Remember when BH told you about Ted Leo and friends’ Halloween Misfits cover show? Under the name TV Casualty — including Leo, Atom Goren (Armalite, Atom and his Package), Brian Sokel (AM/FM, Franklin), Andy Nelson (Paint it Black) and Chris Wilson (the Philly-based drummer for Ted Leo’s Pharmacists) — the boys rocked out for the People’s Emergency Center. Pitchfork has the whole show up, but take some time out of your busy schedule to watch the first part here:
In this week’s Kaleidoscope, I wrote about the classic, cult-y ’60s TV show The Prisoner:
I can’t speak for the remake premièring on Nov. 15 (AMC, 8 p.m.), but there are few shows like the cult ’60s British TV show The Prisoner , now available on DVD. Created by and starring Patrick McGoohan, The Prisoner follows a defected secret agent who is taken to an ostensibly idyllic island called The Village, where his name is replaced by a number and he’s not allowed to leave. Exploring themes of identity and free will, The Prisoner is a milestone; television has rarely been so deep or engrossing.
As I said above, I couldn’t vouch for AMC’s remake, starring ultimate badass Ian McKellan and Jesus/Jim Caviezel. The six-day miniseries premiered yesterday with the first two episodes. It was awful. Like, laughably so. There are similarities in style and structure to the original McGoohan series but adds fast cuts and editing tricks that make it look like film school project. McKellan can’t be taking this thing seriously, camping it up as the mysterious and powerful 2 (unlike the series, McKellan’s 2 stays the same). But his arch line delivery also doubles as the show’s few highlights, especially in the face of ridiculous and unnecessary character development (yo, what’s up with 1112, McKellan’s son? If his sole purpose within the series is to pout his lips and have fabulous cheekbones, he’s doing a stellar job).
That being said, I will most likely watch tonight’s installment because I’m a glutton for punishment/find the entire thing hilarious. Any of you guys watch it? What did you think?
AMC is certainly no villain in this situation, if only because they are awesome enough to post the entirety of the original series online. Seriously, watch this. First episode below:
Sesame Street officially enters middle age tomorrow, marking 40 years on the air. If that milestone doesn’t give you the warm and fuzzies, I don’t know what will. Their birthday also marks the beginning of their new season, featuring First Lady Michelle Obama, Cameron Diaz and In The Heights creator/performer Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Like most children with access to a TV, I was all about the Street. Some 21 years after I initially saw it, I still often find myself singing this:
So I showed you mine, now show me yours. Any Sesame Street skits that stood out to you? I’m also a huge fan of the B52’s Kate Pierson (in Muppet form!) and REM singing “Furry Happy Monsters” (want more music? Hecklerspray has a fun list of his top 10 musical performances. It skews recent but is still great). And pretty much anything the Count was involved with (1 ah ha ha ha, 2 ah ha ha ha ha — gets me every time!). I could go on … Share your favorite Sesame-flavored moments in the comments.
From the BrĂĽno DVD extras: Sacha Baron Cohen vs. Pete Rose. The former Phil handles himself quite nicely considering he’s sitting on a man-chair. In his review, Sam Adams wasn’t too hot on BrĂĽno, saying, “the movie’s provocations connect only fitfully, and despite its comparatively strong narrative, it feels less of a piece than Borat, and more like an overlong episode of Cohen’s TV show.”
Don’t fret for Pete, either. Very few things could be as embarrassing as this.
Remember last week when we got crazy excited about Frank Reynolds (aka Danny DeVito) flashing around a copy of the City Paper, Carolyn Huckabay’s cover story on T. Desiree Hines to be exact, on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia? We promised we’d give you the goods when the episode went up on Hulu. Without further ado, lower the lights and check CP out:
Also, if you saw last night’s episode, it’s in your best interest to visit dicktowel.com. Like, now.
What do you all think? See some any other excellent pumpkins? My landlord’s kids had a pretty sweet Phillies pumpkin, which didn’t give off the right karma but was still a stellar job.
Frank Reynolds is a City Paper reader! In the beginning of last night’s ep, “The Gang Wrestles for the Troops,” the titular gang sits around the bar watching old Hulk Hogan videos while Frank, aka Danny DeVito, flashes Carolyn Huckabay’s cover story on trans musician and activist T. Desiree Hines:
She knew that Mississippi would be the death of her.
Which is why, on the morning of August 28, 2001, T. Desiree Hines was leaving. She packed a suitcase full of skirts and dresses, carefully applied her makeup and prepared to take a taxi to Jackson-Evers International Airport, where she’d catch a 6:45 p.m. flight to Washington state by way of Memphis. She’d spent the last 21 years living, uncomfortably, in a male body. She was ready to be a full-time woman.
Leaving the stranglehold of the South may have been the single most significant moment of Desiree’s life, but it was only the second most significant moment of that particular morning.
Hines is also, coincidentally enough, mentioned in this week’s Agenda lead and Art Phag because of her screening of classic horror flick Nosferatu. Unfortunately for those who missed our star turn, Hulu is on an eight-day delay with the episodes, but here’s a preview. Along with our solid cameo, it was totally fucked up; one of those eps where by the end, your mouth is agape in horror and you don’t burst out laughing until the end credits start to roll. I thoroughly enjoyed. We’ll stick up the new episode when Hulu does:
A fresh-faced college grad straight off the bus in L.A., Reid knew no one expect old flame Rob McElhenney (aka Mac). They rekindled their romance and started to create a show based around four L.A, TV actors looking for their big break. Miraculously, FX picked up their DIY pilot, which evolved from It’s Always Sunny on TV to It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and gave them the cash to turn it into a real TV show. And that’s when things went south for Reid:
Around that time, my relationship with Rob began to unravel, and I started to sense that I was on unsteady footing on the set, despite our “all for one” pact. I was surprised to learn that Rob, Glenn and Charlie had all been made executive producers, while I simply remained the lead actress. I went very quickly from being at the center of the project to standing on the periphery, and…truth? It felt like it had everything in the world to do with my gender. To me, FX felt like a cigar-smoking, whiskey-drinking old boys’ club. I was welcome when I was the girlfriend of the creator, and once I wasn’t…well…I was persona non grata – and my role in creating their new pet project was forgotten.
So Reid was booted out in favor of Kaitlin Olson, who married McElhenney last year. Reid says she’s gotten over it, but she’s still gotta feel burned over the entire thing. Here’s what annoys me: She says that she thinks she was squeezed out because of her gender, but she admits that it was her own meekness that prevented her from asking for a showrunner credit, which would have saved her job. More important is the role she would have played on It’s Always Sunny. Sweet Dee is an integral reason why the show works. Rather than relegate the lone female to straight man status (like most sitcoms), Sweet Dee/Olson is just a ridiculous as the rest of the boys. Olson is also fantastic at what she does, as evidenced by her freakout scene in “The Waitress is Getting Married,” or when she sings “Runaway Train” to the hitchhiker in “The Gang Hits the Road,” or this: