Naysila Mirdad >>>> Where Are You Now??

I'm not a fan of Indonesian soaps, or here we call them sinetrons, but no matter what TV show you love, it is hard not to know this cute girl. A few years back, Naysila Mirdad was a queen of soap. Some of her notable dramas are Intan, Cahaya and Sekar were phenomenal success here. Naysila a is one of Jamal Mirdad and Lydia Kandou's daughter. And FYI, Jamal and Lydia were huge stars as well.

Being aired daily, Naysila, in her mellow drama, gained big popularity among female viewers. Some of her successful soaps used popular songs from a band named Letto (And two thumbs up for Letto because they are lyrically genius...!!).

Nay has a certain charm that people can't resist. Some people admit that she is what she is no matter she is on or off the screen.

An innocent lovable tortured one is a character she always played. Well, this stereotyped character finally bored the viewers and her three last soaps had bad ratings.

I just hope that she left TV for a while because she's preparing something big for her comeback or even a big jump for big screen. I love her charm, but she needs to explore more.

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET >>>> They Killed Thomas Dekker and Katie Cassidy Too Soon..!!

If I sleep I dream, and If I dream I die

As a TV series lover, the only reason I watched this horror flick was because I wanted to see Kattie Cassidy and Thomas Dekker in one scene. Well it was nice to see the stars of short-aired TV show Melrose Place and Terminator The Sarah O'Connor Chronicle were haunted by the 'ugly killer wolverine wannabe'.

Like I wrote as the title of this post, Thomas and Kattie were killed even before the half of the film runs. And it left me with a big disappointment.

And for the movie, well after they were killed, I mean Tom and Kat, I didn't have any desire to watch the rest of the movie, though I finally finished it. The last Freddy Krueger flick I watched was Freddy VS Jason where Brittany Murphy (rest in peace) and Kelly Rowland played, and it was quite entertaining to me. This Nightmare On Elm Street seemed to lack the sense of horror. Things were just so flat. The last two survivors didn't have any strong emotion to keep the film in a good eerie atmosphere.

The idea of pulling Freddie into the real world could have been great if they did it earlier so with Freddie being outside his comfort zone, namely dream, the story would have been totally different (or more ridiculous? ha..ha).

PUSHING DAISIES >>> Turn Into Comics?

I have two box set dvds of Pushing Daisies, season 1 and two, and I love the series. But I was disappointed to know that it was canceled. Should I be happy to read the following news from tvfinale.com?

Back when ABC aired the final three episodes of canceled Pushing Daisies, series creator Brian Fuller said that he was working on a series of 12 issues of comic books. His intention was to fill in the gap between what we saw in the last episode and the brief flash forward that ended it.

He teased, “I think the comic book is great, because it has all the characters in it, and it starts a new story. It’s basically Chuck, Ned, Emerson and Olive versus 1,000 corpses, so it becomes a zombie movie, but the zombies are articulate and smart and can do things that no other zombies can do. The Pie-Maker versus 1,000 corpses.”

EW’s Michael Ausiello recently asked Fuller for a Pushing Daisies update and he said, “Issue no. 1 will hopefully be out in early 2011, issue no. 2 is being colored as we speak, and issue no. 3 is being written.”

But this may not be just a typical comic book series. Fuller added, “Our Emmy-Award winning composer Jim Dooley and I have been talking about giving the audience a multi-media experience with the comic —- specifically a score. We have no idea whether we can actually afford to do an actual Pushing Daisies comic soundtrack (because the cast has agreed to sing songs and those licensing fees are expensive), but Jim has already started composing musical cues that we will either release officially or stream for freesies online when the comic book is published. I’ve already heard the track for Lee Pace’s cover-diddy and it’s fantastic.”

Last year, Fuller said that, if the first dozen issues are successful, he’d be open to doing more.

Well it's a good news after all, but where the hell am I supposed to find the comics here in Indonesia? Internet shopping? I still hope they continue the story in a media where it is supposed to be in...yes, TV...!! or DVD would be great, he..he

THE GATES >>>> Vampire Diaries ala Desperate Housewives +True Blood equals Soap Opera

Nick Monohan and his family move from Chicago to a quiet, upscale planned community called The Gates, where he will be Chief of Police. They soon realize that their neighbors are not who they seem to be. The Gates is filled with such beings as vampires, witches, and succubus.

Remember Frank Grillo?? Nick Savrinn in the first season of Prison Break?? Veronica's colleague? And Rhona Mitra from Boston Legal? And Luke Mably from the movie The Prince and Me? They are here...!!.

