ApeDonkey Power Rankings 3/29/11

Top 5

1. Houston - This is a big week here in Houston. The Final Four is coming along with all the attractions and events attached to it, as is the Shell Houston Open. The weather has been great here all week and should hold up through the weekend. Now don't go looking for me at any of the events around town because the only thing I like less than people is crowds of people. So I encourage everyone to get here spend your money and leave my city in one piece. We may never get another Super Bowl but the Final Four will be back in 5 years. See you then.

2. El Real - The only positive to getting the Power Rankings out so late is that I'm able to include El Real on the list. We've been waiting for this place to open for months. I was hoping to check it out when Southbound Food did their live broadcast from there a couple weeks ago but I left San Antonio too late and was unable to make it. We decided to wait until they started serving lunch so we could go at an off hour. That's always best with young kids. We finally made it over today and the food was a great as advertised. I went basic with cheese enchiladas, queso, rice and beans. The wife had the fajitas that came with a cup of this frothy garlic butter that I could have drank by the glassful. If you're a margarita person definitely get it on the rocks. It's simple, strong and delicious. Minus the two customers who were obviously pissed that I had procreated, it was a great experience.

3. John Harris - It was announced last week that John Harris will be getting his own national show working the overnight 1am - 5am central on Sporting New Radio. I've listened to Johnny since his days as the college football expert all the way through to his show with Raheel. By the way, I was completely wrong about the pairing of John and Harris. They've consistently produced a fun, entertaining show following John and Lance on 1560 The Game. I fully expect Raheel to continue killing it from 10-12p with a rotating list of guest hosts including David Nuno and Richard Justice.

Now back to John and his new show. Barry and I discussed this and thought this was a great move for John. His encyclopedic sports knowledge plays perfectly with the late night national caller. No one is better equipped to take calls about teams coast to coast and be able to talk intelligently about the entire roster. Johnny going national feels like a kid from the old neighborhood making it. He's made so in a sense we've all made it. I wish him all the best and any time I'm up at that hour, I'll be sure to check him out.

4. Shameless - Thank God for Shameless. Of the shows that had season finales the past couple of weeks, Shameless, Californication and Big Love, Shameless was the only one that gave us an excellent satisfying finale. After a little bit of a shaky start, Shameless has come on to be my second favorite new show of the year just behind Terriers and ahead of Rubicon. Of course, it's the only one of those three to get picked up for a second season. William H. Macy was the name going in to the season but Emmy Rossum has been the breakout star. She's given us a powerhouse performance as Fiona, a young woman just trying to keep her family together and raise her five brothers and sisters. It's really been an outstanding first season with strong performances from all the Gallagher kids. If you haven't checked it out try to catch up before season 2 starts next year.

5. Birthday Party - We celebrated my son's 2nd birthday this past weekend and if you weren't part of my immediate family, you weren't invited. That's because I'm a good human being and I know no one wants to be bothered with a kids birthday especially on a big sports weekend. The 2nd birthday is the one time you can get away with a simple "party" like this. Birthday number 2 lacks the milestone factor of the first birthday and the kid still doesn't know what the hell is going on. By the 3rd birthday they are starting to get it and from 4 on you're screwed. Just open up the pocket book and kiss your weekends goodbye because you'll be going to a birthday party every weekend for the next ten years. So happy birthday Cash. I hope you enjoyed your Barry's Pizza and cupcake and we'll do it again next year.


Bottom 5

1. Fucking Thieves - If you follow me on twitter and why wouldn't you be then you probably already know about my truck being broken in to and having my ipod and macbook stolen. My wife and I talked about this and considering all the vital information we had on the laptop like our businesses accounting, art files, tax information, etc. We would have rather they taken the truck and left the computer. Luckily, we do an off site backup for critical client files but what we are learning is that Carbonite apparently is running their servers with 28800 dial up modems. Here we are five days in and we are still restoring files to our new laptop. I could have manually transcribed the missing files by now.

Now let me tell you about the top notch security in the shopping center where Grand Luxe and Nordstrom's Rack is locate. First, when we realized what had happened, my wife had to literally chase the sixty-something year old security guard around the parking lot before I was finally able to get his attention by repeatedly honking at him. Once we had his attention and told him what had happened his reaction was priceless "really? I've been patrolling the area." Uh, yeah sure you were.  He tried to write a report but couldn't find a pen among the hundreds of old lollipop wrappers in his very intimidating golf cart. In the end we'll be alright. Home owner's insurance covers items taken from your car in this kind of situation but I could live without the pain and headache of it all and if the person who did it ends up in a burn unit soon, then all the better.

2. Mad Men - Great news coming out of Hollywood this week is that Mad Men season 5 is a go. The bad news is that we won't get to see it until sometime in 2012. The Sopranos think that's a long lay off. Part of the deal to bring the show back for a fifth season is AMC asking for the producers to cut two minutes from the show to open up more ad time and/or cut two regular characters from the cast. I'm fine with either or both of those options. Go ahead and take Betty or Bert or Ken. I can live without any of them. Bert makes the list because I can't stand people who don't wear shoes at work. If you need to cut a couple of minutes, I say go for it. I don't watch commercials anyway so no skin off my back. Just get your shit together and get Mad Men back on the air. Preferably before my kids graduate high school.

3. President Trump - The most shocking thing I heard more than one time this past week is "I'd vote for Donald Trump if he ran for President." The first time I heard this I stopped in mid conversation to verify what I'd just heard. People apparently think he'd have a good shot to fix the economy which that may be true, I don't know. I did remind them that he's gone bankrupt a couple of times but people do learn from mistakes. My biggest issue is that these people are forgetting one important issue. Donald Trump is a buffoon. This is the guy who hosts Celebrity Apprentice. Do you understand the national embarrassment of having state dinners at the gold leafed white house? Air Force One would be renamed The #1 Air Force One. I haven't even mentioned the hair. That is not presidential hair. You have to go all the way back to the early 1800's and Andrew Jackson to find a coif as crazy and unpresidential as Trump's.

4. Movie Reboots - I was reading an article yesterday that after The Dark Knight Rises they are planning to reboot the Batman series. What? I'm not a fan of all the series rebooting or the term rebooting. Teen Wolf as a Twilightesque show on MTV? The Karate Kid learning Kung Fu from Jackie Chan? Completely recasting and starting over with XMen? Ugh here's how a series is supposed to naturally progress. The first one is great and ground breaking. The second isn't quite as good but you add more villains to make up for the quality and by the fourth and fifth installments you've brought in Joel Schumacher to drive it into the ground. That is the life cycle of a movie franchise. It's tried and true and should not be messed with.

5. Elite Eight - Saturday Nicole Zierlein wrote a very touching blog post about her husband and young sons watching the elite eight games and specifically the Butler game together. I highly recommend you read it. If I wasn't a soulless robot, I probably would have been brought to tears. I on the other hand had a much different experience with Saturday's games. I had a little wager on Florida to beat Butler so I was intently watching that game. With a few minutes left, my wife who couldn't give a crap about basketball and is an incurable workaholic didn't know what to do with herself since she was without her laptop and couldn't work. After she complained of being bored and wanting to go out I finally agreed to go when the game ended. Little did I know the game would head to overtime. Being a man of my word though I said we could leave and I'd listen to overtime in the car. Well that was the plan. From the minute we closed the doors on the car my kid decided to be the loudest most irritating human on the planet. She channeled Lloyd Christmas and sang the words "Wipey, Dipey, Dipey" over and over again for a solid half hour until we finally reached the restaurant. After a nice dinner, the wife wanted to return some pants to The Gap and get a different pair. I was fine with that plan. The Gap was in the same parking lot and she rarely takes a long time doing stuff like that. We were in the store maybe 5 minutes when the 2 year old was going so apeshit crazy I decided I'd take him to the car and listen to the Arizona/UConn game while the girls finished up. I don't know exactly how long they were in the store but I ended listening to nearly the entire spectacular second half of the Zona/UConn game in the car with an exhausted, screaming 2 year old. Come to find out, my 6 year old had recently earned $20 from her grandmother and decided she wanted to buy herself something at Gap Kids. The problem is the self proclaimed fashionista had to actually touch, try on and examine every item in the store. And what did she finally emerge from the store with? A fucking pair of sunglasses. That's how I spent an outstanding Saturday of college basketball.

