"Chuck" Wraps Production 12/7/2011

Chuck wrapped production on 12/7/2011 and the final episode is set to air 1/27/2012. My favorite show on television is set to end and I can’t help but be grateful. It was a show whose first season only had 13 episodes in it and had to struggle from season to season for survival. Except for the first and the fifth season, none of the other seasons had the same episode count. Here is a breakdown of the episodes per season:

Season 1 – 13 episodes

Season 2 – 22 episodes

Season 3 – 19 episodes

Season 4 – 24 episodes

Season 5 – 13 episodes

Chuck is a fantastic show that deserved 22 episode seasons every season and it’s a shame that it’s going away so soon. Hopefully it did enough episodes for syndication and that a lot of new fans will find it there.

I just watched “Chuck Versus the Santa Suit” and there was so much emotion in that episode (and a kick-ass cameo by Stan Lee). I wish this final season had been longer but I’m glad the writers, actors, and fans are getting a proper goodbye.

And, as always, I’m glad I have more episodes to look forward to.

"Community" wins TV Guide's 2011 Fan Favorites Award

I know it happened at the beginning of December, but I was excited when I saw the TV Guide issue in the grocery store. I don’t usually get TV Guide and I don’t visit the website so I had no idea there was a fan favorite poll going on. I’m glad Community took top honor.

While Community isn’t my favorite show on television (that would be Chuck which is also on NBC), I have both seasons and have rewatched them several times. It’s the funniest show on television and I haven’t been able to watch it thanks to a grueling full time school/work schedule.

According to TV Guide’s article, “The network caused an uproar earlier this month when it announced Community won't be on its midseason schedule; online voting for the Fan Favorites award closed before that story broke.”

Hopefully NBC will listen to the fans and this amazing show will be renewed next season. Because this is Chuck’s last season, if Community isn’t renewed I’ll be losing two great shows next season.

Toastmasters Humorous Speech Contest

I have belonged to one of the many Toastmasters in San Diego since July 2010. I joined with a friend because she and I were going to take a speech class the following semester. Neither of us were comfortable doing public speaking but both of us waned to keep our grades up (she was transferring to SDSU and I wanted to know I could if I chose to).

What started as going as class prep has turned into something I do every Thursday night. At the beginning of August, one of the members encouraged me to compete in the humorous speech contest and, at first, I refused. Then I though of something I could talk about – action figure collecting.

I competed within my club and won that night. Six weeks later, on Oct 2^nd, I was competing with the winners in my area and won that competition also.

Now, on the 22^nd of this month, with my family and some of the club members in attendance, I compete in the Eastern Division. I’m only a few more competitions away from the International competition. I probably won’t make it that far but I’m still happy with what I’ve done and the super-small trophy that came with it.

Once I’m eliminated from the competition, I’ll post my speech on the blog.

 

My super-small trophy. It's awesome.

Sean Maher Comes Out

I didn’t see it coming which is okay since I have poorly developed ‘gay-dar’ (does anyone else use that anymore?). He says in an interview in Entertainment Weekly online that even his Firefly/Serenity cast-mates didn’t know.

His coming out may have consequences for him personally (all positive hopefully), for me it doesn’t change anything. I’m still a huge Firefly/Serenity fan. I’ve still enjoyed meeting him and getting his autograph a few times.

But I’m glad he came out. As most of us geeks know, it’s hard to act like something you’re not (like acting like you aren’t into comics for example) just because you’re worried about other people’s reaction to it. Of course Sean Maher had his career at stake so I completely understand not coming out before but I think that he’ll continue booking jobs and the fans will keep showing up wherever he goes.

Taped-Up Peace Sign: Adventures in Volleyball

This post is going to be a little different from most of my posts because I’m not going to talk about nerd culture (*gasp*).

I’m taking ‘Introduction to Vollyball at a community college near my apartment (I need it for a GE credit). There’s a girl in my class named Rania. Rania is a tiny girl probably still in her teens. In the first classes we had together, when the ball came near her she was timid and got out of the ball’s way. In the next few weeks she would go after the ball grudgingly, sometimes with success.

But last Tuesday, Rania showed up for class with the fingers you use to give the ‘peace sign’ taped up – just the two fingers on each hand. Rania was a different player – she went after the ball each time it came near her and had a lot of success controlling the ball.

We all noticed. We had to because every time she contributed to getting a point for the team or getting it over the net she would flash the peace sign at us with both hands. It was hilarious. By taping up 4 fingers she had transformed herself into a confident and enthusiastic player.

That made me think of the expression, “You have to fake it until you make it.” All that means is that if you act like a CEO, you will shape your life to gain the confidence and the skills to become one. It also reminds me that the reason you wear a suit to an interview is because how you dress impacts how other people view you but, more importantly, it also impacts how you feel about yourself.

I don’t know what my version of taping fingers up is in life but I know that Rania’s attitude had me going after everything that came near me too.

