Faith Promoting Rumors

Below is an excerpt from one of the Sunday School announcements I used to post on my YSA Ward's Google Group (the genesis of these BASOTRUSSL blog posts), originally written in March 2011:

"To believe in LDS theology, or even just Christianity in general, one has to accept as fact some things that many outsiders find hard to swallow. Stories of miracles, visions, healings, prophecies and the like seem fantastic on the surface. But these things did and do happen, and it's amazing. 

Some Mormons, however, aren't satisfied...they like to make up stories and circulate them as the real deal. Among my favorite LDS inspirational fiction: 

--The rumor about guys getting their mission call, and the only thing in the envelope was a phone number, which was a direct line to President Hinckley's secretary. Pres. Hinckley would then issue your call, over the phone, to serve a three-year proselyting mission in China. 

--The quote, attributed to dozens of apostles, about the residents of the spirit world bowing in our presence when they heard we lived during the days of [insert name of current prophet]. 

--Steve Martin was baptized. 

--Soon Sunday School will be eliminated, and the Sunday time block will be just two hours. 

--Sting once dated a Mormon woman, and ended up releasing an album of pop covers of Primary songs (the album is actually by EFY soundtrack mainstay Brett Raymond). 

--Yoda was based on President Kimball.

--Anything involving the Three Nephites (especially when they provide roadside assistance)."

I then made my typically loose association to the scripture block that would be covered in class (obviously not the same one that we'll be studying this week; more on that in a bit), and invited the group to reply with their favorite faith-promoting rumors. Within minutes, about a dozen replies came in, all from guys, including:

"Don't forget that the Three Nephites always ride snowmobiles."

"Bono wants to be buried with the BOM. Oh and U2's song, 'Where the Streets Have No Name' is totally about Salt Lake City. You know, 4500 S 1300 E. No names. Hmmm?"

"I love the following rumors:

 

-The Salt Lake Temple will be closed down for two years for a construction project to make it earthquake safe.

 

-The woman/man that was baptized later in life received a patriarchal blessing and was told that they would have received the gospel earlier in life if only the missionary destined to baptize them had gone on a mission."

"My favorite, but this one is true: they are going to be building a new 12 story building just to the north of the Church Office Building in the now parking lot of the Church History Library to build a building that will house all of the rumors of the church."

"I like the series that starts with:

"My friend's [insert any combination of distant relationships here] was at the church office building and got on the elevator with [insert current prophet] and asked, 'What is the most important thing we should be concerned about right now?' [Previosly Inserted Current Prophet] answered, 'Get your food storage in order.' [or whatever your
favorite religious hobby is]."

These are great cause you can use them to get people excited/worried about anything you want! Oh, the power of Mormon folklore!"

"I totally heard that BrighamYoung/DavidOMcKay/BruceRMcConkie/SpencerWKimnball said that if a man isn't married by the time he's BeenHomeAYear/Turns25/Turns28 he's a menace to society. There was a rumor in my mission that Prince was taking the discussions. The Elders had to get special permission from the Prophet to ride a boat, since Prince lives on an island. Oh, and the Gold Plates and Laban's Sword are in the cornerstone of the Salt Lake Temple." "The best can be found on my most beloved website." I don't think there was really any one-upmanship going on, just enthusiasm to share the most ridiculous examples, but the fact that the additions came so quickly and from only dudes made it pretty hilarious when my friend Amee became the first lady to chime in, with a simple one-liner: "Girls, girls. you're all pretty." Love Megamind. Great show. I welcome you all (male and female) to submit even more of your favorite faith-promoting rumors in the comments. I can't get enough of 'em. So, all of the above examples are dubious at best, but what if they were read by Nephi (the son of Nephi, who was the son of Helaman, who was the son of Helaman, who was the son of Alma, who was the son of Alma...)? Mormon says that when Nephi preached to the people, "it were not possible that they could disbelieve his words" (3 Ne. 7:18) due to his great faith. When Nephi told his friends about a random connection between Mormons and a pop star from the British Isles, it was legit. The surrounding verses indicate that, unfortunately, most of the people did not obey Nephi's teachings, but they knew what he was saying was true. They couldn't deny it. How cool is that? I also know that the teachings of Nephi and other prophets found in this week's Sunday School reading are true. I hope you'll all study them, and respond with more faith and humility than Nephi's contemporaries did. There will be no BASOTRUSSL post next week, due to General Conference, where we'll get to hear from many modern-day Nephis. I urge you to listen to, study, and apply their words as well. The men and women who will speak during the Conference will also be sharing words of truth that, if we are in tune with the Spirit, will be impossible for us to disbelieve. May we all heed their counsel. [For an irreverent take on a different passage from this week's reading, check out this post from last month.]

