TEST1 2018

IN TWEET: THE INITIATIVE? WHAT INITIATIVE? “REVENGE” TRIES TO REBOUND FROM A SOPHOMORE SLUMP BY GOING BACK TO BASICS. NOTE: This post contains spoilers from the season three premiere of REVENGE. Previously on REVENGE... It’s no secret that a good chunk of the REVENGE faithful found other ways to occupy their Sunday nights last season. Ratings were down, griping from fans was up and a palpable funk was in the salt-kissed air. Things just weren’t as deliciously wicked in the Hamptons anymore. I never thought season two of REVENGE was a total loss but there were enough stinkers in the mix to make it easier to skip episodes and lose interest. I don’t know anyone who cared a whit about the “bad guys take over Jack’s bar” subplot and I’m still at a loss to explain the odd trajectory of the storyline  involving Kara Clarke ( Jennifer Jason Leigh ). Plus, I think we can all agree that the  name “ Padma ” should never be uttered again…ever! On the flip side, we did finally get the dem...

IN TWEET: OUR SUGGESTION FOR THE NEXT BARILLA AD CAMPAIGN. UPDATE: 11/4/2013 : Looks like the bottom line at Barilla might be taking a hit. As Think Progress and others have reported, the pasta peddlers are in a bit of a damage control panic . Too bad, so sad. As millions of consumers already know, finding a hate-free pasta brand is remarkably easy. While Barilla scrambles to throw together a silly "diversity" thing, I'll keep enjoying more delicious Prince Pasta . Barilla,  vaffanculo ! At the request of Guido Barilla , I happily returned two boxes of his pasta and two bottles of his sauce to my local super market for a full refund. Given that I don’t fit his stated definition of a family and would never want to sully him with my dirty gay money, I simply switched to Prince pasta (happy 100th). The main competitors to Barilla in the US, Ronzoni (like Prince, owned by New World Pasta) and Bertolli , have both jumped on the “dump Barilla” bandwagon and I couldn’t agree ...

IN TWEET: THERE’S A REASON THE LATEST RICK OWENS RUNWAY SHOW CAUSED A SENSATION. IT’S GLORIOUSLY SENSATIONAL! Ah, Fashion Week! Crazy clothes, nutty hats and more tight faced, skinny bitches per square foot than any location in Los Angeles. Enter Rick Owens , an American designer who, in ten magical and ferocious minutes, may have changed the runway show forever. In a story that has deservedly gotten more buzz than anything else out of Paris this week ( even the model meltdown, post topless protest ), Owens gave a grand and glorious middle finger to “typical” by hiring step teams to show off his latest collection. Most of the models were black and there’s not an emaciated body in sight. Cue horrified looks from the closet racists who lurk behind the catwalks . Enjoy the full show below and CLICK HERE to check out the Rick Owens collection. If you’d like a particularly hilarious rundown of what Anna Wintour might have been thinking during the show, CLICK HERE . It’s very funny stuff f...

IN TWEET: ANNA FARIS AND ALLISON JANNEY SHINE IN THE BAWDY SIT-COM “MOM” Typically, I don’t cover CBS programming in large part because network president Les Moonves is not what I would call a friend of digital content distribution. He’s also an arrogant gas bag who never met a cookie-cutter procedural he didn’t get hard for. Unlike ABC, NBC, Fox and The CW, CBS makes it difficult to watch their shows anywhere outside of the traditional broadcast model. My response: why give free publicity to a network that doesn’t play nice with viewers? With that said, I watched the new Chuck Lorre series MOM , laughed my ass off and decided to give CBS a little love. Of the half-dozen or so new fall comedies I’ve screened, it’s the only one that feels like a fully developed show. It’s definitely adult and uptight media watch dog groups will hate everything about it. No matter, MOM is undeniably hilarious and handles some very sensitive subject matter with deft skill. Anna Faris plays Christy, a h...

