THE TKTV NEWSLETTER
Season 4, Episode 2 aired January 22, 2001

CONTENTS
1. Intro
2. Don't Miss
3. Media Junkie
     -by guest writer Jason Friedman
4. TV Trivia
5. Dark Angel
     -by guest writer J.C. Cleary
6. Favorite quotes of the week
7. A totally unrelated link
1. Intro

So I asked for something different from "The Practice," and I got it. Although the storyline still trails from Lindsay's defense of William Hinks, watching Bobby Donnell as the defendant is riveting. The combination of problems arising within the firm and Eugene's new leadership style is a great way to stir things up. Kelli Williams shines as the distressed pregnant wife, who, although she has defended numerous murder suspects in her day, still can't believe that this is actually happening to her own husband.

The Golden Globes were not particulary exciting this year. Once again, an actress (Renee Zellwegger) was caught in the bathroom when her name was called as the winner. Only this time, we didn't have Robin Williams to jump up on stage and fill the dead air, so her award was almost accepted on her behalf by the presenter.

The strangest moment of all was definitely Elizabeth Taylor presenting at the end. The legendary and rather elderly actress seemed befuddled by the crowd, the teleprompter and the envelope, and although both she and the ever-professional Dick Clark covered nicely, there were some concerns as to whether or not the Best Movie award would be properly bestowed. Congratulations, by the way, to "Gladiator," which totally deserved the honor it finally received.

So far I've caught a couple of the new mid-season shows. "Popstars," on the WB, is exactly ABC's "Making the Band" except with girls instead of boys. What was the point? And UPN's new animated show, "Gary & Mike," needs to settle in a bit, but it could be really funny as long as it doesn't get offensive.

I hope everyone is having a nice begining to the year 2001, and that you're gearing up for February sweeps. TKTV's first show site launch of the season is for David E. Kelley's new show, "Boston Public." Check out the detailed episode guide, as well as news about the show and previews of upcoming episodes at http://bostonpublic.tktv.net.

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2. Don't Miss

For details and lots more fun TV to look forward to, see
http://www.tktv.net/index.html?/upcoming.html

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3. Media Junkie by Jason Friedman

Upon viewing the triumphant return of "Oz," I almost want to reconsider my top ten list from last week and put it #1. The show continues to dazzle with multiple story arcs. This was a brilliant opener because it gave a brief overview about the prison. If you haven't been watching, you still won't understand all of the character nuances. The story had Ally Sheedy guesting as a reporter doing a documentary on Oz. The funniest part was asking inmate Tobias Beecher how has Oz changed him. Before taking up residence in Oz, Beecher was a clean cut lawyer, married with two kids. Since coming to Oz, he as been divorced, his wife and son have been killed, he has been raped, become addicted to various drugs, and has generally gone nuts. Watching his transformation from a straight arrow lawyer with no street sense to basically going crazy has been intriguing.

The best part of the show is its unpredictability. The very first episode saw one of the main characters killed off. Last season's finale was particularly surprising: Simon Adebisi, the prisoner that ran Oz, was apparently killed by Said. Said is a devout Muslim who abhors any violence (it was ruled self-defense). If you can handle an extremely brutal show, give it a chance. If you aren't bothered by it, you will love it.

Doesn't anybody want to laugh anymore??? Jeff Zucker, the new programming honcho at NBC, mentioned right away the need for new comedies. Let's face it, there just aren't really too many quality comedies on. I find many of the current dramas more consistently funny. "Becker" is usually funny. "Will & Grace" has definitely gone downhill and is in danger of becoming a caricature. "Sex & The City" is a good show, but it isn't really a comedy. I don't care what the ratings say, Raymond is not funny. "Friends" isn't what it once was, but it is still pretty good. I never thought "Frasier" was funny. The problem for the nets is that comedies play great in syndication (where the big $$ is). Dramas don't really work in syndication, unless they are self-contained units like "Law & Order". It is just much harder to make people laugh.

Though it didn't make it through a whole season.... "Freaks and Geeks" is a brilliant show. Currently, it can be seen in reruns on the Fox Family channel on Tuesdays from 8pm-10pm. It is a realistic look at high school through the eyes of the unpopular kids. It is kinda the anti-WB. You actually believe these kids talk the way they do. The entire cast is flawless. Look for James Franco to become a star. He will be playing James Dean in a TNT movie, in the Spiderman movie, and co-starring with Robert DeNiro in a flick. I am looking forward to Judd Apatow's (creator of Freaks) midseason replacement for Fox called "Undeclared." It takes a look at college kids, which I can't recall being done before. One of the stars will be Seth Rogen, who was hilarious as the heavy-set, mutton chopped kid on Freaks.

TKTV is always looking for new guest writers. Do you have an idea for an article? Write to TK with the subject of "guestwriter."

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4. TV Trivia

Last week's question was: who played the original Michael Wiseman on CBS's one-season wonder "Now & Again" before his brain was put into a bio-engineered body?

