Life After Jacob's Foot: Boy Meets World meets Eastern Europe andMacbeth

I've been re-watching Boy Meets World since ABC Family resurrected the show. It airs at 7AM & 7:30AM. I DVR them. I've seen every season and every episode multiple times; however, I find myself liking the show less and less this summer. Not the show in general because seasons 2-4 are great; however, the show gets rotten well before the trainwreck that is season seven. For the sake of the brevity of this column, I'll merely say season five has its fair share of flaws that mostly concern the season arc for Shawn Hunter. Also, the Cory/Topanaga break-up arc is pointless and the show spent way too much time on it. Plus, they retcon Frankie AND Joey. Unforgivable. But season five earns a solid three on the scale from one to five.

Season six, however, is a complete mess. No long-running show transitioned to the college years easily. Boy Meets World did not break the trend. In the college world of Boy Meets World, students do not lock the doors to their dorms. The reason? THERE ARE NO LOCKS. People simply turn the doorknob and they are in. No students carry their keys with them. The 'No Locks' policy of Pennbrook extends to the apartments Eric, Jack and Rachel occupy. The actual class part of this college makes zero sense. GEORGE FEENY CAN GET A JOB TEACHING FALL CLASSES EVEN AFTER THE SEMESTER HAS BEGUN?!? He can get away with teaching his class about some crappy poem that Shawn Hunter wrote?!? The registration process can make one's head explode. Students mill around the student union and sign up for classes. If Cory Matthews wants to take Calculus 3 as a freshman, apparently he can because anything goes at Pennbrook. If he wants to take more classes he's clearly unqualified for, and would be unable to if he had an actual advisor and a system which prevented students from taking certain classes without the proper requirements, HE CAN. I should mention that he has a guidance counselor, who performs his job poorly and constantly tells Cory that he's in the real word now. Should Cory regret his enrollment in this difficult courses, he somehow is bailed out by his friends who are able to sign him up for every class they themselves are in. Fantastic. Remember that "Things Change" episode in season five? Glad the writers spent 22 minutes on that when nothing actually has changed in the following season.

If I was the showrunner of Boy Meets World for the entirety of season six, here's a few changes I would make:

I'm completely okay with Mr. Feeny's desire to teach. He is a teacher and that's the only way his character is functional in this series: as the teacher; however, I would not bring him to the college to teach poorly written poetry written by 18 year olds. Instead, I would return Mr. Feeny to John Adams High; however, when he returns to the school, things have changed. Mr. Feeny's retirement opened up the Principal job. The news of this brings Mr. Turner back from the other side of the school where old characters went when their contract ran out with the show. Mr. Turner wants the Principal job. He doesn't yet have it nor does anyone because the person who has the job is merely an interim principal. This interim principal would've been portrayed by Tony Danza, from the beloved film The Garbage Picking Field Goal Kicking Philadelphia Phenomenon. It'd be a three episode arc. No one likes Danza as the Principal. I should establish the emotional place that Mr. Turner is in. He's no longer the fun loving biker he once was. Not since the coma. Not since Shawn moved out of the apartment for no reason. How did he get out of the coma? We're not sure. Maybe a Smoke Monster helped him to awake from the coma. Perhaps this new Mr. Turner, with a ton of Iago in him, is INFECTED. But, perhaps, this infection is not a literal, physical infection but rather a state of mind due to a period of time when people said to him "you are bad." Maybe Mr. Turner is Sayid-lite, in case the LOST stuff was lost on you. All that matters is Mr. Turner is a bad dude now. He's enlisted his buddy Eli in the coup. HE WANTS DANZA'S JOB. The first episode establishes this new story. In fact, the Turner story is the A plot of the episode. The engagment stuff between Cory and Topanga has been resolved off-screen. The B story is Cory being a moron and flying to Jackson Hole to blame Feeny for all his problems. The C story, which would've been one scene because of tv length, would establish Eric's job as a zookeeper at the Philadelphia Zoo. The three episode arc featuring Danza as interim principal would be a sprawling narrative of SHAKESPEAREAN proportions eventually leading, predictably enough, in the removal of Danza's character from the principal's office and the MURDER of Eli because Mr. Turner is a bad, bad dude. The audience wouldn't see that coming. Actually, they probably would. By the end of this three parter in which Feeny teaches many lessons to the college kids about college, he finally is ready to return to John Adams High just before Turner's promoted and THAT sets into motion the big story for season six.

Yes, Cory and all of his friends would have their stories. There would've been plenty of hijinx like an episode when Cory goes to brush his teeth and a band of 14 people, dudes and girls, exit the men's bathroom, leaving behind seven fans blowing at the highest speed or the episode when Shawn goes to brush his teeth and a fight breaks out between rivaling floors which, for some reason, would lead to a heartfelt story that would remind the viewers for the 3,478th time of Shawn's childhood in the trailer park. There'd be the episode when Topanga, Angela and Rachel band together to put peanut butter on the shower heads and the episode when Cory freaks because his floor has to talk with the RD about dropping apples down the stairwell, lighting wine boxes on fire in the bathroom and Cory would freak because HE HAS NO IDEA WHAT WINE IS. These would be stand-alone episodes to distract viewers from the intense Shakespearean-esque plot of John Adams High. In the episode before the winter hiatus, Mr. Turner WOULD BLOW UP FEENY'S HOUSE and the Matthews would remain completely oblivious to this because Mr and Mrs Matthews would have sent Morgan to a private all-girls school so that they could live in Moscow, Russia. There would've been an epsiode featuring Alan Matthews, in an episode directed by William Russ himself, in which Alan falls into the murky world of the East Europe underground meaning that the Matthews house is no longer their house and is, in fact, INHABITED BY JIM ABBOTT, the former Yankee who appeared in a season one episode. Returning to the Alan Matthews centric episode for a moment, I don't want to say it would be the plot of the movie of Taken but it WOULD'VE been the plot of Taken with the same exact ending and as Morgan is at private school, the Maggie Grace character would've been portrayed by HARLEY'S SISTER. You may know her from Halloween 4 and 5 and the terrible Rob Zombie remakes. We'd discover that she was a wreck following the end the brief time she and Cory dated and has never been able to get over Cory Matthews so she decided to test out the illegal sex trafficking rings that exist in Eastern Europe.

The final five episodes of season six would've been emotional and intense. Shawn would realize his former mentor IS EVIL which would lead to an emotional episode in which we find out Mr. Turner never forgave him for leaving the apartment without a goodbye note nor forgave him for failing to visit him in the hospital while in a coma. Mr. Turner explains in the third act that Shawn Hunter is the reason why he's no longer a good man and has been plotting for a way to get Feeny's job. Shawn Hunter would be sent reeling after this. But then SHAWN WOULD WRITE A POEM FOR MR. TURNER and Mr. Turner would return normal after hearing the poem. And we'd have the collective epiphany, after a staggering 7 minute soliloquy by Mr. Feeny about the nature of good and evil, that Mr. Turner was not evil at heart but merely had the bad habit of listening to people give him lousy advice about how to become principal of John Adams High School. Cory would've been jealous because Shawn didn't write the poem for him which would plant the seeds for the possibility of Cory becoming the Big Bad in season seven.

