New Movie Releases: 9/23/05

Not much this week. Movie releases are in a state of flux. That period that transitions from the summer releases to the leftovers, to the the potential sleeper hits and a few horror films, all leading into the upcoming Oscar season.

Flightplan. This could be good. I'm not a big fan of Foster, although I find her to be a consistently good actress. It features some other cast members that I am a fan of, Peter Saarsgarde and Sean Bean. The Twilight Zone type plot will hopefully pay off.

Roll Bounce. At first I thought this looked like a fun glimpse into a bygone era. The more I see of it, the more it looks like a That 70's Show style sitcom. I could be wrong, and I would like to hear that, but I think I will ultimately pass on this one.

Tim Burton's Corpse Bride. Here is the number one movie of the weekend. Tim Burton and stop motion animation struck cult gold 12 years ago, and thanks to that success this will probably do much better. A list voice talent and the music of Danny Elfman round it out. I can't wait.

An Unfinished Life. This has had some good word swirling about it. Not sure how interested I am in it, though. It stars the unlikely combination of Robert Redford, Jennifer Lopez, and Morgan Freeman. It is a family reunion centered drama as Lopez and her child move in with her father in law, Redford. I may give this a shot.

Dirty Love. A Jenny McCarthy vehicle, which I hear is absolutely dreadful.

Darwin's Nightmare. I've seen this described as "the feel bad movie of the year." How can you go wrong with that? It is a documentary about the relationship that can be found between the Nile Perch in Lake Victoria and the first world businessman. Could be interesting.

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. This was a Golden Globe nominated film. It is about a pair of young Chinese men who are sent to the country to be purged of their Western thoughts. It looks as if it could be interesting, but I don't think I'll be able to make it to this one.

Also opening this week, but not near me:

• Daltry Calhoun
• Dear Wendy
• Dorian Blues
• A History of Violence
• Magnificient Desolation (IMAX)
• Oliver Twist

That's all for this week.

CD Single Review: Stratovarius - Maniac Dance/United

A couple of weeks back, Stratovarius released their 11th studio album, and the pair of songs on this disk were the first I had ever heard from them. I like what I hear.

Of course, I had heard of the group, and I had always heard good things about them. The thing is, the name never stuck in my head while out browsing the music shelves for whatever reason. Plus, I never new quite where they were supposed to fit into the world of music. This disk gives me that brief sample I needed in order to determine if they would fit into my musical worldview. The answer to that was yes.

The first track is "Maniac Dance." It is a melodic dance-rocker wih an upbeat groove. It struck me as a crowd pleaser type of song, I can almost picture the crowd bouncing to the beat. It has a nice arrangement, a power-pop track with a slightly heavier guitar riff leading the course. Reminds me heavily of 80's style metal.

Next up is "United." This brings the keyboards into a stronger place in the mix, it is slower paced than the lead in track and plays up the dramatic singing. Again, it is heavily groove oriented and would probably lead to much head bobbing and fist pumping in the live setting.

The sound has a combination of chugging guitars with melodic keyboards, a dancy rhythm section, and a dramatic lead singer. Definitely a breath of fresh air amongst the throngs of pop-punk, nu-metal, and manufactured females clogging the airwaves.

As an introduction to the band, this pair of songs seem to do a pretty good job at doing it. Groove oriented, highly dramatic, I can only imagine what they would be like onstage. For some reason I picture a Queensryche type band. This is good stuff, and I am definitely look forward to trying out an entire album. It is rare to hear this power-pop metal sound these days, and often when you do hear it, it is done as an homage to the bands of the past, or it is the pastbands trying to relive old glories. Stratovarius seems more genuine than that, and they pull of the sound well. Of course, I am basing this on only two songs, but I am definitely intrigued.

DVD Review: House, M.D. - Season One

This show turned out to be a pleasant surprise last year during it's first season of existence. I wasn't sure that we needed another medical drama, but there was something that drew me to want to give it a shot. That drawing factor was it's star Hugh Laurie.

As it turns out, I am really glad I took the time to watch it. The show is an intriguing mix of medical science, Sherlock Holmes style detecting, and an amazingly dry and sarcastic wit. It's that sarcasm that initially made the show for me. It is amazing how entertaining it is to see a doctor constantly belittle his patients and staff, not to mention his way of handling his superiors.

Watching this show again on DVD, and in such a rapid fire succession, something else dawned on me. The writing is fantastic! The characters grow and change over the course of the year, none of them turn into cardboard cutouts filling the role of plot device.