2011-2012 New Show Reviews, Part IV

I did it! We did it! We've finally reached the conclusion of my reviews of shows that debuted during the 2011-2012 season. By the end of this post, you'll learn which new show was my favorite. But before that, make sure to watch the above clip. It's noteworthy for several reasons:

1) It's a hilarious Ryan Lochte impression. I give it three swims.

2) It legitimizes the Go On joke I made in part 1 of this series.

3) It shows that the work of a TV reviewer is never done. I've already got about a half dozen pilots under my belt (including "Monkey Hospital") that will be covered if I repeat this conceit next year.

Anyway, on to the fourth and final installment! (You can read part 1 using the link above, part 2 is here, and part 3 is here.)

Don't Trust the B---- In Apartment 23, ABC

Episodes Watched: 1 of 7

Status for 2012-2013: Renewed for second season
For those who like: This site (James van Der Beek was the original Ryan Gosling)
Comments: This show's title has so many problems. It's obviously inappropriate, but even worse, it's too long for anyone to remember or mention to their friends. But the lone episode I watched made me laugh more than almost any other new sitcom, in no small part because of the presence of Dawson playing himself (ok, JVDB playing himself--but there were numerous Dawson references in the pilot).

Smash, NBC

Episodes Watched: 15 of 15

Status for 2012-2013: Renewed for second season
For those who like: Glee, but wish the singers didn't have to pretend to go to class once every six episodes
Comments: The singing in this show is pretty good. And the numbers from the fictional Marilyn Monroe musical the show revolves around actually seem like they could be part of a real Broadway show. The main problem is, I hate pretty much every character on the show. The catty gay chorus member is a delight, but I can't really stand anyone else. A big part of that is the smugness; everyone seems to think they're so great because they're pursuing a career in show business, and certainly seems to think they're better and more interesting than those who aren't in "the biz." I met several people like that when I lived in New York. I didn't like those people.

The X Factor, FOX

Episodes Watched: 26 of 26

Status for 2012-2013: Renewed for second season
For those who like: Singing competitions with non-spinning judges' chairs
Comments: There's enough differences from Idol here that it should be interesting (no age limit, groups performing along with soloists, the judges also acting as coaches, etc.), but really, it's just Idol in the autumn. Season 2 has already started, and they've ditched the charisma-less season 1 host and upgraded the judges' panel. But it's still just a singing competition where the performers get criticized for both poor musical arrangements and for not "making a song their own," depending on which route they went that week.

Alcatraz, FOX

Episodes Watched: 13 of 13

Status for 2012-2013: Canceled
For those who like: J.J. Abrams, time travel (ok, time travel is basically implied at this point in a J.J. Abrams project)
Comments: So, I had some negative things to say about the last two shows, even though they placed pretty high on my list. That's mainly an indictment of the low quality of shows I subjected myself to in the last year (again, I am a TV addict). But from this point on, the shows on the list are ones I actually liked.

Alcatraz has a pretty unsatisfying ending, but that's because they were hoping for a second season. I was into the premise and curious how it would play out. Plus it had Hugo from Lost and Jurassic Park's Sam Neill, both experienced time travelers (kind of). If this show ends up on Netflix you should check it out.

Napoleon Dynamite, FOX

Episodes Watched: 6 of 6

Status for 2012-2013: Canceled
For those who like: Tater tots, guys with nunchuk skills, chatting with babes online, etc.
Comments: This show vastly exceeded my expectations. If you liked the movie you'll almost certainly enjoy the cartoon. Nearly all of the original actors provide the voices for their animated doppelgangers, and each episode features a couple of lines or sight gags or whatever lifted directly from the film. The show was delightfully quirky, as was the animation style, nailing little touches like Napoleon's slumped posture as he runs. I'm disappointed this one didn't get renewed.