Shameless - "Father Frank, Full of Grace" Review

“Life’s messy. People have secrets.” -Fiona

Shameless wrapped up its first season yesterday with a wonderfully heartbreaking season finale. So much of the talk about Shameless was people being upset with the Gallagher’s and how they choose to live. If the Gallagher’s don’t care about their own lives, why should I? I think that some people had a hard time grasping the notion that not every person has a desire to “move up” in life. Remember that Shameless is a British show originally and across the pond the notion of the lower middle class sticking its nose at the upper class elite is a long standing tradition. The idea of the American Dream is still present in the United States however. People want to make enough money to be comfortable, to be rich. Not many are ok with the idea of not knowing how they’re going to play rent next month. This is why the Gallagher family is so polarizing in the public’s eyes. Here we have a family that is, at the center of it all, happy. Sure they have a myriad of problems and a lot of history to overcome, but they stick up for one another. They grasp the concept of love and who are we as an audience to hold that against them? The show needs to viewed through different lenses. I’m not suggesting detestable characters like Frank Gallagher get a pass. No far from it. What makes this show good is that we have humane and good natured characters doing the best with what they have. Frank does not fit that description. The show is about Fiona and her family.

Emmy Rossum turned in a brilliant performance as Fiona Gallagher over the course of the first season. Seeing her have to balance all the love she has for her family against the desire to be comfortable and selfish was a thing of beauty. The season finale was no exception. When Lip and Ian were released from prison it was nice to see her so relieved that they’re safe, but she still had the fire to smack them around and hold them accountable. Then as she was walking away, her knowing smile to Tony said so much. Fiona knows he’s a good person, maybe a great person, and she’s very grateful for what he’s done, but she is who she is and they couldn’t work right now. Another great Fiona moment happened when Ian told her he was gay for the first time. It wasn’t when she said, “I know,” because honestly I found that a little silly, but when she said, “You’re still on my shit list.” It’s a great moment for Ian’s character. He learns just how in tune his family is with him and that they care, but still won’t let him get away with whatever he wants. So it’s not surprising that Fiona chose to stay in Chicago rather than go to Costa Rica with Steve. She loves him, yes, but the deal has always been her plus her family and he knows that. Fiona’s idea of comfortability may rest in having a consistent job and bringing in a steady flow of cash. Steve will learn that he can’t take her away from her family.

It will be interesting to see what happens with Steve in season two. I was a little surprised when they didn’t bring up Steve’s duel lives to Fiona. It seemed like it was all but inevitable, however I’m glad they didn’t. Fiona needed to be faced with the decision to leave baggage free and choose to stay. If she would have known about Steve’s other life, it would have been Fiona sticking around because she had no other options. Now that she’s chosen to stay, the writers can fully expound on the Steve/Jimmy situation. Fiona has needed him for both emotional and financial stability, but now that Jasmine is in her life, Steve needs to be there as an emotional partner more than he has. That will be difficult with him in Costa Rica. I envision that the second season will pick up some time in the future where Fiona is stable and so are the rest of the Gallagher’s, but they’re not as happy. I think we need Steve in the show. He adds the element that money does not buy happiness.

Frank Gallagher is the show’s biggest concern going forward. He is such a detestable human being that it’s borderline cartoonish. Shameless tried their best by making him give a curbside apology to his son for sleeping with his girl. However, even that had him justifying his actions claiming that he was a victim in all of this as well. I will say, there was a glimmer of humanity when he jumped back into the urine stream. It was the most bizarre apology and acceptance perhaps ever captured on TV, but in Shameless it works. However, when I hear Frank claiming he’s the real victim, I think of Eddie Jackson. I never thought Eddie was a sympathetic character, but seeing what he went through was tough. Everyone abandoned him to the point where he took his own life at the one place where he felt happy. There wasn’t even that much hesitation when he decided to drop the cinder block in the water. The life that Frank lives is dangerous and wrong and it pains me to see him go unpunished. I’m not sure if he’ll ever change, or even if I want him to. Perhaps we need to hate him, but I’ll be damned if I ever feel any compassion for his character.

It’s for that reason that I don’t think he should be a focal point for the show. I think he is best served as a catalyst for other events. A great example of this is when he slept with Karen. The show didn’t go in a direction where it was all about Frank tying up all the loose the ends that that situation created. It instead let other characters discover the issue and then they handled everything on their own. Tell me you didn’t cheer a little inside when Lip started beating Frank in the snow. The south side of Chicago has a code. People look the other way on a lot of issues, but sleeping with a man’s young daughter is not tolerated. It’s good to see there’s some moral code in the world of Shameless.

ApeDonkey Power Rankings - 3/22/11

Top 5

1. Statutory Rape - Is anything hotter right now that statutory rape? Hank Moody was just convicted of statutory rape on Californication. Bill on Big Love faced the same charge before meeting his fate and now this week on Shameless Frank was essentially raped by a minor. In real life LT just got 6 years probation for sleeping with a 16 year old. And let's not forget the king of all statutory rape Roman Polanski. I'm telling you, statutory rape is white hot right now.


2. Jason Isbell - I finally was able to see Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit live this past weekend at Sam's Burger Joint in San Antonio. It was my first chance to catch him live since he left the Drive-By Truckers. Having now seen both Isbell and DBT since the split, I have to say that I think DBT miss Jason more than he misses them. DBT is still a great band and continues to produce terrific albums but they lost a key piece when Jason left. An outsiders perspective is that Patterson writes songs from his brain. Cooley writes from that old rock 'n roll staple the crotch. Jason's music seems to come from his hearth and soul though. He writes beautiful songs about life in the south, family and soul felt love songs.



The 400 Unit is an extremely tight band and Isbell has developed great chemistry with guitarist Browan Lollar. They traded licks and lead duties like partners of 20 years. The band ran through all of Isbell's best with the DBTs even kicking the show off with "Never Gonna Change" and mixing in the Jimi Hendrix classic "Stone Free" in the middle of the song. They didn't have a particularly long set because this was the third of three shows for them that day. Isbell and the band had played two shows at SXSW earlier in the day before heading over to play a nightcap in San Antonio. Even with the shortened show they hit on every song I was hoping for except for "Brand New Kind of Actress." They did a cover The Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer" with Lollar on vocals that rivaled the original. By the end of the show Isbell's throat was obviously trashed. He was having to use a throat spray between songs to keep going. Afterwards the guys stuck around to have drinks and mingle with fans. Great performers and terrific guys all around. I'm hoping Cactus Music can set up an in store performance when they come to Houston for Summerfest in June. You can bet the mortgage I'll be there.

3. Alamo Heights - Man these are my kind of people. They're old, grumpy as hell and have absolutely no patience for anyone. While I was in San Antonio last week, I found myself in this area on several occasions. On one occasion we stopped in Central Market to get a birthday cake for my son. In a normal supermarket situation people will say "excuse me" or something like that when they try to get by you, not these fossils. These old coots will just mow right through you and if they happen to take out one of your toes, well then that's your problem. Damned is the checker who doesn't get someone to the register for a carry out quick enough. Granny in her animal print shawl and heavy jewelry is about to drop some not so nice knowledge on your ass.

The middle aged residents are just as mean but fuck them. They haven't earned their right to let shit fly. I needed to take a different exit out of the parking lot so I decided to go down a one way because it was the only way for me to get where I needed. Just as I was turning out the one way a woman in her chromed out Escalade wanted to turn in and had to back up literally four feet for me to turn. Well holy shit! You would have thought she had to push her car out of the way. She threw it into reverse hammered the accelerator and jammed it back into drive. As I was driving past she rolled down her window to scream at me and call me a moron. Now I can't argue with someone calling me a moron because much of the time that's a good assessment. However, I happened to be in the car with my mother in law and kids and I've tried to shield my offspring from my moronic tendencies. My first instinct was to roll down my window and tell the bitch to go die in a grease fire (a favorite picked up from legendary red ass Stump). But since I didn't want to lose it in front of the kids and mother in law I let is slide.

