Flashback Edition on the 'Case!' Plus Less From 'The O.C.' and More Shows on iTunes

When you think of "classic" episodes of your favorite shows certain outings just pop into your head without any thought. Such is the case with the 7th episode of Cold Case, "A Time to Hate." It's an episode that gains its classic moniker not for its funny lines and scenes, but for the lasting impact it has had on the series. Creator Meredith Stiehm has said that this episode is the one that they hold up as the standard for all of their other episodes. Some would even argue that no episode has reached the same level of quality since, but this is a notion that I tend to disagree with. No matter what, though, one thing is certain, "A Time to Hate" had critics buzzing and award panels calling (it was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award). Today, we're going to take a look back at this first season outing and examine what makes it such an everlasting example of Cold Case's enormous potential. All of the screen caps in this edition are courtesy of Kathryn Morris Online and Cold Case Source #1, two great sites and must visit places on the web for any Kathryn Morris/Cold Case fan!


Imagine a time when cops raided gay bars just to beat the crap out of their patrons or when a gay man couldn't be a lawyer because of the tremendous hatred toward his sexuality. When it comes to Cold Case, the imagining part is unnecessary because the show takes you there with its impressive, beautiful flashbacks that capture an era where these acts were common place. Sadly, it's a time that isn't too distant and one that we, as a society, haven't quite conquered yet. This episode is a painful reminder of the Matthew Shepard case that happened only 8 short years ago. The victim in this story, Daniel Holtz, suffered a similar fate after leaving the city's only gay bar in 1964. The popular college baseball player used to hang at the local place a lot because he wasn't afraid of who he was. Unfortunately, there were plenty of people who did care about who he was, and it's that prejudice that led to Daniel's untimely death. This episode is filled with tender moments, but one of the best is when Lilly reunites Daniel's closeted college boyfriend and his mother. The two share an emotional moment that ends with Mrs. Holtz telling Hank that she's glad he loved her boy. My favorite scene transpires between Lilly and Judge Henry Phillips, who used to go by Hank - the same Hank that loved Daniel. She needs the judge to give her information on the case, but she also understands that it's a delicate subject, so she decides to tread lightly. The entire scene borders on heart wrenching as Hank fights with himself over whether to tell Lilly the little information that he knows. He wants to help catch Daniel's killer, after all, this was the man that he loved and seems to still have a soft spot for, but at the same time, he doesn't want to ruin his high-powered career. Lilly pleads and finally, the judge realizes what he has to do for Daniel. It is, perhaps, Lilly's strongest display of compassion.


In the end, Lilly gets her man, as she always does (except in her personal life, but even that may be about to change). And even though the victory is sweet, this episode leaves you with a haunting sadness that you just can't put your finger on. Maybe it's the senseless act of violence and murder that unfolded, or the fact that the cops allowed things like this to go on, or maybe it's just the sad toll that doing nothing takes on those who could have stopped it. Sure, neighborhood boys beat Daniel to death with his own baseball bat, but perhaps the most tragic part of this case is the two cops who looked the other way. And yet somehow, I found myself feeling sad for Nelson, the one who finally told about what he saw that night. That's the beautiful complexity of Cold Case. It often presents killers or facilitators as people who make very bad decisions. They're not inherently bad as we've come to expect from television and movies. There's no villain and no hero, just ordinary people who commit heinous crimes, and it often leaves you feeling both anger and sorrow for the "doer" and those who helped keep his/her secrets. Such was the case in this episode as Nelson broke his silence for the first time about what he saw in the alley the night Daniel was murdered. It was clearly something that had been eating at him for 40 years, and yet, he still wasn't ready to tell it. Not because he wanted to protect those boys, but because he was so ashamed of what he had done. He shows Lilly a picture of his son and his partner, and says that his son thinks he's "an OK guy." He obviously doesn't want his son to know what he did, but he realizes that keeping the secret and letting Daniel's murder go unsolved will only make it worse. So, he painfully recounts the night that the neighborhood boys beat and killed Daniel for the sole reason that they didn't like his sexuality. This episode is certainly a three hanky event, but its poignant, timeless story telling makes it all worth it. If you would like to see the episode for yourself (and really, everyone should) or take a second look, cable channel TNT reruns the older episodes every Tuesday night at 11 p.m. Can't wait for it to cycle around again? Then join the Cold Case DVD Campaign. Help the show land on DVD by letting Warner Bros. know how much you want to see it on store shelves. Click on over to ColdCaseDVDs.com to learn how to help.

PROGRAMMING NOTE... Cold Case Flashback Edition will return in two weeks with thoughts on another classic episode. Sorry to be a network and preempt your fave shows, but next week is my special Emmy ballot coverage leading up to the BIG official Emmy nominations announcement next Thursday! So, be sure to tune in next week for the Emmy nominations coverage, and come back in two weeks for thoughts on another amazing episode of Cold Case, just be sure to bring plenty of hankies for this episode, though!

Attention Veronica Fans!!

Have you been dying to meet series creator/executive producer Rob Thomas? How about stars Kristen Bell (Veronica), Jason Dohring (Logan), Enrico Colantoni (Keith), Francis Capra (Weevil), Ryan Hansen (Dick) and Michael Muhney (Sheriff Lamb)? Well, this is your opportunity! On July 22nd, the gang will take part in Comic Con at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. There will be an hour-long Q&A session with an autograph signing following with all of the above named members of the show! The VM session will take place from 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. For more information on the event, click on over to Comic Con's official site!


QUICK CUTS

*Fox is ordering fewer episodes of The O.C. this coming season. The teen soap will get only 16, instead of the standard 22 and the show's usual 25. The network says the reduction is due to the show's later than usual November premiere, but Variety is reporting that the decision is designed to allow the show to run out of episodes in February so Fox can then try out a midseason replacement in the slot. Things haven't been boding well for the show since the upfronts last month when ABC announced that it was moving its megahit Grey's Anatomy to the slot, which is already dominated by CBS' CSI. In addition, star Mischa Barton will not return next season as her Marissa character died in this season's finale. The O.C. will return for its fourth season on November 2nd on Fox.

*iTunes Update: The popular music download program is adding more shows to its repertoire. USA network's The Dead Zone, Spike TV's TNA: iMPACT and Disorderly Conduct, TVLand's Sit Down Comedy with David Steinberg, Nick At Night's Fatherhood and Hi-Jinks, Logo's Noah's Arc, U.S. of ANT and Wisecrack, MTV's Viva La Bam and The N's Beyond the Break are all headed to iTunes for the standard $1.99 an episode. Additionally, Spike TV is making the 2-hour series premiere of Blade: The Series available for free on iTunes beginning today and running through July 11th.

*And finally, CBS is making the upcoming season of Big Brother: All Stars readily available via your television, computer and even your cell phone. The network will stream episodes the day after they air through its new broadband channel innertube. Additionally, it will have exclusive content available, including around the clock coverage of the house with video updates, photos and live breaking house alerts, through a new mobile subscription service. The package will be available through most cellular phone services and you'll be able to subscribe through cbs.com. And for the sixth year, CBS will also stream a live 24/7 house feed through RealNetworks' SuperPass subscription service. Big Brother: All-Stars premieres next Thursday, July 6th on CBS.

To get more of today's biggest TV news and headlines, visit the TV News section at PassTheRemote.Net.

That's all for today. I'm off tomorrow, but be sure to tune in next week for my Emmy ballot featuring my nominations for Best Actor in a Comedy/Drama, Best Actress in a Comedy/Drama and Best Comedy/Drama. And it's all leading up to the BIG official Emmy nominations announcement one week from today! Be sure to tune in all next week for plenty of Emmy coverage and all the latest television news!