The Gates is an adult soap style series like Desperate Housewives with a twist. If you like supernatural story lines and upscale settings in today's world then this is a great place to spend an hour enjoying a little mystery.

Too many peoples expect phenomenal plot on the first few episodes instead of giving characters time to grow and develop relationships within the story, The Gates doesn't rush anything by letting the characters grow and give lots of entertainment to all the fans of this genre of show.

Well, asking about originality is useless for TV show nowadays. What is considered original these days? It is enough for me when it's entertaining and fun to watch. There are a lot of serious series (that I love too, like House, CSI, and many others) to turn to when you need to be 'serious', but The Gates gives you a different taste in supernatural fantasy soap opera genre that makes you want to watch episode by episode.

THE TUDORS (Complete Seasons:1-4) >>>> Kisah Raja Henry VIII "Sang Penakluk Wanita"

You think you know a story, but you only know how it ends...

To tell you guys the truth, first I got confused to remember the names of the characters in the series since there are too many. Watching Eric Bana's The Other Boleyn Girl helped me a lot to enjoy this show. Thing that makes me like this series is the explicit sexual scenes that you can also see in Spartacus, ha..ha

Well, The Tudors tells the phenomenal life story of the notorious King Henry VIII and her wives. I don't need to tell you who he was because you can easily find it from internet or text book of English.

King Henry VIII is well known for being handsome and athletic and also his wives who faced tragic death in his own hand. Season 1, containing only 10 episodes, chronicles the period of Henry VIII's reign in which his effectiveness as King is tested by international conflicts as well as political intrigue in his own court, while the pressure of having a male heir cost him to reject his wife, Katherine Aragon (she's Henry's dead brother's wife that Henry had to marry). Henry tries to have annulment just to get married with Anne Boleyn, and also has a string of affairs, and fathers an illegitimate son, who later dies (Warning: if you are offended by explicit sexual scene, you better avoid the DVD version. One of Indonesian TV cable has been airing it and it's a wise way to enjoy it)

Season 2 finds Henry as the head of the Church of England, the result of his break with the Catholic Church over its refusal to grant him a divorce from Katherine. During his battle with Rome, he secretly marries a pregnant Anne Boleyn. Anne can't give him a son, so Henry then turns his lust to Jane Seymour.

Season Three focuses on Henry's marriages to Jane Seymour and the other one names Anne of Cleves, the birth of his son Edward VI, the downfall of Thomas Cromwell, and the beginnings of Henry's relationship with the "dangerous" Katherine Howard. Dangerous?? Well, you better watch it yourself.

Last Season, 4 focuses on Henry's ill-fated marriage to Katherine Howard, his uncommonly successful final marriage with Katherine Parr, an attempted invasion of France and the question of the kingdom's leadership after Henry's death.


True if you think you can learn history from this series but the creator told at the very beginning that The Tudors is a soap opera, not history. Hisrt noted, "Showtime commissioned me to write an entertainment, a soap opera, and not history ... And we wanted people to watch it." He added that some changes were made for production considerations and some to avoid viewer confusion, and that "any confusion created by the changes is outweighed by the interest the series may inspire in the period and its figures."

So if there are many negative reviews or complaint on how this series misleads the viewers, well I think we just have to watch it as an entertainment, and for real history we can read the book, right?

Jonathan Rhys Meyer was nominated in Golden Globe for Best Actor in Television Drama. Sebagai satu dari sedikit serial berbiaya mahal, The Tudors memang menakjubkan dalam costume and production design yang membuat penonton di seperti di bawa ke masa lalu dan segala tetek bengek kerajaan Inggris. Worth watching, really.

EASY A >>> Lisa Kudrow and Penn Badgley are here...!!

Last Month I posted a news about Amanda Bynes who said in her twitter account that she would resign from entertainment world, and Easy E would be the last movie she was in. We here in Indonesia still have no clue if this rom-com would be in theaters, well I personally hope it would be soon.

Aside from Amanda Bynes and Emma Stone, and its modern version of Scarlett Letter, I'm gonna watch this film because of Lisa Kudrow. I miss her so much. Is she still eccentric Phoebe in FRIENDS? And Penn Bedgley, Is he gonna be lamer than the last time I saw him in Step Father. This Gossip Boy has to make big difference here.

The story of Easy A can easily found everywhere. Here I took one from Wikipedia.

Clean-cut high-schooler Olive Penderghast (Emma Stone) is overheard by her rival, strict Christian classmate Marianne (Amanda Bynes), insinuating that she lost her virginity over the weekend. Rumors begin to spread, leading Olive to later pretend that she slept with her gay friend Brandon (Dan Byrd), to help convince the school he is straight in order to help him fend off homophobic bullies. Several boys learn what she has done and beg her to perform the same service for them, hoping to benefit from their "lost virginities".

