Well finally - President Logan got his comeuppance, and Jack's been shangheid at the close of 24, Season 5. Does the nail-biting ever stop? I can't really say this season did it for me as much. I think overall I prefer Season 3 for grit and sheer ballsy storylines. Season 5 did have it's moments but to me most of them felt forced, too directed, too scripted. The characters felt a little too manipulated. But still, I enjoy the show and will eagerly await Season 6. Best acting kudos to:

• the kid during the Ontario airport terrorist crisis


• Jean Smart (Martha Logan) for a tremendous job as one messed-up First Lady

So last night I was glued to the TV (as I will be tonight) as Jack Bauer & co embarked on the first 2 hours of Day 5. This show pulls no punches, there are really no happy endings for anyone. Love it! From the initial rifle shot to the car bombs and spiral into intrigue, 24 just sucks you in until the last show of the season. Now if only i could get past the 5 minutes of show 5 minutes of commercials - life would be good. Hmmm...must look into TIVO.

Well it's over. Whew - what a day. It's the kind of day that makes you damn glad you're not Jack. I mean, he woke up that day in his new job, with his new girlfriend and the day went downhill pretty quickly. Chasing terrorists, torturing suspects, matching wits with a nutcase. Now the day is over, America is safe but poor Jack! No girl, no job, no life.

I really like this show though because each episode ends on a nail-biter, however, there are so many silly holes in the plot and so many "huh?" moments it just boggles the mind. Classic "huh?" moment on the season finale episode, Mandy the terrorist/freelance baddie is cornered in a parking garage, Jack holds her attention while she's got her gun on Tony's throat, and Curtis sneaks around to try to surprise her. Eventually Curtis gets close enough to push her away from Tony, she swings at Curtis and WHAM Curtis slams his fist into her face. Mandy drops like a stone. No duh. But later, she comes around and Jack goes over to question her - no brusing at all on her face. Not a red mark, no swelling nada. Now that's one tough broad!

Anyway - with 24 over for now it looks like mainstream TV fare is done for now and the tv will be getting a long needed rest for the summer. Jeez, who knows - maybe I'll even be able to blog more regularly.

Well it's season finales week and I just got finished watching the 2-hour season finale to CSI (the original series). Being a fan of both the series itself and Quentin Tarantino perhaps I was expecting a little more than we got - more substance I mean. The show was great, yet lacking. The characters seemed to be skimming the surface of their personas, like they were uncomfortable playing out this episode. I don't know - maybe I'm just tired but the plot seemed weak. But whatever eh? It's Tarantino man! And he's learned to bury people in plexiglas ® rather than wood so they can't punch their way out. The dream sequence was pretty funny too as was the lonely little pile of intestines in the opening scenes.

Other finales tonight:
E.R. - watched this, the tragedy was really well done. Ripped straight from the headlines, a party in a building with a wooden balcony structure on each of 4 levels. All of a sudden it collapses probably from the weight of all the people dancing on the the top level balcony. Really well done, one minute they're there, the next they're dropping like a stone and collapsing each level beneath them. This really happened a summer or 2 ago.

The O.C. - taped this, will watch it later.

I am so turning into a couch vegetable. The season premiere of 24 just got over and I'm hooked, again. In my opinion - this has got to be the best drama/adventure on the tube, hands down. So far, the four episodes have been nail biters. Right on Jack and co.

Have you seen it yet? It is the most ridiculous ad I've seen - and yet howlingly funny. I can't find a link to it so I'll try to describe it:

(scene: Professional Office - woman typing at her keyboard.)
She stops suddenly and turns her hands over, wrists up. Then (sound effect: foont) flames erupt from her wrists.
A female co-worker asks "Are you taking a break?"
Fire-lady: (looking up from her wrists in amazement states calmly) "My wrists are on fire."
Co-worker: (makes many complex passes with her hands to accompanying swishy karate sound effects and produces box of Bayer aspirin) "Try this".
(scene: fire-lady typing at her keyboard again; wisps of smoke are all that remains of the fire)

D and I looked at each other in amazement. I cannot believe someone okayed this spot and I wondered if anyone got (or will get) fired (ha ha) for it.

An ad is as effective as the message it conveys and this one conveyed such sublime kitsch that it remains imprinted on me. It is soooo funny. I watched thinking man! the art director is either clearly insane - or a genius. Would I take Bayer because of it? No, not likely. Has it worked - hell yes for brand recognition. Am I offended by the ad? You've got to be kidding! It's too ridiculous to be offensive. I mean - what is with the retro karate chop moves to produce the box of aspirin? (I assume he was going for something that would indicate magic, arcane passes of the hands - if so, silence would have worked better than chop-swish). And as a concerned co-worker/thaumaterge wouldn't you rather cause a fire-extinguisher to magically appear than a box of aspirin?
How has the ad done it's job? To me it says: Bayer... ridiculous. Probably not quite what the creatives intended.

Carpal Tunnel syndrome is not fun - I've had it. Masking the symptoms with pain killers will not cure it. Only stopping the activity that is causing the CTS will help your body heal. This may mean rearranging the way you work - mousing with the left hand for example. Pain killers, however, will help you get through the other activities in your day. Unlike others who were really offended by the ad I don't believe the co-worker was an overseer trying to get her slave to continue working through the pain (and continue to damage herself) - I think she was just trying to help out a fellow worker in pain.