Basically, think Macbeth MEETS the actual sixth season of Boy Meets World. It would be terrible but it would be SHAKESPEAREAN. The season ends happily with everybody singing "Enjoy Yourself" By The Jacksons. Even Eli returns because he NEVER died. He got better. And Feeny's blown up house was merely just a small model of the house. His real house turns out to be just fine. And, of course, I'd be fired following the conclusion of the season and the new showrunner and the rest of the writing staff, who no doubt turned on fictional showrunner during the middle portion of the season, would retcon each and every character to deliver the seventh season as it actually happened.

Now, it is time to for RECOMMENDATIONS FOR LIFE!

This is a gimmick I'm stealing from myself. I introduced Recommendations early into my podcast run and I don't plan on using this gimmick on the podcast anymore so it's being moved here. Basically, I just recommend things to watch/read/do etc. HERE WE GO:

The new Louis C.K. show premeired on FX last night. I was one of the few Americans that didn't actively hate his short-lived HBO comedy, Lucky Louie. It aired after Entourage and I never turned the channel so I wound up watching the entire first season. His new show, Louie, is different from his HBO comedy. Louis C.K. plays himself. Time is devoted to his stand-up act as well as small vignettes, or very short films (as Alan Sepinwall described), that illustrates, or brings more life to his stand-up acts. He's a divorced father of two. The second episode is pretty good especially the story about Louie reconnecting with a girl he once knew. The show, as mentioned above, just debuted but I imagine the mere fact that I'm recommending this show be watched will mean that people actively avoid watching the show. If you want to give it a shot, it airs Tuesdays at 11PM.

THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE DAY

Life After Jacob's Foot: Twilight Three: There Is No Spoon

I think Bill Simmons has put the Twilight obsession into perspective for me. Should I wait to write about Twilight so that this could coincide with the release of "Twilight Three: There Is No Spoon"? Probably; however I'm feeling the complete opposite of how North Korea's feeling as they leave South Africa for their home country.

Rumors are circled that the DPRK's team will be punished for their poor performance in the Cup by being forced to work in the Coal Mines for the rest of their lives. Officials close to the club deny it, citing the Asian Cup being a mere seven months away. Rumors have also circled that Kim Jong-il is responsible for the drubbing his team took against Portugal. Rumor has it the PRK's leader texted the PRK coach, Kim Jong-hun tactics to use. Why in the world would anyone tell a coach to go away from the tactics that nearly gave the DPRK an epic upset over Brazil, the number one team in the world? Maybe if I ran the only Stanlinist country left on the planet I would understand but, to use the famous last words of one fictional LOST character John Locke: I don't understand. I've read as many DPRK articles I could during their time in the World Cup and I'm even MORE confused and mystified. I just hope the players aren't sent to the coal mines for the rest of their lives. The game against Brazil was very impressive. This mysterious and enigmatic North Korean squad going toe-to-toe against Brazil. One wonders, though, after the games with Portugal and the Ivory Coast, how much the Brazil game boiled down to the Brazil side being mostly clueless about the team aside from qualifies and friendlies. NO! I shall not take away a great effort by the North Korean squad. It was quite an experience watching the team and reading about them. Also, Ian Darke is the greatest soccer broadcaster in the world.

Anywho, back to Twilight Three: There Is No Spoon, the obsessive Twihards, and the idea of obsession. I never understood the Twilight fanfare when Joss Whedon created and co-created the two finest vampire shows of all-time. After reading The Sports Guy's opening paragraph in his Draft Diary about how he doesn't take the piss out of his wife and daughter's love for Twilight and Robert Pattinson, citing his six fantasy leagues as his own insane obsession, I too realized I have insane obsessions. In fact, this blog is living proof of one such obsession: LOST. I'm the same guy involved in fantasy leagues for baseball, hockey, football and basketball. There's a never period during the year when I'M NOT setting a lineup or thinking about my fantasy sports teams. I'm the same guy who obsesses over ESPN'S Streak For The Cash, when the mood strikes me. True story: I once watched two terrible CAA teams play on the University of Delaware website because I picked one of them. I also have too much time on my hands.

So, to not bore the masses reading, I will cut my list of nonsense obsessions short and say this to the Twihards: Life After Jacob's Foot is a safe haven for you. I will not insult the franchise. Okay, I probably will when the mood strikes me like now.

I really want to deliver one message: under no circumstances should anyone dress like a vampire and apply glitter to himself or herself to capture the sparkle aspect of the mythology. A vampire sparkling's about the lamest attribute for a supernatural creature. It's on par with the nazi werewolves True Blood just introduced.

Additionally, I want to deliver this message to those who think the actors are actually the characters they get paid to portray. You realize if the casting director and the director had an eye for talent, they would not cast Robert Pattinson in this role? The same applies for Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner, Ashley Greene, etc. I've seen no more than 45 minutes of the first Twilight movie. During this time, a buddy of mine merely made tons of obscene jokes during the forty-five minutes. Why do Twihards send death threats to Emilie de Ravin for merely accepting an acting job in which the story had her being romantically involved with the character Robert Pattinson was cast to portray? It's not Edward Cullen leaving Bella Wetblanket for Emilie de Ravin. There comes a time when people must differentiate between reality and fiction. Actually, YOU SHOULD ALWAYS DO THAT. Do you think I walk around and refuse to accept an actor who worked on LOST as any other character? No. Somehow, this only happens with a series of books that poorly reverses established vampire tropes, is poorly written and poorly acted. Do you want to see a real vampire movie? Netflix the Swedish film Let The Right One In.

Well, if any Twilight fans actually read this, I'm sure they won't read anything I write again. I will now stop writing so I can follow the Spain/Chile game and the Swiss/Honduras game closely.

THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK

In tribute of Michael Jackson, who died one year ago today, here is "Rock With You

Life After Jacob's Foot: Oh, Television

The first season of Treme ended on Sunday. No, this will not be a verbose entry on the first season of the show. After the finale ended, Alan Sepinwall of hitfix.com posted an interview he conducted with the series co-creator David Simon. This was my first experience with a David Simon interview. Sepinwall noted that Simon was his usual unapologetic self.

I soon learned that, indeed, David Simon is very unapologetic. Of course, after reading the interview, I immediately began drawing comparisons in my head between a David Simon interview and a Cuselof (that's Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse) interview because many, many, many fans only became MADDER at Damon and Carlton after an interview. A certain section of fans didn't enjoy the sardonic and coy manner in which they answered questions. They felt Cuselof made fun of fans, the devoted and diehard fanbase and yada yada. I know, it's the internet and people will complain. I also swear there is a point to all this.

David Simon does not draw the ire of his fans from what I gathered after brief research. He appears to be untouchable after The Wire. In the course of his interview with Alan Sepinwall, he made no excuses whatsoever and defended the first season of Treme one hundred and fifty percent. His main argument throughout the interview is this: don't criticize my show until you've seen the entire story/season. It is a fair argument and something worth considering in this new social media era in which I just made sure the people of facebook knew that I was elated by the 91st minute goal scored by Landon Donovan. Message boards dissect each and every episode of a season. This is not new. In fact, I'd argue this dissection has existed since the internet became main stream in the late-90s. I digress.

