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It's easy to criticize "Wife Swap" for its extreme set-ups. For two weeks, two polar opposite families swap wives in the reality TV version of "the grass is always greener." The first week, the women have to follow their new family's rules. The second week, they can introduce their own. Frustration and resentment set in as the family who, in one episode, hunts for their nightly meal has to suddenly listen to a pageant mom from the suburbs who demands that they eat their dinner at a table and clean up the 20 pounds of laundry that has taken over their living room.
Meanwhile, the pageant mom's house is taken over by a self-named "modern redneck" who makes her new "husband" wear camouflage and throws her temporary kids' schedules out the window. It's chaos versus order, disciplines versus no rules, city versus country, conservative versus liberal. The families are paired for maximum dramatic impact as they struggle to understand a way of life that is entirely opposite to their world view. It's an artificial social experiment but it wouldn't work any other way. How interesting would it be to watch two families whose only real difference is what time they put their kids to bed at night?
The point of "Wife Swap" is to use extremes to cause tension and arguments and the participants know the drill. This makes their outrage at having to follow new household rules disingenuous but also amusing. As a viewer, you know that the modern redneck's husband is going to be unhappy folding the 20 pounds of laundry, what he considers to be "woman's work," but it's still entertaining to see just how unhappy. Making him get a pedicure is practically scripted but watching him literally jump out of the chair every few minutes is pretty funny. It's these real moments within the performance that make the show watchable.
The series, which has been on air since 2004, also relies on a good dose of self-righteousness from its participants. While they usually claim that their reason for taking part is to learn from other people's parenting skills or household routines, they believe that their way is the correct way. The opening profiles of the two families plant this idea and it's revisited when the families meet to talk about things after the two weeks end. But after the nasty comments about each family's lifestyle fly back and forth across the table, tears flow, faults are admitted and lessons are learned. Yes, the modern redneck admits, she does need to take more pride in the cleanliness of her home. And yes, pageant mom declares, she does need to relax her kids' daily schedules. They hug it out and go back to their lives, filled with appreciation for what they have and determination to change a few things. Then a two week update flashes across the screen. Modern redneck's mountain of laundry hasn't returned…yet and pageant mom's kids are still putting in a 40 hour week of activities. I would say "so much for the reality of reality TV" but I know you know better.
"Wife Swap" is on Thursdays at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC.
"Fashion Star," NBC's reality show featuring competing clothing designers, is "Project Runway" with less creativity and more commerce. This show is all about the business of fashion. While "Runway" has its fair share of product placement, its weekly design challenges demand a certain level of inspiration from the competitors. This season they had to construct a garment after visiting the Guggenheim, design clothing using only plant and flower material and create prom dresses with different color packing tape. The results were usually beautiful examples of clothing as art. "Project Runway" isn't always about fashion as fantasy, (there are more practical challenges), but its overall aesthetic is based upon creative expression. "Fashion Star," on the other hand, is about creating a brand based on how buyers define the demands of the market.
On the show, designers are put into teams lead by mentors Jessica Simpson, John Varvatos and Nicole Richie. They are given design challenges with broad themes like "a night out" or "menswear" that are also influenced by what the buyers want (one wants to see a jumpsuit this week and one is looking for a great pair of shorts etc.). The designers present their finished work in a runway show to the audience, their mentors and most importantly, buyers from Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy's and Express. The buyers' decisions to make an offer or not appear on a large screen underneath where they are seated. They can compete with another buyer's offer if they choose. Those designers who do not receive a bid are put up for elimination by the mentors and the buyers choose who to vote off. The overall winner receives a $3,000,000 order for collections in all three stores.
"Fashion Star" engages its audience with the practicalities of designing clothes as a business rather than a calling. The only question that matters is: Will the customers of Macy's, Saks and Express want to wear this?The designers might try to stay true to their creative vision but really, they are designing clothes on demand. The mentors' critiques offer little insight beyond questioning a color choice, zipper placement or silhouette while the big reveal is less about what they send down the runway and more about what number will magically appear on the screen as they anxiously await the buyers' offers. It's $150,000 from Macy's! Now it's $200,000 from Express! What that number actually means to the designer's personal finances isn't clear but for the audience it means that the winning garment will be available for purchase immediately after the broadcast.
The hook of "Fashion Star" isn't fashion or creativity. It's instant gratification. You can buy what the model is wearing. Right. Now. It's a celebration of commercialism. I want to say this is a reason not to watch the show but fashion is a business and every designer wants to create a line that will sell. "Fashion Star" doesn't pretend to be anything but a weekly enticement for you to spend money. According to its website, it won the award for "Best Social Commerce or Marketing Program" at the 2012 Social TV Awards. It's proud to be a "marketing program" but aren't all reality shows marketing something?
"Fashion Star" is on Fridays at 8 p.m. EDT on NBC.
"Duck Dynasty," the A&E show about the Robertson family, founders of the successful Duck Commander business, made headlines recently when the singer Morrissey refused to appear on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" as his musical guest, in protest at the fact that Kimmel's other guests that night were the Robertson's. Morrissey, who is a vegan, called the Robertson's "animal serial killers" because they like to hunt ducks–lots and lots of ducks. Morrissey isn't a fan but after a few episodes, I might just be one.
While brothers Willie and Jase, father Phil and uncle Si are dedicated duck hunters, they are also part of a multimillion dollar family business. The show is filmed in their modest office, among other locations, where CEO Willie tries and fails to keep his relatives on task. The emphasis though, is on the family's personal dynamics rather than the day to day realities of running their duck hunting empire. One of its main themes is just how little work this family seems to do.
But that's all part of the fun and this show has funny moments thanks to the one-liners that Willie and Jase rattle off to the camera and to one another. When Willie's high school reunion is coming up, Jase looks at a picture of a young clean-shaven Willie (all the Robertson men wear full beards in the Ziggy Top style) and says "You look like the sasquatch who ate this guy." He then teases him about having gained weight and Willie's wife says that she likes a man with "meat on his bones." Later, Willie looks at the camera and says, quoting his wife: "I like a man with a little meat on his bones? That's polite for you're fat." Jase for his part, has no time for high school reunions commenting: "If I haven't contacted you in 20 years, there's a reason for that."
Willie's attempt to lose weight is naturally, played for laughs. He tells us that "thankfully I still have a permit for these two guns" while flexing his biceps. He then mocks his wife's invitation to join her for yoga with the line: "Yoga? That's what men call stretching" but goes to a class wearing camouflage tights and then declares that he's going to create his own pose called "dying fat man" as he struggles to finish the session. It's a little like watching an improvisational situation comedy.
Jase takes his turn with t-shirt worthy slogans in an episode where the men go duck hunting. It's the first day of the season and Willie opts for the comforts of an RV over camping in 80 degree heat. Jase is appalled and announces that he wants his brother's "man card" back and he "needs to shave his face."
Willie and Jace's father Phil and Phil's brother Si are sort of a comedy team in their own right with Phil playing the straight man while the women of "Duck Dynasty" are put in the wise caretaker role, smarter than their men but also the nurturing matriarchs who keep order.
Everyone on the show is in on the joke as they consciously play with the redneck stereotype but their unscripted remarks make it more enjoyable than most in the "here's an interesting family" reality TV category. Each episode ends with Willie in voice over offering not so deep but sentimental thoughts like "It doesn't matter how traditions evolve as long as they bring the family together." It also doesn't matter that in three seasons of the show the Roberston's are seasoned performers. They have managed to do what many other reality TV families fail to—maintain enough sincerity to feel a little like the real thing.
"Duck Dynasty" is on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. EDT on A&E.
How many serial killers can one TV viewer take? Quite a few it turns out. There's Dexter Morgan on "Dexter," Joe Carroll and his minions on "The Following" and now Hannibal Lecter. The famous cannibal killer from "Silence of the Lambs" makes his small screen debut on "Hannibal," NBC's addition to TV drama's latest trend.
Stepping into the role of Dr. Lecter, a literary character so brilliantly brought to life by Anthony Hopkins on film, can't be easy but Mads Mikkelsen ("Casino Royale") does the part justice. Playing Lecter with a detached sophistication and a joyful flair for whipping up gourmet meals with proteins of questionable origins, Mikkelsen captures the character's very unique form of crazy. What makes Lecter so horrifying is that he is such a high functioning psychopath. He is no cartoon, paint by the numbers killer. With an intriguing combination of aloofness and sensitivity, he makes you question how you understand evil. In "Hannibal," we meet a Dr. Lecter who is comfortably in control of his dark nature and Will Graham, an FBI criminal profiler (Hugh Dancy) whose abilities threaten them both.