4. Burnout Pete - I made a new friend at Sam's Burger Joint waiting for the Jason Isbell show to start. We never exchanged names but I've come to call him Burnout Pete. We talked for at least an hour about bands past and present. He's one of those guys who goes to five shows a week and since he lives in the hill country, he hits shows in Austin, San Antonio and Gruene. A conversation with Burnout Pete is kind of like what you'd expect talking to Tommy Chong is like. During our time together he called me "man" no less than 300 times. He still pumped about a Robin Trower show he'd recently been to and said Trower's show was as good now as it was when he saw him in '73. His wife was the spitting image of a blond hippie Angelica Huston. I tried to turn him on to using IConcerCal for keeping up with shows through iTunes but as soon as I said something I realized he probably had a vinyl music library and not a digital one. I hope I run in to Pete again sometime. That guy was cool and fun to talk to plus we still have some unresolved disagreements about The Band.

5. Kid Prophets - I've got nothing for number 5 so I'm going to leave you with my favorite quote by my 6 year old daughter from our trip to San Antonio. On our way to Kiddie Park which is as terrible as it sounds, read below, my kid drops this nugget on us "I'm gonna die on the horizon."


Bottom 5

1. Spring Break - I did a little research to find out who invented spring break. I needed someone to blame. Someone I could heap all my resentment and hatred upon year after year. Unfortunately, the idea isn't attributed to any one person so I have to blame the farmers and Easter for this week of Hell. At least according to wikipedia and google that's who I should blame.  I've learned to deal with summer break. I start getting my mind ready in May. I play loops of screeching noises and loud screaming for a few weeks prior to the end of the school year and I'm set. Spring break always seems to sneak up on me though. And because it's one week of unexpected freedom the kids try to get out all of their horribleness in one nuclear blast of annoyingness. So how bad was this year? Let me see if this gives you any idea. By 10am on Monday morning, one kid have vomited chocolate milk all over my bedroom. While the other kid was in the throws of a monstrous fit because she was bored. It was only two hours in to spring break and she was already bored. If you think your week can possibly go well after a beginning like that then you're wrong.

2. On Court Stupidity - I'm getting the power rankings out so late this week the happenings in the NCAA basketball tournament are a bit out dated but the stupid fouls and plays in the Butler/Pitt and Texas/Arizona games are the things of legend. When Pitt was on the line to what seemed like steal victory from Butler I was writing a tweet that the boneheads on Pitt weren't above doing something stupid like fouling Butler right back. And before I could even hit send, they did it. Why would you even care about that rebound? There wasn't enough time to make any reasonable shot so at worst you were headed to overtime. Then my Longhorns decided they didn't want to be left out of the dumbass conversation. With 12 seconds left, the ball and a 2 point lead Jordan Hamilton called a timeout. The only option Arizona had at that point was to foul Hamilton but he let them off the hook and called a timeout. Hamilton is a good ball handler, a premier scorer and a 78% free throw shooter. Now it seems like he may have been coached to call a timeout and if so then the onus falls on Rick Barnes for blowing that game.

3. Big Love - I said my piece about the Big Love finale in a blog post earlier this week but they still make the bottom 5 for what was a very disappointing finale. So many great characters and story lines created through the years were thrown away with a thud. I've tried to rationalize the way the series ended over the past few days and I still can't find an excuse that makes it the correct ending. Sad way to close an excellent show.


4. Third World Cities - One of the best things about living in Texas is that we can visit third world cities without having to actually go to a third world country.  Like I've already said, We visited family in San Antonio this past week and it's always a culture shock when we go. Everyone appears to be 10-15 years older than their actual age. Even if you don't take in the arts and museums of Houston, there's a level of sophistication and culture that is absent in San Antonio. If your kid happens to get sick while you're there like mine did, you're better off visiting a witch doctor or just taking them out back and giving them the old lame horse treatment than going to a clinic. They claim to have degrees but judging from their analysis and advice I'd rather trust my kid's health to a can of Dr. Pepper than these fruit cakes.

Even though I said I would never go to Kiddie Park again I found myself there on Thursday and they've found a way to up the horribleness by adding road construction to the equation to go along with the crack houses and throngs of pedders. If you didn't read my last review of this place let me reset what this is. Kiddie Park is a San Antonio "institution." Which means it's really old and run down. On our way there my kid asked me if we were close and I told her when she could smell hepatitis and tetanus then she'd know we were close. The only I allowed myself to touch while I was there were the antibacterial dispenser. I'm assuming my 2 year old isn't long for this world since I caught him licking the glass of one of the tchotchke dispensers. It cost ~$11 per kid to go and my 2 year old refused to ride anything so I actually paid them to give him a disease and nothing else. Luckily, the older kid will be too old to ride anything there the next time we come to town so hopefully my days in Hell are done.

5. Longhorn Fans - I went over the dumb time out by Jordan Hamilton at the end of the Arizona game but that's probably not the reason my fellow Longhorn fans gave for the loss. You probably heard about the short 5 second count. It was a short count and the way the ref responded to questions about it makes me hope he's never allowed to ref another NCAA game. And you've probably heard about the uncalled foul after J. Brown's missed final shot. I can't say there wasn't a foul. However, these aren't the reasons the Longhorns lost. All of these "judgement" calls would have been moot if that timeout isn't called and Hamilton doesn't miss both free throws. Or how about the Longhorns put together two good halves of basketball instead of digging themselves such a deep hole they were forced to play mistake free in the second half. Longhorn fans need to let the phantom and missed calls go. Even if the ref came out today and admitted his mistakes, they aren't putting anymore time back on the clock. The Horns are going to have another top 5-10 team again next season and maybe this time they won't implode down the stretch.

Shameless - "Daddyz Girl' Review

“I’m happy with who we are. Even if you’re not.” -Ian

As we approach the season finale of Shameless, I find myself loving the show more and more every week. I liked the show from the beginning but I feel it’s really come into it’s own. Nothing has really dramatically changed structure wise since the pilot, but yet it continues to get better. The reason is so simple, yet many shows choose to ignore it: character development. Shameless has a host of characters and yet we know each and everyone of them. We may not like some, *cough* Frank *cough*, and others we have deep empathy for, like Fiona. Too often we can get caught up in the debate about serialized drama versus episodic or one camera shows or multi, but ultimately it all comes down to characters. People spent many years trying to find out what going to happen on Lost and lost the ability to enjoy the characters. Shameless has let us enjoy and grow with their characters, while still keeping us very much engaged in the story.

This week was all about raising the stakes. Characters and plot fall short if there are no obstacles to overcome and there is no danger involved with the decisions they make to overcome that obstacle. I’m not talking about Fiona deciding whether or not to jump off a cliff or not, but each decision she makes has consequences and thus has risk. It’s clear that she likes Steve, but up to this point, it’s also seemed like she needed him too. Steve was Fiona’s ticket to luxury and normal life. I wondered last week if the show took all the money away from Steve, if they would stay together. What happened instead was, Shameless introduced Jasmine who started showering Fiona with many gifts, but none more important than a job. Now Fiona doesn’t need Steve for stability monetarily, but rather emotionally. And with Steve in a lot of trouble with Tony, it looks like we could be back to independent Fiona. I don’t want Steve to leave, but I do think the honeymoon is over and he is going to have to do some serious work to get Fiona back, assuming he loses her.

In Philip and Ian’s quest to find Ian’s real dad, we learn a lot about their ideas for what they think of the Gallagher family and their life as a whole. It seems as though Lip is the one destined to make it out of the hood. He’s starting to have feelings for Karen, who we’ll get to in a second, and he keeps thinking about going to school. Ian is content, he doesn’t have the brain that Lip has. So just as we’re starting to root for a Gallagher to make it out, the show raises the stakes once again and gets Lip and Ian arrested. Lip will no doubt take responsibility and we are left wondering just what could have been. Through this obstacle, Shameless has now given us a rooting interest. Due to great character development over the course of the season we care very much what happens to Lip. Just another example of how the show is succeeding.

