The Gilmore Girls and Other TV Alternatives

[BBOvenGuy]

Well, if you'd seen the episode last year where they visited Harvard, you'd have thought it looked like UCLA. Oh wait, it was UCLA. Harvard never gave them permission to film on their campus.



On a completely different topic, don't forget that Birds of Prey is premiering tonight!



Since I've already been watching Enterprise and Law & Order, this makes Wednesday my best TV night. Or my VCR's best TV night anyway, since I'm at rehearsal half the time...

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"A man who fails well is greater than one who succeeds badly" - Thomas Merton

Edited by: BBOvenGuy  at: 10/9/02 4:15:04 pm

[sparrow]

Remember that Birds of Prey will be a 70 minutes episode tonight. Just a helpful little reminder.

And, yet, I just can't seem to care


What, no hug

[Italiangirl]

So, watched the Birds of Prey premiere tonight, and I'm interested in getting feedback from other watchers.



Personally, I was REALLY looking forward to this, and tonight's episode was a little bit of a letdown. I'll keep watching more episodes and hopefully they will get better with time (like the Gilmore Girls...subsequent eps WAY better than the series premiere).



I thought the three heroines lacked chemistry with one another. I thought there was something off with the lighting/set design, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Perhaps it should have been grittier looking, and looked too fake and like a tv show set. Finally, I thought the episode moved too slowly.



I thought the flashback sequences showing batgirl, batman, the joker, and catwoman were extremely well done. The costume design was really wonderful. Hopefully, the action and the character's chemistry will pick up as the series progresses.

"You're in my blood like holy wine/ You taste so bitter, and so sweet

Darling, I could drink a case of you/ And still be on my feet;

I would still be on my feet." -Joni Mitchell

[slowontheuptake]

I agree with the BOP problems but i wasn't expecting much. This was widely revamped from the origional version and that never bodes well. I'll wait till the second ep to pass judgement.

I do have to say I was a little dissapoined at them making Harley Quinn the big bad. The comic book and animated Harley is an enigmatic, highly entertaining A.D.D. inspired sociopath (plus she's sort of gay ). This incarnation of her doesn't sit well with me.

[DestruktorMel]

I also just finished up watching the Birds of Prey Premiere. And yeah, this was the new series I was probably looking forward to the most.



Overall, it was good. Not great, but not a disappointment either. It usually takes a while for a new show to really come together, and since this is the reworked pilot, it's obvious the show is still trying. The episode was good enough to at least get me to commit for another 12 episodes, so it did its job.



As for chemistry...I saw something between Oracle and Huntress, but I think Dinah might take a little more time. Especially since she is so much younger than they are. I do have to agree about some of the sets looking really fake. A few times, I was watching and it just totally took my attention away from the story. I'm hoping that will get better with time.



I haven't seen the original pilot, so I have nothing to compare her to, but damn if Mia Sara didn't rock the house at the end. I may be a little biased, Ferris Bueller is one of my all time favorite comedies, but after that last scene, I was so very happy they decided to recast the part. I'm already looking forward to all the little ways she's going to manipulate Helena when she finds out who she really is.



Anyway, decent first outing, looking forward to more.

[BBOvenGuy]

Apparently Birds of Prey was a big hit in the overnight ratings, so it looks like they'll have plenty of time to smooth out the rough spots in the series.



Here was my review of the original pilot:

Quote:

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The Tone : The various incarnations of the Batman universe have ranged from Tim Burton dark to Adam West camp. This one is more on the dark side, somewhere in the vicinity of the 90s animated series and a bit more grown up than Batman Beyond.



The Story : This particular episode was routine and predictable, but I can forgive that in a pilot.



The Characters : I like all three of the starring women. Helena comes off about like how I'd expect Charisma Carpenter to look playing the title role on Buffy - that's high school Buffy, by the way, not the self-involved depression case she's been turned into. Dinah is cheerful and perky, but not too annoying. Barbara reminds me a little of Tracy Scoggins as Captain Lochley on Babylon 5, although with a bit calmer air around her.



Overall, a really good beginning. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next.

---

I haven't seen the revised pilot yet. It's waiting for me on a videotape, since I was at rehearsal last night. Once I've seen it, I'll let you know how much changed from the original.