Simon was unhappy with the complaints about Treme. People complained that plots did not exist episode by episode, that nothing happened on a week-to-week basis. Those complaints are risky to make when the show is historical fiction. Simon even says, and I'm paraphrasing, that his show has to tell the factual stories of post-Katria New Orleans and the same creative freedoms do not exist for his group of writers or he'll accuse the people of America not giving a bleep about post-Katria New Orleans and wonders why he thinks that has changed in the last five years. The other thing he said in defense of the overall structure and narrative style of Treme is, and I'm paraphrasing: he's uninterested in the typical television trope of something dire happening in every episode of a season. He said his show is not Breaking Bad or Glee or CSI and, most importantly, it's not The Wire.

I'm uninterested in criticizing Treme. The first season had its flaws but I don't regret the time I spent watching it. I had a few problems with the fact Simon seemed incapable of admitting a certain character or story arc did not work but I'll deal. I'm interested in what David Simon said about watching television, the week-by-week individual analysis of an episode that is part on the story of the season. What's the best way to watch television?

There are many ways to enjoy a television show. Some people love to write about each episode in exhausting details and some do not. In doing so, does that hinder one's enjoyment of the story the season told? I don't think so.

Joss Whedon is one of the best minds in television. He created and ran four shows. He understands what works and what doesn't. Of course, his only experience has been on network television. This discussion becomes complicated when one brings in cable television like HBO, AMC, and Showtime. Cable television is a whole different animal. More control exists on Cable. A showrunner, the executive producers and the studio do not have to worry the issues network television faces. I digress. Joss is a big picture guy with his television shows. He knows what the story is for the season and as that story is told episode-by-episode, other stories are told in individual episodes. The famous question all of his former writers tell an interview in interviews in this, about the process of breaking and writing an individual episode, is this: why are we telling this story? A great episode of a television show is supposed to tell a great story. It must also advance the plot and maintain the momentum of a season, and a great episode usually draws immediate reaction.

I can understand David Simon's frustration with fans judging episodes without the full season; however, with Treme, many fans didn't see where the show was going. But I don't think reviewing or talking about individual episodes of a television season hinders a person's enjoyment or appreciation of the season and the story that season has been telling. Television's a different medium than books. I don't think comparing the two mediums make sense.

However, there's another side to this. I'll refer to the final season of LOST. The writers didn't reveal what the Sideways were until the final minutes of the series. It's a gutsy move and they drew plenty of criticism for the final season. Again, on the record, I think season six is great. I digress. During the season, people were trying to make sense of the Sideways and all that. With the season over, I look at the sixth season of LOST and the reveal puts the season in a different light. It did not ruin the season for me. I now possess more knowledge and a better insight into what actually was the purpose of the individual Sideways stories. For example, Sawyer's Sideways in Recon did not thrill me; however, knowing that he leaves the Island and that the Sideways is a place these characters created to find each other, to let go and move, I now see Sawyer's sideways as the totality of his life and his story. I think, after leaving the Island, Sawyer became a cop along with Miles. All of the differences we fans noted between the Island and the Sideways doesn't matter now because there were no differences. We were seeing a glimpse of Sawyer had done with his life after the Island. DL & CC encouraged this type of discourse too. It was nearly impossible, in hindsight, to review the individual episodes without the knowledge of the Sideways but it was still a worthwhile and fun experience and, even DL and CC said this, one didn't need the purpose of the Sideways to appreciate the stories they were telling like the excellent "Dr. Linus."

Likewise, Simon and Overmyer kept something in their backpocket until the final thirty minutes of the finale which gave the season a different kind of feel and added more to the individual arcs of these characters.They could've started the show where they basically ended it but that same criticism can be delivered to LOST. The thing is, with both, it worked.

It's interesting to think about. Actually, I'm probably thinking way too much about. It's all about perspective though. There are numerous factors to consider when thinking about and reviewing a season of television but this exists for every form of criticism. We fans will always be outsiders. Woody Allen remarked, after having a rough time with coloring prints of his film and a rough time in the editing room and working for months on one movie, that all this work is being done just so some person can give it two out of four stars. But, again, we're only privy to the final cut of books, music, movies and television and we pay hard-earned cash and invest time in these things so we're allowed to review and criticize something.

I am now rambling and will stop. Anywho, the Socceroos are about to battle Serbia in Group D and Ghana and Germany are about to play. I am rooting for the Socceroos to somehow make it out of Group D because I picked them to finish second in my ESPN bracket. And, since I know you are all wondering, I picked Uruguay to win the World Cup.

Listen to my online radio show: http://blogtalkradio.com/fiveminutesoffame

THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-YdLaLbU9c

Life after Jacob's Foot: Zombies and Mad Men

Some mistakes are made in The Foot. The mistakes are mostly minor such as omitting certain things from an episode or a series or whatever. One such grave omission was made in my last write-up on Waiting To Fall and Miles To Go. Today, that mistake will be rectified.

You see, the "Get Ya Popcorn Ready" EP isn't so much an EP about love and heartbreaks. It is a much more sweeping narrative with an epic scope that re-imagines and re-tells the historic Battle of Borodino.

The Russian figures remains the same. In fact, the Get Ya Popcorn Ready opening song "Zip Tie" is not what it appears to be. The masses have been told that "Zip Tie" is a romantic piece about a dude's love for his girlfriend. The thing is: it is NOT about that at all. They only WANT you to think that. There was a famous General for the Imperial Russian Army in the early 1800s. His name was Kutuzov. He displayed tremendous resolve in that Battle and he had tremendous devotion to the country he loved.

Zip Tie" is ABOUT General Mikhail Kutuzov's love for his country. The song also foreshadows AND celebrates the legacy of Kutuzov in Russian history. He's the man who defeated Napoleon's army. Of course, Zip Tie also takes one into the mind of General Kutuzov. Here was this man with the fate of Russia in his hands at Borodino. It's a battle that was the bloodiest and largest in the entire war. The Russian's lost many, many soliders but knew they could replinish because of their country's population."Zip Tie" not only had to introduce and tell the story of General Kutuzov but it had to set up the rest of the story for the album while setting up for the unbelievable twist at the end of the song:

IN THIS RE-IMAGINING OF THE BATTLE OF BORODINO, THE FRENCH HAVE BEEN REPLACED BY ZOMBIES!

As for why, the band refuses to comment on the matter even so far as perpetuating this lie that it's about love and heartbreaks when, in reality, it's about this one day in history that resulted in over 70,000 casualties. Napoleon lost a third of his army but managed to capture the main positions on the battlefield but failed to destroy the Russian army. The battle was broken off because of how exhausted both sides were. It was one of the more pivotal points in the battle because this marked the last offensive action taken by Napoleon. Kutuzov preserved the strength of his army by withdrawing. Russian eventually would win the war.

