And stuff: More Doggie Pictures

My friend Mark took some fantastic pictures of our dogs a few weeks ago. Here's one of Lady.

Click here to see more.

I introduced the dogs in these previous postings:
Gary on TV (and stuff): And stuff: Lady Vegas
Gary on TV (and stuff): And stuff: Rambo

Television: Firefly

7:00/6:00 Central - Friday Nights on the Sci-Fi Channel

It's not often you're given a second chance in life. Okay - this is a second chance to see a TV show, but a darned good one that was cancelled way too soon.

Starting this Friday, July 22, Sci-Fi Channel will begin airing episodes of "Firefly", a very entertaining sci-fi western.

" Five hundred years in the future, Mal Reynolds ends up on the losing side of a war. He escapes with little more than his own skin, one trusted friend, and his ship, the Firefly-class freighter Serenity.

Every day since then, his mission has been a simple one: Hire a crew; find a job; and just keep on flyin'.

Then, one day, he takes on a couple of mysterious passengers — and his life gets a whole lot more complicated….

Now you can see creator Joss Whedon's vision of the future as he intended it to be seen: SCI FI is going to air the entire run of Firefly, in the order specified by Joss Whedon himself. Don't miss a single exciting moment of this unique show, and prepare yourself for its leap to the big screen in the feature film Serenity, out in theaters on Sept. 30, 2005."

When the DVD of the full series was released, including episodes unaired in it's initial run on FOX (aka WEASEL), it sold so well it helped land creator Joss Whedon a film deal for a feature length theatrical version starring all of the original cast.

"Firefly" is strong on character and story. The effects are quite good too, but this show is not about the special effects. There is a wonderful juxtaposition of futuristic technology and the feel of the old west. They said the original "Star Trek" was supposed to be a western in outer space. It ain't got nothin' on "Firefly". There is constant internal conflict aboard Serenity. There are also very strong female characters (note the plural).

So don't miss out on this chance to see a truly marvelous television experience; A chance to meet these wonderfully complex and diverse characters before they come to a multiplex near you on September 30th. Watch it on Sci-Fi Channel, buy it, rent it or borrow it. Just see it. You can thank me later.
(4 stars)

Television: The Emmy Nominations

As much as I tell myself that awards don't mean anything, I always get caught up in the Emmy Nominations and the Emmy telecast itself.

I only need to look back at past Best Actress in a Comedy winners Isabel Sanford and Candice Bergen (5 times!) as proof that these awards are far cry from an indication of talent or humor or timing. And yet, I still register shock, surprise, and indignation when performances that I feel would be a lock to a nomination in anyone's book, are blatantly overlooked.

"Will and Grace" - tied for the most nominations of any show??? (15!) I stopped watching when the show stopped being funny almost two years ago. "Scrubs" and "Everybody Loves Raymond" were both nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series and were quite funny at one time, but they've both been in a severe slump since at least late last season. Although you could argue that the sitcom as a form is, itself caught in a terminal slump and I would be hard pressed to find enough funny shows to fill this category. (How about "Two and a Half Men" or "The King of Queens"?)

"Desparate Housewives", a show I enjoy a great deal, is the other show nominated for 15 awards this year. Three of the actresses in the show occupy spots in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy category - Marcia Cross, Teri Hatcher, and Felicity Huffman. I like all three, but do we really need three "Desparate" actresses taking up spaces in the category when Lauren Graham has been consistently overlooked for her superb turn as Lorelai Gilmore on "The Gilmore Girls"? These are the kinds of things that should make me give up on the Emmy's entirely. Still, every year I hope they'll get it right and I root for my favorites anyway. Call me a glutton for punishment.

There will be more on the Emmy's in the days to come. Stay tuned.

Television: Inside Out?

According to the Ask Ausiello column on tvguide.com, Fox's great new show "The Inside" has not been renewed past it's original 13 episode order. They haven't even given it a chance. It's the middle of summer for cryin' out loud. How can they expect a show to find an audience now, when people are outside playing or have just assumed that there's nothing on TV now except repeats?

I think 6 episodes have run so far, and tonight they advertised the next one airing in two weeks. I wonder if they'll even run all 13. Or will Fox pull another "Tru Calling" and air every episode except the last one and then release the whole series on DVD. They should change the name of their network from FOX to WEASEL!

It's alot to hope for, but maybe some cable station will pick it up. TNT, are you listening? USA?

Check out series creator Tim Minear's blog.

Movies: War of the Worlds ('53)/Auto Focus/In Good Company

Saw three movies this past weekend and am just getting around to writing about them. Pardon my brevity.

The War of the Worlds (1953) - Starring Gene Barry
Bought this one on laser disc and hadn't screened it til now. From the prices I saw on Amazon.com, I believe the DVD is currently out of print. You'd think they'd try to capitalize on the new Spielberg version. I would think that many people, like me, might want to see the old version as well. I'd seen it on television several times, many years ago and wanted to revisit it before seeing the new one. It held up very well. Great effects for it's time. Classic alien invasion story. (3 stars)

Auto Focus - Starring Greg Kinnear and Willem Dafoe
This film tells the story of the rise and fall of Bob Crane, star of TV's "Hogan's Heroes". It was kind of odd to see a story of sexual addiction told with a colorful '60's backdrop. Good performances but kind of creepy. (2 stars)

In Good Company - Starring Dennis Quaid, Topher Grace, and Scarlett Johansson
The best of the bunch. Dennis Quaid plays an ad executive who gets demoted and is replaced by someone young enough to be his son. My wife and I both enjoyed this one. Funny and true to life, anyone who has worked in Corporate America will be able to relate. (3 1/2 stars)