The need for my own domain is actually quite limited, but I figured for the price it costs ($3.95 per month) and the advantages offered such as more themes and greater plugins, it meant that it was something I was keen to do.

So, if anyone does read this blog, update your bookmarks and head on over there.  Hopefully my love or hatred on something will inspire you to comment.

Neeraj Katyal:  Hey, can you do me a favor?  Can you either drop my script from your site, or at least provide an updated version?  It’s embarrassing that the version you have is floating around the Internet.

Frantic Monkey:  It’s not actually available to download, I’m just listing what I have.  But I’ll take it off the list.

Neeraj Katyal:  Thanks.  I just meant I don’t want the shitty version traded in general, I guess.  I really appreciate it.

Frantic Monkey:  Yeah, no that’s fine.  After all, it is your work.  If I had a newer version I’d replace it on my list as you said.

Neeraj Katyal:  There you go.

Frantic Monkey:  WOW.  Thank you so much.  I didn’t mean to hint for you to give me an updated one, but thank you so much for doing so.  Do you have a draft date for it?  That way it can be differentiated from the older one you wanted me to take down.  Thanks once again.  I’m actually kinda in shock.

Neeraj Katyal:  Just put April 09.  Don’t mention it.  Read it, tell me what you think.  Or not.

Frantic Monkey:  Can I interview you?

Neeraj Katyal:  Haha.  No.  It’s flattering that you ask; don’t get me wrong.

Frantic Monkey:  Any reason why?

Neeraj Katyal:  Lots of reasons.  One, I have some small measure of self-awareness, and the last thing America needs right now is another self-absorbed sociopath who’s had everything handed to them, endlessly complaining about their perfect little fantasy life.  It’s unseemly, if not obnoxious.  (Especially when teh limits of that person’s talent are visible to even the most casual of observers.)  Two, this is a movie we’re talking about… it’s a big deal, but it’s not a big deal.  Three, I’d like to believe that the fact that I wrote a screenplay is the least interesting thing about me.  Consenting to another interview request would advance the possibility that it’s the *only* interesting thing about me.

Frantic Monkey:  That’s hysterical.

Neeraj Katyal:  I don’t know if I’d go that far, but thanks.  I was trying as hard as I could.

Jason Biggs

According to Nikke Finke, this is the younger-skewing sitcom written by Mitchell Hurwitz and Jim Vallely, and starring Jason Biggs, that CBS thinks could do well paired with The Big Bang Theory. “The network is happy with the way it came in.” Good thing, too, because this is CBS’ biggest commitment and there’s a giant penalty. Five scripts are already in.

I’m not even gonna bother with a limited review of the script because frankly it was pretty terrible.  Call me a stickler, but I think a sitcom should actually be funny, and this one isn’t.  I’m sure the casting of Jason Biggs will go towards attracting viewership should it make the schedule, and I’m equally sure that it will appeal to those less demanding of their sitcoms, but for me it’s an utter failure.  It’s almost like the exact opposite of Arrested Development, not only is it not funny, but the actual family dynamic of the characters is reversed.  They’re all in love with each other, caring, supportive, and kissy. Yeah, that’s right, the whole pilot is about kissing between brother and brother, son and mother, and son and father, and none of it is funny.

Now I know you shouldn’t judge a show by it’s pilot episode, it should be given time to grow and adapt, but my standards for comedy are a little higher than most peoples and the script for Community (reviewed here), has shown that a good sitcom can be written right from the get-go.  I often wonder why exec’s can’t fill their lineup with top-to-bottom quality shows, maybe it’s because not all of the pilots are good, or maybe it’s because they choose shitty ones over better ones, but in the end it’s just disheartening to think that this show will probably make it onto the airwaves and garner better ratings than quality sitcoms like The Office or Parks and Recreation.  After Sit Down, Shut Up and now this, it’s seeming more and more likely that Hurwitz’s success on Arrested Development was fluke more than anything else.

Final Grade: D

Chevy Chase

First of all a little background. NBC’s “Must See TV” branding first entered into usage during the 1982-83 TV schedule when the programming included Fame, Cheers, Taxi and Hill Street Blues, a lineup that whilst I was not an actual viewer (I was 4 years old at the time), I would consider to be “Must See TV”. Skip forward 26 years and the lineup on Thursday nights may not necessarily have the historical significance that it did back in 1982, but save for a couple of exceptions, it certainly has an abundance of quality.

NBC’s current Thursday schedule is My Name is Earl, Parks and Recreation, The Office, 30 Rock, and Southland. I soured on Earl a long time ago and I’ve yet to watch Southland, but the middle pack of shows are fantastic and only promise to get better. So, whilst NBC may no longer use the “Must See TV” moniker, instead settling on “Comedy Night Done Right”, I think that the current Thursday schedule is the closest that NBC has come to “Must See TV” since 1996-97 when the schedule consisted of Friends, The Single Guy, Seinfeld, Suddenly Susan, and ER.

