With 10 months to go, Marvel is wasting no time getting us all worked up for the upcoming film of The Avengers.  Considering the amount of time and money the company has put into prepping for this film, it shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Released over the course of the San Diego Comic-Con was a series of seven character posters that would finally form one large image that showed you some of the history of each character as well as hints of what we’ll see in the new film.  (Is that a Helicarrier I see behind Hawkeye and the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents?)

• Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow
• Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man
• Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk
• Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America
• Chris Hemsworth as Thor
• Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye
• Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk
• Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury
• Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson (S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent)
• Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill (S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent)

While I normally don’t care for films with too many characters in them, especially in the comic book genre, but the only new introductions out of all those characters I listed that are new to the series are Cobie Smulders of How I Met Your Mother as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Maria Hill and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye.  (Yes, Hawkeye appeared in Thor for a sum total of an eye blink, I don’t count it.)  If Marvel was going to try to introduce each character in this film I would go out of mind, but seeing as the characters have had their own films to prepare for this particular project, this concept works fine for me.

May 2012 can’t get here fast enough for me.

I know people are always looking for new ways to make revenue, but sometimes it reaches a level that just boggles the mind.  And when it goes to some of these extreme levels, you have to wonder how effective it could even be.  Do people really pay that much attention to advertising?

Case in point, some eagle-eyed viewer of a How I Met Your Mother rerun from 2007 spotted an ad for the new Kevin James movie Zookeeper that just came out this weekend.  No, it didn’t run during the commercial slots, it was in the actual episode itself, digitally inserted there so as to just be residing in the background.  The Consumerist posted comparison photos of the scene.

And now the original scene.

The original scene was taken from a DCD release of the show, and as you can see there was no book or magazine on the table behind the character.

Does this type of advertising even work?  Did anyone see this rerun and immediately go, “Leaping lizards!  I must now go see Zookeeper!”?  I highly doubt it.  Someone, somewhere, is selling advertisers a bill of goods, and I can’t believe anyone with even a modicum of sense would say, “Wow, I bet that would really work to get our product’s name out there.”  I’m not sure if I’m more annoyed with the ad rep or the schmuck that fell for it.

In general I don’t find TV ads have even the remotest impact on me anymore.  Even if I’m not zipping through them on my DVR, and I let them play naturally, I pay no attention to them.  I know they are full of questionable claims and results that they will only live up to under the most perfect of conditions.  And product placement in shows?  Absolutely no impact on me.  But digitally inserting magazine ads into a show in the background?  How does that even begin to have any influence on anyone?

Somewhere, someone is getting a gold “Thank You” watch for coming up with this idea while another exec is getting busted down to the mailroom for buying it.

The Muppets are back, and they want revenge!

Okay, maybe not revenge … but they are indeed returning to the silver screen, and that is most definitely not a bad thing.

The last theatrical Muppets movie was Muppet Treasure Island released in 1996, and that is just way too long for them to have been out of the theaters.  (CORRECTION: Muppets From Space was the last theatrical film released in 1999 … I honestly thought that one was straight to TV.) There have been a few television movies since then, but they never had quite the panache of the theatrical films.  From the looks of this trailer, it appears we’re back to a message about friendship and sticking together, but with all of the usual goofy humor that we expect from them.

Jason Segal, best known for his role in How I Met Your Mother, not only stars in the film, but also wrote it.  Bit of a surprise, but kudos to him.  Also along for the ride is Amy Adams who has starred in a ton of movies and will soon be playing Lois Lane in the upcoming Superman movie, Man of Steel.

My biggest question after seeing this trailer … how did they get all of the Muppeteers in that car scene?  Think about it, there’s a person under each of them operating them, that’s a whole lot of people under that car!

Check out the official site for all of the other parody trailers they released before this one.

I’ve been discussing this week why I’ve quit various shows such as How I Met Your Mother and The Celebrity Apprentice.  While I had specific reasons for quitting this two shows in particular, in general I am becoming very disenchanted with the current offerings on television, and I think there are some very specific trends that are contributing to it.

The Endless Renewals

In general, when you’re writing a story, you have a beginning, a middle and an end plotted out in your mind.  When you are dealing with a show such as the afore mentioned How I Met Your Mother, they do have an ending planned, but the problem is that they don’t know how long the middle will be.  CBS will continue to renew the series for as long as the show makes them money, but the issue is that this concept does not serve the story in any way.  By never knowing when they will end, the creators have to keep drawing things out to the point that it bores the audience and destroys any good will you may have once felt towards the series.

