The Good Guys Cancelled by Fox

A disappointing yet not entirely surprising order has come down from Fox Television Studios executives: The Good Guys will not return for a second season.  Dan Stark and Jack Bailey have turned in their guns and badges and are no longer Dallas Police officers.  This means that Bradley Whitford can go ahead and shave off that crime-fighting ‘stache now.  Fox confirmed that the show won’t return, but would not comment further.

The Good Guys was an action-comedy series about an old-school cop and a modern-day detective that premiered May 19, 2010 on Fox.  The series stars Bradley Whitford as Dan Stark, a former big-shot detective with the Dallas Police Department who has a signature mustache, and Colin Hanks as Jack Bailey, a young, ambitious, by-the-book detective.  Bailey is partnered up with Stark in the show to keep Stark’s out of control attitude in check.  The Good Guys threw a light-hearted comedic twist onto the everyday cops and robbers show.  Bailey and Stark would often be tasked with petty cases due to constantly being on the bad side of the police chief.  As episodes would progress, the detectives would delve deeper into their cases to reveal much more prominent criminal activities.

The lead female role of the show was Liz Traynor (Jenny Wade), an assistant district attorney and former girlfriend of Jack.  Many of the show’s episodes involve back and forth romantic situations between Liz and Jack, with the two of them getting back together near the season’s end.  Jenny Wade was a fitting choice for the role of a beautiful blonde woman with a tough attitude from Texas, and this was often showcased by having her wear very sexy (work appropriate) dresses.

A secondary female character, Samantha Evans (Angela Sarafyan), was added into the show about halfway through the season.  Samantha plays an offbeat and socially awkward assistant crime scene investigator.  Though assigned to lab work, Samantha would prefer field work and jumps at any chance to help Jack and Dan with their cases, often without them asking for her assistance and doing some things illegally.  If a role ever opens up on The Big Bang Theory, Angela would more than likely be a good choice.

Fans who knew about and watched The Good Guys highly praised the show, but very low overall ratings eventually led to the show’s dismissal.  The fact that the show aired Friday nights at 8 pm, the ratings wasteland, was not much of a help.  I think that this show was one that normal network viewers wouldn’t fully understand due to its non-traditional off-the-wall style.  It may have been much more successful on a cable network, where viewers are more prone to trying out new shows.

Groupon Rejects Google’s $6 Billion Offer

Groupon, a Chicago-based daily deal website, has turned down an acquisition offer from Google, in which it is choosing to stay independent.  The two companies had been engaged in talks for a few months, with things heating up during this past week.  The offer from Google was reported to be a ridiculously high $6 billion for the daily deal start-up.

The rejection of the Google offer is a milestone in Groupon’s staggering journey.  In just two years, Groupon has gone from a struggling web site to a tech giant with more than 3,000 employees worldwide, a presence in 35 countries, and expected annual revenues of at least $500 million this year.

Google has been looking to expand its advertising arm to local communities.  Acquiring Groupon would have given them access to a massive human network of sales employees and their relationships with small businesses across the country.  Groupon has reportedly been courted by other companies before, such as Yahoo.

Groupon offers consumers steep discounts online for local businesses such as restaurants and salons, with the deal tipping for everyone if a minimum number of its subscribers sign up for the offer.  Groupon takes a cut, typically 50 percent, of the revenue from each deal it runs.

In 2007, Groupon Chief Executive Andrew Mason initially created a site called The Point that would organize collective action around social or charitable causes.  When The Point failed to turn a profit, Mason retooled the site to focus on daily deals for local services.  The new idea became Groupon, which launched two years ago.

Groupon plans on expanding to keep up with new competitors to the market, such as LivingSocial and Eversave.  Earlier this year, the company rolled out personalized deals, a feature that targets offers to users based on gender, geographic location, and purchasing history.  This program allows Groupon to serve up multiple deals in each market, keeping any single business from being overwhelmed by thousands of new customers.  Recently the company agreed to have its deals featured on eBay.  Also, Groupon said it also plans to expand its product team in Chicago, which stems from a $3.5 million incentive package from the state to create 250 additional jobs.

Linkin Park’s “A Thousand Suns” Album

Linkin Park released their newest album, “A Thousand Suns”, on September 14, 2010 in the U.S.  This is the fourth studio album by Linkin Park, and they are currently promoting the album through their A Thousand Suns Tour.  Recording for the album began in 2008, shortly after the release of Minutes to Midnight.  Vocalist Mike Shinoda explained the experimentation that the band would be working with on this new album. “It’s not going to be Hybrid Theory.  It’s not going to be Minutes to Midnight.  And if we do it right, it’ll have a cutting edge sound that defines itself as an individual record separate from anything else that’s out there.”

“A Thousand Suns” is a concept album dealing with nuclear warfare and themes of war in general.  The album’s title comes from the quote: “If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst at once into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the mighty one,” which is in reference to the atomic bomb.  Drummer Rob Bourdon admitted that the album was a challenge to complete.  “We’ve been making music for a long time so one of the challenges was to evolve and make something to keep us interested and also have a lot of fun in the process.”  Adding to the political theme, the album features samples of notable speeches by political figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr., J. Robert Oppenheimer, and Mario Savio.

