New Years Eve!

The worst part of New Years is looking back during the last days of the one your are in, yet we wait all year to do this. I'm not a fan of looking back and as far as I know have nothing to look forward to but since all of my entertainment news folks have had their say I would like to add my thoughts...I don't watch enough movies to have a favorite of the year and watch too much TV to remember everything I liked although I am loving Peter Capaldi as The Doctor and The Walking Dead just gets better and better with every episode, as for the worst of the year The Leftovers and The Affair, I don't know why The Affair is on every good list it is so boring, predictable and not a single likeable character in the bunch. All that being said my favorite TV trend was Steven Weber appearing in everything I watched (last yr it was Justin Bruering) from 2 broke girls and Murder in the First to Chasing Life and NCIS: New Orleans he just shows up, my fingers are crossed that he'll be on Madame Secretary this coming year. That's it for now...Have a Happy New Year I will be watching Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin over Seacrest again as we enter 2015.

White Collar 2009-2014

Neal Caffrey played by the wonderful Matt Bomer was a good-looking and very charming con man. In 2009 He was realised from prison and placed into the custody of FBI white collar head (and man who arrested him) Peter Burke played by the talented Tim DeKay. Neal was forced to wear a tracking anklet as he worked with Peter and the FBI including Clinton Jones and Diana Barrigan (Sharif Atkins and Marsha Thomason). I can’t forget about Mozzie (Willie Garson) the conspiracy theorest who was Neal’s best friend and criminal co-hoot and never trusted the suits. Last but not least there was Peter’s wife, Elizabeth (Tiffani Thiessen) who stood by Peter’s side and even helped whenever she could. For six years the team worked together to take down white collar criminals from paint forgers to money embezzlers, all those who came across Neal and Peter would soon know what losing felt like. Even when Peter and Neal were mad at each other they would soon get over it and get a new case where they used all of their talents to solve. What else is there to say but… 

White Collar was a fun, sweet, exciting and funny series. It was unexpected and well made. Cheers to the cast and crew!

The Colbert Report 2005-2014

Dr. Stephen T Colbert D.F.A. died today.

We first saw Colbert as a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart where he was best known as an opponent to Steve Carrell in a segment called “Even Stepvhens”. It wasn’t until Comedy Central took the bait in 2005 when Stephen Colbert received his own show and changed viewer lives for the best.

I don’t know about all reading this but for me The Colbert Report was a special show and its host a wonderful man. From his intro of the topics for the night to his sign off, every episode was worth watching. From the moment he spoke his first The Word (Truthiness) and the on-screen power points spoke back I was hooked.

Some of my (other) favorite segments were

The Threat Down where we learned that Stephen was deathly afraid of bears calling them "giant, marauding, godless killing machines" *

Better Know a Distract where Stephen would interview members of congress in his own “unique” way. He introduced each person by giving us facts about their part of our country and ended each with a sparkling light on a map. He even got to chance to talk to my (on again off again) Representative Dan Maffei.

The Sport Report where he got Steagle the Colbeagle a local eagle mascot named for him (*not related but also named for him was Stephen Jr an Eagle at the San Francisco Zoo, a bridge in Hungry, a leatherback turtle, a spider the Aptostichus stephencolberti, a Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream called Americone Dream,and a treadmill aboard the Space Station called the Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill  (C.O.L.B.E.R.T.) . He even saved the Vancouver Olympics by raising money and sponsoring the USA speed skating team (and routed for the team as he hosted episodes from Vancouver)

Cheating Death where Prescott Pharmacutical’s helped us with any medical problem one may come across. Whether it was the heart, lungs or head Prescott had the pill for you, just beware of the side effects.

Formable Opponent where he went up against the only man he thought worthy, himself, on certain issues.

Colbert Platinum for the rich Colbert viewers

And of course The Blitzkrieg on Grinchitude which was originally the War on Christmas started by Fox News.