------------------------------------------------
"A man who fails well is greater than one who succeeds badly" - Thomas Merton

Edited by: BBOvenGuy  at: 10/10/02 12:37:14 pm

[Dumbsaint]

I was hoping you'd offer to clue us in on what was changed, Bob. Found myself wondering about that last night. I already posted my thoughts about the BOP pilot in the TV/movie discussion thread, so I'll pipe down. For once. Heh.

"And never let it be said that I left a Tara craving unsatisfied." Willow, Wilderness Pt. 1

[BBOvenGuy]

Okay, I've seen the revised Birds of Prey pilot now. It's mostly the same thing I saw before, but there are a few significant differences.



1) The narration by Alfred the butler at the beginning is new. In the original version, the same sequence played out with no narration at all, except for a TV news reporter who gave us bits of information here and there. I guess the producers were worried that the sequence was too confusing or something. I didn't think it was, but that might be just me.



2) The scene with Barbara and the boyfriend is completely new. In the original version, Barbara was breaking up with him, not meeting him for the first time. It's the same actor playing the boyfriend, though.



3) The first scene between Helena and Harlie has a lot more exposition than it did before. Also, Mia Sara is a lot better as Harlie. Sherilyn Fenn seemed awkward and reserved by comparison. Mia plays the role with some of the same animation (no pun intended) that the cartoon Harlie had.



4) An entire argument between Barbara and Helena has been cut. It took place when Helena got back from the apartment where she met Detective Reese, and in my initial review I described it this way:

Quote:

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Helena returns to the clock tower. Barbara is upset by Helena's refusal to keep her identity secret - Helena won't even wear a mask. "You want me to dress like my parents," says Helena. "Being a crime fighter doesn't mean I have to be a fashion casualty." Helena thinks a costume is too conspicuous, which makes Barbara question the outfit Helena has on. "It's trendy," says Helena. "I could go clubbing in it." Again with the argument about their lives as crime fighters. "You sought him out and convinced him to train you," says Helena. "You chose your mentor. I don't even know if I want to be in the family business." Barbara counters that being stuck in the wheelchair isn't what she wants, but she stays because it's who she is. She says the Helena can leave, but sooner or later she'll be back, too, because it's who she is.

---

The interesting thing is that they kept the subsequent punch line, when the bad guy compliments Helena on her outfit and she tells him she's going dancing later. That was a direct reference back to the argument that is now missing. I'd read somewhere that the producers didn't want to make Barbara and Helena as antagonistic as the original pilot had depicted them, but I liked the argument and was disappointed that it had been removed.



Other than that, the only differences were that a few lines had been snipped here and there. Nothing significant, but because I'd heard them before I noticed they were missing. I don't think they detracted from the overall story, though.



It'll be interesting to see what happens next week. Judging from the previews, it looks like they've changed the Huntress costume already.

------------------------------------------------
"A man who fails well is greater than one who succeeds badly" - Thomas Merton

[kbk3022]

I would have liked to have seen that argument too. I don't see why they would have taken it out. I liked the episode though, I especially loved the batgirl flashbacks.



Kasey

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"You should come around here on Halloween,
you'd really see something then...
we all jump off the roof and fly."

[BBOvenGuy]

Here's something new on Gilmore Girls from our old buddy Wanda:

Quote:

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Duel Purpose: Step aside, Lex Luthor. There are some new fencing fanatics in Froggy town. This week, I had the pleasure of speaking with Liza Weil, who plays Paris on Gilmore Girls, and she had a little cutting-edge scoop: In a November episode, Rory and Paris will be sparring--this time, with swords.



"It's going to get very competitive," Liza said, "and obviously, they want it to look real. So, Alexis (Bledel) and I are doing fencing training. It's a bit scary when your character's supposed to be good at something and you've never done it before! I've been able to start training a little earlier than Alexis, though, because she has to be on set every day."



Sounds like Paris might have the upper hand.



Of course, fight scenes aren't the only action in Paris' future. She also has a love interest for the first time this season--Jamie, played by that delicious Brandon Brash. "He's the best fake boyfriend I've ever had," Liza said with a laugh. "And they've been really great in how they've dealt with it in the writing. Now that she has this man in her life, this layer of hardness is melting, and we've seen a whole new side to her, which is nice. He's good to her--at least in the beginning."



