Five Reasons To Watch Bored To Death

1. Jason Schwartzman
Since his iconic debut role in the 1998 film Rushmore, Jason Schwartzman has established himself as an actor with a quirky, unusual sense of charisma. This is on full display in HBO's new series Bored To Death, in which he plays Jonathan Ames, a Brooklynite author moonlighting as a private detective while he struggles with his second novel. Jonathan is the kind of person who has good intentions, but tends to fail when it comes to following through with them. It could be easy to dislike the character, considering that the first episode begins with his girlfriend breaking up with him for being an irresponsible, alcoholic pothead, but Schwartzman's portrayal is instantly charming. He is the earnest, vulnerable heart of the show. Schwartzman's extensive musical talents are also showcased in the theme song; in addition to acting, he was a founding member of Phantom Planet and has released two solo albums under the moniker Coconut Records. Jason Schwartzman can do no wrong.

2. The sense of humor
Bored To Death shines with its own brand of dry wit. Sly, blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments build up to plenty of laughs. The sense of humor is organic, primarily emerging from the characters' situations. Jonathan's quixotic nature provides no shortage of entertainment, particularly when it comes to interacting with his aging boss, George, who is constantly trying to cling to youth. Whether George is suffering from a herpes flare-up or is waxing poetic about women's armpits, Jonathan takes a step back and serves as an attentive, entertaining commentator. Absurdity is the name of the game.

3. Zach Galifianakis
Zach Galifianakis plays Ray Hueston, who is Jonathan's best friend as well as his foil. Jonathan dresses like The Sartorialist's favorite English teacher; Ray is much more at home in t-shirts and hoodies. Jonathan is an acclaimed novelist; Ray is a superhero-obsessed graphic novelist who has not yet received any commercial success. Jonathan is a staunch optimist; Ray is much more world-weary. Still, Ray is a supportive friend who will always rescue Jonathan from one mishap after another, and Galifianakis and Schwartzman share an affable, easygoing chemistry. Ray's current storyline includes donating sperm to a lesbian couple who are fans of his work, and it'll be interesting to see how that plays out.

4. The aesthetics
The tone is set with the noir-inspired title sequence, in which the setting and the main characters spring to life in a series of animated sketches. The show is shot in a sharp, clean style that matches Jonathan's world of white wine and whimsy. From the camera's eye, Brooklyn comes to life and becomes a character in its own right. If Wes Anderson was more laid-back and acknowledged the progress of technology after 1990, he would be working on Bored To Death.

5. The guest stars
The show has featured a variety of guest stars, most prominently Olivia Thirlby's recurring role as Jonathan's ex-girlfriend Suzanne. Stand-outs have included Kristen Wiig as an alcoholic who wants Jonathan to track her boyfriend and Parker Posey as a radical vegan MILF. Film director Jim Jarmusch made a memorable appearance as an exaggerated version of himself, and comedian Patton Oswalt features in an upcoming episode.

For more, see Bored To Death's official site.

Glee: So bad it's good, or so good it's bad?

Glee, Fox's new program about a high school show choir, is either brilliant or complete garbage. If the viewer approaches the show as a satire, it takes sharp aim at the teen dramedy genre and is a great send-up of the high school social structure. If taken more seriously, however, it's a mess of screeching one-note characters and reinforces unnecessary stereotypes.

The cast was obviously crafted to be a virtual salad bar of diversity. The titular Glee Club features an African-American girl, Mercedes; an Asian girl, Tina; a gay boy, Kurt; and a boy in a wheelchair, Artie. Unfortunately, I say "features" in the loosest sense of the term, considering that these characters are either full-on stereotypes or are devoid of defining characteristics aside from their appearance. The black girl is overweight, so she has to be just as sassy and fabulous as the gay boy! They both love Beyonce! He also loves Marc Jacobs! Did I mention how fabulous they are?

As for Tina and Artie, they're lucky if they get one or two throwaway lines per episode. I had to Google their names because they've had so little screen time in the six episodes that have aired so far, despite being marketed as major characters. This is understandable considering the size of the ensemble cast, but at the rate this is going, I can't wait to see Tina driving to SAT boot camp in a car with a Hello Kitty steering wheel cover. However, one of the more minor Glee Club members is an Asian football player. While it's certainly a change to see an Asian male in a conventionally masculine role, he has even less of a presence than Tina.

