My Second GoPro Video

I went snorkeling with my GoPro in Aruba.

This is my second attempt creating a video using GoPro software.

I'm uploading this with a foot of snow on the ground here in New York. Uggh.

My First GoPro Video

I went parasailing in Aruba.

This is also my first crack using GoPro software.

Be kind.  Happy 2014.

The Best TV of 2013

2013...we hardly knew thee.

I will begin my annual list explaining what shows you will find on most other critic's lists, but not mine.

Orange Is The New Black (NETFLIX)

I saw four episodes. They were funny. But I didn't go back for more. When I do, perhaps it will make the list. Hey, I was dead wrong about Louie, so I CAN change my mind.

Scandal (ABC)

I don't mind smart sap, but this show is overrated. It's fine...for an ABC drama. But not Top Ten.

Enlightened (HBO)

I'm not.

DIDNT WATCH IT YET, BUT LOOKING FORWARD TO IT

Top of the Lake (SUNDANCE)

Broadchurch (BBC AMERICA)


American Horror Story (FX)

Still haven't watched it. Still seems weird for the sake of being weird. I'll get there.

FAVORITE NEW SHOWS

The Americans (FX)

Really picked up steam towards the end of the season. And I'll watch anything with Margo Martindale in it (including The Millers).

Masters Of Sex (SHOWTIME)

Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan are great, but Beau Bridges and Alison Janney are even better. The show is dry in spite of the subject matter, but still well worth watching.

HONORABLE MENTION

Modern Family (ABC)

Still makes me laugh, and I always find it touching. It's good, and can be great at times, but needs to get back to its Season One brilliance. And I still don't like the new Lilly. 

The Newsroom (HBO)

I'm a sucker for Sorkin. And Olivia Munn.

The Walking Dead (AMC)

Maybe I'm growing immune to the zombies and too many regulars are disappearing. I still like it, but it wasn't Top Ten for me this year.

Sons of Anarchy (FX)

Kurt Sutter knows how to start and end a season, but this just misses making my Top Ten this year. Mayhem will ensue.

Parks and Recreation (NBC)

I still love this comedy and its ensemble, but this past season was missing something. Hoping that shaking up the cast will lead to more laughs. 

MY TOP TEN

10.  Rectify (SUNDANCE)

This moody gem profiling a prisoner leaving death row is a keeper. Heavy drama with some top notch acting...and you'll find out where that teacher Don Draper was banging ended up after all.

9.  Veep (HBO)

Julia and crew hit their stride this season. Consistently funny satire that uses its cast to its full advantage.

8.  Justified (FX)

This show continues to stay under the radar. Olyphant and Goggins lead the excellent acting ensemble. The hunt for Shelby was okay, but everything around it was very entertaining.

7.  House of Cards (NETFLIX)

How can Kevin Spacey in THAT role and David Fincher's direction miss? It didn't. I didn't love Frank talking to the camera so much, but the story picked up speed and careened towards a satisfying ending. Looking forward to season two.

6.  Orphan Black (BBC AMERICA)

Want to see the best performance by a TV actress last year? Tatiana Maslany awaits you...in more ways than one.

5.  The Good Wife (CBS)

They shook things up at Lockhart/Gardner, and it paid major dividends. The best show on network TV got even better. Now all they need is a good storyline for Kalinda.

4.  Mad Men (AMC)

This season was an improvement over last, and that shot of Don looking up at the house on the hill gets you primed for the next season.

3.  Boardwalk Empire (HBO)

Got off to a great start and ended a little too softly, but an excellent season all around. Bonus points for hardly any Margaret! Buscemi doesn't get enough credit for his performance.

2.  Game of Thrones (HBO)

Season three hit the ground running and really didn't stop. The Red Wedding shows how gruesome this show can be. Beautifully shot, extremely well acted, and I can't wait to get back to Westeros. Winter is coming.

1.  Breaking Bad (AMC)

My expectations for the final 8 were sky high. They weren't met...they were exceeded. Breaking Bad is one for the ages. Can't wait to call Saul.

