To the TV Executives: A Nutless Monkey Can Do Your Job
The first topic falls under the “what were the thinking?!” category. While the cancellation of Kyle XY was announced back in January, it really didn’t hit home until the “series finale” aired on Monday night. Since the cancellation was announced so late, the writers and producers did not have enough time to write and film a proper send off for the series. Instead all the fans were left with one hell of a cliffhanger on Monday night. It was almost like a Sopranos send off, except this was not a planned series finale.

I started watching this show back in the summer of 2006. There weren’t any decent summer scripted programming and I kept seeing these ads for Kyle XY, so I decided to give it a shot. Before this show, I wouldn’t have bothered to give any ABC Family shows a try. Anyway, the pilot episode got me hooked. Thanks to the repeated episodes on ABC, I was able to tune into all 10 episodes of the first season. The show had a neat mix of science-fiction, mystery and family drama. It definitely had the winning formula to help propel it for seasons to go. Heck, look at Smallville right now. That show is going into its 9th season in September. There is one thing to note though. While it is similar to Smallville in so many ways, Kyle XY is a better show overall. It has better writing and better acting.

So why was this show cancelled? Blame the lack of viewers. Wait… no.. blame ABC Family. They have such horrible scheduling skills. Half the fans did not even know that Kyle XY were back for the 3rd season back in January. This could probably explain the consistently declining viewership. The latest episode only managed a paltry 1.3 million viewers. But to be honest, on cable standards, it’s really not that bad. Instead of keeping it as a summer staple, ABC Family decides to shift the show around and have it air in January instead. All this thanks to the unnecessary extension of season 2. Of course the sudden success of the crapfest known as The Secret Life of an American Teenager really put the nail in the coffin for Kyle XY. The fact that ‘Secret Life’ show gets that many viewers puzzles me. I watched the pilot and thought it was horrible. How can it beat Gossip Girl in the ratings? Even the worst OTH episode is better than that piece of crap. OTH isn’t known for its quality programming to begin with. The cancellation of Kyle XY is indeed a dark day for ABC Family… and a dark day for the television world. It sends a very big message out there. They’re out for quantity not quality. In other words… to save yourselves from future crapfests… avoid ABC Family. Whatever it takes.

Kyle XY really put ABC Family on the map. Everyone used to think that network produces mediocre shows that contains D-list actors. When Kyle XY came around, it finally seemed like that the network has something worth watching. Thanks to Kyle XY, you have shows like Greek and Lincoln Heights. It provided a launching pad for the network. By cancelling Kyle XY unceremoniously like that is like giving the loyal fans the finger. That is no way to treat those fans that have dedicated their time to watch this show. This is definitely an unfair treatment to the show that put the network on the map. What happened to the sense of respect? What happened to that bit of decency to provide fans with closure to a show they’ve dedicated years to? Cancelling a show after 1 season is not as painful as cancelling abruptly after 3. Having Julie Plec answer questions and discuss a hypothetical ending to the series does not cut it. ABC Family is not fixing anything by doing this. It’s merely rubbing salt into a wound.

The network and producers aren’t considering a mini-series or a 2 hour finale to give it the proper send off it deserves. 1.3 million viewers doesn’t warrant it. It’s too bad. I suppose I can expect plenty of fan-fics floating around the net then. It’s not the same, but it certainly opens doors for people to let their creative minds free. However this does not provide the same satisfaction in watching a proper conclusion when it is not within your control.

I’ve seen many networks do this to their shows due to low viewership. I’m sure those Veronica Mars fans are still feeling the burn from the cancellation after 3rd season. Just look at the CW network now. It’s viewership is on a constant decline. By getting rid of quality programming, the network has become a joke. The ratings are nowhere near what UPN and the WB used to hit. Even their popular shows right now like Gossip Girl and 90210 are struggling to hit the numbers that Veronica Mars did back in the day. Clearly no one really learns from this. ABC Family will see this end result in a few years time. I still maintain that Dawn Ostroff is the worst TV exec right now… the people behind ABC Family is a close second. Ben Silverman can avoid getting into this list if he keeps Chuck and FNL around for a little longer.

TV is a business… the execs have lost their passion for television. That is why illiterate programming like Dancing with the Stars and American Idol are such big hits. This is my plea to get you guys to tune into scripted programming. Watch some quality shows! Don’t let shows like Chuck, Friday Night Lights, Supernatural and Dollhouse become a dying breed.

I’m going to miss Kyle XY. It had down-to-earth teen drama. It was a nice family show. It had a compelling sci-fi mystery storyline. Sometimes it is ok for something to go while it is on a creative high and not let it die a slow death like Smallville. I guess that is the only comforting thought we can carry right now.