Hmmmm...Could there be trouble ahead in Paris-dise? "I don't know," she said, "but I'm sure whatever happens, Paris will most likely freak out. I think I would have to check myself into the hospital if I were that high strung."

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And speaking of Gilmore Girls, I drove out to Van Nuys yesterday to see if I could catch a glimpse of what they were doing on location at Birmingham High School. There was a major encampment, with trailers covering an entire section of the parking lot. Not surprising, since they've been there all week. It also looked like they'd blocked off the windows on the upper floor of an entire wing of the building. Something major is going on. I can't help wondering if that's where they film the Chilton scenes - although I've never seen them at that location on the shoot sheet before so I kind of doubt it. I guess we'll find out soon enough.



And on an unrelated topic, was anyone else impressed once again by Elisabeth Röhm in this season's second Law & Order episode? It looks like the writers have finally figured out her character.

------------------------------------------------
"A man who fails well is greater than one who succeeds badly" - Thomas Merton

[roamin]

Well I just watched GG last night - and I love the way they are setting up Rory to not go to Harvard. I loved the Springsteens, I went to school with the Springsteens!



Being a prep school grad who was on the ivy league conveyer belt myself and wound up getting off (I decided I needed a larger school), I can't help but wonder if they are setting Rory up to question the whole Ivy League thing, not just Harvard - who knows, maybe she'll end up in a state school.

[DestruktorMel]

You know, I was just talking to a friend of mine about Helena not wearing a mask. I really wish that scene had stayed, because I kept wondering why the hell she wasn't wearing one. Now that won't bug me as much.



About Gilmore Girls, could they be filming the interior of Yale in that high school? Either that, or maybe it's Jamie's school. Or Paris and Rory visit some other private school for some reason. Maybe for another debate. It's always fun to watch Paris make the other team cry . I can't wait to see them fence each other. That is bound to be hysterical.

[Italiangirl]

Bob, interesting to hear your thoughts about the BOP premiere. From what you mentioned, overall their alterations were an improvement. Hopefully, it will keep improving with time.



On another note, I'm THRILLED! to read that you are scouting Gilmore Girls location shoots. I really enjoyed your "Roving Reporter" posts about Buffy last season, and was kind of missing them thus far this season. The fact that you are slowly shifting in GG mode is great! Feel free to keep on posting those reports!



You can consider this a nomination in your favor for the title of Kitten Reporter Extraordinaire. I think I might even make you a little badge, lol. "Eye of Us" or maybe "Boss of Location Shoots." Watch for it. It's coming...heh heh heh

"You're in my blood like holy wine/ You taste so bitter, and so sweet

Darling, I could drink a case of you/ And still be on my feet;

I would still be on my feet." -Joni Mitchell

Edited by: Italiangirl  at: 10/11/02 4:49:07 pm

[BBOvenGuy]

Well, I'm not really scouting like I did last year, but the GG's turn up on the schedule so rarely that I decided to swing by and take a look.



I've been wondering for the past couple of days if I could put together a book of little-known shooting locations around LA. I bet it would sell, but it would also be a lot of effort that might be better expended elsewhere. I'm still pondering it.

------------------------------------------------
"A man who fails well is greater than one who succeeds badly" - Thomas Merton

[kbk3022]

So I watched Alias again tonight, it was pretty good. But I couldn't help but think of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory when Sydney got into her little rocket suit thing. That and it was distracting at the end with the white stuff all over her face. The next episode looks to be better than this one was.



Kasey

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"You should come around here on Halloween,
you'd really see something then...
we all jump off the roof and fly."

[Chino6069]

I've not seen it mentioned yet so I guess apart from me no other Brits have been watching 'Tipping the Velvet' then



I heard the BBC got loads of complaints about it....



that there WASN'T ENOUGH SEX in it



Well they all better tune in this week and be ready for a cold afterwards.