This eventually turns into a full-fledged business, lucrative and socially beneficial for Olive, enough so to gain the ire of Marianne, who doesn't like the attention she's getting. Olive's life begins to resemble that of Hester Prynne in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. Olive then decides to use the rumors to her own advantage, affixing a red A to her clothing in reference to the embattled heroine of the novel. However, the glamor and mystery quickly deteriorates, and Olive must figure out how to reclaim her good reputation.

Well, I think I'm gonna watch it from DVD, guys.

THE OC >>>> Drama Remaja Dekade 2000 Terbaik (Buat Saya)

I'm gonna write in my own language this time because I feel like I'm not in the mood writing in English.

Saat pertama menonton The OC di Indosiar tanpa sengaja, serial ini sudah masuk episode ke lima sehingga saya enggan meneruskan menonton episode-episode selanjutnya. Dan kemudian tanpa sengaja melihat DVD musim pertamanya. Tergoda deh untuk membeli. Coba-coba melihat review di internet, ternyata tanggapannya luar biasa positif, bahkan di sebuah tabloid lokal The OC dijuluki sebagai pionir bangkitnya prime time soap opera bebobot. Dan makin penasaranlah diriku menontonnya.

Ternyata.....memang benar. Setuju dengan ratusan review yang dibuat oleh penggemarnya di Imdb.

The OC tidak berkutat dengan masalah remaja yang jamak dibahas diserial lain semisal 90210 atau yang beken sekarang: Gossip Girl. The OC memberi ruang cukup buat karakter-karakter orang tua menjelajahi persoalan mereka sehingga bisa juga diterima penonton remaja. Masalah kesenjangan sosial, cinta tak berbalas, obat-obatan, pencarian identitas dan orang tua menjadi menu klise di serial remaja, namun The OC menyuguhkannya dengan lugas. Sementara karakter orang tua sangat proporsional memainkan perannya.

The OC berkutat dengan karakter sentral bernama Ryan Atwood. Remaja miskin dengan keluarga gak karuan namun pintar yang tinggal di pemukiman miskin, Ryan harus meringkuk di penjara akibat terseret niat jahat sang kakak.

Datanglah Sandy Cohen, seorang pengacara kaya yang peduli dengan kehidupan orang-orang kurang beruntung. Sandy tinggal di pemukiman super mewah di kawasan The OC (Orange County). Setelah membebaskan Ryan, Sandy tanpa sengaja melihat Ryan kebingungan lantaran ketika pulang ke rumah. ibu dan ayah tirinya sudah tidak ada. Dia ditinggal sendirian. Kuatir melihat Ryan menjadi gelandangan, Sandy mengajak Ryan tinggal satu atau dua malam di rumah mewahnya itu. Dan....Semua pun berubah sejak saat itu.

Ryan bertemu dengan Seth, putra tunggal Sandy yang seorang comic geek, Kirsten, istrinya Sandy dan Ibunya Seth yang baik hati namun curiga dengan orang-orang miskin. Summer, gadis idaman Seth yang cerewet, dan Marissa, tetangga sebelah yang membuatnya jatuh hati. Dan banyak lainnya. Ryan perlahan melihat lapis demi lapis kehidupan mewah orang-orang disekitarnya.


Sandy dan Kirsten, yang melihat betapa istimewanya Ryan, akhirnya memutuskan mengadopsi Ryan. Yang paling senang tentu saja Seth, akhirnya ia punya saudara laki-laki yang jago berkelahi. dan Marissa sang pujaan hati. Tentu saja banyak juga orang yang kesal dengan keputusan The Cohens itu, yang membuat cerita makin seru.

The OC rampung dengan empat musim, dan sempat terseok di musim 3 lantaran ditinggal satu pemain sentralnya. Karakter yang kuat dan cerita yang jelas, membuat serial ini dipuji banyak orang. Hubungan unik 'kakak-adik' Seth-Ryan kadang membuat kita tersenyum, dan bijaksananya Sandy-Kirsten dalam mendidik anaknya menjadikan karakter tersebut menjadi karakter orang tua favorit.

