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LOST!! DAMAGES!! HELL'S!! TREK!! 24!! CURB!! IMPOSSIBLE!! MUPPET!! MST3K!! 4400!! INVADERS! TILA!! VERONICA!! HercVault!!
SPOILER ALERT !!
I am – Hercules!!
A legal thriller from writer-producers Todd & Glenn Kessler (“The Sopranos”) about a law-school grad who finds herself caught up in a new firm and a case that could get those closest to her killed, “Damages”
might be the best series ever offered up by FX.
It stars Rose Byrne (“Attack of the Clones,” “28 Weeks Later”), Glenn Close (“The Shield”), Ted Danson (“Body Heat”), Tate Donovan (“The O.C.”) and Jamie Bamber’s magnetic blonde sister Anastasia Griffith, who appeared in the little-seen remake of “Alfie.” Like her brother, Griffith is a half-American Britisher but musters a flawless American accent.
She’s as good as her more famous co-stars, who here are very good indeed.
The series will remind many of “Murder One,” because it’s enormously compelling and because it deals with a single case over the course of a season. It’s not a murder case, but many livelihoods are involved.
But what matters Herc’s opinion?
USA Today gives it three and a half stars (out of four) and says:
… From her opening appearance as Patty Hewes, New York's toughest, smartest, most famous attorney, Close makes it fabulously clear that the star and the material are perfectly aligned. Outmaneuvering an opponent and then parrying his insult with a far more devastating reply, Close needs only a few moments to convey her character and hook you into her. …
TV Guide says:
… Close, who spent a memorable season on The Shield, is in top form in Damages, a classic FX melodrama that frames its dark story in a sinister Hitchcockian mystery involving ambitious law-school grad Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne), whom we first see emerging bloody from an elevator. …
The Los Angeles Times says:
… Great dialogue, perfect delivery. Close is a big old-fashioned American movie star (thank heavens there are a few of them left), and in "Damages" she proves that genus is just as flexible as its British cousin. Like Helen Mirren and Judi Dench, her performance illuminates rather than outshines with its high wattage. …
The Washington Post says:
"Damages," making a sensational premiere tonight on the FX network, thoroughly justifies adding yet another high-powered law firm to the prime-time population. The firm is not only high-powered but it's also "high-stakes," we keep being told -- and so is the show. "Damages" is also emphatically, and almost torturously, high-tension, and the pilot script is one of the most artfully crafted since the debut back in the 20th century of "The Sopranos." ...
The Houston Chronicle says:
… FX has landed the next in a continuous line of can't-miss shows. Based on the first two episodes, Damages may be the best of a ballyhooed bunch that includes The Shield, Nip/Tuck, Rescue Me and The Riches. …
The Seattle Post-Intellingencer says:
… could be the most meticulous and calculating show on television, constructed from perennially appealing television elements … The co-creators and writers, Todd and Glenn Kessler and Daniel Zelman, obviously have a talent for marrying challenging story to the high-level aesthetics of superior television, like artful cinematography and its enthralling plot. … "Damages" may be the best series in what's shaping up to be a bumper crop of high quality cable, and that's not a light statement. No piece is out of place here; the writing, the plotting, everything is in tune. …
The Portland Oregonian says:
… "Damages" promises to be long, complex and dark with bleak, absurd comedy.…
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel says:
The idea of Glenn Close facing off against Ted Danson in a drama series - she as an aggressive litigator, he as the corrupt tycoon she's determined to bring down - sounded so intriguing that I couldn't wait to see "Damages." By the end of the second episode, the two hadn't even met. But this FX cable series is so suspenseful, twisted and sometimes downright terrifying that I barely noticed. …
The Orlando Sentinel says:
… the most striking thing is this vehicle's frame. Here's a legal thriller with the depth and structure of an engrossing novel. You probably wouldn't want to live in this dark, nasty world. But it's a fascinating place to visit …
Extras include commentaries, deleted scenes, a making-of doc, an interactive guide and something called “Insight From The Creators.”
If you got another $20, you can upgrade to the Blu-ray version for $55.95
Speaking of Ted Danson, Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Complete Sixth Season co-stars Vivica A. Fox as a superhot Katrina survivor. It also prominently features (as Marty Funkhauser) Bob Einstein, who was Albert Brooks’ older brother before he became Steve Martin’s writing partner on “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” before he became ritual self-abuser Super Dave Osbourne.
Herc’s Popular Pricing Pantry
Paramount has slashed – almost in half – the prices of a few seasons of its latter-day “Star Trek” series. Last week all these season sets were going for $116.99. Where they stand at the moment:
$69.98 Star Trek Enterprise: Season One <--- NEWLY ENCHEAPENED!!
