Castle: Television Is Getting Better?

To answer the question above; no. It's not getting better. The networks still have their collective heads up their butts and from what I've been seeing over the last decade most good television happens as a happy accident. Somehow something with merit and entertainment value slips through their web of corporate need, unrealistic expectations and backwards thinking. The tastes and motives of big corporate television networks have nothing to do with good TV.

Having said that, it's time for a review. This is one of those happy accidents I was talking about. It's a new show called Castle.

Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic star in this hour long television show about a pulp novelist (Richard Castle, played by Nathan Fillion), who gets paired up with a New York Police Detective (Kate Beckett, played by Stana Katic) and together they solve crimes.

Fillion plays the Castle character with great comedic timing and just the right amount of flare as he roams through the first five episodes adding his insights and drawing material from crime scenes and investigations. I love the character and it seems like another perfect fit for Nathan Fillion.

The detective in this series is played very well and at first it seems that it's an easy role. As the series continues (I've seen all 5 episodes so far), we discover that there's a bit more to Kate Beckett and she's not willing to become attatched to, or reveal much of anything personal to her new scribe partner. It's very easy to ham up the hard nosed detective part, and now that I think about it I've seen that role hammed up more often than not. No problems here, Stana Katic does a great job. her character is believable and strong enough to be a good counterpart to Richard Castle.

There are other characters, ranging from the wise daughter to the detective co-workers and though they're somewhat cliche, they're well placed, performed and not over played. The only character I dislike is the zany mother, who I've been seeing on several different television shows recently played by different similar actresses. It's like the networks put the word out that every new hour long drama or comedy must have a zany grandmother.

In short, go watch Castle. If you like detective mysteries and are a little tired of the CSI's and the Law and Orders this should be a nice change. It also stands on its own, so even if you're not into detective shows, give it a shot. It's just different enough.

Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog: The Master Plan!

Some of us follow the beat of our own drummer, we walk alone for long distances, we even eat differently. Sadly, we need entertainment from time to time too and that's when I turn to people like Joss Whedon who is far greater than I.

Some time ago I discovered that Mr. Whedon was working on a musical. It was my hope that I wouldn't have to fly to New York or LA to see it on stage (do they have stages in sections of LA where you won't get mugged for your wallet, watch, belt and chewing gum?). To my absolute glee, he's going to be releasing it on line in at least one format and I think he'll be offering it on DVD.

Recently the Master Plan was unveiled: to release the whole thing in three parts online for FREE! Here's a quote from the Master Plan that goes into some detail:

ONE WEEK ONLY! AN INTERNET MINISERIES EVENT! "Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog" will be streamed, LIVE (that part’s not true), FREE (sadly, that part is) right on Drhorrible.com, in mid-July. Specifically: ACT ONE (Wheee!) will go up Tuesday July 15th. ACT TWO (OMG!) will go up Thursday July 17th. ACT THREE (Denouement!) will go up Saturday July 19th. All acts will stay up until midnight Sunday July 20th. Then they will vanish into the night, like a phantom (but not THE Phantom – that’s still playing. Like, everywhere.)

Okay, there's more to the Master Plan, and you should check it out (link to follow). But I have a proposal to make first. No, I'm not going to ask the Interwebs to marry me, I know we spend a lot of time together, but I just don't see things that way. I propose that once you've watched Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, gotten at least one tune stuck in your head, set your hair on fire and have gone running through your neighborhood nude while making love to a picture of Neil Patrick Harris, go buy something. If you enjoyed it at all you should buy a copy of the Digital Download (he says it'll be cheap anyway), or a T-Shirt, a coffee mug, lunch box or maybe even just Hire Nathan Fillion for a weekend, I hear he's great at parties.

Now, take this part seriously: For interesting, cutting edge entertainment like this to be produced in the future we have to support what's coming out now. Just imagine if this project gets massive support from the audience who downloads it, and this feature will be pirated I'm sure. Just think, if the thousands of people who download it or view it on line and enjoy it actually contribute something then Joss will be able to recover his expenses, maybe even put something in the bank for another feature. If we support him well enough we might even do something online again. Here's a stretch, but imagine a Big Damn Sequel (I'm talking Firefly people), born on the Internet and sold on DVD. That's the kind of Hollywood shattering revolution we're talking here, but we have to show our support. Nicely typed, purple scented letters in pretty envelopes won't do it (did ya get mine Joss?), but a few bucks from everyone who can't afford the DVD just now, and DVD or T-Shirt purchases from people who can afford the DVD just might show him that his audience is big enough, that we're ready for him to take a big risk and put on another real show. We need to show him that he has support in a way that is universally understood, the all mighty dollar.

As an artist really just starting out again who needs the support of his thirty or so fans so people can hear about his work and experience it for themselves, I can relate. I'm also an independent and in my own small way understand why Joss wants to do a few things on his own without a studio looking over his shoulder or making final decisions about his work. I know I'll have a copy of the DVD, T-Shirt and I absolutely NEED one of the Coffee Mugs, even if it doesn't exist yet. I'll find a way, there's a spot for it on my desk and everything.

Now go see the Doctor: www.drhorrible.com
Go now.

Nathan's pic above appears thanks to www.jedichefs.com who somehow got him in a very compromising position.