Really, it shouldn't be too much of a surprise that Kevin McHale who plays Artie aka the wheelchair kid can walk. But did you know that he was in a boy band? Yes. Indeed. Don't beleive me? Check out these two videos of the R&B band NLT and see Artie shake it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VQKxMBJa2I&feature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUrR9WI0emM&feature=channel
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Lilia's Heroes Watch: Strange Attractors
Previously on Heroes: Claire kissed a girl and she liked it. Sylar can't remember his own memories, Noah tries to help a kid who can control the circle of life, and Claire and Gretchen Join a sorority that Samuel's niece is in.
This week, Sylar is being a smarty pants and trying to scoot Matt out of his own body. He start by sleeping with Matt's wife, only Janice thinks it is Matt. Sylar has finally figured out how to temporarily push Matt's mind out of his body which is bad for Matt but obviously not for Matt's wife (high-o). Matt starts freaking so tells his wife to get lost, literately, so Sylar can't find her. She leaves and Matt finally figures out what he has to do to get rid of Sylar- be an alcoholic. Because drinking three bottles of liquor doesn't make you look crazy at all... So Matt drinks away his problems and passes out but when he wakes up, he realizes that, surprise, surprise, Sylar is smarter than he is. Honestly, are you really that shocked? While Matt passed out, Sylar stole his body and he has no intention of returning it.
In Georgia, Noah is still trying to get Jeremy out of jail except that the police aren't buying that Jeremy's parents died of carbon monoxide. Noah is all out of his own lies so calls Tracey and asks her to pretend that she is Jeremy's aunt so she could sign him out. Before Tracey sees Jeremy, she is intercepted by Samuel who takes her to the carnival and tells he to bring Jeremy there so that he doesn't have to hide. Tracey seems convinced that the carnival is the place to be. This also enforces our theory that Samuel is trying to get all the heroes together. Tracey talks to Jeremy and explains to him how it is to be different and reluctantly says that Noah and her will help him adjust. But when Jeremy gets released, the town isn't happy and goes all creepy mob in front of the police station. Jeremy is not happy and he accidentally kills a protester and won't bring him back to life. Some police officers are sick of the law and the tie a chain around Jeremy's feet and drag him from the back of a car and leave him on the road dead. Samuel then uses his magic powers as a badass to demolish the police station while people are in it. Samuel has officially promoted himself to the keeper of the heroes and it seems that he will stop at nothing to hurt those that hurt the heroes.
In Claire world, she and Gretchen get carried away to a slaughter house for the most over done sorority initiation ever. While the scavenge the slaughter house for clues, Claire finds out that something, or someone, is trying to kill Gretchen. She ends up punching Rebbecca, knocking her visible before she runs off. But when everyone turns they see Claire, impaled. So, as anyone would do, Gretchen pulls Claire off the pole and tada,Claire magic happens- in front of two other girls.
Heroes hits us again with another knock out episode that shows that the powers aren't going to be a secret for much longer. Will they all need to hide away from Samuel? While Drako's weird government run bag and tag be reinstated? Is Samuel good or bad? Of course we will not get any of these answers next week... Next week looks fantastic as Hiro goes back to save Charlie, but will he be able to survive himself?
This week, Sylar is being a smarty pants and trying to scoot Matt out of his own body. He start by sleeping with Matt's wife, only Janice thinks it is Matt. Sylar has finally figured out how to temporarily push Matt's mind out of his body which is bad for Matt but obviously not for Matt's wife (high-o). Matt starts freaking so tells his wife to get lost, literately, so Sylar can't find her. She leaves and Matt finally figures out what he has to do to get rid of Sylar- be an alcoholic. Because drinking three bottles of liquor doesn't make you look crazy at all... So Matt drinks away his problems and passes out but when he wakes up, he realizes that, surprise, surprise, Sylar is smarter than he is. Honestly, are you really that shocked? While Matt passed out, Sylar stole his body and he has no intention of returning it.
In Georgia, Noah is still trying to get Jeremy out of jail except that the police aren't buying that Jeremy's parents died of carbon monoxide. Noah is all out of his own lies so calls Tracey and asks her to pretend that she is Jeremy's aunt so she could sign him out. Before Tracey sees Jeremy, she is intercepted by Samuel who takes her to the carnival and tells he to bring Jeremy there so that he doesn't have to hide. Tracey seems convinced that the carnival is the place to be. This also enforces our theory that Samuel is trying to get all the heroes together. Tracey talks to Jeremy and explains to him how it is to be different and reluctantly says that Noah and her will help him adjust. But when Jeremy gets released, the town isn't happy and goes all creepy mob in front of the police station. Jeremy is not happy and he accidentally kills a protester and won't bring him back to life. Some police officers are sick of the law and the tie a chain around Jeremy's feet and drag him from the back of a car and leave him on the road dead. Samuel then uses his magic powers as a badass to demolish the police station while people are in it. Samuel has officially promoted himself to the keeper of the heroes and it seems that he will stop at nothing to hurt those that hurt the heroes.
In Claire world, she and Gretchen get carried away to a slaughter house for the most over done sorority initiation ever. While the scavenge the slaughter house for clues, Claire finds out that something, or someone, is trying to kill Gretchen. She ends up punching Rebbecca, knocking her visible before she runs off. But when everyone turns they see Claire, impaled. So, as anyone would do, Gretchen pulls Claire off the pole and tada,Claire magic happens- in front of two other girls.
Heroes hits us again with another knock out episode that shows that the powers aren't going to be a secret for much longer. Will they all need to hide away from Samuel? While Drako's weird government run bag and tag be reinstated? Is Samuel good or bad? Of course we will not get any of these answers next week... Next week looks fantastic as Hiro goes back to save Charlie, but will he be able to survive himself?
