Armchair Commentary

Amazon.com's Exclusive Interview with Michael C. Hall (Dexter, Six Feet Under)

When I got a chance to cruise down to L.A. and interview one of my favorite actors on TV, Michael C. Hall, I jumped out of my chair and headed for the airport. He hasn't done a lot of interviews, and I fully confess that Showtime's Dexter is easily my favorite show on TV right now. If you haven't watched it, at least check out an episode or two on Amazon.com. I guarantee  you'll get hooked. Heck, if you trust me, just get both seasons now.

Enough of my rambling!

Watch:

Listen:

--Jordan Thompson

Trailer Park: 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'

Muggles are celebrating everywhere! This trailer has been LONG overdue--especially after that silly teaser before The Dark Knight.

If you are a hard-core Harry Potter fan like me, then your head is probably about ready to explode right now. Some of the coolest "scenes" in the stories are when Harry and Dumbledore go back and magically explore Tom Riddle's (aka Lord Voldemort) memories--and we find out how a young orphan turns into the darkest wizard of all time.

That's what this trailer focuses on--and it's bloody awesome! Highlights from these magical 100 seconds include the child Tom Riddle being discovered by Dumbledore, and Dumbledore conjuring a wall of fire (probably to fend of the inferi). See for yourself. Accio November!

--Jordan Thompson

Who IS The Joker? (Warning: minor "Dark Knight" plot spoilers)

Everyone's heard it, and it's true. The Dark Knight is one of the best movies of the year, and Heath Ledger's portrayal of The Joker is the primary reason (in a long list of reasons that this movie is awesome).

This is not the same Joker we've seen in previous movies, comic books or novels. He doesn't seem to have the same story.

Director Christopher Nolan and Ledger managed to create one of the most interesting and dynamic villains to ever hit the screen--yet we don't really learn that much about the Joker character in the movie.  Who the heck IS he? What happened to his face? Why is he crazy? What hole did he crawl out of after the conclusion of Batman Begins?

He offered a couple (likely made up) explanations for his cut face--but nothing solid. They mention in the film that he has no DNA or finger-print record. He certainly has ties to Arkham Asylum. But seriously--he's  a big mystery.

Who the heck is this guy? I wanna hear some theories.

--Jordan Thompson

The 2008 MTV Movie Awards: 'Transformers' takes the big prize

The 2008 MTV Movie Awards, hosted by none other than Mike Meyers, aired last night and--as usual--there were some memorable moments.

Before  we get to that, here are the winners...(drumroll)...

Best Movie: Transformers, Michael Bay
Best Summer Movie So Far: Iron Man, Jon Favreau
Best Female Performance: Ellen Page, Juno
Best Male Performance: Will Smith, I Am Legend
Breakthrough Performance: Zac Efron, Hairspray
Best Comedic Performance: Johnny Depp, Pirates 3
Best Villian: Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
Best Kiss: Briana Evigan and Robert Hoffman, Step Up 2 the Streets
Best Fight: Sean Faris vs. Cam Gigandet, Never Back Down

Click here to check out the entire DVD and Blu-ray lists of nominees and winners.

Now for the most memorable moments (or disturbing moments--you decide):

1. Seth Rogen (Knocked Up) and James Franco (Spider-man Trilogy) spark up what appears to be (and allegedly smells to be) a phat doobie during their  presentation of the "best summer movie so far" award.

2. Rainn Wilson (The Office) presents the "best kiss" award in the nude--well, with nothing covering his special places but a bouquet of flowers and a teddy bear--both of which he offered as gifts to Megan Fox (Transformers).

3. Adam Sandler performs a music ode to himself--"Nobody Does it Better."

4. Many fear the show may be canceled due to a blazing fire at nearby Universal Studios (which bizarrely didn't get mentioned at all during the show).

Now, we love awards shows here at Amazon.com. The MTV Movie Awards prides itself on being different from other "boring" awards shows, and I have to admit that it's really fun to watch this crazy show every year. Celebrities get endless opportunities to act like idiots--but this is one of the places it is totally sanctioned. Gotta love it.

For those of you who caught this last night, what did you think? Was it par with last year's wild events?   --Jordan Thompson

I just watched the seventh and final episode of HBO's latest mini-series "John Adams," and I feel like I need to say something.

I just watched the seventh and final episode of HBO's latest mini-series "John Adams," and I feel like I need to say something. 

To fans of "Band of Brothers," "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee," and any of the other excellent shows HBO has given us--or for fans of anything excellent (for that matter), HBO has outdone itself this time. I'm not one to cry at movies, but I weeped tonight. I'm floored!

I don't want to ramble because you'll come across plenty of reviews for this show, but here is an honest and heart-felt recommendation: you should watch this.

Anyone else happen to catch this, and were you as impressed as I was?

FYI, if you were, you can pre-order the DVD set or sign-up to be notified when it comes to Blu-ray. --Jordan Thompson      

"Jericho": Sometimes the best shows finish last...

A few days ago, CBS finally announced that Jericho would air its final episode this Tuesday. It's getting canceled, AGAIN, due to bad ratings. Our trusty Stephanie Reid-Simmons was on the ball (as usual), and blogged the announcement immediately. Well, now I'm here to gripe about it!

A lot of shows come and go, but I was truly rootin' for Jericho. Not only was it one of the best shows to hit network TV in a long time, it has some of the most diehard and dedicated fans I've ever seen. For those who don't know the scoop, this show had already been canceled before. That's right--but the fans united to bring back their beloved post-apocalyptic town! Together, they sent over 20 tons of peanuts to CBS headquarters. CBS folks must like their legumes because, acknowledging that this was the largest ever protest over a show cancellation, they brought it back for a second season. Why nuts? Well, you'll just have to watch the season one finale to find that out.

CBS minded their business P's and Q's though. They filmed seven new episodes that promised to wrap up the series, but left open the possibility for an extension if the season got good ratings. They even filmed two versions of the season finale--one that would bring the series to a close, and one that would end with a cliff-hanger.

Well, the second season opened up to great reviews, but with the worst ratings yet.

I'm honestly thankful to CBS for at least bringing the show back for a second season to wrap things up. The first season ends with a true cliff-hanger, and I (along with millions of others) would have gone literally insane without some closure. Sure, the second season seems a little rushed, and it definitely doesn't have the magic of to first 22 episodes. One can't really complain when the writers are attempting to wrap up such a complex plot. But I'll be glued to the TV this Tuesday night to discover the fate of those folks from Jericho.

But wait! A glimmer of hope! Rumor has it that Jericho could come back as a cable series. Showtime? The Sci-Fi Channel (which already airs re-runs of the first season)?

I'm inclined to think that this isn't very likely, but I'm going to hold my breath. I really want this story to continue...

--Jordan Thompson