Out of these minority characters, Kurt has received the most in-depth characterization, featuring heavily in the fourth episode. Kurt might fit better under the generally queer umbrella, considering that he has exhibited some potentially trans leanings, such as a preference for women's clothing and aligning with the girls in a battle of the sexes. Played off the right way, this character could be a statement regarding the idea that all homosexual men are extremely effeminate. Unfortunately, the show isn't gutsy enough to blatantly challenge the stereotype, and viewers are left questioning Glee's intentions. Considering that the actor who plays Kurt is homosexual and the role was written specifically for him, it may be inferred that the character is supposed to be a mockery of the archetype, but the show hasn't yet made this obvious. While there are certainly some gay men who love designer clothing and decorate their homes like Ikea showrooms, it's about time to move on from constantly perpetuating this image of flamboyance. Kurt could be used to deconstruct these previously established ideas, but the actor's personal connection to the character lends an earnest quality to the portrayal that cannot be ignored. Regardless, we cannot expect a single character to represent an entire community, and any and all presence of LGBTQ characters on American television shows the progress of the public mindset.

While the portrayals of minorities may be passed off as being clever satire, the female characters on Glee get an even worse deal. For the most part, they are manipulative, whiny, and generally unsympathetic. Terri, the wife of the Glee Club's coach, is the worst of them. She is possessive and demanding, faking a pregnancy when she believes that her husband Will's interest in her may be waning and taking a job at the high school in order to keep an eye on him. To complete her plans, she intends to adopt a baby from Quinn, the head cheerleader and president of the Celibacy Club. Quinn has her own set of issues; she tells her boyfriend that she has had a miraculous hot tub pregnancy rather than owning up to breaking the Celibacy Club's vows with his best friend. While her fear is understandable, the lying does nothing to help her previously established image as a bully. The only other female student who has had serious character development is Rachel, the star of the Glee Club. While she is talented, ambitious, and strong-willed, this is overshadowed by her desire to constantly be in control and at the center of attention. Her diva behavior builds up to the point where another character announces, "That Rachel girl makes me want to set myself on fire." Also forceful is the cheerleading coach, Sue Sylvester. She may advocate caning and general cruelty, but at least her character is distinctly approached as being an over-the-top caricature. It is made clear to the audience that Sue has no purpose other than to be a force of unflinching evil, and she accomplishes this to hilarious effect. Sue's foil is Emma, the school's twee, delicate guidance counselor whose main characteristics are germophobia and a backbone deficiency. While Emma is the most endearing of the lot, she is not genuinely likable enough to compensate for the others.

Glee is still a new show, but it's about time for it to decide which direction it's going in. Viewers can only hope that it will fulfill its smart, witty potential instead of snowballing into pure superficiality.

For more, see Bitch Magazine's take and The Advocate's interview with actor Chris Colfer.

Glee is the word

Everyone loves a story about outsiders, because almost everyone's felt like an outsider at some point. Such is the case with Glee's gang of misfit toys, with a new lesson about how It's Okay To Be Different dispensed every Wednesday night. Quite frankly, Glee still seems like a bog-standard high school underdog story, but I still feel compelled to watch it and wring my hands and shout "YOU LYING BITCH!" at the screen. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that they shouldn't promote acceptance, but there's a difference between making a TV show and making a 40-minute-long PSA. Sometimes the cheesiness makes me want to reach for a loaf of bread and a George Foreman Grill. Still, there are redeeming elements. In spite of the nagging, manipulative women that they keep company with, Will and Finn contribute enough charm and charisma to keep me watching every week. Emma's not too bad either, although her primary characteristics seem to be germophobia and a Charlotte Charles wardrobe. In general, Glee still seems to be figuring out which direction it wants to take, and I'm going to keep following it until it finds that out.

In other news, there's a new teaser clip for Merlin 2x02, and Spaced is ten years old today. Also, "Uprising" by Muse sounds remarkably like Goldfrapp.