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Sue's Corner: Oct. 27, 2009
Sue's Corner is your stop for Glee-related headlines, so here's what's on the minds of Glee fans Internet-wide.
- Entertainment Weekly reports that Kristen Chenoweth, who played former gleester April Rhodes a few weeks back, may be coming back to the cast - and it may be in an official capacity. Is this good or bad? Well, Glee hasn't hit many missteps so far, but the April Rhodes episode ("The Rhodes Not Taken") was one of the better episodes. But Chenoweth's available, since her Pushing Daisies - which landed her a fair deal of critical acclaim as well as an Emmy Award. We'll have to see if her return is temporary or permanent.
- Entertainment Weekly also tells us that one of Glee's fans is a real pretty woman. That's right - Julia Roberts is a Gleek, too.
- In other news, Digital Spy tells us that there's a Madonna-themed episode coming soon. They're keeping fairly tight-lipped on the circumstances, but keep your ears peeled for some Madonna tracks coming your way.
Will LOST be stranded in time - again???
The Internet was buzzing this morning with the rumor that LOST would be off-air during the 2010 Winter Olympics. Of course, LOST fans broke down in tears at the news, and we at The Top Pop Stop were crushed.
Hold on, reports TV Overmind. The rumors may be greatly exaggerated. The rumors, it seemed, were based on a passing comment that Carlton Cuse made, but now the report is being called into question. Perhaps it wasn't even valid.
Worst case scenario? Two LOST-less weeks while the Winter Olympics go for the gold. It's not a totally irrational move - putting anything up against any kind of Olympics is virtual ratings suicide. But we've been waiting since Sept. 22, 2004, to find out how this is all going to end. To do this to us is agony.
Bite the bullet, ABC. LOST fans won't be abandoning ship just for two weeks of international athletic competition. Then again, TV Overmind suggests that this temporary hiatus might be a chance for us to enjoy the last season of LOST while it lasts. Either way, we'll be on the edge of our seats.
Hold on, reports TV Overmind. The rumors may be greatly exaggerated. The rumors, it seemed, were based on a passing comment that Carlton Cuse made, but now the report is being called into question. Perhaps it wasn't even valid.
Worst case scenario? Two LOST-less weeks while the Winter Olympics go for the gold. It's not a totally irrational move - putting anything up against any kind of Olympics is virtual ratings suicide. But we've been waiting since Sept. 22, 2004, to find out how this is all going to end. To do this to us is agony.
Bite the bullet, ABC. LOST fans won't be abandoning ship just for two weeks of international athletic competition. Then again, TV Overmind suggests that this temporary hiatus might be a chance for us to enjoy the last season of LOST while it lasts. Either way, we'll be on the edge of our seats.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Why do we tease Nic Cage?
New listeners to the show - and, we suppose, readers of this blog - always ask us: "Top Pop Stoppers, why do you josh about Nic Cage?" Good question. Sometimes we lose sight of it, too, amid all the house selling and comic book buying Mr. Cage does. So here's a primer on why Nic Cage gets teased every week on The Top Pop Stop.
His Role Selection
Now, to be fair, every actor has bad days. And certainly Nic Cage has done some movies worth watching - Raising Arizona and Adaptation. are widely considered top films, National Treasure is at least a little fun, and he even won an Oscar for Leaving Las Vegas. But the Oscar curse hit Nic - hard. Ghost Rider? Next? The Wicker Man??? Certainly Nic has a lot to answer for when it comes to these egregious career missteps.
His Fiscal Woes
We don't like kicking a man when he's down, but Nic Cage owes the IRS more than $6.6 million from the past three years alone. C'mon - didn't you get paid for all those really bad movies? Isn't your Oscar capital enough? Don't tell us you spent it all on the next item on our list.
His Hair
There's an old theory that states: the size of Nic Cage's forehead is indirectly proportional to the quality of the movie. That is, the worse his hair, the worse the movie. Empirical proof: Adaptation. = full head of hair = pretty good flick. Ghost Rider = six year old boy haircut = garbage. We're not even ready to think about Bangkok Dangerous. For the best and worst of Nic Cage's hair, hop on over to Latino Review.
The Wicker Man
If you're not convinced yet, just watch this video. It'll explain to you all the things that are wrong with Nicolas Cage's career.
Nic Cage is currently tracking 53% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, and we at The Top Pop Stop believe in parity. That's why we're ready to make the following legally-binding assertion: If Nicolas Cage calls the show to talk to us, we'll stop making light of him. We'll even shamelessly promote his next movie, even if it's G-Force 2. So give us a call, Nic - we'd love to chat with you.
His Role Selection
Now, to be fair, every actor has bad days. And certainly Nic Cage has done some movies worth watching - Raising Arizona and Adaptation. are widely considered top films, National Treasure is at least a little fun, and he even won an Oscar for Leaving Las Vegas. But the Oscar curse hit Nic - hard. Ghost Rider? Next? The Wicker Man??? Certainly Nic has a lot to answer for when it comes to these egregious career missteps.
His Fiscal Woes
We don't like kicking a man when he's down, but Nic Cage owes the IRS more than $6.6 million from the past three years alone. C'mon - didn't you get paid for all those really bad movies? Isn't your Oscar capital enough? Don't tell us you spent it all on the next item on our list.
His Hair
There's an old theory that states: the size of Nic Cage's forehead is indirectly proportional to the quality of the movie. That is, the worse his hair, the worse the movie. Empirical proof: Adaptation. = full head of hair = pretty good flick. Ghost Rider = six year old boy haircut = garbage. We're not even ready to think about Bangkok Dangerous. For the best and worst of Nic Cage's hair, hop on over to Latino Review.
The Wicker Man
If you're not convinced yet, just watch this video. It'll explain to you all the things that are wrong with Nicolas Cage's career.