Oscar Pix

For a long time now, the Oscars haven't been about the glamour, the stars, the host or even the films for me. The Oscars are all about the picks...and getting more of them right than anyone else. Maybe that's just my gambling side talking.

I don't care who's wearing what. I don't care about the dance numbers or Hollywood jokes. I care about the winners and losers.

So, without further adieu, here are my 2013 Oscar picks.

BEST PICTURE

There are WAY too many nominees this year. Let's have the Academy do some work and narrow it down to five, please.

The only two films I didn't see were Amour and Beasts of the Southern Wild. They aren't going to win anyway.

Silver Linings Playbook is the most overrated movie of the year. Good performances, but a horrible final 30 minutes of a movie. I sat through all of Les Miserables where Anne Hathaway shines but the English accented singing in France bored me. Django was a lot of fun, but it's twenty minutes too long and not a Best Pic. Life of Pi was gorgeous to look at and a poignant tale, but not the best movie I saw this year.

That leaves Argo, Lincoln and Zero Dark Thirty. I liked Lincoln. A lot. But it's bloated and feels way to Spielbergy at times. It WANTS to be Best Picture, but it's not.

Argo is a very good movie. Affleck got screwed by not being nominated, and any film that hails Hollywood as a hero should be a Best Picture lock. And this one would be, if Zero Dark Thirty didn't come out in the same year.

Zero Dark Thirty was the best movie I saw in 2012. Great acting and directing, fantastic drama, and it never slows down. The performances across the board were excellent. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Killing Osama gets my vote.

My Pick: Zero Dark Thirty

BEST DIRECTOR

Oscar should be ashamed not nominating Ben Affleck or Kathryn Bigelow. I didn't see Amour or Beasts of the Southern Wild. Silver Linings should not be nominated here either. If Spielberg hadn't already won one, he'd be a lock. But he did, and Life of Pi shows what a visionary director can really do these days. Richard Parker would have gotten a Best Supporting Actor nomination if those previous Oscar winners performances weren't so good.

My Pick: Ang Lee, Life of Pi

BEST ACTOR

He won it when the poster came out. And he deserves it.  He's a "Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher" lock. The rest of the field doesn't matter.

My Pick:  Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln

BEST ACTRESS

Toughest call of the bunch. I've heard that Emmanuelle Riva is fantastic in Amour, but those roles win Supporting Actress statues, not this one. Same goes for Quvenzhane Wallis who is a nice story, but she's not winning. Naomi Watts is incredible in The Impossible, but nobody saw it other than me and my wife.  

That leaves Jennifer Lawrence and Jessica Chastain. Both were excellent in their roles. Jessica will get her Oscar someday. This year, my vote goes to Katniss.

My Pick: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook 

BEST SUPPPORTING ACTOR

There's only one choice for me here, and it's Christoph Waltz. He owns Django (literally and figuratively). Of all of these accomplished actors who were nominated, his performance was simply the best. 

And I might be in the minority here, but I felt Deniro was average in Silver Linings Playbook. As a dad, he's fine. But as a bookie, come on. Didn't ring true at all. I love Deniro, but not in this movie. 

My Pick: Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Helen Hunt is very good in The Sessions (John Hawkes should have been nominated for Best Actor). Jackie Weaver is barely in Silver Linings overrated. Amy Adams is always good, but never breaks through for some reason. Sally Field's performance in Lincoln reminds me of Deniro's in you-know-what, it's okay but nowhere near where an Oscar winner should be. 

If you never see Les Miserables, you should watch the scene where Anne Hathaway sings "I Dreamed a Dream" in a tight close up. I didn't like the movie, but Princess Mia belting that one out is Oscar worthy. Added bonus - her speech will be fun to watch.

My Pick: Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables

My pick six: Zero Dark Thirty, Ang Lee, Daniel Day-Lewis, Jennifer Lawrence, Christoph Waltz and Anne Hathaway. 

Care to wager?

For What Its Worth

The Hollywood Reporter says it, so it must be true.

Gary Dell'Abate and I are heading to VH1 Classic to host our new show "For What It's Worth".

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/vh1-classic-orders-pop-culture-415225

Our first ep will air on Thursday, February 21 at 10pm. 