Perhaps the character that took me by surprise the most this season is Karen Jackson. She just started out as Lip’s friend with benefits, but has recently really come into her own as a force on the show. Shameless focuses a lot on “daddy issues” whether is be Frank, Steve’s perfect father, or in this case Eddie. Eddie got it into Karen’s head that he cared about her, but after learning of her many sexual encounters, he screamed at her and called he a whore, which she now has tattooed on her arm. When she was first upset, I thought it was more superficial. I thought she was just mad because he wouldn’t get her the car he promised to get her. It turns out, there’s only so much a kid can take. Karen embarked on a rage induced depression crusade where it appears her only goal is to make her father miserable. She spray paints his room, breaks his car window, cuts her hair, pierces her body, and starts a cam website. At first it was a type of diary, but she took it to the next level when she filmed her and Frank having sex in his room. Shameless really kicked it up a notch here and this splash will surely have rippling effects on all members of the Gallagher family.

All that being said, I can’t wait for the season finale next week. I’m curious whether we’ll get some form of closure on this season or if it will be left open ended. Either way, I don’t anticipate being let down in any way.

Other thoughts:

Hearing Emmy Rossum singing badly reminds me just how great of a singer she actually is. She at a young age of 18, played Christine in the movie remake of Phantom of the Opera. I half expected her to belt out some great notes and Steve try and market her voice. But that’s a different show altogether.

As someone who uses a pneumatic staple very often, one staple through the hand wouldn’t cause that much damage. You’d be out for a week tops. I’m not mad or anything, because I realize that injury needed to be one that still allowed for him to come home and sleep with Karen.

I found it particularly amusing when Carl made the impression of his middle finger in the needle toy. They’ve done a good job keeping him consistent. It was also great when he tried to hit on the 12 year old in the truck. Subtle, but good.

Just how many show is Brad William Henke on right now? He’s Coover Bennet in Justified, Ernie Moosekian in The Chicago Code and now Hal in Shameless! Good for him. Good work if you can get it.

Shameless - "Nana Gallagher Had an Affair" Review

“Whores don’t get cars!” -Eddie

In last week’s review I stated that the episode seemed very jam packed and that it could have been conceivably two episodes. After tonight’s episode, I stand by that claim. The introduction of Monica was a big event, yes, but I think we could have put it all in one episode. Much of tonight’s episode was all resolution of just figuring out when Monica was going to leave. I actually would not have been surprised if she took Liam with her as I’m sure the logistics for a network to keep a baby on set is tough. Not to mention he’ll grow at a faster pace than the show goes. This episode overall was largely resolution of Monica and exposition about other characters. Nothing *really* changed.

At this point in a series we have to start looking at what stories we’re most invested in. What more do we want to see? Personally, I’m very involved in the Fiona/Steve relationship. There’s still a lot of secret and mystery there. Fiona is ok with slowly detaching herself from the family so long as she has Steve there to fall back on. That won’t be the case by the end of the season. She will inevitably find out and it will undoubtedly come at the hand of Fiona’s old love, Tony. I envision this leading to Fiona needing Frank in some way. And that is a dynamic I think the show can lean on in season two. How do Fiona and Frank work together? Maybe Fiona falls off a bit.

I think we’re all pretty involved with Lip and Ian’s stories as well. Both seem to be sharp enough to better their situation. It’s not that I desire them to get better, but I do find the constant search for what they want out of life to be entertaining. With Lip comes Karen. I only care about Karen as she pertains to Lip. I found her story line tonight to be almost uncomfortable. I’ve seen some “purity ball” type things before at church and they are nothing like that. It seemed a little “child porn-y” to have what’s supposed to be a high schooler talking explicitly about her sexual exploits to a bunch of stuffy old men. I’m no prood, but that left me uneasy.

But I think what we ultimately take away from this episode is that Fiona realizes her place. Before she viewed taking care of her family as part of her duties. Something she had to do because her mom left them to fend for themselves. But seeing the prospect of Liam being taken from her, she realized that she actually takes care of the family out of love. I’ve said it before, the Gallagher’s view of the world is skewed, but they definitely hold family values very close to their hearts. Values of course is subjective.

Other thoughts:

The family dinner scene was a nice one. It was an obvious joke but I found it funny that Frank was more upset that Monica did PCP without him than the fact the she slept with his brother.

Ian is now not Frank’s kid. I wonder what that dynamic will do? My guess is nothing right away. Probably just a few jokes here and there.

Frank is at his most detestable when he’s lusting after money. The only thing he cares more about than booze are those dollar signs. I think Frank is at his best when he’s given a particular task for episode, so long as it isn’t a quest for money that hurts the family. He’s done enough damage and I think the show would be better if he was used in ways that seemed selfish, but actually provided for the family.

So apparently the black baby Liam is the product of Frank and Monica. It was explained in one line that Nana had an affair. So I guess Frank is half black? Yet no other kids have any resemblance to an African American. We know Lip is Franks, but no one else. I find this story element to be a bit too much of a stretch.

Sheila finds herself out of the house again as she throws Eddie out in defense of her daughter Karen. So if we’re keeping track, she’s gone outside twice and both in defense of children. Looks like we know the secret. Seeing Frank happy for her was actually a nice moment.

Shameless - "But At Last Came A Knock" Review

“I was raised by a pack of wolves, just like you were. Only my wolves went to Harvard.” -Steve

Shameless delivers it’s most emotional episode thus far. We get an incredible performance from Emmy Rossum and some really nice developments in the characters. The episode accomplished a few major things. Debs now knows about Steve’s secret life and Fiona realizes that she needs to be a little bit selfish and have a life of her own thanks to the arrival of her mother, Monica. These are two huge developments and I will say that the episode seemed a bit disjointed. These two huge plot developments might have deserved their own individual episode, but nevertheless, we got a solid 50 minutes of entertainment tonight.

At the outset of the episode I was thinking Shameless was up to their old tricks again. We get a nice story from Fiona and the other siblings and the Frank story is a side bar about him chasing money and getting drunk. We learned last week that Frank will do anything for money, even stay sober. So it was interesting when he couldn’t get go through with contacting Monica and even further when he couldn’t face her. Maybe I had missed hearing her name before, but I didn’t think all these shenanigans from Frank would lead to the mother showing up. But when she showed up, boy did she change the dynamic of the show in a hurry.

Debs is the first kid to see her and she greets her by shoving her to the ground. Then Debs tells the whole family mom is back at Sheila’s. There was a very nice moment when Fiona, Lip, and Liam all seem to think Frank did something wrong, but Debs screams back in defense of her father, “Why do you always blame Dad first?” The family is moved to silence at the news of their mother being in town. Liam runs away to Mickey and the rest of the family goes to see her. At Sheila’s house we learn that Monica and her life partner Roberta want to start a family and they want to take Liam with them. In perhaps the finest acting of the season Fiona passionately defends he family. She resents that her mother left her with the kids and left her with all the work to do. The years of pent up rage come flying out when she says she wants to start a family. “Well how about you finish this one first?” Debs and Carl are extremely conflicted emotionally and when they hug their mother, Fiona has had it and leaves. Up until this point I had always wondered why the children put up with Frank. Frank is a worthless father, but he did one thing that can’t be forgotten in their lives, he stayed. The Gallagher’s don’t care about a lot of things, but family and loyalty, they care very much.

Fiona ran away and no surprise, Steve came and comforted her with a new house he bought her. Rewind to the beginning of the episode. Debs is skeptical that Steve is cheating, so she does some detective work and finds out about Steve’s real life as Jimmy Lishman from the North Side. There was a really great scene with Steve and Debs while Mrs. Lishman is ratting out Steve’s gimmick. Just Steve staring at her with a look of terror while Debs gazes on in disappointment. No words between the two, just a story told in body language. Steve has to come clean to Debs and says he doesn’t want a life where he’s expected to be a prim and proper doctor, he just wants to be happy. One concern I have with all of this is that Steve’s go to move is to provide for Fiona’s needs with gifts. I wonder how compatible the two would be if he didn’t have all that money. Does the car thievery really pay that well? Or is he still living off family money? I know Fiona just wants Steve, but the gifts are a bonus.