I loved Miss Kitty, Keely Hawes is a hottie and her love scenes with Nan were



Anyone who missed it, don't worry. For once the BEEB are on their toes and the video and DVD will be out in a couple of weeks time. Ohh I wonder if the DVD will have any extras

[mollyig]

Chino, there's a whole thread devoted to TTV here

Adding up the total of a love that's true, multiply life by the power of two
Indigo Girls

[Anne860]

Did anyone watch Sarah Michelle Gellar host Saturday Night Live? It wasn't particularly funny and SMG's acting was stilted at best, but there was one skit that got me laughing.



After a big speech about how much her man loves her (an obvious parody of many pop love songs) he says that he's not in the mood, and she says "Okay, you wanna watch the Gilmore Girls instead?"



"Okay," he says, and they both leave.



Now if only they could have gotten The Gilmore Girls to host...

"Murder is the worst kind of pornography, murder is let me do what I want taken to its final extreme. I believe that even make believe murder should be taken seriously...To think that I might have written such a hellishly convenient death in a book, ever, sickens me. " -- from Bag of Bones, by Stephen King

Edited by: Anne860 at: 10/14/02 5:08:48 am

[BytrSuite]

Oh! I saw that Anne. I about died laughing. SMG is hosting and they mention the show that is on opposite her show. Gotta love that.

————––

"There's a whole lot of singing that's never gonna be heard

Disappearing everyday without so much as a word somehow"

[BBOvenGuy]

Hmmmm... sounds like SMG couldn't resist a little dig at her own show. Ya gotta love it. : -->



Last night was Round 3 of my ongoing Alias vs. SG-1 debate, and for the first time SG-1 was the winner. Alias is starting to look a bit repetitive and silly.



The whole mission to the rocket launch almost put me off the show completely, to be honest. I mean come on, the rocket they showed us was a Saturn V, the enormous moon rocket that's been obsolete for almost 30 years. There's plenty of stock footage around of rockets like the Arianne, the Delta and the Titan, all of which really do put satellites into orbit. Did they use the Saturn V just so they could reuse some special effects shots from Apollo 13?



Okay, I realize I've just outed myself as a major space geek, but there you go...

------------------------------------------------
"A man who fails well is greater than one who succeeds badly" - Thomas Merton

[slowontheuptake]

I admit I watched SNL which I usually avoid. The only consistantly funny thing tends to be Tina Fey (tasty) and the weeked update. Even that was a little off this week. I was hoping (beyond hope) for a buffy parody. The only enjoyable skit was the Agulara 'making of' video mockery. That was pretty funny.



Anyone else enjoying 'She Spies' now that it's in sydication (hangs head in shame). It's unbelivably stupid and self effected and I'm realy starting to enjoy it. Bonus points for having a super cute blond (the short one).

I'm weak, I know that.

[DestruktorMel]

I tried to watch SNL, but couldn't. I just didn't find it very funny.



The super cute short blond from She Spies would be Kristen Miller. Here is where the geek in me kicks in. For anyone who remembers Malibu Shores with Charisma, Kristen actually had recurring part in that. But here is where I hang my head in shame. Kristen was also in a little teen show on the USA Network called USA High. She played the headmasters daughter. It was a cute show, kind of like a Saved by the Bell type deal. In fact, it aired with repeats of SBTB: The New Class. And it is very very sad that i know that...

[Italiangirl]

Slowontheuptake, you said:

Quote:

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The only consistantly funny thing tends to be Tina Fey (tasty) and the weeked update.

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I couldn't agree with you more! IMHO, Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon are the best Weekend Update anchors ever, and that includes the 70s cast with Chevy Chase, The Fabulous Gilda Radner, and Jane Curtain. (can't tell I've got a little thing for Gilda, can you?)



They make lesbian jokes about Tina Fey all the time during the WU segments, does anyone know, out of curiousity, if she really is a lesbian? If not, what's with all the in-jokes? Oh, and did anyone see the season closer last season when Winona Ryder came out at the end of WU and announced she was pregnant and didn't know if the baby was Tina's or Jimmy's? Very funny stuff.



Also, did anyone know that Tina Fey is actually one of the show's head writers? Hmmmm. Fun facts.

"You're in my blood like holy wine/ You taste so bitter, and so sweet

Darling, I could drink a case of you/ And still be on my feet;

I would still be on my feet." -Joni Mitchell

Edited by: Italiangirl  at: 10/14/02 10:00:04 pm

[slowontheuptake]

I did know that Tina is writer but only since the Emmies when the show won some awards (I have no idea why).



