House Confirms TV Trend: "Normal's Overrated"

My first (mostly) House article for Blogcritics in forever includes interviews with two mental health professionals: the president of the American Psychiatric Association and a psychologist/psychotherapist:

House Confirms TV Trend: "Normal's Overrated"

As the 2008-09 television season ends and networks begin to reveal plans for their 2009-10 schedules, a surprising pattern emerges.

Pilots in contention for the upcoming season include NBC's Legally Mad, with Kristin Chenoweth as an attorney with flashes of psychosis, and FOX's Maggie Hill, whose title character is a heart surgeon with schizophrenia. Canada’s Showcase recently ordered Shattered, a 13-episode series starring Callum Keith Rennie as an ex-detective with dissociative identity disorder.

Renewed freshmen series Fringe and 90210 feature main characters coping with psychiatric conditions. And among the more senior series, House led up to Monday's season finale with a storyline involving suicide and Hugh Laurie's dysfunctional doctor questioning his sanity after confronting his inner Cutthroat Bitch: Wilson's dead girlfriend Amber appeared to him as a facet of his tormented psyche.

Read more.

Interview: George F. Walker and Dani Romain of The Line

My interview with The Line co-creators George F. Walker and Dani Romain. Sorry again for the punny title - it's my default when I can't think of anything else:

• Cops and Drug Dealers Cross The Line In New Series
  “The Movie Network and Movie Central are premiering a new cop show today, but don’t expect another case-of-the-week premise. ‘These cops weren’t going to investigate anything because they think they know all they need to know, so it’s just a matter of what they’re going to do about it,’ said The Line co-creator George F. Walker in a recent interview. ‘They don’t follow procedures. They are past caring about their jobs.’” Read more.

For stupid people or smart dogs

I know, I know, I never write, I never call. The lack of activity will likely continue until about March 2010, so I will make no promises about rebooting this blog nor will I continue to apologize when I do happen to re-emerge, because I know that just gets annoying. If you happen to still be reading, though, I have to share my laugh of the week:

Non-Potable Water - DO NOT DRINK

Taken at the new speed skating oval. Sorry for the poor image quality but I was taking a picture of a toilet - the haste apparently made my hands shake.

Interview with actor Eli Goree

My interview with the actor from Da Kink in My Hair and Soul:

• Actor Eli Goree Conquers Canadian Television, Two Shows At A Time
  "Some people see acting as a frivolous job, but I think it's so much more than that," he told me. "I think it's the responsibility and accountability of artists to guide society a little. We have the opportunity to show people where they're at, where they've been, and where they could go. It's not be to be taken lightly." Read more.

Interview on ZOS: Zone of Separation

My interview with executive producer/writer Malcolm MacRury and actors Enrico Colantoni and Rick Roberts:

• In ZOS: Zone of Separation, Even Peace Is Hell
  
  "This is a story that could take place in Toronto, it could take place in New Orleans. All you have to do is shut the water off for a month and see what happens. This is in the heart of Europe. It's supposed to be civilization. And it broke down into tribal religious violence, same way Belfast did. That's why it's important to tell the story now. We simplified it, too: it's Christians and Muslims. Well, open the newspapers. That's the debate all around the world right now." Read more.

Wisdom from Mercer, mocking from 22 Minutes

Rick Mercer's rant - Parliament and the Need to be Informed:



This Hour Has 22 Minutes - "Blankets with Sleeves!"

Interview with director David Straiton

For TV, eh?/Blogcritics I interviewed the director of Defying Gravity's first episode. He's also a regular director of House, so there's some House and Hugh Laurie talk, plus comparisons of US versus Canadian productions and his take on Vancouver as the appropriate filming location for the future-set series:

• Defying Gravity Director David Straiton Looks To The Future
  “Set 50 years in the future, Defying Gravity has been called Grey’s Anatomy in space. It may also be Lost in space. But it’s definitely not Lost In Space. ‘Fifty years ago we didn’t have iPods or cell phones or Internet or ATMs, but we still had cars, we still had houses with four walls, we still had television,” said director David Straiton in a recent interview. “Fifity years from now, it’s not The Jetsons.’” Read more.
  

