2008/08/15

Glam God is coming - MAD MEN is here!

I keep hearing that GLAM GOD on VH1 – starting the 21st (Thursday) is going to be a great show and a new direction for the VH1 reality boat. Can’t wait.

If you follow the HOWARD STERN SHOW (Sirius Satellite) you know that Artie Lange was in the news during vacation as having missed a bunch of dates (including the coming-up Bob Saget roast on Comedy Central) to enter into an outpatient rehab for his heroin addiction. While the week had tons of speculation as to what was going on – Monday’s radio show answered a lot of questions. Arite admitted that he’d slid back into the addiction about 7 weeks ago (but the timeline in his explanations was very shaky.) His explanation and account of the days leading up to him checking himself in (although he might’ve gone INTO rehab as opposed to outpatient – I think any help is a great start) – but the first 2 hours of Howard’s show on Monday listening to Artie's confessions was so compelling, relatable, real, frightening – maybe the most compelling thing I’ve listened to since the last time Artie had a mishap on the air. He's had some major on-air scrapes in the last 12 months (he threw a CD at Sal's head, he screamed at Howard that they are not "Bros" when Howard tried to set him up with a woman that liked fat guys, he physically attacked Teddy and resigned from the show, he's been nodding off during the show on a regular basis, he misses a show about every other week, the list goes on and on.) THE DIGITAL COUCH wishes Artie recovery from his addiction and hopes that he can pull himself together, beat his demons and stay with the show as Artie on Howard is the best Artie there is. More importantly – show or no show, Artie needs help and while the show would suffer tremendously without his infectious Jersey accent and laugh – whatever Lange needs to get the job done – he should do. But his honesty and his sense of humor about himself are what the STERN show has been about since day 1 and I’m wishing the very best for our very pudgy friend.


PRISON BREAK (Fox)
This was a blast from the past. I had missed the last season due to DVR problems, so catching up was fun – Fox is floating a string of reruns from last year and I’ve sort of dipped back in. Right now they are in a third-world prison and Bellick has become a prison fighting machine with a child molester as his manager. The mythology is getting a bit fuzzy, but this show is constantly reinventing itself and succeeding. William Fitcher remains riveting in his role as the disgraced law man.
Grade: B +


MAD MEN (AMC)
The first 3 episodes of this towering, ingeniously written show have been the event of the summer, and single handedly brought subtlety back to television. Long live this fantastic, moody, show and God Bless Jon Hamm for one of the more aggressive takes on the leading man in ages.
Grade: A +


Next up:
The Hammer
We Own The Night
The Night James Brown Saved Boston
The Dewey Cox Story

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