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FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS!! OBAN!! EARLY EDITION!! TIM & ERIC!! TREK!! SG1!! AVATAR!! HercVault!!
SPOILER ALERT !!
I am – Hercules!!
Friday Night Lights
is the latest high school soap from quality writer-producer Jason Katims, who started his TV career on “My So-Called Life” then went on to “Roswell” and “Boston Public.”
There wasn’t as much gridiron action in FNL’s second season, which hits DVD shelves today. This was ginchy by me; those winning touchdowns at the end of most episodes last season were getting a tad predictable.
Some of the storylines you missed if you stopped watching the Friday-night episodes of “Friday Night Lights”:
* Lyla Garrity, who really did stay off the cheerleading squad, went chaste as she got really into Jesus. Really into Jesus. Started sticking her tongue in an evangelist named Christian.
* Pop Buddy Garrity, after getting booted from his home, started bunking with a Mexican ex-con.
* Troubled longhair Tim Riggins spent the season bouncing from home to home as his interest in Lyla reignited.
* QB1 Matt Saracen, left behind by fickle coach’s daughter Julie Taylor, found himself living beneath the same roof as his grandma’s hot new Guatemalan caretaker.
* Both teen coach’s daughter Julie Taylor and Julie’s hot aunt (Jessalyn Gilsig) began developing special feelings in their nethers for Riggins.
* Julie also starts drinking, fighting with her mom, and spending a lot of time with a handsome journalism teacher played by the actor who assayed John From Cincinnati.
* Nerd doof metalhead Landry Clarke grew closer to the absurdly hot Tyra Collette, the pair bonded by their ill-considered efforts to cover up deadly misadventure. Landry later finds himself mired in a surfeit of willing, short-haired blonde teen girls. (I like to think Angela Chase’s nerd neighbor Brian Krakow would have endured a similar fate had “My So-Called Life” been granted a second season.)
* Quadriplegic ex-QB1 Jason Street sought a cure south of the border then jumped back into the dating pool.
* Crash Williams began boning a white girl, who in turn took a big role in steering his post-Panther athletic career.
* Coach Eric Taylor ditched his new university job to return to Dillon, only to find himself contending with a disturbed rival coach forced to share the Panthers’ facilities.
* Wife Tami Taylor found herself contending with Julie’s brand-new sister Gracie Belle, who made her debut in 2.1, then Tami abruptly turned to coaching volleyball.
* The character named “Herc” continued to be an obnoxious wheelchair-bound Texas fellow. Maybe he’ll start writing about TV for a website next season.
The season was cut short by strike, but 2.15 feels enough like a season finale, with Smash choosing his college, Jason embracing an unexpected, life-altering development and Coach Taylor trading punches with a cowboy-hat-wearing Peter Berg in a fancy restaurant. (We Texans are a fighty lot.)
Special note for residents of Greater Austin, where the series is shot: We learn late in season two that Landry patronizes Dillon’s Alamo Drafthouse!
COMMENTARIES
2.1 “Last Days of Summer.” Series mastermind Jason Katims and director-producer Jeffrey Reiner.
2.3 “Are You Ready For Friday Night?” Actors Connie Britton (Tami Taylor) and Aimee Teegarden (Julie Taylor).
2.10 “There Goes The Neighborhood.” Actors Jesse Plemons (Landry Clarke) and Adrianne Palicki (Tyra Collette).
DELETED SCENES
2.5 “Let’s Get It On.” Eric Taylor talks to Tim Riggins’ brother about the teen’s absenteeism (:53). Julie Taylor meets the hot Latina living with her ex-boyfriend Matt Saracen (:51).
2.6 “How Did I Get Here.” Jason lobbies his mom for a quieter 19th birthday party (:56). Lyla admonishes her dad for exploiting her ex-con friend (:28). Lyla tells the ex-con he doesn’t have to chase her daddy’s hogs anymore (:46). Much transpires at Jason’s birthday party as Riggins tries explain to Coach Taylor what he was up to in Mexico (3:04).
2.8 “Seeing Other People.” Tami talks to co-worker Glen about the difficulties of raising Julie (1:04). In likely the best deleted scene of the season, female coach Bobbie Roberts (the hilarious Alanna Ubach in a role originally conceived for Rosie O’Donnell) gives Eric Taylor unsolicited advice regarding both Riggins and Tami’s work-pal Glen (1:53).