The first single off of Linkin Park’s new album is “The Catalyst”, which has performed fairly well on the charts in comparison with their previous singles.  The band is also promoting their new songs digitally.  Six songs from the album (“Blackout”, “Burning in the Skies”, “The Catalyst”, “The Messenger”, “Waiting for the End”, and “Wretches and Kings”) are available as downloadable content in the game Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock.  The track pack was released on October 19th on the PlayStation Store, Xbox Live Marketplace, and the Wii Shop.

Upon listening through the album, the experimental sound and difference from Linkin Park’s previous albums is very evident.  “A Thousand Suns” is a new platform that the band is using to transition from the traditional rock band stereotype to their own unique sound.  The variety of songs makes it hard to place a single genre on this album.  The band has shifted their concentration to the melodies of their songs and the development of a “layered” song structure.  The guitar riffs don’t dominate nearly as much as before, but rather each instrument is distinctively heard.

The overall sound of the album and how each song seamlessly links to the next has been done very well.  Be it intentional or not, “A Thousand Suns” is meant to be listened to as a whole instead of each song individually.  When the songs all come together they seem to tell a story and express the band’s thoughts and theme of the album.  For more casual listeners, some of the better songs to try out would be “Blackout”, “The Catalyst”, and “Burning in the Skies”.

After how displeased Linkin Park fans were with their prior album, “Minutes to Midnight”, “A Thousand Suns” may alienate a significant part of the band’s fan base.  If you’re looking for hard-hitting guitar riffs and vocals on every track, you may have to look elsewhere.  Linkin Park is taking their band in a totally new direction and they are making the music they truly want to make.  I don’t think their mindset is to maintain the fame generated from their previous work, but to try and redefine the industry.  Overall the album is well done and has some notably good songs.  The fact that Linkin Park keeps trying out different styles of music instead of producing the same guitar lines with new lyrics thrown on top is very respectable.

“Zombieland” Movie Review

Last night I finally saw the movie “Zombieland” for the first time, and it was well, in the terms of Neil Patrick Harris, legendary!  So in light of this I figured I’d write up a little description and review to spread the word and get more people to see this movie.

Zombieland is a 2009 zombie comedy film.  It’s theme is highly similar in concept to Shawn of the Dead, however this flick is made in America.  The film stars Jesse Eisenberg (also the star of “The Social Network”), Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin as survivors of a zombie apocalypse.  Together they take an extended road trip in an attempt to find a sanctuary free from zombies.  Based on my not so in-depth research, Zombieland received very positive reviews and was a commercial success.  It grossed more than $60.8 million in 17 days at the box office, surpassing the Dawn of the Dead remake to become the top-grossing zombie film to date in the United States.

The film is set in a post-apocalyptic America, two months after a disease turns nearly all humans into zombies.  College student “Columbus” (Jesse Eisenberg) is on his way to Columbus, Ohio to see if his parents are still alive.  Along the way he encounters “Tallahassee” (Woody Harrelson), who is on a quest to find the last Twinkies on Earth.  They travel together and later meet up with two con-artist sisters, “Wichita” (Emma Stone) and “Little Rock” (Abigail Breslin).  After a bit of character development and car jacking, they end up traveling together to “Pacific Playland”, hoping zombies aren’t there.  The rest of the plot you’ll have to find out for yourself.

This was the first movie that I saw with Jesse Eisenberg, and I think he was the perfect choice for the role he was cast into.  It was also nice to see Woody Harrelson jump back on the map.  The lead actress Emma Stone was a great fit for the tough yet sexy zombie-killing woman role.  You may recognize her from “Superbad” or “The Rocker”.   To top off the great cast, part of the movie included a cameo from Bill Murray himself.  In case you’re wondering, yes, there was a reference to Ghostbusters in the movie!

A running gag, and a central theme throughout the film, is the list of rules Columbus comes up with for surviving in the zombie-infested world.  Periodically they appear on the screen as 3D text when a relevant event occurs.  Here are a few of my favorite ones:

1. “Cardio”
2. “Double tap”
3. “Beware of bathrooms”
31. “Check the back seat”

Most of those should be pretty self-explanatory, with the first rule popping up right when the movie starts.  Remember, staying in good physical condition and keeping up your cardio will have ample benefits when the zombie apocalypse arrives.

All in all, this is a very good movie suitable for (mostly) all age groups, possibly not little kids scared of zombies.  The casting and plot line are top notch, and there are some nice zombie kill moves concocted throughout the film.  Oh also I should mention a killer soundtrack.  The movie opens with “For Whom the Bell Tolls” by Metallica playing in the background.  Anyway, if you haven’t already, go see Zombieland!