Thoughts in Brief

The latest roundup of pop culture thoughts, previously posted to Twitter (some have been edited to get rid of the horrendous grammar/puzzling phrasing caused by 140 characters or less):

• The Hollywood Foreign Press is a joke but I love me some Golden Globes. Open bar=entertaining awards show.
• Favourite Golden Globe moments? Slumdog Millionaire win. Mickey Rourke thanking his dogs, but not the writer of The Wrestler. Tina Fey's Internet joke ("If you ever start to feel too good about yourself, they have this thing called the Internet"). Ricky Gervais' Holocaust Extras shout out to Kate Winslet ("Well done, Winslet! I told you, Do a holocaust movie and it will come").
• List of Canadian TV types on Twitter. Let me know if I'm missing someone.
• Any time I interview some about a scifi show I'm told it's not really scifi. Selling that genre to wider audience clearly not easy, but come on.
• Forced to watch Tropic Thunder. So not my kind of movie, but yeah, some very funny moments. "Never go full retard."
• Writing interview w/director David Straiton of Defying Gravity. Not one of my finest and I hate listening to my voice at the best of times. Ugh. (Interviewee Straiton is great, though, the ugh was all for me. Frequent references to House as example of his points - he knew my weakness.)
• Warming up before venturing out again by watching ZOS: Zone of Separation in prep for interviews. Terrific but disturbing - ffwding through torture/landmines.
• Enrico Colantoni spends entire Zone of Separation series wandering around in a Speedo and ammo belt. Not a pretty sight but he's hilarious.
• Bad: updating the TV, eh? site is taking more time than usual lately. Good: Because more Canadian shows are airing than usual.
• Final Pushing Daisies eps not airing anytime soon, but TV Guide says ABC contractually obligated to ... sometime.
  

Want to follow me on Twitter? I'm here.

Interview: Brooks Gray of Cock'd Gunns

I interviewed the writer/actor for Blogcritics:

• Cock'd Gunns Gets Second Chance, Hopes For Second Season
  "The mockumentary series Cock'd Gunns is about a fictional rock band looking for their break. It also happens to be a show looking for a break. The first season, reminiscent of both Spinal Tap and Trailer Park Boys, is being replayed Fridays on IFC beginning January 9, and it's probably safe to say those reruns will be new to a lot of people." Read more.

Random pop culture thoughts

It's been a while since I've done a roundup of my recent relevant Twitter activity so here's some of my latest pop culture thoughts, in 140 characters or fewer:

• Web Therapy web series by Lisa Kudrow/Don Roos is pretty funny - and not geoblocked.
• Mostly loved Curious Case of Benjamin Button, though a little slow, a little puzzling in its themes, a little Forrest Gumpy.
• I'm quoted in article re: TV marketing (re: ZOS on Air Canada). Weird to be interviewee instead of interviewer.
• Loving new music purchases TV on the Radio, Deerhunter, Mates of State. Mostly discover music via TV shows and popcandy. Me=unhip.
• Been watching Gavin & Stacey so if it's remade by a US network I can be smug and say it's not as good as the original. Love it so far.
• Neighbour gave me Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. Like Harry Potter for adults. Not my usual read but I'm enjoying.
• Bakugan makes no sense to me [it's a tv show like Pokemon or Yu-gi-oh, but also a game I was "taught" over the holidays]. Doomed to feel intellectually inferior to friend's 8 year old. But I'm totally smarter than the toddler.
• Book gifts I received - The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way, and Troublesome Words. Is it possible I'm a nerd? Nah.
• No energy to write year review so Twitter version: TV sucked, best movie, Slumdog MillionairePredictably Irrational most interesting book.
• So I can't get away with just saying TV sucked? Fine. Writers strike hurt 2 seasons. Bit disappointed in fave shows, no new shows to love.

Want to follow me on Twitter? I'm here.

Slumdog Millionaire - my pick for best movie of the year