Once Upon A Time, ABC

Episodes Watched: 22 of 22

Status for 2012-2013: Renewed for second season
For those who like: The Disney version of fairy tales
Comments: And I often mean that literally. Not only is OUAT much lighter, more fun, and more family-friendly than the similarly-themed Grimm, but they also use whatever version of the character fits best with the show, whether it's from the original source, the Disney movie version, or something else. And they cram all the fairy tale narratives into one community in a way that Shrek never even attempted. But it mostly works, and aside from the annoying little boy, nearly all of the characters are interesting and many are likeable. Plus, there's a number of crossovers (actors, Apollo bars, etc.) with Lost, one of my all-time favorite shows.

And my favorite new TV show of the 2011-2012 season...

New Girl, FOX

Episodes Watched: 24 of 24

Status for 2012-2013: Renewed for second season
For those who like: Quirky girls (and quirky guys too!)
Comments: My love for Zooey Deschanel was born after seeing Elf and solidified after The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I knew I would be watching this show to see her, even if it was awful. Thankfully, it was actually really entertaining. It actually only took a few episodes for Zooey's Jess to drop anywhere from the second to the fifth most interesting main character, depending on the episode. Her male roommates (especially Schmidt) steal the show every time. They could literally have a different "new girl" move in every season, and I'd keep watching. (But I still love Zooey.)

That's it! Finally done. If you read all the way to the end of any of these posts, let alone all four, then you like TV almost as much as me. And I thank you.

2011-2012 New Show Reviews, Part III

Back with more reviews of the 2011-2012 TV shows I watched at least one episode of! Use these as your guide when scouring Netflix or Amazon for a new thing to get into.

This is part 3 (part 1 is here, part 2 here). In case it hasn't been clear, I'm only reviewing shows that debuted between August 2011 and August 2012--this doesn't include all the "veteran" shows that I watch. Yes, I watch a lot of TV. But as these posts show, I do it at least in part as a public service to my readers. Plus, I still exercise at least some self-control--check out this list of 2011-2012 shows I was willing to give the old one-episode tryout, but chose not to:

GCB, Man Up!, Revenge, Scandal, Suburgatory, Work It (ABC); Bunheads (ABC Family); 2 Broke Girls, How To Be A Gentleman (CBS); Ringer (The CW); Anger Management (FX); Girls, Life's Too Short, Veep (HBO); Are You There, Chelsea?, Awake, Bent, Best Friends Forever (NBC); Homeland (Showtime); Men At Work (TBS); Dallas (TNT)

See? I'm a model of restraint. (I also don't want to pay for premium cable channels.) Anyway, let's get on with the reviews! I'm still listing them in ascending order of quality, which means that by the end of this installment we'll finally reach some shows that were semi-decent.

Duets, ABC

Episodes Watched: 9 of 9
Status for 2012-2013: Don't know (though it's still featured on ABC's website)
For those who like: Singing competitions but don't like watching the auditions; incomprehensible scoring systems
Comments: I shouldn't really say I "watched" all 9 episodes; I mostly just had it on as background noise while I was working. But even if I was giving it my undivided attention, I still don't think the way the first few rounds of eliminations would've made any sense. The highlight of the short season was definitely learning that Robin Thicke sounds just like his daddy.

Grimm, NBC

Episodes Watched: 6 of 22
Status for 2012-2013: Renewed for second season
For those who like: The non-Disney versions of fairy tales
Comments: This show lives up to its name. It's much more dark and violent than the other new fairy tale-themed show, Once Upon A Time (which I'll cover in Part 4), and therefore much less to my liking. I also didn't find the lead actor very likable, or very convincing as a hero. This is either the best bad show or the worst decent show in these rankings, I can't decide.

Person of Interest, CBS

Episodes Watched: 1 of 23
Status for 2012-2013: Renewed for second season
For those who like: Superhero franchise mashups
Comments: This show is kind of like "Batman meets Bourne," except in this case it's the Alfred-type who has all the money. It's a much more exciting version of Touch (people with special, unexplained powers, 9/11 connections, etc.). The premise was at least somewhat intriguing, but the presence of Michael Emerson (Ben Linus from Lost) ensured I'd be checking it out. (The other star is Jim Caviezel, which added another level to the strangely long list of connections between Lost and the movie Frequencey. May have to blog about that someday.) If this had been on any other network, I probably would've watched the whole season. But CBS doesn't put their shows on Hulu, and they make watching anything on their own website a major chore (ultra-long commercials, frequent streaming interruptions, etc.). As a result, the only things I watch on CBS are Survivor and March Madness, even though they air several shows I'm pretty sure I'd like (including Person of Interest).