Will can empathize with anyone, making it possible for him to go deeply into the minds of the serial killers the FBI wants him to find. We learn about Will's unique talents from his boss Dr. Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne) but "Hannibal" takes it a step further by giving us a great visual language to understand Will's gift. When Will encounters a crime, we watch a time jump, as the scene slowly rewinds itself in Will's mind. He goes back to the beginning before the murder takes place. Suddenly, he is so deeply into the killer's thought process that he becomes the killer, imagining himself in his or her place committing the crime. This ability takes an emotional toll on Will and when he starts investigating a serial killer whose crimes emotionally haunt him, he seeks Lecter's help.
Part of the appeal of this story structure is that the audience is in on a secret that Will is meant to discover. Lecter, of course, is also a killer whose complexity threatens to destroy Will. It's a cat and mouse game as he forms a relationship with Will while subtlety manipulating his fragile mental state. The question is, how long can he keep up the game?
"Hannibal" is not a series for the squeamish. The murder scenes can be gruesome but it's less violent than you might expect. What's more disturbing is the show's psychological themes. Tracking down a lead with Will, Lecter doesn't intervene when a woman's throat is slashed in front of them. But then he goes with her to the hospital and falls asleep next to her bedside holding her hand. Is it compassion? Or a way to manipulate Will? Not knowing the answer is what makes this fascinating series worth watching.
"Hannibal" is on Thursdays at 10 p.m. EDT on NBC.
Has the nightly cover on the network news been good or bad? Answering this question is a matter of perspective. The goal of the news is to inform. Therefore, if the news informs you to a reliable degree, you likely will be pleased with the coverage. If a particular network news program is not delivering on your expectations, then you likely will switch the channel and watch one of the other broadcasts.
Also, whether or not the editorial slant of the news agrees with your opinions or sensibilities will also figure into liking or disliking a news broadcast. Those that might disagree with editorial opinions may have a less than favorable opinion of a news program than others.
While it is true answering whether or not the network news is good or bad is often based on opinion, there are other factors that must be examined, That factor would be the shrinking audience for the network news. In recent years, the audience for the news has shrunk. Many millions of people are turning their attention towards cable news and the internet for their information. Often, this is because of disfavor with the nightly new. The other valid reason is audiences find these alternative sources of information more modern in their presentation.
Norman Bates was a pretty scary character in 1960. For many viewers of "Psycho," Alfred Hitchcock's famous tale of the creepy motel owner with mother issues, taking a shower would never be the same again. The shower scene, with a shrieking Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), a knife, the shadowy figure of an old woman and a soundtrack most of us immediately recognize, was an exercise in psychological terror. It was "Mother" who killed Marion. Or was it?
Norman's relationship with his mother is the heart of "Psycho" and something that A&E's new series "Bates Motel" wants to explore in present day. In this prequel, Norman (Freddie Highmore) is a teenager whose father has just died from a strange accident. His mother Norma (Vera Farmiga) decides that they need a fresh start so she moves them to a new town where she buys a house and motel in foreclosure. Things quickly go wrong. There's a murder with a knife but in 2013 the Bates family is allowed to be a lot more violent on screen than they were in 1960. Like the shower scene that saw the end of poor Marion, the modern day murder that sets the show's tone is all about rage but without the psychological terror that the original perfected.
Norma and Norman are unstable but so are the killers on any episode of "The Following." What that series gets right that's mostly missing from "Bates Motel" is the dark heart of its psychos. Farmiga does a great job of playing a passive aggressive controlling mother but her dark side just isn't dark enough. The murder that kicks things off, while violent, is the end result of a violent act that is done to her. She is unhinged but she's also a victim. Highmore's young Norman is the quiet, studious type. He's a little too connected to Norma but the creepiest thing about him is that he calls her "mother."
Basically, Norma is a terrible parent whose overbearing actions will lead to Norman's mental deterioration. Where's the mystery that's meant to keep viewers coming back week after week? So far, it's in a few sub plots. Who's the girl in chains? Is Norman's brother good or bad? What secrets are the townspeople hiding? Will Norman's first victim be his high school love interest? The show's success or failure seems to rest on these answers rather than its central relationship.
Exploring how Norman comes to be a "psycho" is an interesting concept but it's tricky to write a series betting on the idea that viewers want to know a famous character's back story. For those who know the plot of the film, the show acts as a kind of reward. It promises to reveal the answer to the question: How does Norman lose his mind? It's "Norman Bates: The Teen Years." For those viewers who don't care about the movie, the series has to be more than a character history. "Bates Motel" recognizes this and like any attempt at a re-mix it's trying to create something new while staying true to its source material—in this case a creepy guy called Norman. The trick is not to lose what made the original so great in the first place.
"Bates Motel" is on Mondays at 10 p.m. EDT on A&E.
Tui Mitcham is 12 years-old and five months pregnant. The first time we see her she slowly walks into a cold, vast lake until the water reaches chest high. The last time we see her, she disappears from a group of women who are camped on her father's land. She leaves behind her horse and a mystery that draws detective Robin Griffin (Elisabeth Moss) back into the New Zealand town and life she left behind. "Top of the Lake" is a detective story but it's also a story about accepting how your past shapes your future.
Robin returns home to Queenstown, New Zealand to visit her sick mother. A detective now working in Sydney, Australia, she consults on Tui's case after a school official discovers that the twelve year-old is pregnant. When Tui disappears, Robin asks Detective Senior Sergeant Al Parker (David Wenham) to lead the search. Her investigation leads her into a dark mystery but also forces her to deal with secrets of her own.
Written and directed by Jane Campion ("The Piano"), "Top of the Lake" emphasizes a sense of place. The lake Tui wades into and the land owned by her father Matt (Peter Mullan) play important roles. Matt commits the series' first violent act over the selling of what he claims is his family's land. Named "Paradise," it is sold to a woman who uses it as a site for a new age camp led by an androgynous spiritual leader called GJ (Holly Hunter). Enraged by the invasion of these outsiders, Matt brutally punishes the property agent involved in the sale, showing no remorse for the outcome of his actions. He sees Paradise as ancestral land, a sacred representation of his past. For GJ's group, Paradise is a place to heal from life's harsh realities, a sacred space for their future. The idea that Tui disappears from Paradise is a thoughtful, if not subtle, reference to the loss of innocence.
The puzzle of Tui's disappearance reveals itself slowly and deliberately. Is her rage fueled father involved? Did her step-brother, Johnno (Thomas M. Wright), recently returned from eight years in a Thai prison, have anything to do with it? How is Johnno tied to Robin? What role does the enigmatic GJ have to play?
Robin has the skills to solve the intriguing mystery but returning to her hometown causes complex emotions to rise to the surface. She is both an insider who understands the community and an outsider who escaped it. Navigating hostility in a familiar place, Robin is tough but she's also vulnerable to the secrets of her past. Tui may have suddenly vanished but the person Robin was disappeared a long time ago. The search for Tui is also Robin's search for herself.
"Top of the Lake" explores the idea of ugliness and beauty in both man and nature. What are the consequences when innocence is taken, when land becomes a battle ground, when the past is left too deeply buried? It's well worth watching to discover the answers.
"Top of the Lake" is on Mondays at 10 p.m. EDT on Sundance Channel.
When the reality series "Cops" debuted in 1989, television viewers got a behind the scenes look at the work of law enforcement officers across the United States. The simple format of police officers being followed by a camera crew turned out to be a recipe for high stakes drama, as audiences witnessed raids, high speed chases, stakeouts and domestic violence. In its raw depiction of crime and punishment, "Cops" set a high bar for the genre. While "Boston's Finest," TNT's entry into unscripted law-enforcement shows, lacks the adrenalin rush of its predecessor and offers little that's new to the genre, its emotional story lines make for some interesting moments.
Following the men and women of the Boston Police Department and narrated by actor and Boston native, Donnie Wahlberg, the series claims to be different because it includes the entire BPD. So episodes feature detectives, SWAT, patrol officers and members of the fugitive and gang units. This broad approach is not necessarily a bad idea but the creators underestimate the reach of fictional police dramas on both television and film. We've all seen enough action movies and police procedurals involving SWAT, detectives, gang units and cops that the stories on this reality series don't feel new. The fact that "Boston's Finest" is showing us real law enforcement (despite its inherent danger and drama) doesn't change this. They say reality is stranger than fiction but in this case it's not. Even if it was, this series would still feel stale because "Cops" and every show in the genre that has come after it, has already pulled back the curtain on those who serve and protect.
Where "Boston's Finest" gains some traction is when it explores the personal lives of the law enforcement officials who put themselves in harm's way for our safety. Watching a routine traffic stop, even one that turns hostile, is less interesting than watching the female officer who is the target of that hostility, track down her drug addict twin sister who she hasn't seen in two years. The idea that twins could take such different paths in life is compelling. So is the family life of a member of the fugitive unit who works the opposite shift to his wife who is also on the force. The idea that one of them may not make it home to see each other or their two young sons is far more tense than waiting to see if the plan to catch a fugitive will work.