More details to follow...

Heading To The Food Factory

I am returning to Destination America (well, at least my voice is).

Food Factory

The Best TV of 2012

2012 is coming to an end, which means it's time for the annual Best TV of the Year lists.

I will begin my list explaining what shows you will find on most other critic's lists, but not mine.

Girls (HBO)

I watched the first three. I don't get the hype. And don't tell me it's because I'm too old and can't appreciate what's going on here. I don't buy that. If you say it's because I have two teenage daughters, that I might buy.

Louie (FX)

I'm starting to come around a bit on Louie. I blew through Season One on Netflix, and liked Travel Day/South, Heckler/Cop Movie, Bully and God a lot. Didn't love the other nine. I will give Season Two a go now.

American Horror Story (FX)

I just haven't watched it. Seems weird for the sake of being weird. I'll get there.

HONORABLE MENTION

The Newsroom (HBO)

Almost cracked my top ten. I love Sorkin, and can ignore his sexism for the most part. Olivia Munn was  a find, and Jeff Daniels performance is Emmy worthy. Don't know what happened to Sam Waterston...hope he's okay.

Life's Too Short (HBO)

Inconsistent, but Warwick Davis makes me laugh, and the scene with Liam Neeson was the funniest thing on television this year.

Veep (HBO)

Julia and crew are close, but not there yet. Can't wait for Season Two.

Modern Family (ABC)

Still makes me laugh, and I always find it touching. It's good, and can be great at times, but needs to get back to its Season One brilliance. I don't like the new Lilly. 

The Good Wife (CBS)

That Kalinda storyline is awful and this show has slipped, but it's still solid television (especially for a network program).

THE TOP ELEVEN

11. Sons of Anarchy (FX)

One day, I will sit down with Kurt Sutter and break down this show. Great plot twists, lots of deaths and action, and plenty of struggle in Charming. Kurt makes you care about a motorcycle club - a lot.  He turned my top ten list into a top eleven.

10.  Dexter (SHOWTIME)

Honestly, I'd never thought this show would ever be in my Top Ten again.  The Lithgow season will never be topped, but they pulled off the Deb/Dex story and made me care about murder in Miami once again. The supporting players were used well this season, and Yvonne Strahovski looks fantastic (in some scenes).

9.  Justified (FX)

Not sure why this show stays under everyone's radar. Olyphant leads the excellent acting ensemble. Goggins is a pleasure to watch. And this edgy drama continues to produce every season.

8.  Homeland (SHOWTIME)

Big drop for last season's Emmy winner. The plots are becoming more 24-like, but the acting of Danes, Lewis and Patinkin keep it in the top ten...for now.

7.  Downton Abbey (PBS)

British drama at its best. I put this on for my wife to watch. She fell asleep, and I got caught up in it. Can't wait for Season Three.

6.  Parks & Recreation (NBC)

The only comedy in my top ten, and the only network show to make it as well. NBC doesn't realize what a gem they have here. Consistently funny. It will get cancelled.

5.  Mad Men (AMC)

Solid season for Don Draper and crew. A little too much Zou Bisou Bisou and not enough Roger Sterling for me. 

4.  The Walking Dead (AMC)

Easily its best season - great character development and zombie kills. Carl gets most improved character of the year award. Andrea gets the reverse.

3.  Boardwalk Empire (HBO)

Really hit its stride at the end of the season. Thank you, Bobby Cannavale. Less and less Margaret means a better and better show. Buscemi is fantastic. And thank you, Terence Winter, for providing ANSWERS. 

2.  Game of Thrones (HBO)

I'm all in on this epic. Season Two took us deeper into King's Landing and beyond the wall. I've read the books so I know what's coming in Season Three. You ain't seen NOTHIN' yet.

1.  Breaking Bad (AMC)

A clinic on TV drama. I know it was only 8 episodes, but every character (especially Mike) was on top of his or her game. I've never watched a show so tensely. Can't wait for Hank to get out of that bathroom.

P.S. If you're looking for Sherlock here, I thought it aired in 2011. Otherwise, it would be in my top three, easily.