Pan Am, ABC

Episodes Watched: 4 of 14
Status for 2012-2013: Canceled
For those who like: Aviation and sexism
Comments: Like Playboy Club, Pan Am tried to capitalize on the nostalgic popularity of shows like Mad Men, while seemingly overlooking the fact that setting a show in the '60s doesn't automatically mean your show will have good writing or acting. Still, Pan Am was a much better and more interesting show than Playboy Club (I work in the airline industry, so it's quite possible I'm a little biased in favor of Pan Am), and I hope to see the rest of the episodes at some point.

Missing, ABC

Episodes Watched: 3 of 10
Status for 2012-2013: Canceled
For those who like: James Bond, but wish he was an American housewife
Comments: Ashley Judd looks amazing, even when she's trying to look "normal," whether in this show (where she attempts to realistically portray a mother of a college-age son) or in real life. But the plotting and action sequences in this show are ridiculously unrealistic. There are several scenes in the handful of episodes I watched that make some of the more outlandish moments of 24 seem plausible. As I'm typing these comments, I'm realizing I probably ranked Missing too high. But I'm not going to change it now.

Terra Nova, FOX

Episodes Watched: 1 of 11
Status for 2012-2013: Canceled
For those who like: Dystopian dinosaur adventures
Comments: I didn't think the pilot was as bad as the reviewers were saying, or as the commercials made it seem like it would be. The special effects were good. That said, it clearly wasn't good enough to keep me watching.

Up All Night, NBC

Episodes Watched: 8 of 24
Status for 2012-2013: Renewed for second season (just 13 episodes)
For those who like: Mad About You
Comments: It's sad that a cast featuring hilarious people that I've loved in past shows (especially Will Arnett and Maya Rudolph) is so bland. It's a fine show, but there's absolutely nothing remarkable or memorable about it. Up All Night would've probably been a huge hit with audiences and critics in the '80s or '90s, but I expect more humor and creativity from my sitcoms in 2012.

Check back soon for the final installment, including my favorite new show of the season!

Be of good cheer

I'm a big sports fan. Have been since before I even understood most of the rules of the sports I watched. I follow pro basketball, baseball, and football pretty closely and have a favorite team in each league (plus a secondary team or two that I cheer for).

But my ultimate sports devotion is to BYU. I probably like college basketball more than college football, but since there are so few football games each one has more importance than a typical basketball game. The fact that there's just one game a week, usually on the weekend, makes each football game more of a must-see event. As a result, the most important sporting event of the year for me is the BYU-Utah football game.

This year's iteration of the Holy War takes place later tonight. The rivalry has lost a little of its luster, now that the teams aren't in the same conference, and after next year they may not play again for a while. Also, as I get older, my interest in sports hasn't waned but my passion has cooled off a bit. The drubbing BYU took last year probably didn't help things either.

All that being said...I'm still really excited for the game tonight. And I'll probably be pretty worked up (in a good way or a bad way, depending on the outcome) for at least a week after it's over.

I find following sports to be a great source of entertainment, but its clear that fan behavior can sometimes get out of control (which shouldn't be too surprising, since the word is derived from fanatic). Elder Holland said as much in his CES Fireside last Sunday, citing the poor treatment Daniel Bobik received from BYU fans when he returned to play them after transferring Oklahoma St. (Elder Holland didn't mention specific names, but he was definitely talking about Bobik.)

As Elder Holland spoke, a wave of guilt rushed over me. I was at the game in question, and while I didn't boo Bobik (the only athlete I will ever boo just because he left a team I like is Derek Fisher), Elder Holland's words reminded me of the shame I felt that day due to my peers' actions. They also reminded me of times when I exhibited poor fan behavior. Most of these times were back at Murray High School, the worst being the jeers I joined in showering upon our rivals at East High after some students there tried to form a Gay/Straight Alliance. Perhaps as a sort of karmic payback, everyone associates High School Musical with East, not realizing that part of the movie was shot at MHS.

