THE PALEY FESTIVAL STARTS FRIDAY: And the always great fest kicks off with MODERN FAMILY this year! I can think of no better way to salute contemporary television than starting with one of the best new comedies on the air. I will be there and will try to bring you all the good stuff in The Surf Report.
LOST: “The Lighthouse” was a Jack-centric show and we got to see Claire too which proved to be the most unnerving part of the episode as she’s apparently lost her marbles. There was also further evidence that the entity now occupying Locke’s body is The Man in Black/Smokey as Claire referred to him as “my friend.” The voodoo doll baby in Claire’s makeshift crib spooked me to no end and I’m glad they didn’t keep cutting back to it.
We saw more about alt-Jack and discovered he has a teenage son David who does not like his father and that he doesn’t see his dad much. In this world though, Jack is kinder and shows more emotion than island Jack. It was odd and sweet to watch alt-Jack try to get through to his son to convince him that he cares. The scenes with Jack and his mother (played by Veronica Hamel of HILL STREET BLUES fame) were slightly off too as Jack couldn’t remember where he got the scar on his stomach and his mother told him it was from when he had his appendix taken out as a kid, though we know Island Jack was shot and patched up on the island. I liked the scene at David’s conservatory audition when another one of the fathers turned out to be Dogan. That was almost as good as Ben Linus turning up as a teacher at the school Locke started working at in last week’s episode “The Substitute.”
The big discovery of the episode was Jack and Hurley’s walk to the lighthouse, at Jacob’s (or I should say the ghost of Jacob’s) behest. The lighthouse had a compass (which reminded me of the donkey wheel Ben Linus turned) and the compass had the names of many islanders with their corresponding numbers – and they were THE numbers. In a fit of pique and frustration, Jack broke the mirrors that showed his childhood home when the compass was set to his name and number. Jacob says Jack has to figure out why he’s on the island. Evidently, it’s not, as Jack said, “because I was broken and I thought the island could fix me.” (I love that line.) So Jack was staring out at the water, contemplating why he’s on the island. I have no guesses but then, I haven’t had a ton of time to ruminate.
My pal Jace aka the Televisionary mentioned “The Lighthouse” was the 108th episode of LOST and that has to mean something too. Theories anyone? As is my usual practice, I’ll read more commentary about the episode because I don’t catch every little detail and the more I learn, the more I enjoy the show.
CRAIG FERGUSON: All around brilliant Brit Stephen Fry was Ferguson’s sole guest last night and in a break from the usual routine, the show was done with no audience. It’s on my DVR and I’ll be watching that later tonight. If you didn’t record it, the episode should be online at CBS.com tomorrow.
LIFE UNEXPECTED: The two latest episodes are on my DVR but I’m behind on my viewing.
LAST RESTAURANT STANDING: I’m very angry with the show’s producers because the winning team chosen in last night’s episode are a complete joke and it made a travesty of a once-great competition show. The winning “chef” is a man who cannot cook. Yes I’m serious. The winning half of the team is an expert mixologist and bartender but he cannot cook a meal to save his life. the other half of the team is a good host/front of house person. The only way I can see Raymond Blanc and his partners Sarah and David making money with these two buffoons is to open a high-end cocktail bar with a limited bar menu. A very disappointing end to a very disappointing season. Next Tuesday, LAST RESTAURANT STANDING checks in with last season’s winners to see how they’re doing. Despite my disappointment with this season, I will tune in to check that out.
TODAY’S SURF WRITTEN WHILE LISTENING TO: Roseanne Cash & Bruce Springsteen’s cover of “Sea of Heartbreak”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3LSrcKksCo
Tonight’s rundown:
ABC: Modern Family (repeat), The Middle (repeat), Modern Family (repeat), The Middle (repeat), Cougar Town (2 repeats)
CBS: New Adventures of Old Christine (repeat), Gary Unmarried (repeat), Criminal Minds (repeat), CSI: NY (repeat)
NBC: Winter Olympics (special)
I’ve only watched bits and pieces of the Olympics but all I know is that when I wake up around 130am (which happens often), all I can find on the NBC channels is curling. Why curling? I’ve tried watching it too and you’d think at 130am or 2am, it would be compelling but no, not really.
FOX: American Idol (2-hrs)
The top 10 guys sing tonight. I heard the Top 10 gals were underwhelming last night. The LA Times had an interview with Perez Hilton today as he’s vying to be the new IDOL judge when Simon Cowell leaves. This is the first interview I’ve read with Hilton that didn’t instantly make me hate him. He’s actually given a lot of thought as to why he wants the IDOL gig and it’s not about money:
CW: Life Unexpected (repeat), Gossip Girl (repeat)
BBC America: 9pm: The Inbetweeners (2 episodes)
Have you sampled this very funny Britcom laced with many expletives yet? It’s a coming of age comedy done very well and the guys in the lead roles are very good.
Bravo: 10pm: Shear Genius
Comedy Central: Tosh.0
D101: Underbelly
Discovery Channel: Solving History with Olly Steeds
Fuse: Hip Hop Shop
FX: 10pm: Nip/Tuck
History: MonsterQuest
ID: Prison Wives
Logo: The Robert Verdi Show Starring Robert Verdi
MTV: 10pm: The Real World: D.C.
Planet Green: Conviction Kitchen (season finale)
Science: Meteorite Men (season finale), Mantracker
Showtime: 10pm: Inside NASCAR
I went to my first NASCAR race last Saturday at the Auto Club Speedway. I understand why people like a day at the races but it was a tad too loud for me and I know I couldn’t take hours of the noise outside. Luckily, I was in the ACS suite and had a terrific birds eye view of the track. It’s quite something to see up close.
Soapnet: Being Erica
Spike: 1000 Ways to Die (season finale)
Style: Clean House
Syfy: Ghost Hunters International
TBS: Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns
Toon: Dude, What Would Happen (returns from hiatus), Destroy Build Destroy (returns from hiatus)
truTV: Most Daring: Jail-bound Jerks
TV Land: High School Reunion
USA: 10pm: Psych
In tonight’s episode “Think Tank” Shawn and Gus are recruited into a think tank to help prevent the murder of a business tycoon, but once the group has disbanded, they realize that one of the members plans to use the assassination ideas to kill the client instead of save him. Chris Sarandon guests in the episode.
VH1: Peak Season (season finale)
That’s a wrap for now.
