Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
A light-hearted comedy revolving around a pair of bickering brothers who run a small airline in Nantucket, “Wings” kicks off its fourth season with a crash. Literally. But unlike “Lost” where the passengers are never sure if they’ll ever be rescued, it’s inevitable that the Nantucket bunch is saved.
With two solid seasons already banked, NCIS returns for a compelling third year with exciting plotlines and a slightly tweaked cast. The show’s second season ended with the brutal and shocking death of Caitlin Todd (Sasha Alexander). The first two episodes of this season deal with the aftermath of bringing her killer to justice and examining the emotional impact of her loss on the remaining members of the NCIS team, which is led by Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon).
All 13 episodes of this NBC series–which aired during the 2006-2007 season–are included on this three-disc DVD set. And unlike many shows that are canceled within a year, “Kidnapped” offers viewers closure and a finite ending. While the first few episodes dealing with the kidnapping are gripping, the show layers on some subplots that fail. Is Ellie having an affair with a prominent politician? Did Conrad kill his ex-mistress? Neither character is particularly likeable, so the viewer doesn’t really care.
Take one “everyman” standup comic, add a ridiculously good-looking wife, and throw them into everyday scenarios that are taken to the extreme and you get “George Lopez,” a pleasant and funny series with a winning formula not unlike that of “According to Jim” and “Everybody Loves Raymond.”
Mencia displays an almost child-like glee during his monologues that are a part of each episode. Flapping his arms and legs around like a kid who’s heard the funniest joke, he punctuates stories with his trademark sing-song “dee de dee.”
While its title may be superfluous, “Galapagos: The Islands That Changed the World” is a beautifully filmed journey into “the islands of the tortoise.” Located due west of Ecuador, the Galapagos islands are full of gorgeous scenery and exotic wildlife. And this 150-minute documentary shows it all, thanks to stunning cinematography shot from all viewpoints–the air, sea and, of course, land.
Each era has its own defining exercise video–or in this age, DVD. “Dancing With the Stars: Cardio Dance” isn’t going to go down as the 21st century’s answer to Jane Fonda’s exercise tapes, but it’s not a bad way to learn a few basic steps, thanks to instructions from some of the professional dancers from the ABC hit series “Dancing With the Stars.”
It’s difficult for music fans to think of their idols as anything but hard-partying, wild rock stars. But take a look at Rev. Run (formerly of the rap group Run-DMC) and what you see today is a cool dad exasperated and amused by his children, who probably are much more tame than he was at their age.
Take a pair of bumbling brothers and mix in a couple of hot female roommates, and you’ve got “The Loop,” a sitcom that hopefully isn’t representative of how immature the average twentysomething is these days. The seven episodes from the comedy’s debut mini season–which aired from March to April 2006–focuses on the haphazard life of Sam (Bret Harrison), a brilliant, young airline executive referred to by his boss as “Thesis” because of his uncanny ability to remember everything there is to know about airplanes and the airline industry.
On the first season of “Girlfriends”–which aired during 2000-2001–we are introduced to a comely group of women. There’s Joan (Tracee Ellis Ross, daughter of Diana Ross), a sensible attorney who’s unlucky in love; her sassy assistant Maya (Golden Brooks); Joan’s happy-go-lucky roommate Lynn (Persia White); and their man-eating friend Toni (Jill Marie Jones).