Sorry!

Turns out that I'm not quite caught up enough to keep up with the three comics a week deal. I'll have the next issue up on Monday, and see how much I manage to complete over the next few days.

Other:
--I finally starting watching the new Battlestar Galactica. I'm not hooked yet, but I'm about halfway through season 1 and so far it's really interesting. Certainly nice to watch something smart while Lost is on a mini hiatus.

Newsflash! Chuck and Reaper are the same show.

Are you interested in a genre show about a classic underachiever turned hero? NBC and the CW hope you are. I have now seen the first eps of both Chuck and Reaper and they really are basically the same show. I kind of liked both, didn't love either. Which do I watch? I don't have room in my busy tv schedule, so I figured I'd throw them head-to-head as see what happens.

Main character:

• Chuck: This guy reminds me way to much of Jimmy Fallon. I don't like Jimmy Fallon. At least this Zachary Levi guy can finish a scene without cracking up.
• Reaper: Hey! It's that Guy from the Loop! I kinda liked that show. What's Sarah Mason doing these days?
  

Edge: Reaper

Genre convention/pitch:

• Chuck: Remember Marshall from Alias? Let's make him less smart, put him a big box store, and team him with a hot chick and have them fight terrorists together.
• Reaper: Remember Xander from Buffy? Lose the slayer and make him save demons by himself (while working in a big box store).

Demons > Terrorists. Plus a ghostbusters-like device (this week it was a dirt devil) to take down demons is much cooler than lots of flashy pictures edited together quickly.
Edge: Reaper

Big Box Store:

• Chuck: Our hero is a member of the Nerd Herd at a Best Buy-clone.
• Reaper: The Work Bench - which I thought was like Home Depot (and the CW describes as a home improvement store) but I thought I saw a big enough variety of stuff (TV's, first aid stuff, fire extinguishers) that you'd almost have to go to Target or Walmart to find together. Get your bland store identity together CW!

Edge: Chuck

Female Lead:

• Chuck: Yvonne Strzechowski may be the hottest person on TV right now. Plus, Sarah Lancaster is great as Chuck's sis.
  
• Reaper: Isn't that the girl from Stick It? Oh yeah, and Heroes. I definitely recognized her from Heroes, not a movie about gymnasts.

Edge: Chuck

Abrasive Sidekick:

• Chuck: Like Seth Green, but less funny
• Reaper: Like Kevin Smith, but on network TV

Edge: Reaper

Antagonist:

• Chuck: Adam Baldwin as a take-no-prisoners NSA assassin. Jayne from Firefly, but all dressed up and licensed by the government to kick ass.
• Reaper: I didn't think anything could top Adam Baldwin, but Ray Wise as the friendly, chicken-fried steak lovin' devil? We'll call it a draw.

Edge: Tie

Other Stuff:

• Chuck: From the OC guy. Boo. But on a real network (NBC) that hopes it will feed of of Heroes' popularity.
• Reaper: From Kevin Smith. Yay! But on the network (CW) that canceled Veronica Mars (Bastards).

Edge: Chuck

Hmmm. 3-3 eh? I guess I'll have to check out the seocnd episodes of each show and return to this dilemma next week.

Jack Bauer Ate A Man

24 Things You Need To Know About The New Season of 24 (Best Week Ever)

My favorites:

18. After watching all 4 playoff football games this weekend and seeing that John Mellancamp “this is ourrrrr country” Chevy ad approximately 6,531 times, I have to admit that it doesn’t feel right watching Jack Bauer ride around in anything other than a Chevy truck. This has to be fixed immediately.
19. Least Surprising Stat Of The Night: CTU is 0-1 with setting up a perimeter so far this season. This brings their lifetime mark to 0-219.20. Why couldn’t this show be named 18? Coming up with 24 observations is a pain in the ass.

Best of 2006

I hate how people always do their best of lists before the year is over. What happens if something really good comes out Dec 31st? What if some of us are pretty lazy? Anyways, here are my best ofs for 2006:

Best Movie: Superman Returns - you know it must be good if a Marvel zombie picks it in a year with an (even mediocre) X-Men movie.
Honorable Mentions: Pirates 2, Thank You For Smoking, Borat

Best New Show: Heroes
Honorable Mentions: Studio 60, Blade: The Series (RIP)

Best Returning TV Show: Lost
Honorable Mentions: Grey's Anatomy, 24

Best Album: Scissor Sisters "Ta Dah"
Honorable Mentions: Wreckers "Stand Still, Look Pretty", Gnarls Barkley "St. Elsewhere"

Best Comic: Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E.
Honorable Mentions: Astonishing X-Men, Fables, Runaways

I'd write fun reasons, but you won't read them.