THE END OF THE WIRE

"The Wire" series finale is about to air on HBO tonight, and I'm really going to miss this show. After seeing a few episodes here and there over the years, I finally decided to catch up with it on DVD this winter before the start of the 5th and final season, and I'm glad I did. This is one of the best dramas I've ever seen on TV, period.

A realistic look at the interconnected worlds of Baltimore police, drug dealers, politics, school system and media, it blurs the line between good and bad. The best thing about this show is that while everyone might have good intentions on the surface, deep down the institutions it analyzes are deeply flawed, and a seemingly minor discretion can have a major impact. When a character declares it's "a good day for the good guys", you know it's going to all come crashing down in the end, as the writers never allow anyone to wallow in self-satisfaction for too long. Most of all, the way characters and story lines are intermingled on this show exhibits an unprecedented level of scope and depth; it rewards the viewer that pays attention.

I could probably go on forever about how great this show is but I won't. All I can say is that when you break it down, show by show, it ended up whacking "The Sopranos". While that show limped to a pathetic, inconsequential end like Omar, this one has ended just as strong as it started. (Of course, the same can't be said for the ratings, but that's that's just a product of the dumbification of this country.)

I just can't believe this show is ending. It's a damn shame. As Senator Clay Davis would say: "Sheeeeeeiiiiiiiiit."

Here's a bonus MP3 from the show that you can listen to while toasting the show's demise with a shot of Jameson: The Pogues "Body of an American"

Photo courtesy of HBO.

WEEKLY TOP 10: IN THE COURT OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL

10. Will there be an outdoor hockey in Buffalo on New Years Day? Stay tuned! That would rock, minus the harsh reality of being in Buffalo on New Years.

9. The new Indy movie due out Memorial Day 2008 has been granted a title: INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL. Sheesh, that's a mouthful. Wasn't that a King Crimson song?

8. Rob noted that the most disturbing thing is not that bin Laden made a new videotape (which we know is authentic, because he commented about chubby Britney's listless MTV appearance), it's that he had time to DYE HIS BEARD BLACK. How does he find the time? He probably doesn't have WiFi and a Sony PS3 in his cave, so he might have nothing BUT time to kill doing such things. We envisioned ol' Osama having a conversation with one of his intern gofers: "I want to look good for my new video, so please buy me some of that stuff that Clyde Frazier uses--JUST FOR MEN. And get me a Kit Kat. That's the only good thing those evil American devils have ever made."

7. The new HBO show "Tell Me You Love Me" is so insufferably bad and its characters so incredibly unlikable, even the prosthetic genitals won't make me keep watching. You read that correctly. I have just three words for HBO: BRING BACK DEADWOOD! Even if it's Al Swearengen running a bar with no other original cast members, that would be fine.

6. I stumbled across Jonathan Katz' podcast "Hey, We're Back" recently. It's not quite "Dr. Katz"--in fact, it's hard to follow and rather odd, like Woody Allen's new book--but it's good to hear his voice again. If they wanted to start a channel with nothing but Dr. Katz and MST3k, I'd tune in.

5. While waiting for "The Daily Show" to come on Monday night, I regretfully stopped at MNFF on ESPN. For some reason they chose Mike & Mike & Mike (Golic/Greenburg, and Ditka) to do the commentary, which is about 2 too many Mikes. For about 2 straight minutes while the game was going on THEY WOULD NOT FUCKING SHUT UP. And whatever they WERE saying was completely incomprehensible. It was horrendous.

4. A Chinese worker at Nanuet's "Great" China Buffet was caught CRUSHING GARLIC WITH HIS SHOES a few weeks ago. This happened in the parking lot behind the strip mall, and an AT&T store employee took a photo of him doing it. I'm so glad I've sworn off eating at those awful places years ago. I mean, imagine what they do behind closed doors? Ugh.

3. Gay Overly sensitive Apple iPhone owners were whining and complaining this past week about the $200 price drop announced by the company, a mere 2 months after the gadget's release. Well guess what? This happens all the time in technology, and I guarantee the same thing will happen before I even get my laptop. Hey, you wanted to be the first to have the phone, so why shouldn't you pay for it? You're part of the Apple club and bowed down to their marketing machine, so you get what you deserve. I have three words for Apple fanboys (and girls) regarding the price cut: TOO FUCKING BAD.

(Now I'm disappointed that Steve Jobs decided to coddle his creepy cult disciples and grant them $100 store credits as a sort of "rebate". What a bunch of pansies.)

Meanwhile, the newly announced Apple iPod touch (what a sissy name) has a touchscreen, only 16 GB of storage and costs $400. The Archos 605 has a touchscreen, 160 GB (10 times the storage) and also costs $400. But naturally, everyone wants the iPod because it's been shoved down their throats. Hooray, marketing!

2. God bless VENEFICUS.NET and their streaming MST3K episodes! Although I frequently can't get it to work using Winamp/Shoutcast, it's worth it when "Gamera" or "Alien from L.A." randomly pops up on my screen. Rob said this site was one of the highlights of his year--maybe his entire life.

1. The NY Brewfest is today at South Street Seaport in NYC! This will be the first "fest" I've ever attended, so I'm looking forward to it. There are a bunch of breweries slated to attend, but my short list includes: Captain Lawrence Brewing (Pleasantville, NY), Defiant Brewery (Pearl River, NY), Southern Tier, Ommegang, Sixpoint Craft Ales. There's also Rochefort, Maredsous, Duvel, Smuttynose, Unibroue, Victory. So many choices, but I can't drink them all . . . or can I? Stay tuned!

"FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS": BOOM BOOM TIL THE BREAK OF BOOM!

I don't do this often, but I have an enthusiastic TV show recommendation: Flight of the Conchords. This is one of the funniest shows I've seen in a while, and it was produced by Troy Miller (Mr. Show with Bob and David), so that explains a lot. The show revolves around two guys (Jemaine Clement and Brit McKenzie) from a New Zealand "digi-folk" band who move to New York, to presumably make some money playing gigs. Of course, it doesn't turn out exactly as planned (one problem being their clueless agent, reminiscent of Stephen Merchant on Extras), and they begin to feel the "Inner City Pressure".



I gather that these guys have been a big comedy/music act for a few years, sort of the Tenacious D of New Zealand, if you will. If you like the music videos, also check out "She's So Hot (BOOM)".



"We're gonna boom boom boom 'til the break of boom! Who's the BOOM KING? I'm the BOOM KING!"

I just watched episode 2 on HBO tonight, very funny stuff. There are numerous standalone clips of the "music videos", which are the centerpiece of the eps, but they're much funnier in context since they come out of nowhere. Through the magic of the InterWebs, you don't need HBO to watch the pilot episode: it's on YouTube!
[Part 1][Part 2][Part 3]

Flight of the Conchords [HBO]
Flight of the Conchords [Official MySpace]

"THE SOPRANOS" FINALE: FUCK YOU, DAVID CHASE!

Since you just gave your loyal viewers of "The Sopranos" a big "fuck you" with your pointless, plotless, and ponderous series finale, I thought I'd return the favor:

FUCK YOU, DAVID CHASE!

If you really want to read about this pile of garbage, go elsewhere as there will be a billion other blogs/websites/people with nothing better to do discussing it.

I would have said "spoiler alert" at the beginning of this post, but that warning is only used when something actually happens, whereas nothing happened on this show.

As I had predicted, there was no closure, no climax, no resolution. It's just like life. Well, I've got news for you, this isn't life, IT'S (supposedly) ENTERTAINMENT.

FUCK YOU, DAVID CHASE.

(Seriously, after all the great music featured in this series, you chose "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey as the final song?)