More Television

Saw some new shows this week. I thought the commercials for “In the Motherhood,” funny enough, but was bored of the show five minutes in. Waste of good talent. The only pleasant surprise was to see a slimmed down Horatio Sanz managing to get through a scene without cracking up. Horatio is the chubby guy from SNL best remembered in my mind for the 4-man band skits he did with Jimmy Fallon, Tracy Morgan, and Chris Kattan. The other show I saw was "Parks and Recreation" with other SNL alumni Amy Poehler. Created by the same team who brought “The Office,” my advice is to watch “The Office”, instead. The shows are practically the same, only “The Office” is funnier.

Saw the next installment of Costello’s "Spectacle". This week his guests were Police members Sting, Steward Copeland and Andy Summers. Costello was more relaxed this week, perhaps because he was dealing with people more his contemporaries. Gone were the torturous sitting chairs, replaced by the more standard wooden stools, which IMHO, are equally torturous. AND Costello was wearing lime green socks. I hope he changed them, or at least washed them.

Andy and Stewart were given 1 block interviews, (commercial to commercial), where Sting was given a 2 block interview. The rest of the band was brought together, asked some more questions, then everyone played a short medley of Watching the Detectives and Walking on the Moon.

From seeing the show I can deduce the real reason the Police broke up the first time around. Stewart Copeland. He was just so happy to be in the limelight again, he dominated his interview, then the group interview with extended unnecessary answers. Watch Sting and Andy’s body language whenever Copeland talks. They stare at the floor, maybe smile, patiently waiting for the guy to shut up. I’ve noticed this with plenty of group interviews when the least popular member of the group speaks. Most notably, an interview with the “MASH” cast. Each time the interviewer began interviewing someone, Gary Burghoff (Radar) would interrupt with some platitude for the cast member. And each time everyone stared at the floor and smiled. Coincidentally, when it was Burghoff’s time to be interviewed, no one else interrupted.

Copeland didn’t interrupt, just dominated by force or personality, or ego. Even Costello seemed irritated.

THAT BEING SAID, I found this show better and more entertaining than the Elton show. Next weeks show had an eclectic guest list and should be interesting for that reason alone.

“Dollhouse” is not new, but I’ve been watching it since the beginning. Why? Because there is nothing else to watch. Sadly, that is the only reason. The story is picking up, but no one in the Dollhouse organization is sympathetic. Even the “good’ handlers are nothing better than good “overseers.” If Joss Whedon’s name wasn’t attached to the "Dollhouse", it would have been retired to the toy shelf long ago.

Heh.

Mike