BAFW TV Guide - Guilty Pleasure

I tend to stay clear of reality TV. I do appreciate the value and merit of a well scripted show. For the most part, MTV has been pumping out these generic and engineered shows like "The Real World" and all of those "Laguna Beach" spin-off's. Totally forgettable television if you ask me. And then they went back to the drawing board and created this fantastically terrible but hard not to watch show entitled: "Jersey Shore". In itself, this show is a spin off of a "True Life" MTV documentary, but that's the only place MTV cut corners.

The show is full of self-proclaimed guidos and guidettes. Basically, Italian-American douchebags. These kids are more preoccupied with tanning, fist pumping to house music, hooking up and drinking heavily. And, despite looking like MTV put blinders on when casting, these kids think they're the hottest thing since garlic bread. It's hilarious. I'm currently just tuning in to see how much I can hate these ass-hats. Check your local listings if you want to catch the show. MTV plays it all the time. Since the show just started a couple of weeks ago, you might even get to watch the 2 hour (yes, T W O) season premiere.

BAFW TV Guide - Fringe

Fringe
Fringe is the best show I'm not currently watching on TV. I do catch myself up on FOX.com, but Thursday nights are pretty busy when it comes to TV and there are too many conflicts for my DVR to handle. But, that's not to say you should miss this show. It's fantastic. And the scope of the story is just beginning to become realized.

In case you are new to this show, it's basically an FBI procedural show with an inter-dimensional twist. While the show started out a little bit on the X-Files-ish (another great FOX genre show), it has now taken a life of it's own by putting the viewer in the middle of a burgeoning war between our unsuspecting dimension and another, more insidious version. Trying to make sense of it is an FBI agent (played by Anna Torv) who gets mixed up with this and begins investigating weird cases that seem to be all somewhat connected by something that was referenced in the first season as "The Pattern".

Now in it's second season, "Fringe" is ramping up the speed and the strangeness. But it's not at all a bad thing, as the first season ended in a bit of a cliffhanger and season 2 just hits the ground running (or rolling if you watched the first episode of this current season). If you've missed it so far, make sure you pick up the DVD and then head on out to FOX's website to watch this season's missed episodes. "Fringe" doesn't disappoint and actually has an excellent cast of characters, even if Pacey from fucking "Dawson's Creek" is involved. Joshua Jackson is actually quite good here, so don't hold it against the show.

"Fringe" airs on Thursday nights. Check your local listings for actual times.

Firefly Fans Rejoice for a Minute or So

I've been watching "Castle" frankly at first because of Nathan Fillion's involvement. I've continued to watch because it's also very entertaining. Yes, I am a disappointed "Firefly" and "Serenity" fan that thought the show and the movie were unfairly treated by the mainstream TV-watching and movie-going public. But, in this week's episode of "Castle", it seems that Fillion decided to throw us fans a bone by donning the Mal Reynolds outfit at the beginning of their Halloween episode, and then had a rather comical exchange with his TV daughter on the show. It was great, and something that both my wife and I laughed at and knowingly grinned at when we both saw it.

Sure, it's taken me a couple of days to get this post out, since the show airs on Monday nights, but that's the beauty of DVR right? I don't have to watch the show when it actually airs. "Castle" is currently in it's second season. I'm sure you can get the first season out on DVD and catch yourself up on ABC's website if you missed any other episodes from this current season.

And this should count as another BAFW TV Guide entry. But then the title of the post would be too large. Fuck it. This one is for the Browncoats.

BAFW TV Guide - Flash Forward

Flash Forward
This is a brand new hour-long show for the Fall 2009 season. Based on a book of the same name, "Flash Forward" tells the tale of a global event where everyone blacks out for just over 2 minutes (127 seconds) and sees a glimpse of their future 6 months from now. The show, playing on ABC on Thursday evenings, looks impressive at times thanks to a generous budget (it shows). It's not as action packed as I was expecting, but the slow unraveling of the mystery is keeping me hooked in right now.

The cast does a fairly decent job. There are a couple of "Lost" cast members that make up the ensemble cast here. No relation to their previous work on that other ABC show. When it comes down to it, if you're looking for a drama with a sci-fi twist, "Flash Forward" doesn't disappoint. There are about 5 episodes so far, with more to come. Check your local listings for times. And catch yourself up over at ABC.com if you still haven't had a chance to watch this yet.

BAFW TV Guide - New Comedies Fall 2009

I've been missing for some time from this page. I'd like to say I was doing interesting things in exotic locales . . . but it's mostly been watching the boob-tube. And by that, I mean television, not a freaky-deaky porn site that is similar to YouTube in it's ease of use. But, we're straying from the subject at hand.