Namun, tetap saja The OC adalah opera sabun. Dramatisasi dan belat-belit antar karakter mewarnai serial ini. Benjamin McKenzie yang memerankan tokoh sentral Ryan Atwood sempat dijuluki the young Russel Crowe, sangat cemerlang memainkan perannya yang pemurung dan jarang senyum. Rachel Bilson dan Adam Brody yang memerankan pasangan Seth-Summer cukup sempurna membuat cerita menjadi tidak garing. Mischa Barton, yang sempat mengesalkan di musim ketiga lantaran ulahnya di luar serial ini, cukup bagus sebagai Marissa. Para orang tua OC diperankan para pemain senior yang tak perlu diragukan.

Yang paling berkesan bagi saya adalah hubungan saudara Seth-Ryan yang kuat. Mungkin karena tumbuh tanpa saudara laki-laki, menyaksikan chemistry mereka menjadikan penilaian saya subjektif ya. Sebelumnya saya pernah mengulas serial-serial yang menjadikan saudara kandung sebagai karakter utama dalam "Oh Brother, Where Are You?". Dan seharusnya Ryan-Cohen masuk di daftar itu ya...

KYLE XY >>>> Remaja Tampan Tanpa Pusar

I remember it was probably three years ago I bought the DVDs of KYLE XY the first season. Well this is an ABC family's series so I didn't expect it to be like ALIAS or any other series with fast rhythm. Surprisingly, this series hooked me with its slow pace.

Okay, here's the story (I hope I still remember the names of the characters):

A sixteen years old boy woke up in the woods naked (and slimy). He then wandered around and reached downtown. A police took him to the juvie (well of course, a pretty boy wandering around naked in the city would make a disastrous mess, ha..ha). Well then an officer who saw this boy differently, called a social worker, Nicole Trager to examine this mute boy.

Nicole Trager is happily married with Stephen Trager with two kids: Lori and Josh. Nicole was an affectionate woman, so when seeing the mute-now-not-naked-anymore-handsome boy, she felt the need to find out who the boy was. She then found out too that the boy had no belly button.

Nicole then decided to bring home the boy, and previously, she accidentally called him Kyle, so then she called him Kyle for good. For Lori and Josh, living with idiotic, mute and strange boy under the same roof was a ridiculous idea. But soon they found out that Kyle was truly 'different' in many ways. He learned fast and had photographic memory. Is he an Alien? That's what Josh suspected. Day by day Kyle turned into a very genius (and charming) boy. He fell in love with Amanda, the girl next door who just lost her father. But this little family didn't realize that some people had been observing them ever since Kyle came into their lives. Kyle also had the need to reveal who he actually was. Has he been suffering amnesia? Is he an alien like Josh suspected? Why doesn't he have belly button.

While having those question in his mind, some people had bad intention on him and his new family and friends because the big secret he had in the past.

Intriguing? Yes, but once again, this is not Jason Bourne. The pace is slow but fun. We don't need the rush to answer those questions.

The second and third season had been aired and released on DVD. There's still no confirmation whether ABC would continue it to the fourth season. Wikipedia said:

On January 31, 2009, ABC Family announced that Kyle XY would not return for a fourth season.The series finale of the show aired on Monday, March 16, 2009, at 9/8c on ABC Family, leaving several unresolved dramatic cliffhangers. Following the last episode, writer Julie Plec revealed what had been planned for further seasons. She also noted that the season three DVD would contain a "mini wrap-up" feature for the series. The "wrap-up" is called "Kyle XY: Future Revealed", where the writers and actors explain their original plans for future episodes and what would have ultimately happened in the series.

So, the only way to see what happened to the end of the story, we gotta see it in the original DVD. Grab them soon, guys...!!

Matt Dallas who played Kyle is no longer sixteen. He slowly gained popularity through other projects. Watch Beauty and Briefcase where he played with Hillary Duff. Matt also played as Rebecca Romijn's young boyfriend in Eastwick. Correct me if I'm wrong, Matt also featured in on of Katy Perry and James Blunt's videos. We're gonna see him soon in The Story of Bonnie and Clyde.

ALIAS : Season 5 >>>> Happy Ending For Sydney Bristow

Okay, I know it is too late to talk about ALIAS because it has ended years ago. But I just got the complete Final Season DVD so I don't care, I'm gonna talk about it. And hey, this is my blog, anyway, ha..ha

I gotta say that first and second season are the best seasons of ALIAS, the rest are just silly in certain ways. I read some reviews on the net, some said that J.J.Abrams had turned this series into soap opera and I must agree with that.

I personally think that this series should have ended in the fourth season when everyone had their happy endings.The idea that Vaughn is not Vaughn is just silly then knowing Vaughn died (and then did not) seemed so illogical (well the whole story actually is).

Remember Ana Espinosa? well this bitch changed her body into Sydney in the episode "There is only one of Sydney Bristow". Isn't it silly? I mean Ana is black and then by using certain chemical fluid she became Caucasian? Isn't Ana a little curvy while Sydney is slim?