Fiona will inevitably find out about Steve’s double life. Fiona’s stance on lying is very clear. She told Steve he could sleep with other girls as long as he told the truth, so something tells me Fiona won’t take the news too lightly. One question. We saw Steve kiss a girl we thought was his girlfriend/wife last episode on the mouth, and this week his mother awkwardly kissed him long and good on the mouth. Was Candace Lishman (as it says in his phone) just his sister? Is the mouth kissing a Lishman family tradition? I think Fiona could be talked into staying with Steve if he just lied about his family. But lying about a girlfriend/wife? I don’t think she sticks around.

I’m excited about a few things going forward. The first is I can’t wait to see Fiona fight for her family. It’s clear she wants to move forward with Steve, so I hope they try and start a family together with the children as their legal dependents. I also think there’s a lot of legs to Lip learning Steve’s trade. Lip has a brilliant mind, but doesn’t want to leave the hood. A way he can use his intelligence to get rich and stay a degenerate is by perfecting the art of car thievery. Ten minutes on the job and he already had a few ideas for Steve on how to make business better. Because I love their relationship, I wonder what will happen with Kev and Veronica and their foster child. She took a back seat once Monica showed up, but I am interested to see if they continue to develop this awkward family. I’m not so sure Veronica is ready to go from single to a grandmother in the span a few weeks though.

ApdeDonkey Power Rankings - 2/28/11

Top 5

1. Stroke Victims - 2011 Year of the Stroke. Remember that as the months roll by. First we had Fox rolling out Dick Clark on New Years Eve to bring in 2011. Sure he was a full three minutes behind the rest of the crowd but it was a triumph. Then we had Kirk Douglas bringing the Oscar broadcast to a screeching halt Sunday night like no one has since Jack Palance was doing one handed push-ups and bench pressing Billy Crystal. Douglas' presenting of the Best Supporting Actress award was merely the primer though. That completely spontaneous tug of war with his cane was brilliant television. The real magic happened as he aimlessly wandered the stage while Melissa Leo as she tried to give her acceptance speech. No wonder she dropped a F-bomb on broadcast. You try concentrating while a corpse circles you looking for a soul to reap. I have know doubt Colin Firth would have lost to Jeff Bridges a second year in a row if the Coen's had been more explicit with the obvious fact that Rooster Cogburn was a stroke survivor. There's no other explanation for why he talked like that right?

2. Charlie Sheen - I did my best to keep Chuck Sheen out of the power rankings but we're seeing a once in a generation type of meltdown. This guy has gone so far off the tracks his girlfriend, goddess, fluid receptacle, porn star Bree Olsen comes off as the sane, rational one in the relationship. The guy has obviously come unhinged but I'm down with some of his ideas. A porn house? I think it's brilliant. In fact, I think he should make it a joint venture with Lindsey Lohan and her rehab clinic. Hell, I think you bring in a doctor specializing in breast augmentation, anal bleaching and vaginal reconstruction. Rename the complex Gomorrah and we can probably contain hepatitis and herpes in one central location. I must admit though I was stunned that Charlie's interview with Piers Morgan ended without him pulling out his rifle from Platoon and sharing a little Magic Charlie with Piers Sgt. Elias style.

3. Tom Hooper - Yaaaaay. Great Job. You didn't ruin The King's Speech so here's a big trophy to remind you of that. Whatever. I don't know what this guy did that made him the "Best Director." I know he made a good movie, maybe even a very good movie but there were probably a hundred other directors who could have done as good a job with that script.  I'm still waiting for the wow moment in the movie. I don't think it's coming though. Fincher and Aronofsky took difficult subjects and made them interesting. Hooper took a historically significant moment and made it OK. Maybe I'm just expecting too much out of a "Best ______" award. They gave Sandra Bullock and the producers of Crash trophies too.

4. Shameless - If you're not watching Shameless then you're missing out on some great television right now. The show got off to a slow start trying to define the characters especially William H. Macy's Frank Gallagher. Now the show is an extra bases machine. The writing in strong, the acting is powerful and the characters interesting. If that's not enough Emmy Rossum or Shanola Hampton are getting nude in every episode. What more do you need?




5. This Kid - He's nearly two now and like most little boys loves cars and trucks. Being only two though he can't really pronounce all his letters. So whenever we're out and he sees a truck he starts excitingly screaming "FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!" And that Mr. Sheen is Winning.







Bottom 5

1. Oscars - Congratulations to the Academy Awards for hitting the boring broadcast/ predictable results exacta. The James Franco/ Anne Hathaway experiment was a huge miss. There's a reason they normally hire comedians to host shows like that. It was almost as if Bruce Vilanch was writing the jokes. Right. Never mind. The awards themselves provided an equal amount of drama. The best I can remember, I think every single favorite walked away with the award. There probably would have been more buzz over Melissa Leo say "fucking" on the show but I think everyone was either asleep or had been forced to change the channel because they couldn't watch the Kirk Douglas train wreck anymore. Personally, I think if they want to put a little magic back into the broadcast next year, they should let Spartacus and the guy from American Bandstand host the entire thing. It might take 34 hours to get through all the awards but it will definitely be interesting.

2. Chipotle BBQ Bacon Angus - A few months ago I blogged about the McTurd and how something that looks like that not only gets produced but featured on a poster. How does the McDonalds dynasty follow up the McTurd with a wrap that is literally one letter away from being named the Chipotle BBQ Bacon Butthole. Either the McDonalds marketing department is now employing thirteen year olds or they know the franchise is indestructible and they've just decided "Fuck it. I can't wait for the McBooger's release in the fall.

3. Son of Crypt Keeper - Wow. I don't know if you've caught Russell Brand's act lately but dude is not looking good. He always had a bit of the black hair goth look going but now he looks like he's purchased a controlling stake in the Oakland Raiders. Al Davis hasn't completely drained him of his life force but you can definitely tell he's supplementing his diet of unicorn blood with a little Brand. You're in LA brother, get some sun, a little vitamin d.

4. Parking Lots - The small number of people who aren't already morons become complete morons as soon as they enter a parking lot. This includes moron families who find it necessary to walk 0.5 mph down the middle of the driveways. Now the people who design parking lots have decided to increase the level of difficulty. It seems like every mall or strip center now has an auto gauntlet you must traverse before you can get a frosty or a new pair of jeans. Maybe the people designing these winding mazes of one way drives, insufficiently sized spots and labyrinth of blind spots don't drive. Maybe they don't understand the average driver can't even figure out a basic grid much less the logic puzzle you're now putting them through. Let me be the first to thank you, Mr. Parking Lot Designer for the hours spent in the body shop and my new insurance rates.

5. The food service industry - I don't know what kind of tax breaks you get for hiring the mentally challenged but the restaurants out here in Cypress are making a killing off of that racket. I can't go out to eat without a completely incompetent human fucking up my meal. I've had a ton of friends who've waited or still wait tables and I know shit gets busy but even the slightest acknowledgment that you're ruining my day would go a long way. Telling me how the waiter wrote my order down doesn't count as fixing it. That's only further confirmation of what a dipshit he is but now I know what an idiot prick you are as well. Mr. Can't Write Shit Down Correctly was slightly higher on my list of dumb shits that the girl who finally ran my check card 30 minutes after I told her to bring the check. Even if me actually say the words "can I get the check?" wasn't enough clue for you, surely my kids going ape shit crazy out of boredom should have clued you in on the urgency. I wouldn't expect you to figure out that the table with empty glasses and no plates in front of them is ready to leave. That would take deductive thinking.

Shameless - "It's Time to Kill the Turtle" Review

“I know I haven’t been the most exemplary father for the past 3 or 15 years, but now I gonna need your help to get through this. From this point forward, we’re going to be a family again. What the hell is THAT?” -Frank

I’d like to start this review with a congratulations to Shameless as Showtime announced today that it will be picked up for a second season! This is excellent news, as I’ve grown to love the Gallagher family and friends. If season 2 offers more episodes like this one, then I’m fully on board.