When a prophet calls the wicked to repentance, you expect most of the people to ignore or deride (or worse) the counsel given. But when a prophet calls the "good guys" to repentance (in this case, fans of the so-called "lord's university"), there are two possible outcomes: the people humble themselves and repent, or they remain prideful and they don't. I hope that I and many others will heed the directive to avoid "checking our religion at the door" when it comes to sports fandom, including tonight's big football game.

This week in Sunday School, we read about a similar scenario--the Nephites had always been "the good guys," but they had gradually turned away from God until it became necessary for the Lord to send Samuel, a prophet from the hated Lamanites, to call them to repentance. This was Bobik's return taken to the extreme--rather than just boo Samuel, the Nephites tried to kill him. Fortunately, the aim of the Nephite Archery Corps (go here, then play the "NAC" clip--trust me, you WANT to do this) was about as accurate as a Jake Heaps pass.

There's only a few hours left to read these chapters before kickoff, so you'd better get on it. I know reading the Book of Mormon regularly will help us avoid checking our religion at the door.

2011-2012 New Show Reviews, Part II

Here's the second of what will be at least three installments of my reviews of all shows that debuted during the 2011-2012 television season that I watched at least one episode of.

Part I covered the new cable shows I tried out. Click here to read it.

Now, on to the new shows from the big four broadcasting networks. (I don't count The CW; I usually forget it even exists, and I don't think I've watched a new show on that network since The Search For the Next Doll.) (Yes, I watched that show. I watch a lot of TV. And Melissa Smith was robbed.)

As with Part I, I'll start with the worst show I watched and work my way up the list. Here we go.

I Hate My Teenage Daughter, FOX

Episodes Watched: 5 of 7
Status for 2012-2013: Canceled
For those who like: Southern accents, regardless of how inane the words are that are spoken with said accent
Comments: I seem to have already blocked out what makes this show awful. I don't really have anything to say about it. Just don't bother watching it.

Free Agents, NBC

Episodes Watched: 4 of 8 (only 4 were broadcast, but the others were made available online)
Status for 2012-2013: Canceled
For those who like: Herman's Head
Comments: Like Herman's Head, Agents is a show featuring Hank Azaria (who does Apu, Moe, Wiggum, and dozens of other voices on The Simpsons) about a bunch of single coworkers who are obsessed with sex. Unlike the underrated Head, Free Agents doesn't have a single likeable character, and the jokes are pretty weak too.

Charlie's Angels, ABC

Episodes Watched: 1 of 8 (only 7 episodes were broadcast)
Status for 2012-2013: Canceled
For those who like: Female spy shows, but think VIP was a better take on the genre than the original Angels
Comments: I have never watched Friday Night Lights (clearly, I'm too busy watching inferior shows), so while I had seen Minka Kelly before, and liked what I saw, I had never heard her speak. I should've quit while I was ahead, and left this show as unseen as the titular Charlie.

Allen Gregory, FOX

Episodes Watched: 7 of 7
Status for 2012-2013: Canceled
For those who like: Family Guy, but wish it was less funny and more mean-spirited
Comments: The less said about this Jonah Hill-produced animated stinker the better. Let's move along.

Whitney, NBC

Episodes Watched: 7 of 22
Status for 2012-2013: Renewed for a second season
For those who like: Sitcoms about three young, hip guys and three young, hip women who are friends, regardless if the show is funny or not
Comments: I enjoy the standup of the two leads, but they're not funny on this show. The lack of humor is exacerbated by the incessant laugh track. I don't watch the CBS sitcoms, so I'm unused to laugh tracks (besides Seinfeld reruns, but my brain seems to know it's an old show so it seems appropriate to have the background LOLs); it was jarring to hear, especially since nearly all the jokes fell flat.

Touch, FOX

Episodes Watched: 3 of 13
Status for 2012-2013: Renewed for a second season
For those who like: Rain Man; in fact, they like it so much they wish someone made a humorless prequel
Comments: It's bad enough that this show is boring. But it also made Jack Bauer into a powerless figure, and I won't stand for that.

