Changes at Parks and Recreations

Tomorrow night (January 30th) we will  sadly see the departure of Ann (Rashida Jones) and Chris (Rob Lowe) from Parks and Recreation.  Both actors have been fun to watch, with Jones being Amy Poehler's friend and sidekick from the beginning.  In tomorrow's episode we will see Ann and Chris riding off into the sunset (towards Michigan from Indiana, so maybe that would be the sunrise) as they plan for the birth of their child.

The show will survive their departure since it is a fun zoo of many animals, but it will certainly be a different show and Poehler's character Ann will need to find a new confidant. 

I am surprised Rob Lowe stayed as long as he did and remained a convincingly odd manager with his extreme dietary and exercise habits, not to mention his roller-coaster of emotions during periods of dating.  Lowe is already slated for a new NBC television movie where he plays a former and now broke tennis champion in The Pro. 

And check out the website for the City of Pawnee, Indiana, while you have a moment.  You can read about past ballot measures such as Proposition 1D, to approve a yearly government-funded Hunger Games-style competition, and Proposition 99, to replace the Pledge of Allegiance with Adele's "Someone Like You" in all elementary schools.  If only all our city governments were as creative and run so efficiently. 

Update: Earlier I said The Pro was a new series.  Instead, it is a new NBC television movie.  

Shia Labeouf: The End of the Line?

"I think what Steven [Spielberg] really likes about Shia is his endearing quality...he calls it a Tom Hanks quality, where he's this great actor an you want to root for him."  These are the words of director D. J. Caruso, who directed Shia in the movie Disturbia.  Admittedly a good movie, made more so by Mr. Labeouf.  He was being quoted in an August 2007 Vanity Fair article.  

So what happened?  Are we witnessing a detour on Shia's way to a Tom Hanks renaissance or instead a car crash (not his first, mind you).  With his recent Daniel Clowes plagiarism scandal and related tweeting/sky-writing incidents, odd music videos and nymphomaniac movies,  and now his planned show to humiliate himself (too late), we are a long way from Tom Hanks and more into River Phoenix territory before the final fall.  We are certainly a good distance from his Disney TV days, though not all Disney brats need to burn up along the way.  Justin Timberlake seems to do just fine.

It appears the Terminator, Wall Street, and Indiana Jones days are behind him, though I hope he can get out of this funk.  I can only hope he is in the territory of River's brother, Joaquin, who purposely took a detour with a series of stunts but eventually returned to us. 

Shia is currently working with Brad Pitt and Logan Lerman on Fury, a World War II movie to be released later this year.  I was hoping this would bring him back to some normalcy, but the news stories leaking out from production are somewhat disturbing.  It appears Shia pulled out a tooth and refused to shower for weeks so he could feel closer to a World War II soldier (not that our soldiers were toothless, of course).   London's The Guardian reported:

According to the Mail on Sunday's "source", LaBeouf's behaviour proved so unpopular among cast members, which include Brad Pitt, Jason Isaacs and Logan Lerman, that he was installed in a bed and breakfast away from them. "Shia was warned about his behaviour by several people on set, including Brad Pitt and director David Ayer," the MoS confided. 

Some other parts of the 2007 Vanity Fair article struck me as I watch Shia's latest performance.  For example, he claimed that he did an X-rated comedy routine during his first interview with a talent agency, whereas the agent said he really read a scene from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.  This same agent later said, "Let me tell you about Shia...I absolutely adore him, [but he] never let the truth get in the way of a good story."  He apparently still lives by that credo. 

Update:  James Franco tried to put all of this into perspective in a New York Time's editorial titled "Why Actors Act Out," noting:
 
Though the wisdom of some of his actions may seem questionable, as an actor and artist I’m inclined to take an empathetic view of his conduct...As an actor, you are often in the uncomfortable position of being the most visible part of a project while having the least amount of say over its final form...Mr. LaBeouf has been acting since he was a child, and often an actor’s need to tear down the public creation that constrains him occurs during the transition from young man to adult. I think Mr. LaBeouf’s project, if it is a project, is a worthy one. I just hope that he is careful not to use up all the good will he has gained as an actor in order to show us that he is an artist.

American Experience: Online and Upcoming Programs

PBS's American Experience has a number of great episodes available online now so you do not need to await the broadcast nor worry about one that you may have missed.  You cannot do much better than getting insights on American history via these broadcasts.  This is truly one of the jewels of PBS.  Here is a list that includes upcoming and available episodes you may want to check out: 

- The Amish (January 18, full episode online):  An intimate portrait of contemporary Amish faith and life, this film examines how such a closed and communal culture has thrived within one of the most open, individualistic societies on earth. What does the future hold for a community whose existence is so rooted in the past? And what does our fascination with the Amish say about deep American values?