Then the idea of Arvin Sloan changing from bad guy to good guy and then bad guy again is just ridiculous. New characters like Tom Grace, Rene something, Rachel blah..blah and that Peyton...are so forgettable. Well Balthazar Getty is good actor but the shallow character the creator gave to him made him like a clown. So when the character he played died, we didn't feel anything.

Then along came Irina Derevko. Sydney's mother is sure a bitch but the good impression she gave in the fourth season is already great, but then in the final one she becomes the biggest villain, well I just hated it.

Arvin Sloan became eternal? well what was that?

Jack Bristow died. I love this character and hate to see him ended that way.

The good thing is Sydney and Vaughn lived happily ever after with two kids.

Well, aside from what I have said, I gotta thank Abrams for making this series for 5 years. Thank you for the memory.

SI DOEL ANAK SEKOLAHAN >>>> Ah, The Good Memory....

This morning, I caught this amazing drama rerun again in RCTI. Well I lost count on how many times RCTI aired the rerun, but the weird thing is I don't feel bored at all seeing the humble family of Doel. I remember I was at my second year of senior high school when the first season of Si Doel Anak Sekolahan was first aired. And it was so phenomenal. Back in the days, Hollywood film and series were people's favorite at that decade, but when Si Doel was aired, people were hypnotized.

What's so special about this drama??
Well, everyone will have their own opinion. I personally think that this drama was amazing because the creators didn't try hard to make a dramatic plot. Things were smooth. The actors were great, even I thought they never acted because they were so natural, and the most important thing is that it relates to most of Indonesian families.

Si Doel Anak Sekolahan tells about Doel and his parents, uncle (Mandra) and little sister (Atun), and his sweethearts Sarah (and Zaenab then). They faced daily problems like family issues, illiteracy and financial problems. Thing were so Indonesian.


Rano Karno who played Doel and also the creator faced a big obstacle in the second season when Benyamin S, the legendary actor who played Doel's father (Sabeni) passed away. The hilarious part of the first season heavily relied on the conflict between Mandra and Sabeni. Rano Karno could have casted other actor to replace Benyamin S, but he realized that Indonesian people loved Benyamin so much and he is irreplaceable. So he then decided to change the plot : the character of Sabeni died in an accident, and it influenced other characters.

Being aired weekly, (not like soaps nowadays, daily..!), the scripts were really prepared and the series was worth waiting. The other comedian Basuki was amazingly exploited in good way to balance the comedic aspects with Mandra. Aminah Cendrakasih will be forever remembered as Doel's mother.

One thing for sure, this series visualized the real life of Betawi people (the natives of Jakarta) in amazing and proportional ways. After the series finished, many other dramas were made exploiting cultures of Betawi but sadly failed because the accent the actors used was faked and over-dramatized.

Surely this series is forever irreplaceable. With six seasons, Rano Karno has given us great drama, moral message and lesson for other creator that good drama should not be dramatized as the soap we have now

Ah, the good memory again from RCTI. And I am still optimistic that good dramas will come from RCTI again in the future.

FRIENDS WITH BENEFIT >>>> Gonna Be The Next 'FRIENDS'??

After FRIENDS left TV, there is no other sitcom revolving around the lives of twenty something that hit the same popularity that FRIENDS had reached. Well, FRIENDS is irreplaceable for sure. Any sitcoms with young adult of men and women living in the same neighborhood can't avoid of being compared to this great sitcom. Some have tried to repeat the same formula (like The Class), but failed to impress us. Maybe, How I Met Your Mother is the only one who finally distracts us from Joey and his friends. How I Met Your Mother uses a different and interesting way of plotting, and this makes this sitcom lovable so far.

Here comes another sitcom from NBC: FRIENDS WITH BENEFIT.

This new sitcom has to face the fact that being compared with FRIENDS is unavoidable since it uses the word friends. Ha..ha.. I personally still can't get any news or review (only one) on this new sitcom since I heard (or read?) that it will be premiered in 2011.

Below is NBC’s description for the series.

From Oscar and Emmy winner Brian Grazer (A Beautiful Mind, Arrested Development), Friends With Benefits is a half-hour comedy revolving around a group of twenty-something singles as they navigate the difficult, and often confusing, world of dating. Ben Weymouth (Ryan Hansen, Party Down) is on the hunt for the perfect woman who meets his unique set of standards, while his best friend, Sara Maxwell (Danneel Harris, One Tree Hill), is just looking for a man to settle down with and raise a family. Ben and Sara have fallen into the habit of turning to each other for moral and physical support as they wait for Mr. and Ms. Right to arrive. Their friend Aaron (Fran Kranz, Dollhouse), a romantic at heart, doesn't approve of Ben and Sara's complicated friendship, but he, along with womanizer Hoon (Ian Reed Kesler) and straight shooter Riley (Jessica Lucas, Cloverfield), are all distracted with their own dating trials and tribulations.