“It’s Time to Kill the Turtle” was brilliant in the sense that it gave us a glimpse into the future of these characters. Or what the future would be like if things changed. We start with Fiona who has had her doubts all along about Steve being right for her. When she suspects he might be cheating, she is confronted with her feelings about losing him. I think even Fiona was shocked about her feelings for Steve, so it will be interesting to see what happens when she finds out his name is actually Jimmy, has a girlfriend/wife named Candice and is lying to his family about being in college. Then there’s Phillip who, despite being brilliant, has never considered going to college. That is until he was shown the robotics lab by a University of Chicago professor who caught him cheating for other students on the SATs. Phillip saw just how bright his future can be and it might finally get him out of the hood. The question will be whether he takes Karen or not. Karen appears to have no real aspirations other than palling around with Lip. Lip finally realized he may have feelings, but is Karen just going to be someone who brings him back down? Or can she change for the better with him?

We also got to see a side of characters we don’t normally get to see. The best example was seeing the sober side of Frank. In an effort to gain $3000 from a medical study, Frank had to remain sober for 2 weeks. In his sobreity we saw him be a fun and caring father. I really enjoyed my time with Sober Frank. I think Frank is best used on the show when he has a task for the episode. Be it dodging henchman looking to collect money or trying to stay sober. Often it seems like we see Frank just as a picture of what rock bottom is. That constant reminder border lines on beating the audience over the head, so I always like it when Frank is more a vehicle for driving the story in an episode.

Kevin also showed us a bit of his softer side when he and Veronica took in a foster child. Props to Shameless for never letting me guess just what they’ll do next to take a normal situation and mess it all up. They didn’t just get any foster child, they got a 13 year old mother/wife of a 65 year old polygamist. She was the polar opposite of the world of Shameless. Prim proper and reserved. The show gave us two extreme ways to live life and let us see that while not perfect ways to live, people can till find happiness. Kevin and Veronica were only going to keep the foster child for a week so they could get enough money to pay for Veronica’s parking tickets, but after seeing the type of situation Ethel had, Kevin thinks they can help her and wants to keep her.

There was one really poignant moment where Fiona comes home after waitressing at a bar where she’s a glorified stripper and breaks into tears. She works hard all day every day to provide for the family and she never gets treated with the joy the children are showing Frank when all he had to do was be sober for a day. It was even more heartbreaking after seeing Fiona try and sit through a class that taught Microsoft Office. She was the only one in there who did not know a single thing about computers so she wasn’t able to keep up. This gave her the realization that she will always be on the hustle. Life doesn’t seem like its going to get any easier for her.

Fiona and Lip decide that it’s better to force Frank into drinking again than to let him hurt Deb and Carl by going right back to his drunken self after the two week trial is up. Deb had a nice introspective moment where she tells Lip that she’s aware of Frank’s problems but she’s just going to enjoy the good times with her father while she can. It’s interesting that for all the trouble Frank is, the Gallagher’s just might be better off with him not being sober. He’s at least out of the way.

Shameless - "Frank Gallagher: Loving Husband, Devoted Father” Review

“You know when a plane starts going down and they tell you to put your mask on before helping anyone else? Put your mask on Fiona!” -Steve

Shameless’s success is made possible by the way it’s relationships are built. We have a stake in every one of them and yet we don’t know why. Is it because most of us can commiserate with the Gallagher’s way of life? Or is it that in some way we’re jealous of complicated simplicity of their life. Many people are obsessed with getting the next promotion, looking for the perfect person, or trying to find purpose in our day to lives. The Gallagher’s have but one thing to worry about, survival. As simple sounding as the task is, Shameless proves that in the pursuit survival there are speed bumps. These obstacles cause heartache, laughter, and tension, but yet, the drive remains the same. Survive at all costs.

I’m starting to care more about the day to day living of the Gallagher’s. Their survival is incredibly interesting. I’m in no rush to see them better themselves if it means less of the scrambling to treat themselves to illegal delicacies that literally fall off the back of a truck. One of the best touches was when Fiona came home from her night out and seamlessly jumped right in with the faking of Frank’s death. No questions asked. Perhaps rather than wanting the Gallagher’s to improve their situation, we should be rooting for them to find happiness. Tell me you weren’t rooting for Fiona to take the night off with Steve. Tell me you didn’t laugh when all the kids raised their hands to the question if they at one pointed wanted to see Frank dead and seeing Frank be so happy that they answered yes. Frank singing “Family Tradition” at his own wake just perfectly encapsulates the show. We may not understand everything the Gallagher’s are going through, but we wish them well.

There is, however, one grievance I have. Why do all the kids care so much about Frank? Frank tried to sell a vet’s gold watch, rob a blind man, and stick up an old lady to try and get the money. What is something Frank won’t do? I need him to do something redeeming or else the show will become predictable. It can’t just be Fiona cleaning up after Frank episode after episode can it? The Gallagher’s don’t hold many societal norms with high regard, except for family. It’d be extremely hard for me to forgive everything Frank has done and yet continue to risk everything to protect him. Is there something he has done in the past to make himself this beloved by his family? Or is it just the fact that he is family?


Other Thoughts:

- In the ugly world they create for Emmy Rossum, they find a way to make Fiona unbelievably sexy. Her skinny dipping scene was perhaps one of the sexiest scenes on any show this season, period.

- The Kash/Liam/Linda love triangle is starting to get interesting. I wonder how long Liam will keep it up now that its not secret anymore. Kash helped him be ok with his homosexuality and now Liam is starting to be ok finding love in other places.

- Joan Cusack’s character is wonderful. We don’t spend a ton of time with her, but she has so many levels and we care about her. It takes a combination of great acting, writing and directing to pull that off. The sounds and sights they exaggerate when showing the world of Chicago come across as menacing and it makes us understand why the way she is.

- I think the relationship between Steve and Kev could be an interesting one. Two opposite guys both going after the same type of girl. I’m interested to see how much advice Kev is going to give to Steve and if it works. Though I do watching Steve bumble around trying to get to Fiona almost as much as I like the Gallagher’s scrambling to get fed.

Shameless - "Facts Cannot Be Racist" Review

“Fi, I don’t have time to call you every time Frank has a bad idea.” -Kev

Shameless fully delivered tonight! Just a great episode with heart, drama, laughs, suspense, and moments of anguish. If we’re to acknowledge the main plot line for Shameless being the Gallagher’s survival, then we got great subplots tonight for all the characters we care about. Lip’s cheating scandal, Fiona, figuring out Carl’s behavior problem, the shoplifting at Cash’s store, Frank owing money to two crooks, and Sheila’s behavioral disorder. This seems like a lot to pack all into one episode, but they weaved each story line in seamlessly with each other. This creates a real world and culture for the viewer to experience. If we can place ourselves in the world of the characters we can begin to empathize with them more.

Further, all of the subplots served as support for determining the outcome of the biggest question on Shameless: will the Gallaghers look to better themselves. With Lip we saw just how brilliant he is. An investigator from the University of Chicago caught on to his schemes and essentially offered him a scholarship to UC. I wonder if Lip had every really thought about actually going to college and to where it might take him. Liam stuck up to the shop lifting bully for Cash. We’re starting to see him become more comfortable with who he is. It’s only a matter of time before he comes out to his whole family. The entire family bonded over trying to help Carl get over his behavioral issues. The Gallaghers may not be a lot of things, but they are definitely family-centric. It was really good to see all of them come together in support. And by “all of them,” I mean everybody but Frank.

I vacillate constantly on what I think of Frank and what he adds to the show, but after tonight I fully appreciate his place in the show. He almost gives the kids a great bad role model. They see him be a father, but they also see him make terrible decision after decision and I think it serves as a warning to the kids. I also enjoy his rants on the state of affairs. His one tonight about “wussification” of the kids thanks largely to school systems trying to feminize all of the boys was particularly hilarious. The scene near the end when the whole family is walking out of Carl’s parent conference and they walk into Frank and Karen will showed the polarization of the Gallagher family. The kids stand united in their quest to not become Frank all while Frank pursues selfish desires under the guise selflessness.

Tony was not in this episode and it seems like Fiona is going to go with Steve. Before I would have thought that this means Fiona isn’t looking to improve her situation and she’s only looking for fun and excitement, but after tonight’s episode it looks like Steve can add stability as well as excitement. The funny way they showed Steve’s loyalty and use to the Gallaghers was by him essentially paying off a principal with weed. The Gallagher’s have a different way of doing things. They don’ see the world we all do. If giving the principal a teacher discount on weed to keep one of there brothers from being turned over to social services is wrong, then they don’t want to be right.

