Whine & Cheese

Current Crushes

It's Friday and to give this blog a little jolt, so why not a quick post about some of my current crushes.

May I present... Chris Messina and Haaz Sleiman!

If you have watched any sort of TV in the last couple of weeks, there is no doubt that you've seen ads for the move Julie & Julia.  But what caught my eye in these commercials was neither Amy Adams as Julie or Meryl Streep expertly warbling "Bonjour!" as Julia Child, but Chris Messina ... who plays Adams' hubby in the movie.  While the ladies are front and center, even a few brief snippets of him managed to re-ignite my crush on Messina.

It's been awhile since I have seen Messina, but this doe-y eyed affection started (and until now ended) when he played Ted on Six Feet Under.  He was Claire's last boyfriend as the series drew to a close... and we learned in that end/future montage that still gives me goosebumps to this day (got them as I was writing this!) he eventually became her husband. The Fisher family really stuck with me (and still do, like a good book I wonder what they're doing today... though again, the montage was so satisfying in that respect) and it was nice that Claire finally ended up with a good guy in Ted, though apparently it took quite a bit of time for them to find each other again.  

Also, I will admit that Messina totally gratuitously walking totally naked down a hallway in the series finale also left a lasting impression.

If naked butts are offensive to you are you are NOT on a computer where is appropriate to view a butt... please DO NOT CLICK on the upcoming link that will provide you a pop-up picture of...  Chris Messina's quite cute and naked butt!  

If you did look, I am sure you can see why one would be smitten for that feature alone! 

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So onto something definitely more exotic... Haaz Sleiman, who plays a fellow nurse and confidante to Edie Falco's titular character on the Showtime series Nurse Jackie.  We started watching this show just based on our love for Falco, though we suspected it would be difficult to view her as anything other than Carmela Soprano.  But alas, she has managed to wipe most of that away with one of the most morally complex characters I think that has ever been seen on the small screen, but alas that is another post...

In contrast to Falco's "Plain Jane" Jackie (I know that's sexist), there is the stunningly beautiful Sleiman who also tackles a roll that we haven't seen much on television... a gay Muslim Hispanic as Mohammed "Mo-Mo" De La Cruz.   Though a little research shows Sleiman is of Lebanese heritage, but seems to be typecast as more the Middle Eastern character.  Sleiman played gay in a independent film a few years back and does it so convincingly on Nurse Jackie that he made me wonder if he really did play on our team, but alas he came out as straight in an interview with The Advocate. 

But this guy really oozes sex... and given his heterosexuality he has quite amazingly walked the think line of creating an undoubtedly gay character with quite a bit machismo too (there is a more swishy male nurse on the show as well... which I am guessing is not helping out the "male nurse = gay" stereotype).

So there you go... who are you currently crushing on at the moment?

Man! I Feel Like A (Bionic) Woman!

Last night, we watched our first pilot of 2007 Fall TV season... NBC's highly touted and hotly anticipated re-make re-imagination of Bionic Woman.  (BTW, we did do the free download to our TiVo via Amazon Unbox, but never got around to watching it.. which was probably fine since the "live" show was in HD.)

Here's a few things that I got out of the first episode (btw, you can watch -- and screencap -- episodes over at nbc.com):

A) First, I had no idea Sandra Bernhard was a cast member.

B) Who woulda thunk that The Bionic Woman's boyfriend, Will Anthros, had that nice of a chest?  (Google, Google: Chris Bowers Shirtless)... though I was secretly wished he would have done the "bionic" sound effects during the sex scene?!

C) It rained... a lot... an awful lot... and apparently no one owns an umbrella.

As you can probably guess, the show didn't quite bowl me over.  If you didn't recognize the font from the title or credits, this is from the same folks who brought you Battlestar Galactica... and while they did manage to turn that 70s kitsch show into something big, better and relevant... I am not sure if the proverbial lightning is going to strike twice.

A bit problematic is a lead character (actress?) who you wished would have received a bionic personality to go along with the eye, ear, arm, and legs.  Though that still would have left the rest of the wooden cast (and/or the writing).  Despite my above attempt of a joke, Galactica's Katee Sackhoff was by far the best part of the episode.  There was a fun slyness/tongue-in-cheek (intended?) aspect in her role as the now rogue first bionic woman.