"Boston's Finest" has evolved from the legacy left by "Cops" and other unscripted law enforcement shows but it needs to spend more time engaging with the personal stories of its subjects. These men and women are no less brave in their private lives than they are in their public ones.
"Boston's Finest" is on Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. EDT on TNT.
Is there anything celebrities can't do? Acting, singing, ballroom dancing, ice skating and now diving. "Splash," ABC's new reality show featuring yet more remarkable talents of famous people, puts ten celebrities in a diving competition coached by Olympic champion Greg Louganis. They are judged by 2012 Olympic gold medalist David Boudia, Australian Steve Foley, a three time Olympian and a director for USA Diving and the studio audience. The two divers with the lowest scores have to compete in a dive-off with the judges deciding who to save. You probably think that you don't need to see 400 pound comedian Louie Anderson in a camouflage wetsuit swan dive from a 7 meter platform or basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar try to bend his 7-foot-2 body in half before horizontally slamming into the water but I'm here to say: You do!
"Splash" has all the qualities of my favorite kind of sports story where the determined underdog defies the odds to accomplish a remarkable feat of athletic skill. It's like "Rudy" or that movie with Mark Wahlberg where he's an ordinary guy who tries out for the Philadelphia Eagles and actually makes the team. Ok, it's not exactly like that. It's more like watching an episode of "Wipe Out" with super sincere people who are on the celebrity B-Team. But, there's something about the act of trying to somersault into the water from 23 feet that I appreciate even when the landing is straight out of a slapstick comedy.
The show is all about showcasing the celebrity divers' "heart" and determination and bravery and I think it is brave to appear in a sequined cut-out bathing suit as Keshia Knight Pulliam did in episode one. It also took courage for Katherine Webb, a former Miss Alabama, to unexpectedly go up a platform height. When I wasn't distracted by how perfect her hair was, I was crossing my fingers that she would glide into the water without a ripple.
Extreme skier Rory Bushfield appears to have the contest locked-up, he did his first dive from the 10 meter platform with impressive twists and turns, but the judges aren't just about the skill. They know this is a competition about the "journey" and no one is on a bigger journey than Louie Anderson.
The contestants spent six weeks in diving boot camp so there is plenty of footage of cringe worthy crashes into the water and a few meltdowns, most notably Kendra Wilkinson telling off Louganis, but the award for most sympathetic contestant has to go to Anderson. The pool is tricky when you weigh as much as Anderson does. Serenely bobbing around in the water after a dive attempt is one thing. Trying to heave 400 pounds out of the water is another. During camp, Anderson had to be pulled out by his fellow contestants, including defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who said taking hits in the NFL is easier.
So to see Anderson on the 5 meter platform was a big deal. When he called an audible and decided to dive from the 7 meter platform, despite having never done so in practice, his fellow divers held their breath. It was a great piece of theater on Louie's part and worked like a charm. Judge Foley described his dive as starting out like Tarzan but ending like George in the Jungle. He gave him a good score anyway as did Boudia. Louie, all teary-eyed gratitude, said he was diving for the troops. Rudy would be proud.
"Splash" is on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC.
Medical dramas always include doctors' failures as well as their triumphs but until TNT's new series "Monday Mornings," their mistakes weren't the main focus. Based on the book by CNN medical correspondent and neurosurgeon Dr. Sanjay Gupta and created by David E. Kelley ("Boston Legal," "The Practice," "Ally McBeal," "Chicago Hope"), "Monday Mornings" follows a group of doctors at the fictional Chelsea General who begin their week at a morbidity and mortality or "311 meeting." A confidential gathering lead by Chief of Surgery Dr. Harding Hooten (Alfred Molina), the 311 is a review of their errors in treating patients. In the pilot episode, star neurosurgeon Dr. Ty Wilson (Jamie Barber) is called up in the 311 meeting to discuss a surgery he performed which resulted in the death of an eleven-year-old boy. And you thought your Monday mornings were bad.
Centering the series around the moments in doctors' professional lives when things go terribly wrong is an interesting choice but what gives "Monday Mornings" an edge over other medical dramas is putting those doctors in a position to admit their mistakes in front of their peers. The 311 conference is not a friendly and sympathetic discussion of "try harder next time." It's a harsh confrontation where the doctors are forced to check their egos and examine their choices. The meetings are meant to entertain you and make you think. They succeed in doing both thanks to sharp writing for the character of Dr. Hooten.
Hooten is part therapist, part policeman and part wise mentor. During the 311 scenes, he usually begins with gentle, straightforward questions about procedure before going in for the kill and launching a sly but insightful attack on how and why the doctor was wrong. He questions why neurosurgeon Dr. Tina Ridgeway (Jennifer Finnigan) didn't think it was important enough to warn a patient who is a chef and lost her sense of smell that it was a possible side effect of the surgery she recommended. When formidable trauma chief Dr. Jorge "El Gato" Villanueva (Ving Rhames) saves the life of a 15 year-old girl who is a Christian Scientist, despite her wish that he do nothing in accordance with her faith, Hooten admits that he probably would have made the same decision. But then he quietly points out that Villanueva, who is a fierce advocate for those he treats, took away a patient's choice without thinking twice. It's a predictable pattern but there's something satisfying about watching a moment when extraordinary people become ordinary.
Rounding out the group of doctors who get schooled by Hooten every week is Dr. Sung Park (Keong Sim), a Korean-American neurosurgeon whose seriousness is at odds with his less than perfect English language skills. When a 13 year-old patient who has a brain tumor argues that she doesn't want to undergo yet another operation his response is: "Not do. Dead." Dr. Sung is joined by Dr. Sydney Napur (Sarayu Rao), a no-nonsense type-A cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr. Buck Tierney (Bill Irwin), the chief of transplants and Dr. Michelle Robidaux (Emily Swallow), the resident who is trying to find her place.
Medical dramas are about work families and "Monday Mornings" is no exception as each of its characters lean on each other when facing personal and professional difficulties. Some of the acting is over the top but what makes this family of doctors worth watching is that along with the heroics are thought-provoking defeats.
"Monday Mornings" is on TNT on Mondays at 10:00 pm EDT.
"Cult" is a new series on the CW and also the name of a series that characters on "Cult" watch which also happens to be on the CW. It's a show within a show which plays with your sense of reality and fiction. Depending on your level of interest in this very postmodern approach, you will either find it clever or too clever for its own good. I'm going to go with too clever for its own good.
The first character we meet is Billy Grimm (Robert Knepper), a charismatic leader who speaks directly to the camera in a "documentary" and tells us he rejects the harmful connotations associated with a "cult" and merely sees his role as providing "connection" for those who seek it. The action then moves to Kelly Collins (Alona Tal), a former member of Billy's flock who is now an LAPD detective. Along with her partner, she is investigating the disappearance of her sister, brother-in-law and nephew who she believes Billy has harmed in retaliation for her breaking 'the connection'.
At this point, the show is a police procedural except it's not because Billy and Kelly are fictional characters played by the fictional actors Roger Reeves and Marti Gerritsen on a show called "Cult" which just so happens to have a strong cult following. One of these super fans is Nate Sefton, a twitchy, recovering addict, who disappears after telling his reporter brother Jeff (Matt Davis) that people are after him. With the help of Skye Yarrow (Jessica Lucas), a researcher on the fake "Cult," Jeff's search for his brother takes him into the mysterious underground world of the show's extreme fans. This part is "Cult" the actual show.
Nate is a one dimensional character which makes it hard to care much about his disappearance. He has a history of obsessing over things, a history of drugs and a history of generally being a disappointment. In his frantic effort to convince Jeff that he fears for his safety, he says: "It all changed for me in episode 9." If this show makes it to episode 9, maybe it will all change for me too and I'll care what happened to him. But so far, Nate is just an obsessed fan mixed up with other obsessed fans.
"Cult" plays with the notion of fans as cults of their own who connect through the shared experience of television. It's a commentary on the power of TV shows and the power of fans, an idea that as a TV critic and a TV fan, I appreciate. In the case of "Cult," the fans use their power for seemingly dark purposes. It's not an unfamiliar characterization in fiction (the great Kathy Bates took it to a new level in "Misery" for example) so the series needs something else to prevent the idea of "die-hard fans equal crazy" from growing stale. This is where the mystery comes in. What are people discovering that is making them disappear? The problem is that watching Jeff track down clues with a plucky researcher doesn't rise to the level of the somewhat interesting premise.
"Cult" is on Friday at 9:00 p.m. EDT on the CW.
Set in the 1980's, "The Americans" is about Philip (Matthew Rhys) and Elizabeth Jennings (Keri Russell), KGB agents living undercover as a married couple in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. They carry out missions while raising two children and running a travel agency. It's not hard to imagine this as a premise for a comedy but "The Americans" is a compelling drama that isn't afraid to make you think.
The show's strength is that it spends little time on how Philip and Elizabeth balance their dual lives. While we see them in both their spy and parent roles, Elizabeth doesn't steal state secrets before dashing off to a PTA meeting. Rather, the series focuses on deeper issues of national identity, patriotism and the psychological impact of living a lie for more than a decade.