David Nevins (Lie to Me, Arrested Development) joins Grazer as executive producer for Imagine Television. Also serving as executive producers are David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers), who directs the pilot, writers Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber ((500) Days of Summer), and Jeff Kleeman. Friends With Benefits is a production of 20th Century Fox Television, Imagine Television and Big Kid Pictures.

NBC didn’t specify when we are going to watch it in their release of this information, it seems Friends with Benefits won’t be premiering until 2011, so in the meantime let's watch Rachel and Ross again from DVDs, ha..ha..!!

Do We Really Need Music In The Morning???

The trend on TV show has been changing as time goes by, which is good. But TV stations in Indonesia do not change much in the way they 'spoil' the viewers. From the oldest, RCTI and the youngest TV One (really?), the concept of many shows they have is still predictable. Once in a while some of them make a breakthrough with a very popular show, but the other will predictably will follow. Beside Metro TV and TV One, it is hard to mention the big differences from one TV station to another. Perhaps, more than 70 % of the programs they have are similar.

Well, prime time is still invaded by soaps (Thanks to RCTI and SCTV, sarcastically speaking). If I can call 9.00 PM till 11.PM the second prime time, so I'm gonna say that it was still invaded by comedy (sketch or silly talk show, thanks to Tukul and Sule), and Hollywood films.

Quizzes will sporadically come and go. Infotainment fill the thirst of women at 4 PM and early in the morning (at 6.30 or 8.AM) or before the news at 10 or 11 AM, the news at midday and 5 or 6 PM. See? So predictable. Do the TV stations have a so-called agreement on this?

It is not hard to notice that music program invade 8-10 AM. As far as I know, Dahsyat, Dering, Inbox and some others have been regulars shows since two years ago.

Perhaps some of you still remember that a couple years ago Indonesian-dubbed Bollywood films filled the same slot as the music show have now? Don't you miss Aamir Khan, Hritrik Roshan, Kajol, Shahruk Khan, Kareena Kapoor who used to regularly visit us in the morning?

And long before, Telenovelas (Mexican soaps) did the same as well. Do you remember Maria Mercedes, Alicia, Marisol, Rosalinda?

These five years, some comedians have reached their highest popularity as music program hosts, especially morning show. Dubbed as the highest paid comedians, they invaded music programs. It is interesting to ask: Do the music shows really need comedians as the hosts?

Well I gave the title of this post "Do we really need music in the morning?" to indicate that TV stations now think that TV viewers are not as engaging as they were. Watching music programs are easy, I mean you can do other things while watching (or listening) your favorite band singing and the 'funny' host blabbing, right? Compare when older people experience a few years back when watching Bollywood films or telenovelas. They had to sit and focus on the story.

TV stations always think that morning shows viewer are not as intellectual as those who watch prime time show by giving them not-so serious programs. They have been treating Bollywood films differently as to Hollywood ones. I mean, no matter how great it is, Bollywood won't get prime time. Yes, morning show viewers are mostly maids, housewives, students and jobless, so telenovelas, Bollywood films and fun quizzes (hey we have serious quizzes too..!) are provided for them. No need to be genius to enjoy them.

Now they treat music in the same level as Bollywood films and telenovelas. Music program, as I recalled, once hit prime time with great and glamorous packaging like Gebyar BCA, The Divas, Due Maut, Satu Jam Bersama..., Rising Star and many others. While music programs that only featured music videos (not MTV, please) like Delta, Video Music Indonesia, Barometer, Hits, and a few others filled the afternoon slot.

I probably over analyzed when I said that TV programs now think that music has lost its charm by only assuming that morning show is as not prestigious as afternoon or prime time show. But please don't blame me for frankly saying that Indonesian music is now too generic. Great bands are not reluctant to perform in the morning (let's not compare with MTV Total Request Live). Letting some comedians host the music show seems to depreciate the singers. Imagine when Olga Syahputra said "Please welcome...." while joking around, then envision Ferdi Hasan in glamorous suit screams out "Let's welcome....". Well, I personally prefer the second one.