And please, please, please... may I declare a musical montage moratorium Sia's "Breathe Me"?!?  It completely pulls me out of anything I am watching/thinking/doing.  All I can think about is Six Feet Under and what remains on very high on my "Best Series Finale ever" list (Exhibit A: YouTube - Final Six Minutes of the "Six Feet Under")... likewise, I don't need a reminder of how much I miss that show versus the one I am currently trying to watch.

I know there was a lot of business to get through in the opener, so I'll give Bionic a few more episodes... but as I get grumpier older more mature... these new shows are on a very short leash.  Thoughts?

Get Your Emmy Nominations

The Emmy nominations were announced this morning. 

This year there was the promise of something new as blue-ribbon panels picked the final nominees from the top ten vote-getters from the Academy's general membership.  I don't know how much "new" there is, but there were some surprises... and, of course, some major overlooks (in my humble opinion)...

The Sopranos - The show gets the expected nod for  Best Drama, but the big surprises were the absence of the usually slam-dunk nods for James Gandolfini and Edie Falco.  Now I am not familiar with all the shows/actors, but I found it particularly insane that the wooden Geena Davis, for Commander In Chief, earned a spot over Falco.  Michael Imperioli did get a nod for Supporting Actor.

Desperate Housewives - I agree the show has slipped in its sophomore season... but last year's winner for Best Comedy was pretty much shut-out in the major categories.  None of the leading ladies were nominated (including last year's winner, Felicity Huffman). If anything, I thought the lone non-nominee last year, Eva Longoria, might get one this time around.  Craziest?  The only major acting nod was Best Supporting Actress for ... Alfre Woodard?!?!  I love Alfre, but the Applewhite storyline is what I felt really dragged down this entire season.

Six Feet Under - It seems like such a long time ago since we said goodbye to the Fisher clan, but the stellar final season was just eligible for this round of Emmys.  While I hoped it would earn a final Best Drama nod, it did not... Peter Krause and Frances Conroy earned lead nominations... but none for Michael C. Hall and Lauren Ambrose, both who broke my heart (multiple times) over those last few episodes.

Lost - As with Housewives, last year's winner for Best Drama was totally shut out of major nominations this year... no acting nominations, lead or supporting... only Henry Ian Cusick (Desmond) earned a "guest actor in a drama series" nomination.

The Comeback - One the nominations that made me the happiest... Lisa Kudrow for Best Actress in a Comedy series.  Valerie Cherish may have got the shaft, but at least Lisa knows she's being heard.

The Office - Earned nods for Best Comedy as well as for Steve Carell.  But no Emmy love for Jim and Pam (John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer) in the supporting categories.

My Name Is Earl - Perhaps eclipsed by The Office, I felt the freshmen comedy was a bit slighted.  No nominations for Best Comedy or Jason Lee or Ethan Suplee -- but all is well in Best Supporting Actress-land with a well-deserved nod to Jamie Pressly.

Arrested Development - The show eked out one more nod for Best Comedy series... but was on the short-end when it came to acting.  Only Will Arnett (Gob) squeaked in for supporting.  Where or where was my Jessica Walter nomination?!?

Will & Grace - Also, in its last hurrah.  The show fails to be up for Best Comedy... but 3/4's of the cast are nominated one more time (sorry Eric McCormack).

The West Wing - Gets its last (and, in my opinion, well-deserved) nod for Best Drama... with the usual suspects nominated in the acting categories... Sheen in lead, Janney in lead, and Alda in support.

24 - The show with the most nominations, including Best Drama.  Now while I think that this is technically a very good show, it's not one I watch for its fine acting.  Nevertheless, Kiefer gets a lead acting nod... and the devilish First Family, Gregory Itzin and Jean Smart, earn nods in support.   What no Chloe?!   Guess we need a "best comedic performance in a drama series" category for Mary Lynn Rajskub.

Weeds - A very good show over at Showtime... didn't expect a Best Comedy nod, but thought the deliciously sly Mary Louise Parker (and Award show fave) would make the cut for Lead Actress, she did not... the only major nod was Elizabeth Perkins in support.