Nic Cage is currently tracking 53% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, and we at The Top Pop Stop believe in parity. That's why we're ready to make the following legally-binding assertion: If Nicolas Cage calls the show to talk to us, we'll stop making light of him. We'll even shamelessly promote his next movie, even if it's G-Force 2. So give us a call, Nic - we'd love to chat with you.
Mysteries of LOST: Where's Claire?
Previously on LOST: Claire, on the run from the freighter mercenaries, hid with Sawyer and his crew in the jungle but awoke to find her father Christian holding her son Aaron. When Sawyer and the crew woke up, Claire was gone but had left Aaron behind. Claire later resurfaced in Jacob's cabin with Christian when Locke learned he had to move the island to save it. Once the island moved, however, Claire hasn't been seen since - except in an off-island dream where she told Kate not to bring Aaron back.
One of these things is not like the other: Locke, Charlie, Hurley, Ben. Lilia guessed Ben first because he'd never had a hallucination, but the correct answer is Charlie, since he wasn't at the cabin when we last saw Claire.
Is Claire dead or not? We're voting no - if Christian's the smoke monster/Nemesis (as we deduced on a previous unpublished Mystery of LOST), Claire can't be an apparition since the smoke monster only appears as one person at a time.
But where is Claire - more importantly, When? It seems like Claire should have been in 2008 pre-Incident, since we saw Christian interacting with Sun and Frank at that time.
Here's something puzzling - Claire abandoned Aaron to go with Christian, who we know she didn't really get along with before Flight 815. We're wondering if this has something to do with Nemesis tricking Claire into coming with her, but there might be something else at play. Christian could have told Claire something earth-shattering to change her mind.
But we're unanimously agreed on two things: Claire is definitely alive, and she better be coming back.
One of these things is not like the other: Locke, Charlie, Hurley, Ben. Lilia guessed Ben first because he'd never had a hallucination, but the correct answer is Charlie, since he wasn't at the cabin when we last saw Claire.
Is Claire dead or not? We're voting no - if Christian's the smoke monster/Nemesis (as we deduced on a previous unpublished Mystery of LOST), Claire can't be an apparition since the smoke monster only appears as one person at a time.
But where is Claire - more importantly, When? It seems like Claire should have been in 2008 pre-Incident, since we saw Christian interacting with Sun and Frank at that time.
Here's something puzzling - Claire abandoned Aaron to go with Christian, who we know she didn't really get along with before Flight 815. We're wondering if this has something to do with Nemesis tricking Claire into coming with her, but there might be something else at play. Christian could have told Claire something earth-shattering to change her mind.
But we're unanimously agreed on two things: Claire is definitely alive, and she better be coming back.
How'd It Get Burned This Week? (Oct. 26, 2009)
How'd it get burned? How'd it get burned? How'd it get burned HOWD IT GET BURNED?!
The trailer for Nic Cage's new movie Season of the Witch dropped recently. Nic plays a 14th century crusader who's out to save a witch who gets blamed for the Black Plague. If this sounds like your cup of tea, make sure to circle March 19 on your 2010 calendar. IO9 has the trailer and a few choice stills.
Astro Boy finally found its way to theaters, but it didn't make a whole lot of dough. What drew Nic to the project? Was it action? Nope. Was it the family dynamic? No. Was it the explosions? No way - it was "the sadness" of the story. “The sadness of the story,” Cage said, “is exactly what drew me to ‘Astro Boy.’ I can't help but feel for him especially when his father rejects him.” You can read the full article over at the LA Times Blog.
And finally some good news for Nic amid all his recent legal woes - someone bought one of his houses! OneIndia Entertainment reports that the house sold for 28% of its original value, but at least it's something. No word yet on how many more bad movies Nic will have to make at this rate.
The trailer for Nic Cage's new movie Season of the Witch dropped recently. Nic plays a 14th century crusader who's out to save a witch who gets blamed for the Black Plague. If this sounds like your cup of tea, make sure to circle March 19 on your 2010 calendar. IO9 has the trailer and a few choice stills.
Astro Boy finally found its way to theaters, but it didn't make a whole lot of dough. What drew Nic to the project? Was it action? Nope. Was it the family dynamic? No. Was it the explosions? No way - it was "the sadness" of the story. “The sadness of the story,” Cage said, “is exactly what drew me to ‘Astro Boy.’ I can't help but feel for him especially when his father rejects him.” You can read the full article over at the LA Times Blog.
And finally some good news for Nic amid all his recent legal woes - someone bought one of his houses! OneIndia Entertainment reports that the house sold for 28% of its original value, but at least it's something. No word yet on how many more bad movies Nic will have to make at this rate.
Weekend Watch - Oct. 30, 2009
What's opening this weekend? More importantly, should you even bother?
This Is It - Kenny Ortega (of HSM fame) directs a documentary-style look at Michael Jackson's last concert. If you're as sick of the Wacko Jacko hype as we are, skip it.
Gentleman Broncos - Jemaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords plays a writer accused of plagiarizing his latest novel from a young writer. This could be funny if Jemaine sticks with his FotC-brand of humor.
The Boondock Saints II: All Saint's Day - The sequel to the cult classic about Irish gunslingers out to clear their name after they're framed for murdering a local priest. If you like the original, this is more of the same.
The House of the Devil - Ooh! What would Halloween weekend be without a barftastic horror film? Evil people hire a naive babysitter to a haunted house for a night of madness and moviegoers asking for their money back.
This Is It - Kenny Ortega (of HSM fame) directs a documentary-style look at Michael Jackson's last concert. If you're as sick of the Wacko Jacko hype as we are, skip it.