You look at a show like LOST, which I never really cared for, the producers at least went to ABC and worked out a firm end date so that they would know how long they needed to structure the story for.  What a concept.  Despite the fact the series still brought in ratings and income, the producers knew they needed an end date so they could better serve the story, and even more amazing is the fact the network agreed to it.

Now turn your attention towards other countries and they have no problem with the idea of making a series for a limited time no matter how popular it may be.  A good case study is the British version of The Office.  Even though the series was a huge success, series creator Ricky Gervais knew he only felt comfortable taking the story so far, and he ended it.  Yes, he came back to do two special episodes, but they served to wrap up story lines and did not feel overly factitious.  All told the story was played out over 14 episodes, contrast this with the American version that will hit 152 episodes by the end of this current seventh season.  Yes, seven seasons and over ten times as many episodes.  Does no one else see an issue with this idea?  I walked away from the British version of the show feeling satisfied, not like I had been beaten over the head with a story concept.  (Congrats to Mr. Gervais, however, as he is still collecting royalties on the series)

The Structure of Our Seasons

The average length of an American television season is 22 to 24 episodes in length, and it usually runs from Sept. to May of the following year.  While there are breaks built into the filming season, that is still an awful lot of content to create in a nine month period.  Yes, there is a team of people to work on any series, the pace of creation is an intense one, and you can quite often see a lull in the creativity around the middle of the season.  The beginning is a high note as everyone is fresh and energetic, and the ending is again on a high as everyone is ready for their break, and they know they have to end on an upbeat to get people to come back the following season.

Again, look to other parts of the world and you will find most seasons are around six to 13 episodes in length.  This allows the creators to work in shorter bursts, keep themselves from burning out and it makes for higher quality.  Even look to cable channels here in the United States such as HBO, Showtime and Starz.  Ever wondered why seasons of their shows tend to be 13 episodes long or shorter?  It just makes sense, and it works.  Yes, they do run for several seasons at times, but keeping the seasons short allows them to more time to draw their storylines, to take breaks between runs and just be able to keep things more fresh in general.

Come Back for Part 2

While I originally thought I would be able to hit on all my points in one post, it is just going to take far longer than I expected (translation: There is just way too much wrong with our television to cover it in one post).  Check back tomorrow for part two.

As of Monday, April 11th, I officially became an ex-fan of How I Met Your Mother. I simply couldn’t take any more of this show.

Normally someone quitting their viewing habits of a show goes without mention, but considering this is a show I at one time loved, I almost felt an obligation to air my reasons.  What had started as a show with a cute concept has slowly morphed over six seasons into something akin to punching yourself in the face; yeah, you know you shouldn’t, but you keep doing it anyway.

The show began with the idea that Ted (Josh Radnor, but voiced by Bob Saget in the future scenes) was telling his two children in 2030 about how he met their mother.  What has followed is six seasons of the most long winded (and inappropriate) story ever told to children.  We have followed every detail of this man’s life without ever actually meeting the mother, and with the news that the series has been renewed through season 8, my hopes for this story ever reaching a satisfactory conclusion quickly dwindled.

The problem is that the creators painted themselves into a corner early on.  Once we meet the mother, would the audience really care what happened?  We obviously know the marriage is at least somewhat successful and produces two children, so they had to hide the mother from us.  We have been treated to an endless string of girlfriends that we know aren’t the mother because we’ve known since season 1 that a yellow umbrella is involved with her introduction, and we also know that Saget’s voiceovers keep telling us enough info to know we are watching another pointless relationship.

Add in the fact that Radnor is simply not a good actor, and you get a main character you just don’t care about.

I got to the point where I kept watching the series for Neil Patrick Harris and Alyson Hannigan, but it got to a point where I couldn’t bring myself to keep coming back just for those two.  The writing had turned so formulaic that even those two couldn’t elevate it any more.  That is no slam on either of them, they aren’t miracle workers, and they do the best job they can.

During the April 11th episode, I did something that I’m not sure I’ve ever done with a series, and that was to not even complete the episode.  It was that bad.  I turned it off with about 10 minutes left and decided I was done.  Come the 18th, there was a new episode, and instead of telling my TiVo to record it, I just sailed on by.

I wrote a similar post back in Sept. when this season started, but I decided to stick it out, thinking that surely the mother would show up this year.  There has been some talk of “hints” by the end of the season, but I’m sorry, after six seasons, hints just aren’t going to cut it any more.    Either you give some sort of pay off, or the continually weakening writing, and the insufferable acting of Radnor will finally drive people away as it has with me.