Scrubs - Ok, I am thrilled for the Best Comedy nod... but WTF?!!!? Where are the acting nominations?!?!   Zach Braff made it onto the list last year, so I thought we were past all of this... and again, it is just inexcusable that John C. McGinley has never been nominated as Dr. Cox.

For the full list of nominess... and to see if your favorites have been nominated from the few shows I do not watch (i.e. the very much nominated Grey's Anatomy)... go here:
Yahoo! TV - Coverage of The 58th Annual Emmy Awards

A more "easy on the eyes" list can be found here:
EW.com | Here are the Emmy nominees

Hope

I have had this post in the back of my mind for a while now, but finally have a "free" day to finally get it out. 

A couple of weeks ago, I watched episodes of two of my all-time favorite shows and both hit on the concept of hope... so, while I am not having a crisis of any sort, it still got me thinking... (warning: semi-philosophical post ahead)

First up, we have Ruth Fisher.  Hearing Sia's "Breathe Me" recently on my iPod, got me back to watch the closing moments of the Six Feet Under series finale (yes, I still have it on my PC -- transferred from TiVo).  I always catch something different everytime I watch it.  This time, what struck a chord was what Ruth said to Claire as she hugged her goodbye:

"I pray you be filled with hope as long as you possibly can"

A very poignant line... and really quite devastating.  I always saw Ruth as the most tragic figure in SFU (and that's saying something!).  Her life clearly did not turn out the way she dreamed... something that was evident from the very first time we met her.  With this statement, she seems to be surrendering to the very idea of hope... that is gone for good... so, if life is a car does our "hope" tank eventually hit empty?

Which totally sounds like something that would scroll across the computer monitor of one of my favorite modern pop philosophers, Carrie Bradshaw.

Hope is something that our Sex and the City gal tackles every so often.  In the Season 5 episode "Unoriginal Sin," Carrie ponders:

"Is hope a drug we need to go off of, or is it the only thing keeping us alive?"

Hmmm... good question?!   Genetically, I fight a good deal of pessimism.  For example, in a Jan 1st e-mail, my Mom wished me a "happy new year" but added "let's hope it's better than last year."  Which puzzled me, because I couldn't come up with even one bad thing that happened to us in 2005... and certainly not me (personally last year was pretty darn good).  But, in the Weather Channel of life, my parents 5-day forecast always seems to include the proverbial and perpetual dark cloud.

Now don't get me wrong, I am no Pollyana.  On a scale of 1-10, with 1=pessimist 10=optimist (5=realist??), I am probably a solid 6.  I do hold on to a good deal of hope in life.  While stuff can occasionally get me down (i.e. politics)... it doesn't weigh me down for far too long (don't get me started on quoting the lyrics to "For Now" from Avenue Q).

Is hope a drug? Yeh, sort of ... or maybe more like a glass of wine... most effective when used in moderation (or maybe, literally, this is the bottle of wine we had last night speaking!)... hope is something we shouldn't overdose on (i.e. organized religion, sometimes - and I'll just leave it at that!)... but I think it is a necessary part of a happy life.

So taking this full circle ... it is my hope, that everyone who reads this is filled with some hope as well.

Thoughts?

Six Steps For Six Feet

Okay, I think I am on the road to recovery from the end of Six Feet Under:

Realize you have a problem
(For you FX "Starved" fans... it is appropriate to shout "It's NOT Okay!" at this juncture)
Yes, I realize it is quite irrational that I can not delete the final episode of SFU from our TiVo.

Establish linkages of consequences to your behavior
Well, if I don't delete it... potentially there may not <gasp!> be room for more/new programs on the TiVo.

Identify and manage personal warning signs to relapse
I really did not watch the full episode over again... but the end and the final montage I have watched over and over and over again.  If it is not on TiVo, I will not be tempted to watch it.

Develop a support system
I know others were equally obsessed with the show and particularly the finale... we can all get through this together.

Establish a positive self-image
But it is not TV... it's HBO.  Ok, it is just a television show... life goes on.