The early episodes, while entertaining, seemed to be heading along a path of sickness of the week. Much the same way episodes of The X-Files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer felt like they were slipping into monster of the week. As the season goes on, though, you start to notice little things about the characters. They start to grow and have emerging personalities as they begin to take shape. By the end of the season the episodes begin to take shape and form arcs, creating more history for us to be sucked into.

Hugh Laurie stands tall at the center of the cast. He stars as Dr. Gregory House, a hobbled, pill popping, sarcastic as all get out genius doctor. A fascinating character who uses his sarcastic put downs to cover up a lonely personal life. He is a man who pushes everyone away, yet yearns for relationships with people. Hugh owns this role, his mannerisms and way of speaking are perfect. Combine him with his staff of three, who he treats like children, and you have the perfect team.

House even won it's first Emmy award this year, for Writing in a Drama Series. It one for the episode "Three Stories," which stood out to me as a great piece of writing, and a good example of the quality of the show. It showcases Hugh's acting, the writer's ability to weave a complex tale filled with smoke and mirrors. It displays humor and drama while remaining grounded in an event that has a lasting impact on one of our characters.

I can't recommend this show enough. It is completely engrossing, well acted and well written. It could emerge as a long running drama with many awards in its future.

Video. It is presented in it's original ratio of 1.78:1 and looks great. Though there is one thing that is slightly irksome, particularly to those who have widescreen televisions, it is not anamorphically enhanced. It seems that in their rush to expedite the DVD release, they did not have time to enhance the image. In this day of the widescreen TV, and virtual requirement of the enhancement, this is a big letdown. They should have taken the time to do it right. Still, the image looks great, if a touch on the dark side. The colors are still good and the black levels are nice and deep. Except for the lack of anamorphic enhancement, the video is very good.

Audio. Sound is also very good. It is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. It is clear and sharp, no hissing or distortions to be found here. My ears were happy.

Extras. This is probably the area where this set fails the most. There isn't much here. I would have loved an in depth documentary on the making of the show, or better yet, commentaries with cast and crew, and particularly Hugh Laurie. What we do get are a couple of brief featurettes. We have a tour of the set with Jennifer Morrison (Dr. Allison Cameron). There is a casting session with Hugh. A brief on the cases that the writers uncover to use on the show. And a brief collection of clips featuring some of House's abrasive comments. Entertaining, but all too brief.

Bottomline. This is a great series in a slightly underwhelming package. I would still have a hard time not recommending this series. It is a great show which deserves to be seen. So, buy it, rent it, do whatever you need to do to see this.

Recommended.

CD Review: Michael Penn - Mr. Hollywood Jr., 1947

Every once in a while an album comes along that is so completely dull that it takes real effort to make it all the way through while retaining consciousness. Michael Penn's latest release, Mr. Hollywood Jr., 1947, would probably be better served if it were called Soundtrack for an Insomniac.

It took me a few attempts to actually listen to the entire album straight through. I kept losing interest, I thirsted for something a little more energetic, all I needed was the semblance of life. I very nearly ended up in a somnambulists slumber.

It isn't that the music is all that bad, and I am aware that this artist and his music have fans far and wide, but it was so far removed from what I wanted to listen to. Don't get me wrong, I like my share of music from the mellower side of the genre meter. There are some singer/songwriters who I feel put out some wonderful music, artists such as Mike Doughty and the late Warren Zevon.

Once I finally waded through this dullard, I was speechless. I felt so conflicted as to how to approach reviewing this. On one hand, I know I'm beating a dead horse, I found it to be an excruciating exercise in retaining consciousness. The flip side of the coin actually displayed an intriguing thought process in creating this concept album. On paper it looks as if it would be quite interesting, a story set in the year 1947, creating a tapestry recreation of the era through a story that weaves through the entire album. A story that combines romance, intrigue, politics, and even key technological advances of the time. The album is even split in the song listing to mimic a record albums two sides.

I just could not get into the album, it is just way to slow, dull, fill in your on adjective here. This is in no way meant to belittle the work of Penn, who obviously cares about his work, nor his fans. I am happy for those who like this, but I just don't get it.

Not Recommended.

CD Review: Fear Factory - Transgression

Fear Factory is back with another blast of industrial strength metal. I am so glad to still be able to get new doses from the Factory of Fear. They nearly broke up for a good a few years back, but were able to come out of it with a newly adjusted lineup, and a continually evolving sound.

