In a week, some of this mop of hair you see to your right might be going away.  Until then, I can enjoy moments like right now, where in an effort to control the uncontrollable, Angie goes with any hair configuration that works.  I’d say it looks like Chronomancer-era Bishop‘s hairstyle, but no one will get that reference. So I’ll just say that I love my wife, Predator-head and all.

Images courtesy of Mile High Comics and Unreality Magazine.

After hearing a lot of good things about this show and Angie and I finally had some time to check it out last week using the magic of Hulu.

The first four episodes were great.  I really like the premise that the entire planet experienced a simultaneous vision of their future on a specific date at a specific time.  The repercussions of something like that make for great story opportunities.  The destruction caused by everyone losing consciousness for two minutes, the threat of it happening again, and the worldwide reaction to what they saw is really interesting.  Unfortunately, the emotional aspects of the story (the alcoholism, lesbianism, etc.) are really clunky and heavy handed.  To be honest, they take something away from the show.

Despite this, things were moving along nicely, and while I didn’t notice it in episodes 1-4, episodes 5 and 6 ended with ridiculous music accompaniment.  Episode 5 really moved the story along, but was effectively ruined for me by the music in the final minutes of the show.  It’s a shame too, because the closing scene featuring the attacks on the investigation team was great if not for the music taking me right out of the moment.

I’m planning to give this show a few more chances to hook me, but the rumors of rewrites and production delays do not bode well.  Flash Forward airs Thursdays on ABC for the time being.

TV has made a comeback in my life, via the Internet.

I have 2 new favorite shows that, since I don’t have pay channels, I’m watching online for free. AMC/FX’s Breaking Bad features Malcolm’s dad, Bryan Cranston, and HBO’s HUNG features Thomas Jane, both actors I haven’t paid a huge amount of attention to til right now. That has far more to do with the acting and just WHAT those two actors are portraying. Let me explain.

Both shows are centered around teachers whose lives are falling apart for different reasons. In HUNG, Thomas Jane is a high school history teacher whose real function at the school is basketball coach. He used to be their star athlete back in the 80s, but now is a divorced father, whose house has burned down, and due to a lapse in insurance payments, he’s got no cash to rebuild. In Breaking Bad, Bryan Cranston is a nebbish high school chemistry teacher, who has a son with cerebral palsy, and if that weren’t hard enough, Cranston’s character also apparently has inoperable lung cancer. These two guys’ lives are falling apart, and they need to find ways to make ends meet, so they can hold their heads up high, if only to their families.

I can relate to the life falling apart, and in a few years, I’ll be able to relate to the teaching. But it’s not the misery I’m attracted to, it’s the thing both of these guys are doing to make ends meet for their families.

Bryan Cranston’s Walt White turns to engineering and selling drugs, and Thomas Jane’s Ray Drecker turns to man-whoring, with Jane Adams (a female version of nebbish, to be sure) as his pimp. I’ve watched more HUNG as of this writing, and it’s laugh out loud funny in places, and somewhat touching, seeing a dumb jock like Ray Drecker try to interact with his kids, his ex-wife, and his small but dedicated list of “clients”. Makes me wonder if the teaching thing doesn’t work out, maybe I should investigate being a “happiness consultant”. I don’t have the purported fleshy wherewithal of Ray Drecker, but hey, a guy can dream, can’t he?

Breaking Bad feels like it’s going to be a winner, once I get on the stick with watching all the previous episodes. I’ve had it recommended to me by a few friends in the acting/Comedysportz world, and they know good acting when they see it. The pilot hasn’t disappointed, so I’m sure the rest will be just as quality. I mean, come on, a meth lab set up in a Winnebago? Can’t go wrong with THAT!

Last but not least, you might be wondering how I’m watching these shows, as I don’t have FX or HBO. I won’t help in the delinquency of you upstanding internet citizens. You’ll just have to find the sites (like Hulu, or others) on your own. Unless, of course, you’ve got FX and HBO. Lucky you.

TV has made a comeback in my life, via the Internet. Thank you, Al Gore, for inventing the Internet.

I’ve seen my share of contrived fighting, and I think I saw some tonight.  The much hyped (in some circles) fight between Gina Carano and Cris Cyborg was presented by Strikeforce on Showtime tonight and things were definitely suspect.  First of all, the one girl is named Cyborg.  She may as well be part of Techno Team 2000 at that point, because that’s got WWE written all over it.  The fight seemed like it was being stretched for time throughout, and despite my rooting interests was soundly going in favor of the machine-woman.

Then I found myself asking “why would the clock disappear from the screen at the five second mark?” just before the referee called the match in favor of the Cyborg at the moment the horn sounded to end the first round.  I’m really surprised there weren’t twin referees at that point.  Despite the controversy the commentators kept pointing to, the decision stood and a new 145-pound Strikeforce Women’s World Champion was crowned.

I’m sure there will be a rematch, but I honestly hope there isn’t.  Gina “Crush” Carano could be doing so many better things with her time.  I can wait until she gets into some real fake fighting.

I think I like Entourage, but I’m having a lot of trouble getting invested this season.  Who cares about Vincent Chase?  So his friends are busy.  This is what his story amounts to.  Given the fact that I am completely unsympathetic to his situation, he doesn’t make for the best protagonist.

Angie thinks viewers could relate to Drama, since they’ve probably met people that repulsive.  I’d rather watch him save Kim Bauer from a mountain lion.  Pizza Boy and Joker Face are not interesting and difficult to watch.  They dangle the girl from the Zohan in front of the viewers and do nothing with her for weeks.  Turtle is really the only character semi-relatable of the core group, but he still has it pretty good.  Two new luxury cars for your birthday does not make you the everyman.

Ari Gold is still the best reason to watch.  His story is the only one that seems meaningful this season.  There’s been an interesting progression to his being a decent husband and father underneath his brash exterior.  I genuinely like Piven as an actor, but it seemed like the audience hated him by the end of his appearance on The Tonight Show Tuesday night.  I’ll keep watching for now, but I’m questioning how long I’ll be sticking with this show.