Remember folks, I’m not alone in some of my feelings.

Be sure to come back tomorrow when I discuss when I’ve quit The Apprentice, and on Thursday when I discuss what I think has gone horribly wrong with American television in general.

How do you know a TV show has gone on too long? When your sixth season opens and we still haven’t met the character mentioned in the title.

I’ve given up on reviewing TV shows in general, but I have now just reached a point of anger with How I Met Your Mother. The concept was cute at the beginning that we would see Ted sitting down with his kids in 2030 and telling them how he and their mother met. As the show has progressed, the producers have informed us that Ted is telling this story to his kids in one sitting, but that story telling has now entered its sixth season.

Yes, that’s right, for six season Ted’s kids, and in turn the audience, have dealt with every little nuance of a seemingly endless story.  With each woman Ted meets and dates you get a moment of hopefulness that we have finally met her, but then we’re once again smashed.  We have clues to her identity (that frikkin’ yellow umbrella), but never any pay off.

I have mainly continued to watch due to my love of Neil Patrick Harris and Alyson Hannigan, but having seen the sixth season premiere, I just don’t know if I can take any more.  The main reason is that we have been pretty well led to believe the mother is the roommate of a woman Ted had one disastrous date with.  He ran into this girl at his usual bar, and she was talking with a blonde woman that Ted thought might be the roommate whom he has only seen the ankle of, and we spend the whole episode thinking that perhaps we are finally closer than ever before to meeting her.

Except, of course she wasn’t, and the eventual act of the two women kissing (apparently said girl realized she was a lesbian after dating Ted) was telegraphed so early in the episode that it was actually sad to watch it play out.

The writing of the series has become pathetic as they attempt to stretch out this never ending search for the mother, and this is mainly because I think they’ve come to realize that once we meet her, we just simply won’t care any more.  The title sets up the situation, and the mother is the MacGuffin.  Once she’s introduced there just won’t be anything driving the plot.  Sure they could show us the course of the relationship, but no one would care if they hit a rough patch because, well, you know, she’s the mother Ted is talking about in 2030.

It’s time to call it a day folks.  When people are making the videos like the one below, you know you’ve just gone too far.

The 61st Primetime Emmys were held tonight, and there were a few surprises, and a few disappointments.

• The Amazing Race won for Best Reality-Competition Program … again.  I think this was win number seven for them.  Yet Phil Kogen never wins for host, it makes no sense.
• Yay for Kristin Chenoweth winning for the role of Olive on Pushing Daisies!  Such a great show, sorry to see it go.
• Sorry Christian Clemenson didn’t win for Supporting Actor in a Drama for Boston Legal.  He was fabulous as Jerry.
• I’m sorry, but I just can’t take The Daily Show with Jon Stewart any more.  He delivers his jokes in the exact same manner every time, and it just isn’t that funny any more.
• American Idol won an award for directing … um … okay.  ”Show the contestants!  Now … show them from another angle!”
• Neil Patrick Harris was robbed of best Supporting Actor in a Comedy.  I’m sorry, but he was.
• I haven’t watched Breaking Bad or Mad Men yet … I’m thinking I should.

2009 Emmy Winner List

• Supporting Actor, Comedy Series: Jon Cryer, “Two and a Half Men,” CBS
• Supporting Actress, Comedy Series: Kristin Chenoweth, “Pushing Daisies,” ABC
• Actor, Comedy Series: Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock,” NBC
• Actress, Comedy Series: Toni Collette, “United States of Tara,” Showtime
• Supporting Actor, Drama Series: Michael Emerson, “Lost,” ABC
• Supporting Actress, Drama Series: Cherry Jones, “24,” Fox
• Actor, Drama Series: Bryan Cranston, “Braking Bad,” AMC
• Actress, Drama Series: Glenn Close, “Damages,” FX
• Miniseries: “Little Dorrit” PBS
• Made-for-TV Movie: “Grey Gardens,” HBO
• Supporting Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Ken Howard, “Grey Gardens,” HBO
• Supporting Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Shohreh Aghdashloo, “House of Saddam,” HBO
• Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Brendan Gleeson, “Into the Storm,” HBO
• Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Jessica Lange, “Grey Gardens,” HBO
• Directing for a Comedy Series: “The Office: Stress Relief,” Jeff Blitz, NBC
• Directing for a Drama Series: “ER: And in the End,” Rod Holcomb, NBC
• Directing for a Variety, Music, or Comedy Series: “American Idol: Show 833 (The Final Three),” Bruce Gowers, Fox
• Directing for a Miniseries, Movie, or Dramatic Special: “Little Dorrit: Part 1,” Dearbhla Walsh, PBS
• Variety, Music, or Comedy Series: “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart,” Comedy Central
• Reality-Competition Program: “The Amazing Race,” CBS
• Writing for a Comedy Series: “30 Rock: Reunion,” Matt Hubbard, NBC
• Writing for a Drama Series: “Mad Men: Meditations in an Emergency,” Kater Gordon and Matthew Weiner, AMC
• Writing for a Variety, Music, or Comedy Series: “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart,” Comedy Central
• Writing for a Miniseries, Movie, or Dramatic Special: “Little Dorrit,” Andrew Davies, PBS
• Host, Reality or Reality-Competition Program: Jeff Probst, “Survivor,” CBS
• Original Music and Lyrics: “81st Annual Academy Awards: Song Title: Hugh Jackman Opening Number,” ABC
• Outstanding Comedy Series: “30 Rock”, NBC
• Outstanding Drama Series: “Mad Men”, AMC

