West Week Ever – 5/9/14

The week started off with The Simpsons LEGO special. Plainly put, I wasn’t impressed. Seeing as how I’m the only person in America who didn’t see The LEGO Movie, maybe I’m missing something. That movie looked fun, but I just didn’t get around to seeing it. The Simpsons episode, however, was just weird. They made good use of the LEGO, but it was just jarring and the animation seemed stiff. Anyway, I’m tempted to collect those Simpsons LEGO minifigures, but I keep telling myself that I’ve retired from that game. I’ve got about 100 of those things just gathering dust in cases at the moment.

Later Sunday night, I caught David Spade: My Fake Problems, as Comedy Central wrapped up Stand Up Month. Just as unfunny as Tracy Morgan’s special. What’s up with those former SNL guys? Is stand up just not their thing? I missed the first half hour, but I caught him talking about his hernia operation. I didn’t know what to expect, as I don’t think of Spade as a stand up comedian, but I was hoping to find it more enjoyable than I did.

The trailer for Gotham was released. Still, I’m not impressed. It looks like a fan film with established actors. Plus, I have no desire to see Gotham pre-Batman. All of Bruce’s training happened away from the city. Even if the show lasts 10 years, we’ll only get to Bruce turning 18. I just don’t see the point when there are other DC properties to mine, like they did with Arrow. Plus, it seems like they’re introducing all of Batman’s colorful rogues prematurely, as they don’t really arise until Batman first shows up in Gotham. For instance, they said that we will see Joker. Why? Based on Batman history, he shouldn’t even be Joker yet because that night at the ACE Chemical Factory will still be years away. Whatever. I just don’t see the value of a show about Batman that doesn’t feature Batman.

Fox has also announced that Damon Wayans Jr will be a series regular next season on New Girl. I’m happy for him ’cause I like that dude and want him working. Still, it drives home the fact that Happy Endings is never coming back. I feel like a kid who wants his parents to get back together and it just ain’t happening.

Catfish came roaring back this week for its third season, and it did not disappoint. Twitter is an amazing place while that show is on, as everyone becomes an insulting detective. Trust me – it’s a lot more fun than I’m making it sound.

So, they’ve announced a new Power Rangers movie. In fact, they’re calling it a reimagining of Mighty Morphin, so I guess it’s going back to its roots. I’m not surprised, as something like this was inevitable. The trick was simply waiting til the point where people would care again. They struck at the right time, as every news outlet was covering the news yesterday. I’m gonna reserve judgment until I see a trailer, as there are so many ways that this could go. My problem, though, is that people who have been unabashed about their hatred of the property are still gonna come out of the woodworks, saying “They’re ruining my childhood!” It never fails. I’ve stuck by the franchise for the past 20 years, but I also know how cheap Haim Saban is. This thing is probably gonna be done on the cheap, and the fact that it’s a collaboration with Lionsgate doesn’t put me at ease ’cause they’ll just turn it into an angsty teen romance. So, let’s just wait and see how this plays out.

Speaking of movies, they just announced that Reg E. Cathey will be Doctor Storm for the Fantastic Four reboot. They made him black, y’all! That was quite the switcheroo, and it makes Kate Mara’s Sue Storm the odd one in the family now. I can’t help but think the studio is just trolling the fandom at this point. And it’s HILARIOUS!

Last week, I had the pleasure of joining the Nerd Lunch Podcast, as they discussed TV theme songs. It was a lot of fun, and I realized I’m kinda obsessed with all incarnations of Knight Rider. You can listen to it right here.

Links I Loved

The 24 Least Insurable Characters in Television and Movies – UnderScoopFire!

League Post – Would You Rather…? -AEIOU…and Sometimes Why

10 Triumphs and 10 Failures of MOTUC – Crooked Ninja Turtle Gang

5 RaNdOm AcTiOn FiGuReS – Raging Nerdgasm

In Case You Missed It This Week:

Thrift Justice: YSE – FCBD Edition

Now 50. Man, I never really thought I’d see that number. Of course, in the UK they’re up to Now 87, but we’re not here to talk about that. The US version of Now That’s What I Call Music debuted in 1998 as a compilation of the hottest singles of the time. CD singles were going away, but full albums also weren’t all that appealing to some folks. They didn’t want the filler songs – they just wanted the hits. That’s where Now came in. The first volume was comprised of songs from Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls, Janet Jackson, Hanson, Aqua, and more. You can’t get more 1998 than that lineup. With each subsequent release, Now embodied all that was popular on radio at the time. Some volumes are better than others, but that’s really the fault of then-current popular music. There reason I thought I’d never see a 50th volume is because CDs are almost dead – especially the kind like Now. It was a compilation of all the top hits, but why would anyone buy it when they could just cherry pick those songs off iTunes? Once iTunes hit the scene, Now became “The Little Compilation That Could”. Sixteen years later, and it still survives in the face of the Apple juggernaut. I used to love Now until I started making my own CDs, and even then I was using its track listings as guidelines. So, for providing music fans with only the hits, and to commemorate its 50th US release, Now That’s What I Call Music had the West Week Ever.