I'm not sure if shes gay (my gaydar says no but it might be broken) but she's just as hot either way.

I agree that the current weekend update team is by far the funniest ever on SNL. It's the only reason I catch the show on E at all.

[kbk3022]

Yeah, I like Tina Fey too. I'm with slowontheuptake,weekend update's pretty much the only reason I watch the show anymore. All my favorites have left. But, in regards to Tina Fey, I believe she's married. I think she just got married pretty recently. I seem to remember her saying that on a talk show a while back. But yeah, she's hot and a head writer too, which makes her even hotter.



Kasey

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"You should come around here on Halloween,
you'd really see something then...
we all jump off the roof and fly."

[Anne860]

No argument here on Tina Fey. Brilliant, beautiful, and funny as hell. No wonder she's married.



The only news-related shows I watch are the Daily Show and Weekend Update. It's sad, but I think those two are far more insightful than most real news programs. (The Daily Show treated the election debacle like the farce it was and won a Peabody.)



Viable alternatives to Buffy: Well I was going to suggest making Farscape your new obsession 'cause, hey, check out the strong female characters and--get this--likeable male characters! But since it's being cancelled, due to Sci Fi being hellbent on losing it's female audience and whatever critical respect it had, I'll have to point you in the direction of Smallville.



Granted, its lead isn't a woman, but he is a sympathetic and admirable hero, who has a friend who will someday become his adversary, a big improvement over Joss and his "Willow as Dark Phoenix" arc, since Lex Luthor is the very definition of moral ambiguity. (Plus, his female friends aren't shot, nearly raped, or otherwise victimized on a weekly basis.) It's effectively taken up the mantle of Hip Teenage Fantasy That's Smart Enough For Adults which Buffy dropped last year. (See what happens when you leave things like that just lying around?) Also, it's on after the Gilmore Girls and staying tuned in will increase GG's effectiveness as a lead-in show, thus insuring continued success for our favorite alternative.

"Murder is the worst kind of pornography, murder is let me do what I want taken to its final extreme. I believe that even make-believe murders should be taken seriously...To think that I might have written such a hellishly convenient death in a book, ever, sickens me. " -- from Bag of Bones, by Stephen King

Edited by: Anne860 at: 10/15/02 2:40:21 am

[BBOvenGuy]

Okay, so who chose the more enjoyable option tonight and tuned in to Gilmore Girls? I knew I'd made the right decision from the moment Lorelai started talking about the premonitions she was having about her death. I think my favorite was the one where she was eaten by the turtle.



And on top of that, we had Lane's hair dye rebellion, Rory's ongoing obsession over Jess and Shane, and Lorelai getting ambushed by the moms with identical hair styles. Another hour of fun, quite unlike another show I could mention...

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"A man who fails well is greater than one who succeeds badly" - Thomas Merton

[Ben Varkentine]

That is strange...the Buffy ep tonight was about a girl who was having premonitions of her death.

Ben Varkentine

"You can lead a horticulture, but you can't make her think."--Dorothy Parker

[superherofan]

I finally watched a "Gilmore Girl's" ep. Wow... fun, snappy dialogue. Likable characters. A few laugh-out-loud moments. Loved Lorelai's bitchfest with the blond soccer Moms, and Lane's little panic on the staircase. Followed by a fun, if cheesy, "Smallville".



Tuesday is definitely WB night.

[slowontheuptake]

Ah, I knew you would all fall in step with my nefarious plans. Today the kitten board, tomorrow the world.

Ahem. I'm glad new people are starting to enjoy the GG. Tonight's ep was pretty darn funny. Poor Lane! I missed Paris though. Oh well. There's only so many slightly bent supporting charactors that can be crammed in a single ep.

Enjoyed Smallville as well. 'Dark Clark'. That's just good fun. The best part? The look Lex gave Clark when he first saw Clark's new badass clothes. Pointless subtext speculation is so much fun!

Second best part? Nonexistent subtext creation. Did you see when Chloe pushed around Lana even though there was plenty of room? Aah, good stuff.