$116.99 Star Trek Enterprise: Season Two
$62.99 Star Trek Enterprise: Season Three <--- NEWLY ENCHEAPENED!!
$69.98 Star Trek Enterprise: Season Four <--- NEWLY ENCHEAPENED!!
$219.99 Star Trek Enterprise: The Complete Series <--- NEWLY ENCHEAPENED!!
$69.98 Star Trek Voyager: Season One <--- NEWLY ENCHEAPENED!!
$69.98 Star Trek Voyager: Season Two <--- NEWLY ENCHEAPENED!!
$116.99 Star Trek Voyager: Season Three
$116.99 Star Trek Voyager: Season Four
$116.99 Star Trek Voyager: Season Five
$116.99 Star Trek Voyager: Season Six
$69.98 Star Trek Voyager: Season Seven <--- NEWLY ENCHEAPENED!!
$377.99 Star Trek Voyager: The Complete Series <--- NEWLY ENCHEAPENED!!
Note that the biggest bargains are in those series-sets. That “Voyager” seven-season set works out to $54 per season. The “Enterprise” four-season set works out to $55 per season.
All sad because the writer’s strike has indefinitely delayed the seventh season of “24”? The first five seasons – featuring Naked Mandy, David Palmer, Aaron Pierce, Cheng Zhi, Nina Myers, Curtis Manning, Alan York, Edgar Stiles, George Mason, Teri Bauer, Lynne Kresge, James Heller, Jenny Dodge, Noah Daniels, Kim Bauer, Behroooooz Azaz, Christopher Henderson, Martha Logan, Hal Gardner, Lonnie McRae, Jim Prescott, Lynn McGill, The Cougar and The Rolled-Up Towel – were all north of $44 last week, but at the moment they’re 67% off and only$19.99!!
$19.99 24: Season One <--- VASTLY ENCHEAPENED!!
$19.99 24: Season Two <--- VASTLY ENCHEAPENED!!
$19.99 24: Season Three <--- VASTLY ENCHEAPENED!!
$19.99 24: Season Four <--- VASTLY ENCHEAPENED!!
$19.99 24: Season Five <--- VASTLY ENCHEAPENED!!
$37.99 24: Season Six
Those are especially good deals for seasons two through five, which are crammed silly with commentaries and other extras.
The third and final and completely wonderful third season of “Veronica Mars” (the one with the 12-minute fourth-season “Veronica FBI” pilot among its extras) is selling at the moment $19.99!! That’s 67% Off!! (It was $37.99 last week.) The first two seasons have been momentarilyy encheapened as well:
$16.99 Veronica Mars: Season One <--- VASTLY ENCHEAPENED!!
$20.99 Veronica Mars: Season Two <--- VASTLY ENCHEAPENED!!
$19.99 Veronica Mars: Season Three <--- VASTLY ENCHEAPENED!!
The third season was my number-one favorite series of 2006 and number-two favorite series of 2007. If you love or love someone who loves “Buffy” or “Freaks and Geeks” or “Cupid” (the first series masterminded by “Veronica” mastermind Rob Thomas), you really need to pony up that $20.
TV-on-DVD Calendar
Last Week
Avatar 3.x Vol. 2
Banacek 2.x
Barney Miller 2.x
Criss Angel Mindfreak 3.x
Edge of Darkness: The Complete Miniseries
ER 8.x
The Girls Next Door 3.x
Hawaii Five-0 3.x
Hustle 4.x
The Jeff Corwin Experience 1.x
Make Room For Daddy 6.x
The Odd Couple 3.x
The Simple Life 5.x
Swamp Thing 1.x
Thunderbirds: The Complete Series
Torchwood 1.x
This Week
Aqua Teen Hunger Force Vol. 5
Blue Murder Vol. 2
Chancer 2.x
Curb Your Enthusiasm 6.x
Damages 1.x
Damages 1.x [Blu-ray]
Emergency 4.x
Hannah Montana: One In A Million
JAG 5.x
Pioneers of Television
SpongeBob SquarePants: To Love A Patty
Next Week
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations Vol. 2
Beauty and the Beast 3.x
Charlie & Lola Vol. 7
Dirty Jobs: Vol. 2
The DL Chronicles 1.x
Jerry Springer: Undressed, Unleashed And Uncensored Vol. 1
Jerry Springer: Undressed, Unleashed And Uncensored Vol. 2
Jerry Springer: Undressed, Unleashed And Uncensored Vol. 3
Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 2
McLeod's Daughters 5.x
Mystery Science Theatre 3000 10.2
Perfect Strangers 1.x/2.x
Rides 4.x Vol. 2
Rosemary & Thyme: The Complete Series
Route 66 1.x Vol. 2
Slings & Arrows: The Complete Series
Soul Food 3.x
Strictly Confidential: The Complete Series
Third Watch 1.x
The Whitest Kids U Know 1.x
Wire in the Blood 4.x
February 12
Academy Award Animation Collection: 15 Winners
Academy Award Animation Collection: Winners & Nominees
The Beatrix Potter Collection
Blade: The Complete Series
Bump! Florida
Bump! Gold Coast North America
Chris & John To The Rescue 1.x
Dallas 8.x
The Equalizer 1.x
Family Ties 3.x
General Hospital: Night Shift
George of the Jungle: The Complete Series
Girlfriends 3.x
Hotel Babylon 1.x
Power Rangers: Operation Overdrive Vol. 4
Power Rangers: Operation Overdrive Vol. 5
Tell Me You Love Me 1.x
This Is Tom Jones Vol. 2
February 19
Coach 3.x
Cops: 20th Anniversary Edition
Dragonball Z 4.x
Father Ted: The Complete Series
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Vol. 1 (2002)