This album is very reminiscent of their early work, circa Soul of a New Machine. Transgression is worlds beyond that in terms of maturity and sheer excellence, but the music has a new level of raw energy that hearkens back to those early days. If you listen to all of their albums, you will hear, or at least I did, this gradual tightening of the machine, an increased use of industrial effects and keyboards, building up to Digimortal. It was at this point that they went through their implosion and rebirth. The next album, Archetype, displayed a new energy, different creative inputs and directions were explored, the industrial sound was still very evident, but the sound was a bit more loose, not to be confused with sloppy, just not as compressed as they were getting. Now Transgression continues along that path, cutting back on obvious technological influences, continuing this trend towards a sound that is simpler than some of their more electronic influenced albums, jet at times more complex and mature musically.

This lineup leaves a distinctly different fingerprint on the music than the last incarnation. When Dino Cazares was on guitars, there was a more structured, clipped sound. Now with Christian Olde Wolbers on guitar, who played bass for the band prior to this, the sound loosened up a bit, in a good way. The sound is still distinctly Fear Factory, but an ever evolving band.

They don't waste any time getting down to the business of destruction. The album opens with "540,000 degrees Fahrenheit," a crushing cut which highlights their staccato playing style, while also laying out the floor plan for what was to come. That leads into the title track, "Transgression." Each successive song ups the ante in terms of heaviness through the first half of the album. The standout track of that first half is "Spinal Compression," a sheer blast of guitars and double bass backing Burton's unique combination of singing and growling.

The halfway point is marked by a radical change of pace, and quite possibly the mellowest song ever created by the band. The great "Echo of My Scream" takes the energy down, and shows another side of Burton C. Bell's emotional state, a cry of despair into the darkness.

Two cover songs form the centerpiece of the second half, one fitting with the band, and one not quite as expected. Let's start with the unexpected. "I Will Follow," who would have guessed that Fear Factory would cover a U2 song? It's true, they are taking over the world. I kid. It is a faithful version of the classic track, but with a slightly heavier edge that only Fear Factory can provide. The other cover is of Killing Joke's "Millennium." This song keeps the trademark heaviness, but slows it down to this chunky rhythmic chugging along, creating this slow heavy groove. I'm not familiar with the original, so I cannot comment on it's faithfulness.

The band is sounding as good as ever. Bass player Byron Stroud, who was the new member after the band shakeup, ably handles the low end. Christian Olde Wolbers is doing a great job bringing a new guitar sound for the band, and not just aping previous axeman Dino Cazares. Drummer, Raymond Herrera, is an absolute machine, he is one of the best drummers in the metal world, hands down. Finally there is Burton C. Bell who was at the forefront of the singing/screaming hybrid movement, a unique voice and talent who puts it all on display in Transgression.

Bottomline. This is not their best album, but it is far from the worst, it shows a band in a state of changing and growing. They have recorded a heavy sound which stands out from the metal crowd. Excellent album, and one which any fan of heavy music should have in their collection.

To hear a podcast of the bands Gigantour rehearsals, click HERE. (includes live versions of "Transgression" and "Shock" and more!)
Visit the band online at www.FearFactory.com
Read another view of the album on Blogcritics HERE.


Marketing Notes.
The album is being released in a number of varieties. The different versions are to help the band in long term record sales. They include different track listings for different retailers. The one used for the review above is the the 11 track version, containing all the new songs but none of the various bonus tracks. I know one retailer, not sure which, has a version including three live recordings of "Cyberwaste," "Slave Labor," and "Drones." Best Buy has a version with the previously unreleased track "Empires." Plus, there is a DualDisc version which has a DVD side containing a high resolution version of the album, music videos, and a making of the album featurette.

I like the fact that they are trying to cultivate strong continued sales for the band, but I also feel that the music should be able to stand on it's own, it is a great album. I have since also gotten the DualDisc version, I wanted to see the videos and such,

Anyway, whichever version of the album you choose, you will not be disappointed.

Highly Recommended.

Box Office Update: 9/16-18

Reese Witherspoon comes out on top this week with her latest romantic comedy, Just Like Heaven. It opened to relatively good reviews, but it also did not have a heck of a lot of competition. It is followed by Exorcism of Emily Rose, which while taking a near 50% drop, hans on for second place.

Lord of War opened in third. I wish this movie well because it is actually quite good. I am not really a fan of Cage, but he does a fine job of creating this image of an arms dealer. Another new entry this week, Cry Wolf, was pretty much DOA.

There is a film I'm glad to see still doing well, March of the Penguins. It is clinging to that number 10 slot, and has been suffering very small losses in it's weekly revenue. A documentary doing this well and taking in over $70 million is a wonderful thing to see. Does the rise of the documentary have anything to do with Michael Moore's controversial successes?