First prize goes to Zoe R. Congratulations!

Honorable mentions go to Leo W. and Faith W.

The correct answer was John Goodman, of the late "Normal, Ohio" on Fox and the much beloved "Roseanne."

This week's question is: which CBS sitcom actress starred in the 1988 film "The Blob?"

Send answers to TK at tk@tktv.net with the subject of tvtrivia. Winners will be chosen at random from all the correct answers.

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5. Dark Angel by J.C. Cleary

I was excited, I was stoked, I was pumped, I was a lot of things. You know that feeling you get (most of you avid TV viewers know what I'm talking about) when you see a commercial around July for what looks like a great TV show that'll be out in October? You just can't wait to see it, and you find yourself scouring newspapers, the Internet, even those God-awful entertainment shows. It's like a little bad habit you have for a month or two.

Such was the case when I first saw that now-infamous commercial of Jessica Alba sitting atop the Space Needle. I have to admit, I got bit by the Dark Angel bug. I read about it, talked about it, and even went so far as to start up a TKTV branch for the show, and I'd never even administered a website before. On Tuesday, October 3rd, I grabbed my popcorn bowl and Big Gulp, and plopped down on my sofa for the two hour fulfillment to all my anticipation. By my side was my handy-dandy notebook to summarize the episode. Of course, there was also a tape in my VCR recording. It was then, as John Mellencamp says, that the walls came tumbling down. After only two episodes, I was through with Max and Company. I went from Webmaster to Naysayer after a mere three hours of viewing. What turned me off from this exceptionally promising show? Ah, where to begin?

Start from the start, a wise man once said, so I will. The premise of the show was touted as Blade Runner meets Brave New World, meets...well whatever. The point is, it's been done before. Post-nuclear apocalyptic storylines have been used by sci-fi authors and directors for years, and let's face it, they got tired right around the time the cold war ended. It was then that the genre seemed to shift toward flying celestial bodies hurling toward earth, but that's a topic for another essay. I guess I'm disappointed here because I expected, perhaps naively so, a lot more from someone with the stature of James Cameron. Say what you will about his popularity or personality, but the man makes a mean film, and as a fan of Aliens, and Terminator One and Two, I was looking for something innovative, something ground-breaking. Something special.

I'll continue by saying that I won't spend any time bashing Jessica Alba. God only knows how much has been said about her in the media, and kicking a dead horse won't do my point any good. All I'll say is that she might not have been the best choice for the part. She's beautiful and athletic, no doubt about it, but unfortunately, that's about all she brings to the part. In fact, it is in her character that the real weakness of the show lies.

In all of what we've seen of her, with the exception of the dependence on a herbal dietary supplement, Max is basically invincible, to the point of being annoying. She beats up ten or twenty bad guys at a time, outruns bullets, has binocular eyes, and can somehow communicate with guard dogs. She has yet to have a real challenge in battle or otherwise, and her arch-enemy, Lydecker, who is supposed to be a military mastermind and ruthless leader, comes off looking more like a bumbling moron, a mindless clown whom Max evades with ease and makes to look stupid on a regular basis. I keep waiting for him to utter "Curses, foiled again," or something like that. While having an extraordinary character like Max is certainly a good thing, taking it this far is not.

What I think the writers of the show are missing is the fact that what makes superheros great is not that they have no weaknesses, but that they can overcome their weaknesses and win out in the end. Superman, for example, was one powerful guy, but he had his weaknesses, and lots of worthy opponents, and there was always that side of you that wondered if he would win the battle. It was that same side that made you cheer when he finally did. This battle between good and evil is lost in Dark Angel, and is probably the show's true missing ingredient. Where is the challenge? Where is the worthy opponent for this extraordinary hero? Never once do we ever wonder if someone will get the best of Max, or if she'll escape from Lydecker's clutches. As a result, we are left with episodes and storylines which, while certainly cinematically pleasing, have no element of suspense whatsoever. It's a bit like watching a sporting event after it's happened: the action is still there, but the fact that you already know the end result defeats your excitement.

Maybe I really don't know what I'm talking about, as the foreign press has nominated the show for several Golden Globes, most notably one for Jessica Alba as best actress in a drama. Then again, I'm not a professional critic after all. I guess more than anything I'm trying to voice the feelings of a disappointed fan.

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6. Favorite quotes of the week

From Nikki
Dwight: That baby better look like me.
Nikki: Aw, all babies look like you.

From Yes, Dear
Christine: Jimmy can really sneak up on you. One day you're in high school sitting in class saying who's that idiot trying to shove his whole fist in his mouth, next thing you know you're saying, hey mom, look what my husband can do.

From The People's Choice Awards
Kevin James: Mel Gibson. Mel, from his new movie "What Women Want." Make sure you keep an eye out for my movie, "What Women Settle For."

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7. A totally unrelated link

The Celebrity ABC Gum Project

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The reasonable man adapts himself to the world;
the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.
Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
-George Bernard Shaw