Community
"Community" is a new comedy on NBC that plays during their Thursday night block of comedy. It's one of the best half hours of hilarity out right now if you wanted my personal opinion (which I'm guessing is why you're actually taking the time to read this). "Community" stars the great Joel McHale who basic cable TV viewers will know from E's "The Soup". He's part of an ensemble cast that includes Chevy Chase, who is also hilarious in this show. Pretty much the whole cast brings a little something different to the show, set in a fictional community college, and so far, it's always been consistently great. If you haven't jumped on board yet, please do. You're missing out.

Modern Family
The next new comedy of this fall season that I have been thoroughly enjoying is ABC's "Modern Family". This show plays on Wednesday nights (tonight if you're reading this the day that I posted it) and it's also something you can't afford to miss. Otherwise, you'd be comedy bankrupt. There's a lot of funny people in this show, notably the great Ed O'Neill, who you will remember from "Married with Children". Here, he's paired up with a Colombian actress Sofia Vergara (who many male individuals of Hispanic descent will remember from helping them get through puberty). They make up 1/3 of the family portrayed in "Modern Family". The other couples include a gay couple that just adopted a Chinese baby and a more traditional family with a father that tries too hard to be his kids' friends. The scene in the first episode where he's detailing his knowledge of text abbreviations was "LOL". Even though my description isn't doing the show much justice, trust me when I tell you that you need to DVR or TiVo this show ASAP.

BAFW TV Guide will return within the next couple of days where I will talk about new dramatic shows I've been checking out for the first time and enjoying. It might not even take 14 days to come up with a new post. Keep your eyes peeled . . . figuratively speaking. You need those puppies for TV viewing.

The Walking Dead Shamble Over to AMC

"The Walking Dead" has to be one of my all time favorite zombie stories out there. The fact that it's still going in comic book form (I just wait for the TPB) is fantastic. Hollywood has taken note of Robert Kirkman's intricate and painfully brutal story and a network that could do it justice has taken interest. AMC, home of "Mad Men", wants to put Frank Darabont (The Mist, Shawshank Redemption) in charge of raising the dead . . . on TV. AICN, the place where this miracle of news found me, has a link over to Variety where you can read more about the deal. I personally can't wait to see this.

If you also want to get a bit encyclopedic, head on over to this wiki page for some knowledge.

Day One Trailer

I do enjoy a post-apocalyptic yarn from time to time. That's why, this trailer for NBC's "Day One" is looking mighty freaking cool to me. The video is not that great when it comes to quality, but the ideas and concept shine through anyway. What at first looks like a re-hashed meteor strike is then substituted with something more sinister. Check your local listings for this one. It's probably not going to start with the regular fall season of 2009, so look out for it mid-season 2010. It's going to feel like a long wait, but to me, it looks like it might just be worth it.

Update: So, the first video was killed by NBC . . . let's see how long this one lasts.

Futurama: The Return

So, my prayers have been answered. And yes, sometimes I pray for the return of good television programming that was yanked before it's time. I am, of course, talking about "Futurama", a show so superior in quality in comparison to anything that was on TV at that time that FOX decided to cancel it in its infinite wisdom. After all of their previous seasons selling like hotcakes and releasing 4 rather successful straight to DVD movies, "Futurama" has found a new home at Comedy Central, which I hope will treat it the way it deserves to be. You can check out the story at the Variety website. 26 all new episodes will begin airing mid 2010, so make sure you clear your schedule or program your TiVo (or whatever brand of DVR you use).

BAFW - As Seen on TV Review - 1408

Usually, I don't review things I watch on TV, but since the current economic climate has made it a little bit harder for me to stockpile and amass large quantities of DVD's, I've turned to a service that had gone unused during more fertile and prosperous times: my DVR's On Demand movie feature. This week I was able to catch "1408", a movie based on a Stephen King story, that I had intended to watch, but never got around to catching it in the theaters nor had the opportunity to buy on DVD.

"1408" is about Mike Enslin: a novelist played by John Cusack. Enslin's current bread and butter is writing books about haunted locales. Hotels, graveyards, whatever. He goes there, stays a night, and writes about the place. But he's never seen anything supernatural as of yet. Sure, he's stayed in creepy places, but nothing, as of yet, has made him a believer in the occult.

He's also living quite the miserable existence. Thinking that his best writing days are past him, and having to deal with the loss of his young daughter and a marriage that fell apart, we get to see him check out one of these haunted inn's and some of his mundane day-to-day before he gets a postcard, for "The Dolphin" Hotel in New York, with the cryptic "Don't enter 1408" message written on it. This, of course, is seen as a challenge and Enslin makes sure his publisher puts him in that room for a night.

Also in this movie is Samuel L. Jackson, who plays "The Dolphin" Hotel's manager, a man with two purposes in the movie. Not letting anyone in that room and delivering as much exposition as possible in the shortest amount of time. He's not in the movie much, but when he is, he delivers. Information that is. You get the whole, tragic back story of the room in about 5 - 10 minutes.

But he fails to keep Cusack's character out of the room. His jaded character gets in there, and starts his writing process as if it were any other job he's had before. But, the room quickly makes itself known to him by doing a couple of simple things. Things that rattle the protagonist, but doesn't quite convince him. Then, the room gets violent and gives him 60 minutes to live.