Gentleman Broncos - Jemaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords plays a writer accused of plagiarizing his latest novel from a young writer. This could be funny if Jemaine sticks with his FotC-brand of humor.
The Boondock Saints II: All Saint's Day - The sequel to the cult classic about Irish gunslingers out to clear their name after they're framed for murdering a local priest. If you like the original, this is more of the same.
The House of the Devil - Ooh! What would Halloween weekend be without a barftastic horror film? Evil people hire a naive babysitter to a haunted house for a night of madness and moviegoers asking for their money back.
Tops at the Box Office - Weekend of Oct. 23, 2009
1. Paranormal Activity
2. Saw VI (opening weekend)
3. Where the Wild Things Are
4. Law Abiding Citizen
5. Couples Retreat
6. Astro Boy (starring Nic Cage!)
7. The Stepfather
8. Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (opening weekend)
9. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
10. Zombieland
2. Saw VI (opening weekend)
3. Where the Wild Things Are
4. Law Abiding Citizen
5. Couples Retreat
6. Astro Boy (starring Nic Cage!)
7. The Stepfather
8. Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (opening weekend)
9. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
10. Zombieland
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Lilia's Grey's Gossip- I Saw What I Saw
Lets set the scene
There is tension so thick that the finest scalpel goes dull in the air. The Mercy Westers and Seattle Gracers are going West Side Story on each other due to the merger and everyone is so concerned about getting extreme surgery that no one is caring about the plain old regular sick people.
This episode continues Grey's long streak of awesomeness by placing us in a medical mystery. One by one the Chief interviews all of our favorite doctors and our unfavorite Mecry Westers on what happened to a patient that came in with simple burns and ended up dieing in the clinic from multi-system organ failure (I might not know what that is but typing sure makes me sound smart).
Minute by minute the mystery unfolds as we try to figure out who ultimately killed the patient. We also find out more about the Alex/Izzie debacle. After Alex leaves a voice mail and Izzie's phone threatening to call the police and file a missing person's report, Izzie calls him on an unknown number. But because the sick patient choose a very untimely moment to stark coding, he had to hang up on her without getting a number and is unable to get her on the phone again. Maybe, just maybe, my dream will come true and Izzie will finally be a goner.
Meredith is still bed ridden but is able to come home. At the end, the Chief ends up placing the blame on April, the smart and super nice Mercy Wester, because she forgot to check the patient's airway and didn't see that there was soot, which ultimately killed her. So April gets the boot but instead of the Mercy Westers hating all the of Gracies, they all start to realize that they have to start working together or the will all eventually lose their jobs. There wasn't any group hugs or acoustic guitars, but the merger seems to be a little bit more peaceful after this crazy episode that had me gasping for about 427 times. That a lot of gasping.
Its good to see that Grey's is picking up again but it seems that any time Izzie is dead, dieing, or gone, the rest of the cast shines.
There is tension so thick that the finest scalpel goes dull in the air. The Mercy Westers and Seattle Gracers are going West Side Story on each other due to the merger and everyone is so concerned about getting extreme surgery that no one is caring about the plain old regular sick people.
This episode continues Grey's long streak of awesomeness by placing us in a medical mystery. One by one the Chief interviews all of our favorite doctors and our unfavorite Mecry Westers on what happened to a patient that came in with simple burns and ended up dieing in the clinic from multi-system organ failure (I might not know what that is but typing sure makes me sound smart).
Minute by minute the mystery unfolds as we try to figure out who ultimately killed the patient. We also find out more about the Alex/Izzie debacle. After Alex leaves a voice mail and Izzie's phone threatening to call the police and file a missing person's report, Izzie calls him on an unknown number. But because the sick patient choose a very untimely moment to stark coding, he had to hang up on her without getting a number and is unable to get her on the phone again. Maybe, just maybe, my dream will come true and Izzie will finally be a goner.
Meredith is still bed ridden but is able to come home. At the end, the Chief ends up placing the blame on April, the smart and super nice Mercy Wester, because she forgot to check the patient's airway and didn't see that there was soot, which ultimately killed her. So April gets the boot but instead of the Mercy Westers hating all the of Gracies, they all start to realize that they have to start working together or the will all eventually lose their jobs. There wasn't any group hugs or acoustic guitars, but the merger seems to be a little bit more peaceful after this crazy episode that had me gasping for about 427 times. That a lot of gasping.
Its good to see that Grey's is picking up again but it seems that any time Izzie is dead, dieing, or gone, the rest of the cast shines.
Zach's Nip/Tuck Procedure - "Enigma"
With Christian and Liz divorcing, Matt robbing people while dressed like a mime, and Sean OD’ing on sleeping pills, “Nip/Tuck” continues its six-season crazy streak.
Fortunately Christian ad-libs a stomach pumping and saves Sean, but Teddy gets defensive because she prescribed the pills her fiancé OD’d on. But, in true “Nip/Tuck” fashion, Sean has recovered after the commercial break and is ready to work on the patient-of-the-week, a tattooed and decoratively-scarred angry young man named Enigma.
Liz continues to take revenge on Christian for divorcing her and breaking her heart, and she’s got her sights on Christian’s plush yacht with a court order to back her up. Enraged, Christian pushes Liz off the boat, brilliantly comedic but darkly foreshadowing how far off the deep end this whole thing is going to go.
Kimber’s electrolysis business is thriving, but the Asian women who share the salon are calling her “Orange Face” and berating her aggressive style. Christian comes by just to berate her but he also suggests that he’d like to get into the porn business in order to fix his fiscal woes. But Kimber isn’t biting. But a decision to join on a sex toy business venture leads to an almost-reunion between the two. Like everything with these two, the off-again might just be back on.
Sean’s insomnia persists, and it’s causing a bit of tension with Teddy, who wants to postpone their engagement until he can be more honest with her about his problems. This drives Sean, our favorite whiner, back to his sleeping pills and bemoans the end of his relationship with Teddy. Christian threatens him with rehab and a revoked license.