Playboy Club, NBC

Episodes Watched: 3 of 3
Status for 2012-2013: Canceled
For those who like: Mad Men, but get distracted by things like good acting and interesting storylines
Comments: Yeah, I watched this show. The word "Playboy" gave this show an undeserved stigma (well, maybe semi-deserved), but it shouldn't have been as controversial as it was. KSL, Utah's NBC affiliate refused to air it, even though it's not any more immoral then sitcoms like Whitney or any more violent than shows like Law & Order, which KSL has aired without any problems. Not that Playboy Club is a family-friendly show by any stretch (I watch a lot of shows that are at least a little "inappropriate," but that's a topic for another day)--it's just not any more family-unfriendly than many other shows, and I think it's a bit hypocritical to ban it.

That being said, the show itself wasn't very good. They definitely tried to recreate the cool nostalgia of Mad Men, but the characters and plots just weren't interesting. Despite its short run, it was still able to produce the second-most cringeworthy line of the 2011-2012 TV season: Hugh Hefner's original PC was in Chicago, and that's where the show is set. Only club members with keys were granted access. In one episode, a character says they got into the club by borrowing a key from Abe Vroman. Yes, THAT Abe Froman from Chicago. Blech.

Last Man Standing, ABC

Episodes Watched: 2 of 24
Status for 2012-2013: Renewed for a second season
For those who like: Home Improvement (duh)
Comments: And the most cringeworthy line of the season? In the opening scene of the Last Man Standing pilot, Tim Allen walks in the door and shouts "I'm back!" His character had just come back from a long work trip, but the implication was obvious--Tim Allen had returned to conquer TV again! So annoying. It tainted my view of the show (which is quite accurately described as Home Improvement but with daughters instead of sons, and no Wilson) so much that I never went back to it after the first day (when they aired back-to-back episodes). Which is a shame, because I always like Nancy Travis.

That's good for now. Back soon for Part III!

2011-2012 New Show Reviews, Part I

Hey, did you know Matthew Perry has a new sitcom on NBC? If you watched even 10 minutes of their primetime Olympic coverage you do! The ads were unavoidable. They even interrupted the event coverage one night for a "full episode preview" of Perry's new show, Go On (or, as I like to call it, Goon). I watched it, and though it was a blatant attempt to rip off Community and market it to a more mainstream audience, it was better than anticipated.

Go On was the first major new show of the 2012-2013 TV season to debut (it's official premiere was Monday night). This means that the 2011-2012 season is over, and many of last year's new shows will be making their way to Netflix or DVD soon, if they're not available already. As a public service, I'm going to give (hopefully) brief reviews of every show to debut between August 2011 and August 2012 that I watched at least one episode of. (I've had intentions of doing this since at least last December; hopefully I'll remember the shows well enough that I haven't seen since last fall.)

This is definitely going to require multiple parts, though at this point I'm not sure how many. It will depend on how wordy I get about each show. If you didn't already know I watch a LOT of TV, you're about to. I'll limit Part I to the new cable shows I watched, listed in order from worst to best.

Brand X With Russell Brand, FX
Episodes Watched: 2 of 6
Status for 2012-2013: Seven new episodes ordered
For those who like: I don't know...leaving the TV on after Louie ends?
Comments: Ugh. I've never been a Brand fan; his Saturday Night Live appearance was ok, but his stand-up and his VMA hosting gigs were awful. On Brand X, Brand has an intentionally humorless sidekick (interesting choice for a comedy show) who feeds the host statistics he just Googled, and Brand riffs on them, inevitably making vulgar, unfunny jokes. Stay away from this one.

Baseball Wives, VH1
Episodes Watched: 4 of 8
Status for 2012-2013: Canceled
For those who like: Basketball Wives, but wish it wasn't so, um, urban.
Comments: This is the first show in the "housewives" genre that I've ever watched, and despite my admitted TV addiction, I'm confident it will be the last. Most of those other shows took place in potentially exciting locales like New York, Miami, Los Angeles, etc. Baseball Wives is set in Scottsdale, Arizona. That's strike one. The term "baseball wives" is used pretty loosely, too. The cast members are all either married to or divorced from retired players, except for one, who used to sleep with a current major-leaguer but was never anything close to his wife. That's strike two. And the show is soooo boring. In the confessional interviews you'll hear things like "I invited Anna to lunch to discuss the comment Erika made at our lunch last week." NOTHING happens on this show! That's strike three. Total whiff by Baseball Wives.

