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Huff: Used, Abused, and Unenthused
(S02E05)
Well, it had to happen sooner or later. Eighteen episodes into this spectacular series and up to this point, every
single one of them has been nothing short of incredible. This episode? Not so much. I just didn't find myself all that
engaged. The story was all over the place, which isn't that unusual for an installment of Huff. But this
episode felt especially disjointed.
That being said, there was still plenty of good stuff going on here. You know a show is pulling it's weight when it has Sharon Stone exit from her guest-starring stint only to be followed up by Angelica Huston in the very next episode. Unfortunately though, to make room for such stellar guest stars, storylines involving the main characters (What happened to Byrd and his new hobby?) get pushed aside.
Huff: Sweet Release
(S02E04) I feel like I went into this episode with an unfair advantage. I
got to screen it early and speak to creator Bob Lowry
about it. Now that I've watched it a second time, so many things stood out. You want to talk about a show
with multiple levels ... it's like a 50-story apartment building. Wow, I can't believe I just wrote that - worst
analogy ever. But you get what I'm saying? Yes? Good. Moving on.
The episode started with a bang. Dauri is still a patient of Huff and as one would expect Russell is covering the cost of the sessions. But that's what Russell does. He throws money around without bothering to try and have a real relationship with anyone. With all the problems Russell has, it's hard to believe he hasn't figured out one of life's simple truths. Money doesn't fix everything but I think Kelly is going to teach Russell a few things in that department. But his connection with Dauri makes a startling leap forward which I'll address later.
Is Tony Soprano "saved"?
Tony Soprano is a scumbag.
Now don't get me wrong, he's probably the most likable and well received scumbag since Archie Bunker, but he's still a
scumbag. He continuously cheats on his wife, takes advantage of other's weaknesses, does drugs, and is just an overall
bully. Yes, I'm aware that he's a mob boss, but that still doesn't change his characteristics. Almost dying will change
a man though, and for Tony, he really seems to be at odds with himself since his time in purgatory. After attending Allegra's wedding this past
episode, Tony seems to be questioning his ways even more. He realized just how close he came to the pearly gates, and
wants to make sure that he's around to be in his family's life. He wants to see Meadow get married and become a mother,
the things that any normal father would want and expect as well. He's feeling intimidated and weak, something
the Tony Soprano of old never would have felt. So my question to you is this-- Is Tony a changed man? Are his days with
the "family" numbered, or his he just still "getting over" the shooting? Personally, I'd like to
hope he is changed, but you know the saying, "a zebra can't change his stripes."Goodbye Piven, hello Gugino?
That's the buzz in Hollywoodland. According to
ever-reliable Page Six, Threshold's Carla Gugino
has signed to star in Entourage for at least six episodes. She'll play a sexy (duh) agent who tries to steal
Vincent from Piven's character. Ooooo, sounds good.Things I would watch Gugino do:
- Read recipes from a really obscure, 1947 cookbook.
- Paint a house, wearing dirty overalls and a cute painter's cap (Gugino, not me).
- Eat crackers.
Huff's Bob Lowry, Round Two: The TV Squad Interview

Only three episodes into the new season and Huff creator/executive producer Bob Lowry is already back for more. After speaking with Ryan last week, I had the opportunity to pick Bob's brain a second time. We chatted about this Sunday's new episode ("Sweet Release") as well as some other things to expect before season two comes to a close. A heads-up to our readers though: the interview contains a few spoilers, fair warning. However, there is one thing that all Huff fans should be excited to know. Bob let me in on a little secret. They'll know on May 2 if the show is going to come back for a third season, so everyone keep your fingers crossed.
OK, let's get to it. Here's what went down between myself and Bob Lowry on Wednesday morning:
Jonathan Toomey: Bob Lowry! Good sir, how are you?
Bob Lowry: My new best friend! Thanks for calling.
Queen Bed, Internet connection, mini-bar, room service, and... Howard Stern?
You're stuck in Indianapolis on a business
trip and facing the prospect of staring at a hotel TV that has the four networks and the History Channel. Not looking
promising, is it? Well, fear not road warriors, because if the hotel you're in has On Command, you'll soon be able to
drift off to sleep to Beetlejuice, Jeff the Drunk, or -- best of all -- Carmen Electra riding the Sybian.Yes, that's right, folks, Howard TV is coming to a hotel room near you! On Command, who runs the in-room pay-per-view services for most hotel chains, and iN DEMAND, who provides on-demand programming for cable companies, have signed an agreement to offer content from Howard Stern's channel in rooms across the country. So, if you're in the right frame of mind, you'll be able to find entertainment for the night that will be funny and maybe a bit... uh... bawdy, but won't be embarrasing to see on the bill you get the next morning.
Oh, and if the last sentence of my first paragraph read "blahblahblahblahblah Carmen Electra blahblahblahblah" to you, well... there's always Modern Marvels...
Huff: Whipped Doggie
(S02E03) This episode was just full of surprises, but before we get to
that a brief note. We here at TV Squad have started to label our show reviews with their corresponding season and
episode number. For those that are confused as to why this is the third episode of the season, and not the second, it's
because last week's two hour premiere actually
counted as episodes one and two. I'm kind of bummed about that because it means we're getting one less episode
than I originally thought. Oh well.
Back to the surprises. I was really caught off guard that Teddy survived. But he is a driving force in this show so I suppose it makes sense that he's OK. But c'mon, he took a swan dive off the balcony of a Mexican church and all he got was a broken wrist? That's lucky. I'm glad he's still around though. Some of the things he comes out with - priceless.
Showtime and Smithsonian make a deal
Boy, the eggheads are
certainly pissed about this one, I tell you what!