Sean meets insomniac lonelyheart and silverware kleptomaniac Vivian at a roadside diner and starts up a pity-party romance. Speaking of sideways glances, Kimber has an eye for new doctor Mike (Mario Lopez), but Christian’s persistent in trying to rekindle something. But Sean finds out that Vivian is an oxycontin addict and is also aroused by human suffering, which is just uncomfortable for everyone, even the viewer.
But Sean blackmails Vivian by threatening to expose her scams in exchange for half the oxycontin pills she rips the hospital off for. Everything, it seems, is going just fine: Enigma’s all patched up, and Sean’s going to fix Vivian’s self-inflicted wounds. And Sean fires Teddy because he’s done with her, and we get hints of that fury like which hell hath none, especially when she starts eyeing $5 million medical life insurance policies and tells Liz how in love with Sean she is.
Liz chastises Kimber for being a sucker for Christian’s wine-and-dine practices, while Kimber says that Liz’s wedding to Christian was a joke. But Liz says that Christian’s darkness always wins out, no matter what. Kimber is uncomfortable, but then again she always falls for Christian every time. But she’s changing her tune – she takes up with Mike and makes him a partner in her new business venture, breaking Christian’s heart.
Sean realizes that Vivian is mentally deranged, and he recognizes their lack of sleep is making them do crazy things, especially when she asks him to stab himself and go to a doctor for oxycontin. But Vivian takes matters into her own hands and stabs Sean herself, and while he’s at the doctor she takes up with the janitor. This is finally enough crazy for Sean, who leaves her at the hospital.
But the episode doesn’t end happily ever after. Turns out Enigma’s cosmetic makeover was only superficial; Christian sees on the news that Enigma killed his parents and then himself. The darkness didn’t go away. Liz has an epiphany and drops her lawsuit against Christian but says they can’t be “just friends.”
Enigma is, of course, a metaphor for what can happen when you let darkness overtake you. Sean, Christian, and Liz are all starting to notice that their actions are detrimental to themselves and each other, so hopefully they’ll start to turn themselves around. Teddy’s going to end up doing something crazy, certainly; the series needs a new villain, and after Sharon Gless’s psycho turn last season this has a lot to live up to.
Verdict? Watching the lives of Sean and Christian spiral out of control has been the focus of the entire show, but the sixth season doesn’t have as much of the entertainment factor as previous shows. With the rumors that this is the last season, it seems like things are going to end poorly for all concerned. The show’s as entertaining as always, but it’s starting to feel a bit depressing. Of course, we’re only two episodes in, so let’s see how this plays itself out.
Fortunately Christian ad-libs a stomach pumping and saves Sean, but Teddy gets defensive because she prescribed the pills her fiancé OD’d on. But, in true “Nip/Tuck” fashion, Sean has recovered after the commercial break and is ready to work on the patient-of-the-week, a tattooed and decoratively-scarred angry young man named Enigma.
Liz continues to take revenge on Christian for divorcing her and breaking her heart, and she’s got her sights on Christian’s plush yacht with a court order to back her up. Enraged, Christian pushes Liz off the boat, brilliantly comedic but darkly foreshadowing how far off the deep end this whole thing is going to go.
Kimber’s electrolysis business is thriving, but the Asian women who share the salon are calling her “Orange Face” and berating her aggressive style. Christian comes by just to berate her but he also suggests that he’d like to get into the porn business in order to fix his fiscal woes. But Kimber isn’t biting. But a decision to join on a sex toy business venture leads to an almost-reunion between the two. Like everything with these two, the off-again might just be back on.
Sean’s insomnia persists, and it’s causing a bit of tension with Teddy, who wants to postpone their engagement until he can be more honest with her about his problems. This drives Sean, our favorite whiner, back to his sleeping pills and bemoans the end of his relationship with Teddy. Christian threatens him with rehab and a revoked license.
Sean meets insomniac lonelyheart and silverware kleptomaniac Vivian at a roadside diner and starts up a pity-party romance. Speaking of sideways glances, Kimber has an eye for new doctor Mike (Mario Lopez), but Christian’s persistent in trying to rekindle something. But Sean finds out that Vivian is an oxycontin addict and is also aroused by human suffering, which is just uncomfortable for everyone, even the viewer.
But Sean blackmails Vivian by threatening to expose her scams in exchange for half the oxycontin pills she rips the hospital off for. Everything, it seems, is going just fine: Enigma’s all patched up, and Sean’s going to fix Vivian’s self-inflicted wounds. And Sean fires Teddy because he’s done with her, and we get hints of that fury like which hell hath none, especially when she starts eyeing $5 million medical life insurance policies and tells Liz how in love with Sean she is.
Liz chastises Kimber for being a sucker for Christian’s wine-and-dine practices, while Kimber says that Liz’s wedding to Christian was a joke. But Liz says that Christian’s darkness always wins out, no matter what. Kimber is uncomfortable, but then again she always falls for Christian every time. But she’s changing her tune – she takes up with Mike and makes him a partner in her new business venture, breaking Christian’s heart.
Sean realizes that Vivian is mentally deranged, and he recognizes their lack of sleep is making them do crazy things, especially when she asks him to stab himself and go to a doctor for oxycontin. But Vivian takes matters into her own hands and stabs Sean herself, and while he’s at the doctor she takes up with the janitor. This is finally enough crazy for Sean, who leaves her at the hospital.
But the episode doesn’t end happily ever after. Turns out Enigma’s cosmetic makeover was only superficial; Christian sees on the news that Enigma killed his parents and then himself. The darkness didn’t go away. Liz has an epiphany and drops her lawsuit against Christian but says they can’t be “just friends.”