Of course, with zombies, a few liberties are taken with history. For example, You Tonight is a story about how Kutuzov FALLS IN LOVE with one of the zombie women. It's weird. Tracks 5 and 6 juxtaposes the battle itself with elbaborate zombie drinking games.

Well, I've clearly lost my mind.

HERE'S SOMETHING NEW:

I'm going to link things that should be read or watched. Why? I don't know. Feels right. Here is today's link:

1. Mad Men--"Pilot"--Written By Matthew Weiner. http://leethomson.myzen.co.uk/Mad_Men/Mad_Men_1x01_-_Smoke_Gets_in_Your_Eyes.pdf

It's a terrific script and pilot. The old adage goes: a Pilot must be a singular episode and a microcosm of the entire series. The Mad Men pilot succeeds on both counts. I've become a big fan of the show since I began watching it in my post-LOST life. If you have watched this episode or haven't, it doesn't matter. It's an excellent script. Just read it.

THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE DAY

Life After Jacob's Foot: Promoting Some Local Music (WTF and MTG)

I'm going to be walking on glass today because I will be reviewing two bands with friends of mine in said bands. It's exciting yet daunting. Will this entry be the catalyst that leads to severed bonds of fellowship? Never say never. You readers can join in on the fun by downloading or purchasing the music I write about here.

The first band: Waiting 2 Fall from King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.



They come from the land of gigantic malls, overpriced restaurants, nonsense SEPTA routes, schedules and outrageous zone fares. It's enough to make you want to never travel there via public transportation. It beats gas money; however, with SEPTA, a week of traveling on their fine rails, buses and trolleys adds up to paying for a tank of gas. I'll be poor either way thanks to transportation fees. I digress.

Waiting 2 Fall (or Waiting To Fall) formed sometime in early 2009. Three rambunctious youths wanted to write music and play music so they did just that. Before any of their friends were aware, they an EP released to the masses and not just North America. W2F's debut EP can be found in iTunes Japan. Oh, yes. The band played a number of shows in promotion of the record, most notably at the North Star Bar in Philadelphia. They've since entered into a hiatus after lineup changes but are in the process of writing and recording the follow-up EP.

Their debut EP is titled "Love Is An Excuse To Get Hurt" and it is an emotionally-charged 25+ minutes of music. The lyric content deals with relationships gone wrong or, in other words, how love is a way to get yourself hurt. It's not the most cheerful message in the world but neither is the entire discography of Nirvana and they managed an admirable level of success. The album is highlighted by a slow, meditative acoustic song called "Compound Fracture" in which lead guitarist/vocalist Mic Swinty is joined by a female voice as they sing about the loss of love in their life.

You can find their EP on a variety of websites including iTunes and Rhaspody. They also have a facebook page and myspace website. Also, check out their merchandise here: http://waiting2fall.spreadshirt.com/

The second band: Miles To Go from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania



They come from the city where the constitution was signed. It is a city where SEPTA fares are still too much but not as bad as suburban zone fees nor does a horrendous route the number 92 exist in Philly. SEPTA in Philly has such lovable bus drivers like Grumpy, Jolly and Old Man.

Their first and only EP is a labor of love. A four year sojourn involving different people coming together for a shared goal: make good music. The journey began when a band called The Fightins ended. Miles To Go founder Pete Smith had to find a new bassist after the old bassist left to pursue different projects. Smith found the guy who writes the Post Collegiate Apocalypse blog on this very website. I digress. They wrote songs, practiced and played shows. Eventually, their drummer left and was replaced, for some time, by a computer. Finally, they found a human being to play drums. They also found a singer.

Meanwhile, the EP had been in production for awhile when they found the new members. To make a long story short, things eventually came together and an EP was born. The EP is titled "Get Ya Popcorn Ready!" and they played just one show before the band decided to go their separate ways.

"Get Ya Popcorn Ready!" has a rather interesting structure. Think of an old cassette tape that had two distinct sides. Side A and Side B. This CD employs that structure. The first four tracks are light-hearted and fun pop-punk affairs with stories about devotion to a significant other and hoping the girl you want to date comes to one of your shows. Side B features shift in tone and atmosphere. It's darker. Side B is highlighted by haunting melodies and the closing track.

Download it for free: http://milestogo.bandcamp.com

THE YOUTUBE CLIP(S) OF THE DAY

Life After Jacob's Beard: The Treat William's Beard Show vs. MUSIC

Today, the third season of Treat William's Beard hits the shelves. The show starred Treat Williams, his beard, Emily Vancamp, Tom Amandes and Anna Faris' significant other; however, another item has been released to the free world today: First Stop Pennsylvania's debut EP "Down 0-3." So, which one do you get? Allow the Foot to help you in that decision-making process.

Treat William's Beard is a show that once held the title for best first season of all-time by certain people that may or may not include the author of this very blog.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="270" caption="Treat Williams, the beard, the children."][/caption]

The first season featured excellent writing, direction and acting. It was a classic WB show like Buffy or ANGEL. Treat William's Beard had substance. It wasn't like Dawson's Creek or the atrocious 7th Heaven. The drama was earned. There was little melodrama (though the comatose boyfriend storyline leans that way but the show never melo-dramatized it) and a whole lot of heart. Much of the credit belongs to series creator Greg Berlanti and the show suffered a tonal shift when he began developing other shows for ABC because he handed the showrunning duties to Rina Mimoun. Now, there's an old story that Berlanti was the one who was way into melodrama (and I should probably believe that considering he's behind Brothers and Sisters) and that Rina Mimoun was the one keeping the story grounded. She made a wise move to eliminate the narrations but she and her group of writers fell victim to melodrama.

Season Two featured depressed Amy because her boyfriend died during surgery.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="475" caption="Allright. She doesn't look depressed here--just fantastic."][/caption]

This was followed by her journey into drug experimentation with a fellow known by the TWoP crowd as Eyebrows. There was also a prolonged story arc about how she left home. Meanwhile, Treat Williams and his beard experienced the wrath of a town broken-hearted by the death of the town's golden boy Colin Hart. People stopped going to his practice despite the fact that it was free. Ephram dated a succubus known as Madison. Add to that the fact she was 20 and he was 16 and a whole pile of drama was on that. Many conversations were had between the succubus and Ephram about how she's too old and Ephram's just a child. BUT NO, Ephram whined. He argued that he was masculine and manly enough for her. They of course break up. Meanwhile, Amy has had feeling for Ephram since episode six but the succubus rained on that parade. Of course, when she's single and he's single, he feels too scarred and hurt to date anyone because of Madison. There's an episode when Ephram plays her and a Dawson's Creek moment ensues when Ephram says he got her back for an entire year of being played. Amy cries. Back to the Beard though, he dates Dr. Abbott's sister who contracted HIV while helping kids as a doctor abroad. This doesn't scare Treat nor his beard because he loves Linda Abbott and it's the first time he's been able to love another woman since the death of his wife. His daughter doesn't feel the same way. Just when she accepts Linda as a person, she finds out about the HIV and accidentally spreads it around town. Treat and his beard DUMPED Linda in the previous episode because of Delia's fear of losing another motherish figure. She leaves. There's also a malpractice thing with Dr. Abbott so he and Treat become buddies. Madison returns with news she's pregnant. Treat and his beard BANISH her from the town. Ephram doesn't know. Treat nor the beard wants Ephram to lose his innocence. He and Amy begin dating.