This is not to say that "The Americans" lacks action. In one episode, Philip and Elizabeth are ordered to kidnap a Russian defector before he talks and disappears into protective custody. The plan goes wrong and things get violent. When their new neighbor turns out to be a curious FBI agent, the situation gets more intense and Philip starts to panic. He suggests they turn themselves in, get a deal and start a new life. Elizabeth however, is a true believer who would die before betraying Russia. Circumstances eventually lead Philip to change his mind but the stage is set for one of the more interesting tensions of this series. Namely, how does a couple keep from self-destructing when their belief systems start to move in opposite directions?
Posing this question within the larger context of political ideology raises the stakes between Philip and Elizabeth whose arrangement has started to turn into something resembling real love. Elizabeth is a mother who loves her children and maybe Philip but her love for mother Russia appears to be deeper. She sees Philip's weakness for American culture as a character flaw but is it really so easy to resist the seduction? For Philip, life in the United States means comfort, security and a real family. For Elizabeth, this comfort breeds a softness that she finds alarming in her children.
Elizabeth is less sympathetic than Philip whose approach to who he is and who he could be for both his wife and his family are in stark contrast to her icy resolve. Yet, she isn't an unlikeable character. She has tender moments with her children and there's something admirable about her steadfast loyalty. While Philip is easier to empathize with as a protective and attentive father and a husband who loves his wife, he isn't the guy next door. The storylines make sure you don't get too comfortable with either character by reminding you that their identities are fluid. In one mission, Elizabeth poisons the son of a housekeeper and Philip terrorizes her by withholding the antidote until she completes a task essential to their orders.
The spy craft of "The Americans" gives the series action and a degree of suspense but it's not the reason to watch this show. What's more intriguing is the questions it raises. Can you create a real relationship based on a lie? What does it mean to be an American?
"The Americans" is on Wednesday at 10:00 p.m. EDT on FX.
There are a few reasons you need to watch "Banshee," Cinemax's new original series. The first is for the opening chase scene. The second is for thief turned sheriff Lucas Hood (Antony Starr) and the third is for the Amish, more specifically, one Amish man named Kai Proctor (Ulrich Thomsen). Proctor runs the town of Banshee, Pennsylvania but not in a peace loving, technology shunning Amish way. More like in a feed your enemies to a dog and then cut them up with a chainsaw kind of way. This is Cinemax and "Banshee" is from Alan Ball, the man behind "Six Feet Under" and "True Blood," so be prepared for violence, sex, dark humor and an addictive hour of TV.
"Banshee's" opening chase scene involves Lucas (he isn't Lucas yet, but more on that later), who has just been released from prison, mysterious men in dark suits, a motorcycle and a bus that flips on its side and slides through the streets of New York. It's an ambitious film quality action sequence that sets the tone for the series—fast, tense and an assault to the senses.
The assault to the senses quickly moves to Banshee where Lucas locates his ex-girlfriend and ex-jewel thief, Carrie Hopewell (Ivana Milicevic). Carrie, using a false identity, is now married to Gordon (Rus Blackwell), Banshee's District Attorney. But Lucas is still in love with Carrie and when he has an opportunity to assume the identity of Banshee's new sheriff he takes it. The violent scene that leads to this stroke of luck involves an ex-con bar owner named Sugar Bates (Frankie Faison), bullets ripping through body parts and what can only be described as "death by bottle."
With the help of a cross-dressing hair stylist/computer hacker named Job (Hoon Lee), Lucas secures his false identity but becoming Banshee's sheriff brings a whole new set of problems. Proctor, the town's ruthless crime boss who has moved out of the farmhouse and into a mansion, is used to having the local law enforcement in his pocket. His idea of punishing incompetency in his employees is to cut off their finger and then return to his dinner, using the same knife to cut his steak.
If the characters of an Amish gangster, a thief as a sheriff and a cross-dressing computer hacker aren't intriguing enough, "Banshee" offers other tension filled ways to engage with its story. Lucas is at odds with a deputy who feels passed over for the sheriff position. He hasn't quite embraced the qualities that go along with impersonating a law enforcement officer and his relationship with Carrie gives new meaning to "it's complicated." There's also the small matter of Mr. Rabbit (Ben Cross), one very unhappy Ukrainian gangster, who Lucas and Carrie betrayed fifteen years earlier. Mr. Rabbit has a lot of resources and a long memory.
"Banshee" weaves all these tensions and a great collection of characters into a tightly paced show. It's about secrets and lies and redemption and revenge. In the second episode, Lucas' reply to Proctor's thinly veiled offer of a pay-off is: "I'm good." But for how long?
"Banshee" is on Friday at 10:00 p.m. EDT on Cinemax.
There is a scene in the 13 episode series "House of Cards" where Francis (Frank) Underwood (Kevin Spacey), the United States congressman representing South Carolina, is attending the inauguration ceremony for the new president. He's in the crowd but when the scene moves into wide shot, you see that he's only a few feet away. At this moment, he looks at the camera and gives a little wave of his hand.
Frank breaks the fourth wall to address the audience throughout "House of Cards." When done well, this technique is a clever narrative device that builds intimacy and in this case, complicity, between the audience and a character. When done poorly, it feels like a gimmicky vehicle for exposition. Spacey masters it from the first moment we meet Frank. As his neighbor's dog lies dying on the street from a hit and run driver, he kneels before the whimpering animal and tells us his thoughts on two kinds of pain. The dog's pain is the useless kind so he quietly suffocates it.
The dog scene is an intense introduction to a character who is formidable but not without feeling and it's this balance that Spacey carefully maintains throughout this excellent, suspenseful series. Passed over for secretary of state by the president elect, Frank plots to ruin those who have sidelined his political ambitions. His calculations are not without their dark humor and Spacey's skill as an actor allows you to almost like and maybe even admire Frank's political manipulations even as he ruthlessly dispatches his plan for revenge.
Supporting him is his equally formidable wife Claire, played by Robin Wright. When an expected donation contingent upon Frank's appointment falls through, so do her plans to internationally expand the charitable organization she runs. Her response is to instruct her long serving office manager to fire 18 members of staff. She then unceremoniously fires the office manager. When she learns the news of Frank losing the secretary of state position, she allows the tiniest ripple of anger and just enough disappointment to move across the calm surface of her face before telling him: "My husband doesn't apologize. Not even to me." He turns to the camera and tells us that he loves Claire "even more than sharks love blood."
With Claire firmly on his side, Frank weaves his schemes with the help of an ambitious reporter named Zoe Barnes (Kate Mara). He feeds her stories that make her career. But is she the player she thinks she is or merely a pawn in Frank's game?
To find out, you'll have to watch "House of Cards" on Netflix. In a bid to become a content producer in addition to a content provider, the video streaming service is betting that the series (which is an adaptation of a1990 BBC mini-series), will convince you to become a subscriber. To entice you even further, all 13 episodes were released on February 1, so you don't have to wait to see how Frank's manipulations play out.
With the success of ABC's "Revenge," it was only a matter of time before other networks attempted their version. "Revenge" is about a woman who, well, takes revenge on the wealthy and powerful Grayson family who framed her father as a terrorist and had him murdered in prison. NBC's version is about a detective named Joanna Padget Locasto (Meagan Good), a narcotics detective, who is recruited by the FBI to investigate the wealthy and powerful Bowers family. Vivian Bowers, the daughter of patriarch Robert Bowers (Victor Garber) and Joanna's best friend from childhood, dies from a highly suspicious drug overdose. Joanna, who grew up with the Bowers because her mother worked for them as a maid, uses Vivian's funeral as an opening to return to the family fold. She keeps the part about being a detective to herself—one of the many "deceptions" of the show.
Joanna is tasked with finding Vivian's killer but this is a murder mystery involving the super- rich which means Joanna's undercover investigation will lead to a labyrinth of secrets. Is it Edward (Tate Donovan), the eldest son, who was found not guilty of a violent crime during his teens, lurks suspiciously through the halls of the mansion and roughly treats his estranged wife? Or is it Edward's brother Julian (Wes Brown), the charming playboy, who created a new cancer drug for the family's pharmaceutical company that will make the Bowers even richer? Could it be Vivian's boyfriend? Is he the unseen man from the episode's first scene who gets into her car the night she dies?
Robert mourns Vivian and graciously invites Joanna to stay in his home and even offers her a job as his personal assistant but is he really as kind as he appears? And then there's the always-has-a-drink-in-her-hand second wife Sofia (Katherine LaNasa). What's her story? Could it be Mia (Ella Rae Peck), the jaded, angry teenager of the family? "Deception" offers plenty of shady characters to keep you interested in the weekly Clue-like mystery. (Was it Edward in Vivian's apartment with a candlestick?).