Enigma is, of course, a metaphor for what can happen when you let darkness overtake you. Sean, Christian, and Liz are all starting to notice that their actions are detrimental to themselves and each other, so hopefully they’ll start to turn themselves around. Teddy’s going to end up doing something crazy, certainly; the series needs a new villain, and after Sharon Gless’s psycho turn last season this has a lot to live up to.
Verdict? Watching the lives of Sean and Christian spiral out of control has been the focus of the entire show, but the sixth season doesn’t have as much of the entertainment factor as previous shows. With the rumors that this is the last season, it seems like things are going to end poorly for all concerned. The show’s as entertaining as always, but it’s starting to feel a bit depressing. Of course, we’re only two episodes in, so let’s see how this plays itself out.
Zach's Heroes Watch: "Tabula Rasa"
Previously on Heroes: Peter has Emma’s lamest-power-ever, Noah is having a mid-life crisis, and Dirty Sylar (originally Sylar-Nathan) doesn’t know who he is.
Samuel takes over as narrator since Mohinder is MIA, and Hiro is a goner if the show gets cancelled this year. There’s a lot of our favorite talk about destiny and missions, which is all very empowering. But Emma’s spooked because someone sent her a cello that can break walls if she plays it really fast. Like I said, lamest-power-ever. Now we know why Emma’s going through superhero counseling with Hiro: because she wants to turn her power off.
Hiro shows off his power and helps Emma see that her power isn’t all that lame. And Emma helps Hiro do a magic trick to impress some little kids. It’s all about being yourself and using your abilities to help others. Suddenly Hiro remembers Charlie, the cute waitress he romanced way back in Season One. To save her, he’ll have to go all the way to “Glee” to find her. (Nah, just to the past.)
Just in time for Halloween, Spooky Sylar (or Dirty Sylar, if you like) joins Creepy Carnival. If anyone’s up for some hardcore redemption this year, it’s Sylar, now free of the brainwashing that made him think he was Nathan. Talk about identity crisis: Sylar doesn’t know who he is, but he’s starting to figure out that he’s special. Here’s our blank slate of the week, but let’s see how else this parses itself out this episode.
We start to get an idea that Samuel might be evil. He’s definitely okay with Killer Sylar and kind of wants to see that happen, so he sends some carnival tickets to the cop that was hunting Sylar last week. Meanwhile, Lydia is hitting on Sylar big time, and Speedy (Edgar) gets jealous. But thank goodness there’s a guy in the carnival whose superpower is restoring memories (convenient). Samuel, though, is almost a Magneto type of character, wanting to band the people with abilities against the people who hate the superheroes.
Wonderfully inventive cinematography when Memory Man takes Sylar into a house of mirrors to try to figure out who he really is. But he’s still being haunted by the ghost of his mother, and he can’t believe that what happened actually happened. He starts to get some vicious flashbacks of all the bad things he’s done. Time to start filling in the blank slate.
But this episode is all about confronting who we are and being comfortable with it. Emma’s okay with her power, but Sylar is really struggling with being who he is. To nudge him along the path toward self-acceptance, Samuel tells Sylar that his cop nemesis is at the carnival, so Sylar gets all evil again (didn’t you hear the ticking clocks?) and almost kills the cop, but Edgar (still jealous about Lydia) steps in and does it for him. “You’re safe now,” Samuel says as he welcomes Sylar into the family with a weird baptismal rite. Get it? He’s not Dirty Sylar anymore.
Claire goes home for fall break or something and steals some quarters from her dad. Peter breaks in with Hiro’s power, and poor Noah is never going to get a good insurance rate with all this crime in his house. But Noah is still willing to help, since he bagged-and-tagged a healer way back when. (Also convenient.)
But it turns out that Healer Kid Jeremy can kill people, too, and not just with his giant shotgun. He can control the flow of life and death, and he’s pretty peeved about it. Fortunately, he gets the opportunity to prove that he can still heal people when he accidentally shoots Peter. Yay, redemption! Peter nicks his ability and goes back to save Hiro while Noah’s going to “save” Healer Kid.
What Peter doesn’t know is that Hiro disappears after finally teaching Emma why her power is beautiful. Peter’s peeved, but Hiro is back at the diner where he first met Charlie, and it’s love at second sight all over again.
Verdict? For all the teasing I do about the show being transparent or predictable, this season has been really strong, and this was a tight episode with some very interesting character developments and a lot of interesting plot turns that I can’t say I entirely predicted. Well done, “Heroes” – keep it up.
Samuel takes over as narrator since Mohinder is MIA, and Hiro is a goner if the show gets cancelled this year. There’s a lot of our favorite talk about destiny and missions, which is all very empowering. But Emma’s spooked because someone sent her a cello that can break walls if she plays it really fast. Like I said, lamest-power-ever. Now we know why Emma’s going through superhero counseling with Hiro: because she wants to turn her power off.
Hiro shows off his power and helps Emma see that her power isn’t all that lame. And Emma helps Hiro do a magic trick to impress some little kids. It’s all about being yourself and using your abilities to help others. Suddenly Hiro remembers Charlie, the cute waitress he romanced way back in Season One. To save her, he’ll have to go all the way to “Glee” to find her. (Nah, just to the past.)
Just in time for Halloween, Spooky Sylar (or Dirty Sylar, if you like) joins Creepy Carnival. If anyone’s up for some hardcore redemption this year, it’s Sylar, now free of the brainwashing that made him think he was Nathan. Talk about identity crisis: Sylar doesn’t know who he is, but he’s starting to figure out that he’s special. Here’s our blank slate of the week, but let’s see how else this parses itself out this episode.