To get more television coverage, including the network's new fall schedules and a complete archive of the best of Pass the Remote with a photo gallery featuring pictures from the set of Veronica Mars, click on over to PassTheRemote.net.

Counting Down the Season's Best Episodes with #25-23! Plus 'JAG' Gets 'Close to Home' and 'The Office' Hits the Web

Pass the Remote's

Best Episodes of '05-'06

We're up to week 3 on the countdown and we're cracking the top 25 episodes of Pass the Remote's Best Episodes of the '05-'06 TV Season Countdown. Along with introducing the next three on the list, this week also marks the 1st appearance of the brand new official banner for the countdown, courtesy of Mr. TVFan. For those who are new to the countdown, here's a refresher on the rules I employed for selecting the 31 episodes that make up this list. All of the shows and their episodes are from NETWORK television only, meaning that I did not take any cable series into consideration (since I only watch a few and felt that it would be unfair). All episodes aired between September 2005 and June 2006. Each episode that made the final list moved me in some way; either by making me laugh out loud, cry my eyes out or just left me with that "wow" feeling that stays with you for a few days. So basically, it's completely subjective! This is a summer-long countdown, so I will reveal a few episodes each week all summer until we reach the #1 episode of the past season. Be sure to tune in each Wednesday to see the next set of episodes to make the list. Today, we're going to look at #25-23.


25: "White Lie Christmas" - My Name is Earl
Nobody does Christmas funnier than Earl and his gang. While trying to cross all the bad things that he has done off of his list, Earl came across #74: "Always ruined Joy's Christmas." Since it's the holiday season, he decides to make it up to her by trying to win her a car through a local radio station contest. In order to win the car, he has to keep his hand on it the longest. This means standing around without taking bathroom breaks, food breaks, naps, etc. So, Earl enlists the help of his brother Randy, and the two begin holding on to the brand new car. As time passes, more and more participants drop out until it's only Earl, Randy and Catalina, whom the boys think is trying to win the car for Joy as well. Turns out, Catalina wants the car for herself and it comes down to her and Randy. Meanwhile, Earl finds out that Joy's parents are in town and that she is keeping her marriage to Darnell from them. So, Earl agrees to pose as Joy's husband who just returned from Iraq in order to not ruin another one of Joy's Christmases. Hilarity ensues when we learn that Joy's mother is keeping a secret as well, and everything comes out into the open. Oh, and remember the car? Well, Earl got it and planned to give it to Joy. He tied a nice bow on top and left it outside her trailer, but her mother gambled with it and lost it (I told you they were all keeping secrets). This was a hilarious episode that served as my introduction to the show, and I haven't stopped watching since. Written by Timothy Stack and directed by Marc Buckland.


24: "Knowing Her" - Medium
It's no secret that I love my TV boyfriend Det. Lee Scanlon, but even taking the fact that this was a Scanlon-centric episode out of the picture, this episode was still a stand out of the season. Allison begins having visions that show a connection between Scanlon and three murdered girls. It seems crazy, but as faithful Medium viewers know, Allison's dreams are best interpreted metaphorically rather than literally. It turns out that Scanlon's connection is to the drug cartel that the D.A.'s office believes is responsible for the murders, and not the three victims. He was involved with a woman who is a member of the cartel's family, and now that woman wants his help to clear her family's name in these most recent murders. The shocking twist in the episode is that her family isn't involved in the murders, but a high-ranking police official is behind the whole thing because he wanted to cause a war between two cartels, thinking that they would just kill each other. Scanlon discovers the truth too late as the same police official shoots and kills Scanlon's former girlfriend right in front of him as she's begging for his help. The episode showed us a different side to a detective that we know very little about, and it left me shaken. Written by Glenn Gordon Caron and directed by David Paymer.


23: "A Day in the Life" - Without a Trace
Tweaking with a successful formula can be dangerous, but in the case of Trace, it turned out to be one of the season's best episodes. Laurie Metcalf and Matt Craven guest star as parents of a missing teenage boy, Shawn Hopkins. Sounds like a standard episode, right? Wrong! Instead of giving the viewers the usual FBI point of view, we got the view from the parents. This meant that we were only privy to the same information that they were, and we were able to go through the feelings with them. We felt right along with them that the FBI wasn't doing enough to find their son. We were also shocked right along with them when the agents told them that they suspected that their missing son was involved in gambling and a drug dealer. And then there was the sigh of relieve when we found out along with the Hopkins that Shawn was just trying to help a friend who was raped. It was interesting to see the agents whispering without allowing us to hear what they were saying, even though it left us feeling on the outs along with the parents. The episode gave us a different perspective and it allowed us to go inside the frantic experience of having a child go missing. Written by Hank Steinberg and directed by Jeannot Szwarc. Photo courtesy CBS.


So, there's a closer look at #25-23. What did you think about them? Do you agree? Disagree? Drop me a comment with your thoughts. If you missed #31-26 or just want to revisit them, click HERE.

PROGRAMMING NOTE... PTR's Best Episodes of the Season Countdown will return in two weeks with three more amazing episodes. Sorry to be a network and preempt your fave shows, but next week is my special Emmy ballot coverage leading up to the BIG official Emmy nominations announcement next Thursday! So, be sure to tune in next week for the Emmy nominations coverage, and come back in two weeks for the next set of episodes!


QUICK CUTS

*Actor David James Elliot is joining the cast of CBS' Close to Home this fall. TVGuide.com is reporting (via The Hollywood Reporter) that the former JAG star will play a D.A. who works with the newly widowed Annabeth Chase (Jennifer Finnigan). Elliot is expected to be a series regular when Close to Home begins its second season this fall on CBS.

*NBC.com will launch the first of its series of webisodes for its popular comedy The Office on July 13th. The weekly webisodes will serve as stand-alone episodes of the series and will feature the accounting staff of the Dunder Mifflin paper company. They will be serialized as the staff works to solve the mystery of who stole $3,000 from the Scranton office. Each webisode will run 2-3 minutes long, and a new one will premiere every Thursday beginning July 13th only at nbc.com.

*And finally, cable's AMC is celebrating record ratings for its original miniseries Broken Trail. The western, starring Robert Duvall, brought in close to 10 million viewers (9.8 million) during its Sunday night debut, topping all other programs on television that night including the major networks. It was also good enough for the movie to claim the title as 2006's most watched cable program so far (even besting TNT's 2nd season premiere of The Closer a few weeks ago, which drew more than 8 million viewers), and it became the 2nd most watched cable movie on any network since 1995. Part two of the miniseries drew in 9.7 million viewers on Monday night, and came in second overall for the evening behind CBS' CSI: Miami rerun (10.5 million). The strong showing bodes well for AMC, which is in the process of developing more original programming like Broken Trail. You can catch an encore presentation of the hit miniseries next Thursday, July 6th on AMC.

To get more of today's biggest TV news and headlines, visit the TV News section at PassTheRemote.Net.

That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for another Flashback Edition featuring one of the most critically acclaimed episodes of Cold Case ever! Plus, all the latest television news!


To get more television coverage, including the network's new fall schedules and a complete archive of the best of Pass the Remote with a photo gallery featuring pictures from the set of Veronica Mars, click on over to PassTheRemote.net.