Full disclosure: the main reason I gave this show a try was because of Anna Benson. She gained notoriety about a decade ago for her outlandish comments and some racy pictures that littered the Internet. She became a bigger star than her husband, a mediocre pitcher. I thought she would make the show entertaining, or at least be nice to look at. Wrong on both counts. She's a horrible, rude person, and when I finally heard her voice for the first time, any potential physical allure disappeared as well. She sounds like a 80-year-old woman who's smoked three packs of cigarettes a day for 60 years.

Key & Peele, Comedy Central

Episodes Watched: 8 of 8
Status for 2012-2013: Renewed for 2nd season
For those who like: In Living Color
Comments: It's ok sketch comedy from a couple of former MADtv cast members. A couple of laughs per episode, but no single sketch or character that was really memorable. I like the genre, so I'll probably keep watching when the new episodes start up later this month.

Totally Biased With W. Kamau Bell, FX

Episodes Watched: 4 of 4
Status for 2012-2013: Unknown; the original order of 6 episodes hasn't even been completed yet
For those who like: Political commentary with a sprinkling of humor
Comments: There's a racial bent to everything on this show, and sometimes it's pretty forced. I love jokes about politics and other potentially divisive issues as much as anyone, but there actually have to be, you know, jokes. Just being indignant about something or insulting those whose views differ from yours is not the same as telling jokes. There's some humor in Bell's monologues, but not enough. He's done a couple of "man on the street" segments that have been pretty entertaining. Biased is a HUGE step up from Brand X, but it's definitely no Daily Show.

The Newsroom, HBO

Episodes Watched: 1 of 10
Status for 2012-2013: Renewed for a second season
For those who like: Every other Aaron Sorkin project
Comments: HBO surprisingly made the full pilot available on YouTube, otherwise I probably wouldn't have ever seen this show. I think I was a little prejudiced by some negative reviews I read before watching the episode, but a lot of the criticisms leveled against the show are true: it's at least a little pompous, the characters' ultra-competence at their jobs is incongruous with their failures in relationships, etc. But I love TV, and I love shows about TV, so I kinda liked it. Not enough to subscribe to HBO, but if they want to put more episodes online for free, I'll watch.

Pop-Up Video, VH1

Episodes Watched: Don't know for sure, but probably at least 50 of the 60 new episodes
Status for 2012-2013: The new season is already underway
For those who like: Music videos, and those who LOVE trivial tidbits about the production of said videos
Comments: This is a reboot of the show that aired from 1996-2002. Most of the "popped" videos are from the years after the show's original run stopped, but occasionally they'll slip in some "classic" '90s videos from the likes of De La Soul, Foo Fighters, or Goo Goo Dolls. I love music videos and I love trivia (especially cheeky trivia like the bits given here), so this show is tailor-made for me. It's always a fun half-hour.

Hoffmann of the Month: September

The "Hoffmann of the Month" for September is Academy Award-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman--joining Dustin as the only men with the tough dilemma of deciding whether their HotM trophy or their Oscar gets the preeminent spot on the mantel.

(Just kidding...you may be surprised to know there is no trophy presented to Hoffmann of the Month winners. Actually, you're probably not surprised. But if there was a trophy, it would be at least as prestigious as the Oscar. And it would probably have chocolate inside.)

The reason for P. Seymour's selection? Later this month, The Master hits theaters. The above trailer, along with the others that have been released, paints a picture of a creepy, intensely awesome movie about a cult (Hoffman plays the leader) that the director swears isn't based on Scientology but probably is.

Although the movie looks great, and it features Amy Adams (who I always like), I probably won't see it, at least not for a while, because I never see movies in theaters. In fact, I've seen very little of Mr. Hoffman's work--just Almost Famous, Mission: Impossible III, and Moneyball. But that's enough of a sample that I can tell he's a good actor, a real actor, one of the few who actually seems to be acting rather than just playing  themselves in every movie. Actually, the people I consider good actors would make a good evolutionary chart, with Paul Giamatti on the left, Hoffman in the middle, and Russell Crowe on the far right. I should come up with a few more guys to fill in the gaps.

Also, he was just cast in a major role for the Hunger Games sequel (only mentioning that to make my post come up more often in Web searches).

Congratulations, Philip Seymour Hoffman. You're a master actor, a master "Hoffmann," and I'm excited to eventually see The Master. Nobody post spoilers in the comments.