Delete the frickin' finale from TiVo already!!
Okay, okay, okay... I did it last night... approximately 23 days after the original air date.  I fast-forward thru the episode, watched the particularly good parts again... got all choked up again(!) when Claire was leaving... held it together quite nicely (thank you very much) for the final montage and hit the delete button.... are you happy now?!?!  Huh?!?  Are ya?!

Ummm... is it still okay that I have the downloaded episode on my PC?

Six Feet Under: Eulogy

SPOILER WARNING:  If you have NOT seen the season/series finale of Six Feet Under, best to skip this post... certainly do NOT read beyond the picture... but come back, ok!?

Wow.. what a finale to Six Feet Under!  I was going to wait to post about it...since things still seem pretty "raw"... but I figured what the heck... let's just get it out...

I wasn't sure what to expect.. there had been plenty of rumors floating around (more main character deaths)... but overall I thought it was an incredibly satisfying conclusion.  SFU never liked to tie things up in a neat/tidy bow... or go for the "Hollywood" happy ending... but we kind of got both... definitely more closure than I was expecting, but there was also a whole lot left for our imaginations as well.  I am happy to read this morning that so many people (both "real" folk and critics) were blown-away by the finale.

Before we hit the play button on the TiVo, Todd asked me if I was "ready"... as you may remember, I did not get through Nate's funeral without some tears trickling or being on the edge of the "ugly cry"... but I told him that I thought that the show had probably did its big wallop for Nate's funeral... and I thought I would be fine. 

Well, that certainly was NOT the case... even before the final montage there were a few moments that were a bit tough to get through... particularly Claire getting ready to head off to NYC.  Having once been a 22-year old myself... who never lived far from home... decided to pick up and head across the country to start a new life... not knowing what to expect or what the future would hold... Claire's final goodbyes definitely struck a chord with me.

But then we had the final montage... which was just incredible on so many fronts ... the switching between Claire driving East and the future of the Fisher clans... the music ("Breathe Me" by Sia)... and needless to say it got all the emotions going... and Todd, who survived Nate's funeral in pretty good form, admitted the final moments "kicked my ass."  Michael Slezak of Entertainment Weekly summed it up beautifully... so I will just quote it:

Leave it to Six Feet Under to achieve a happy ending by showing the deaths of each of its major characters. Well, happy in a depressing, make you reach for a Kleenex while contemplating the meaning of mortality kind of way... (the show) pulled back the curtain to remind us that the process can be painful, absurd, violent, funny, peaceful, sad, and beautiful, sometimes all at once.

I just re-watched the final montage this morning (which I had planned on doing anyway) as I knew it was rich in clues of what happened to the Fishers.  Here is the time-line w/ some of my own interpretations (yours may be different!) of what we saw:

2005-2006
Ruth and Bettina throw balls to dogs...  Ruth followed through with her plan to open a doggy day care.

David shows Durrell "the business" ... looks to be talking about the embalming process.

Friends and family gather for Willa's first birthday... most of the LA group are in attendance... Ruth, George, David & Keith (w/ the boys), Billy, Margaret, and even Olivier.

2007-2015?
A still "current" looking David and Keith get married.  Rico and Vanessa are in attendance (suggesting Rico made peace w/ the Fishers)... as are Ruth & George... and Brenda is re-married or has a new man in life and we see more grown-up versions of Maya and Willa.  Claire snaps a final picture.

2025
Surrounded by George, David and Claire (the children looking noticeably older)... Ruth lies in a hospital bed and has visions of her two Nathaniels... first her husband, then son waiting in the hallway... Ruth dies at age 79.  Ted shows up at the funeral... and one guesses, this re-kindles the relationship with Claire.

2029
Coming out of one of his armored cars (the truck says "Charles Security"), Keith is gunned down and dies at the age of 61.

2030s
Claire and Ted get married.  Claire is probably in her late 40s/early 50s.  In the front row, David is in attendance along with adult versions of Durrell and Anthony.  Durrell appears to have a white wife (ala Keith and David?) and a child... Anthony is holding hands with his Asian boyfriend (?).  Brenda is also in attendance w/ her husband (appears to be the same guy as seen during the Keith/David marriage)... and a young-ish boy (son?) sits next to her.

