up against my girl…
My girl for the win is Ali! She’s honestly a completely different woman than who she entered the competition as. To be exact, she’s 99 lbs. less of the woman she was when she walked in the door. She’s the biggest losing woman on the ranch in all 5 seasons of the show and as of tonight’s episode percentage wise she’s lost more weight than any other contestant this season. If the finale was tonight, she would have walked away with the grand prize and that’s unbelievable.
At the end of the episode when Bob and Jillian took their teams to meet the cardboard cut-outs of their former selves I actually started tearing up when Ali was standing next to her photo. The transformation is breathtaking. Same for all of them, but Kelly and Ali got me most emotional. Congratulations to all of them. You’re all better people than I could ever be.
How about those final moments of the weigh-in this week? Crazy how huge the numbers each contestant was pulling. Roger at 15, Mark at 12, Ali at 11 and Kelly at 13? Unbelievable! Somehow my girls Ali and Kelly pulled it out and both of them had the highest percentage of weight loss and they are in the finals but its up to us America to determine who ends up on the stage with them next Tuesday. Vote now for either Mark or Roger to be the 3rd finalist.
I can’t believe it’s all over next week. What will I do without some Bob and Jillian in my life?
Last year’s summer crush, So You Think You Can Dance’s runner up Neil Haskell is heading back to the almost great white way and this time he’ll be singing as well as dancing!
Neil Haskell is joining the cast of Altar Boyz on April 22nd! Book your tickets now!
And who will I be obsessing about this summer? Well after I stop stalking Neil (enabled by his family, bless their hearts) I’ll have my eyes open when So You Think You Can Dance Season 4 premieres on May 22nd!
I had to quick post about the news that Project Runway will be heading to Lifetime and leaving Bravo in the cold without even a fierce wrap to keep them warm. The Weinstein Company just signed a 5 year deal with the television for women net but NBC is going to make it hard to work. NBC has filed suit against Bob and Harvey with the New York Supreme Court because of some legal mumbo-jumbo or other.
What’s important in here is that I don’t even know what number Lifetime is on my cable box. I know that Bravo is 79 and that I love me some Bravo. I could watch it all day and IT IS HOME TO PROJECT RUNWAY. Don’t get me wrong, I like change, but I don’t know that moving cable’s highest rated show off its original network is going to do much to boost it’s profile.
Sorry for the interruption in blogging folks… Until the end of the month I will only be posting when I have the time. My other baby, The Independent Film Festival of Boston is April 23-29th and it’s honestly occupying all of my time. I’m not really watching much television which means I’m obviously not blogging that often. I will post about when I have the chance and those posts will be below this one, so scroll down…
In the meantime, read through my archives, catch up on our TV Podcasts, donate to my charity AIDS Ride, visit ThePieMaker.com, or better yet come to Boston and hang out during the film festival! We have 96 films to choose from over 6 days so you really can’t go wrong.
Check out the IFFBoston 2008 Lineup. Check out the new IFFBlog! Calendar, screening times, and ticketing information to come in the next day or two.
Sorry for being so absent, but IFFBoston is my other passion and no child shall be left behind!
I know that GMMR has been very vocal about her love of NKOTB and the upcoming reunion. I’ve remained hush about it but damn if this morning on The Today Show if I wasn’t a smitten little middle school boy again.
Watch The New Kids on the Block as they take over The Today Show:
Damn if they don’t look fine! The boys officially announced their upcoming reunion tour (dates still not announced) and I’m not gonna lie, I had a New Kids pillow case that I slept with every night for years. You name it, I had it. Loved me some Joey, Jordan, Donnie, Danny and whatshisface. Good times.
Let’s look at some of my favorite videos from the boys and I’ll try not to cry from nostalgia.
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