We start to get an idea that Samuel might be evil. He’s definitely okay with Killer Sylar and kind of wants to see that happen, so he sends some carnival tickets to the cop that was hunting Sylar last week. Meanwhile, Lydia is hitting on Sylar big time, and Speedy (Edgar) gets jealous. But thank goodness there’s a guy in the carnival whose superpower is restoring memories (convenient). Samuel, though, is almost a Magneto type of character, wanting to band the people with abilities against the people who hate the superheroes.
Wonderfully inventive cinematography when Memory Man takes Sylar into a house of mirrors to try to figure out who he really is. But he’s still being haunted by the ghost of his mother, and he can’t believe that what happened actually happened. He starts to get some vicious flashbacks of all the bad things he’s done. Time to start filling in the blank slate.
But this episode is all about confronting who we are and being comfortable with it. Emma’s okay with her power, but Sylar is really struggling with being who he is. To nudge him along the path toward self-acceptance, Samuel tells Sylar that his cop nemesis is at the carnival, so Sylar gets all evil again (didn’t you hear the ticking clocks?) and almost kills the cop, but Edgar (still jealous about Lydia) steps in and does it for him. “You’re safe now,” Samuel says as he welcomes Sylar into the family with a weird baptismal rite. Get it? He’s not Dirty Sylar anymore.
Claire goes home for fall break or something and steals some quarters from her dad. Peter breaks in with Hiro’s power, and poor Noah is never going to get a good insurance rate with all this crime in his house. But Noah is still willing to help, since he bagged-and-tagged a healer way back when. (Also convenient.)
But it turns out that Healer Kid Jeremy can kill people, too, and not just with his giant shotgun. He can control the flow of life and death, and he’s pretty peeved about it. Fortunately, he gets the opportunity to prove that he can still heal people when he accidentally shoots Peter. Yay, redemption! Peter nicks his ability and goes back to save Hiro while Noah’s going to “save” Healer Kid.
What Peter doesn’t know is that Hiro disappears after finally teaching Emma why her power is beautiful. Peter’s peeved, but Hiro is back at the diner where he first met Charlie, and it’s love at second sight all over again.
Verdict? For all the teasing I do about the show being transparent or predictable, this season has been really strong, and this was a tight episode with some very interesting character developments and a lot of interesting plot turns that I can’t say I entirely predicted. Well done, “Heroes” – keep it up.
Zach's Gleecap: Mash-Up
We really got mixed messages on the virtues and vices of grape slurpees this week. For one, a slurpee to the face is the easiest way to get dethroned as WMHS’s most popular kid; all the could-be targets are wearing ponchos and raincoats with a rash of slurpee-tossing attacking the high school. But it’s also the easiest way to Rachel’s heart; spurred by a nocturnal vision he’s convinced came from God and not his hormones, Puck realized that it’s his destiny to hook up with Rachel “because we’re two hot Jews.”
Enter “Sweet Caroline,” Puck’s musical tribute to Neil Diamond and to Rachel, who won’t keep making out with him unless he’s brave enough to do a solo. It’s the most emotionally confusing number the show’s seen to date. Puck woos Rachel, and Finn realizes he still has feelings for Rachel, but at the same time Quinn’s won over by Puck’s vocal charm. The baby drama and the new love square (now 33% cooler than a love triangle) gets more tangled.
But alas, it’s not to be. Puck wants to choose football over glee, which he thinks makes him a bad Jew. After giving Puck a de-slurpee’ing scalp massage, Rachel’s hairdressing heart is broken. It looks like all the football kids are about to abandon glee, but the two nondescript glee singers ditch football practice before Puck finally decides to reunite with glee club; his motives aren’t totally pure, though, since we know he’s on a mission from God to get into Rachel’s pants.
Finn sticks with football. Ouch. What’s more painful is that Kurt “takes one for the team” by forcing Finn to toss a slurpee in his face. In the words of Tenacious D, that’s teamwork.
But the ill-fated Puckel (a Brangelina-style mash-up of Puck/Rachel) couple breaks up, recognizing that they’re really in love with Quinn/Finn, respectively, even though they know the dream couple won’t ever break up. Will tries to convince Finn to rejoin glee, and Finn gives us our feel-good moment of the week when he tells Coach Ken that he thinks it’s cool to play glee and football. He convinces Ken to go along with it; Ken acquiesces because he’d rather be doing laundry than coaching practices.
Boffo, Sue! We learned that Sue’s in favor of Prop. 15 – which would allow people to marry dogs. It’s such a brave stance that the local newsman asks her out for a romantic night of bread and cheese. Sue’s on Cloud Nine, launching into an unforgettable exuberant dance rendition of Benny Goodman’s “Sing Sing Sing” with her (former?) nemesis Will. Sue Sylvester is in love after an innuendo-laden game of “Battleship” with her anchorman beau.
But it’s not to be. Steely Sue gets another dose of ice in her heart when she finds out that Newsman Ron is canoodling with his co-anchor. So much for Nice Guy Sue; as Elton John once crooned, the bitch is back. She takes it out on Will by threatening him with an adopted kitty-cat and a punch in the face; Quinn feels the wrath of Spurned Sue when the icy coach fires the pregnant Cheerio.
Meanwhile, the other love triangle – Will/Emma/Ken – got mashed-up, literally. Will’s charged with coming up with a mash-up of “The Thong Song” and My Fair Lady’s “I Could Have Danced All Night.” Will regales us with “The Thong Song” but ends up falling on top of Emma during dance lessons, and Ken’s peeved. He becomes the new Sue, pitting football against glee. The boys have to choose between football or a life of slurpee-tossings. Meanwhile, the dancing lessons continue, with Emma crooning “I Could Have Danced All Night,” busting a move in her wedding dress with Will. Awkward close brushes with making out continue to ensue.