Allright. THAT did read as melodramatic. Now, it's season three. The DVD you may or may not purchase based on my argument. I warn you it's very melodramatic. Treat and the beard engage in an affair with Anne Heche despite the fact her husband can't speak nor move and is being treated by Treat and the beard. This stresses Treat and the Beard out to the point he suffers a stomach ulcer. He's also paranoid his son, Ephram, will find out that Madison was BANISHED with his spawn and, thus, destroying the years of healing that has happened in their complicated father/son relationship. The Anne Heche storyline is awful. It takes entirely too much time. It nearly destroys the season for me. Treat and the beard show stupidity that's never been seen before. Considering's a brain surgeon, one would expect a smarter person and beard. Also, that ticking time-bomb known as the Madison/pregnant storyline? It blows up and it's annoying. Ephram overreacts, dumps Amy, sells every piece of musical equipment so he can go to Europe. WHAT?!?

You know, I imagine a group of 9-10 writers sitting around the table, pitching ideas for when Madison returns and the emotional beats and fallout of between Ephram and his father as well as the beard. How could they think it was a good idea? Ephram's motivations aren't believable. In fact, the entire storyline is implausible. Thankfully, at this point in time, I was having my mind blown by the first season of LOST and I forgot many of the happenings in season three. It was like a bad dream. It's not a good season for Treat Williams and his beard. Of course, they wouldn't name the show Treat William's Beard if it meant Treat and the beard would sail through the show happily and without problems. It's amazing that a writer's room of many smart, intelligent writers consent to some ludicrous story arcs and plots. They did some great things in season three like the Ephram/Amy relationship, the Amy/Hannah friendship but then they did nonsense things like Anne Heche, Bright's dumbass behavior post-college but the development of the Bright/Hannah future relationship was done well especially the episode when the four friends hang out in the snow. This is before the succubus and her baby hits the fan. As for that baby, Ephram pursues it once and realizes it's not meant to be: fatherhood.

What this essentially boils down to is this: can you handle nonsense melodrama for the middle part of the season with Anne Heche, Treat Williams and the beard? Treat William's Beard is a show with its fair share of flaws but the writers never lose sight of the show's heart and why people loved the show as much they did when it was on. There's a fair share of good in season three but some bad, bad stuff. In fact, season three has one of my favorite moments of the show. It involves a message from Ephram's mother who died and Dr. Seuss' "Oh, The Places You'll Go."

Now, I turn to First Stop Pennsylvania's "Down 0-3."



It is a six song EP written, produced and recorded by Bryan Funk. The six songs are well-done, catchy and fun. Track three has single written all over it. If I'm an A&R guy, I'd sign First Stop solely for "With You." First Stop Pennsylvania blends a few different styles. There's punk rock, pop-punk and 80s power-pop and it's a blending of styles that works. There are infectious melodies and terrific use of effects. The EP isn't overwhelmed by effects. B. Funk carefully chose his spots and it works. Also, an aspect of CDs that's never given enough national attention is the closing track. I think enough has been made of openers and a golden rule seems to be open it up with some energy which this EP does. The closing track is pretty great as well. It reminds me of the glory days of pop-punk and even contains an expletive. The entire ep has that quality though. It's more Blink 182 than All Time Low or Paramore. The ep is a healthy reminder of a golden era of pop-punk and one of the lasting things to take from this ep is this: pop-punk still has a whole lot of fun, quality and life in it.

It's available here: http://firststoppennsylvania.bandcamp.com. It's pay what you want. Pay 0 or Pay a dollar. It is like Jacob said: you have a choice.

THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE DAY

Life After Jacob's Foot: Down in the Treme...

Treme time. Last week's Mardi Gras episode was fantastic and the latest episode is the best one yet. And, oh yeah, don't read this if you want to watch the show because spoilers will abound. Also, don't read if you like True Blood. There's a chance I, if not bash it, provide several harsh words about the show.

The first season of Treme has built its narrative slowly but week by week the stories have been quietly building and now things are happening. Don't get me wrong. There's been big developments in the early episode like the Daymo revelation, the Housing Projects with Chief Lambrioux, the first parade after Katrina and the subsequent return of violence in the city. Each character, at this point in the season, is at a crossroads. Let me rephrase that: every major character for the exception of Davis. Some characters like Sofia and Toni are going to experience grief, like Ladonna and her mother are, when they find out Creighton did. In fact, the Creighton story is why I'm writing about Treme today.

He's been depressed for quite awhile, since Katrina put a hurting on the city he loves so much. His depression crescendoed last week when he couldn't even enjoy the Mardi Gras. Before the parade, he took his daughter to a pier and talked to her about how difficult the rebuilding process will be. It wasn't a cheery conversation. He reached his moment of ultimate despair at his computer screen. Without spending too many words on the context or conveying the emotions of the character, I'll just say it worked. In the morning, he was a happier man. Something was off. I expected him to jump into a river when I saw he parked his car near a river. Sure enough, he jumped into a body of water after enjoying one last cigarette. Earlier in the day, he raced out to tell his daughter how she pretty she looked and to encourage his wife in her job. He gave Annie twenty dollars after listening to her delightful violin playing. He had one last bowl of gumbo. He let his students out early after explaining the significance and meaning of Kate Chopin's "The Awakening." A spiritual liberation is what he sought. I thought it was a well-done story.

I don't plan on writng about Treme. Next week's the finale and then it won't be back for one year. Plus, there are other actual television critics who write about the show much better than I could, like Alan Sepinwall of hitfix.com.

My two cents, though: this show is worth your time and investment.

TRUE BLOOD

As for the show preceding this, TRUE BLOOD...let's just say I still haven't gotten over last year's awful Menad storyline with the Bulljawn. It's definitely an over-the-top campy 50-58 minutes of television. I actually enjoyed the first season of the show. I didn't like season two very much but stuck with it because, for some reason, I don't like to quit watching shows (I watched the entire series of HEROES despite the fact it started sucking halfway through season one). For fun, here are some thoughts for season premiere of True Blood, "Band of Wolves":

I have zero interest in watching Tara's hysterics this season. I also have little interest in Jason's story. Bring back the preacher and his wife. I don't really care about the V storyline going on with the queen and Eric. Not sure I care about Sam's roots with the Mankins. I like anything Sookie's involved in though because she's the best written character and the most developed. Plus, Anna Paquin is awesome. The werewolves thing could be cool but I have a feeling the show will not have a bunch of Oz's on the show which makes the werewolves thing less cool.

THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK

Before I forget, I have an exciting 45 minutes planned for my online radio show tonight. Do listen here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/fiveminutesoffame/2010/06/15/first-stop-pennsylvania

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bx40TF3JKA

Life After Jacob's Foot: Emmy Talk

I want the world, the whole world, to stop and listen to me. Oh, allright. I'm quoting the opening lyrics of The Jackson's "Living Together." Naturally, the song makes me think of LOST but I'm digressing.