- The Amish: Shunned (February 4, preview available):  What is it like to be cut off from your faith and your family?The Amish: Shunned follows seven people who have chosen to leave their closed and tightly-knit communities for the outside world, knowing they can never return. Each has paid deeply for their decision. Estranged from loved ones, these former Amish find themselves struggling to make their way in modern America.

- Billy the Kid (February 11, episode online):  A fascinating look at the myth and the man behind it, who, in just a few short years transformed himself from a skinny orphan boy to the most feared man in the West and an enduring western icon.

- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (February 11):  Long before Paul Newman and Robert Redford immortalized them on screen, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid captivated Americans from coast to coast.

- Grand Coulee Dam (February 18, episode online):  It would be the "Biggest Thing on Earth," the salvation of the common man, a dam and irrigation project that would make the desert bloom, a source of cheap power that would boost an entire region of the country. Of the many public works projects of the New Deal, Grand Coulee Dam loomed largest in America's imagination during the darkest days of the Depression. It promised to fulfill President Franklin Roosevelt's vision for a "planned promised land" where hard-working farm families would finally be free from the drought and dislocation caused by the elements.

- The Rise and Fall of Penn Station (February 18):  In 1910, the Pennsylvania Railroad successfully accomplished the enormous engineering feat of building tunnels under New York City's Hudson and East Rivers, connecting the railroad to New York and New England, knitting together the entire eastern half of the United States. The tunnels terminated in what was one of the greatest architectural achievements of its time, Pennsylvania Station. Penn Station covered nearly eight acres, extended two city blocks, and housed one of the largest public spaces in the world. But just 53 years after the station’s opening, the monumental building that was supposed to last forever, to herald and represent the American Empire, was slated to be destroyed.

- Triangle Fire (February 25, episode online):  It was the deadliest workplace accident in New York City’s history. A dropped match on the 8th floor of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory sparked a fire that killed over a hundred innocent people trapped inside. The private industry of the American factory would never be the same.

I watched the two-minute preview of the upcoming The Amish:Shunned and was intrigued.  One of the Amish speakers said "You're never taught to live in freedom."  That is quite a statement related to this quiet civilization residing in the middle of America.  

Many more episodes are available on line, from JFK to Henry Ford to Mount Rushmore.  Its a gold-mine of material.  

New Shows: Pirates, Slackers, Burgers, and More

January has been pretty busy with new shows.  I think the September start to new series is finally dead and television is now much more like the movies; shows will appear when they are ready and spaced out to get maximum viewership.  And just as the Oscars appears to lead to the crowding of movies at year end, we will still see some bunching of new series, but we are still in a whole new world.

The big premiere this week is Starz's Black Sails starting this Saturday (January 25th).  Produced by Michael Bay from Transformers fame, the trailer shows plenty of action is in store rather than the comedy of Pirates of the Caribbean.  Here is the basic story:

1715. The Golden Age of Piracy. New Providence Island is a lawless territory, controlled by history’s most notorious pirate captains. The most feared is Captain Flint.  

As the British Navy returns to redeem their land and exterminate Flint and his crew, another side of him emerges. Captain Flint aligns himself with Eleanor Guthrie, daughter of the local kingpin, to hunt the ultimate prize and ensure their survival.

Many opponents stand in their way: rival captains, jealous of Flint's power; Eleanor's ambitious and intrusive father; and a young sailor recently recruited onto Flint's crew, John Silver, who constantly undermines his captain’s agenda.

Toby Stephens plays the lead as Captain Flint.  For some reason he reminds me of Iain Glen, who plays Jorah Mormont in Game of Thrones.  I am hopeful that Starz can pull this one off since we have few pirates on TV these days with all the cops and vampires crowding the tube.  I am ready for a change.  Episode one is already available on the Starz website and YouTube, so take a peak. 

Other shows premiering this week include:

-- Broad City (Comedy Central, January 22): This comedy is about two twenty-something girls getting into trouble in NYC.  The New York Times calls it "...funny, and, like so many other shows on that channel, brazen about skewering the millennial generation as hapless 20-somethings with no ambition, talent or self-respect."  The series is produced by Amy Poehler, which may be enough for me to try the first few episodes.  The first episode is already available online.

-- Wahlburgers (A&E, January 22):  This is a reality show about the trials and tribulations of opening a burger joint.  I think the Wahlberg's reality show on Boston cops (TNT's Boston's Finest) was a better idea.  Maybe opening a donut shop would have been better with some overlapping episodes.

-- Rake (Fox, January 23):  Yes, another lawyer show with a twist.  In this case, this criminal defense lawyer also has gambling issues.  Do we need more of these shows?  How about combining pirates and lawyers in one reality show?  That would work for me (though some may find this redundant). 