This brings me to the actual topic for this post, NBC’s new comedy Community. I’m hopeful that NBC will finally pull the plug on Earl and shift the lineup a little on Thursdays, especially with Leno being on 5 nights a week from 10pm. After reading the pilot script for Community my dream lineup would be Community, Parks and Recreation, The Office, and 30 Rock; Leno would really only be a bonus if a decent guest was on as I’ve grown tired of his whole routine (bring on Conan in 3+ weeks). I’m not sure if Community would fit at 8pm as it will probably be a little rawer than Earl is (in content not quality), but I like the pairing of Parks and The Office because of their similarities.

So, Community is written by Dan Harmon and tells the story of a bunch of students at Greendale Community College. They are:

• Jeff (Joel McHale) – A disbarred lawyer who has to go to Greendale because he has a foreign law degree
• Pierce (Chevy Chase) – 50-ish awkward/creepy guy (not really an apt description but it’s hard to pin down)
• Abed (Danny Pudi) – Asperger’s suffering Arab
• Britta (Gillian Jacobs) – The object of Jeff’s affections
• Duncan (John Oliver) – Psychology Professor who was one of Jeff’s old clients
• Troy (Donald Glover) – 18 year old jock who lost his scholarship
• Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown) – shy 40-ish mother
• Annie (Alison Brie) – 18 year old who went to High School with Troy but dropped out

As would be expected, the pilot basically sets the stage for the introduction of all these characters and lays the groundwork for the group dynamic that will be the basis of the show for as long as it runs. It’s actually sharper than I expected it to be, much more in line with The Office than other standard sitcoms like Two and a Half Men. This seems to be a trend with NBC lately and I must say that I like it. I like smart comedies that don’t dumb themselves down to the lowest common denominator, and that’s almost certainly why I think Arrested Development, Seinfeld, and The Office are among the best shows ever.

The script is only 34 pages long and I’m not the fastest reader in the world, but I ripped through this one faster than I typically would (I won’t say how long it took at the risk of being mocked), and to me that indicates that I was really into it. There was a real nice flow to the story and the introduction of the characters, even ones on the periphery like the coach or the hilarious old black woman. In fact, the old black lady was used to great effect as a nice nod to the old sitcom convention of having an older and wiser character guide the central character.

Save for some private exchanges between Jeff and Duncan, or Jeff and Britta, the sneak peek promo which NBC released a few days ago pretty much covers the entire first episode. The extent of the material contained in the promo no doubt helped me get into the script that much more, because I was able to attach a face to each character, and with some (Chevy Chase, Joel McHale and John Oliver) I had a good idea of how the lines would be delivered, which only ended up making them better.

Speaking of Chevy Chase, I can’t tell you how excited I am to have him back on TV in a potentially quality show. I’ve been a fan of his for a long time, and loved him in Foul Play, Caddyshack, Fletch, Spies Like Us, and even Nothing But Trouble. I really hope that NBC gives Community the time to develop that it did for The Office, 30 Rock, and now Parks and Recreation.

Final Grade: A-

If anyone’s reading this and has a suggestion on how I should make posts regarding new scripts so that they aren’t just one sentence posts, let me know.  If no-one cares, I’ll probably just stick to the format I’ve used in this headline so that people can differentiate between the various posts for new scripts.

Who's the leader?

Only next weeks double episode to go, and then no more Lost until January 2010.  That’s a hell of a wait, so these remaining 3 hours had better be good.

With that in mind, I hate to say it, but I’m actually disappointed after an episode of Lost.  That’s not to say that this episode was particularly bad, just not what I expected it to be.  See, there had been rumblings in the last few weeks that this episode, titled “Follow the Leader“, was going to be a Richard Alpert-centric episode.  So naturally I got my hopes up and was ultimately let down.

I guess a fitting parallel would be how I got my hopes up about Star Wars: Episode 1 and was let down by the final product.  It’s no fault of the show, after all, I was the one who decided to read up about upcoming episodes in order to find out who the subject of each one was, but I’m nonetheless disappointed.  The funny thing is, there’s no real reason for me to be disappointed in it, other than it not being entirely Richard-centric, there was actually a decent amount to like.

Pros:

• Phil growing some balls
• Sawyer and Juliet in the sub, only to be interrupted by Kate
• The underwater swim into the tunnels
• Sayid’s reappearance
• Locke’s newfound confidence
• “So I can kill him”

Cons:

• Kate’s attitude
• Not enough Richard/no Richard story
• Sawyer and Juliet leaving on the sub
• The fact that it was a moving-the-pieces episode in preparation for next week

Final Grade: B-

I went into the film knowing next to nothing about the plot, so I’m not going to give too much away here in case anyone’s actually reading my blog, but I will highlight some of my personal pros and cons of the film.

Pros:

• A great reboot that sets the stage for future films without the need for retcon.
• The fight on the drill
• Brilliant choices for the main roles
• Eric Bana as a kick ass villain
• The special effects were absolutely amazing
• So was the score
• The whole scope of it is something that I’ve never seen in a Star Trek film before

Cons:

• The birth of Kirk sequence (that specifically, not the whole opening)
• The little alien hanging around with Scotty (it reminded me of an Ewok)
• The standing ovation for Kirk at the end

Final Grade: A-