The Emmy Ballot was released a few days ago. It's not the final Emmy ballot. All the ballot is is a list of the official entrants for different categories. Soon the Emmy crew will boil it down to the final nominees. There's a good chance that every thing I write about here will not be included on the final ballot. Today, I return to the bullet points in order to write about each thing swiftly and concisely. I'll share my opinions on why a certain series/writer(s)/director/actor/actress should be on the final ballot and, perhaps, why they should win and vice-versa.

--Many, many shows entered for Best Drama series. Not all can be nominated and only one can win. LOST, obviously, should be nominated. My old Official LOST Rankings partner considers the sixth season the best season of the show. Season 1 holds that honor for me though. They haven't won the award since season one. I do think they'll be nominated considering it was their final season. I think they'll win many awards but I don't think they'll win Best Drama.

--Here are the other shows that I think will be nominated for Best Drama besides LOST: Breaking Bad, Mad Men, The Mentalist and, eh, Smallville (that means I have no thoughts on the final Drama to be nominated). I'm working my way through Mad Men so I have zero idea what kind of season they had. I hear Breaking Bad has been out-of-this-world GOOD this season and I have no reason to doubt it. I could've put Treme in the final spot (are there just five nominees? have I gotten the numbers wrong) but I think the show will be ignored like The Wire was. The last epiosde of Treme has been their best, in my opinion. I digress. I know CBS promotes the heck out of The Mentalist so it seems like they'd get a Best Drama nod. I have no idea. If I were a betting man, I'd bet Breaking Bad to win.

--Best Drama Director is a category that excites me. There's so many entrants and so many episodes by these directors that I haven't seen. But I'm one of those geeks who recognizes a director's name. I've seen zero episodes of Breaking Bad. I have to make that clear once again. I noticed Rian Johnson is an entrant for this category. He directed an episode titled "Fly" of Breaking Bad. Rian Johnson directed Brick and The Brothers Bloom. The challenge of any television director is entering a show with an established look while adding a certain touch yourself. On name alone, I'll predict Rian Johnson gets nominated. Allison Liddi-Brown directed a really good FNL episode entitled "The Son," about the death of Saracen's dad; however, FNL is always ignored so I doubt she or any of the other directors get nominated and that includes Peter Berg. Again, based on name alone, Greg Yaitanes could get a nomination for his "Help Me" episode of House. I've never seen the episode so consider this a hunch or a gut feeling. Nathaniel Jay Goodman directed "Once Upon a Time in Texas"--a HEROES episode. The writing was never a particular strong point of the show but the direction was always solid. Goodman's episode accomplished a lot because it was an episode that, literally, went back to season one. There's no way he'll be nominated but I felt compelled to say one good thing about Heroes even though I hate that show so much.

--This is all just a preamble so I can talk about Tucker Gates and Jack Bender of LOST. Tucker Gates directed "Ab Aeterno." In my review of the episode, I demanded an emmy for Tucker Gates. The scope of the episode was so gigantic. Jorge Garcia (Hurley) had a podcast called Geronimo Jack's Beard. He mentioned that Tucker Gates directed "The Substitute" because he said Tucker used a lot of lenses that was different from the norm of LOST. But then Jack Bender comes along with directing the series finale--basically a full-length movie shot in two weeks. I think both should get nominted. I think Bender is a lock for a nomination and I think he could win it as a way of not only celebrating the work he did on "The End" but for the work he did throughout LOST. He's responsible for the look of the show. Anywho, there's my two cents for Best Drama Director. Wait. Some Mad Men directors deserve a nod. I just haven't seen the episodes to specify.

--Best Writing. Once again, many episodes entered I have not seen. But again, I'm a geek and I recognize television writers. While I have never seen In Plain Sight, I hope Lynne Litt (writer of Claire's first LOST flashback story) gets nominated just because she wrote an episode of LOST six years ago. There's so many entrants in this category. Of the LOST writers, I would nominate Eddie Kitsis and Adam Horowitz for "Dr.Linus" as well as Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse for "The End." Once again, I hear Breaking Bad is mind-blowing so use this ________ to insert a writer's name and the episode they wrote for that show. I'm a huge Jane Espenson fan so her episode of Caprica deserves considerable consideration. Of course, I've never seen Caprica. David Fury's been entered for a 24 script. Eh. Nah. I haven't seen. The creator of Spatacus: Blood & Sand is Steven S. DeKnight. The episode he wrote for the show (Kill Them All) has been entered. DeKnight is jaboy from the ANGEL days.

--Best Supporting Actress. Yeah, Yeah. I know I'm skipping several categories. But I want Emilie de Ravin to get nominated and win. She won't though because people don't appreciate her Australian-ness nor her talent.

Good day.

THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF DAY

Life After Jacob's Foot: You Gotta Watch Party Down

There's finally some competition for HBO's Entourage. Unfortunately, it looks like it'll be canceled before anyone can be aware of this really funny show I only discovered because Kristen Bell made a guest appearance. The show is Party Down and it airs on Starz and, if you subscribe to Netflix, Starz allows Party Down to stream on Netflix's instantly watch. I don't subscribe to Netflix but figured that piece of news could be helpful to anyone interested after reading this.

Back in the day, according to Hitfix.com's TV guy Alan Sepinwall, four men went to HBO to pitch a television series about a group of Hollywood hopefuls experience just how hard it is to break into the business. The four men: John Enbom, Rob Thomas, Dan Etheridge and Paul Rudd (yes the actor Paul Rudd); however, to make a long story short, HBO passed on the series and, instead, greenlighted Entourage. Entourage is a vastly different kind of story about actors in Hollywood because the boys of Entourage mostly have everything handed to them and do surprisingly little amount of work, even Drama who seemed to have all the time in a world despite being a main character on a network drama. I digress. Starz eventually greenlighted Party Down. Before late Saturday night, I had no idea Starz engaged in television development but it was a good surprise because cable is, more and more, becoming the place where quality television is.

Prior to viewing my first Party Down episode, I had no idea what to expect. Would I be lost and out of touch with the narrative? Do I just fast-forward to Kristen Bell parts because I heard she was really really? To answer both: I was neither lost nor out of touch with the narrative. And I did not fast-forward. I'm glad I didn't because the show is pretty awesome and funny.

Party Down focuses on a small catering company. There's a group of people who all have Hollywood aspirations. There's Henry, the commercial wonder who has failed to become the next Pacino, portrayed by Adam Scott who everyone knows from Step Brothers but is most beloved for his time on Boy Meets World as Harley's replacement, Griff. Lizzy Caplan portrays Casey, an aspiring actress who has a romantic history with Henry. Ken Marino portrays Ron Donald, a hard-luck-sometimes-aloof-goofball. He's one of the greatest characters in the series. Ken Marino co-wrote Role Models and appears in it. He also portrayed the professor who is romantically interested in Joey Potter in Dawson's Creek. Ryan Hansen, of Veronica Mars fame for his character Dick Casablancas, portrays pretty boy Kyle. He and another character, Roman (played by Martin Starr), usually are involved in something silly. Also every actor basically, besides Adam Scott, appeared in Veronica Mars.