It's The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown: Deluxe Edition
Lillie: The Complete Miniseries
Rides 4.x Vol. 2
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2.x Vol. 1
Walker: Texas Ranger 4.x
February 26
B.L. Stryker 1.x
Comanche Moon: The Complete Miniseries
The Color Honeymooners Vol. 2
Dark Shadows: The Beginning Vol. 3
Extras: Finale Special
Family Affair 5.x
The Fugitive 1.x Vol. 2
Ghost Hunters 3.x Vol. 2
Highlander: The Source
The Invisible Man (2000)
Justice League: The New Frontier (1-Disc)
Justice League: The New Frontier (2-Disc)
Justice League: The New Frontier [Blu-ray]
Newhart 1.x
Punky Brewster 4.x
The Red Green Show 1999
Rough Diamond: The Complete Series
Smurfs 1.x Vol. 1
State of Play: The Complete Miniseries
March 4
Archie's Funhouse: The Complete Series
Ben 10 3.x
Doctor Who: Destiny of the Daleks
Doctor Who: Planet of Evil
Flight 29 Down 2.x
Flight 29 Down Hotel Tango: The Series Finale
The Hogfather
Human Giant 1.x
The Kill Point: The Complete Miniseries
The Love Boat 1.x Vol. 1
Magnum, P.I. 8.x
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it's weird to say i'm a Glenn Close fan but SHIELD 4.0X and this cemented it for me
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Good news for MST3K, but The Invaders! Gosh, I remember that show being just as good as the original Outer Limits. The FX might be a little dated, but the stories are excellent.
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that look of glenn close's in ep 9 at the beach house; haunting as hell.
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The Box cover looks...intriguing.
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..this week. Had some good TV DVD sets. Herc..The O.C. seasons 2,3,4 are $16.99 this week as well
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that is all.
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Anybody watch that last summer? CIA agent gets burned in Miami and tries to discover who did it while solving problems occasionally? Sounds kinda lame, but there were a lot of McGyver moments in it, and the lead was quality, good underplayed humor...oh, and man-god Bruce Campbell!
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...was, Herc: you know when it's coming out?
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Open up the case, and a poof of dust and a moth fly out.
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are both not as good as Damages. Rose Byrne is up there with the cutest.
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While I expected the latter day Trek-fests to bottom out in price, this latest cut is nowhere near as low as it will eventually go. Those "Voyager" seasons need to be in the $25-$40 ranage before they'll start selling like Parmount hopes they'd sell.
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what's all this about Dave Grohl doing a cameo in the new Star Trek?
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No Star Trek series can ever be considered encheapened. They just use a little more lube when they bend you over and have at you. Seriously, on sale at half price still equals twice the price of any other tv series out there. I think Paramount must base their prices on their guesstimate of what a regular television season will cost in Kirks time. Buy Japan everybody. The full series of DS9 for less than $150.
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Don't make me read it all to find what he's talking about. I did a "search" for "Muppet" and it only came up in the title. What gives, Herc? Fine, I'll READ the damn column.....
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Lost on bluray for $40....just bought mine. Can probably sell my DVD copy for $30, and it's well worth it to upgrade for just 10 bucks.
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We need a LOST TB, like.... now!
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...and it all seems to be coming from the same tards who can't stop bending over for J.J. Abrams. They're just pissed that with all the circumlocution and obfuscation in Damages that they actually managed to _answer_ all the questions in _that_ series. Enjoy your complete lack of context, dickshits.
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remains the best FX show, if not the best show on TV. This final season is going to be insane.
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Herc loves it so much he said it twice!
As for bad pricing-- I absolutely HATE that the BBC is charging $80 - $90 for a season of Doctor Who. A SINGLE season.