Do you need some music in the morning? of course yes. But please not everyday. Four or Five TV stations have the relatively the same programs with three hosts in one show. Yup, they still love similarity. There will be a time when the trend will shift again just because one TV station have different TV show, then the other will follow.

For now on, enjoy your morning music with those funny hosts.

BAD NEWS ON SPARTACUS >>>> Musim Kedua Spartacus Ditunda: Andy Whitfield Quits..!!! No Second Season??

Sebelumnya Ithonx pernah mengulas tentang Spartacus yang kontroversial itu (lihat arsip atau ketik keyword di SILAHKAN CARI), ditulis juga disitu kalo Andy Whitfield terserang penyakit (kanker) yang mengharuskan dia berobat secara intensif. Kemudian kabar beredar kalo Andy sudah sembuh total dan bisa kembali ke layar gelas karena episode perdana musim kedua dijadwalkan tayang awal September.

Namun ternyata menurut tvfinale.com, Andy mengundurkan diri akibat penyakitnya itu. Starz TV tentu kelabakan dan akhirnya mengumumkan bahwa Spartacus musim kedua di tunda sampai batas waktu yang tidak ditentukan, dan pencarian bintang baru pun dimulai untuk menggantikan posisi Andy Whitfield. Ah, Sedih.

Sebagai pengisi slot jam tayang, akan dibuat prekuel-nya yang diberi judul SPARTACUS: GODS OF THE ARENA yang menceritakan kisah kebangkitan rumah batiatus sebelum era Spartacus. Tentu saja Lucy Lawless (si Xena) yang memerankan wanita culas istri pemilik batiatus, menjadi sorotan utama. Spoiller: karakter yang dimainkan Lucy (domina) diceritakan tewas di akhir musim pertama Spartacus.

Semoga Lucy Lawless masih punya daya jual tinggi seperti ketika di Xena The Warrior Princess. Atau paling tidak kita masih bisa melihat gladiator-gladiator laen seperti Crixus dan Barca.

Here is the excerpt of the bad news, guys:

The future of Starz’s Spartacus series is now in doubt. The show’s lead, Andy Whitfield, has withdrawn from filming the second season.

The first season, Spartacus: Blood and Sand, tells the story of the classic gladiator and stars newcomer Andy Whitfield as the title character. The show also stars Antonio Te Maioha, Craig Parker, Erin Cummings, Lucy Lawless, John Hannah, Manu Bennett, Nick E. Tarabay, and Peter Mensah.

Whitfield was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in March and, after treatment, was declared cancer-free in May. He was training hard to get back into filming and, at Comic-Con, Whitfield said he felt “better than ever.” He’s now been advised by his doctors to resume aggressive treatments immediately.

In a statement, Whitfield said, “It’s with a deep sense of disappointment that I must step aside from such an exceptional project as Spartacus and all the wonderful people involved. It seems that it is time for myself and my family to embark on another extraordinary journey. Thank you sincerely for the support so far.”

Spartacus was renewed for a second season even before the first started airing. Shooting of the second season was postponed so Whitfield could undergo treatment. To fill the absence, Starz ordered a prequel called Spartacus: Gods of the Arena which focuses on co-stars Lawless and Hannah. It tells the tale of the rise of the House of Batiatus before Spartacus’ arrival in Capua.

Whitfield was supposed to return to shoot Spartacus next month. No decisions have yet been made about the future of the series thus far. “Right now, we just want to extend our concern and support to Andy and his family,” said Carmi Zlotnik,Managing Director of Starz Media. “We will address our programming plans at some later date.”

The second season of Spartacus was expected to air next September. On a positive note, the prequel is currently filming in New Zealand and will debut in January 2011 as planned.

What should Starz do? Suspend production of season two until Whitfield can hopefully return? Recast the role, do another prequel, or cancel the series altogether?

Cepet sembuh ya, Andy. We all want you back...!!!

OUTLAW >>> Jesse Bradford's New Series

Jesse Bradford is familiar with Indonesian movie lovers from various projects ranging from Flags of Our Father to Swimfan to Bring It On.

And now, in his first consistent TV role since The West Wing, he plays an Ivy League-educated upstart working in a law firm alongside former Supreme Court justice Jimmy Smits on the upcoming drama Outlaw.

Just another courtroom drama? Well, perhaps it is, but courtroom drama is always interesting, isn't it??

I took the except of the interview on Jesse about how he loves his part in this new series from movieline.com.

Your character on Outlaw, Eddie Franks, seems a bit self-serious. What’s his arc on the show like?