Other thoughts:
-Hooray for a Robert Knepper sighting! One of the best character actors ever, specializing in playing sleazy scumbags. You may remember him from Prison Break where he played T-Bag.

-I was sad that Veronica was trimmed from this episode. I really do like her and Kev together.

-Shameless does a good job with all their supporting characters. Even if they don’t have a lot of screen time, we still no exactly who every one is. This was especially evidenced by Kash’s wife. She really shone tonight.

Shameless - "Three Boys" Review

“The devil’s in my balls Billy and he’s coming for the rest of me.” -Frank

In a very good episode of Shameless we learn a lot about the characters when they are faced with confrontation. Frank is faced with the possibility of having testicular cancer. His diatribe on why testicular cancer makes sense was classic. “Which is why I don’t believe in intelligence design.” A really great moment for Frank. I’m warming up to Frank as a character. It was nice to see some real moments from him in this episode, specifically when he realizes he might die of sickness. I wonder if Frank had ever really contemplated death before. Not so much death by itself, but death in a way that he was not responsible for himself. Frank is a selfish man, and he proved it when he drunkenly stated that he would rather take his own life rather than let the sickness get him.

Liam was confronted with his secret boyfriend ,Cash’s, real life. It’s all fun and games for a teenage boy to have an affair with a married man until he goes to his place and sees pictures of his wife and kids. It became too real, and Liam ran. I’m happy that he did. Liam is a Gallagher and it doesn’t seem like many of them want to be tied down to too many things, well expect for maybe Liam, who’s tied down to both a boyfriend and a girlfriend.

Veronica and Kev, who by the way are an awesome on screen couple, were confronted with the idea of marriage. Kev justified calling the wedding off originally because he’s still married. I wonder if he wasn’t tied if he would actually take the leap, rather than put on a fake wedding. Veronica just might be the most easy going woman alive. She took Kev being married in stride and decided to get high and devise a way to fake the wedding. Further, I never thought a couple calling off a marriage could be so romantic. Kev and Veronica’s fake marriage, is ironically, the strongest relationship in the show.

And once again, Fiona is confronted with the choice between Steve and Tony. As a side note, I’m actually really interested in Steve’s car stealing business. I think it adds nice spice to the show. I go back and forth on who I want Fiona to end up with. The real chemistry is with Steve, but Tony is solid and can support them. My feelings toward which guy I want her to end up with is directly correlated to if I want the Gallagher’s to better themselves or not. It’s strange to watch a family be so content with so little. I’m on the fence if I’m mad that they’re not trying to move up socially, or glad that they’re just finding a way to live happy. This is the main conflict of the show. Where do the Gallagher’s go? What’s going to happen that makes them change? And if they don’t change, how does the show keep us interested?

Other thoughts:

-I love seeing new ways the Gallagher’s get free stuff. Today it was stealing toilet paper and seat covers from the public restrooms and peeing drug free in a cup for a meal.
-Anthony Andersen with Tourettes is a nice surprise.
-Good to see Mac’s mom from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia make an appearance. Her spitting on her hand to put out her cigarette was clever. Never seen that before.
-I hope the show doesn’t flip Liam from being gay to wanting to be with his pretend girlfriend. That would seem like a cop out.

What are thoughts on the Gallagher’s improving their situation? How do you view the role of Frank?

Shameless - "Casey Casden" Review

“They’re having a party across the street. For Kids. No booze. What’s the point?” - Frank

When it comes to watching Shameless it becomes about identifying with the Gallaghers. If you can identify with some or any of the characters, you can appreciate the show. I appreciate the show. I appreciate the show. I understand the struggle to make ends meet and working hard to get what you need. However, what I hadn’t understood was the lack of desire to better themselves. It wasn’t until this episode where I first heard Fiona utter a sentiment about the desire to improve their situation. In a moment of exhaustion she said, “I hope I’m not fucking up the kids.” This is the first instance where I felt that honestly Fiona wanted to better their situation.

As for the specific story of this week’s episode it was nice to have a self contained episodic plot line. Girl steals baby, Galaghers make a plan, Gallaghers execute plan, Gallaghers get rewarded. Hold on. Gallaghers get rewarded? They stole a baby and lied about it. Yet they end up getting rewarded? Correct. The writers do a brilliant job of painting them in a sympathetic light that we forgive the transgression and cheer the outcome. It’s a curious dynamic the writers have initiated.

Two of my favorite characters on the show since the start have been Kevin and Veronica. It’s nice to see that the show is about to tip in the direction of their soon to be marriage. I found this story line a bit strange because we hadn’t figured out the story with Steve and Fiona, but I guess we are to just assume that that worked out. I predict we’ll see less and less of Tony when it comes to Fiona’s love life.

I’m still not into Frank as a lead character. I don't know what he adds, and I certainly didn’t understand the seduction of him by Lip’s girlfriend. I hope he starts to play a part in the evolution of the family or else I see no point for his character, but I don’t see the show getting rid of them, and thus I feel the show is will be stuck in neutral.
So what do we want from the Gallaghers? Do we want them to better themselves? Or do we just want them to survive and be happy? I think these questions will start to answer themselves in the coming episodes.

Random Thoughts:

-Why was the baby dressed in a Superman costume?
-Hardly any Liam in this episode. Weird considering the whole last epsiode was about him and finding a new fake girlfriend.
-I hope we get more of Veronica’s mom. She seems like a party.
-I guess we won’t be privy to the conversation where Fiona and Steve get back together,
-Looking forward to Mac’s mom from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia being on next week’s episode.

What are your thoughts on the Gallagher’s situation?

Sunday Night TV - 1/23/11

Big Love

The lesson this week is more Barb, Nikki and Margene and less of Bill is a good thing. The relationships between the sister wives has always been the more compelling that whatever scheme Bill is working on. Bill gets to run around and stir up a hornets nest but it's his wives that have to suffer the stings. Barb's walk on the wild side, well the wild side for a Mormon housewife, has been refreshing and a much needed turn for her character. As viewers we've been deprived her story. The story of how Bill re-embracing the principle after many years of marriage has affected her as a woman and her relationships with her family. We knew her family disapproved and relationships were strained but the scars never seemed to be revealed.

Equally refreshing is the maturation of Nikki. She was always too much of a two dimensional character, petulant and predictable in her stubbornness. Now that she is raising her teenage daughter and has turned her back on Juniper Creek, she is evolving into a more complete character ready to reveal the damage growing up on a polygamist compound has done.

I'm of the opinion that Margene should take Bill up on his offer to let her leave the family. One thing the last two seasons have revealed is that She is not going to be happy long term kept in her cage raising kids and waiting for Bill to come home. Her personality is too big for that life and this seemed like the perfect opportunity for her to go on a self realization journey with Ana.

One more item, we need more Alby. No one brings the creepy like him and we need that.


Californication

This weeks episode had two highlights. First we found out producer Stu Beggs is "rich as fuck and hung like a moose." Then the episode closes with Hank finally getting around to writing the "Fucking & Punching" screenplay. In between was a collection of disjointed, out of character scenes that really took us no where.

There is no denying Hank is a poon chasing dog but he does possess a certain integrity that makes him using an assumed suicide attempt to get back into Karen's good graces unbelievable. I think Karen has become a huge problem for the writers. She should have been written off the show after season two but for whatever reason continues to hang around LA. I understand the convenience having a plot tool of you're lead character hung up on his "sole mate" is, but has Karen ever done anything to show us why Hank would be obsessed with her? And having a child together isn't enough. There's very little chemistry between the two. She has yet to reveal a quality about her character that would draw a dynamic person like Hank to her. And worst of all, she's just boring. With the series being picked up for a fifth season, I'm hoping season four finds a way to finally put the death knell in the Hank/Karen relationship.


Episodes

The good news is that each episode has improved on the one before it. The bad news is that Episodes still isn't a good show. I haven't checked my "all holidays" calendar but Sunday must have been Big Dick Day on Showtime. Not only did we find out about Stu Beggs moose like qualities on Californication but much of this week's Episodes revolved around what the Lord has blessed Matt LeBlanc with in penis department. I do know it's going to take more than LeBlanc's giant cock to keep me tuning in past next week. I've been more patient with Episodes than I probably should have but the show is looking like a lost cause at this point. Tune in next week for the funeral.