Flashback to 'Mars!' Plus NBC Strikes a Deal with YouTube and a Famous K9 Passes

Remember when Veronica was dating Troy and we were all secretly hoping that it wouldn't work out so she could get back together with Duncan? And then as the first season of Veronica Mars progressed, that "hope" soon shifted to Logan, especially when we started to believe that there was a chance that Veronica and Duncan could be half siblings. Well, this week's Flashback Edition features that time when Veronica was trying to convince herself that she was over Duncan and totally into Troy. We're going to take a look at the third episode of the series, "Meet John Smith," and discover what makes this one another VM classic. The best part about "Meet John Smith" is the case that the title refers to because it's a surprising outcome that leads to a warm and fuzzy (Veronica style) resolution. One of Neptune High's younger students, Justin, asks Veronica to help him track down his long-lost father. Unbeknownst to her, that long-lost father is dead and Justin just wants to get closer to Veronica because he has a crush on her. Seems pretty open and shut, right? Not in the world of Mars. Veronica tracks down 440 possible John Smiths (Justin's father) and mails all of them scholarship letters from Stanford meant for Justin, thinking that Justin's father will call the number on the letter (Mars Investigations) to say that his son doesn't live there with him. When she learns that Justin was fooling her, she drops the case.


Everything changes when Justin gets a letter back from his father. Veronica begins the process of tracking down the real, alive John Smith for Justin. The investigation takes some twists and turns, but it's the discovery of John Smith that gives this episode its classic status. When Veronica finds him, she learns that he is now a woman and this is why Justin's mother told him that his father was dead. He had been visiting Justin regularly at the video store where he works. She was the frequent customer who always ordered special requests just so she could have a few minutes with her son. Justin has a hard time accepting the truth at first, but he begins to come around when he realizes how far his father drives just to see him. Elsewhere, we learn that Duncan has been taking some sort of psychiatric prescription. He abruptly decides to stop taking it, which leads to his leap off of the bleachers and his trip to the hospital. The doctor warns him that going cold turkey can lead to hallucinations, and Duncan begins seeing his dead sister Lilly. Meanwhile, Veronica is having her own hallucinations, but of the dreaming variety. She dreams that she and Duncan are getting hot and heavy in a car just as her alarm goes off. It seems we aren't the only ones holding out for that reconciliation! Finally, Veronica and Keith are on the outs for part of the episode because Veronica didn't drop her investigation into who Jake Kane was meeting at the motel in the pilot. She discovered that the car with Arizona plates belonged to her mother. Working Justin's case made her realize that she needed to track her mother down. She goes to the address in Arizona, but her mother is nowhere to be found. So it seemed that Jamie O'Neal was right, Veronica, there really is no Arizona. This episode, along with all of the first season outings, is available on the season 1 DVD set. To check it out for yourself, pick up your copy today. Or rent one through Netflix, or check your local library for a free borrowed copy. Veronica's second season is currently airing in reruns on UPN every Tuesday night. Tonight, Veronica and Duncan discover that Meg had been babysitting an abused child, and they work to uncover the victim. Check out the opening scene HERE! All of the screen caps in this edition are courtesy of VM-Caps.com.

*A programming note... Veronica Mars Flashback Edition will return in two weeks with thoughts on another classic episode. Sorry to be a network and preempt your fave shows, but next week is my special Emmy ballot leading up to the BIG official Emmy nominations announcement next Thursday!


QUICK CUTS

*NBC is teaming up with YouTube to offer exclusive content from its upcoming fall line-up. The network will get its own channel on the popular video site where it will promote its new shows and returning favorite The Office. Once the new season starts, the net will upload clips and promos for its late-night line-up. YouTube received several cease and desist letters from NBC after users uploaded content from Saturday Night Live last year, so the partnership brings the two media entities full circle. Along with offering video, NBC will be accepting some. The network plans to hold a contest that would allow YouTube users to submit their own promo for The Office. The winning promo will air on NBC in August. YouTube says its users stream as many as 70 million videos a day, making it one of the Internet's most popular sites.

*And finally, former Frasier canine sidekick Moose is dead. The Jack Russell terrier played Eddie for 9 seasons on the hit NBC comedy. He retired at the age of 10, and was replaced by a lookalike Jack Russell during the show's final two seasons. Moose died Thursday of old age. He was 16 1/2 years old.

To get more of today's biggest TV news and headlines, visit the TV News section at PassTheRemote.Net.

That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for #25-23 on PTR's list of The Best Episodes of the '05-'06 TV Season!! Tomorrow's foray into the top 25 features one funny Christmas, a crime that gives us a different point of view and skeletons in someone's closet. Plus, all the latest television news!


To get more television coverage, including the network's new fall schedules and a complete archive of the best of Pass the Remote with a photo gallery featuring pictures from the set of Veronica Mars, click on over to PassTheRemote.net.

Maia Goes Back to the Future! Plus Vote for Your Faves, More 'Futurama' and TV on DVD Monday

We're only three episodes into the third season of The 4400 and already, things are seriously heating up. Not only was Maia kidnapped and all memories of her erased, but we also learned that the future's plans have failed to prevent whatever catastrophic event we seem to be on a collision course with. And this was only part 1! When Maia's "sister" first showed up, I had my suspicions, but I figured she had to be the real deal because she knew so much about Maia's childhood. I did think that her motives were sinister, but I just couldn't figure out what she wanted from Maia. Then when she kidnapped her and held her in that house with the other missing 4400 children, I started to fear the worst. I didn't know if the NOVA group was behind the kidnapping or someone trying to hurt the 4400, but things certainly weren't looking good. How tricky that they showed Maia unlocking what appeared to be the same door that Diana and Tom were about to bust through! I was so confused when the two didn't meet and Maia wound up in that creepy dark circular room that we saw last season. For all intents and purposes, we'll just call it The Future Room. Imagine my further shock when we learned that Maia wasn't in any danger, but rather, her services were needed to ensure the future of the human race. Because the future's plans with the 4400 aren't working, they need Maia to go back further in time and be the catalyst that evokes the change needed to veer this catastrophic event off course. Her sacrifice comes at a high price, though, because it means losing all memories of her time with her "mother" Diana, and Diana losing all memories of Maia. In the closing moments of the episode, we watched as all traces of Maia literally disappeared from Diana's apartment as she and Marco came back home. It was creepy, and it left me wondering how they'll ever be able to turn things around next week, and do we want them to if it means endangering our future?


In other 4400 happenings, a wedge seems to be driving itself between Tom and Alana. That wedge is called her 4400 status and her sudden decision to embrace it by working at the 4400 Center. I'm not sure how I feel about this story line because I really like Tom and Alana and their story of how they came together. I'm hoping that it's leading somewhere good, even if it doesn't appear to be right now. Meanwhile, Isabelle seems to be getting more and more powerful, which is why Matthew Ross tried to exert some power over her from the beginning. Too bad for him, she realized that she was the one with the power. After all, he needs her more than she needs him, especially since he pushed her to get involved with Shawn and that seems to have backfired on him. I loved the way she realized that all the crap he fed her was just lies. Shawn encountered some trouble at his first mass healing. A member of the Nova group splashed him with paint forcing the truth about his funneling money to the group in the past came to the front. I like the idea of having Richard share the leadership responsibilities at the 4400 Center with Shawn, but the fact that he seems ripe to be Matthew Ross' next pawn concerns me. Yes, things sure are heating up on The 4400. All of the photos in today's entry are from the show's official site over at usanetwork.com. Click over there to read Maia's diary to unlock some of the clues to what's going on with her.

FRIDAY FUN: SUMMER STYLE (Trivia Answer)
On Friday, I asked you guys a trivia question for the latest edition of Friday Fun: Summer Style. Now, it's time to reveal the answer!

Q: The upcoming DVD release of the hit NBC comedy My Name is Earl will feature an alternate pilot episode where Earl gets the karma message from someone other than Carson Daly. Who is this "someone?" HINT: Think 2-dimentional.


