There are several posts that I've wanted to write updates for, but my follow-up thoughts for most of them wouldn't take up an entire post individually. Collectively, however, we may have something. So I've decided to set aside a post every once in a while to put down some additional thoughts on subjects discussed in my previous posts.
How to Get "Temple Grandin" an Oscar - The networks are now lobbying to either split the Primetime Emmys further or find some other excuse to not air the Made-For-TV-Movie and Miniseries categories on future Emmys telecasts. Their reasoning, of course, is that HBO wins everything as they're practically the only channel still creating long-form programming, so the networks get nothing out of that hour of telecast. Of course, no one is talking about lifting a finger to create something that could compete with HBO's output. So more sour grapes may sink any future "Temple Grandins" from winning the small amount of praise and attention they're eligible for now. Will it never end?
Ruminations on Netflix and Blockbuster - to recent announcements, Blockbuster is preparing to declare bankruptcy sometime this month, and we'll be seeing more store closures through the end of the year. You may want to start staking out your local Blockbuster for stock sell-offs. But Netflix can't breathe easy yet. Redbox and Amazon are planning to move into online distribution, which will provide some serious competition.
Breaking Up With TV Squad - I've been trying out CliqueClack and Zap2It, but surprisingly the most useful page I've stumbled across is Television Without Pity, which writes up recaps and reviews for a much wider variety of shows. CliqueClack is the best bet so far for features, but I'm still looking for other sources. I haven't been watching much live television lately, so I don't feel the need to commit to anything too quickly.
Battle of the Sexes Set For August 13th? - "The Expendables" won, obviously, but 40% of its audience was female and the fanbase of the "Eat, Pray, Love" book turned out to be fairly hostile toward the movie for committing several adaptation sins. Still, it made its money back. There was a clear loser, of course, which was ironically the film that got the best notices of the bunch: "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World."
Hulk Smashed - The announcement was made at Comic-Con in July that the role of Bruce Banner would go to Mark Ruffalo, which is a perfectly good choice. Ruffalo's a solid character actor who deserves this shot, and I think he bears a slight resemblance to Lou Ferrigno, which helps. There hasn't been a peep out of Ed Norton or his agent since, so the controversy is over until the film comes out – or somebody's ego Hulks out.
"The Daily Show" v. Jezebel - I haven't seen much of Olivia Munn since I posted, but it's summer and most of the correspondents have been on vacation anyway. It was a nice surprise to see Kristin Schaal pop up again to deliver a report on women's issues and promote her new book. She's still not a great fit for the show, but they get points for trying.
Does "Criminal Minds" Hate Its Female Characters? - Apparently the outcry had some effect. A.J. Cook will appear in one episode of the new season to say goodbye, while Paget Brewster will be a full regular. Sadly, this will also be Brewster's last year. The "Criminal Minds" spin-off, "Suspect Behavior," has added Janeane Garofalo as a regular and Kristin Vangness will be making appearances, possibly as a regular or semi-regular. It's not clear yet.
The Rise of Fanfiction - I flaked out on actually participating in John Scalzi's and Wil Wheaton's fanfiction contest, but the winners were announced back in August over here.
Will Video Game Movies Finally Have their Day? - "Prince of Persia" underwhelmed so it looks like we're still waiting. I remain optimistic that it's just a matter of time until somebody strikes gold with a film version of "Metal Gear Solid" or "Halo" because these game-to-film projects just keep coming. Hey, is anyone up for a "Portal" movie?
The Best Films of 2009 List - A Work in Progress - I have about four foreign films left on my list to watch, which are all being released on DVD in September. Then I'll finally be able to finalize my 2009 list and share it with you.
'Til next time.
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