The more interesting question and what adds another layer to the standard "whodunit" plot device, is Joanna's history with the family. How far will she go to track down Vivian's killer as she's pulled back into the seductive world of the Bowers? Will she lose herself before she can solve the mystery? "Revenge" asks a similar question but with a melodrama that's missing from "Deception." The Graysons are straight out of a soap opera while so far, the Bowers are a few amnesia/back from the dead story lines away. I hope "Deception" doesn't avoid the over the top moments. The problems of the super wealthy are always more fun to watch when they include a few cartoon villains and women in gorgeous clothes who deliver snide quips and throw glasses of champagne. A shadowy international criminal organization whose members make surprise visits wouldn't hurt either.
"Deception" is on Monday at 10 p.m. EDT on NBC.
You don't have to look too hard in this country to see the villains being celebrated on our television screens. AMC has Breaking Bad which features a good man turned bad when life attacks, you have SyFy's Lost Girl which features a female demon and let's not forget Showtime's and HBO's Dexter and The Sopranos, respectively.
It's gotten to a point where if you happen to get your TV through Direct2TV.com and you get all those hundreds of channels, you can bet that about 95 of them focused on entertainment are going to have some kind of angle involving a killer. We, as a nation, seem absolutely obsessed with the killer.
They are terrifying and deadly people, but they are painted in such a sophisticated and philosophical light that we are also drawn to them. And, with so much murder worship, one has to wonder what kind of impact this has had on our culture and society.
While it's clear that we haven't reached a point where death and murder are simply trivialities, the subject of these tragedies has certainly been cheapened to some extent. It's no longer a sacred thing and we seem to really have an issue regarding the sanctity of life.
One can only hope that that's where it ends…
It's a bold choice to use the "B-word" in the title of a situation comedy but I couldn't think of a more appropriate title for this ABC series. Chloe, the main character, lives up to the insult and is completely untrustworthy. But this is also what makes her one of the most fun and funniest female characters on prime time.
Chloe (Krysten Ritter) is roommates with June (Dreama Walker), a smart, kind, go-getter type of girl who gets her dream job in New York. She shows up for her first day at the office to find that the office is going under thanks to a corrupt boss. No job means no company apartment so June is forced to look for a place to share. Chloe's place is perfect and so is Chloe until she starts to make June's life miserable. Chloe's way of paying for her apartment is to bring in roommates, collect their share of the rent and then drive them away. But June is feisty and desperate and while she doesn't quite beat Chloe at her own game, she gives her enough of a challenge to gain her respect. So begins an unusual and hilarious female friendship.
June quickly discovers that Chloe is the kind of roommate who will steal your boyfriend, eat all your food, sell your clothes and throw out your mail. Her idea of celebrating Thanksgiving is to call all the married men she sleeps with just to make them nervous. On Halloween, she chooses one person at her friend's annual party, finds out their biggest fear and spends the entire year to make sure it comes true. On a recent episode, she tells a lie so that June has to pretend she is in a wheelchair. Are you laughing yet? Yes, all these scenarios seem like anti-comedy but in Ritter's hands, they come across as genuinely funny. Smart writing helps but it is Ritter's ability to play Chloe with a playful wickedness that really makes the show work. She looks like a Japanese Anime character but is more like the Mad Hatter (with a good dose of The Queen of Hearts) to June's Alice in Wonderland.
As good as Ritter is at making Chloe awful and likeable at the same time, the show also owes much to the performance of James Van Der Beek who plays Chloe's best friend and a narcissistic version of himself. The James on this show lives off the fame from his days as a heartthrob on "Dawson's Creek" and sends-up publicity loving celebrities by being one. One storyline had him volunteering at a soup kitchen on Thanksgiving and leaving immediately after a celebrity magazine snaps his photo. After he is forced to return and finish his shift, he enthusiastically tells Chloe and June that the best part was he lost two pounds from the stress of it all and could now kick off the holiday season with a weight deficit.
'Don't Trust the B–' is edgy comedy with jokes that make you feel a little bad for laughing but then not really. Chloe does mean things at the expense of her friends but she also cares about them. Making June pretend she can't walk was Chloe's plan to get money from her parents so June could afford to fly home and spend Christmas with her family. It's twisted but sweet, just like Chloe.
"Don't Trust the B—in Apt 23" is on Sunday at 10:30 p.m. EDT on ABC.
One of my non-TV watching friends recently forwarded me an article with this alarming headline: "Too much TV can be deadly, even for those who exercise." (Note to self: Stick to friends who watch TV). The article reported on a study conducted a few years ago by public health researchers from University College, London. They found that people who spent more than two hours a day watching television or other forms of screen-based entertainment doubled their risk of heart disease, despite how much they exercised. The results were also independent of risk factors including smoking and body mass index. So a person who smokes, has a high percentage of body fat and never hits the gym will suffer the same consequences as a person who doesn't smoke, has a small percentage of body fat and runs five miles a day. I watch more than two hours of television a day and apparently doing this while on the treadmill at the gym doesn't cancel out my risk of sudden heart failure. Is television literally going to be the death of me? Or you?
Before we start planning for our death by TV, I think the report deserves a closer look. The article is a good example of an attention grabbing headline but is it discussing a study that we should take seriously? Too many of us blindly accept what media tells us, whether it's information we read in a newspaper article or stories we watch on a televised news broadcast. Factual media has emotional impact but sometimes we need to think before we feel. So let's think about the idea that watching TV more than two hours a day is slowly killing us.
I know a woman who spends three hours each morning breaking a sweat. (Seriously). According to the study, if she watches television less time than she exercises, she has a 125 percent higher risk of experiencing a cardiovascular problem than someone who doesn't work out but spends little or no time in front of the TV. In theory, this doesn't mean that our no-TV-watching person is being active. He or she could be reading a book. Here's another scenario. What if I go over my allotted two hour viewing time but I do it while I'm in bed? Those could be counted as sleeping hours and the television just happens to be on at the same time, right?
The point is that exercise equals health and we should all do it more. Should we stop spending our leisure time in front of our small screens? Yes—if watching screen based entertainment is all we do and also involves eating foods not found in nature. Should we believe every negative thing we read about TV? No. But doing a few squats during commercial breaks might not be a bad idea.
As a TV critic, you watch some shows because you love them, some because you don't and some because it's the day after Christmas, you're fighting a cookie coma and when you turned on the TV, it was on a channel featuring a mini-marathon of a show about a guy who kills pests for a living and you're too lazy to turn the channel. This is how I ended up watching more episodes than anyone needs to of "Billy the Exterminator," a series that, you guessed it, features a guy named Billy who gets rid of bugs. He also deals with rats, snakes, raccoons, wasps the size of your hand and the occasional alligator
Billy, along with his mother Donnie, his father Bill Sr. and his brother Ricky run VexCon, an extermination business in Louisiana. The show follows Billy as he tackles various work orders. To break up the action, episodes also feature scenes with Donnie and Bill Sr. having lighthearted arguments. Donnie is feisty and Bill Sr.'s slow southern drawl makes him sound like he's either just waking up from a nap or on the verge of taking one. Their scenes aren't that funny but they emphasize the family part of the family business and I'm guessing, provide some much needed filler material for the show's editors.
The show, however, is about Billy because he's a natural for reality TV, meaning he is visually interesting and generally entertaining. His fashion sense is Goth meets Ozzy Osbourne—think all black clothes with studded shoulders and/or chain mail, fingerless gloves, boots, a giant cross necklace, a black hat. He has what I can only describe as a spiked mullet haircut and a slice of a goatee. His appearance is often a point of conversation for his bemused clients but he's as far from threatening as you can get so they quickly realize he's just a guy who likes his studs. Unlike his family and his customers, he doesn't have a southern accent but speaks in a slightly nasal, kind of whiny tone. When he isn't giving fun facts about the life expectancy of rats or the many diseases a cockroach carries, he is polite and enthusiastic. He loves his job and you have to like him for that.
And what's not to love about a job tackling infestations of gross bugs and fighting off scary, stinging things? In one episode, he lays traps that catch 31 rats on one property. He gathers them into a trash bag, hoists the bag over his shoulder and makes a joke about being the "anti-Santa Claus." In the same episode, he is sent to a trailer home that cockroaches have literally taken over from top to bottom in horror movie proportions. It was enough to make me want to turn the channel, even in my post-holiday induced state of inertia. But I didn't because there's something watchable about Billy. He has a child-like excitement for what he does, coupled with an adult professionalism to get the job done. He took care of those roaches and was genuinely moved that he could make a difference in his client's life.
Reality TV now seems to cover every job you never thought about so it's not surprising that the work life of an exterminator makes the cut. While I'm not sure I would watch this show in different, non-holiday times, I'm glad to have seen a few episodes, if for no other reason than to watch a nice guy do an honest day's work.
'Billy the Exterminator' is on A&E.