A: This "someone" is Family Guy's Stewie Griffin. [source]

And the alternate pilot is just one of the special features on the hit freshman comedy's first season DVD, which will hit stores on September 26th. Click on over to tvshowsondvd.com to read about all of the features on the DVD set. Unfortunately, there weren't any correct answers this week, but Scooter's Daffy Duck was a pretty good guess. Be sure to tune in every Friday for more rounds of Friday Fun: Summer Style.


QUICK CUTS

*You chose the categories and the nominations, and now it's time to vote for your winners. Zap2it's TV Gal has tallied all of your entries and the top 5 nomination getters are now duking it out in their respective categories in the annual Amy Awards. Click on over there and vote for your favorites for each of the 12 categories. I'm not going to tell you who to vote for in the Most Overlooked category, not even subliminally (jehrekrhhrgyrgwefbKATHRYNMORRISdhskjdhkf). You have until this Thursday (June 29th) at 9 p.m. (EST) to cast your votes. The winners will be announced next Monday. In other TV awards news, E! Online's Kristin Veitch has tallied your votes for her annual Tater Top Awards. Click on over there to see who won! And, next week is Emmy Nominations Week here at Pass the Remote. Look for my Emmy nom wish lists and comprehensive coverage of the BIG nominations announcement next Thursday, July 6th!

*Comedy Central is bringing back Futurama. The cable outlet is reviving the animated series for 13 episodes that are expected to air along with the off-network reruns that Comedy Central acquired in 2005. The entire original cast is expected to return for the new 13-episode order. Look for the off-network run to begin sometime in 2008, no start date yet for the new episodes. Futurama is the second canceled animated series to get a reprieve. Fox recently brought back The Family Guy after cancelling it back in 2002.

*And finally, it's TV on DVD Monday! Look for the first (and most likely only) season of Commander In Chief to hit shelves tomorrow along with Columbo (season 5), Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman (movies), Fear Factor (season 1), Monk (season 1) and Project Runway (season 2). For a list of all of tomorrow's releases, visit tvshowsondvd.com.

To get more of today's biggest TV news and headlines, visit the TV News section at PassTheRemote.Net.

That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for another Flashback Edition featuring Veronica Mars. Plus, all the latest television news! And don't forget to tune in Wednesday for the next set of episodes of PTR's list of The Best Episodes of the '05-'06 TV Season!!


To get more television coverage, including the network's new fall schedules and a complete archive of the best of Pass the Remote with a photo gallery featuring pictures from the set of Veronica Mars, click on over to PassTheRemote.net.

Talkin' TV and Music with Singer David Isaacs! Plus Friday Fun, Bad News for 2 Shows and a 'Desperate' Game

If you're a huge TV fan, then chances are that you have heard recording artist David Isaacs' music. The singer/songwriter has written and produced more than 250 songs for television and film in his impressive career. Isaacs' music has been in everything from CBS' latest smash hit The Unit to reality hits America's Next Top Model and Cheerleader Nation to NBC's popular Las Vegas and Pass the Remote favorite Cold Case. Since Isaacs' music lands across the television spectrum, he's very familiar with the close relationship between TV shows and music. He says that he really felt the impact after some of his songs were featured on reality shows Meet My Folks and Who Wants to Marry My Dad. "I can't tell you how many people were chatting online about the songs and the singers. We even had someone request a copy of one of the songs for her own wedding! Crazy! Clearly, the music was reaching people and in a way, it broke the '3rd wall' and became a part of the viewer's reality. Obviously, the music was more important to the show than I ever would have imagined," Isaacs says. "In fairness, sometimes the writers feel like their music is just wallpaper for the scenes, but in truth, it really sets the tone for many of the shows. It's that certain indescribable something that makes everything more real."


Isaacs calls his success in television and film "a total fluke." The singer says he has played every club in Los Angeles and has been in several bands, but recently, he has been playing the scene as a solo artist. Along with writing and singing songs, he also plays guitar and piano. In 2000, he released his album Timebomb with his good friend and fellow musician Chris Horvath. His big television/film break came courtesy of some friends in a band called Venice, who introduced him to session singing: a term used to describe the practice where singers are hired to sing on commercials, records, films, etc. One company, Mad City Productions, hired him to sing many of their songs. They were impressed with what they heard, so they soon asked him to begin co-writing with them, and according to Isaacs, "the rest is history." He writes the songs, and then music publishers pitch the songs to production houses, but there's no guarantee that his music will be used. Isaacs says that there's a better chance if a show's music supervisor calls and asks for a specific style. "The combination of writing a lot of songs in many styles, and having good people pitching those songs makes for a lot of placements in the shows or films," he explains. As for which shows use his music, Isaacs says that he doesn't have any say, "but the more the merrier." He doesn't always know when one of his songs will be used, but if he does get a heads up, he'll tune in to hear it. "Because I record with so many of my dear friends, sometime we watch at the same time while on the phone. If I'm not singing one of the songs I wrote, I call the singer and scream congratulations to them. It's not as cool as being on the radio, but it is fun!"


One of the more recent shows to use his music was Cold Case. In a pivotal scene during the April 9th episode, Lilly Rush (Kathryn Morris) had a little too much to drink after a difficult dinner with her wayward mother. An argument led her to step outside the bar to finish her last drink. As she stood there, drinking alone and dodging strange looks from other bar patrons, she decided to pick up her cell phone and "drunk dial" her ex-boyfriend, A.D.A. Kite. During the several-minute scene, Lilly told Kite's answering machine that she didn't want to be alone anymore and she was ready to change. The scene was one of the more emotional of the series, and it showed a vulnerability to her character, something that viewers weren't used to seeing. What gave the scene its extra punch was the song played in the background during her phone call. It swelled just as Kite answered his phone while Lilly was leaving her message, which allowed the "Oh crap!" moment to generate even further with viewers. Isaacs' "The Wait" was that song, and with lyrics like, "I'm waiting for somebody that knows," it was a perfect fit. Thanks to YouTube, you can check out the scene for yourself.


Isaacs didn't write "The Wait," but his close partners did, and he supplied the vocals. Since he didn't write it, he doesn't get a lot of prep time. "On a session like that, I hear the song once or twice, then I go inside the booth and sing it and it's over," he explains. And when shows like Cold Case, that are music intensive, get syndicated or head to DVD, Isaacs explains that he makes the most money off of his work when he has written it himself. The exact pay scale depends on a lot of different factors, including network versus cable and the amount of time that the song plays in an episode, but he says that in his experience, a flat-fee is paid in order to reuse his music in another way, such as syndication and DVD sales.

Throughout Isaacs' extensive career, he has had the opportunity to perform with artists like Fleetwood Mac's Christine McVie and Poison's Rikki Rocket, along with doing a session for Eagles frontman and successful solo artist Don Henley. "I am so lucky to have had some great opportunities like those, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't still get butterflies when I do those kinds of things. I am a fan at heart, and I can't tell you how many times in my life I've pinched myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming," he says. McVie, whom he met through one of his producers, Robbie Patton (who co-wrote Fleetwood Mac's "Hold Me" with McVie), asked him to sing back-up on her solo album In The Meantime. "Not only is she an incredible talent, she is an inspiration, and now an honorary member of my family. When she decided to make a new album, she was kind enough to ask me to sing background vocals on a song of my choice. After I did one, she just kept sending more tracks, and soon I sang on about half of the album. What an honor," he enthuses. Isaacs had a similar experience with Henley. He was doing a session for him when he got a call saying that Henley really liked the vocals, but wanted to change a couple of things. The music legend asked Isaacs to come to his home studio to work on them. Isaacs calls the experience "surreal," especially since Henley's home studio included the original mixing board that the Eagles used to record Hotel California. According to Isaacs, Henley answered the door himself and had him work on Eagles-like harmonies, something that had Isaacs feeling the pressure. "But this evening for me defined rising to the occasion. It went great. When we were done, we had dinner together and he shared some incredible stories. It was really cool," he recalls. So, after working sessions with Don Henley and singing back up vocals for Christine McVie, what's next for Isaacs? He's working on a follow-up album to Timebomb, entitled 28, which he hopes to wrap soon. "It's much more rock than Timebomb, but it is very melodic and cool. I have been so busy trying to open doors in the TV world that the artist in me has suffered a bit, but it's time to jump on it again," he explains. He's also considering putting together a CD collection of his music that has been used in television. For now, Isaacs says that he's just happy to be doing something that he loves. "I'm just so excited to share the amount of happiness it brings me to know that I wake up in the morning and write or sing songs for a living. It's not what I had originally intended for a career, but I'm not complaining." To keep up with David Isaacs' career, click on over to his official web site (www.davidisaacs.net), which he will be updating regularly very soon. It has a link to buy a copy of Timebomb, which will be available on iTunes this fall, and it will also have a link to get a copy of his new album 28 once it's released. You can also join his mailing list by sending an email to him at davidisaacs@aol.com.