Will can’t get the songs to mash-up (Emma: “That’s because they don’t [go together]”) and has to accept defeat. Slow emotional exit from Emma’s office. But at least football and glee can mash-up. Slushee facial or no, the glee club is back together, uniting around the common practice of initiating Will into the slurpee-tossed crowd. After the shocking wardrobe change of Quinn (normal clothes!), Purple Will takes the cake for best visual of the week.
Verdict? Another solid episode from one of the most fun and inventive shows on television. “Mash-Up” keeps mixing fun and drama without feeling preachy or ridiculous (at least, not unduly so). I can’t wait for sectionals.
Enter “Sweet Caroline,” Puck’s musical tribute to Neil Diamond and to Rachel, who won’t keep making out with him unless he’s brave enough to do a solo. It’s the most emotionally confusing number the show’s seen to date. Puck woos Rachel, and Finn realizes he still has feelings for Rachel, but at the same time Quinn’s won over by Puck’s vocal charm. The baby drama and the new love square (now 33% cooler than a love triangle) gets more tangled.
But alas, it’s not to be. Puck wants to choose football over glee, which he thinks makes him a bad Jew. After giving Puck a de-slurpee’ing scalp massage, Rachel’s hairdressing heart is broken. It looks like all the football kids are about to abandon glee, but the two nondescript glee singers ditch football practice before Puck finally decides to reunite with glee club; his motives aren’t totally pure, though, since we know he’s on a mission from God to get into Rachel’s pants.
Finn sticks with football. Ouch. What’s more painful is that Kurt “takes one for the team” by forcing Finn to toss a slurpee in his face. In the words of Tenacious D, that’s teamwork.
But the ill-fated Puckel (a Brangelina-style mash-up of Puck/Rachel) couple breaks up, recognizing that they’re really in love with Quinn/Finn, respectively, even though they know the dream couple won’t ever break up. Will tries to convince Finn to rejoin glee, and Finn gives us our feel-good moment of the week when he tells Coach Ken that he thinks it’s cool to play glee and football. He convinces Ken to go along with it; Ken acquiesces because he’d rather be doing laundry than coaching practices.
Boffo, Sue! We learned that Sue’s in favor of Prop. 15 – which would allow people to marry dogs. It’s such a brave stance that the local newsman asks her out for a romantic night of bread and cheese. Sue’s on Cloud Nine, launching into an unforgettable exuberant dance rendition of Benny Goodman’s “Sing Sing Sing” with her (former?) nemesis Will. Sue Sylvester is in love after an innuendo-laden game of “Battleship” with her anchorman beau.
But it’s not to be. Steely Sue gets another dose of ice in her heart when she finds out that Newsman Ron is canoodling with his co-anchor. So much for Nice Guy Sue; as Elton John once crooned, the bitch is back. She takes it out on Will by threatening him with an adopted kitty-cat and a punch in the face; Quinn feels the wrath of Spurned Sue when the icy coach fires the pregnant Cheerio.
Meanwhile, the other love triangle – Will/Emma/Ken – got mashed-up, literally. Will’s charged with coming up with a mash-up of “The Thong Song” and My Fair Lady’s “I Could Have Danced All Night.” Will regales us with “The Thong Song” but ends up falling on top of Emma during dance lessons, and Ken’s peeved. He becomes the new Sue, pitting football against glee. The boys have to choose between football or a life of slurpee-tossings. Meanwhile, the dancing lessons continue, with Emma crooning “I Could Have Danced All Night,” busting a move in her wedding dress with Will. Awkward close brushes with making out continue to ensue.
Will can’t get the songs to mash-up (Emma: “That’s because they don’t [go together]”) and has to accept defeat. Slow emotional exit from Emma’s office. But at least football and glee can mash-up. Slushee facial or no, the glee club is back together, uniting around the common practice of initiating Will into the slurpee-tossed crowd. After the shocking wardrobe change of Quinn (normal clothes!), Purple Will takes the cake for best visual of the week.
Verdict? Another solid episode from one of the most fun and inventive shows on television. “Mash-Up” keeps mixing fun and drama without feeling preachy or ridiculous (at least, not unduly so). I can’t wait for sectionals.
Hello from the other half!
What more can be said that Lilia hasn't already said in her introduction? We're The Top Pop Stop - now digital!
This website is so cool, it forced me to get a Gmail account - so you know it's good. We have so much fun Mondays from 3-5 p.m. on The Source 95.1 that we want to share this with you week-long. We have a few loyal followers over on Facebook, but we wanted to open up our awesomeness to the rest of the world. So here goes - let's have some fun!
As a sidenote, some of my reviews will come up on the weekend instead of immediately after the show. Trust me; it's worth the wait.
This website is so cool, it forced me to get a Gmail account - so you know it's good. We have so much fun Mondays from 3-5 p.m. on The Source 95.1 that we want to share this with you week-long. We have a few loyal followers over on Facebook, but we wanted to open up our awesomeness to the rest of the world. So here goes - let's have some fun!
As a sidenote, some of my reviews will come up on the weekend instead of immediately after the show. Trust me; it's worth the wait.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Hello!
Welcome to the Top Pop Stop Blog! Your top stop for everything pop culture! Here are some of the things that will eventually appear on the blog:
Glee-caps
Heroes Updates
Grey's Anatomy Updates
Mysteries of Lost
Nic Cage Hating
Movie Reviews and News
And if you are in the Northwest Indiana area, tune into the Top Pop Stop every Monday from 3-5pm on the Source 95.1 FM
Glee-caps
Heroes Updates
Grey's Anatomy Updates
Mysteries of Lost
Nic Cage Hating
Movie Reviews and News
And if you are in the Northwest Indiana area, tune into the Top Pop Stop every Monday from 3-5pm on the Source 95.1 FM
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