IN TWEET: THERE’S MORE GOOD THAN GREAT IN “MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.” BUT THERE’S MORE THAN ENOUGH “GREAT” TO MAKE IT A WINNER. ABC has guarded the pilot episode of MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. (with its annoyingly long title) almost as closely as Colonel Sanders used to guard his 11 herbs and spices. It’s an odd choice that ended up starting fanboy chatter of a major letdown. You can breathe easy…there is no bomb here. To be clear, AOS is not the best scripted drama of the new season (so far, that honor goes to SLEEPY HOLLOW ) but it’s off to a darn good start. The easiest way to enjoy AOS is to lower your expectations slightly and be very, very happy that writer/creator Joss Whedon is back in BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER mode. It is now officially safe to call DOLLHOUSE a one-time lapse. The script for AOS is sharp, full of well placed in-jokes and funnier than most sit-coms. That’s a big plus because the pilot is very talky. In fact, if I was to ding the opener for anythin...

IN TWEET: JAMES SPADER IS BACK ON TV CHEWING SCENERY IN THE RIDICULOUS NEW NBC SERIES “THE BLACKLIST.” NBC has been making breathless claims about  THE BLACKLIST being one of the most “buzzed about” dramas debuting this fall. I won’t begrudge network PR flaks their heavy dose of wishful thinking but, if this is the best they’ve got to offer, we’re in for a rocky TV season. It’s a series that feels like someone gathered cutting room floor rejects from ALIAS, SILENCE OF THE LAMBS and MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE then said “let’s put on a show!” Undoubtedly, the pilot will get a decent sampling because it’s got THE VOICE as a lead-in and James Spader stars. Lots of people think he’s a great actor. I’m not one of them. Spader is a self-impressed circus monkey who excels at scenery chewing. He’s a favorite of TV viewers who still think BOSTON LEGAL was brilliant stuff. In THE BLACKLIST, Spader plays Raymond Reddington, an FBI agent gone wrong. He’s made the jump from hunting fugitives to being...

IN TWEET: CHECKING IN WITH SEASON 17 OF “DANCING WITH THE STARS” ON ABC. Now entering it’s 17th cycle on ABC, DANCING WITH THE STARS has been a reliable performer for the network. I’ve been a fan of the show (a reformat of the UK hit STRICTLY COME DANCING ) since day one, only skipping those two unfortunate seasons where a Palin offspring sullied the dance floor. Here’s a look at what’s new, what’s wrong and who has the best chance of winning the coveted mirror ball. In order to appreciate and enjoy DWTS, you first have to accept certain ground rules. You can whine and bitch and moan but these oddities are part of what makes the show as infuriating to watch as it is fun. Accept and move on! THE NUMBERS: Scores are wildly inconsistent, period. Look for rhyme and reason in the music and choreography because you won’t find it behind the judging table. THE BAD SEED: At least one wildly horrible and wholly undeserving celebrity will make it much farther in the competition than he or sh...

IN TWEET: IT’S TIME TO TAKE AIM AT THREE STATE GUN LAWS THAT ARE SO BIZARRE AND ASS-BACKWARDS THEY DEFY CONVENTIONAL LOGIC. In the aftermath of another mass shooting here in the US , “discussion” of our woefully inadequate gun safety laws is again front and center. Of course, with our short attention span and 2nd Amendment zealots always at the ready to do the bidding of the NRA , you can expect two things: nothing will change and the next headline grabbing slaughter is probably just around the bend. I don’t mean to sound hopeless or morbid but, let’s face it, gun loving extremists have the upper hand. We can pretend that the majority of gun owners, by and large a rational and law-abiding lot, are in the driver’s seat but anyone paying attention knows that isn’t our reality. In fact, in many states, a semi-automatic weapon is held in higher regard than the rights of a potential innocent victim . Want proof? Check out these three laws currently on the books in at least four states. The...

IN TWEET: THE NEW HEADLESS HORSEMAN OF THE APOCALYPSE DRAMA “SLEEPY HOLLOW” IS OFF TO A STRONG START. Every so often, a completely preposterous series concept turns out to be one of those rare pleasant surprises. Based on the sometimes dark and sometimes rollicking pilot, SLEEPY HOLLOW on FOX could very well be one of them. This isn’t the next LOST or even the next BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER and, truth be told, it doesn’t aspire to be like either of those iconic shows. It’s barely half as deep as the former and not nearly as witty as the latter. Still, SLEEPY HOLLOW is immensely charming (even with the frequent beheadings) and a heck of a lot of fun. The pilot opens with a pitched battle between Ichabod Crane ( Tom Mison ) and a masked Hessian during the Revolutionary War. In short order, Crane lops off the head of his foe and is next seen rising from the thawed earth in a dank cave (see video at the end of this post). The twist: he has been in a flash-frozen slumber for more than 20...