To see the complete list of the nominees, see the 2009 Emmy Nominations list.

The nominations for the 2009 Primetime Emmy Awards have been announced, and the big show for this year is 30 Rock with 22 nominations across all sorts of categories.

Some notes:

• Jim Parsons being nominated for the role of Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory isn’t a surprise, but being in the “Lead Actor” spot is as it is an ensemble cast.  Figured he would be in “Supporting Actor”.
• Could this be the year The Amazing Race doesn’t win Outstanding Reality Competition Program?  Doubtful.  It’s won every year since the category came into existence.  Other shows have actually asked them not to put themselves up for consideration which is just laughable.  You can only win if they don’t run?  Is that even a win at that point?
• Thrilled to see Christian Clemenson is up for the role of Jerry on Boston Legal.  Great part.
• Neil Patrick Harris should win Supporting Actor in Comedy for the role of Barney on How I Met Your Mother hands down.
• Glad Kristin Chenoweth got a nod for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy for the role of Olive on Pushing Daisies.  She was fabulous in that role.
• I think 30 Rock will win for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy…
• Likewise, I think Mad Men will win for Outstanding Writing in a Drama… (I really need to start watching that)

The Emmys will be on CBS on September 20th at 8E/7C, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris.

Lots of nominees below the fold.

Continue Reading ->

It’s a question that comes up time and time again, and yet it never seems to get an answer: Are actors overpaid?

It’s been in the news that the cast of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother has just received significant raises that bring their paychecks into the range of $90,000 – $120,000 per episode.  While this is twice what they had been earning, it still puts them far behind other shows such as The Office.  In addition to their raises, they also extended their contracts from seven years to eight years, guaranteeing this ensemble cast a pretty steady income.  At the low end, they are looking at $1.98 million for a 22-episode season.

This is actually a show I watch each week, and enjoy, thought I would never herald it as high-brow humor.  It relys heavily on catch phrases (It’ll be legend… wait for it… dary), sight gags and other cliches.  While I am happy for the cast on one hand, it also makes me thing, once again, about just how much actors are paid.  Did you know that Charlie Sheen receives $825,000 per episode of Two and a Half Men?  That is just over $18 million a season.

True, a show such as How I Met Your Mother brings in quite a bit of money via advertising, and with the show now moving to syndication reruns, it will bring in even more.  The cast should share in that wealth because they do put in long hours, but at the same time, is the crew getting such significant raises?  What about the writers?  While there is no news if these people also got raises, even if they did, I doubt it is in the same ballpark as what the actors on the show are receiving.

Television actors, while arguably over paid, are nothing compared to film actors.  Who remembers the days when big name actors were scoring $20 million paychecks per film?  If this is still going on, hopefully not, they are keeping it much quieter.  No actor, I don’t care who you are, is worth that much money, and in the smaller scope, I certainly don’t think someone like Charlie Sheen is worth his $18 million a season deal.

There is no denying that actors are the “face” of what ever production they are in, but this just seems like poorly timed news to see people getting paid so much more for a job such as this.  The same day this was announced, it also came out that unemployment in the United States had hit a 16-year high, reaching 7.2%, and estimates saying it could hit 10% by year’s end.

Again, I hate that this news is connected to a show I actually enjoy, and it won’t stop me from watching it, but in the back of my head the entire time I will be asking myself, “are they really worth this?”  So, what say you?  Are actors over paid for what they do?  Yes, it is part of sharing in the profits of a production, but at what point do you finally draw a line and say, “Seriously, why do you need to earn this much to act?”