411 Fact or Fiction Movies: Week 70
Posted by Ben Piper on 03.30.2007
Al Norton and Bryan Kristopowitz discuss the future of Veronica Mars, Adam Sandler, Blades of Glory and which is the best night of TV in week 70 of Fact or Fiction!
Salutations my friends. This week we have Two Tivo's to Paradise host Al Norton and Bryan Kristopowitz, he of What?!! This Column!?? fame in the hot seats. Let's see what they have to say.
1. The idea of Veronica Mars skipping ahead several years at the start of next season to when the title character is a trainee with the FBI will save the show.
Al Norton: Fact. If by "save the show" you mean bring it back for another year. It's one of the top dramas on TV right now, so it doesn't need saving from anything other than viewer apathy. If this show were on Fox and got to air after AI a few times, we would be talking MAJOR hit. The premise being floated is that Veronica will be an actual field agent if the show returns, which would pretty much guarantee a whole new supporting cast, although they could easily find a way to get her Dad on the show by keeping him in his role as Sheriff of Neptune. As hard as this is for such a big fan of the show to admit, I don't think it's ever going to have the audience it deserves. How many shows in TV history have come on like gangbusters in their 4th season?
Bryan Kristopowitz: Fact I preface this with the admission that I don't watch the show, but from everything I've read about it, gleaned from people who actually watch the show, and from the fact that Kristen Bell is a pretty bankable star, I can't imagine the CW giving the show the boot.
Score: 1 for 1
2. With SVU being the only exception, you expect the Law and Order franchise to be dead at the start of the new TV season this fall.
Al Norton: Fiction. But not by much. L & O classic has been pretty bad this year, not just judged by the high standards the show set for itself in it's glory days but by any method of evaluation; even the failed Justice was much more interesting. Based on quality, L & O should sign off this spring and enjoy its legacy as one of top legal dramas in television history. NBC's toughest decision will be with Criminal Intent, which is one of those shows that won't really pick up any new viewers but doesn't seem to headed for a big drop off, either. I think rotating Chris Noth and Vincent D'Onofrio has breathed some life into the show, but it is what it is. Maybe Dick Wolf needs to consider a new location. Or a show from the criminal's point of view. How about Law And Order: Internal Affairs? The franchise's strength right now is SVU, which seems to show no signs of slowing down and they have even added recent guest star Adam Beach to the cast as a regular next season to make sure none of the partnerships get too stale.
Bryan Kristopowitz: Fiction. I can't see NBC killing one of its very few bankable franchise shows. Criminal Intent, my favorite of the bunch, will probably be the first to go simply because it doesn't have that broad appeal like SVU and the original. The original probably has one more year left in it. SVU, the show that, to me anyway, is getting less and less interesting by the episode (I can't stand the fact that the show is now basically all about the sexual tension between Stabler and Benson. I couldn't care less if these two bang one another in a police van or whatever the heck they're planning on. Give me more Belz and Ice T. They're more interesting) is the ratings machine at the moment. If CI does go away, don't be surprised if the original shows up next season on Tuesdays as a lead in for SVU.
Score:2 for 2
3. Blades of Glory shall follow in the footsteps of Anchorman and Talladega Nights as a goofy Will Farrell movie that not only makes money but sends the fans home happy and satisfied.
Al Norton: Fact. Fact. Superfact. I will go so far as to say if I will be truly shocked if this isn't a big hit. The trailer may not be AS funny as Anchorman or Ricky Bobby, but I laugh out loud every time he says he drank half a cup of steroids and crack up when he greets Nancy Kerrigan. One of the keys to Farrell's success is that woman think he is funny, too, so his movies make great dates; I am sure he would be thrilled if he knew how many guys he has helped get laid.
Bryan Kristopowitz: Fact This flick is probably the closest thing to a sure thing this movie season. Until one of these Ferrell goofy movies tanks there's no reason to think it won't be a huge hit. I know I'm going to see it.
Score:3 for 3
Switch
4. You are surprised by the good reviews Adam Sandler has been receiving for his performance in Reign Over Me.
Bryan Kristopowitz: Fiction. Not really. Punch Drunk Love gave Sandler the chance, if he wanted to, to go back to the "serious drama" world again, and as long as he had a very good actor to work with (like, in this case, Don Cheadle) he was going to do fine. And I'm pretty sure that as long as Sandler doesn't do a series of fart jokes or screaming fits where he slaps people he'll get critical kudos from the artistic establishment.
Al Norton: Fiction, for many of the same reasons my esteemed colleague lists above. I still think my favorite Sandler performance is Big Daddy, which is not a particularly good movie but he does a good job as a (somewhat) regular guy. In some ways Reign Over Me and Punch Drunk Love are almost like playing SNL characters in that they are emotional extremes. The big question is whether or not audiences would accept him in a straight dramatic role, and considering the general apathy towards Spanglish, I don't know if the answer is yes. On the other hand, the more dramatic failures he has, the closer we get to Canteen Boy, The Movie!
Score: 4 for 4
5. Thursday is the best night of TV each week.
Bryan Kristopowitz: Fiction With all due respect to CSI, Grey's Anatomy, Survivor, and ER, all fine shows, to me Thursday pales in comparison to Tuesday night. Tuesday has NCIS, The Unit, House, and two Law & Order shows. I think that sums it up pretty well.
Al Norton: Fact. Let' see, we've got The Office, My Name Is Earl, Scrubs, 30 Rock, and Ugly Betty - that's pretty much five of the 10 best comedies on TV on the same night. Grey's Anatomy and CSI have huge followings and are quite good for what they are, ER continues to draw viewers, and Shark is one of the top new shows of the year, at least according to the Nielsens. I think it's far and away the best night overall night of TV in terms of the variety of quality programs it offers. I can't believe Bryan mentioned NCIS as a selling point for Tuesdays; Mark Harmon's charms clearly have no expiration date.
Score: 4 for 5
6. You like the choice of Cate Blanchett to portray Indiana Jones' next love interest.
Bryan Kristopowitz: Fact With a bit of trepidation, simply because Blanchett has quite a bit of "artist" credibility about her, which means we're likely going to have to suffer through a myriad of interviews and behind-the-scenes crapola where Blanchett goes on about how "she loved the character, loved the script," and how "this movie has a story." I can't stand that stuff. She'll do fine since she's a good actress, so in that sense there's nothing to worry about. Again, it's going to be all about the run up.
Al Norton: Fact. A this point I guess it's passe to comment on the more than 25 year age difference between Blanchett and Harrison Ford, so I will simply say that she is a talented actress whose presence will surely enhance this production. Not that anyone is making the decision to see Indy 4 because of who is playing the love interest. If they want to go extra creepy with the age thing they can revisit the part of the third movie where Indy and his Dad were going after the same girl.
Final Score:5 for 6
Wow, almost a perfect score! Thanks to Al and Bryan for participating, and thanks to you for reading. Tune in next week for more Fact or Fiction Movies.