And to cap it off, a nice tribute to our favourite bellybutton-less hero from Entertainment Weekly.
RIP Kyle XY

Everything Twilight Touches Turn to Crap
From one depressing note onto another! It seems like the Twilight fad is taking a little longer to die than I thought. If you thought the rushed production of the films weren’t bad enough.. check this out!
Twilight Ruins Anime!

Music Makes the World Go Round

BoA – BoA
Korean pop superstar BoA released her self-titled US debut album yesterday. The album is filled with dance tracks with catchy beats. The heart pumping music is perfect for the people to hit the dance floor at the clubs. While this album is fun to listen to, the lyrics are rather weak. It is understandable since English is not BoA’s native language, so it is definitely a limiting factor right there. This album is quite consistent. Every song on the album are fast-paced urban dance tracks and there is not a single ballad to slow things down. The album flows nicely and by the time it reaches the end, you would want to press replay. While this isn’t her best work to date, it does provide a good launching pad for her US music career. It’s a good pop album and everyone will have a great time listening to these head-bopping tunes.
Picks: I Did It For Love, Energetic, Eat You Up, Scream
Rating: ★★★☆☆ + 1/2

Marianas Trench – Masterpiece Theatre
Marianas Trench is back in full force! If you liked the first album, you’re really going to enjoy this one as well. There are many signs of experimentation of music styles throughout this record and everything seems to mesh very well. The album never gets boring since it keeps on switching gears with every single track. It’s nice to have a mix of everything ranging from fun pop-punk tunes like “Cross My Heart” to power ballads like “Lover Dearest”. The album also features a beautiful duet with Kate Voegele on the track “Good to You”. Another great track on the album is the Beach Boys inspired “Celebrity Status”. With three distinct versions of the song “Masterpiece Theatre” scattered throughout the album, it really highlights their creative process and by the time the last version shows up, it creates a fantastic sendoff for the album. The neat concept of incorporating a musical theme into a rock album really paid off. The band successfully maintains their original sound while added layers of harmonies and fantastic hooks to their songs. This is definitely an album worth checking out!
Picks: Beside You, Cross My Heart, Good to You, Celebrity Status, Lover Dearest
Rating: ★★★★☆

Rockville CA is Live and Rocking!
There is a new show that premiered on theWB.com on Tuesday. If you’re thinking that the WB doesn’t exist anymore… well you’re wrong. If you happen to live in the States, the WB has become an online network airing classics like Everwood and The OC. If only they could see the sad state of the CW… perhaps it’s not a bad idea to bring back The WB to the boob tube. Anyway, the collaboration between theWB and Josh Schwartz has created a neat web series called Rockville, CA. If you’re a fan of the TV shows that Mr. Schwartz produces, you’ll know that he has a passion for music and the songs do have some sort of role in his shows. This web series is a clear demonstration of that.

The formula for this show is rather simple. Over the course of 4-6 minutes, we witness a bunch of twentysomethings talk about music and their ridiculous love lives while having awesome bands playing in the background. This week featured 4 episodes. From now on, there will be 2 new episodes every Tuesday until they reach that 20 episode landmark. With such a short running time, it is very difficult to allow sufficient character development, but the show doesn’t do a bad job with it. Also the storyline is fairly easy to follow, so not much brain power is required to devote yourself to this series.

The writing in this series is pretty good… even though there is an overuse of the word “major” courtesy of the lead female character Deb (Alexandra Chando). There is a significant portion of the second episode that is devoted on the best alternative for the word “cool”. It was amusing yet annoying at the same time. However, once you get past that point, it gets better from there.

The acting isn’t bad either. Alexandra Chando pulls off the quirky bespectacled girl very well. There’s also the typical Seth Cohen like character Hunter (Andrew J. West) who is a music geek with a motor mouth. His rant about the dying music scene in episode 1 was quite fun to listen to. The chemistry between these two are undeniable. The interaction between Deb and Hunter were fun to watch, especially while they bicker, flirt and bicker some more. The most familiar face of the bunch comes from Veronica Mars alum Ryan Hansen, who plays Chambers aka The Douche. I must say, he does a pretty good job with that role.. he truly embraces the douchiness of the character!

The show presents the winning combination of good music (featuring bands like Kaiser Chiefs, Phantom Planet, The Kooks and Travis) and drama from young people! While I wouldn’t say that this show is an instant success (quality wise), it certainly provides decent entertainment. The short duration of each episode certainly fits the target audience of young people. Students can simply use these episodes for study breaks without devoting too much of their brain to the show. So if you’re up for good music and witty banter about music, life and love, this web series is definitely for you!

If you live in the States, you can check out the show on http://www.rockvilleca.com
If you live outside the States, check out this site, google it and I’m sure you’ll find the videos somewhere.

Here’s a quick preview of the show.