2044
A family picnic... Brenda and Claire have a discussion... David shares a table with a gentleman around his age... but looks longingly to a football game going on in the distance.  A "2005 version" of Keith catches a football pass...and David falls backwards and dies at the age of 75.

2049
Rico and Vanessa are on a cruise... Rico gets up from a lounge chair and falls to the ground... dead at 75.

2051
An aged Brenda and Billy talk in a very modern looking living room... Brenda passes out and dies at age 82... most thoughts this morning being that Billy talked her to death.

2085
Surrounded by pictures of her own pictures of her family... a nurse sitting bedside... Claire's cloud-filled eyes stare upwards... our final Fisher dies at age 102.

[UPDATE: The SFU website has obituaries for each of the characters... so even more details and confirmations of some of my assumptions listed above]

So a very emotional 10-15 minutes that is for sure... first, it put the proverbial "nail in the coffin" on the show itself... as we were forced to say goodbye to each of the characters we had grown to love over the past five years.  There was no doubt that this was IT... period.

Secondly, it made you reflect on your own life and mortality.  Just like the Fishers, the road ahead for all of us are going to be filled with good and bad times...  and, given the subject matter of the show, it, of course, made you think of death.  We are lucky enough to still have both of our parents in our household... but we know that time will ultimately come... and I can't even fathom life when it gets down to the two of us. 

Watching those death years, come up just seemed to makes things more real.  Assuming a "natural" passing, do I only have 10-15 more years max with my parents?  For the two of us, the 2040s suddenly loomed much larger... it certainly does not seem like enough time...

Thinking about Claire driving off and seeing Nate running in the rear-view mirror... perhaps it is best to live one's life like the warning you see in that reflection... objects may appear closer than they are...

SFU - Lost It/Almost Lost It

As I hinted at earlier, it was quite the emotional episode of Six Feet Under last night... I didn't quite make it through unscathed.  Now, I don't cry at the drop of a hat (i.e. a commercial) but I am certainly not the most stoic person either.... so here are the moments where I either lost it and almost lost it. 

In order to make this post as "spoiler free" as possible, I have "whiten-ed" out the text. Now don't look TOO close, I realize my background is grey... so one can detect a hint of the actual text.

Just highlight the text (run and hold your cursor across the hidden text) in order to read the actual moments:

ALMOST LOST IT - Ruth enters the room where David is washing Nate's body

LOST IT - Ruth washes Nates hair

ALMOST LOST IT - Anytime Ruth cried... period.

ALMOST LOST IT - Claire speaking of when Nate didn't want to be interviewed for her class project

ALMOST LOST IT - Rico's eulogy of Nate

LOST IT - David's eulogy of Nate

LOST IT BIG - Ruth walks David to the gravesite, Keith meets him halfway

ALMOST LOST IT - The men lower Nate into the grave

LOST IT - Claire help the men lower Nate into the grave

LOST IT BIG - Family starts shoveling dirt into grave

ALMOST LOST IT - Brenda breaks down and collapses in Billy's arms

ALMOST LOST IT - Brenda drops off Maya at the Fishers

SFU: Surviving "That's My Dog"

[WARNING: Six Feet Under 7/18/04 - Spoilers Inherent]

I have not written much about Six Feet Under this season. A lot of the pre-season press seemed to be pretty wary of this season (based on the first few episodes), but I have to say that I have still enjoyed watching the f&cked-up lives of the Fisher clan and those around them. Last night's episode ("That's My Dog") certainly packed a wallop... have you recovered yet?

The jury seems to be split. A lot of people were floored by this harrowing episode have dubbed this episode as the one where SFU has "jumped the shark." The phrase is meant to express that a TV series has hit a "point of no return"... one is having concerns about a series' future and a particular episode/event is when the decision is made that the show is no longer watchable. David's near fatal kidnapping by a hitchhiker seems to have divided the audience.

I am certainly not in the "shark" camp though I admit to wondering where last night's show was going... it was quite unusual that an episode devotes nearly half of the episode to one uninterrupted storyline. I have to give credit to the show. While this show does not have the reputation of a 24, I questioned whether David would survive the night.

