An Ode To Timeless

In a time when there are countless options for a television buff to choose from, it is equally as difficult for a show to stand-out from the rest during this Peak TV era.  You have favorites across all the genres – be it your choice in doctor shows, lawyer shows, cop shows, horror shows, science fiction shows, “case of the week” shows, or even familiarity in one of the current reboots/revivals.  The true question is how many of these time investments regularly leave us with something of more substance or something that rises above the clutter?
     You’d probably be looking for something that can at times be simple, but at other times be complicated.  What if it could also be funny, sad, sweet, exciting, sentimental, romantic, mysterious, adventurous, inspirational, and it promised to put its multi-layered characters in impossible situations that continuously strengthens their appeal?  It will even avoid cheap tropes by coming up against them and then taking a creative and sometimes unexpected turn.  And it will do it all in a tasteful, grounded, heart-warming way.  The never-say-die series Timeless puts that all together before even adding their refreshing genre elements and a social significance to the equation.  The show is something different, but important, amongst the television landscape and its unique connection with its fan base begins with the fact that it has something for everyone.  Think of your favorite aspects from the shows that do it best - the action, the adventure, the drama, the humor, the family, the love, the surprises, the twists - and blend it with the exploration of some of America's most historic events and most heroic figures through the unique lens of time travel.
     To co-creators Eric Kripke’s (Supernatural) and Shawn Ryan’s (The Shield) credit, time travel is merely a tool that is used as a story-telling device that allows bigger themes to play out in situations that continuously find creative ways to ask the question, "Do the ends justify the means?" It's endearing to watch different characters struggle with this in different ways, like during a debate on whether to stop the assassination of Abraham Lincoln (because they know it is coming) or to let history play out the way it had because there’s no way to understand the ramification that such a change could have on everything else that would come to follow in the world.  Cue well-crafted monologues about destiny, fate, sacrifice, and whether things are meant-to-be, then compound that drama with a steady parade of impossible choices.
     Timeless may have partially set out to use time travel as a necessary hook to differentiate itself to potential viewers, but something interesting happened along the way.  As the show's brain trust continued to tell compelling, engaging, exciting stories from all different time periods, they began to parlay the good will they were building with tales about some of the most important, but socially underrepresented, events and figures from our nation’s history.  Take the somewhat untold tale of the woman who created the first X-ray in 1819 or the story of Wendell Scott, a black race car driver in the 1950s who won a significant race but was kept out of the record books because they “didn't give black people trophies back then”.  Then there is "The Day That Reagan Was Shot" which is an inspirational and heart-warming story that brings forward a woman’s internal struggle with her sexuality and how embracing the truth would impact her family, all unfolding over the course of that infamous day. 
     With each new time jump comes the need for each locale to feel real, genuine and authentic; which unintentionally serves as a showcase of the talent on the costume and set design teams.  Their tireless efforts produce a full-blown “period piece” week in and week out that makes these temporary worlds feel real.  The production value with each episode gives a definitive feature film feel to each mission, making each episode a self-contained event that is still able to be part of a larger story.
     Balancing the grandness of it all is the light-hearted humor, mostly on display when the “Time Team” name drops people, places, and things from current pop culture that someone from history would clearly not know of.  There’s something amusing about watching the team work references into their conversation with someone who clearly wouldn’t have heard of Budweiser beer, Neil Armstrong, an iPhone, or the Beatles because these things haven’t come to be yet.  Other times, some of the make-you-smile moments come from historical cameos - like Muddy Waters dropping by in an Blues episode about “Crossroads” singer Robert Johnson or the excitement of a waitress when she brought over the brand new "Pabst" beer that just won a "Blue Ribbon".
     When you package these dynamics with the writing, the directing, the actors’ delivery, the music, the lighting, the look and feel, and the genuine chemistry amongst the cast, you get an entity that has created one of the most avid fan bases in recent memory.  Fans have connected with the show so intimately for one, some, or all the reasons mentioned.  Some of them have even found a sense of purpose in a full-blown, multi-faceted campaign to get more episodes made, not only for their entertainment but because they believe in the societal significance that these stories have and how much they need to be told the way they are being told.  The Timeless fan base (aka ClockBlockers) has always maintained that the show itself is bigger than the sum of its parts and have even created Lucy's Lifeboat Drive to donate to children in underfunded schools, who are incarcerated across the U.S., and minors separated from their families at the border.  In a similar way, The Smithsonian has recognized the show for the honest and fresh way it showcases such significant moments in our history and how sincere the story-telling is.    