Well, his main arc as you first meet him is that the rug’s been pulled out from under him. He had this very clear-cut career path that he was on. He’s played by the books, played by the rules all his life — doing that has gotten him very far — then suddenly his boss quits and he’s left flapping in the breeze. He has no idea what’s coming next, and it’s not what he bargained for. So this first arc you’re going to see from him is him trying to figure out if this is really where he wants to be — because quite frankly, it’s not. He’s got to decide if he’s going to pursue some other path at this point. You know, go work at a different firm, etc. That’s the first thing you’ll see from him.

Is he a character who will surprise us?

The thing that’s coming up that’s interesting that you’ll see… the aura that he puts out into the world, what you kind of naturally assume, and what Carly (Pope)’s character Lucinda assumes about him, is that he’s had this kind of silver spoon life. He graduated at the top of his class at Yale, so it’s sort of a George Bush life where it’s all kind of handed to you. But you come to find out that his past is actually a lot weirder than you think. He’s been working his ass off since he was a child, essentially, to get where he’s at and effectively support his family and achieve everything he’s achieved. That’s part of the why he plays everything so by the book. He’s had this life of work. That’ll be an interesting thing you learn about him too. [Executive producer] John Eisendrath’s whole “thing” is about the secret lives we lead. I think he’s going to flesh that out with all the characters.

Eddie seems to be a classic privileged Ivy League character in some ways. Does he call to mind any classic characters of TV or film for you?

That’s a good question. I’m just going to say “no” on that because I’m searching my own life more than I am other shit. I don’t think I’ve done anything quite like this, this conservative, this buttoned-up. I could liken him in certain ways to my character on The West Wing, but that’s the silver spoon guy. This guy is not that although he comes off like that. You learn that he’s not like that.

You mine your own life to relate to this guy? How so?

I’m not a conservative person by any stretch of the imagination. That being said, what I do have is a strong sense of what’s right and wrong. I have a side of me that’s very obsessive, compulsive, meticulous — those are the things that I’m drawing from. There’s a side of me that goes, “There’s a right way to do this and a wrong way to do this.” And I’m not going to just do it the right way, I’m going to do it 100% the right way. That’s very Eddie. And that’s one of the qualities in me I can pull up and go, “There you go. That’s Eddie.”


Well, I do hope this series will last long and brings something fun and great for us the TV freaks. I can't hardly wait. And hey, look at the casts...Those twos are the guys from Dexter, aren't they?



For complete interview, just go to http://www.movieline.com/2010/08/jesse-bradford-talks-with-us-about-his-new-show-outlaw-and.php

DOLLHOUSE >>>> Eliza Dushku, What's Wrong With You, Honey??

Eliza Dushku is well known as Faith in Buffy Vampire Slayer for Indonesian TV audience. She then invaded theaters through Wrong Turn, Bring It On, Soul Survivor and some others.

When coming back to TV, Eliza regained her fame again when one of TV broadcasts here in Indonesia aired Tru Calling every sunday morning at 10 PM. Based on the rating, Indonesian audience loved Tru Calling so when it stopped, many people were disappointed. Too bad Tru Calling only ran for two seasons.

Then Eliza appears to please us again with her series Dollhouse. And we got disappointed again because this series won't have its third season. What's wrong with you, Eliza??

I personally want Eliza to play long-aired TV series like Buffy (but you have to be the main cast)

Wish you have better luck for the next series, girl...

The Next Superman >>> Still Routh...or Welling??

The buzz on Superman reboot: Man of Steel has been started by Christopher Nolan. Nolan has amazingly brought Batman onto the highest level through The Dark Knight and this summer has amazed us through Inception. We still don't have a clue if the casts in Superman Returns will come back again. So, new actors??

Check this out, guys:

Christopher Nolan is Putting together a "Superman" Reboot for Warner Bros and has already put together an outline that David Goyer is using to write the script. All that's left now is cast Superman and make the movie/

Speaking to CinemaBlend, "Superman Returns" star Brandon Routh revealed that he would love to play the Man of Steel in the reboot. He said: "I certainly would [love to play Superman again]. As much as I say I'm working to shake that off or shake it up, I certainly don't want to extinguish or get rid of it because it was a great honor and I would love to be able to return as that character."

Meanwhile, "Smallville" star Tom Welling is getting ready to don the Superman suit for the first time on the show and has revealed that he too would love to play the character on the big screen. "It's not as simple as everyone would like to think," he said. "There are a lot of elements that have to come together. [But] I've always been open to it."

Source: CinemaBlend

Hmmm...
Brandon Routh has played once Superman before, so the chance of getting the part is bigger.

But Tom Welling who has been playing Clark Kent for ten years in Smallviile is also eager to wear the costume.

So who is your favorite??