How about some non-Top Ten notes? Corpse Bride opened on 5 screens and raked in over $385,000. That averages over $77,000 a screen! By comparison, Venom opened on 489 screens and barely averaged over $1,000 per. A Sound of Thunder is sinking like a stone, just like it deserves, it's taken in under $2 million on a budget of $80 million.

This Week	Last Week	Title	Wknd Gross	Overall	Week in release
1	N	Just Like Heaven	$16,408,718	$16,408,718	1
2	1	The Exorcism of Emily Rose	$14,851,719	$51,561,110	2
3	N	Lord of War	$9,390,144	$9,390,144	1
4	2	The 40 Year Old Virgin	$5,967,005	$90,726,553	5
5	N	Cry_Wolf	$4,428,209	$4,428,209	1
6	3	Transporter 2	$4,012,866	$36,495,152	3
7	4	The Constant Gardener	$3,618,254	$24,289,337	3
8	5	Red Eye	$2,859,529	$55,185,874	5
9	8	Wedding Crashers	$2,527,642	$203,620,728	10
10	10	March of the Penguins	$2,518,327	$70,393,482	13

DVD Pick of the Week: 9/20

Some good stuff coming out this week. The one that stands above the rest of the pack is Battlestar Galactica: Season One. It's been awhile since a television show topped my picks, much less something where English was the original language! I promise you, it is worthy of this honor, and definitely worthy of your time.

I remember in 2003 when new Battlestar Galactica hit the screens of the Sci-Fi Channel in the form of a mini-series. There were a lot of questions about whether it would be any good, not to mention the different take on a number of key characters. Much to my surprise, it was pretty good. Turned out to be good enough to spawn a new series in 2004. The series turned out ot be fantastic. It continues to be fantastic now halfway through its second season.

The show has some very good effects, very good sets, complex characters, fantastic writing, and is one of the best science fiction shows on television. This is easily a no brainer. Get it, buy it, rent it, it doesn't matter, just see it!

Also coming this week:

• The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3D. I'm not terribly interested in it, but the kids sort of liked it. Robert Rodriguez continues his lover affair with 3D kids movies.
• Anthrax: Alive 2. The newly reunited Anthrax recorded this show earlier this year. Looking forward to seeing this.
• Anthrax: Anthology: No Hit Wonders. In addition to the concert, this is a collection of all the classic era videos.
• Born into Brothels. Last year's Documentary Oscar winner really is a winner. It is wonderful uplifting tale.
• Desperate Housewives: The Complete First Season. The phenomenon comes to your DVD player.
• Don't be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood: Unrated Miramax Collector's Edition. Possibly the longest title I've typed in one of these columns. Never seen the movie.
• Flesh for Frankenstein. Previously released by Criterion, this gets a bit more cost effective release.
• From the Earth to the Moon: Signature Edition. New edition adds some extras and remasters the video.
• Ghost in the Shell: SAC 2nd Gig. The second season of this anime series.
• Inside Deep Throat. A look inside the most famous of adult films.
• The Longest Yard. The remake of the 70's Burt Reynolds film is actually pretty good. Sandler and Rock work well together.
• Mallrats: 10th Anniversary Extended Edition. Looking forward to this. View Askew disks are always good, plus there is the fabled longer cut.
• Mindhunters. Not terribly good, but a helluva lot of fun. Worth at least a rental.
• Scary Movie 3.5: Special Unrated Version. Is this really necessary? It stunk the first time around.
• Turtles Can Fly. This was a very good film about a group of orphans on the Iraqi border.

That's it for this week!

The Trailer Park: The Weather Man

I saw the trailer for The Weather Man some months back, don't remember exactly remember when. It seems like forever ago, and I had promptly forgotten about it. Well the release is drawing closer and the hype machine is getting into motion. I have seen the trailer appearing at the theater again. Surprisingly, it looks like it could be fun.

Hot on the heels of Lord of War, Nicolas Cage has another film to assault your eyes. This time around he is playing a weather man with a few issues, to say the least. For one thing, he is occasionally accosted by passersby over a bad forecast. On the homefront, things don't look much better. He has a father that he is trying to live up to, and a daughter he is trying to encourage onto a better path.

The trailer looks pretty good. It features Cage and his deadpan expression playing off of the sligns and arrows that life throws at him. That is, until him and his daughter pick up a bow and make use of those arrows.

Micahel Caine costars as Cage's father, and he always seems to bring a certain class with him to a project. It was directed by Gore Verbinski, who has done good work in the past, including Mousehunt, The Ring, and Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl. It was written by Steve Conrad.


You can see the trailer HERE.
You can visit the website HERE.