Women on reality TV are more often than not, "mean girls," whether they're housewives, bachelorettes, bachelorette housewives (the "Real Housewives" franchise hasn't been good to marriage), moms of kids who like to dance, brides being compared to Godzilla or mothers in-law who scream their way into the title of "monster in-law." Over on the fictional side of television, women fare better. They are righteous lawyers, smart detectives, caring doctors and loving wives, mothers, friends and daughters. So to celebrate the many positive images of women on the small screen, this year's "best of" column is all about TV ladies I love for all their imperfections, ambition, determination, humor, strength and style.
5) Lori Grimes (Sarah Wayne Callies) "The Walking Dead." Lori is a controversial choice but hear me out. Yes, she cheated on her husband and the child she is carrying may or may not be his. And yes, she seems to perpetually lose track of her teenage son. But she thought her husband was dead when she took up with his best friend and her son is finding his way into adulthood. Then there's the small matter of fighting zombies while roaming the country while pregnant. Lori goes into labor in a dirty prison while being chased by the undead. When things go wrong, she allows herself the briefest moment to mourn before turning to her son and delivering the most heartfelt and heart wrenching speech any mother could give her child.
4) Lady Mary Crawley (Michelle Dockery) "Downton Abbey." Lady Mary is not warm and cuddly. She is entitled, snobby and over-privileged but she's kind of allowed to be. Have you seen her house? She makes the list because she knows her mind and doesn't settle for less than she deserves or compromise her beliefs despite being part of a class system where women are required to sacrifice their personal aspirations for the sake of tradition.
3) Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) "Scandal." Olivia is a fixer in Washington, D.C. She doesn't just swim with the sharks. She is the shark. She's a fierce leader who inspires her staff, rights wrongs and conquers scandal with one mighty well-groomed blow. Okay, she's involved in a shady presidential election conspiracy but you just know she did it for all the right reasons. Olivia cares deeply, loves her friends and loves the president even more. She's not going to win points for being the other woman but her passionate affair with the commander in chief reaches such sweeping romance novel proportions, you can't help but root for her.
2) Rayna James (Connie Britton) "Nashville." Rayna is a successful country star who sees her career slipping away to a younger rival. Rather than being bitter, spiteful and out for revenge, Rayna is a strong, determined woman who bravely decides to re-invent herself. She stands up to her record company, her doubters, her harsh father and the needy men in her life without losing her charm or her dignity.
1) Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) "Parks and Recreation." While I love to hate a slimy political character, (the female vice-president currently usurping the oval office on "Scandal" comes to mind), the alternative is refreshing, particularly when it's in the form of the eternally optimistic, sweet and funny Leslie Knope. A small town politician who loves her town, does the right thing and proves that one person can make a difference, Leslie is TV's answer to the corrupt public servant and someone you'd like to invite to dinner. She'd bring pie and passionately talk about public works and you'd like her even more.
Happy Holidays!
Melissa Crawley credits her love of all things small screen to her parents, who never used the line, "Or no TV!" as a punishment. Her book, "Mr. Sorkin Goes to Washington: Shaping the President on Television's 'The West Wing,'" was published in 2006. She has a PhD in media studies. To comment on Stay Tuned, email her at firstname.lastname@example.com or follow her on Twitter: @MelissaCrawley.


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The IAmATrailBlazersFan.Com NBA Mock Draft Database is a listing of links to mock drafts from around the web. Shown below are the mocked first three picks as well as Portland's projected pick at #10.Continue Reading
Tags: draft, draft2013
Written by DHawes22
Included in today's topics are Three prospects in the fold at #6, Blazers weight their options at #11, Ranking the draft's centers, LaMarcus Aldridge ready to start running again, MKG not working out for Rip City, Kyle O'Quinn loves Aldridge's game, Bobcats hire former Oregon assistant, Miami looks to take commanding 3-1 series lead, Kyle Singler returning to Pistons, Jared Sullinger medically red flagged, and more coverage from around the league. Continue Reading
Tags: trailblazers , Thunder , Heat , LaMarcusAldridge , dionwaiters , bradleybeal , andredrummond , jermeylamb , damianlillard , ramonsessions , sergeibaka , evanturner , paulmillsap

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A minor 3.8 earthquake struck off the Humboldt County coast this morning.
According to a U.S. Geological Survey preliminary earthquake report the quake struck at 4:02 a.m. about 37 miles southwest of Eureka.
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I don't mind admitting that the new pic sent a shiver down my spine as it popped up on screen.
Superb pic, just superb.
One of those widgety things that picks up the inboard end of the spray baffle strut. It looks like nothing but putting the pair of them together in the correct way with just the right rivets took a whole afternoon and a joint effort between Rob and Mike because the original rivet holes needed a great deal of care when being used again. Will you be impressed when you see it in the museum? I doubt it.
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text: If you're like me, most likely you'll be buying the kiddies electronics that'll require a boatload of batteries for Christmas this year. Don't be stuck with a crabby child who can't enjoy instant gratification because his/her new shiny present didn't come with batteries!! It might only be 75 cents off, but hey, it adds up. I know I'll be stocking up. Check it out... $0.75 OFF ONE Duracell CopperTop, Ultra Power, Ultra Photo Lithium or Specialty batteries: http://www.amazon.com/gp/coupon/-0-75-off-one-duracell-coppertop... |


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Beating Ploughshares into Swords
It's over. My ninth book is on the market and I can turn to more important things, such as my tenth book. And Ham radio. And maybe, politics.
My ninth book, Ploughshares into Swords, is about WWII—how civilians and California Institute of Technology (Caltech) helped win the war. A friend of mine was also a [...]
Also tagged anti-matter, Baikonur, Caltech, Carl Anderson, China Lake, CIA, FDR, Ham Radio, Khrushchev, NASA, NSA, Pasadena, Ploughshares, WWII


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Michigan lawmakers to act to keep drunk driving limit at 0.08 percent
A new law expanding Michigan's drunk driving laws to include prescription and non-prescription substances also changes the blood alcohol level for drinking and driving from 0.08 to a higher level of 0.10.
But there's already a second piece of legislation in the works to keep the standard at 0.08 before October when the lower limit sunsets.
"I'm sure we're not going to see any changes," said Kurt Weiss, spokesman for Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder.
A higher drunk driving limit is opposed by the state administration, law enforcement and traffic safety advocates.
Nancy Cain, spokeswoman for AAA Michigan said there was a sunset clause in the original law lowering Michigan's drunk driving limit to 0.08, but that it was overlooked in Senate Bill 353, the new legislation on driving and using other intoxicating substances.
"The new wording on intoxicating substances was added but the sunset wording didn't get removed," Cain said via email Monday. "Obviously, AAA would support this new bill."
The new bill to keep the drinking and driving limit at 0.08 is House Bill 4093.
There are historical financial reasons for the state to keep the lower 0.08 limit.
The federal Transportation Appropriations Act enacted in 2000 tied federal highway construction funding to the states to a lower limit for drinking and driving.
By mid 2004, all states had adopted the lower limit rather than lose federal highway money. Continued...
The Michigan Department of Transportation said Monday that federal funds accounts for $1 billion of state transportation spending.
Michigan's 0.08 standard took effect in 2003. At the time, 0.10 was considered drunk driving while 0.08 to 0.10 was considered impaired.
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Hurricane Sandy
Brick Cops Arrest Toms River Man in Sandy Rental Scam
Police: suspect rented Sandy victim a Brick Township home he did not own
Brick Township police have charged a Toms River man with swindling a displaced victim of Superstorm Sandy out of money she paid to rent a house he did not actually own. Anthony White, 46, of North Carolina Avenue, was arrested Wednesday, Brick Police Sgt. Keith Reinhard said. The victim, whom police did not identify, had her Brick Township home knocked off its foundation in the storm. On Dec. 3, she posted an advertisement on the Craigslist classified website seeking a temporary rental. She later received a text-message response about a potential rental available on Dogwood Drive. The person sending the text message, who called himself Mr. Dublin, said the home was unlocked, and advised the prospective tenant to enter the home, see if it …
10:31 am on Saturday, January 5, 2013
So this A**wipe can afford to post 7K in bail money? I hope the Judge made him pay back the $2250 he took for that woman FIRST!!! Thank God this woman has a daughter a little bit smarter then herself ! Sheeeesh, don't these people read the paper about all the warnings of SCAMMERS ??? I agree Mare on what your saying but I think both are at fault here, yes one more then the other!   more ›


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The second annual Law Day creative contest is now open for entries. Participants should submit a creative entry illustrating the 2013 Law Day Theme, "Michigan—Realizing the Dream: Equality for All," using content from one or more Michigan Legal Milestones.
