UPDATE: Ice Road Trucker Season Four begins Sunday, June 6 2010 at 9 p.m. EDT. More at this link.
Lisa Kelly, Ice Road Trucker season 3
The History Channel is in season 3 of its Ice Road Trucker series. The first two years explored the rough and rugged world of the Canadian north and the truckers that supply the various enterprises located in the Canadian Arctic.
Season 3 is in the United States, and concerns the truckers who drive the ice road to Prudhoe Bay. They’ve brought in two of the most popular Canadian drivers, and added a unique twist. Lisa Kelly, a 28 year old daredevil driver from Wasilla, Alaska, joins the men on the road.
Wasilla is the home of Sarah Palin, the current Governor of Alaska. Lisa sounds very much like the Governor in her speech, and seems to have all the daring the job requires. And, boys, she’s a looker! Her video
Lisa Kelly, Ice Road Trucker, season 3
It’s early in the season so we don’t know how things turn out. So far, she’s made a run north in good time and without problems. Her second run was a large load, and that proved tougher.
I happened to catch up with Lisa on Facebook and asked her what her limits might be, as a woman. Her response:
my limitations?
strength..
i’m not as strong as the guys. for sure.
but i just gotta use different tools to get the job done…
If you are looking for someone to inspire your daughter to do more than text on her phone and apply makeup, Lisa’s story is worth a look.
Laurence Fishburne and Marg Helgenberger, starring on CSI.
I was concerned when William Petersen left CSI. I honestly did not think that Laurence Fishburne could fill his shoes as the center of the cast.
I was wrong. Dr. Raymond Langston has come to the lab, not to replace Gil Grissom, but to be a new and unique character. As Langston, Fishburne demonstrates an intellectual curiosity and a simple joy in learning that has made this season of CSI perhaps the best yet.
The cast interaction, though still evolving, resembles something like that of the old television series, Gunsmoke. While not a one to one fit, the similarities are striking to me. In some ways, CSI may be the “new” Western.
Some of the similarities are easy to see. The cast of both shows stand for the law, and right, and justice in a wild, frontier town where they are often alone.
Marg Helgenberger, as Catherine Willows, is the Miss Kitty of this Western. Once a bad girl, she now is capable of being a force for justice, using her old and new skills. She can sit down with Jim Brass and pour back some scotch one minute, and help a girl in trouble in the next moment.
Jim Brass, played ably by Paul Guilfoyle, is the irascible curmudgeon. Who else but Doc Adams? He’s seen it all, either character, and little surprises him.
There has to be a sidekick and Eric Szmanda as Greg Sanders is it. The sidekicks in Gunsmoke were allowed to grow a bit, and Greg has certainly done so on CSI. When partnered with Dr. Langston, they are a strong duo, hero and sidekick.
Not all the CSI characters translate clearly. George Eads, who plays Nick Stokes, seems lost and out of place this season.
With Grissom gone, some of the supporting cast have a story line that allows them some room. David Hodges and Wendy Simms have a geek flirtation going on, and that romance is playing out in a warm and humorous manner. Allowing them to investigate at a sci-fi convention was genius. Wallace Langham and Liz Vassey have stepped up to their new roles and they add to the show’s enjoyability.
Adding the new CSI, Riley Adams, played by the adorable Lauren Lee Smith, allows the writers to fill the cast gaps without resorting to typecasting more big, strong men.
All in all, this season is lighter and much more watchable than in the recent past. I did not believe the changes would work, but it seems that CSI has a new lease on life. And, Gunsmoke, in part, rides again.
ABC has found a charmer for its mid-season schedule, the comedy / detective / romance, multiple genres, series named Castle. With a strong ensemble cast built around Nathan Fillion, as the title star Richard Castle, it provides an entertaining hour on a normally bone dry network.
Fillion plays a wealthy author of detective novels, 26 best sellers by his own, frequently mentioned, count. The rakish and sophomoric Richard Castle is shadowing a detective which he is basing his next novel on. Kate Beckett, played by the beautiful Stana Katic, has mysteries concealed in her eyes and a hidden fascination with Castle.
Castle is kept grounded by the two women in his life. His mother, ably acted by Susan Sullivan, has moved in. Her ability to drink and gamble is exceeded only by her not-so-subtle ability to generate con schemes.
His daughter, played by the fetching Molly C. Quinn, is the adult in the ensemble, despite her youth. She combines sage advice to her father and grandmother with her schoolwork and the occasional fencing match throughout the apartment with her father. I am enchanted by her red hair and bright smile.
Castle’s shadowing of Detective Beckett creates friction with the other police they deal with, and with Beckett at times. His insights into crimes range from the obvious to those that, naturally, reveal the criminal.
With three episodes left in the season, this is one show that ABC should plan on adding to the Fall lineup. Solid acting and a mix of genres make it a great choice for the network.
The first episode for season 3 of the television drama Saving Grace just blew the lovely wife and me away. Talk about kicking it up a notch. The first episode for season 3 is the one that ought to be on the Emmy reel, and on the resume of every actor that appeared.
Christina Ricci is Grace’s temporary partner, a street cop looking to move up. It is inspired casting. Ricci plays the character well, and Holly Hunter and Ricci combine to create a feminine powerhouse at the core of the show. IMDB shows Ricci as in only three episodes, but I truly hope she is scheduled for more.
Holly Hunter does her usual fantastic job as Grace. Bailey Chase and Kenny Johnson as newly partnered detectives Butch Ada and Ham Dewey play the awkwardness of a new arrangement well, stepping on eachother’s questions and trying to adapt.
Leon Rippy as Earl, the last chance angel, and Bookeem Woodbine as Leon Cooley, the man on death row, have a moving scene when Cooley cries silently as Earl talks about his son.
The actress who play’s Grace’s sister, Paige – Jessica Tuck , adds a comedic touch to the show by insisting on staying with Grace while the serial killer is on the loose. Never mind that, as Grace tries to point out, the sister does not match the killer’s profile.
The final scene of the episode shows how Grace responds to having killed her first man, the serial killer. As she stands at the scene of the shooting, partner Ricci shows up to lend support, and to help her smoke cigars. It was a moment where the events that the two characters had shared brought them closer as partners.
The lovely wife and I watched the first episode of Fox’s new Josh Whedon show, Dollhouse, on tape yesterday.
The only redeeming quality the show has is the acting of Eliza Dushku. Granted, this is the first show, but it did not enthuse either of us to watch more episodes.
The beginning scenes led the lovely wife to believe the show was about prostitutes with no redeeming qualities. Some patience and the main story line emerged.
The actors around Dushku are a motley lot. Her handler, played by Harry Lennix, provides some connection between Dushku and the rest of the cast. Because, wooden does not begin to describe the rest of the cast.
The show tantalizes the viewer with Dushku in mini mini dresses, shower scenes, montages that imply nudity and sex. This is to make up for a truly weak plot line involving a mysterious organization run by frat boys and nerds.
Fran Kranz plays the scientist responsible for reprogramming the “actors”. His take on the role appears to be a cross between the boys in “Weird Science” and Xander from the “Buffy” series. You want to teach him to drink and get him laid, just so he’ll calm down a bit.
We’ll probably watch one or two more episodes to see if they improve. Did anyone else think Dushku’s negotiator looked a lot like Sarah Palin?