A Television Viewer's Diary: 9/11-9/17

WARNING: The free form ramblings continue, be prepared for run-ons, incomplete thoughts, and atrocious punctuations. This is what happens to a mind on TV, it's not pretty, but kind of fun.

Fox gets a head start on the new season, having started rolling out many of it's new offerings this past week. Among them are the good the bad and the ugly. Read on my faithful viewer.

Sunday 9/11.

• The Simpsons. The family is back, too bad I can't say I'm glad for it. This series has been on a slide for a number of years and I feel that it probably should have been canceled. The season opener has Homer screwing up again with some football bets, to repay he has to let an adult film be shot in his home, which ticks off Marge, who runs off and joins up with a rugged man helping manatees. Can Homer win back his love? Who cares, we know how this ends. Not funny. *
• The War at Home. Michael Rapaport must be hurting for a paycheck to be in this junk. This was so not funny. It's trying to be clever and just falls flat on it's face. uninteresting characters, too many problems crammed into one family. Man it is just an absolute mess. *
• Family Guy. Finally something funny. Not one of the better episodes, but still the best of the evening so far. This time out Brian starts dating one of Meg's teachers and leads a crusade to change the school's name from James Woods to Martin Luther King. Peter shows up with James Woods just in time to stop that from happening. Peter and James become quick friends, which leaves Brian out in the cold. We need more Stewie, maybe next week. ***
• American Dad. Falling somewhere in the middle of the evening's comedies, we have this dysfunctional CIA family. We do get a goofy guest star in Patrick Stewart (who's Cptn. Picard was spoofed in Family Guy) as the director of the CIA, who starts dating Stan's daughter. This sets Stan off into a rage, leading to knockdown drag out fight to the finish, while the German fish narrates it all. **.5
• Wanted. This was a decent watch, it sort of held my attention. The team has to track down an escaped Hispanic gang member who may end up being the trigger to a large scale race war in LA. But instead of just tracking him, they decide to use him to take down a high powered white assassin at the same time, that is until a young boy gets caught in the middle. I like the character's, but the show is a bit too episodic at times. Next week is the season finale. ***

Monday 9/12.

• WWE: Raw. Nothing terribly exciting from what I remember. Wrestling and my fandom are a strange beast. As soon as the show ends I pretty much forget everything that happened. That fallacy of mine struck again, although I remember liking it. I also doubt that most of you read this column for wrestling results.
• Prison Break. This episode had a great opening, a nightmare of Lincoln on his way to the electric chair. This show is clawing its way towards the must see zone, it's not quite there yet. The interplay between the inmates and the intricate maneuverings are quite entertaining. I just want the characters to become more complex in addition to being colorful. ***

Tuesday 9/13.

• Bones. Since the success of CSI a couple of years back, we have been building towards this moment. Not necessarily this show, but the eventual saturation of TV with crime procedurals. I really want to like this show, it has a couple of things going for it, Boreanaz and Deschanel are likable leads, and the sets are wonderful, but at the end it feels like just another procedural. ***
• House, MD. A wonderful start to the new season. House takes on the case of a death row inmate, played by LL Cool J in a bit of stunt casting, who is dying too soon. The wonderful cast interactions combined with the bizarre illnesses haven't lost a beat. This show is reinvigorating the medical drama. ***.5
• Rescue Me. The wonderful second season comes to a close. Tommy is in the grip of depression over the death of his son. He contemplates turning back to alcohol. Janet realizes the marriage is disintegrating. Sean questions the existence of God after talking to Tommy's daughter and Jerry leaves his wife at a home. This season was fantastic, this is definitely a show to keep an eye on. ****
• Supernatural. The WB is trying it's hand at a new spooky show, and the premiere holds some promise. It features two twenty something brothers on a search for their father and taking on ghosts and specters along the way. The do a good setup of the past as well as the present. The writing and acing were pretty good. I am actually looking forward to see how well this develops. ***.5
• Miami Ink. Continuing the trend of interesting ink work, I am still entertained by this show. They bring in another artist, as one of the regulars broke his arm. We get to see some interesting designs, including an old style pin up girl and Our Lady of Guadalupe. Looking forward to what they design next. ***

Wednesday 9/14.

• Head Cases. The goofy premise actually works well upon it's initial execution. Chris O'Donnell (where's he been?) suffers from panic attacks, which cost him his family and his job and put him in a mental hospital for a few months. Upon release he is paired up with Adam Goldberg, who suffers explosive disorder, and somehow they have to make it work as ex-mental patients and lawyers. The premiere was entertaining, and not as over the top as I expected. ***
• Over There. Still a must see show, for me anyway. This episode follows Mrs. B on her AWOL trip, where she hits rock bottom. The group in Iraq is charged with erecting a new building for an Iraqi town. That proves to be a difficult assignment as dissension arises in the town about what to build. This may not be the most realistic portrayal of the war, but it does make a good show. ***.5

Thursday 9/15.