TV mini-reviews: Bored To Death, Gossip Girl, The Big Bang Theory

Bored To Death 1x01
It's Jason Schwartzman doing an HBO show, so I knew it was going to be good. I may have set my expectations a little too high, but I think it's going to get better as it progresses. Schwartzman plays Jonathan Ames, a struggling writer who begins working as an unlicensed private detective on a whim with the help of his favorite detective novels. The aesthetics are crisp, the humor is deadpan and witty, and I can't wait to see where this goes and how the characters develop. A Schwartzman-penned theme song doesn't hurt, either.

Gossip Girl 3x02
This episode was all about the tables being turned, except for Serena, of course. I'm not sure why I'm trying to review something that I don't actually take seriously, other than that insomnia does amazing things. I will say, however, that this show has some really great montages. They're always well-edited and fit together perfectly and help to compensate for things like references to "the Bass cave."

The Big Bang Theory 3x01
I have nothing to say about this other than that Leonard needs to learn about bros before hos.

Merlin 2x01: The Curse Of Cornelius Sigan

While the Doctor's away, strange creatures still reign on BBC Saturday nights with Merlin. The second series of the surprise hit debuted tonight, with "The Curse Of Cornelius Sigan."

The four stars of the show now all have a bit more experience under their belts, and it shows, at least with Colin Morgan (Merlin) and Bradley James (Arthur), considering that Katie McGrath (Morgana) and Angel Coulby (Gwen) got a combined total of about two minutes of screen time. The young medieval heroes are back in fine form, with plenty of the usual homoerotic subtext in the mix. There's plenty of Merlin acting like a jealous high school girlfriend when Arthur's attentions are drawn away from him, while Arthur is still every bit the kid in elementary school who expressed crushes through pigtail-pulling.

I think I just had the revelation that Merlin and Arthur are like Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe.

Anyways, jellied staplers aside, Mackenzie Crook guest-starred in this episode. I was never into Pirates Of The Caribbean, so I'm only familiar with his work on Skins and, of course, The Office. He was a good villain, certainly more psychological than physical. It's a shame that this wasn't a two-part storyline, it would have been nice to see more of him. This was a story that could have easily been spread across two weeks. Hopefully we'll get a multi-part plotline at some point instead of having this monster-of-the-week routine. While the first series had the running thread of Nimueh, we never saw the words "To Be Continued." Still, I'm looking forward to these new adventures, and I can't wait to see what comes next.

Gleeking Out

I forgot to mention this in my fall TV round-up, but the highly anticipated Glee starts tonight. I watched the preview episode, and despite finding it remarkably like every other high school underdog story ever, I feel compelled to watch it. It might just be the internet hive mind getting to me, or the fact that I couldn't help but listen to the cast's rendition of "Push It" on repeat last night. I'm hoping that this show can charm its way past just being another teen dramedy featuring actors portraying characters who are ten years their junior.

From what was seen in the preview, Glee seems like it needs time to reach its full potential. Sassy Black Diva and Asian Goth Chick Who Probably Loves Anime? Seriously? Hopefully these characters will develop with time and become more than just stereotypes.

At any rate, it has to be better than Vampire Diaries.

Merlin series 2 trailer

So, Gwen and Arthur, eh? Obviously, it had to happen. I'm curious as to when it will happen, given that so far they have had about three conversations together. Additionally, the characters don't seem like a good fit right now, but who am I to judge? It seems like Merlin's giving both characters the push that they need to balance each other better, with Arthur growing more sentimental and Gwen getting more daring. At this point, Arthur and Morgana have much better chemistry with each other. I hope that the kiss is from a dream sequence, because otherwise it would seriously throw off the pacing of the show.

Regardless of how many other people they kiss, Merlin and Arthur will always be "two sides of the same coin."

Looking forward to fall TV

The Big Bang Theory season 3
I only just got into this show over the summer. I don't know how I didn't start earlier, given that it is about the plights of being nerdy and socially awkward, as well as giving nerdy and socially awkward people the hope that they will someday get to make out with someone who is a) normal and b) way hotter than them. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what happens when the gang returns from the North Pole.

