On the Cooking Channel

There are some guys I just kind of like and am glad to see working. I like that Nathan Fillion got a job in Castle, (even if it’s unbearable), I love that the beeper king, Dean Winters is excellent in the Allstate commercials he took over from America’s real first black president, and I think it’s nice to see Mo Rocca hosting a food information show. He lends a bit of un-obnoxious humor to the often obnoxious genre in the new (pretty sweet) Cooking Channel’s Food(ography).

The show goes along with the channel’s slightly new take on food television. Instead of Al Roker or Marc Summers taking us to the Skittles factory for the thousandth time (though I still do kind of love seeing stuff being made in factories), Foodography has an approach that is slightly more in line with the foodie culture of today. Interesting and hip places are visited and there’s at least some actual research and information about the history of the subjects. While it still sometimes suffers from cheesy pun intended writing, it’s pleasurable lite watching that has even added a few go to places on my list.

on Food Network and the Cooking Channel

Paula Deen is undeniably charming and her show, Paula’s Home Cooking is one of the best the Food Network and brand new Cooking Channel have to offer. I know because I have the channels on in the background often in these days of freelancing and know all too well the pain of a show sans charming host – read the irritating growl of Rachel Ray or the frosted tip obnoxiousness of Guy Fieri.

This Southern belle doesn’t even always have to make food I’d necessarily eat. Once she made a Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding, y’all and just looking at the two dozen Krispy Kremes mixed with sweetened condensed milk, and butter rum sauce on screen made my teeth hurt and my head ache. Still, with her soft drawl and cheerful charisma, I’d listen to her talk about anything. She even makes me happy by simply saying the word oil.

Geniuses in Diapers

I’m not sure how interesting Baby Human would be to those not expecting or with a young child, but I am finding this sing songy educational documentary about the stages of development in babies fascinating and cute. Chapters are broken into breakthrough stages: walking, thinking, talking and illustrate with scientific experiments and lots and lots of smiling adorable babies. Which, of course, aside from the research part, are the main reason to watch.

Originally Aired 1967-1972

Callan is a serious minded and intelligent spy show that came out of Britain in the late 1960s. Edward “The Equalizer” Woodward plays a reluctant, obstinate but gifted (and handsome) killer who works for a shadowy government agency called The Section. Morals, plots and allegiances are ambiguous and you’ve really got to pay attention to appreciate the twists and plotting.

The thrills here are more subdued and psychological and Callan lacks the gadgets, cars and big explosions of typical spy fare. Not surprisingly, the recommendation came from good friend and spy aficionado Matthew (of the blog Double O Section) who also set us up with the similarly intelligent and complex Sandbaggers, which came to BBC a decade later.

Only the third series, the first in color, and subsequent are released on DVD, so if you do Netflix these prepare yourself to be dropped in the middle of major story arch – but don’t worry, you’ll figure out what’s going on in no time.

Click here to see the rest of Callan

created by Chris Morris (2000)

Last week I raved about the dark, depraved, arty and inventively hilarious Blue Jam radio show that sprang from the mind of British genius Chris Morris. This week I want to tell you about Jam, the video adaptation which includes recreations of many of the original radio program’s best skits.

Available at amazon UK for region 2 players, the DVD will be a must-have for anyone that becomes a fan of the show and something that those with weak stomachs and an aversion to off color black humor should definitely avoid.

The DVD features spoofs of the typical “special features” and includes “miniaturized version” of the episodes. Clips are NSFW.

on HBO and DVD

Never has a TV show made me feel like such a jerk for being such a sarcastic jerk – but I just can’t help myself when the dialogue of The #1 Ladies Detective Agency gets so simple (seriously, most conversations consist of “He sounds like a good man”, “He is a good man”, “Perhaps a bad man is making him do bad things” “Mma, a very bad man”… and on and on). But still, the show is quite charming in its way, despite the inherent condescension in the script that tends to over simplify its characters.

It’s like an updated Murder She Wrote re contextualized in the incredible, and incredibly shot, location of Botswana. The show was directed by the late Anthony Minghella, and his deep love of warm, epic landscapes is intact; and the costumes are quite inspiring and breathtaking as well. No women can mix pattern, shapes, and looks like the ladies presented here – I started re-mixing and matching my wardrobe in my head as I was watching.

Jill Scott is a sweetheart and one of the few women with girth on television who has a healthy body image, but the real star of the show, as far as I’m concerned, is the sassy wide-eyed little errand boy, Wellington.

It’s not edgy viewing and if you’re an asshole like me you might even find it grating at times, but some night it’s great to tune into a simple mystery show nset in a world few of us are familiar with.

Click here to see the rest of The #1 Ladies Detective Agency

Holiday of Nightmares

Creepy wet lips, monstrously erect nipples, blood sucking choir boys, voodoo dolls, flying bunny eyeballs, and Papa Lazarou… if you’ve taken my advice before and watched previous seasons of The League of Gentlemen, this will all sound like business as usual – if not, be prepared for the Christmas special of your worst nightmares!!

If you’re the squeamish type and prefer your head filled with sugar plum fairies and such, you may want to skip the stills below/after the jump.

Click here to see the rest of The League of Gentlemen Christmas Special

Lifetime Movie Network Gold

Well, hello there sugar. You in the mood for the kind of scenery chewing actin’ that the lil’ old Lifetime Movie Network was made for? You just itchin’ for the kind of yarn that’s hotter than a junebug on Georgia asphalt? Well, then pull up a chair and grab yourself a glass of sweet tea (something that I’ve learned from both this miniseries and NBC’s To Catch a Predator is always a trap) and settle in for Ann Rule’s Everything She Ever Wanted – a series that begins with a genuine Gone With the Wind-themed weddin’.

Gina Gershon smacks her lips around the role of real life sociopathic southern belle Patricia Allanson (who in reality bears very little resemblance to Gershon) like some sexed up, large titted dog might around a badly written bone. It makes for a much better viewing experience than Ann Rule’s other recent Lifetime event, Too Late to Say Goodbye, where Rob Lowe plays a seemingly perfect husband, but is actually a wife killer.

So imagine my surprise and horror when, after watching for two hours (gathering as many screen shots as possible), the show ended with Gina injecting an old woman in the mouth with poison followed by a “To be continued…” message – and I didn’t record the second half! Lifetime, shame on you for not re-airing this glorious heap of camp and trash. What do we pay you for?! If you think it’s just for the Reba re-runs (now airing in the morning) and decades-old Tracey Gold amnesia dramas (The Perfect Daughter, aired Wed 25th at 2:00), you are sorely mistaken.

Click here to see the rest of Ann Rule’s Everything She Ever Wanted

written by Peter Berry (2008)

I wrongly assumed this available-on-Netflix-instant BBC miniseries would be boring and dry, but The Last Enemy is a taut thriller set in a slightly altered modern day where surveillance in the name of protection has become sci-fi-ishly all encompassing.

While the reluctant hero is such a cliche at this point, the archetype is masterfully written and played by Benedict Cumberpatch (a British name if I ever heard one) as an uptight, anti-social germaphobe – perhaps the least likely person to become embroiled in the political mess that his recently killed brother has left behind.

Small mysteries lead to larger ones, and while the series has a bit of a hard time making all the answers satisfying and sustaining the suspense of the first part, it’s over all a truly smart and compelling piece with layers of surprises and intrigue. It’s quite long, so it works perfectly for a hung over Sunday, so long as you have the brain power to follow the action and plot twists.

Click here to see the rest of The Last Enemy