Monday Funny

How I Met Your Mother - Fiero Arrivederci

Not one of the best episodes, although I'm still reeling from last week's slap bet. Marshall's Fiero (OMG, I used to LOVE that car as a kid. So Chachi!)dies and the gang recounts stories around the car. Barney's of course being the funniest (he doesn't know how to drive and learned in the Fiero), though Robin had some nice reaction in implying her perfection.

The Class - The Class Rides A Bull

My bad show guilty pleasure (to join the ranks of Reba or Freddie but I thought it was actually getting quite good lately. I was getting into each storyline, loved that it's almost like a comedic soap, but now I find out next week is the season finale already? I'm actually going to kind of miss it.

Although the Ethan/Kat set up seems just too easy tonight. Love Duncan and he makes Andrea Anders' Nicole so much funnier, but I didn't see Yonk's heart attack coming.

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Best New People

So I'm delaying my music list (cause I think I will have to re-arrange things to fit in the Cast Recording of Spring Awakening which is technically out today) but I wanted to do this list for a while (nothing majorly surprising since we've all been loving these people for the past 3 months), but here is who I think are the Best New People from New Shows of this Season. I also say People because it combines both the actor and the character as well.

As much as I love Jack McBrayer from 30 Rock, or Marc and Justin from Ugly Betty, I had to narrow it down to one person per show, the actor and character that most defines whats so great about that show. Here are my 10 new BFF in no particular order:

America Ferrera as Betty Suarez in Ugly Betty

I mean, the show is CALLED Ugly Betty but still, many shows with a title character often end up with a title character who is the most boring of them all (I'm talking to you Dawson), but America Ferrera totally lights up this show as Betty Suarez and while the show could still exist in a campy hilarious world without her, it wouldn't be as heartbreaking or sweet at the same time and we (and Daniel Meade) know that Mode is better with her there.

Derek Richardson as Patrick Bachelor in Men in Trees

His character name says it all, but when Marin Frist swooped into the town of Elmo, bringing with her a tag-along Annie (Emily Bergl), we get to watch Patrick fall into the sweetness of first love. Anne Heche is fantastic (don't look shocked.) as Marin, but as Marin discovers singledom, we are reminded through Derek Richardson's wonderfully naive and woeful Patrick Bachelor's take on fresh love, why we put our hearts on the line time after time.

Masi Oka as Hiro Nakamura on Heroes

Comic book geek redefined. Masi Oka as Hiro brings hilarity and excitement to the dark world Tim Kring has created as we go along for the ride to Save the Cheerleader, Save the World. More than any other character on the show (though Hayden Panettiere's Claire Benett comes a close second) do we see ourselves reflected, which is pretty amazing considering Hiro is from Japan and barely speaks English. But when he's excited, we are too, when he's scared, we are frightened by what's happening on screen, and when he's ready to find the sword and do battle against evil, we too want to rise up against Sylar.

Zach Gilford as Matt Saracen in Friday Night Lights

When Matt Saracen is called up to play as QB, and become a team captain, for a team he has barely been on the field for, we get to watch as this stuttering teenager tries to become the man that he wants to be. Only, the boy that he is is still quite a man, as he singly takes care of his dementiad grandmother while taking on part time jobs to pay the bills. Zach Gilford imbues this nervous boy with heart and grace as Matt Saracen as he tries to figure out his place in life, high school, love and football.

Matthew Rhys as Kevin Walker in Brothers & Sisters

Much like Zach Gilford's Matt Saracen on Friday Night Lights, Matthew Rhy's Kevin Walker is the central heart and soul within the drama of the Walker family. Always trying to be reasonable and morally good while still making mistakes and coming to grips of his role within his family, and without, Kevin Walker subtly makes this show fun to watch. Sure, Sally Fields is having a field day as Nora, Dave Annable gets to plunge into dramatic darkness as drug addicted Justin, Calista Flockhart finally drops the annoying Ally McBeal ticks as Kitty, and Rachel Griffiths gets to play the sane one as Sarah, but every character seems most linked to Kevin Walker now, in part I think to Matthew Rhy's solid portrayal of a flawed but trusted brother.

