Television: The Inside - Revisited

Wednesday nights on Fox 9/8c

This is ammending my first post on this show.

Tonight's episode "Everything Nice" was terrific. My pulse is still pounding.

An 8 year old boy is grusomely killed in the gated community in which he lives. One of the residents plays poker with the mayor, calls in a favor and gets the FBI special team involved. That's all I can say about the plot without giving anything away.

I was really involved by the great performances, especially that of the victim's mother played by Anne Dudek, who I've usually seen in comedic roles. She excels here. I really felt her loss.

We're starting to see more of the agents' personalities and there was more of an attempt to inject some welcome humor into this dark show. This is not a happy show. It tries to show how dark and twisted some people can be. I hope it doesn't get dragged down in that. But based on this episode, I'm changing the status of this show from "keep an eye on this one" to "set TiVo to Season Pass".

Music: Anna Nalick-Wreck of the Day (POP)

I don't usually buy a CD based on just one song. However, I made the exception this time, because of the fantastic song Breathe (2 AM). I was drawn by Nalick's smoky voice, depth of emotion and strong lyrics in this one song. So much so, that I thought it was worth the risk (plus it didn't hurt that the CD was on sale for $8.99).

Most of the rest of the CD is rather lackluster. Not bad, just nothing out of the ordinary. The only other song I really liked was Satellite. If I were to pick the second single off the album it would have to be Satellite. The song starts out with a lilting quality, then builds to a kick-ass power chorus. If they really want to sell this album, they need to get this one on the radio.

To me, Nalick's voice is a mixture of Lisa Loeb and Alanis Morrisette. This is a good thing, since I enjoy both artists. If only the whole CD lived up to the grand promise of Breathe.

And stuff: Rambo

Here he is. This was taken today.

As I said yesterday, Rambo does not like having his picture taken! Poor guy!

He and Lady are Shelties, mother & son.

And stuff: Lady & Vegas

Here's some of the "and stuff" you will see from time to time. It could be rantings on current events or something that has happened to me recently.

Today it's doggy pictures. Or as my wife and I (mainly my wife, tho) fondly refer to them, our poopies.

Here's Lady also known as "Princess". She's a Sheltie.

This little cutie is Vegas, often referred to as "Pookie" or "Pookus". She is a mix: long-haired dachsund and Tibetan Spaniel (?).

I couldn't find a good enough picture of Rambo (Lady's son - we have 3 dogs). He will rarely stay in one place long enough to have his picture taken. His picture will be posted in the future.

Music: The 80's

Think you know your 80's songs? Take this quiz:
People are What?
I'm ashamed to admit I only scored a 71.15

Television: Beauty and the Geek

Wednesdays 8/7c on the WB

Yes – I’ve been sucked in by another reality show.

Yes – it has babes in bikinis getting slathered in oil.

But there’s more to it than that. This is indeed the “ultimate social experiment” with more than just the goal of showing that there’s more to a person than meets the eye.

There are several couples (the guys are the geeks and the girls are the beauties, natch) trying to win $250,000. Each week they compete in different challenges: the girls have to change a tire or build a rocket; the guys have to learn to dance or give a massage. The winning teams then get to send another team into the elimination round. Fairly standard reality show structure.

However, instead of the usual back-stabbing and strategizing, many of the contestants seem to have a greater goal. They realize and take advantage of the opportunity that they have been given here. They have the chance to venture outside of their usual comfort zones and see this as an opportunity to grow.

Who knew that Ashton Kutcher would produce a show with a beneficial message for us all: There are potential rewards in stretching outside of our self-inflicted boundaries.

Beauty and the Geek has already been renewed for a second season.

I wonder if it was the positive message or the oiled up babes...

Television: The Inside

Wednesdays 9/8c on FOX

Caught this on TiVo tonight from this Wednesday. Pretty good so far. A little graphic at times.

Special FBI agents investigate serial killings. (Hmmm. This seems to be turning into a blog about serial killers. see previous post) The leader of the team (Peter Coyote) appears to have hand-picked the agents based on their pasts. He seems to manipulate them using their quirks/foibles into solving the crimes. Is he ingenious or just a bastard? or both? This could be interesting. I'll keep watching for now.

Books: Broken Prey

by John Sandford – Highly Recommended


Just finished reading this last night.
If you have not read Sandford and you like detective fiction / police procedurals and don’t mind a little explicit violence, you’re missing out.

The “Prey” series revolves around Lucas Davenport, a detective with the Minneapolis police department. Davenport has a software company on the side which turned out to be rather lucrative for him. He has suffered through bouts of depression, bad relationships, and dealing with the media, all the while putting together the pieces of the puzzle on one mystery after another. The character, well-developed from the start, continues to be revealed and grow with each additional volume. After sixteen books, it's like a reunion with an old friend.

Aside from Sandford's exceptional writing, one of the things that set this series apart from other detective novels is the setting. Rather than setting his novels in one of the largest cities in the world like New York, L.A. , or even London - John Sandford chose Minneapolis. It's a refreshing change and the author's familiarity with the locale and attention to detail make it a great choice.

Broken Prey is one of the best in the bunch. Here is the synopsis from the dust jacket:

"... there is nothing easy about what Lucas Davenport faces now. The first body is of a young woman, found on a Minneapolis riverbank, her throat cut, her body scourged and put on display. Whoever did this, Lucas knows, is pushed by brain chemistry, there is something wrong with him. This isn't a bad love affair.

The second body is found three weeks later, in a farmhouse six miles south. Same condition, same display -- except this time it is a man. Nothing to link the two victims, nothing to indicate that the killings end here.

A suspect emerges early: a man recently released from a prison hospital who now seems to have cut himself free from his court-imposed ankle bracelet and disappeared. But the more Lucas investigates, the more he wonders: Is this really the man? Could he really have done this all by himself? And where has he gone? ...."

I quoted the jacket so I wouldn't inadvertantly give away any of the surprising twists and turns of the plot.

I have read - no, devoured all 16 books in this series and I have never been disappointed. If you are new to the Davenport saga and wish to start from the beginning, you should start with Rules of Prey. You can jump in anywhere, but to get a real feel for Davenport's development, go back to the beginning.