Screw that. I love the show, but I'm not paying two to three times the going rate for seasonal shows, even if they are British. -
I got Season 3 on the cheap.I have to agree about Star Trek. To be truly encheapened they would have to drop to $15 or $20. No way will I pay any more for Voyager or Enterprise, maybe not even Next Generation (at least not the early seasons). Get DS9 & Original Series down to $40/season and I'll fire up the credit card. Otherwise it's no Trek for me.
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but you know I meant you
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I have the first three seasons. Why does everyone else seem to get season sets at 50% or more off, but Miami Vice sets never seem to go on sale. Come on, I need a deal on the last two seasons!!!
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$45???If they pay ME $45 an hour, I will TRY to sit thru one or two of them....
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Short disk.
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but I worked at Walmart back then and used my discount card.
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...I see alot of ad's...But where is the article?
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now if they'll drop the price of Voyager and Enterprise another $15 - $20 I'll buy them...
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Red Lion Plaza, N.E. Philly as of Sunday. So thanks for the Amazon Gold Box tip. :)
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Its 31 hours to the Lost premier and we don't have a talk-back yet??? I'm getting the shakes...
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Season 3 Finale tonight. And tomorrow, before the Premiere, they are doing a 3-season recap show. ABC is All Lost, All The Time.
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They really need to get BR pricing under control.
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You know you want it. Volume 1 drops March 18. http://tinyurl.com/2ln8f6.
It'll have an audio commentary of the pilot with exec producer David Eick, and three featurettes: The Making of the Car Crash, The Stunts, Profiles and Real-Life Bionics. -
Wow. I bet that has like four episodes on it.
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Used to love this show, and it scared me shitless as a kid in it's 11:30 pm syndicated time slot. Crappy special effects, but way more creepy and edgy than SUX-Files ever was. Very well-written also. Can't wait.
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He's as fat as when he first arrived on the island. If not fatter. Tell me where are the Burger Kings and Mcdonalds on this island? That fatty can stay so enormous for months and years.
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at best, plus he was hoarding food from a stash they found.
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they're on the island 30 days and look like skeletons.
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Those annoying story explanations on bottom of screen are ruining the episode for me! Sure the plot is convoluted but do they really expect to attract new viewers with a running commentary as to past connections to the current story? Ugh.
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The Sawyer promo tonight was funny as hell!
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As in Mary Lynn Rajskub, that is: http://tinyurl.com/2ovpoy
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Very annoying, i concur. J J's trying to be cute. not to cast a pall over Abrams, but it's unnerving that he has the same initials as Jar-Jar Binks. Meesa help you get offa dis issaland! Meesa Jay-Jay Abrams!
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in my mailbox, a/k/a Best. KB. Interview. Ever. It had something that wasn't on their website's reprint of their Q&A with her; a supplement of her 'Favorite Things'.
Karaoke Song: "Shit, I'd do a little 'Cherish' by Madonna. Or I'd also do 'Eternal Flame' by the Bangles, if I really wanted to slow it down and grab people's attention."
Acting Scene: "When I got beaten to death on Deadwood. That was pretty fucking rad. Because I love hair and makeup prosthetics. They cracked my wig open and put in a trickle of blood so it looks like my skull is showing. And then they put a saggy eye on my eye so it looks like my eye caved in. It was very cool."
If I needed any more proof Kristen Bell is the FRAKKIN' SHIT, in the nicest, kickass-iest way, this seals it. You really need to get this magazine by hook or crook. It's K-Bell at her most honest, profane and hilarious. -
It has been a bloody long time... only remembered when the 2 women were shot in the undersea lab. Hehe.
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Maybe that's just a snarky comment, greyspecter (and if it is I apologize for taking it seriously) but you know JJ has nothing to do with the popups, right? In fact, none of the writers or producers have anything to do with the popups, because they're all on strike.
For that matter, why do people insist on invoking the name JJ Abrams when discussing Lost? I may be wrong here, but doesn't he have little if anything to do with the show at this point? My understanding is that he helped create the show, but the daily work (as well as the overall mythology) is overseen by Lindelof and Cuse. Maybe JJ is more involved than I think, I don't know. -
I'm tm'ing that hybrid name here and now.:)
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has Desmond-like abilities to see the future. Or what if he's gone through this story once before and that's why he always seems to know what people should do.
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I hate to be mean, but she's really not an attractive young woman. She's all mouth. She makes the Osmonds look like anime characters. She's not a dog or anything, but I really, REALLY hope that young girls aren't emulating her or thinking she's the goal to reach in terms of beauty.
And Kristen Bell looks like Chris Crocker, but a little less feminine. -
ZeroCorpse is our latest Complete Series winner! Those who diss KB deserve nothing but the reverse best. And we'll throw in a 'Meet the Spartans' Mega-Extended Edition DVD, just because. ;)
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