I'm not sure how good that summary I've just written is. The biggest thing I can say for the show is that it's really, really funny. It's witty. It doesn't take itself too seriously. The show also keeps the integrity of individual characters and never makes the mistake of turning them into a cartoon or a caricature. The writing is tremendous. The acting is outstanding and the guest actors who appear are out of this world. The first season featured Jane Lynch and Ken Jeong among others. J.K. Simmons shows up and he's almost as good as Jeremy Piven's Ari Gold.

In the end, a comedy is about making you laugh, right? No show has made me laugh like Party Down since Arrested Development ended in 2006. You won't regret the 30 minutes you spent watching an episode. The show barely averages 130,000 viewers. The actors are leaving for better opportunities: Jane Lynch for Glee, Ken Jeong for Community etc. If it lucks out for a season three pickup then I can only imagine it'd be the last of it. I recommend watching the Sweet Sixteen Party episode from season one if you're interested or just start at the beginning if you can.

I also know the mere fact that I'm recommending the show means there is a chance people will actively avoid watching the show.

Also, Entourage and Party Down really shouldn't be compared. Despite the essential story that drives the two shows, they are very different. I don't want to take anything away from Entourage because I've mostly enjoyed my Entourage experience. They've had hiccups but the first two seasons of the show are terrific and Ari Gold is just awesome.

If you have Netflix, you can stream episodes. I obviously am not concerned with watching the series in order. If all episodes aren't available, just watch anyway. The episodes are also OnDemand if you have Starz.

THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE DAY

Life After Jacob's Foot: Still Too Wordy

The penultimate episode of Fresh Meat II is in the books and it was awesome. The final challenge of Fresh Meat II wasn't quite the Spelling Bee challenge that happened a year or two ago. This challenge had about seven total different obstacles to complete. I think it took about 7-8 hours for five teams to complete it.

The episode began with the conclusion of the Evelyn/Luke vs. Landon/Carley exile. Ev and Luke had finished the course but Evelyn decided to just skip the third puzzle and risk a five minute penalty. She tried to get any advantage she could over Landon and Carley. Of course Carley was suffering from exhaustion and could barely function. Landon kept encouraging her and continued to be the anti-Wes in regards to treating your female teammate respectfully. They won the Exile, sending Evelyn home and into the behavior of a four year old. Luke didn't really care.

Here's the thing: Evelyn ran one of the worst alliances I've ever seen. She and Wes were the masterminds but they mostly turned on their own team members just so that they could save themselves from Exile. As they continued to demolish their alliance themselves, Kenny sat back and watched. He slowly lured others away from Wes/Ev and is now the favorite to win Fresh Meat II. I know the goal was to get rid of Kenny from the house because he dominates every challenge he's in and even more so when his buddy Evan is around. Once Kenny and Laurel continued to win challenges, two people have to run an alliance a bit more smoothly. Evelyn is extremely cocky and confident as she should be because she's a beast of an athlete; however, she feared the Exile for some reason. Why not volunteer to go in to take out some of Kenny's pals? Or why not just be cool with Kenny since she won The Island with him? I don't know. I'm not a challenge expert. Her and Wes' strategy was awful and Evelyn blamed everybody but herself until the very end. I used to like Evelyn but she was awful this season. She threw a challenge and it backfired. She was just very bizarre this season and off-putting. Following her elimination from the game, she cried and blamed Luke. TJ Lavin called her out for how she was acting. Luke was not comforting.

But it's prediction time. The final is next week. The Exile looks insane. Here are predictions for the final:

The 4th team will be...Ryan and Theresa. There was a part in the latest episode that focused on Noor's asthma so I have a feeling that'll come into play during the Exile.

4th place will go to Ryan and Theresa.

3rd place will go to Pete and Jill

2nd place will go to Landon and Carley

The winners will be Kenny and Laurel.

I literally have nothing else to write about Fresh Meat II.

THE LIFE AFTER JACOB'S FOOT EPISODE OF THE DAY





[caption id="attachment_1570" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Xander, Willow and Buffy look at Faith and Scott Hope"][/caption]

The Television Series: Buffy, The Vampire Slayer

The Episode: Faith, Hope and Tric

Original Airdate: October 13, 1998

Written By: David Greenwalt

Directed By: James A. Contner

Season three of Buffy is its best season in my opinion. The dialogue is extremely witty and sharp throughout the season. The actors really know their characters at this point and there's a supreme confidence that's evident in each episode.

This episode is the introduction of Faith, the vampire slayer and it's an outstanding introduction. In season two, we met Kendra because Buffy had died for a few minutes in the season one finale. Kendra was a nice girl, a nice slayer. She and Buffy got along. Drusilla killed Kendra in the season two finale so Faith was called and she ends up in a Sunnydale because she knows of Buffy and because she is fleeing from a vampire named Kakistos who killed her watcher.

This episode is about letting go and moving on. Buffy is concerned about how violent Faith gets in a vampire fight but Buffy's also teenage girl jealous that Faith is moving in on her life. Faith bonds immediately with Xander, Willow and Oz. Not Cordelia though because, as it says in the script, she's Cordelia. Joyce also loves Faith. I digress. The heart of this episode is Buffy trying to move on from Angel as well as let go of him because she was forced to kill him even after he was cured. Joss and his writers rarely ever told the viewers because they were so good at showing these emotional journeys. There's a guy named Scott Hope who is interested in Buffy and Buffy is interested in him. He's normal and alive. She craves normalcy but, for most of the episode, she resists going on a date with Hope because of the Angel factor. There's some terrific scenes where Scott is waiting for her, Buffy comes near him but only because she has Slayer stuff to do.

Giles is the one trying to get Buffy to tell him what really happened. He makes up a lie about a binding spell and claims he needs to know the details of what happened so that the binding spell does its job. There is no spell though. After the fun Buffy has with Faith in Kakistos lair and the appreciation of how Faith handled the hard stuff she's been through, Buffy tells Giles and Willow the truth about what happened. She waits for Scott outside of class and they agree to go on a date. Buffy has one last thing to do: return the Claddagh ring to Angel's mansion. It is where she says goodbye for the final time. Of course he returns from hell right after she leaves but that's a whole other episode.

Buffy is still having trouble adjusting to her life in Sunnydale in this episode after running away following the Angel stuff. The dead man's party in "Dead Man's Party" brought her closer again to her friends and forgiveness abounded in it but the arrival of Faith brings back Buffy's insecurity. Faith is so natural and animated with everyone. She tells awesome stories. She's werewolf friendly and Oz is a fan of that. The scene in The Bronze after Faith dusts the vamp is outstanding. I love the banter between the characters and the pacing of the scene. The episode also plants the seeds for what's to come later in the season with Faith and the Mayor. We even get one Mayor reference. Also, Buffy and Faith were never friends really. Buffy accepts Faith but they never bond and this dynamic exists until the series ends.