• Starved. Sam starts a new philosophy where earth matter is not needed, so he starts going to a tanning salon for his "meals." Another guy has his jaw wired shut following a heart attack. Whacky over the top show. **.5
• It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The title of the episode says it all "Charlie was Molested." A dark past is revealed, or is it? It does lead to an amusing intervention. **.5

Friday 9/16.

• Threshold. CBS's new alien suspense series shows a lot of promise. The 2 hour premiere does a good job at establishing our setting and introducing our intrepid band of alien hunters. Our team is lead by Carla Gugino, and includes Peter Dinklage and Brent Spiner. This could prove to be a surprise hit. I am already anticipating what is going to happen next. ***.5
• Stargate SG-1. The two hour summer season finale (actually mid-season break) gives us some of the best work of the season. They discover what appears to be a genetically engineered person, but actually incorporates Annubis genetics. This opens up SG Command to some serious problems. The encounter with the son of Annubis leads to a possible way of fighting the Priors. It ends when it is discovered that one of the Jaffa leaders has joined the Priors. ***
• Battlestar Galactica. Best science fiction on TV and based off of one of the cheesiest. This episode has them discovering a Cylon virus is starting to control the ship. While searching for a solution, hundreds of Cylon raiders show up. They are forced to enlist Sharon to find a cure. Meanwhile, Chief sets up to build a new ship. This description does not do it justice, just watch it, next week is the season finale. ****

Saturday 9/17.

• WWE: Smackdown. This was a decent show. It was headlined by Undertaker and Randy Orton, with the appearance of a coffin. But like Raw, as soon as the show ended, my mind was a clean slate, but perhaps that is the end result of watching wrestling? The world may never know. ***
• Dracula 3000: Infinite Darkness. What a goofy movie. This Sci-FI Original stars none other than new DTV king Casper Van Dien, Erika Eleniak, and Coolio. In the future the latest Van Helsing is captain of a transport ship. They uncover a ship filled with coffins, turns out that it was heading for the distant Carpathian system and the planet Transylvania (good grief). It wasn't bad per say, but it was so bad it was entertaining. It was kind of fun, especially Coolio's crazy vampire. ***

End. Transmission.

2005 Emmy Predictions: Just Under the Wire

I really intended to do this a few days ago, but her I am mere hours before show time scrambling to get something, anything together. So, I apologize for this, but I felt the need to get something together. No more chatter, here are my Should/Will win choices for the big categories.

Drama Series

• Deadwood
• Lost
• Six Feet Under
• 24
• The West Wing
• WILL WIN: I have to say Lost, the phenomenon is to big to ignore. Even though there were spots during the season where it slowed to a crawl, I feel it will be recognized. An excellent show o be sure, but not the most deserving in my opinion.
• SHOULD WIN: 24 should be the winner here, this past season was quite possibly it's best yet and epitomized "Must See TV."
• OVERLOOKED: Rescue Me an excellent show, which while not recognized here, will be here possibly as early next year.

Actor, Drama Series

• James Spader, Boston Legal
• Ian McShane, Deadwood
• Hugh Laurie, House
• Hank Azaria, Huff
• Kiefer Sutherland, 24
• WILL WIN: Hugh Laurie, and deservedly so. The show truly developed over the course of the season, and Laurie helped create a complex character who could have easily slipped into parody.
• SHOULD WIN: I am a little conflicted, as much as I enjoyed Laurie's work, I think that Kiefer Sutherland did some of his best work this season.
• OVERLOOKED: From Rescue Me, Dennis Leary painted a compelling portrait of a fractured firefighter.

Actress, Drama Series

• Jennifer Garner, Alias
• Marsika Hargitay, Law & Order: SVU
• Patricia Arquette, Medium
• Glenn Close, The Shield
• Francis Conroy, Six Feet Under
• WILL WIN: Glenn Close, I never got into The Shield but all I hear are raves for her work on it.
• SHOULD WIN: Jennifer Garner, I have always liked her work and think she deserves to finally take the big one home for her top notch work.

Supporting Actor, Drama Series

• William Shatner, Boston Legal
• Oliver Platt, Huff
• Naveen Andrews, Lost
• Terry O' Quinn, Lost
• Alan Alda, The West Wing
• WILL AND SHOULD WIN: Terry O'Quinn, he is one of the most compelling supporting cast members of recent years.
• OVERLOOKED: Victor Garber, he has always filled a great role on Alias. Also, Carlos Bernard who is a strong presence on 24.

