Grey's Anatomy Season 1
Tuesday, February 12, 2008

I finally got around to seeing this show. I hesitate getting into a television show early. The networks put out 13 episodes. You get hooked. Next thing you know, poof, it's gone.

I don't like Ellen Pompeo as Meredith Grey. She's the star, with an irritating voice as narrator, and is the least interesting or attractive character. Alas, most, if not all of the men on this show are bedazzled (in love/lust) with her. The men ignore Katherine Heigl's character Dr. Isobel 'Izzie' Stevens.

Right there, the required suspension of disbelief is too high.

Damn. I've forgotten how tall, deliciously dark, and truly handsome Isaiah Washington is. He plays Dr. Preston Burke, brilliant heart surgeon, and head of this department.

My favorite character right off the start is Dr. Cristina Yang as portrayed by Sandra Oh. She's one of the few real characters on the show. This woman is a fantastic actress. She's pretty, spunky, and has lovely hair.

I don't know what to make of Chandra Wilson as Dr. Miranda Bailey. She's not exactly in the same mix (like the show Friends circle of sex-escapades) as Burke, Yang, and the others. I really like it when she tells Dr. Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey aka Dr. McDreamy): "You don't scare me."

Yet, I'm dismayed and annoyed by the chunky, asexual, sassy black female portrayals on television, or in the movies. This image hasn't changed since Gone With the Wind.

However, it is a fun and funny show. I've laughed at some scenes that were quite entertaining. Justine Chambers's Dr. Alex Karev is a mischievous ne'er-do-well (bad boy). T. R. Knight as Dr. George O'Malley plays the naive foil. I think he gets hammered a bit too much as the butt of the joke. Hopefully, that changes.

I can't wait to watch the rest of this series.

Labels: Chandra Wilson, Ellen Pompeo, Grey's Anatomy, Isiah Washington, Justine Chambers, Katherine Hiegl, Patrick Dempsey, Sandra Oh, T. R. Knight

posted by GoldenAh
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Knocked Up
Saturday, June 30, 2007

I am a lazy reviewer. I saw this film a couple of weeks ago. I wanted to say something about it right away, but I never do because I hate looking up the names of the participants.

The same writer / director of "The 40 Year Old Virgin" (and some other films) created this film. I think one can tell the writing style of Judd Apatow by now. He reminds me of Larry David. One of these days I may even review the TV show "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

It stars the guy who looked like a big blond teddy bear in "The 40 Year Old Virgin" (maybe everyone else was short?), Seth Rogen, and that chic from "Grey's Anatomy", Katherine "Isaiah Washington needs to be fired" Heigl. I really don't have any issues with her, but if she's not careful she may end up like the gazillions of other starlets of Hollywood: hot today, gone tomorrow.

I find Rogen rather attractive (I like big blond guys), so casting him as a dweeb, loser-jerk didn't work for me. Well, his friends were weird, that casting call was accurate.

Ms. Heigl has talent, and oddly enough she has the same doe-eyes of that hot-for-a-second actress of the 1990's Jeanne Tripplehorn. Remember her? No? How about "Waterworld" with Kevin Costner? No? Then google her, I don't have time to school you.

Plot summary: celebrating a raise - to be onscreen, out from behind the cameras - Ms. Hiegl (Alison) goes out to a club with her onscreen sister, Debbie. The sister is played by Mr. Apatow's wife Leslie Mann, who plays an excellent and very convincing bitch-fish-wife role.

Alison meets Rogen (Ben Stone(d)*) at the bar and he gets brave. Cut to them humping the night away. He's funny, sweet and adorable, because he's so clueless.

It's a nice, profanity laced film, yet the sentiments are in the right place. A romance film from the guy's point of view - the guy who wants to do right.

A Time's Magazine reviewer suggested a better story would be murdering the baby (abortion), and the two of them following up with a relationship. I can't see how that would work; I can't even see it being a hit. Perhaps that would work as an independent film (you know how fun those sick, twisted flicks are).

Can't wait to see "Knocked Up" again on DVD, I know I missed quite a few jokes!

*Ben is stoned - got it?

Labels: Grey's Anatomy, Judd Apatow, Katherine Hiegl, romance, Seth Rogen

posted by GoldenAh
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