IN TWEET: THE CW HYPES SEASON TWO OF “ARROW” WITH SOME GRATUITOUS MAN FLESH AND WE COULDN’T BE HAPPIER. Subtlety has never been the hallmark of The CW marketing strategy. The little network that could often has some of the most striking and overtly sexual print campaigns each TV season and Fall 2013 is no exception. Behold, the roll-out of character-specific key art for season two of ARROW which premieres on Wednesday, October 9 at 8PM E/P. Series star Stephen Amell is pictured above and the three other male leads are equally stripped down below (Top to bottom: David Ramsey , Manu Bennett and a newly ripped Colton Haynes ). Oogle away here or feel even more inadequate by clicking on any image to enlarge it. If you want more photos and backstory, CLICK HERE  to access all of the ARROW posts in the RONTHINK archive. You can also check out a season two preview hosted by Amell, a re-cap of the shocking season one finale and the 2013 ComicCon reel. These three videos follow the imag...

IN TWEET: CHIPOTLE RELEASES A BOLD AND HAUNTING DIGITALLY ANIMATED SHORT TO TOUT THEIR NEW GAME APP. IT’S A STUNNER. It’s been a long time since any major chain had the balls to release a promo as gorgeous, haunting and emotionally riveting as the new “Scarecrow” short from CHIPOTLE . It is easily one of the best marketing stunts of the year. Anchored by a lush and creepy Fiona Apple cover of “Pure Imagination” from WILLIE WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY , the digitally animated short is designed to hype a new game app for the iPhone and iPad. In the process, CHIPOTLE also delivers a tour-de-force of a body blow to the world of factory farming and the inhumane treatment of livestock. Check out the animated short here and then click on the resource links below the video player. CLICK HERE to visit THE SCARECROW GAME site. CLICK HERE for the iPhone and iPad app. CLICK HERE for the Fiona Apple cover of “Pure Imagination” on iTunes. Proceeds are being donated to the non-prof...

IN TWEET: A (RE)VERSE IS A REVIEW WRITTEN LIKE A POEM. UP TODAY, A KICKY LIMERICK ABOUT SEASON 2 OF “THE MINDY PROJECT.” Somehow THE MINDY PROJECT escaped the Grim TV Reaper and got a second season pick-up. Why I’ll never know. It’s a terrible waste of the considerable comedic talent of star Mindy Kaling . I just watched the second season opener hoping for a phoenix-like re-birth. Alas, all I got was warmed over “more of the same.” To that end, I give you my review of THE MINDY PROJECT in limerick form. THE MINDY PROJECT THERE ONCE WAS A KALING NAMED MINDY WITH ROOTS WHERE THEY SPEAK LOTS OF HINDI. HER “PROJECT” ON FOX STINKS WORSE THAN OLD SOCKS AND IS MORE CLOYING THAN BRADY BRAT CINDY. Season 2 of THE MINDY PROJECT debuts Sept. 17 and airs Tuesdays at 9:30PM E/P on FOX.

IN TWEET: WITCHES AND WEREWOLVES AND VAMPIRES, OH MY! THE NEWEST HORROR OPUS FROM THE CW REALLY SUCKS. UPDATE 10/31/13 : Now that the series has launched, I took a look at the re-shot pilot and the episode that followed. While things were tightened up enough to merit a slight bump in my overall grade (from an F to a D) this is still a far cry from THE VAMPIRE DIARIES and remains a major disappointment. I stand by the vast majority of my critiques of the "Director's Cut" version of the backdoor pilot, including my right as a critic and blogger to review it on its merits (which were few and far between). Contrary to some of the more childish comments that were made below, I was pretty spot-on in my assertion that the producers of THE ORIGINALS were not going to do a drastic re-shoot (no matter what BS Julie Plec was feeding you in online interviews). What eventually aired as the first official episode of the series was largely a re-edited version of the backdoor pilot with ...