Supporting Actress, Drama Series

• Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy
• Blythe Danner, Huff
• Tyne Daly, Judging Amy
• CCH Pounder, The Shield
• Stockard Channing, The West Wing
• WILL AND SHOULD WIN: I honestly have no opinion here. So, I am just going to go with Stockard Channing.
• OVERLOOKED: Mary Lynn Rajskub, she was just wonderful as Chloe on 24.

Comedy Series

• Arrested Development
• Desperate Housewives
• Everybody Loves Raymond
• Scrubs
• Will & Grace
• WILL WIN: Everybody Loves Raymond, I was never a really big fan of this but a lot of people are. Desperate Housewives also has a chance, but I hope not, it isn't really a comedy.
• SHOULD WIN: Scrubs, finally some recognition of one of the best sitcoms on TV. Between it and Arrested Development, there is still hope for the sitcom.

Actor, Comedy Series

• Jason Bateman, Arrested Development
• Ray Romano, Everybody Loves Raymond
• Tony Shalhoub, Monk
• Zach Braff, Scrubs
• Eric McCormack, Will & Grace
• WILL WIN: Ray Romano, see above.
• SHOULD WIN: Zach Braff, see above. This has some good nominees, I would also be happy with Jason Bateman or Tony Shalhoub.

Actress, Comedy Series

• Marcia Cross, Desperate Housewives
• Teri Hatcher, Desperate Housewives
• Felicity Huffman, Desperate Housewives
• Patricia Heaton, Everybody Loves Raymond
• Jane Kaczmarek, Malcolm in the Middle
• WILL AND SHOULD WIN: Would it be too much of a stretch to say a Housewives victory? I am going to go with Teri Hatcher. Not really a comedy, but she has done some very good work.
• NOTE: Jane Kaczmarek shouldn't have been nominated, last season's Malcolm was rather poor.

Supporting Actor, Comedy Series

• Jeffrey Tambor, Arrested Development
• Jeremy Piven, Entourage
• Peter Boyle, Everybody Loves Raymond
• Brad Garrett, Everybody Loves Raymond
• Sean Hayes, Will & Grace
• WILL AND SHOULD WIN: Jeffrey Tambor for his dual work. Great comic timing is the order of the day.
• OVERLOOKED: Neil Flynn, who doesn't love the Scrubs janitor? Apparently not the voters. Not to mention his co-stars John C. McGinley and Ken Jenkins.

Supporting Actress, Comedy Series

• Jessica Walter, Arrested Development
• Doris Roberts, Everybody Loves Raymond
• Holland Taylor, Two and a Half Men
• Conchita Ferrell, Two and a Half Men
• Megan Mullaly, Will & Grace
• WILL WIN: Doris Roberts, this is the last year the Raymond crew can win.
• SHOULD WIN: Jessica Walter, she is simply a joy on Arrested.
• OVERLOOKED: Sarah Chalke of Scrubs.

Variety, music or comedy series

• Da Ali G. Show
• The Daily Show
• Late Night with Conan O'Brien
• Late Show with David Letterman
• Real Time with Bill Maher
• WILL AND SHOULD WIN: The Daily Show, where else would I get the real news?

Miniseries

• Elvis
• Empire Falls
• The 4400
• The Lost Prince
• WILL WIN: Elvis, never bet against the King.
• SHOULD WIN: The 4400, interesting new take on alien abductions.
• OVERLOOKED: Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars, wonderful set of episodes. It should be recognized here.

Made for TV Movie

• Lackawanna Blues
• The Life and Death of Peter Sellers
• The Office Special
• Warm Springs
• The Wool Cap
• WILL WIN: I am at a disadvantage, not having seen any of these. I will say The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, I've heard mixed word, but think it will take the prize.
• SHOULD WIN: The Office Special, I'm a fan of The Office, so I had to go with it, sight unseen.

Hopefully I won't embarrass myself too much when the awards actually air tonight.

Concert Review: Disturbed w/ Ill Nino 9/16/05

Finally. I've been wanting Disturbed to come to my town ever since I discovered The Sickness so many years ago. The wait is now over, they have come and they have conquered.

I got to the civic center at about 7pm, just in time for the announced door open time. I would have gotten there earlier, had I not forgotten my ear plugs, necessitating a detour to pickup some more. The last thing I wanted was to worry about not being able to listen to them down the road!