2.9 “The Confession.” Riggins’ new meth-dealer roommate tries to entice him with a Patrick Swayze triple-feature (1:13). Coach Taylor and Coach Roberts haggle over Riggins’ services (1:28). Jason confesses his concerns about a blind date to Herc (1:10).
2.10 “There Goes The Neighborhood.” Lyla gathers intel on her depressed dad from the ex-con (1:24). Lyla finds her talk with Jason regarding her mom’s new boyfriend interrupted by Herc’s arrival (1:38).
2.11 “Jumping the Gun.” Tami’s hot, nearly-naked sister greets Coach Taylor in his kitchen (:38).
2.12 “Who Do You Think You Are?” Coach Taylor bitches out Crash Williams for ignoring crucial advice (:55). Crash and Matt discuss their romantic lives with Riggins (1:11)
2.13 “Humble Pie.” Coach Taylor manages to reduce an unathletic female volleyball player to tears (1:12). Herc buys an end to Jason’s silent treatment (1:02). Coach Taylor asks Smash to prepare a statement (2:05).
2.14 “Leave No One Behind.” Matt discusses his recent behavior with Tami (:39). Crash watches his team from the sidelines (:55).
OTHER
“William S. Paley Television Fstival” (36:18). A session conducted before anyone knew whether or not the show would be picked up for a second season. Panelists include series mastermind Jason Katims, director-producer Peter Berg, and actors Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton, Aimee Teegarden, Jesse Plemons, Taylor Kitsch, Scott Porter, Minka Kelly and Zach Gilford. Lots of funny audition stories. Learn that Chandler was shooting “Grey’s Anatomy” when he auditioned. Learn that the show, based in Austin, is shot entirely sans soundstages. Learn why concerns for the second season dictated who won the state championship in season one. Learn most of Britton’s scenes from the big-screen version of “Friday Night Lights” were cut. (How weird is it, by the way, that in the movie Britton played Sharon Gaines, an entirely different coach’s wife?)
The whole shebang is well-priced at only $18.99.
The good folks at Shout Factory forwarded an unsolicited copy of Oban Star-Racers Vol. 1, a French-Japanese cartoon series for kids, but a great French-Japanese cartoon series for kids. It’s about a 15-year-old girl who mourns her dead mom and absentee dad and finds herself the unlikely champion of Earth in an intergalactic pod race. It's better than it sounds; the storytelling, which traffics in season-long arcs, is compelling and touching and relatively free of the lame jokiness I often associate with kidvid. The CGI action and design-work on the “Star Wars”-influenced project are, to my eyes, spectacularly sophisticated and imaginative. Is this the “Speed Racer” for the 7-year-olds of 2008? I can see these 7-year-olds carrying an obsession for the show well into middle age. Some of them may prove determined to turn it into a live-action summer 2038 tentpole for Universal-Warner-Disney.
Nobody ever forwarded me any copies of “Avatar: The Last Airbender” (which Night Shyamalan is already turning into a live-action feature), so I put this question to the parents and caretakers who have seen both “Oban” and “Airbender”: How do they compare?
I have not seen enough of “Tim and Eric, Awesome Show, Great Job!” to properly judge, but people who are funnier and smarter than I assure that this Cartoon Network non-cartoon sketch show is funny stuff. Entertainment Weekly’s Gillian Flynn gives it a big “A-minus” and calls it funnier than “Saturday Night Live.” (Flynn does not specify, but I suspect she means the current “Annuale”/“Grandkids In The Movies”/“MacGruber”/“Ambiguously Gay Duo” SNL season -- rather than the earlier “Toonces, The Cat Who Could Drive A Car” seasons or the “Canteen Boy” seasons or the “Matt Foley: Motivational Speaker” seasons or the “Sabra Price Is Right” season or the Norm Macdonald “Clara Turley’s Bible Challenge” season or the “Adopt Belushi For Christmas” season or “The Pepsi Syndrome” season or the “Mr. Mike’s Least-Loved Bedtime Tales” seasons. But, as Billy Gibbons likes to sing, I. Might. Be. Mistaken. Hawr hawr hawr hawr.)