FRIDAY FUN: SUMMER STYLE
It's trivia question time! Here's this week's question:

Q: The upcoming DVD release of the hit NBC comedy My Name is Earl will feature an alternate pilot episode where Earl gets the karma message from someone other than Carson Daly. Who is this "someone?" HINT: Think 2-dimentional.

If you would like to take a stab at it, leave me a comment. I'll reveal the answer in Monday's edition.


QUICK CUTS

*CBS is putting its new summer reality series Tuesday Night Book Club on hiatus through July 18th. The show opened to only 5.07 million viewers on June 13th and dropped to 4.13 million with its latest airing this week. The network isn't saying whether it will bring Book Club back at a later time. Episodes of 48 Hours Mystery will fill the slot for the next two weeks. In other bad news, Showtime is reportedly cancelling Huff after 2 seasons. No reason was given for the critically acclaimed drama's cancellation and Showtime does not release ratings data, but speculation is that the Hank Azaria starrer didn't fare as well its second season as it did in its first. The finale airs this Sunday, June 25th on Showtime.

*CBS is releasing information on the 15 performers who will compete to become the lead singer of the newly formed rock group Supernova on next month's Rock Star: Supernova. The band features Motley Crue's Tommy Lee, Metallica's Jason Newsted and Guns N' Roses' Gilby Clarke. The winner of the competition will record an album with the group and go on tour next year. The 15 performers come from all over the world, including Iceland, Australia and Canada as well as all over the country. They are: Zayra Alvarez (Dallas), Dana Andrews (Augusta, GA), Magni Asgeirsson (Reykjavik, Iceland), Jenny Galt (Vancouver, BC), Jill Gioia (New York), Matt Hoffer (Chicago), Storm Large (Portland, OR), Josh Logan (Manchester, NH), Chris Pierson (Atlanta), Patrice Pike (Austin, TX), Toby Rand (Melbourne, Australia), Phil Ritchie (Ocean City, MD), Dilana Robichaux (Houston), Lukas Rossi (Toronto, ON) and Ryan Star (New York). Rock Star: Supernova will premiere July 5th, with twice-weekly airings on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. In other CBS news, more than 2.4 million of you in the first 18 hours logged on and voted for who you want to see in the upcoming Big Brother: All-Stars. Half of the 12 contestants in the house will come from viewers' votes. To see which of the former Big Brother contestants are vying for a spot and to cast your vote, click on over to cbs.com. The network will rebroadcast the casting special Saturday night and the All-Stars edition will premiere July 6th on CBS.

*And finally, you love the show and now you have an opportunity to join the Desperate Housewives, virtually that is. Buena Vista Games, Disney's interactive unit, is bringing the hit show to a PC near you and giving you the experience of being the latest housewife to move into Wisteria Lane. Users will be able to customize their look with different faces, body styles and clothing as well as the look of their home. The new computer game allows users to explore the neighborhood in order to unlock all of its residents' secrets. The game isn't expected to hit store shelves until the fall, but TheShowBuzz.com has photos from the game complete with a virtual Edie, Bree, Carlos and Gaby!

To get more of today's biggest TV news and headlines, visit the TV News section at PassTheRemote.Net.

That's all for today. Be sure to tune in Monday for thoughts on Sunday's new episode of The 4400 and the answer to this week's trivia question. Plus, all the latest television news!


To get more television coverage, including the network's new fall schedules and a complete archive of the best of Pass the Remote with a photo gallery featuring pictures from the set of Veronica Mars, click on over to PassTheRemote.net.

'Cold' Flashback Edition! Plus Fox Premiere Dates and Choose Your 'Brother" Contestants

Welcome to another flashback edition of Pass the Remote! I'll be taking a look at some "classic" episodes of Cold Case all summer long just as I will with fellow PTR favorites Veronica Mars and Everwood (stay tuned for the premiere of that flashback edition in a couple of weeks). Today we're going back to the very first season with a tale that closely mirrors the real-life 1995 "Texas Cadet Murder" (more on that later). First, let's examine the episode that introduced us to Scotty Valens, showed us a more playful side to Lilly and in hindsight, taught us that A.D.A. Kite really is an "Ivy League jerk." The episode also boasted one of the best soundtracks to date with songs like REO Speedwagon's "Keep On Lovin' You," Men at Work's "Who Can it be Now?," Foreigner's "Urgent" and Styx's "The Best of Times." Now I ask you, what 80s episode would be complete without something from Styx? Anyway, all of the screencaps that you see in this edition are courtesy of the Cold Case Source #1 site, a comprehensive fan site with photo galleries, recaps and much more.


Today's flashback, "Love Conquers Al," takes us back to a time when Cold Case was still trying to decide whether it wanted to stick to its guns and be a more psychological "whydunnit" show or give into critical panning that said it suffered from too obvious killers. Now, it seems to employ both tactics, which causes the show to win some and lose some. Personally, I always enjoyed the "whydunnit" cases more than the "whodunnits" because it's fascinating to delve into why someone would take another human being's life versus just solving the crime. Besides, if you're dealing with old cases that didn't have the benefit of DNA and other modern investigative procedures, then it fits that the "who" may be easily solved now, but figuring out just why he/she did it is not as easy. Such was the case with the sixth episode of the series. I wouldn't call the killers, Bennett and Jane, "obvious" doers, but they certainly were near the top of my list. The story centers on a high school track star, Paige Pratt, who was chased and gunned down in 1981 after she had a fling with a rival high school's popular and attached Bennett Cahill. Her boyfriend at the time, Al, went to prison for her murder, but modern day DNA evidence cleared him and he was released, leaving Paige's murder unsolved. This is also the episode where Lilly gets a new partner because her old one took a less intensive job due to a chronic illness. Enter Scotty Valens, who appears to be a womanizer when we first meet him because he takes one too many personal calls during the investigation, leading Lilly to conclude that he has a "complicated social life." Scotty is, well, cold toward working the cold cases, but he seems to warm up to them toward the end of the episode. Even though the detectives initially believed that in-crowd wannabe Will Harrell killed Paige because he had a "bitch killer," as he termed his gun back in '81, it soon became apparent that the motive was a good old fashioned love triangle. Love birds Bennett and Jane conspired to kill Paige after Jane learned about Bennett's indiscretion with the track star. In order to erase what he did with Paige, Jane convinced him that he must kill her to make it like it never happened. The most shocking element to the case is the fact that neither Bennett nor Jane, who are married to other people now, seem to have any remorse over what they did. Jane tells the detectives, "I don't think you're hearing me. He loved me so much, he committed murder." That's one cold beyotch! The case is very similar to the real-life 1995 "Texas Cadet Murder" where, according to TV.com, a couple conspired to kill a teenager after a cheating incident:

Upset that her boyfriend David Graham had cheated on her with 16-year-old Adrianne Jones, Diane Zamora convinced David to kill Adrianne to prove his love for her. On December 4th, 1995, David lured Adrianne out of her home and into his car where he later attacked her (with Diane in the backseat). Adrianne ran for her life only for David to catch up and ruthlessly shoot her to death.