The Michigan Legal Milestones program was created in 1986 to highlight the state's important cases, laws, and individuals. Bronze plaques commemorating the history of each of the 38 milestones have been placed throughout the state. Participants may utilize any Michigan Legal Milestone in their submission, but here are four suggested milestones:
To participate in the Law Day contest, contestants should tie one or more milestones to the 2013 theme in a creative project. Examples of creative projects include essays, debates, mock trials, podcasts, dramatic or musical plays, re-enactments, short documentaries, board games, video games, and more. Electronic submissions are highly encouraged.
Contest Rules & Entry Form
Read the contest rules and submit a signed contest entry form and permission forms for each minor involved in your project.
Contest Rules, Entry Form, & Permission Form PDF
Entries must be received by 5 p.m. April 5, 2013.
Law Day 2012: View Last Year's Winning Entry
Click on the image above to watch the winning 2012 Law Day Contest Entry—a video by fifth graders from Brookside Elementary in Bloomfield Hills.
What Else Can I Do to Celebrate Law Day in 2013?
What is Law Day?
In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower designated May 1 as Law Day. This day is an opportunity to strengthen our great American heritage of liberty, justice, and equality under the law. The State Bar of Michigan joins various local bars, businesses, schools, and other organizations in conducting programs associated with improving the public's understanding of our justice system.
Previous Law Day Celebrations
2012 Winning Entry—a video by 5th graders from Brookside Elementary, Bloomfield Hills. 2011 The Legacy of John Adams (no contest) 2010 Winning Essays 2009 Winning Essays 2008 Winning Essays 2007 Winning Essays 2006 Winning Essays 2005 Winning Essays 2004 Winning Essays 2003 Winning Essays 2002 Winning Essays
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contact information State Bar of Michigan 306 Townsend St Lansing, MI 48933-2012 Phone: (517) 346-6300 Toll Free: (800) 968-1442 Fax: (517) 482-6248


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(pickled jalapenos)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Eat with cream cheese on crackers or on a juicy hamburger!
Cindy, this recipe reminded me of a DELICIOUS candied bell pepper that I frequently ate so looong ago in San Diego, 1988-90. It was THAT good! I kept going back just for the candied bell peppers. I can't even remember what they were used on, or anything else about them, just that I loved them and always dreamed of figuring out how to make them. Maybe this will work?
My dad who passed away this summer also used to make his special pickles for those lucky ones he loved. He would never give the recipe to anyone, but fortunately he gave it to me just before he died! Only because I lived in Santa Barbara and he couldn't easily ship me his pickles. I think I will give the recipe to my sisters for his birthday this year (Nov 4) as a surprise/memory. If you are lucky, I will share it! :)
Would love to cook up a batch in his honor!
I wonder if I could use honey instead? We can't have sugar. Can most recipe calling for sugar be replaced with honey?
You can substitute honey for sugar but the taste will be very different and you will need to use less. It's better to use recipies made for the type of sweetener you use and make substitutions from them.
I have made these for several years. I can't ever make enough to have until the next year. I just called them Sweet Jalepenos because I didn't know them by any other name. My friends and family absolutely love these. I use them in all kinds of recipes.
I think this is my third batch this year. I used a jar in my pickled eggs! They turned out great.
I was looking for a recipe to pickle sliced jalapeno's and came across this one. Is it possible to reduce the sugar or should I just stick with the recipe? Thank you in advance. You and this site have really lit a canning fire under me!! I only wish I would have started canning years ago!!
Could you use Splenda in place of sugar and get same resulsts?
I have not used Splenda so I don't want to comment on whether the taste would be the same. I am working on a post to give you the ratio or conversions and you could try it. It will have as much shelf life but it may be a way to go. Check back for the conversions to substitute. Thanks
What size jars do you use?
Paula - I used either the pints or half pints depending on what I am doing them for. I did 6 jars of half pints last night to have for my pickling demos since they don't usually eat the whole pint jars. They process in the water bath at 15minutes for either size.
Question ... do you core and remove the seeds from the jalapenos?
Connie you just slice them up.. no coring or seeding. They will have a little kick but the vinegar and sugar brine mellow them considerably.
Good to know, COULD you though core some of them to lessen the heat even more? Or would that take away from the recipe?
Sure you could spend the time. I have seen them do it in strips rather than rings. Cut the tips on both ends and slice lengthwise and core and seed then stack them up and down filling them like you would a string bean for pickling. Add the brine and that would work also.
Darling Hubby and I justed finished making a double batch of this. He discovered his first bit of Cowboy candy while he was in Alabama for the Nascar Race.
OK I found the recipe and am off to buy a lb of jalapenos. Will look for cucumbers too at the store - yuck not local but you snooze you lose. This sounds like a good pickle recipe too, let's try it!
And here is one person's attempt at copying the Wickle recipe - want to try this as well - with you - very soon!
Note: found above recipe on AK-47 rifle site, go figure!!
PS - have you ever heard of / tried this method for making pickles crispier?
"BozemanMT's method of pouring hot brine in the sterile jars, setting them upside down to seal but not processing the jars. I tried it and it does result in a crisper pickle. No spoilage either. If I can do it anyone can... "
To those that are worried about it being too hot, don't. My peppers were hotter than he doublel last year, I like it hot, too, and they were too hot for me. Fortunately I have a couple of friends that like it sweat pops out on your forehead hot and I decided they would get these for Christmas. We opened a jar with one of the friends after a couple of months in the jar, guess what? It had mellowed considerably! I couldn't believe how much. So if you are worried about it being too hot, if they start out just a bit warm, they will mellow to eat out of the jar with a fork!! MMMMmmmm, can't wait for them to get ripe here in KS!!!!
How long should you wait before you open these jars for optimum flavor?
Can you make multiples of this recipe (so it makes a batch to can)? Some canning recipes recommend against doubling/tripling/etc. I am looking forward to trying this.
Liz I would wait for about 4 weeks from the time of canning. After that they are amazing!
Amthstfarm - You can double and triple the recipe since you are not using pectin. In recipes that have pectin doubling can effect how the jam or jelly sets. Go for it!!!
Be careful if you use splenda ... it can get bitter when heated. The only sweetener I would use besides sugar would be stevia ... one tsp of liquid extract would equal one cup of sugar. It's the only sweetener that doesn't get an "off" taste when heated. Stevia wouldn't give you a "syrup" like sugar either.
Made these today, keeping my fingers crossed they work...lol I'm a bit of a whimp with heat.
My husband used the leftover canning liquid to marinate chunks of pork tenderloin that he grilled 24 hours later for his golf outing and everyone LOVED the sweet heat! How long can I keep the leftover liquid (I just did 7 more jars today)and we plan to try this on chicken, fish and again some pork - but want to know the shelf/fridge life! Thanks and thanks for all the great recipes! :)
How many sliced jalapenos do you need approximately? Like how many cups of sliced jalapeños? I grew my own this year and do not have a scale and am trying to adapt the recipe for my needs.
Thanks so much for the recipe!
God bless you!
There are approximately 2 2/3 cups of chopped jalapenos in a pound. So I would think there are about 2 cups sliced in a pound.


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Windows®. Life without Walls™. Sony Recommends Windows 7.
Enjoy the performance of an Intel® Core™ 2 Duo SU7300 processor (1.30GHz1) with CULV technology.
The VAIO® Y Series notebook comes pre-installed with Genuine Microsoft® Windows® 7 Professional.
Store your favorite multimedia, important documents, and cherished family photos on the large 500GB2 Serial ATA hard drive.
A 13.3"4 (1366x768) widescreen, LED backlit display uses power-efficient LCD technology and delivers dazzling colors and stunning picture clarity.
Lightweight and easy to handle at just under 4 lbs. (with standard battery) with a thin profile.
Packed with energy efficient features, the Y Series offers up to 8 hours7 of battery life with an included standard battery and up to 12 hours7 with the included large capacity battery.
An HDMI™ output delivers video and audio to external sources via a single cable so you can enjoy HD entertainment on your compatible big screen TV without a myriad of extra cables (HDMI™ cable sold separately).
Stay connected to friends and family while on the road with real-time video conferencing3 using the MOTION EYE® camera and microphone with face-tracking technology.
Extend the reach of your Y Series notebook with Stereo A2DP Bluetooth® technology11 that's ideal for connecting to other Bluetooth-enabled peripherals.
A built-in Assist button launches VAIO Care™ software, a simple do-it yourself PC maintenance tool for tune-ups, troubleshooting and more.
Enjoying your media has never been more fun with the uniquely smart and easy-to-use Sony® Creativity Suite. Get instantly organized with smart sorting features, create personal masterpieces with easy-to-use creative tools and rediscover forgotten music and memories with breakthrough technology that recommends content based on your unique listening and viewing habits.