Mr. Trick is also introduced in this episode. He was one cool vampire and one of the rare African-American characters on the show. He didn't even make it to the season three finale though.

"Faith, Hope and Trick" is not the best episode of season three but it's up there. David Greenwalt would go on to co-create ANGEL so I'm a big fan of his. James A. Contner was a veteran director of the Buffyverse.

If you have Netflix, you can watch this episode on Instantly Watch and all others can watch it on hulu.com.

Life After Jacob's Foot: Suicide Beard Edition

Well, I'm back. And this is how I look:



It's been just over one week but I can't stay away from this damn site even if it still doesn't tell me nor any other writer how many page views a single post has gotten. It's even more baffling that I'm back because I havent' been a student at this school for six months. It's MOST baffling because LOST is no more and I haven't written about ANYTHING else in this place for over a year. As far as you know, I have no other interests BESIDES LOST. Perhaps that is true.

But there was a time when I wrote and was overlord of the entertaiment section. I wrote about television, movies and music. Maybe I return to my roots and, by roots, I mean blowharding about television. While I can't guarantee that I'll write nearly 4,000 words on the latest episode of The Real World/Roal Rules challenge, I can guarantee that I'll try my best to write 4,000 words about the latest episode of said challenge.

How do I begin navigating this post-LOST/post-Jacob's Foot world I now find myself in? I do watch other shows besides LOST. Perhaps I'll start there. Yes! Perhaps I begin by giving a brief rundown of other shows I could potentially write about in exhaustive and (for the reader) infuriating and unnecessary detail. Eh why not?

TREME: This has been my first true experience of a David Simon show. Fans of The Wire proclaim that series to be the greatest drama they've ever watched and critics have declared that The Wire is the greatest television series EVER. I've seen bits and pieces of The Wire, and by bits and pieces I mean the first half of season six, key scenes on YouTube as well as the series finale. But I'm in position to comment on The Wire. I figured I'd give Simon's newest show a chance. He created it with Eric Overmyer. Treme tells the story of post-Katrina New Orleans. There's a whole bunch of characters and they are united in their post-Katrina struggles. The show has delved into the buercratic nightmares the city found itself in and especially its residents following the floods which has, for me, been the most interesting part of the show. There's a ton of great music in each episode and a couple of engaging characters like Antoine Batiste, Davis, Chief Lambrioux and John Goodman's Creighton; however, the show hasn't won me over and I have no real desire to write about it.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: I've watched the show since the beginning. I love the first season. I hate the second season. I enjoyed the third season and I'm intrigued by the fourth season. I do not have DirecTV so I've been watching the episodes as NBC aired them. I would probably enjoy writing about each episode even though I'll barely get to make Saracen/Coach's daughter jokes. Don't be surprised if there's something up about episode five. Also, don't be surprised if I don't remember stuff about past episodes. My photographic memory of television only includes LOST, Buffy and ANGEL. Plus, FNL can be inconsistent with their own story.

TRUE BLOOD: I wrote about a few episodes last year in this very blog before I decided devote all the content to LOST. Plus, Maryann destroyed any enjoyment I had in watching the show. I'll see how the first episode goes on June 13. But probably not.

ENTOURAGE: Jacob's Foot made it seem like I'm not capable of criticizing anything. Not true. Should I write about Entourage, a show that's gotten worse as the years go by, there could be a ton of criticism. Consider last season when nothing happened at all. I'd use it in my "Why I Should Be a Television Writer" argument because, literally, Doug Elin and his band of writers got away with absolutely nothing happening for an entire season. The only show to come close to this feat has been the fifth season of How I Met Your Mother. That felt like Jack's Tattoo episode dragged out throughout 24 episodes.

HEROES: Oh wait, this show got canceled! BAM!

MAD MEN: It's rather daring for me to even put this here considering the fourth season begins in July and I've only seen the first three episodes of the series but I'm anticipating AMC OnDemand allowing people like me to catch up slowly but surely. I'm enjoying the show so far. Two Whedon alums in the cast: Vincent Kartheiser (the best actor ANGEL had...no offense to Alexis Denisof) and the lovely Christina Hendricks (who portrayed Saffron on Firefly for two episodes). The writing's terrific and the direction of the show is pretty great. I'd like to but I'm in a race against the clock.

DEXTER: It's even more daring for me to include this considering I've seen just one episode of the series and the fact that Showtime OnDemand only has the fourth season available to watch. Plus, it's four seasons and lengthy in time. Could I do it? I've got to take in account all of the LOST I'll be re-watching again when the DVD hits in August. FOUR COMMENTARY TRACKS. While I'm here, here is who I'm hoping to hear from in the LOST season six audio commentary tracks.

1.) LA X--the premiere episode of season six. I expect Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse to break their 'no more 88 minute commentary' rules for this one. I also expect it to be quite like the season five commentary for "Because You Left." I expect a lot of tidbits and inside stuff they couldn't reveal during the season about the entirety of season six and much information about the process of developing and executing the sideways.

2. Dr. Linus--I expect to hear Eddie Kitsis, Adam Horowitz and Michael Emerson on this commentary. Emerson usually terrific to listen to when he's talking about LOST. I hope Emerson breathes some life into Kitsis and Horowitz because those two are pretty brutal to listen to. One would think after working on the show for as long as they did that they'd have interesting things to say but nope. Emerson will be the MVP of this one. Plus, Dr. Linus is probably the best episode of season six.

3. Ab Aeterno--the epic, epic Richard backstory. Who do I expect to hear? Nestor Carbonell of course, Gregg Nations and Melinda Hsu-Taylor and (hopefully) director Tucker Gates. But the only directors we've heard from in past commentaries have been Jack Bender, Paul Edwards and Steve Semel. I'd love to hear from Jack Bender on "LA X" but I don't think that's happening. I'm not really sure what I expect to hear on this commentary. Nestor usually has a lot of good thoughts about the show. Gregg Nations was in charge of the LOST bible during the show so he should have much to offer. I'd love to hear how Tucker Gates prepped this epic episode in just eight days and shot it all in just ten. It's amazing.

4. Across The Sea--Damon and Carlton said on the final LOST podcast that they recorded a commentary for this episode so I imagine it'll just be them. If you listened to that podcast or read any post-Across The Sea interviews with them or tweets, you know what to expect. For the record, I LIKED "Across the Sea."

Anywho, returning to Dexter now: I probably won't write about the show.

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES: I'm a big Kevin Williamson fan because of SCREAM. I've only seen one episode and don't really care to catch up. If I'm home and there's no sports on, I'll watch a re-run. But this might be fun to write because of how much information and story I won't know. I think the lead actress of the series is gorgeous.

THE REAL WORLD/ROAD RULES CHALLENGE: There is only two episodes left of Fresh Meat II but who says I can't start late?

Also, I'm bringing back THE EPISODE OF THE DAY feature. This time it won't be solely for LOST episodes (though LOST will appear because I'll never really stop writing about the show totally). This entry's already long enough so I'll save the return of the EPISODE OF THE DAY for another day.

Oh yeah, listen to my online radio show/podcast here: http://blogtalkradio.com/fiveminutesoffame