"1408" has its moments. But, it is not by all means, a horror movie. Sure, there are some spooky things happening. But to me, it was more a suspense type of a movie. Did I get scared? Not really. The performances are pretty average. There wasn't much that surprised me or made me want to recommend it. I mean, if it's free and you happen to come across it on TV or "On Demand", definitely watch it. You won't feel like you wasted an hour and 45 minutes. But you will feel like you wasted 15 - 20 bucks if you go out and buy it.

So overall, not a bad movie, but not a great one either. There's a doozy of an unresolved issue towards the end of the movie, but hey, no one's perfect right?

The BAFW is In

Hello people. Hope the robo-poster kept you entertained while I was gone on my well deserved vacation. I know I should have started posting new material this past Tuesday, but I was still, technically, vacationing at that time. I wasn't out of town, mind you, I was just sitting around the BAFW HQ, catching up on video games and recorded television. I'm glad to report that since all of that catching up has been taken care off by now, I can devote some time to running BAFW again.

Although, I don't have much of anything to post right now. I did vote this past Tuesday. And wouldn't you know it, my first time and I picked a winner. Won't tell you who it was, since that stuff is supposed to be confidential, but I'm sure there's a pissed off hockey mom and a Vietnam POW out there who might be thinking to themselves: "Where'd that landslide come from?".

In other, non-politics related news, the wife and I have turned vegetarian. We want to hug animals, not fillet them. Vegetables and fruits, watch out, 'cause we're hungry. We don't care about your feelings. Turning vegetarian is more for health reasons really, rather than not wanting to eat cute animals. But wouldn't you know it, as soon as we become vegetarians, I get an e-mail from an uncle of mine that lives in Illinois inviting us to go hunting with him with an attached picture of a dead dear hanging from a crane.

We had to pass on the invite. Anyway, I'm off to getting ready to get to work. See ya suckers later.

Pushing Daisies Season 2 Trailer

This one's for my wife really. She loves "Pushing Daisies", and she's pretty excited about the series coming back for a 2nd season. I should be more excited than I actually am. I had a bit of a hard time getting into the first season . . . but it was created by Bryan Fuller, who made one of my favorite single season shows ever: "Wonderfalls". So, this will most likely get DVR'd, and this year, I'll try to watch it. The show is fun, you should check it out as well.

Vanessa Hudgens Nude

Vanessa Hudgens may not be a household name as of yet . . . unless you're thirteen and watch the Disney Channel semi-religiously (or, if you're my ex-Marine younger brother, why does he watch that channel all the time?). In case you hadn't heard, there was this little made for TV movie called "High School Musical", which was a bit on the popular side. All the kids loved it. It was such a ratings monster for the cable channel that they went ahead and made a "High School Musical 2", because one wasn't enough. Now, I'm not sure if Disney will be keeping Vanessa Hudgens around for much longer. We've already seen what Disney did to the "Lost" cast members who got caught with DUI's. What would they do to a newly 18 year old, kiddie movie startlet who went ahead and took nude pictures of herself, that then leaked all over the internets? I'm thinking they'll just have her killed. This is also the chick that is dating the most effeminate guy ever, Zac Efron. I wonder where he was when this picture was taken. Probably looking through her make-up bag for some rad eye-shadow. That guy is so manly.

Oh yeah, this is totally NSFW, so, if you're system administrator comes knocking on your cubicle . . . it's your own damn fault for coming here while at work. You were probably just asking for it. Hope you have a good time at the unemployment line.

Edit: I would have posted this yesterday, but I needed to confirm this chick was actually 18. While I didn't actually do the legwork myself, I did see it posted on another site, and they said she was 18. So that's good enough for me.

Edit #2: As you can already see . . . the picture had to be taken down. Photobucket and lawyers. You know how these things go. But, here are a couple of other non-nude pictures that are perfectly spank-worthy . . . if you're into masturbating to Disney Channel starlets.



Don't ask me to send you the "good" picture. It's your own goddamn fault for being late to the "Vanessa Hudgens is naked" party. Go hang out with all the other nerds . . . nerd.

BAFW Weather Update

It's fucking hot. It's not even 9 AM and already my house feels like the inside of a toaster oven. And I have no A/C, so don't even ask why I don't turn it on. The worst part is that I need to catch up on some shows that were DVR'd weeks ago, but this piece of crap Motorola box that Time Warner Cable provided us with overheats 15 minutes after I plug it in. It works great 3 seasons out of the 4. It's a good thing not a whole lot of great stuff is aired during the summer.

So, who's up for an ice age for a change? I hear it should be cooling down here in Los Angeles within the next couple of days, which will be nice. But I'm ready for fall to come around already. This heat is fucking with my television viewing. Not only that, every time I'm out in the living room (AKA - the oven room) I get stuck to the leather couch while trying to watch TV. I fucking hate the summer,