The fact that this case, and many others on Cold Case, is rooted in a factual story makes it even sicker. Just wow.


The case alone was interesting and engrossing, but what pushes this episode to that special "classic" status is some of the other, lighter happenings. Along with meeting Scotty for the first time, we also meet A.D.A. Kite, who Lilly refers to as an "Ivy League jerk." Of course, he's only a "jerk" because he has the hots for her, but our poor little naive Lil isn't aware. The two meet up in the hallway where she grills him about not getting the warrant she needs for her case, and he banters back about her cases not being as pressing as current ones. It's clear from this very first onscreen encounter that Kite certainly makes Lilly nervous and completely knocks her off her game, a rare moment in the collected detective's repertoire. It's an interesting scene because it shows that Lilly is not the hardass that she has pretended to be up until this moment. It's also a funny scene because it leads to a great exchange between Scotty and the off-kilter Lilly:

Scotty: Who's that charmer?
Lilly: A.D.A. Kite. He's above the law.
Scotty: He ain't above checking you out.

This was the moment when I thought, "This Scotty guy is OK." Speaking of Scotty and his aforementioned "complicated social life," another great scene transpired while the gang was sitting around making love notes supposedly from Paige to her best friend while Scotty's busy cell phone kept ringing. The scene had Jeffries writing the letters while Lilly did "the fancy folding" to make the letters more authentic. The funniest part of the entire scene was when Jeffries turned another love letter over to Lil for folding, and she determined that it didn't have enough loops in the writing. Later when Lil went to give the letters to Jane (as a tactic to trap her and Bennett), she told Jane that she "highlighted the good parts." The two scenes showed us a more playful side to a character that up until this case, had only shown her harder one. The episode also employed a very clever tactic during the final interrogation scenes with Jane and Bennett. While each of them was speaking, a video camera trained on their faces was seen in the foreground of the shot. Inside the camera's viewfinder, we saw a younger version of Jane, while in the background of the shot, we saw the modern day, older one. It was quite impressive, and probably the show's most effective gimmick to date. All of these seemingly minor scenes contributed to the episode's overall appeal, and helped secure its place in the Cold Case classic territory. If you would like to see the episode for yourself or take a second look, cable channel TNT reruns the older episodes every Tuesday night at 11 p.m. Can't wait for it to cycle around again? Then join the Cold Case DVD Campaign. Help the show land on DVD by letting Warner Bros. know how much you want to see it on store shelves. Click on over to ColdCaseDVDs.com to learn how to help. And be sure to tune in to Pass the Remote next Thursday for a look at another classic CC episode.


QUICK CUTS

*Fox is rolling out its Fall 2006 schedule early in an attempt to get a jump on the upcoming season's ratings race. Last year's big hit Prison Break will lead the pack with its August 21st premiere, followed by new intrigue show Vanished at 9 p.m. Bones will kick off its second season on August 30th, followed by new show Justice at 9 p.m. Look for runaway hit House to return September 5th and the network's Sunday line-up to return September 10th (sans King of the Hill, which will return at mid-season). Teen soap The O.C. won't be back until after Fox wraps its MLB coverage in November. To see all of Fox's premiere plans, click on over to The Futon Critic.

*CBS needs your help deciding which of the 20 contestants revealed during last night's Big Brother: All-Stars casting special should make it into the house this season. Of the 20 former Big Brother houseguests, only 12 will make the final cut. So, who gets to compete for the $500,000? That's up to you. The network is hosting an opportunity for viewers to play casting agents for the reality series through its official web site. You can click over there to read up on each of the contestants, including "why you should vote for me" text and video, and then vote for your favorites. The polls will close next Wednesday, June 28th at 11:59 p.m. (EST), and the 12 winning contestants will be announced on the season premiere July 6th on CBS. If you missed last night's casting special, the network will rerun it this Saturday, June 24th at 8 p.m.

*And finally, ABC is premiering its new summer competition show Master of Champions tonight (8 p.m.). According to the official press release, "Each week six competitors with some of the worlds most unique talents face off in this one-hour competition to determine who is the best of the best. Our studio audience will pare the contestants down to three, who will then face the Panel of Champions for the final selection of one as the next Master of Champions!" The Panel consists of baseball legend Steve Garvey and Olympic medalists Oksana Baiul and Jonny Moseley.

To get more of today's biggest TV news and headlines, visit the TV News section at PassTheRemote.Net.

That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for that exclusive interview with a recording artist who has written and produced more than 250 songs for television and film to get his take on the relationship between a hit series and music, his experience with Don Henley and much, much more! Plus, another installment of Friday Fun: Summer Style and all the latest television news!



To get more television coverage, including the network's new fall schedules and a complete archive of the best of Pass the Remote with a photo gallery featuring pictures from the set of Veronica Mars, click on over to PassTheRemote.net.

Numbers 28-26 of PTR's Best Episodes! Plus Another Talent Show Hits the Airwaves and the Ads You Remember

Pass the Remote's

Best Episodes of '05-'06

Well, we're into week 2 of the summer-long countdown of Pass the Remote's 1st Annual Best Episodes of the Season. For those who are new to the countdown, here's a refresher on the rules I employed for selecting the 31 episodes that make up this list. All of the shows and their episodes are from NETWORK television only, meaning that I did not take any cable series into consideration (since I only watch a few and felt that it would be unfair). All episodes aired between September 2005 and June 2006. Each episode that made the final list moved me in some way; either by making me laugh out loud, cry my eyes out or just left me with that "wow" feeling that stays with you for a few days. So basically, it's completely subjective! As I said above, this is a summer-long countdown, so I will reveal a few episodes every week all summer until we reach the #1 episode of the past season. So, be sure to tune in each Wednesday to see the next episodes to make the list. Today, we're going to look at #28-26.


28: "The Unusual Suspect" - CSI
Most of this crime drama's episodes are pure entertainment and nothing else, but every once in a while, one strikes a cord and lands on a "Best of" list. Such is the case with this episode about a murdered high school girl. The story really isn't about the teenager, but rather the brother and sister team who both claim to be responsible for her murder. Both say they acted alone and that the other sibling is simply covering for them. The entire act comes to a head in the opening scene of the episode when younger sister Hannah (a child genius) stands up in the middle of her brother Marlon's trial and declares that she's the real killer, and she has the blood on her shirt to prove it. The trial is suspended and the CSIs go to work to determine which sibling is the real culprit. Everything seems to point to Hannah, except her small stature. The courtroom stunt and the CSIs' lack of evidence causes enough reasonable doubt for the jury to deliver a "Not Guilty" verdict for Marlon. With her small build, the CSIs find it impossible to prove that Hannah killed the high schooler as well, allowing both the siblings to walk away. The episode's most shocking moment happens at the end. Hannah reveals to Sara that she didn't kill the girl, but she took the wrap for her brother because she knew she would get a lighter sentence if convicted. It was a jolting moment that firmly placed this episode on the list. Written by Allen MacDonald and directed by Alec Smight. The screen cap from the episode is courtesy of Juliette-Goglia.net.