Thanks for giving me something to think about Rania (not that you’ll ever read this).

My Week With Buffy OR How I Played Hooky From Work To Watch “All My Children”

Wednesday, (Sept 21) I took the day off of work to watch Sarah Michelle Gellar’s return to “All My Children” – a series I’ve never seen before and a series I’m not likely to ever watch again. Why? I don’t know. I guess I thought seeing her on the show that she was once a regular on would be a big deal. She was only in the first 7 minutes of the show for about 2 minutes of screen time – BUT IT WAS COOL. She plays a crazy patient who claims she’s Erica Kane’s daughter (the role she originally played in the 90’s) and that she can see vampires (she left the show to be on Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and there’s a bit of funny dialogue about vampires being trendy.

And watching “All My Children” was only the 1^st of 4 times I spent with Sarah Michelle Gellar this week. I watched the first and second episodes of SMG’s new series, “Ringer” and here is a quick review of the series so far:

RINGER REVIEW

Sarah Michelle Gellar is back as Bridget, an ex-stripper who is a recovering addict and the only witness in a high-profile murder trial.

Sarah Michelle Gellar is back as Siobhan, a spoiled socialite with a troubled marriage who is having an affair with her best friend’s husband.

Confused? Don’t worry about it – Bridget and Siobhan are twin sisters. When Siobhan is presumed dead, Bridget takes her place to get out of testifying because she thinks it will make her life safer. Unfortunately someone is after Siobhan so Bridget has to survive assassins and fit into Siobhan’s life at the same time.

While the first episode was jam-packed with things, the second episode really capitalized on it. If you’ve seen it (and if you haven’t SPOILER ALERT) you know what I’m talking about. Bridget tries to bail Siobhan’s life by emptying out her ‘emergency’ account and skipping town but the pesky dead body in a loft she’s having converted is threatening to be discovered so she has to cancel her plans and keep the body hidden just a little longer.

Good: Sarah Michelle Gellar is back. The writers don’t waste much time trying to convince us Siobhan is really dead – she pops up at the end of each episode where she is talking to someone on a phone and trying to coordinate something. Bridget is an engaging character lost in someone else’s life and in over her head – Sarah Michelle Gellar’s return was worth the wait. The series is thrilling – every 15 minutes I’m thinking, “How is she going to get out of this?” In one of the last scenes of the second episode she’s helping Siobhan’s step-daughter ride out a hangover, holding her tight as she cries and decides that she’s not leaving – that she’s finally in a place where people need her.

Bad: I suspect that it will get canceled without an ending – most of the shows I enjoyed last season were. And when the main villain turns up looking to beat up or kidnap Bridget’s sponsor and gives up because someone runs up to talk to him, he looks about as threatening as a muppet (the writers are really going to have to do something to make us think this dude is a threat).

Watch it/Skip it: I’m going to watch it…obsessively. It’s a good show and I’m in for the long haul.

And I read the 1^st issue of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 and here is a quicker review:

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER SEASON 9 #1

Buffy and the gang are back. Abandoning the Slayer Army she built, Buffy and the Scoobies have set up in San Francisco. But instead of actively looking for danger, the gang are all leading normal lives. Buffy is a waitress at a deli and has two normal roommates.

Good: Joss Whedon is back and he’s brought all the good dialogue with him. It’s great to see the gang interacting with normal people for a change and it’s great to see the gang in general.

Bad: Let’s see…the story jumps around and isn’t clear at times (what did Buffy and Xander do in her room and when was she walking around with Riley (during the party or after?)).

Read it/Skip it: Not a great start for Season 9. I read a few pages of a preview that had a few slayers come after Buffy and she gives them a beat down – that would have been a great way to start season 9. Oh, and I left a fingerprint on the spine of the book – come on Dark Horse, spring for good ink. But I know the next issue will add to this one and all will be made clear – I’m just impatient. If the book came out every week it wouldn’t be fast enough for me.

So my week with Sarah Michelle Gellar was great and I’m looking forward to the rest of season 9 and a (hopefully) full season of Ringer on TV. Welcome back to television SMG!

Thundercats action figures

I was at Toys ‘R Us looking for “Marvel Universe Super Hero Team Action Figure Packs.” Wave 3 just came out and I’ve never laid eyes on any of the figure packs. It’s like Walmart, Target, and Toys ‘R Us stores in San Diego don’t stock it – or they’re ordering so little of it that it’s rare.

Anyway, I’ve been seeing the new Thundercats commercials and I haven’t seen the new cartoon but I was a fan of the original and I want to see the new one. The racks were stocked with the new 4” figures and I saw Cheetara. I looked a little more and saw that there was only one Cheetara and one Wilykit and there were enough figures to assemble all six Thundercats. So I bought the entire team.

It’s not every day I pick up an entire team of figures. I know they’re 4 inch figures but they’re Thundercats – they should be a little bigger than GI Joe figures.

 All six Thundercats