Shameless 

Hey a really enjoyable episode. That's different. Frank still doesn't offer much more than a catalyst to start fires for Fiona to put out but if that's what the character is, I'm OK with that. I just wish they weren't wasting a talent like William H. Macy to fill that role. Lip and Ian continue to be the most interesting on all the Gallagher clan with Ian revealing to a girl at school he's gay. Unfortunately for Lip that revelation came too late to save him a beating at the hands of the Milkovich brothers.


The Aunt Ginger stuff brought a nice bit of levity to a sometimes depressing household and gave Debbie a place in the episode. It was important to get to know Debbie a little before next week's episode when she apparently steals a baby from somewhere.


This was the first week there weren't lulls where I was bored with what I was watching. Hopefully, things will continue looking up in the weeks to come.

Sunday Night TV - 1/17/11

Shameless

So episode 2 is our real introduction to Frank. He likes to drink. He doesn't like his sons. He's OK with his daughters and he really hates Canada. What we also learn is that even though he's a giant dirtbag, his kids still love their father and even though he makes their lives exponentially harder, they turn west Chicago upside down trying to make sure he's OK. Most of all what we learned is the lengths Frank will go to be taken care of and to continue his plush disability check to disability check lifestyle. He moved in with Sheila (Joan Cusack) and that length appeared to be about 9 inches in a most uncomfortable place. Steve was taught a lesson about coming between Fiona and her family and sorry douche but stealing a minivan for her doesn't make up for kidnapping her dad and dumping him in Toronto. I personally would have been happy to see Fiona give Steve the boot all together but I suppose he'll make his way back into her life and we'll all have to put up with him in the weeks to come. Hey maybe that cop friend of Fiona's can take care of that problem for us.

Californication

Not much really happened this week besides some pill and alcohol induced reflection by Hank and we met Rob Lowe's character Eddie Nero who's slated to play Hank in the movie version of Fucking & Punching. So, what did we learn from this week's episode? Not much. Hank is still ruled by his dick, Runkle is up to fifteen women and Rob Lowe likes to dress up as Brad Pitt. We did finally see Hank feel some remorse for the disappointment and embarrassment he's brought his daughter. I thought Hank's line about wanting Harvey Keitel to play him because Harvey likes to show his dong on screen was fantastic since David Duchovny is a notorious on screen dong swinger.

Big Love

So I decided to stick it out with Big Love because this is the last season and I've made it this far. Fortunately, it looks like I may be rewarded for my loyalty. There's no questioning last season was bad. It was more than bad it was god awful. The whole Bill going down to Mexico and rescuing his family in a blaze of glory nearly forced me to cancel my season pass. In their final season it looks like the show is going back to its core principles by focusing on the family and Bill's fight to live the principle. Gone is the casino, JJ's weird gyno son and just about all remnants of last season's bizzaro world. In comes Barb trying new things like drinking, in comes Nicki bullying ten year old boys and a new group of other polygamists who have been living the principle in secret just like the Hendricksons. We finally saw Bill hit with a bit of humility when he realized the pain and feelings of betrayal he's brought upon the people in his life. Even with this bit of humble pie Bill's still the biggest self righteous gas bag on television but it seems at the state house he may no longer be the biggest fish in his pond.

Episodes

I have to say ep. 2 was much better than the first but still not good enough to inspire me to set a season pass yet. Matt LeBlanc played a very capable TV star Matt LeBlanc with all the typical over sexed, pampered star cliches. Hopefully we've seen just about the last of Myra and Andy. The characters are horribly done and continue to clog up the screen with stale unfunny quips. The bit with Merc's blind wife could have been funny if it had been a bit more subtle but I don't think subtlety is in the plans for this show. The seeds of what will undoubtedly be the main tension of the show were planted this week. Sean is obviously embracing the LA lifestyle and willing to make the necessary sacrifices to get their show on the air. While Beverly will continue to fight against LA, the network, body image issues and Matt. At the current pace Episodes probably has two more chances to build momentum and sell me on it. With as crowded as Sunday night is you've got to better than this to crack the DVR lineup.

Shameless-ly Lights Out Episodes

As the calendar flipped from 2010 and we all mourned the loss of Terriers and Rubicon, 2011 arrived and brought us a brand new batch of shows to love and then see unceremoniously canceled before their time. Well some of them will just be put out of their misery or our misery depending on your point of view.

Sunday kicked off a the new season for Showtime including two new shows to bookend every red blooded man's favorite Californication, Shameless and Episodes. Shamelesss the hour long drama about a tight-nit group of siblings struggling to keep the lights on and their dead beat drunk dad off the floor. Episodes is the new half hour Matt LeBlanc vehicle about an English TV writing couple who move to LA to adapt their series for American television and have Matt LeBlanc forced upon them by the network.

On Tuesday FX brought us Lights Out, the new boxing drama to love and hate for all the same reasons we love and hate every boxing drama. Holt McCallany plays Patrick "Lights" Leary a former heavyweight champ who five years in to retirement finds himself broke. With three kids, a mortgage and a wife in med school, what's an old fighter to do but put everything on the line for that one last big purse.

Shameless

The Good

I guess Emmy Rossum was a star before this show, she was in Day After Tomorrow and The Phantom of the Opera. I didn't see either movie so she was a refreshing new face to me. And what a new face it is. Five minutes in and it's obvious she's the real star of the show. I liked brothers Lip and Ian a lot too. There's definitely room for fun and tension between these two. Lip is the schemer of the two and the only family member that knows Ian is gay. I'm looking forward to seeing what kind further exploits these two find themselves in. A dad catching you getting a hummer from his daughter under the dinning room table was quite a start.


The Bad

William H. Macy's Frank was a little too much caricature and not enough character. I think he was supposed to provide a little levity to a depressing situation but came off as over the top and rather pathetic. I don't get the Steve character at all. You have a poor Chicago family based in the realities of the lower class and then you throw in a character out of 'Gone in 60 Seconds' complete with his own slow motion action scene. 

Wishful Thinking

I want to see the kids and especially Fiona deal with the realities of her dead beat father. There has to be resentment and buried hatred for what he's done to her and the family towards Frank. At some point, Fiona has to deal with what she's lost by having to be a mother to all these other kids. I really don't care what happens between her and Steve in the future. The less we see of him the better as far as I'm concerned. I hope to see William H. Macy get to develop this character and add a greater level of depth than we got to see in the first episode. I was excited by what I saw from the previews for the upcoming season and I'm looking forward seeing where this goes.

Episodes

The Good
 The Brits had good English accents? It was good to see John Pankow in something. I thought the guy had falling off the Earth since playing Michael J. Fox's buddy Fred Melrose in The Secret of My Success. The first episode was just about as boring as its lead characters.


The Bad
It was dreadfully boring. LA jokes are easy and old. The network supporting characters were the same tired cliches we've seen a thousand times. Crickets lots and lots of crickets.

Wishful Thinking
I'm going to give it another episode before I flush it because the "star" of the show Matt LeBlanc doesn't show up until the next episode.  And yes that's how boring the premiere was. We're hoping Matt LeBlanc can save it.

Lights Out

The Good
Holt McCallany owned the role of Lights Leary. Aside from him being a white heavyweight, I had no doubt that he was a retired boxing champ. The boxing scenes, limited number of them there was, were already better than the scenes from The Fighter. Pablo Schreiber and Stacy Keach are both nice as Leary's brother/manager and father respectively. The premiere was mostly spent setting up the back story and issues Leary will have to confront as he gets ready to get back into the ring after a five year layoff.


The Bad
Was it impossible to find an American actress to play Leary's wife. Or at least someone who wouldn't constantly butcher a New York, American or whatever accent she was trying to do. I've never been a Catherine McCormack fan and she's done nothing so far on Lights Out to change that. The story is cliche. Ok it's more than cliche it's basically the only retired boxing champ story there is.

Wishful Thinking
Boxing stories build drama naturally. You're capturing two men who are stepping into an arena to battle one another. As long as the cast delivers solid performances and the director doesn't run the ship aground this series should be a keeper.