Herc’s Popular Pricing Pantry
VASTLY ENCHEAPENED HEROES!!
VASTLY ENCHEAPENED OFFICE!!
VASTLY ENCHEAPENED 30 ROCK!!
VASTLY ENCHEAPENED SCRUBS!!
CHEAPEST TREK EVER!!!!
EVERY season of
The Original Series
The Next Generation
Deep Space Nine
Voyager and
Enterprise:
All of these were selling at north of $100 once upon a time and I expect most, if not all, of these 28 season-sets will return to $62.99 in the near future.
(Note that these new sets are actually priced lower than the second-hand sets!)
The “Trek” season sets run from 24 to 30 episodes per season. So compare these prices to those $17.99 two-episode discs Paramount was issuing not so long ago!!
Further, the “Star Trek” deals are components of a much larger Amazon sci-fi sale going on right now. You can get all six hours of the superb “Lost Room” for just $9.99!! Some more of the pricing:
SEASON SETS
$10.49 The 4400
$11.99 The Dead Zone
$35.49 Star Trek
$35.49 Star Trek: The Next Generation
$35.49 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
$35.49 Star Trek: Voyager
$35.49 Star Trek: Enterprise
$38.99 The Twilight Zone
$51.99 Lexx
COMPLETE SERIES SETS
$7.49 The Martian Chronicles
$8.49 Dune
$8.99 Children of Dune
$8.99 The Tenth Kingdom
$8.99 The Triangle
$9.99 The Lost Room
$15.49 Earth 2
$15.49 Surface
$16.99 Galactica 1980
$17.99 The Dresden Files
$18.99 Batfink
$20.49 Swamp Thing
$20.99 Aeon Flux
$24.99 The Kingdom
$24.99 Starhunter 2300
$26.99 Cleopatra 2525
$27.99 Odyssey 5
$34.99 UFO
$39.99 Timeslip
$49.99 The Prisoner
$49.99 Space 1999
$64.99 Thunderbirds
$149.99 The Twilight Zone
TV-on-DVD Calendar
Last Week
Alien Nation: Ultimate Movie Collection
American Dad Vol. 3
Bump! American South
Bump: Roman/Greek Holiday
College Hill: Interns
The Goldbergs: 10 Episodes
The House of Venus Show 2.x
I Remember Nelson: The Complete Miniseries
Jupiter Moon Vol. 3
Melrose Place 4.x
Sea Hunters Vol. 2
A Shot At Love With Tila Tequila 1.x: Unrated
SpongeBob SquarePants: Pest of the West
What Not To Wear: Mom Makeovers
Woody Woodpecker Vol. 2
This Week
The Ambassador 2.x
Backyard Habitat: Best Of Vol. 1
Big Ideas For A Small Planet 1.x
Friday Night Lights 2.x
House of Venus 2.x
Laverne & Shirley 4.x
Oban Star-Racers Vol. 1
Tim and Eric, Awesome Show, Great Job! 1.x
Next Week
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones Vol. 3
Beverly Hills 90210 4.x
The Big Gay Sketch Show 1.x
The Big Gay Sketch Show 2.x
The British Empire in Color
Burke's Law 1.x
The Complete Toxic Avenger
Cheers 9.x
Dark Shadows: The Beginning Vol. 4
The Great Revival: The Complete Miniseries
Human Weapon 1.x
Intelligence 1.x
I-Spy 1.x
I-Spy 2.x
Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is
Paranormal State 1.x
Roswell 1.x (Heigl Edition)
Roswell 2.x (Heigl Edition)
Roswell 3.x (Heigl Edition)
Sabrina The Teenage Witch (1971): The Complete Series
A Touch of Frost 13.x
The Waltons 7.x
May 6
Acapulco Heat: The Complete Series
The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin Vol. 2
Allo Allo 8.x
Avatar 3.x Vol. 3
Bewitched 6.x
Champions of the Wild: Marine Life
Champions of the Wild: Our Wildlife
Champions of the Wild: Primate, Pandas and Bears
Crossing Jordan 1.x
The 4400 4.x
Greg The Bunny: Best Of The Film Parodies Vol. 2
A Haunting 3.x
Hauntings In America
Hiya Kids: A 50's Saturday Morning Box
The Jack Benny Show: Best Of
The Johnny Carson Show: Best Of
Madeline: Next Stop, America
Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie
One Step Beyond: Best Of The Final Chapters
One Step Beyond: The Complete Collection
Punky Brewster 1.x Vol. 1
The Red Skelton Show: Best Of Vol. 1
The Red Skelton Show: Best Of Vol. 2
Sergeant Preston of the Yukon: Best Of
Speed Racer: The Next Generation Vol. 1
That Girl 1.x Vol. 1
May 13
The Adams Chronicles: The Complete Miniseries
The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers Vol. 1