The discussions on the boards have been interesting this morning. One person said she felt as "trapped" like David. I agree. David's nightmare was relentless and unyielding. From my comfy recliner, I admit to wanting it to be over with far sooner than it did. Others noted that David had many opportunities to escape. I am really not sure how many chances there were (and I am certainly not re-watching this episode any time soon...or again!), but given the situation I don't think there were many (except maybe that he should have kept running instead of staying around the scene when he knocked out the guy after being tied up) - but one is certainly not thinking clearly in that situation...so it is hard to second-guess the character (or the writers) on this one.

Ultimately, this was all about David's view of his relationship with Keith. David is worried about Keith cheating while he is on the road, but shows no indication/inclination of wanting to follow the same rules. David fantasized multiple times of the hitchhiker segment turning into a sexual encounter. One can argue that even the hitchhiker putting the gun in David's mouth (which was one thing that appeared to not to be part of David's imagination) played into that.

This season he had his quickie blowjob from the plumber and let's not forget his earlier (and equally dangerous) transgression a couple of seasons ago (while on relationship "break" from Keith) when he had unprotected sex with a Las Vegas hustler which ultimately led to his arrest.

This all seems to lead to David's subconscious desire to sabotage his relationship. Does he want the house, kids, and hot tub that Keith keeps talking about? I am thinking not...he keeps playing with fire and last night was a third-degree burn (and almost worse than that) ... the repercussions on his already, and always fragile, psyche are going to be huge.

One thing is for certain... Michael C. Hall certainly has his episode for submission for next year's Emmys.

Six and Sin

I thought last week was depressing enough... and that was before I saw Nancy's last goodbye at the Reagan Library!, But I should have known that the season premiere of Six Feet Under would not be the "cheer me up" anecdote that I was looking for.  Much of the press that I read going into this season's SFU has not been terribly positive - about the show in general, that is -- needless to say, the tone of the show always seems to have a dark cloud hanging over it. 

I thought the first episode was excellent.  Picking up the right where last season left off, we are once again a voyeur into the very complex relationships of the Fisher clan.  As the network's tagline goes... it's not TV.  There are never any tidy bows in place or any clear future paths for each of the characters.  Like a novel, you could easily have a group discussion about the episode.  Nate's decision regarding Lisa, Claire's discussion with Russell, Brenda's motives and feelings, and David and Keith... by far the most three-dimensional gay relationship ever put on the small screen.  I am definitely looking forward to seeing how this all plays out over the summer.
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Thankfully there is some lighter TV material out there... caught the 2nd episode of The Discovery Channel's American Casino.  Being a Sin City aficionado, I have to say this show is totally taking away all the mystique of working for a hotel casino.  While fun to watch, it is impossible to not get a little stressed out.  The principals are pretty much are on duty 24 hours a day.  I have not been terribly impressed by the folks in charge at the Green Valley Ranch (an off-strip casino located in Henderson, NV) .  They definitely have not taken any management classes - unless relentlessly berating your employees is the new "in" management philosophy these days.  Particularly hard to watch in this past episode were the exchanges between Michael (Hotel Operations VP) and Ninya (Hotel Manager).  There were some missteps regarding treatment of some VIPs and Michael sarcastically ripped Ninya a new one time and time again.  Granted Ninya does not strike me as the most ideal employee on the planet, but I would probably end up having that permanent "eat sh*t and die" smile on my face too if I had to deal with this guy.

I just hope by the time this was filmed (it appears earlier this year since episodes have centered around the Super Bowl and Valentine's Day) and now that it is airing that these "team members" have had a chance to work past their differences.  I can't imagine that these people can work with each other if they are just "learning" some of this stuff as these episodes air.

Mark Burnett's The Casino starts tonite on Fox.  It sounds an awful lot like AC - with a slightly different angle as two dot.com millionaires buy out and hope to restore downtown LV's Golden Nugget Casino back to its Rat Pack/glory days image.  But like AC, it appears to be a straight "behind-the-scenes" show (none of the weekly eliminations ala Burnett's other reality successes, Survivor and The Apprentice).  I am sure Burnett will be more flashy and "dramatically" edited.  But I still am liking the trials and tribulations of the folks on the other end of town.