Doctor Who: "The Waters Of Mars"

It's not much, but it's all we Whovians get until the Christmas specials. To be honest, I'm not particularly excited about people shooting water out of their wrists, but I'll take whatever I can get when it comes to the 10th Doctor. As much as I'm anticipating whatever fresh twist that the 11th incarnation will bring, David Tennant is simply fantastic and I will miss him very much.

Gossip Girl season 3

The main reasons I watch this are for the clothes and the fairly hilarious dialogue that makes me feel more confident in my own writing skills. The main buzz that's been going around for this season is that Chuck Bass is going to be kissing a man. Unfortunately, it's not Dan, but I'll still watch it anyways. Also, Anna Sui's Gossip Girl-inspired line for Target looks pretty promising.

Merlin series 2
Merlin has been my main obsession this summer. I know that it takes many liberties when it comes to the traditional texts, but it's a lot of fun and I'm not an Arthurian legends purist. I'm looking forward to this next round of homoerotic banter, CGI dragons, and intense sword fights. The cast's wonderful chemistry really makes it something special, and Colin Morgan is the most adorable medieval wizard I have ever seen. Also, Mackenzie Crook is guest starring at some point during this series--let's hope no one puts his stapler in jelly again.

Belated bits of news, name change

• Flight of the Conchords are playing Nashville's historic Ryman Auditorium and it will be amazing
• Empire has some new promo photos for The Boat That Rocked, one of my most anticipated 2009 films. The Boat That Rocked, a comedy about a pirate radio station in the 60s, features Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans, Nick Frost, Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Rhys Darby (Gingerballs ♥), Tom Sturridge, Talulah Riley, Gemma Arterton, and January Jones. With a cast like that, how could you not be ridiculously excited for this film?
• The new Lily Allen album leaked
  
• A nearly-naked photo of Morrissey may be viewed here if you wish to permanently change the way you think about Morrissey
• Franz Ferdinand recently visited Zane Lowe and played a great set at Maida Vale, and Alex Kapranos had a backstage chat with NME.com
  

I've also changed the name to Rushmore Academics, as Are You At The Pictures? was a bit too long for my liking.

Internet Hate Michael, 10 Years Of Dr. Manhattan

Michael Cera: "Arrested Development movie more hypothetical than people think.

Michael Cera, get the hell off of your high horse and make this movie, you are forever indebted to Arrested Development for making sure you continue to get roles as The Awkward Teenage Boy, although you have slightly branched off into The Awkward And Douchey Teenage Boy. Arrested Development is why you have a career, just do it.

Of course, there's also the possibility that Michael Cera realises that his career will be over once he's too old to play The Awkward (And Douchey) Teenage Boy, so he wants to make as much money as he possibly can while he can.

So, if Michael Cera doesn't sign on for the film, how should they deal with it? It would be pretty easy to write out George Michael, since he really wasn't a hugely integral part of the main plot. Yeah, it would be amusing to find out whether or not he and Maeby made it to third base or not, but George Michael could just be off at college or something. (I don't see Maeby being the college type, or at least not the conventional college type--she'd probably end up at some hippie place where they don't have real grades.) Alternatively, they could just have a different actor for George Michael and completely ignore the subject--someone on ONTD was suggesting Dev Patel, who would actually be a pretty good choice. It would also be pretty epic if the singer-songwriter George Michael could make a cameo. I'm never gonna dance again the way I danced with you, Michael Cera.

On another note, there's a new Watchmen promo clip out. This is a fake news report about the 10-year anniversary of the "birth" of Doctor Manhattan.

All the boys and all the girls are begging to if you seek Effy?

Re: 7-minute preview for Skins 3x01
Skins Episode 1 Part 1 Preview

It looks pretty good, I hope the rest of the episode isn't a disappointment. I'm not sure what to think of JJ or Cook, but Freddie seems pretty chill. It kind of seems like they made Cook a douchebaggier version of Chris, but hopefully he'll develop his own personality. Also, why isn't Effy wearing pants? I do hope that people aren't stupid enough to try and recreate that outfit.

Oh, and Watchmen is going to be coming out on schedule! I'm pretty excited, I recently read the graphic novel and was blown away.