TV Casualty: CBS edition

Partners - At some point, CBS became the king of comedy.  I am not sure how, but sure enough, the shows people talk about and the funniest shows are on CBS (Big Bang Theory, Mike & Molly, Two Broke Girls) and going back a few years to the golden years of How I met your Mother and the guilty pleasure of Charlie Sheen-era Two and a Half Men.  So, I really wanted to like Partners, which looked like the most promising comedy of the new year.

It's basic enough- two best friends have a relationship that is rocked by the two loves of their lives.  One would guess there's a bunch of comedy to mine here, but there really isn't.  David Krumholtz has leading man potential, but his character isn't likeable in the least.  The same goes for Micheal Urie, the gay best friend, who is confined to Clay Aiken and Bette Midler jokes.  One wonders if CBS decided they are okay with an openly gay lead, by showing absolutely no chemistry between the two gay characters.  Brandon Routh, in that role, is terrible, which is a shame, because he is a local, and is a really good person.

I am reminded a bit of Free Agents, NBC's recent swing-and-a-miss.  That sarcastic Type A character was at least Hank Azaria, and if Azaria couldn't pulloff a sitcom smash, I don't see Krumholtz doing any better.  This is typical sitcom material, but at least, it could be funny.

I think CBS will try to push this as far as I can.  Unfortunately, I don't think there is enough here to keep it afloat.

Vegas-  One of CBS's biggest gambles this year is on Vegas which stars Dennis Quaid, Michael Chiklis, and Carrie Ann Moss.  Okay, that is a strong cast, and I think that this gives the show a big upside (not to mention to be helmed by the writer of Casino and Goodfellas).  Quaid is lampoonable with his permanent scowl, but does give the show a strong lead.  Chiklis, of course, is mesmerizing, and the support for the show is all strong too.

One must always remember this is a CBS show, and one will need to temper their expectations.  This might be a great drama if it was given the Showtime or HBO (or even FX) treatment, but would be a hard sell for network tv.  So, while this show strives to be Boardwalk Empire (the story of a growing 1960's Las Vegas), but is just as much Walker, Texas Ranger (there's plenty of Chuck Norris' style buttkicking). 

This being CBS, this is also not just a period piece with rustlers, mobsters, and DA's.  It is also (like most, if not all of CBS's most successful shows) a procedural crime show.  That bit isn't necessary, but one feels CBS is hedging its bets by sticking to the formula that works.  It's CSI:Noir then.

I liked the first two episodes. though others said it was slow.  The set-up, location and the collection of characters should give a wealth of material to draw from, and the interaction between Quaid and Chiklis as time goes on should be good fun.

Adventures of a Battleground State voter- "Paint the White House Black" edition

Business as usual around these parts.  No surprise that Obama is running an ad which consists of nothing but Romney saying his  "47% comments.

This of course, puts Romney in a place where he has countered with a look-you-in-the-eyes "I really care about 100% of you" tv ad.

Obama counters the counterad (where Romney says he will create more jobs) with his own look-you-in-the-eyes ad of his own, claiming that if he was somewhere that he could connect you like your living room (not in some debate on some stage where he looks bored or surely), you would certainly connect with him and pull the Dem lever.

On the radio, though you can hear a young black student say "President Obama, I've got your back".

No, seriously.

Yeah, it sounds about as authentic as when McDonalds tries to sound 'hip' and 'urban', but what do you expect?

Iowa is slowly falling off the battleground radar.  A recent NBC poll has Obama up by 7, although one recent poll (Rasmussen) did put Romney up by three (which is more inline with what I got).

That means we get Biden in front of 600 today in Council Bluffs, while Paul Ryan was chilling with anti-abortion protestors before his speech tonight in Dubuque.  It means the guys on the top of the ticket aren't here (breaking news: Romney is in Iowa next Tuesday.  Apparently, the debate last night puts him back in play).

So, the real campaigning here is done by the surrogates.  The Republicans brought Big New Jersey Star of the Workingman Chris Christie to rally the GOP for some of the local races.  While here, Christie also gave a ringing endorsement of Romney in saying that he is the "best man who made himself available to defeat the President".  Thus saying he's absolutely 100% behind Willard, and since Mitch Daniels, Sarah Palin, Donald Trump, Mike Huckabee, John Thune, Jeb Bush, and Condi Rice aren't available, Mitt's totally the guy.

Meanwhile, the Dems are hoping for big crowds for their Big New Jersey Star of the Workingman Jon Bon Jovi.  Jon is giving acoustic performances in Iowa City and Des Moines.  (Level of difficulty: evening temps recently in the 70s have fallen to the 50s in recent days).

Lest you think, Mr Bongiovi is a kingmaker, he was here in 2004 backing John Kerry.

Nonpartisan (I guess), but opinionated Henry Rollins was here too (I found out about 24 hours too late) and is touring all 50 state capitols before election day on his Capitalism tour.  While that visit isn't up on Youtube yet, he has shared a few excerpts like this one.

$30 million has been spent in Iowa for Presidential campaign advertising.  Iowans in the blue areas of the Quad Cities, Cedar Rapids, and Des Moines should see a lot more of Mitt's visage on their tvs.  Iowans who live in the predominantly Republican areas of Council Bluffs and Sioux City should be seeing a lot more Obama ads.

2012 "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" Tour: "Down on the Street (Part 1)" edition

Here are some pictures that I took on Fremont Street.

These are the worst pictures of my trip and also the ones I wanted to take the most.

I think that I feel self-conscious taking pictures of people on the street in their habitat.

This guy stood in front of all the glitz and glamour to show his love for Romney.




This guy practically begged me to take his picture. I figure he thought I would make him an internet celebrity. I didn't pay him though, and I am not sure he expected it.

Too ugly to be a porn star.  Family got kidnapped by squirrels, need help getting nuts.

Sorry dude, too blurry to make you a celebrity.




Better quality pics and you know, text to come.