27: "Fault" - Law & Order: SVU
They could have renamed this episode "Let's Give Them Something to Talk About" because its shocking implications regarding the relationship between partners Stabler and Benson certainly kept tongues wagging and fingers typing across the TV universe! From the ubiquitous promo ads, it looked like the episode's shocker would come in the form of Olivia's injury. Turns out, that was only a minor part of this one. The first shocker came around the same time when we learned that the kidnapper had killed one of the two siblings he was holding right in the middle of the train station. The tragedy led Stabler to question his judgment call because he chose to stop and help the stabbed Olivia over saving the boy. Later in the episode, the roles were reversed and Olivia had to choose between saving her partner and finding the little girl. In an emotional scene, the two partners tried to talk the situation out, with Stabler telling her to shoot the suspect and get the girl without worrying about him. No matter how hard she tried, Olivia couldn't do it. Luckily the SWAT team came in and ended the crisis, but it left both detectives shaken about their choices. Do they have feelings for each other beyond friendship? Maybe, but the critical point of the episode was that the possibility is there and that made for some very interesting television. Written by Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas and directed by Paul McCrane.


26: "Sanctuary" - Cold Case
Keeping with the crime show theme, the 26th Best Episode of the '05-'06 Season belongs to TV's best example of the genre. In a moving tale about a drug mule found murdered in the streets of Philly, we learned a little more about the character of Scotty Valens. We knew that he lied to his partner Lilly last year about dating her sister, but we didn't know that it was a pattern for him. Back in 1998, he worked undercover with a drug cartel that allowed him to get a little too close to one of the drug mules - Ana. Turns out, that "closeness" is what indirectly led to her death. Ana figured out that Scotty was a cop after he gave her his phone number in case of an emergency. After taking a "cookie" of drugs with her to hold for ransom for her passport and pay, Ana wound up on the run from the powerful drug lords, so she called Scotty. Unfortunately, she didn't get him. She got his boss who told her that he couldn't help her. He didn't want to compromise his undercover investigation of this cartel, so when Ana then showed up for help, he turned her away and right into the arms of the two people who would end up taking her life over that cookie. It was a sad, tragic case that was made even more so by Scotty's involvement and the ending shot of the inconspicuous drug cookie hidden in the Virgin Mary statue at the church where Ana had originally sought sanctuary. Written by Steve Sharlet and directed by Alex Zakrzewski.

So, there's a closer look at #28-26. Next week, we'll crack the top 25 with three more episodes on the list. What did you think about #28-26? Do you agree? Disagree? Drop me a comment with your thoughts. If you missed #31-29 or just want to revisit them, click HERE. And be sure to tune in next week for the next set of episodes!

QUICK CUTS

*TV TONIGHT: NBC rolls out its new talent competition America's Got Talent (9 p.m. - 11 p.m.) from producer Simon Cowell with host Regis Philbin, and CBS airs a casting special for the upcoming Big Brother 7 that will reveal the 20 contestants in the all-star edition (8 p.m.). For more on what to watch tonight, visit the TV Listings area of PassTheRemote.net.

*And finally, more people remember ads that see online than those they see on television according to a new ABC study. The network puts episodes from its popular shows on its web site. Fans can view episodes of shows such as Lost, Desperate Housewives and Alias for free, but the streaming video includes commercials just like traditional television broadcasts. Over a 2-month trial, ABC found that in the first week alone, 87% of people remembered the products they saw advertised during the online broadcast; a startling 47% more than can recall those that they see while watching the shows over the television.

To get more of today's biggest TV news and headlines, visit the TV News section at PassTheRemote.Net.

That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for a Flashback Edition featuring another Pass the Remote favorite! Plus, all the latest television news. And coming this Friday, an exclusive interview with an artist who has written and produced more than 250 songs for television and film, including a Pass the Remote favorite! Find out his take on the relationship between a hit series and music, his experience with Don Henley and much, much more! That's Friday on Pass the Remote.


To get more television coverage, including the network's new fall schedules and a complete archive of the best of Pass the Remote with a photo gallery featuring pictures from the set of Veronica Mars, click on over to PassTheRemote.net.

Flashback to 'Mars:' Pilot! Plus Hall of Fame Inductees and the Amy Awards

Since it's summer and we're not getting any new episodes of our favorite shows, I thought it would be fun to revisit some old favorites. All summer long, I'll be discussing "classic" episodes of your favorite shows like Cold Case, Everwood and today's entry Veronica Mars. So while you're holed up in your air conditioned homes and work places trying to keep from being overcome by this tremendous heat, you can sit back and let your mind take a vacation to Nostalgia Lane with these oldie but goodie episodes. I'll be discussing old VM episodes every Tuesday, so be sure to tune in each week for these classic memories. Today, we're going all the way back to the beginning with the episode that started it all.


As a rule, pilots tend to be one of the weaker episodes of a series' franchise. They're designed to introduce you to the characters, their history and to set up future story lines, so the whole process tends to resemble an assembly line. Fortunately, most viewers realize this fact and tune in for future episodes before they decide to keep or dump a new show. No such process was needed with Veronica Mars. The show was off to a running start with so much intrigue and interesting characters that it was impossible not to be hooked from the very first frame of video, and this is why the Pilot episode of VM is still one of my all-time favorite episodes from this series. We meet Veronica as she's staking out Neptune's seediest motel: The Camelot. She's trying to find out who software billionaire Jake Kane is meeting for a little rendezvous instead of going home to his wife and son. The next thing we know, we're transplanted into the world of Neptune High School where we, along with Veronica, meet Wallace for the first time. We're suddenly very aware that the same girl scoping out the seedy Camelot Motel is just your average high school girl who's struggling to survive in the adolescent world of bully or be bullied. Veronica refuses to participate in either, so she often finds herself on the wrong side of most of the school's cliques. Yes, Neptune High is high school at its crappy best, and Veronica is the voice of the unpopular. But things didn't used to be this way for her. She used to be popular and she used to date one of Neptune High's most eligible: Duncan Kane, son of that software billionaire Veronica was tracking in the opening scene.



Veronica's fall from grace, if you will, is not your typical high school story. Her best friend Lilly Kane (yes, of the infamous Kanes) was murdered at her parents' backyard swimming pool, but what took Veronica from the world of the "09ers" to ridiculed high school student was her sheriff father's investigation that pointed right back to Jake Kane. Her mother skipped out on the family, Duncan skipped out on Veronica and things went from bad to worse at school with the culmination taking place at Shelly Pomroy's end of the year bash where Veronica was drugged and raped. Meanwhile, there was a new sheriff in town and he quickly arrested a former Kane Software employee, Able Kuntz, for the murder of Lilly Kane, but Veronica and Keith knew it was all too good to be true. So, who killed Lilly Kane? That was the central mystery of season 1, and one of the most gripping and engrossing questions that television has ever asked. Its answer was as complex as this show's intricate storytelling, and I mean that in a good way. And who raped Veronica at Shelly Pomroy's party? This is another complex answer that will surprise you twice (although, you'll have to wait for season two for the second surprise). These two questions from the pilot led to one of the best seasons of any show in the history of television and they took viewers for quite a ride! Let's not forget the show's first question, what is going on at The Camelot between Jake Kane and a mystery woman and who is the mystery woman? Even this question will manage to take you by surprise. The Pilot is beautiful, haunting, moving, funny and inspiring all in one, and it's a definite "Can't Miss" for anyone who enjoys quality television. You can view the pilot episode for yourself by purchasing the season 1 DVD set. If you'd like to try something a little cheaper, check your local library. Fans of the show have been donating DVD sets of season 1 to local libraries across the country. You can also rent the set from Netflix. All of the screen caps in this edition are from a wonderful site called VM-Caps.com, which has screen caps from every Mars episode to date!