Anyway, I parked my car and made my way to the front of the building. It was progressing inside at a decent pace, so I followed it, looking for the end. I kept walking, and walking, making my way almost all the way around the building. This was easily the longest line that I have witnessed for a concert. It took about an hour, but I finally got inside.

After getting inside, I took a quick look at the merch table, then made my way out to the floor. The floor was getting pretty full, so I hung back standing on the first row of bleachers. Good view of the stage, but still pretty far away.

Before going any further, I must mention something about the venue. The Mid-Hudson Civic Center is good for one thing, it's open floor. The sound quality is not terribly good, get those amps up to metal concert level and the sound just starts to bounce off the concrete walls and lose definition pretty quick. Still, with the right band it isn't hard to get into the live music!

8:25 rolls around, the lights go out, the crowd starts to cheer, a voice is heard in the darkness, the lights come up, Ill Nino is upon us! This is the third time I have seen them live, and each time they get better. I have to admit, that while I am a fan of Ill Nino, I am very poor at my song identification, to the point of non-existence. Ill Nino put on a great live show. They display a raw energy which is just amazing. They tear through their songs with a reckless abandon, focusing that raw energy into a focused wave of Latin flavored metal. They have a sound that stands out from metal crowd giving us a unique voice on the heavy scene. The dual percussionists have a lot to do with that great sound, watching them go is a sight to see. Dave Chavarri's wild drumming, combined with Danny Couto on percussion produce a thick rhythm unmatched by most other bands. Add to that Ahrue Luster's acoustic guitar on some songs, and you add just another dimension to their sound. It is amazing to watch all of these elements fuse into that Ill Nino wall of sound live on stage. Christian Machado's voice rising above to deliver his combination of screams and singing sounded fantastic. At one point taking those in the back bleachers to task for not standing, rather choosing to sit complacently in the back.

Ill Nino is an intense band to see live. The crowd by the stage was berserk, the house was full, all working towards a great set. They are definitely a band to see live. Their set ended at about 9:10, leaving the crowd begging for more, but anxious for what was yet to come.

At this point, all we could do was wait. I decided to switch sides, for some reason I always seem to end up to the right of the stage. I made my way around the perimeter of the crowd and was able to get a spot at the guard rail off to the left, not exactly in front of the stage, but good enough to have a clear view of the stage.

9:50, the lights go out once again, the cheers dwarfing those for Ill Nino. We knew what time it was. We watched as the shadowy figures of Disturbed took the stage in the near pitch black stage as the cheers grew louder. Then the lights came up, the music started, and the pit went insane. David and crew brought their charismatic intensity to the stage, electrifying everyone there. Then something amazing happened, David noticed two fans who were front and center in the pit who were in wheel chairs, he had security bring them across the barricade and get them up onstage to watch from there. It was an amazing thing, showing them respect for the courage to be at the front of the surging mass flesh around them. It was a great moment. Once they were onstage, the music continued. They tore through tracks off the first two albums, mixing in a couple of cuts from the upcoming album. We heard "Prayer," "Believe," "Voices," "Conflict," "Down with the Sickness," and more.

The energy given from the stage was unmatched, I just wish the venue was better for sound. For as good as they were, the hall was not terribly kind. Bass was up a little high and reverberated a bit much, and the guitars seemed to be overpowered at times, fortunately David's voice rose above and was clear the entire time.

Mid-set, David took the bleacher bums to task, much like Christian did during Ill Nino's set, for sitting in the back. The Disturbed crew was a little more successful than Ill Nino was. It wasn't long before everyone was on their feet yelling for more. He also took the time to talk about the new album, Ten Thousand Fists, talking about how the fist is a symbol of power and defiance before going into another song.

Towards the end of the set, there was a fan in front of the stage who was apparently giving David some grief, flipping him off or some such nonsense. The show stopped as David pointed him out saying that he wouldn't be disrespected and if he didn't like the show he could leave. He then went a step further and offered to help, he had security remove him from the building.

The show picked back up with "The Game." Quickly making us forget the fan removal that had just occurred. The energy picked up and lasted right through to the end of the set, which ended just before 11:00. It didn't take long before they returned to the stage for a two song encore. First up was the new single from Ten Thousand Fists, "Stricken." It was a heavy tune that I look forward to hearing on the album. Then the question came up, "What song do you want to hear?" The answer came back unanimously "Stupify!" The song that brought them fame, and the main song that we had not yet heard. They were more than happy to comply. Great way to end a show on a high note.

Overall, it was a great show. It was great to see Ill Nino again, they just keep getting better each time I see them. It took awhile, but now I can say I've seen Disturbed live, and hopefully will again, they are an intense live act.