The good, bad and the ugly on the small screen this past week:
RAVE
“South Park” tackles the Taliban
When an episode of South Park begins with the boys wearing anthrax-proof gas masks, you know you’re in for a surreal ride. A hilarious ride, but surreal, nonetheless. Wednesday night’s episode–in which the gang travels to Afghanistan to battle Bin Laden–touched on some pretty sensitive subjects, but did so admirably. Thank God there are people like South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone who have the guts to gamble and deal with this material. And the homage to Looney Toons, where Cartman attempts to romantically woo Bin Laden, was brilliant.
RANT
Country comforts?
Wednesday night’s CMA awards proved to be a very emotional experience. Alan Jackson debuted a new Sept. 11 tribute song that floored the audience. Brooks and Dunn belted out a very patriotic version of their hit “Only in America,” complete with falling red, white and blue confetti which showered the crowd. But, unfortunately, there was a major drawback to the ceremony: the microphones. Some didn’t work, and some that did had certain singers–like Jo Dee Messina–sound as if they were shouting into tin cans.
RAVE
“Smallville” soars
Call me nuts, but Smallville has proven to be one of the best shows of the season. No, I’m not usually into the whole WB teen thing, but this show hasn’t missed a beat. For example, in Tuesday night’s episode, the young Man of Steel discovered he had X-ray vision. What’s the first thing he did? Peer through some walls into the girls’ locker room. Now that’s what X-ray vision is for.
RAVE
Bye, bye, “Band”
HBO‘s Band of Brothers finished up on Sunday night–but so many people were watching the World Series and the Emmys that many viewers missed it. The finale will be shown again sporadically throughout the week on both HBO and HBO PLUS, so don’t miss it. But what will Band fans do this Sunday night without the miniseries? Don’t worry: ABC‘s showing Saving Private Ryan at 8 p.m.
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