In other Mars news, you have a chance to meet the "Men From Mars!" That's right, the fan-run site Cloudwatchers is raffling off two weekend passes (courtesy of Booster Entertainment) to the BE Blowout at the Burbank Hilton in Burbank, California. The event takes place from August 18th-20th and features Mars' Jason Dohring (Logan), Michael Muhney (Sheriff Lamb) and Francis Capra (Weevil). Each raffle ticket will only set you back $10, and all of the money will go toward Cloudwatchers' DVD Campaign. The winning passes will get you:

An autograph from all regular headlining guests, assigned seating, admission to all question and answer sessions, commentaries, fan panels, dance and all other free events. Also included in this package is a Men are From Mars photo shoot, with Jason Dohring, Francis Capra, Michael Muhney and the two winning attendees. Both attendees will receive a copy of the photo.

So, what are you waiting for? Click on over to Cloudwatchers' Raffle Site and purchase as many tickets as you want. The raffle closes August 1st. This is a great way to help the show reach more viewers! For more on the event, visit Booster Entertainment.

QUICK CUTS

*Actor William Shatner, former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw, sitcom director James Burrows (Taxi, Friends, Will & Grace), TV producer Leonard Goldberg and host Regis Philbin are the latest inductees into the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences' Hall of Fame. The organization, which is also responsible for the famed Emmy Awards, chooses its inductees based on "a lifetime of excellence and [it] is a special recognition for those who have made significant contributions that will leave an indelible mark on the television business" according to chairman Dick Askin, who made the announcement Monday. Askin went on to say, "This year's inductees have each helped shape our industry and serve as inspiration for everyone involved in our business. It is an honor to recognize their careers and we are pleased to welcome them into our Hall of Fame."

*And finally, it's time for you to nominate your favorite shows and stars for the annual Amy Awards at Zap2it. The 12 categories, chosen from your submissions last week, include Floor, Please Give Me My Jaw Back (a.k.a. Most Shocking Moment), Let's Lemon Law This (a.k.a. Worst Show), They May Take Our Shows But They'll Never Take Our Love for Them (a.k.a. Show that Ended/Was Canceled Way Too Soon), I Wouldn't Buy That If It Was on Sale (a.k.a. Worst Story line or Plot Twist), The Awards Shows Don't Love You But We Do (a.k.a. Most Underrated Cast or Actor) and It's Like a Freaking Car Wreck (a.k.a. Best Guilty Pleasure). You can nominate up to 5 shows/stars for each category and the top nomination getters will vie for the category next week. The nomination process closes this Thursday, June 22nd at 9 p.m. (EST), so get those submissions in!

To get more of today's biggest TV news and headlines, visit the TV News section at PassTheRemote.Net.

That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for the next set of PTR's Best Episodes of the '05-'06 TV Season! We'll take a close look at numbers 28-26 on the list that feature a pint-sized suspect, clouded judgment and withholding pertinent information. Plus, all the latest television news! And coming later this week, an exclusive interview with an artist who has written and produced more than 250 songs for television and film, including a Pass the Remote favorite! Find out his take on the relationship between a hit series and music, his experience with Don Henley and much, much more! That's later this week on Pass the Remote.


To get more television coverage, including the network's new fall schedules and a complete archive of the best of Pass the Remote with a photo gallery featuring pictures from the set of Veronica Mars, click on over to PassTheRemote.net.

'The 4400' Does a Double Take! Plus a Casting 'Break,' 'Veronica' DVD News and the 'Lost' Author

So maybe the season premiere was off to a somewhat rocky start if you ask 4400 purists, but last night's episode put it right back on track! I was completely engrossed in the story just as I had always been in the previous two seasons. What makes The 4400 so good is its storytelling, and boy did it weave an excellent tale last night. I'm starting to get X-Files vibes from this show, and that's a very good thing. As I said last week after the premiere, the thing that never ceases to amaze me is the way the writers keep the story evolving in order to keep it fresh. Last night, they did just that with a 4400 who had the ability to morph his appearance into anyone he chose. First, he morphed into Tom, but he also took on Marco and Diana. This 4400, Boyd Gelder, caused the most damage when he posed as Tom and shot and killed fellow 4400 and Nova member T.J. Kim, who NTAC had in custody. The murder was designed to keep NTAC from getting any useful information from Kim, and it made Tom a wanted man. It was a great device because I spent the entire episode trying to figure out who to trust and who was simply Boyd dressed up in Tom, Diana or Marco's appearances. I wasn't even sure what was going on at first, so I initially thought that Tom had been brainwashed or was suffering from the same black outs as his son Kyle. The truth was much better!


It really sucked to be Alana in this episode. She unexpectedly encounters the two "Toms" at her art gallery, so she and the real Tom come up with a password so she'll know that she's with the real Tom in the future. The next time she sees "Tom," he's at her back door and he knows the password. I so thought it was the real Tom and the lack of a key was in there to throw us off. I mean, he knew the frickin' password! Luckily, Alana was more suspicious and didn't let him in. When the two Toms began wrestling in that living room, I had no idea which one was Tom and which was Boyd. Again, Alana's smarts came in as she remembered hitting Boyd on the side of his head with a vase; therefore, the Tom with the bleeding wound was the fake Tom. Meanwhile, things heated up between Shawn and Isabelle (as if we all didn't see that coming). It's interesting that mean guy wants Isabelle to get involved with Shawn. He's clearly plotting some sort of takeover of some sorts. I still don't believe that whatever he told Isabelle is the truth. I think he's taking advantage of her naivety in order to manipulate her into furthering his cause. I just can't figure out what he's up to yet, but as is the case with all of these intrigue shows, I'm good with not knowing for now. The fun comes in letting these shows reveal themselves to you on their own sweet time. As usual, all of the pictures in today's edition are from the show's official web site where you can also find blogs from the production staff and the music producer along with videos, a forum and much more. What did you think about last night's episode of The 4400? Leave me a comment with your thoughts.

QUICK CUTS

*Actor William Fichtner is joining the cast of Fox's Prison Break. The actor, last known for his creepy Sheriff Underlay on ABC's cancelled Invasion, will play the federal agent in charge of finding Michael, Lincoln and the other escapees. Shooting for Prison Break's second season begins this week in Dallas.

*We're getting more details on Veronica Mars' second season DVD release. The 6-disc set will include additional scenes, a day on the set of VM, Veronica Mars: Not Your Average Teen Detective and a gag reel according to tvshowsondvd.com. You can click over to their site to check out the back cover art. Veronica Mars: The Complete Second Season hits stores August 22nd.

*The writer for Lost's literary spin-off Bad Twin is no longer a mystery. According to Variety (via TVGuide.com), thriller writer/ghostwriter Laurence Shames authored the novel that was supposedly written by by an ill-fated passenger of Oceanic Flight 815 on the popular show. The manuscript for the book has been spotted on the show with castaway Sawyer reading it before Jack destroyed it. You can purchase your own copy of the best seller at amazon.com.

*And finally, it's TV on DVD Monday! Look for the 5th season of The King of Queens to hit store shelves tomorrow along with Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (season 3), Married... with Children (season 5), The Mary Tyler Moore Show (season 4), NewsRadio (season 4) and NYPD Blue (season 4). To see a list of all of tomorrow's releases, visit tvshowsondvd.com.

To get more of today's biggest TV news and headlines, visit the TV News section at PassTheRemote.Net.

That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for a new weekly Veronica Mars feature that revisits some old favorites. Plus, all the latest television news!


To get more television coverage, including the network's new fall schedules and a complete archive of the best of Pass the Remote with a photo gallery featuring pictures from the set of Veronica Mars, click on over to PassTheRemote.net.