Suzy Nakamura as Inger on Help Me Help You

Inger, or any of the characters on Help Me Help You, could have easily become live cartoon characters. The cast transforms this neurosis comedy into fully fleshed people, but it is Suzy Nakamura as Inger who totally enwraps her socially awkward/inept character with a soft realism, making her the most relatable character that needs help. All done hilariously of course.

Lizzy Caplan as Kat Warbler on The Class

This one is really more for Lizzy Caplan alone for playing the caricature of Kat Warbler (not her fault, every character on The Class is a caricature) with a fierce bemusement of sartorial remarks, much like how we watch the show.

Alec Baldwin as Jack Donaghy on 30 Rock

Alec Baldwin runs with it. As Jack Donaghy, Alec is totally whacked out, spitting lines out with barely a blink of the eye. Kooky is an understatement but Alec Baldwin plays the GE Microwave Oven Chief/TV Exec as if this were his last role on earth, and it works.

Sarah Paulson as Harriet Hayes on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

I've always been a fan of Sarah Paulson's so I'm finally glad she's been given the role of Harriet Hayes, the conservative comedian/actor (based on Kristin Chenowith). Sarah Paulson fully gives Harriet a soul and depth in yet another role that could have been played as one-dimensional. She can bounce off the quick Sorkin quips along with the best and her on-off affair with Matt (Matthew Perry, coming a close second from this show, and obliterating any signs of Chandler) are make this show bounce at its best.

Victor Garber as Ron Trott on Justice

Victor Garber licks his chops and chomps on everyone else like a shark at a surfing competition as Ron Trott, the unstoppable defence lawyer out for Justice. His mouth says yes, but the eyes glimmer with a sense of rightful duty no matter what yes answers to. Garber's Trott tosses off comments as if everyone were an idiot, which of course, is highly entertaining to us.

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Fall 2006 TV Preview - The Class - Pilot

Here's another good compilation before I get started, and it comes just as I was about to make my own system of stars (though it's really copying the Amy TV Gal star system). Though from most other critics, I hear Ugly Betty is good.

Anyways, back to my reviews of pilots I can get my hands on. (PLEASE NOTE: This is based on the original pilot from pilot season and has been reworked for the fall season)

The Class
Premieres Monday Sept. 18th at 8pm on CBS


CBS decides to keep its schedule pretty much intact, only adding 4 new shows, and they add The Class? Another whitecentric comedy about 20/30-somethings that have little in common and forced to hang out together. Worked for Friends, didn’t work for every other show that landed the 8:30pm Thursday night slot on NBC.

Still, I was sort of excited by the simple concept, of a semi-class reunion only of folks who never hung out with each other after grade 3 it seems, and with David Crane (Friends) involved, there was hope (though does David Crane just not like black people? Or Asians for that matter?). Then the early critics reviews came out and this one seems to be this years lynchpin (even though it seems there are far worse shows (like ‘Til Death and Happy Hour)).

Now that I know this is one of the worst shows from this new Fall Season, what did I think? Eh. It was amusing but nowhere as good as How I Met Your Mother (it’s timeslot neighbour). It all feels contrived (then again, isn’t every show) but has enough likeable actors (Andrea Anders, you’re lucky you survived Joey but poor you, now you have to survive this?) that it makes for a good guilty pleasure in the same way Four Kings was (meaning you watch because you're too lazy to change channels and is mildly diverting enough that you don't realise the crap you've just watched until it's already over... then again. Two and a Half Men is like that and it's the number one comedy on TV). It's not quite as campy as Freddie, Out of Practice or Reba was as guilty pleasures go but it's not completely offensive (like The War At Home is).

I’ll probably keep watching The Class, if only because it’s paired with How I Met Your Mother and that there’s only Prison Break on at the same timeslot, leaving enough room on the VCR’s to tape it for those days when I want brainless entertainment and Big Brother is no longer on.

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