American Idol 6.x Finale
Chase 1.x
DNA 1.x/2.x
Doogie Howser, M.D.: The Complete Series
Drawn Together Uncensored 3.x
Garfield: A Cat and His Nerd
The Incredible Hulk TV-Movies
Lovejoy 3.x
The Magnificent Seven: The Complete Series
Mission: Impossible 4.x
The Rat Patrol: The Complete Series
Saturday Night Live 3.x
Saturday Night Live 3.x: Limited Edition
Sinatra: The Complete Miniseries
Stargate Infinity: The Complete Series
Two and a Half Men 3.x
May 20
The Bill Engvall Show 1.x
Bump: South America
Charles in Charge 3.x
Cranford: The Complete Miniseries
Dangerous Assignment: The Complete Series <--- NEW!!
Exes and Ohs 1.x
Gomer Pyle USMC 4.x
A Haunting 3.x
JAG 6.x
The Jeff Corwin Experience 2.x
Laredo: Best of 1.x Vol. 2
The Muppet Show 3.x
$10.49 The 4400
$11.99 The Dead Zone
$35.49 Star Trek
$35.49 Star Trek: The Next Generation
$35.49 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
$35.49 Star Trek: Voyager
$35.49 Star Trek: Enterprise
$38.99 The Twilight Zone
$51.99 Lexx
COMPLETE SERIES SETS
$7.49 The Martian Chronicles
$8.49 Dune
$8.99 Children of Dune
$8.99 The Tenth Kingdom
$8.99 The Triangle
$9.99 The Lost Room
$15.49 Earth 2
$15.49 Surface
$16.99 Galactica 1980
$17.99 The Dresden Files
$18.99 Batfink
$20.49 Swamp Thing
$20.99 Aeon Flux
$24.99 The Kingdom
$24.99 Starhunter 2300
$26.99 Cleopatra 2525
$27.99 Odyssey 5
$34.99 UFO
$39.99 Timeslip
$49.99 The Prisoner
$49.99 Space 1999
$64.99 Thunderbirds
$149.99 The Twilight Zone
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is it dead? or just dead links?
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Not just for the kiddies. I started watching the series when it first aired back in 2006, & I was 21 at the time. Amazing series, & I'll definitely be picking the DVDs up.
As far as how it compares to Avatar, I feel Avatar is more epic in scope. Avatar tells a great story that's three times the length of what Oban was. But despite how good Avatar is, it always feels like a kids show to me (doesn't mean I don't enjoy it though). Oban on the other hand, while it is kid-friendly, it never once felt like a kiddie show the whole time I watched it. Very deep & mature, given its target audience. -
Good one. And 10 bucks for Lost Room? That's good.
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*rimshot*
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Admittedly they can be VERY hit or miss, but their hits can be amazing. I particularly like how the guys maintain their show in their own pseudo-universe with reoccuring characters and locations. In THAT aspect, it has a nice SCTV-like style to it.
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Okay, so I love FNL, but does it seem like the size of Dillon morphs each week depending on the needs of the episode? Some weeks it's supersmall town with but one high school and that burger joint and Dairy Queen. Other weeks it's a small city with interstates and Alamo Drafthouses...just wondering.
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It is not as if there is anything special in them, just everything. Why don;t you just a make a coming to Amazon list, save us the disappointment from learning we wasted our time coming to see it.
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hancockneedschapstick.com
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Other than the cover art, is there any difference between these DVDs and the ones that have been out for years? Because putting out the same DVD but with a new cover celebrating Heigl winning an emmy for a show that is not the DVD within makes little sense to me. Is this just a poor excuse for a double-dip? Or does Heigl actually take part in any of the special features (moreso than she did on the original releases, which, as I recall, wasn't much)?