A deal between Showtime Networks and the Smithsonian Institution has some researchers and historians a bit freaked out. It seems they're fearful that this new agreement could limit or completely cut off their access to the collections and/or the curators of the famous institution. This is due to a clause in the new agreement that states the combined Showtime-Smithsonian has first refusal rights to commercial documentaries that rely heavily on the numerous artifacts the institution keeps in its museums and beyond.
A spokeperson for the Smithsonian, as quoted in an article for The New York Times says that the collections will remain open to researchers and makers of educational documentaries; however, scrutiny will be applied when a commercial documentarian wishes to record certain activity that is a specialty of the institution and will be used in future television broadcasts. For example, why that pendelum at the Museum of American History doesn't stop!
Huff: Maps Don't Talk
Easily the most unique. Definitely one of the most entertaining. And arguably the
only show on TV right now that can successfully make you feel like bawling your eyes out and then laughing hysterically
within a ten second span. Season two of Huff, from creator Bob Lowry, picks up just a
few weeks after the events that finished out season one. Teddy is still on the run, reeling from his mother's neglect.
Huff isn't on speaking terms with Russell, following the discovery that Russell and Izzy were sleeping together. For
those who missed last season's finale, Izzy is Huff's mother. Now you see why he no longer speaks with his best friend?
Beth and Huff continue to move away from each other as Beth deals with her mother's spinal cancer. Byrd doesn't seem to
be around too much, but he has developed a liking for scotch and he hasn't attended anymore rainbow parties. After everyone's current status was revealed,
tonight's premiere took off and didn't look back.
Huff's Bob Lowry: The TV Squad Interview
Make sure you check out the Season Premiere of Huff's second season tonight at 9pm on Showtime.
Big bucks for Big Love wallpaper
Are you kidding me? Cingular is charging customers $1.99 for
Big Love wallpaper
for cell phones. You know what I'm talking about, right? Teeny, tiny, little cell phone wallpaper pictures. For $1.99.
For Big Love? It's a brand new show, on late at night, on premium cable. If HBO wants to promote Big
Love, it should be giving away those wallpaper photos for free. Puh-lease.Cingular also has Muppets wallpaper. Ok, I might consider paying for that one. If I didn't already know how to make my own.
The Sopranos: Season Premiere - Members Only
Finally.
After a long wait, we've finally made it to premiere night for The Sopranos. Not only was it evident that brushing up on the cast & crew might be smart, but it was certainly a surprise to see how the show started off - after the runthrough of the major events from last season. It's been a year or so as far as the actual plot goes, and Adrianna has been missing awhile now. Johnny's in prison, Vito has lost a ton of weight (okay, not a ton...), and Carmela's spec house is on hold as it appears that the building materials she's been using aren't up to snuff.
While we weren't exactly starting off this season with a bang (no one died in the first five minutes), I gotta say that I'm mega pleased as opposed to some of the stuff from two seasons ago and a lot of last year. I guess you could say that this show kicked off with a whole stack of really random things that you might not have seen coming. I mean, Tony feeling bad for the Feeb who's come down with bacteria from his time in
Who knew the Pulaski Skyway was a tourist attraction?
With all the stories
that have been buzzing around the season premiere of The Sopranos, you knew that the inevitable "somone's
running a Sopranos tour" article would come out eventually. Well, now it's official; the writer of this AP story rides along with a tour group to see
the New Jersey locations where various episodes of the show were filmed. Included in the tour was the Lodi strip club
Satin Dolls (you can see it from Rt. 80!), where the scenes at the Bada Bing club were shot. Also on the tour was a
stop under the Pulaski Skyway, spots in Newark, Kearny, and Harrison, and the giant lumberjack that fronts a carpet
store on Truck Route 1&9 in Jersey City.Now, I see many of these sites on an average drive from my humble Garden State abode into New York City... heck, I drive over the Skyway at least twice a week. So it's odd to hear about people from London, Wales, and Florida snapping pictures of these places and saying that the tour ranked up there with going to the Empire State Building. But, hey, at least New Jersey is getting tourists to go to places other than Atlantic City (let's just say the NJ section in Lonely Planet's USA guide is a bit thin).
Arrested Development rumors abound: AD being picked up by Showtime?
Rumors are rampant that Arrested
Development has been picked up by Showtime for a 26-episode order. Page Six in the New York Post floated that story this morning, in fact (which was replayed on Salon.com).However, that's all they are right now: rumors. Fellow Squadder Ryan j Budke found out from his source at Showtime, who is close to the negotiations, that they are still in talks about the show and nothing is official yet. There may be an official announcement later in the week, but that's about the only information we've been given.
Don't worry: if word comes out that AD has been officially picked up, we'll have it for you.
Sopranos trailer now available at HBO.com
Just a few more weeks and the return of The Sopranos will be upon us. Joy. We've
already seen the season six
promotional poster and had plenty of time to ponder over any hidden meanings it may have, but now HBO
has released something else to keep us drooling.
This must have just been posted yesterday because I don't recall seeing it the day before, but HBO.com now has the first trailer for the new season. I've watched it about half a dozen times now, and it's perfect because it wasn't too spoilerish but it still got me excited. Nothing too revolutionary was revealed: Johnny Sack is still wearing the orange jumper; Paulie and Silvio are still worried about being "taken care of" should the you-know-what hit the fan; and A.J. seems like he may be getting more involved with the family business. But give it a watch and tell us what you think.
You'll need either QuickTime or RealPlayer to view the video and it runs for about 45 seconds. The Sopranos premieres on Sunday, March 12 followed by the new Bill Paxton dramedy Big Love.
[Thanks to Charles Starrett for the tip.]
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