2010 Fall TV Show Preview

Returning Fan Favorites

The Office (NBC)

The seventh season of The Office begins this year, but more importantly, this will be the last season for Steve Carell, who plays Michael Scott on the show.  Last season was very focused on Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam’s (Jenna Fischer) marriage and baby, so hopefully this season will involve a large overdose of Michael Scott.  A recurring theme on the show has been Michael’s romantic life (and proceeding dramatization and failure of relationships), so fans might be hoping to see him finally find the one.  The end of the last season included a reference to Holly, one of Michael’s ex-girlfriends.  Hopefully that wasn’t just a teaser and she will actually be making a comeback this season.  The show does plan to continue beyond this season, so it will be interesting to see the evolution of the office with the boss leaving.  This season of The Office will premiere September 23rd on NBC.

How I Met Your Mother (CBS)

The sixth season of HIMYM begins on September 20th.  Will this be the season where Ted (Josh Radnor) finally meets “the mother?”  Last season the mother was revealed to be Cindy’s (Rachel Bilson)  roommate.  Rachel Bilson is set to return this season, so there must be some plot development for Ted, but I wouldn’t expect to meet the mother just yet.  Once that information is revealed the show is essentially over, and I don’t see this show ending for at least a few more seasons.  There will also be a large focus on Lily (Alyson Hannigan) and Marshall (Jason Segel), who decided they were ready to have a baby.  Personally, I’d like to see some development of Barney’s character, who is played by Neil Patrick Harris.  He’s been a pretty constant source of comedy for the show and has stuck to his swinger roots, but sometimes shows a serious side, which could be expanded on this season.

The Big Bang Theory (CBS)

The fourth season of two genius astrophysicists living across the hall from a pretty waitress will premiere on September 23rd on CBS.  The third season capped off with Raj and Howard signing Sheldon (Jim Parsons) up for online dating, at which point he met essentially what is the female version of his personality, played by Mayim Bialik.  Leonard (Johnny Galecki) slept with Penny (Kaley Cuoco, aka “the pretty waitress”), but was extremely hurt to learn she regretted her actions.  At Comic-Con this past July, writer Lee Aronsohn revealed Bialik would be back for the fourth season, who should be able to provide added comedy to the show and potentially grab more of a female audience for The Big Bang Theory.

Best New Shows

The Event (NBC)

What looks to be the hottest upcoming show this season is NBC’s The Event.  Since the departure of Lost last season, fans will be looking for a new show to fill the void, and this might be it.  The story follows Sean Walker (Jason Ritter), who gets sucked into a government conspiracy involving new president Elias Martinez and a mysterious prisoner named Sophia Maguire after his girlfriend disappears.  The Event could end up being very similar to last year’s FlashForward, but some good reviews and a strong yet confusingly effective marketing campaign makes me think otherwise.  The Event may be the  first show to tap into Lost’s unique mix of sprawling casts, convoluted mystery, and non-stop cliffhangers in an effective way.  If you were a fan of Heroes, you won’t have to change much, because this show is replacing that time slot.  Tune in September 20th to catch the series premiere of The Event on NBC.

Hawaii Five-0 (CBS)

Why is Hawaii Five-0 on this list?  I know, I know…it’s yet another cop and robbers show, and a remake at that.  Well for starters, Hawaii Five-0 has caught my attention with its surprisingly strong and sci-fi heavy cast, beautiful setting, and light hearted tone.  Alex O’Loughlin stars as detective Steve McGarret, a Navy lieutenant turned cop who returns to Hawaii to lead a federal task force, and also investigate his father’s murder.  He’s joined by Ocean Eleven’s Scott Caan, Lost’s Daniel Dae-Kim, Battlestar Galactica’s Grace Park, and Heroes’s Masi Oka (recurring character) as fellow good guys.  Quick tip if you are searching the web for this show.  The old version of this show uses an “O” (oh), and the new version uses a zero.  Big changes, right?  Check it out Monday September 20th on CBS at 10 pm Eastern.

Questionable Fate

Chase (NBC)

Jerry Bruckheimer is at it again with the next installment in his television legacy, Chase, which will air on NBC.  Chase, a one-hour procedural drama that follows a highly trained fugitive-apprehension team of U.S. Marshals.  The show will feature Kelli Giddish (Past Life) and Cole Hauser (Good Will Hunting), and apparently thirteen episodes have already been shot.  I honestly think this show is going to tank and will just add to the pile of shows NBC quickly cancels.  The previews look terrible, and make the show out to look like 45 minutes of watching a girl run, with very bad dialog mixed in.  Watch at your own risk.  Chase premieres September 20th on NBC.

No Ordinary Family (ABC)

No Ordinary Family is based around the Powell family as they embark on a journey of self-discovery after surviving a terrifying plane crash.  While Jim Powell (Michael Chiklis) learns that he’s become increasingly strong and seemingly invulnerable, his wife Stephanie (Julie Benz) finds herself to be faster than a speeding bullet.  Their kids J.J. and Daphne also get nifty new powers as well, of course.  Take Heroes, The Fantastic Four, and The Incredibles, mix well…and you get this show.  This concept has been done before and didn’t work out very well, so I don’t see it lasting more than a season or two.  This show premieres September 28th, so check it out Tuesdays at 8 pm on ABC if nothing else is on.