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so say several canadian retailers.
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That's cool too. Unfortunately, it's one of those things you'd like to see finished (or come to some sort of conclusion) but probably never will.
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When the plot needed it, Sunnydale suddenly had an army base, a huge port, a major university. . .
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My understanding is the "new" Roswell sets are identical to the old ones, except in that Heigl's now more bankable Knocked Anatomy kisser is a lot more prominent on the covers.
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Please be un-cut / un-blurred.
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For the record Tim and Eric is funnier than any era of SNL - and I'm an SNL appologist. Tim and Eric is the funniest skit show since SCTV. Tim and Eric deserve their own talkback every Sunday night.
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so will her image on the box, until her giant heat obscures all.
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thanks.
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SWEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Because so far only ONE of the episodes that's to be on the next DVD have aired here in the states. Even if somehow my Tivo missed one or two (which suspiciously are not available on You Tube), I'm pretty sure they've been fucking stubborn about showing anything after the Day of Black Sun two parter.
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I guess if only the cover is different it isn't really a double-dip, just a re-release. If using Heigl's newfound fame to attract new fans to the show works, good for them. But I think hardcore Heiglites will be disappointed to find she is not the central character.
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Tim and Eric is perhaps the worst thing I've ever seen in my life. I'm not sure if this show is worse than Tom Goes to the Mayor or not though. Both of them make me lose faith in humanity and humour.
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3.12 The Western Air Temple: Zuko catches up to the gang
3.13 The Firebending Masters: Zuko loses his mojo
Check your favorite source of illegal video uploads. ;) -
never heard or seen it before
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From what I can remember, it was an okay show. Guys may like it for the eye candy. It takes place in New Gotham after Batman disappears and the main characters are Huntress (the daughter of Batman and Catwoman), Oracle (Batgirl in a wheelchair), and a girl who seems to be their take on Black Canary. (She might have been the daughter of Black Canary. Can't remember.) I believe Mark Hamill provided the voice of The Joker.
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It's SMASH Williams, not 'Crash'.
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Apr 22, 2008 11:03:37 PM CDT
Yes Herc, Avatar is worth both your time and money, but answer m
by rickslamu2
I will tell anyone that listens that Avatar is one of the best shows on T.V. right now. Not one of the best "AMImated' shows only. I wouldn't limit it like that. This show deserves to be on a top Five shows Best list with Battlestar Galatica and 24. THe writting is amazing. THe vocal talent and acting is wonderful. The action is epic. ANd thest Herc are all reasons that a lot of Avatar fans are incredably disheartend that M. Knight SHAM-A-LAM-A-DINGDONG is set to helm this film. I beleve that "Unbreakable" was his last decent film. Like in that "imagination land" Episode of "South Park' THe man is twist happy and dosent know the diffrence between that and a good story. With his version he will probally come up with something stupid like Ang and Zuko being brothers or something like that!!! SO i ask you flat out Herc what do you think of this man as a Director?
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i cant recall seeing abnything about this series. so i'll pick it up and see if it was any good! cheers mate!
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he's played by Lucien the RA. that guy owns all.
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It looks like the DVDs will be out before the rest of the series is shown in the US! I know the Canadians for some bizarre reason got to watch two episodes already (and have most unhelpfully NOT put them on You Tube), but even they haven't seen all the episodes that'll show up on DVD before Nickelodeon airs them. I won't go to illegal sources to download the episodes. I shouldn't HAVE to. No TV show should be handled this poorly. It's rediculous, particularly since it's animated so it wasn't affected by the writer's strike. ************************ Now that I've seen Oban, or part of it, I can say it's a very different feel from Avatar. Both are pretty good, but Avatar is more Harry Potter meets Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, while Oban is more the pod race in Episode One mixed with the father/child angst of anime like Neon Genesis Evangelion (though not THAT heavy). I don't agree that Avatar feels more like a kid's show, but oddly I think the stylization of the characters in Oban (no one has a nose), would make it hard for anyone BUT children (and anime fans) to accept it here in the US. I love how they've integrated CG elements into the traditional animation though; this is the way to do a proper animated Star Wars!
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