The week started off with a trip to Retrocon, where I finally got to meet @Classickmateria, and I was reunited with @LamarRevenger. I made the journey with @trooperlite, and I think a good time was had by all. If you want the full story, though, be sure to check out the Retrocon recap podcast on the most recent Classick Team-Up.
As I promised last week, I ended up buying Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 while at Retrocon. As a result, I haven’t been to bed before 2 AM any night this week. If any of you are on XBox Live, my gamertag is THRIFTJUSTICE.
In celebrity news, George Clooney got married, and the vaginas wept of millions of women who never had a chance. Meanwhile, both Amanda Bynes and Michael Phelps were arrested on DUI charges this week. This is just par for the course when it comes to Bynes, as she’s just as much of a trainwreck as Lohan, but it was a bit surprising for Phelps. He was caught with marijuana a few years back and had to publicly apologize but I’m not sure how he’s gonna handle this one. What about the kids, Michael? What about the kids?!
It was reported that The Rock will lead the Baywatch movie adaptation. I don’t really have a lot of thoughts on this, as this movie has been in the works for years, and nothing has ever come of it. Plus, from all reports, it’s supposed to be a hokey comedy instead of a cheesy drama. I’d rather it be the latter.
In Marvel movie news, some less than reputable sources are reporting that Psych/The West Wing star Dule Hill has been cast as Luke Cage in the upcoming Netflix series. By the end of yesterday, most of those sites had removed the story, but it’s definitely interesting casting if true. I like Hill, but I don’t think he has the build to pull it off. I’m still in the Isaiah Mustafa camp, but I think most of the world has forgotten him since Old Spice stopped running those commercials.
Now, for some TV news. It was reported this week that two of my favorite new shows this season, Satisfaction and You’re The Worst, have officially been picked up for second seasons. I’ve already explained my reasons for liking these shows, so this is great news to me. Next summer can’t get here fast enough! For some reason, though, they’re shipping You’re The Worst off to FXX, which is really just a Simpsons depository in between episodes of The League. I still feel like Fox doesn’t have a lot of faith in the network, and it’s where Totally Biased went to die. Hopefully folks will be able to find it in its new home.
Over in the Community saga, Yvette Nicole Brown has announced that she won’t be continuing with the show when it moves to Yahoo Screen. She needs to care for her ailing father, so her character, Shirley, will be written out of the show. The actress will, however, be popping up as recurring characters on the reboot of The Odd Couple, as well as on USA’s Unbenched. So, she can’t do full time work, but she’s still available for cameos. Whatever. Part of me wonders if she just wanted to get off that sinking ship. It’s sad that Community no longer has any black cast members, but maybe they knew something that we don’t.
In the ratings game, things aren’t looking good for 2 ABC fan favorites. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. had its lowest ratings ever this week, and this is just the second episode of the season. If they want this thing to see a third season, they better start talking to Jeremy Renner’s people for a cameo (he’s the only one from the movies I could realistically see taking a TV paycheck). Meanwhile, Black-ish‘s ratings dropped from the premiere. This sort of drop is usual, as most of the looky-loos who checked out the pilot have moved on, and the show is settling into its natural audience. The problem, however, is that this week’s ratings were in the same range as the second episode of Rebel Wilson’s Super Fun Night last season. Why is that notable? Well, Super Fun Night ain’t on anymore. I think Black-ish is safe for now, but whether or not it gets a second season depends on what ABC has ready for midseason. Fresh Off The Boat still needs a timeslot, but I really don’t see it having the same acclaim as Black-ish. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
In the social media sphere, everyone’s been talking about Ello. While it has prematurely been called a “Facebook killer”, it’s certainly loved by privacy advocates, as it has no ads and you don’t have to use your real name. Right now, it’s invite-only, and just seems kinda barren. If you’re over there, give me a follow at williambrucewest. Let’s see if we can make that thing exciting!
Speaking of social media, my Tumblr popularity keeps chugging along, as this Deadpool pic has gotten over 142 likes and reblogs. It’s funny how things over there don’t even make a dent on Instagram. I just haven’t figured out how to crack IG, but I’m enjoying the attention I’m getting on Tumblr. If you wanna follow me there, it’s wbwest.tumblr.com.
Links I Loved
Sh*t You Guys, A Real Life Version Of Bill Brasky Has Passed Away – UPROXX
7 Horrifying Lessons Learned Directing a Porno – Cracked
Classick Cinema: My Pitch for a Proper Sequel to “Gremlins” – Cold Slither Podcast
Nobody thought it would ever happen, and now that it has, I can’t believe it didn’t happen sooner: The Simpsons met The Griffins in the season premiere of Family Guy, called “The Simpsons Guy”. The Griffins’ car is stolen while they’re passing through Springfield, and Homer and Peter team up to track it down. Meanwhile, Stewie idolized Bart, while Lisa found out that Meg was a natural on the saxophone. After Peter and Homer end up on opposite sides of a lawsuit, the episode is capped off with a Peter vs. The Giant Chicken fight, only Homer’s standing in for the chicken. It’s even more absurd than it sounds, and I loved every minute of it. I know some folks think The Simpsons is past its prime, but I always enjoy it whenever I tune in. Moreover, some folks just aren’t fans of Seth MacFarlane’s humor, but I certainly am. All of these themes were dealt with in the episode, and it delivered more than I ever thought it would. I think both shows brought their A-game and I wouldn’t be opposed to them crossing over again at some point in the future. In any case, for completely blowing my socks off, “The Simpsons Guy” had the West Week Ever.
“he’s the only one from the movies I could realistically see taking a TV paycheck” That’s #1 and then #2 is the fact that he doesn’t have any fancy powers which are that hard to replicate on a TV budget. He’s the perfect choice for a guest spot! Hell, have him in an arc!
Hey Will,
It was definitely an epic moment finally meeting you and getting to know Mike too. So much awesome in that pic up there, I still get goosebumps seeing it.
Clooney was just going through the motions the last few years so it’s nice that he’s settled down. Now Jeter’s on the clock, given he ain’t got no real job no more.
Surprisingly, as much as the community (“black twitter” or whoever) has taken to “Black’ish”, I notice a lot of mainstream fans who probably expected it to be a minstrel show are now either indifferent to it or upset. Why else would Trump go into a twitter rant about there being no “White’ish” other than because the show itself is actually intelligently written and truly thought-provoking? But yeah, the ratings may kill this thing if it can’t turn it around.
Agents of SHIELD’s ratings low upsets me, because the second episode was probably one of their best shows in its entire run. I usually disagree with the critics who complain about slow development and such, but they’re getting what they want over at “Gotham”, which looks like it’ll blow it’s entire wad by mid-season when they’re forced to slow things down. Despite the low, AoS is still pulling in a sizeable audience and should be given a chance to turn things around. Stunt casting of Renner or another MCU actor might work, but given these things are shot well in advance we won’t see that until mid-late season, if it survives that long.
Mike brought up a good point: ello is all about privacy and you go on there with your given name? Yeah, you’re a narcissist alright, but that’s why we love ya.
Thanks for the love, the plugs and the great time this week. And see you on XBLA, we’ll do some Black Ops 2 together!
Actually, while the overall ratings for Agents of SHIELD aren’t blockbuster, they’re fantastic in the male 18-49 demo, slightly beating out NCIS: New Orleans! Because ABC skews heavily female right now, they’re plenty happy with SHIELD’s ratings. Trust me, they’re more than safe if it holds steady.
Also, Mockingbird is joining the show soon. Next best thing to Hawkeye in my opinion.
Hi Will. I like you. Would you like to share a soda? Bye bye.