As host he leaves behind a slew of “characters” -There was Jimmy, The Director-Tad, The Building Manager-Jay, The Intern-Bobby, The Stage Manager- fellow host Esteban Colberto- Gorlock, his alien financial adviser, the voice of Winfred Brimley and of course his gun “Sweetness”

I even learned from Mr. Colbert. When on the advice of his advisor Ham Rove and his real life Lawyer he started his own Super PAC (Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow) I realized how horrible the idea of buying elections was and to not believe everything you hear during them. 

Stephen made us aware of the dangers of a broken wrist and wore a red bracelet every show since his injury. Every time he asked for money/donations he got more then he intended.

Interviews were the best, Stephen had everyone from film and TV actors to authors to politicians on the show. This true patriot even spent a week in Iraq entertaining the troops where he shaved his head when President Obama ordered it. Every guest who appeared on the show benefitted from the “Colbert Bump”. Most of the time the one being interviewed was in on the joke but it was funnier when they just let Stephen do his thing. Mr. Colbert even got to sing with many of his guests and I have to admit he had a good voice

The show ended each “season” with Colbert adding another portrait of himself to his self-portrait. It hung above his fireplace which was only one of many interesting set pieces (including photos of TV doctors, Bill O'Reilly Show's microwave, Captain America’s Shield and of course his C shaped desk)

Winner of a Peabody, a Grammy, three best show Emmys and just as many for best writing (the show went on during a 2008 writers guild strike which forced Stephen in a battle with his late night nemesis Conan O’Brian, the writers came back and all was “normal” once again.) and many more awards that were well deserved by the great group of people involved with the show (including the many babies born throughout the years)

The Colbert Report was smart, funny and a superb show to watch (Mon-Thurs after The Daily Show) Stephen may have been a Christian Conservative who looked up to Papa Bear Bill O’Reilly but he made us (and at times himself) laugh, cry and proud to be a sci-fi/fantasy nerd. Stephen Colbert was truly loved by those of us who understood him the most and as the chant of The Colbert Nation “Stephen, Stephen, Stephen!” fades away we (with my apologies to Doris Kearns Goodwin) say farewell to Mr. Colbert, you will be “missed”.

There are many more things Stephen gave us (insert “hosting” White House correspondent’s dinner, starring with an eagle in silly pistachio ads and author of three books) and for all this he shall never be forgotten (I hear a man name Stephen Colbert will be taking over hosting duties on The Late Show)

In the end the world is a better place because Dr. Stephen T Colbert D.F.A was a part of our “daily” TV lives for nine delightful years.

 

*Wikipedia

The Newsroom 2012-2014

I have been a fan a Aaron Sorkin's since I discovered his wonderful writing on his series about a sport news network called SportsNight. I look up to him because he writes on topics that he is passionate about and ones that viewers should be aware of. The Newsroom was a series, that although it aired for only three season, left an important impact on our lives.

Will McAvoy played by the wounderful Jeff Daniels lead an equally talented cast in the series about a 24 hour news network (No no don’t stop reading)  called ACN and unlike the “real” 24 hour riff raff (CNN, MSNBC and FOX news) this was one network I would have watched and, given the chance, worked for. Will and his co-workers MacKenzie McHale, Jim Harper, Maggie Jordan, Don Keefer, Neal Sampat, Sloan Sabbith and Charlie Skinner (Emily Mortimer, John Gallager Jr., Alison Pill, Thomas Sadoski, Dev Patel, Olivia Munn and Sam Waterston) did everything they could to report the important news of the day. Once when they got it wrong I felt bad for them as ACN lost viewers but I stuck with them until the end.

The genis part of this series was that Mr. Sorkin created these great characters and placed them in a real setting, two or three years behind us, but real. They reported on everything from the 2010 Persidental election (where Will, the Republican even became somewhat embrassed by his Party) to the Boston Marathon Bombing.

One last cheers to Mr. Sorkin and the cast and crew of The Newsroom! You showed us that reporting the news is a impotant and worthy career and our country would be a better place to live if real life reporters were more like Will McAvoy and his crew.