Klondike: The New Deadwood

The Discovery Channel has a lot riding on its new six-part series Klondike starting tomorrow (January 20th).  Produced in part by Ridley Scott and hosting a cast that includes Richard Madden (Game of Thrones), Tim Roth (Lie to Me, Pulp Fiction), and Sam Shepard (Black Hawk Down, Mud), the new series has a lot of things going for it from the start.  Discovery provides the basic premise:

Discovery’s first scripted mini-series, announced last year, is based on Charlotte Gray’s book Gold Diggers: Striking It Rich in the Klondike. Her tale brings to life the story of six strangers and their collective fight for survival and wealth in a small frontier town in the remote Klondike.

Klondike follows the lives of two childhood best friends, Bill and Epstein, in the late 1890s as they flock to the gold rush capital in the untamed Yukon Territory. This man-versus-nature tale places our heroes in a land full of undiscovered wealth, but ravaged by harsh conditions, unpredictable weather and desperate, dangerous characters including greedy businessmen, seductive courtesans and native tribes witnessing the destruction of their people and land by opportunistic entrepreneurs.

You can view a variety of trailer clips on the Discovery site and YouTube that should give you a good idea of what is the come.  And Discovery spares no inside story to create greater interest, particularly the difficulties faced by cast and crew to make this series possible.  Given that such shows are often set on sound stages, the efforts here are impressive.

So, is Dawson City the Canadian Deadwood?  Maybe it is, but that would be a terrific selling point since Deadwood was a great show that ended too early (and HBO should have known better).  So if another team wants to pick up the mining torch, so to say, then I say "Great!".  For there is gold in them hills, and the lazy will be left behind.  (I was going to say something about "Winter is coming," but it appears it is already in the Yukon.)

HBO: Still Looking for a Good Show? Try it Out

Tomorrow (January 19th) HBO premieres Looking, a series that some may call the gay version of Girls or Sex in the City. 

HBO sells the new series this way:

'Looking' offers up the unfiltered experiences of three close friends living -- and loving -- in modern-day San Francisco. Friendship may bind them, but each is at a markedly different point in his journey: Patrick (Jonathan Groff) is the 29-year-old video game designer getting back into the dating world in the wake of his ex's engagement; aspiring artist Agustín (Frankie J. Alvarez), 31, is questioning the idea of monogamy amid a move to domesticate with his boyfriend; and the group's oldest member -- longtime waiter Dom (Murray Bartlett), 39 -- is facing middle age with romantic and professional dreams still unfulfilled.

The trio's stories intertwine and unspool dramatically as they search for happiness and intimacy in an age of unparalleled choices -- and rights -- for gay men. Also important to the ‘Looking' mix is the progressive, unpredictable, sexually open culture of the Bay Area, with real San Francisco locations serving as a backdrop for the group's lives. Rounding out the ‘Looking' world are a bevy of dynamic gay men including Kevin (Russell Tovey), Lynn (Scott Bakula), and Richie (Raul Castillo), as well as a wide-range of supporting characters like Dom's roommate Doris (Lauren Weedman), Agustín's boyfriend Frank (O.T. Fagbenle), and Patrick's co-worker Owen (Andrew Law).

 Emily Nussbaum in The New Yorker review Looking and had this to say:

“Looking” is a stealth breakthrough, if only because it treats its highly specific circle of gay men with warmth and playfulness, viewing their struggles as ordinary, not outrageous.

The show has quite a cast and should offer some contrast to many of the buddy stories on TV.  Think of it as Entourage in San Francisco.

Update:  I have enjoyed the few episodes I have had a chance to watch.  Some critics have called the show boring, but maybe that is a triumph for the series since every gay story does not need to be a parade attracting attention to itself.  This is not The New Normal, which makes this show watchable.  And I guess others agree since Looking has been picked up for a second season, unlike The New Normal. 

Weekend TV: Sherlock Returns? That's the Plan

This Sunday (January 19th), Sherlock is back for a third season on PBS's Masterpiece.  If you have yet to see the first two seasons, you are missing out on a great show.  The third season starts after the presumed demise of Sherlock in the last episode of the previous season.  Did he survive?  Should the show now be called "Watson"?  My guess is that he survived and it back for a new set of adventures.  

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette gives this insight about the first episode:

...different characters offer multiple theories of how Holmes survived his fall. Some are quite cheeky and seem to be inspired by obsessive fan fiction, a clever tweaking of the show's devotees. Near the end of the episode, Sherlock unravels the details of what really happened.

The episode walks viewers through what Watson has been up to, what Sherlock has been doing in the interim and the reactions of assorted characters to the revelation that Holmes is indeed alive. And friendships rekindle, along with familiar habits of poking fun.

As with previous seasons, the third season will be shown in three episodes:

“The Empty Hearse” – Sunday, January 19, 2014 at 10pm

“The Sign of Three” – Sunday, January 26, 2014 at 10pm

“His Last Vow” – Sunday, February 2, 2014 at 10pm

If you have even a clue about what a good time you will have (and I am giving you that clue here), you will need to check it out.