Computer Interface: For this product, there are a multitude of varying software packages and add-on hardware options. This product is not manufactured to work with any specific software, and Sony does not and cannot make any warranty or representation with respect to the performance of this product with any particular software packages and/or non-Sony add-on hardware options except those mentioned here. Sony hereby disclaims any representations or warranties that this product is compatible with any combination of non-Sony products you may choose to connect to it. While Sony representatives or Sony authorized dealers may be able to assist you and may make recommendations, they are NOT authorized to vary or waive this disclaimer. Purchasers must determine for themselves the suitability and compatibility of the hardware and software in each and every particular instance. Software titles pre-installed on the Sony computer are subject to change without notice. Preinstalled software may not be identical to retail versions or have all documentation. Features and specifications are subject to change without notice.
©2009 Sony Electronics Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Sony, VAIO and the VAIO logo, VAIO Care, Memory Stick Duo, i.LINK, MagicGate and MOTION EYE are trademarks of Sony in the U.S. and in other countries. Microsoft and Windows are trademarks of the Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and in other countries. Intel is a registered trademark. Intel is a trademark of Intel Corporation in the US and other countries. Bluetooth is a registered trademark of SIG, Inc. Symantec, the Symantec Logo, and Norton Internet Security are trademarks or registered trademarks of Symantec Corporation or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. ENERGY STAR is a registered U.S. trademark. All other trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners.
Printed in U.S.A. 12/09.
Sony Rewards is a free loyalty program with many ways to earn, including earning at least 1 point per $1 spent when you shop at Sony Store. To earn points on your purchase, simply log in or join now to link your Sony Rewards account to a Sony Store account. Click here to learn more. You can also log in or enroll to earn points after completing your Sony Store online purchase.


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Oh hello there!
This is my mostly casual blarg about things I enjoy, mainly cartoons, video games, animation, illustration, and science.
I'm a full-time computing student, but in my fleeting free time, I like to do my own projects/little things.
All of my own stuff is tagged under "doodles", "derdles", or "amesadoodle"; all else is cool or fun stuff found whilst floating in cyberspace.
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Restaurants in Elkhart
Restaurant Deals
Trios Deli
- Sturgis
Breakfast sandwiches and coffee, lunches of soup, salads, and sandwiches, or catering for private events
Cook's Bison Ranch
- Johnson
Guides recount the history of North American bison as guests feed the herd and ride in a wagon
A Taste of India
- Battle Creek
Burgundy booths and cinnamon-hued walls recall owner's native India; tandoori lamb chops, ginger chicken, and dynamic veggie curries
The Kitchen Table
- Perry
Patrons design their own omelets with cheese and one additional item such as sausage, green peppers, or hash browns
Cindy's Diner
- Downtown Fort Wayne
Farm-fresh eggs, hot cakes, and country specialties served all-day in tiny '50s-style diner
Strongbow Inn
- Valparaiso
Turkey-centric American comfort food delights diners in a space populating a former turkey farm, run by the same family since the 1930s
Don Quijote Restaurant
- Valparaiso
Menu with 25 different Spanish tapas dishes ideal for sharing served alongside wine or housemade sangria
Kabob Haus
- Kalamazoo
Kebab skewers thread seasoned charbroiled ground beef and chicken, whole pieces of beef and chicken, or grilled beef hot dogs
Sahara Mediterranean Cuisine Michigan City
- Michigan City
Family-run restaurant serves traditional dishes including hand-rolled grape leaves and thinly sliced gyro meat with tzatziki sauce
India House Restaurant South Bend
- Michigan City
Chicken, lamb, and shrimp bake in the clay tandoor; curry sauces simmer with vegetables and fresh paneer
Billy Jack's Bar & Grill
- Valparaiso
Chipotle, jalapeno, and poblano peppers add bold southwestern flavor to pork chops, steaks, crab cakes, and other dishes
Recommended Restaurants by Groupon Customers
Groupon is a combination of the words group and coupon. Each day, we offer an unbeatable deal on the best of Fort Wayne: restaurants, spas, sporting events, theater, and more. By promising businesses a minimum number of customers, we get discounts you won't find anywhere else. We call it "collective buying power."
Enchilada, nacho, burrito, taco, chimichanga, and quesadilla options are abundant on el Azteca's lunch and dinner menus. Evening diners line stomach pantries with fresh guacamole ($5.79) or chicken mole ($8.39) before stocking shelves with soft flour tacos ($5.79 for two with mesquite chicken) and tamales ($6.79 for two with beef and pork). El Azteca's signature Benji burritos, gigantic creations stuffed with meat, lettuce, diced tomato, and a dab of sour cream then baked slathered in cheese and a homemade sauce, can be created with veggies or 10 types of meat during dinner ($7.99–$12.59). Chip lovers crunch barbecued nachos with smoked pulled pork ($11.49, large) or a plate of nachos locos with jalapeños and spicy chile con queso ($7.99, large). Evict spices from your esophagus with a soft drink ($1.89) or cocktail made with one of el Azteca's more than 100 tequilas.
Unique sourdough crust with a sauce recipe that will knock your socks off! Every pizza boasts a thick layer of mozzarella cheese, so if you have to ask for extra, it will be a small miracle! The company started in 1973...the location at 9011 Lima Road in Fort Wayne is the first Dine In restaurant to date. :) It's awesome.
At Ed Debevic's, every house burger, hot dog, and diner entree shares a not-so-secret ingredient: sass. The servers welcome guests to the vintage venue with tongue-in-cheek remarks and paper deli hats, seating them next to vibrant examples of what Centerstage calls "smart-aleck decor": fake autographs, old-timey ads, and signs that carry proverbs such as "Eat Now…Pay Waiter." The mischievously retro tone is cultivated in homage to one of the owner's favorite restaurants, Lill's Homesick Diner. Back in the '50s and '60s, Lill acquainted Ed with the classic flavors of comfort food cooked from scratch, showcasing the spirited moxie that made her a standout in the short-order world.
Ed chose to emulate both her classic cooking and feistiness at his own diner. Many of his menu items are housemade, including the meatloaf, mashed potatoes, the desserts, and the blue-cheese sauce on top of the Ed's Blue Moon burger. Milk shakes and malts pair well with a variety of hot dogs and sandwiches, especially when counterbalancing the effects of Atomic Mix: a blend of diced jalapeños, onions, and tomatoes that garnishes certain plates. The staff stays in comically impudent character throughout these meals. And every now and then, the servers pause to put on countertop dance numbers that are almost as exciting as the time your grandpa turned the lazy Susan into a zoetrope.
For those looking for a pizza that takes a few unexpected turns, take a peak at Pint and Slice Angola's pies menu. The Red, White & Bleu comes swirled with alfredo and topped with roasted red pepper, chicken, bacon, and bleu cheese crumbles. The White Album lives up to its moniker with ricotta and parmesan mixed with garlic. There are traditional slices here as well, like the classic margherita, but the especially adventurous can craft their own creation, choosing from six types of sauces, seven meats, seven cheeses, and 13 veggies.
Guests can pair pies with a pint, including Warsaw's Mad Anthony Brewing Co's Auburn Lager on tap. Shiner Bock, Magic Hat, and other craft brews come in bottles. Pint and Slice Angola's no-nonsense room has black-and-white checked tabletops and a few cushy leather seats. If you're not in the mood for pizza or beer, pick up a grinder, calzone, or breadsticks and cheesy bread.
Though it's been a family secret since 1936, Mangia Mangia owners Emilio and Maria Dacoba award ample clues to guests who come dine at their tables topped with red-and-white checkered cloths. The secret's in the sauce—specifically, Nonna Rosa's spaghetti sauce, a family favorite that flavors many of Mangia Mangia's dishes. Along with creating Italian feasts the traditional way using family recipes, the duo caters to dietary restrictions with gluten-free pasta options and gluten-free crusts on some of their pizzas. For parties too large for the normal dining room or too devoted to wearing hoop skirts, Mangia Mangia also offers a 70-seat banquet room, an ideal locale for family reunions and rehearsal dinners.


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Care Coordination for Dual Eligibles
Establishing linkages between Medicaid service and payment policies and Medicare delivery systems reform demonstrations being implemented in a state will lead to more effective care coordination for dual eligible beneficiaries.
*Milestone details:
*Full name: Design interfaces between the Medicare and Medicaid delivery systems reform demonstrations created by the ACA.
*Relevance to the ACA:
Many of the Medicare service delivery systems and payment reform demonstrations are targeted to beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions and/or limitations in activities of daily living, many of whom are likely to be dual eligibles. As a result these demonstrations are likely to have some impact on Medicaid service delivery systems in states where they are being implemented. In addition, care coordination for dual eligibles enrolled in these demonstrations will be enhanced through better linkages with Medicaid programs. Following are some of the most relevant Medicare demonstrations.
§3023 – Medicare National Pilot Program on Payment Bundling.
§3022/10307 and §3027 – Medicare Shared Savings Program, Extension of Medicare Gainsharing Demonstration, both relating to accountable care organizations.
§3024 - Independence at Home Program.
§3026 - Community Based Transitions at Home Program.
§3140 - Medicare Hospice Concurrent Care Demonstration Program.