Past fan campaigns have included direct gift mailings to executives at major networks and streaming outlets, distribution of #SaveTimeless lifesaver rolls to hotel rooms at the Television Critics Association Awards, and awareness events/stunts where fans of the show have shelled out tens of thousands of their own hard-earned money to promote the show.  None of this compare, though, to the fund-raising efforts that yielded a two-helicopter flyover at this past year's San Diego Comic Con asking networks to pick up the cancelled show.  Now, they’ve purchased two different digital billboards in Times Square promoting a rewatch campaign on Hulu and the "final chapters" coming up at Christmas time.  The hope is that with additional traffic driven to the existing episodes archived on Hulu and with enough live (or live+delayed) viewers on December 20th, a new network will give the show a full third season.
      Fan outcry brought the show back after the cancellation at the end of its first season and it has been widely cited that the forthcoming two-part wrap-up is a direct result from their continuous effort – an ode to the fans, if you will.  As executives continue to look for a new home to continue the Timeless story, a rumored $4M cost per episode assumes to be one of the biggest challenges to overcome.  And it doesn’t help that after the first cancellation and fan-driven revival, the ratings were only about on par with those that led to its original cancellation.
     While Timeless began by setting up a grand mystery (with its fair share of twists and turns) and slowly unraveling it across its 16-episode first season, the show expanded the scale/scope with a whole new dynamic in the second season premiere and then again in what served as the series finale (at that time).  There is no doubt that the Season 2 finale left everyone wanting more and two more hours may not be enough to give fans complete closure.  The shame is that when evaluated on its merits, Timeless has a little bit of the best elements from every type of show, often in the context of just one forty-five-minute episode.  It may never get the full run it deserves, but in the meantime, its created a fan-base that has found unity in their battle to get the show the recognition and voice that it merits.

History In The Making

A lot of people like to talk about something happening now as if it is one of the greatest things in history, but the dictionary definition of the word history requires one to step back and evaluate things from a distance - evaluate things that are in the past.  History is defined as something that you cannot appreciate in the moment.  The Disney purchase of Fox, but more specifically Marvel Studios re-acquiring the rights to make X-Men and Fantastic Four movies, is immediately a game-changer for the industry but more than that, it will one day cement Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige in cinematic history as a true pioneer.  What he has done already is something that others have tried, and failed, to replicate - building a world that has all of the best components of most stand-alone movies and franchises while also building a brand that is consistently churning out high quality products at a higher quality return.  And Disney’s new acquisition has given him the ability to make the last decade look like somewhat of a warmup act.

What is somewhat curious, or maybe an even bigger credit to Feige, is that when he planted the first seed almost ten years ago, it was with the well-known, but lesser idolized property Iron Man.  It had to be hard for any outsider to predict that the charismatic, perfectly cast Robert Downey Jr would not only set the tone/stakes for the 17 movies (to date) that have followed, but that he would set the bar for how well-rounded and wide-appealing a superhero movie can truly be.  Even Downey Jr or Feige could not have imagined the wild success that has unfolded since, but that success also comes with the constant pressure to continuously top themselves in size and scope, without sacrificing the heart that has driven their quality.

While Iron Man started as a stand-alone movie with a solid script that was elevated by great performances and creative directorial work, it ended with an after-credits scene that involved everyone’s new favorite hero being approached by a comic-book famous authority figure about joining a team.  From there, a world was built brick by brick.  The Incredible Hulk had some growing pains as Feige got his feet under him trying to figure out how to balance the quality of each individual film with the rollout of each piece to his puzzle.   Then Thor got his character’s trilogy kicked off with a quality entry before Captain America was introduced to complete the slow burn towards the first MCU Saga entry The Avengers.  And all of the good will that was built up by each individual entity resulted in the 5th highest grossing movie all time (with the later Avengers: Age Of Ultron right behind it at 7th).  With that, the first phase of what figures to be Feige’s life work was complete and he had earned enough credibility to begin to expand and to take chances.  And as each calculated risk paid off one by one, he was able to go bigger and wider into the corners of the Marvel universe - ask yourself, “what percentage of people had heard of the Guardians of the Galaxy before their film engrossed fans (and their money)?”.  Ten years and seventeen films later, the next Avengers two-part entry will include every main character that has been portrayed on screen in the MCU to date - the potential for upwards of 67 different characters.

Marvel and Feige’s foothold in the industry is heavily driven by their ability to weave comic book elements and themes into a live-action portrayal and story-telling that rarely seems too childish or too cartoony, but also rarely seems to get too dark or too gloomy. They’re almost supernatural movies that are somehow grounded in what feels like it could be real life.  It’s Universal and DC’s inability to operate in the area between extremes that continue to keep them significantly behind and unfortunately for them, Marvel has used the stronghold that they’ve gained in the good will department to venture deeper into character-driven stories and other-worldly odysseys that are now proving that they can put forth somewhat artistic products, too.  Take the recent Taika Waititia visually-stunning space comedy-adventure Thor: Ragnorok or genre movies like the forthcoming dark, gritty based Black Panther that takes mainly place in the fictional African nation of Wakanda.  There are even reports of taking these “genre stories with superhero elements” in another new direction with next year’s Ant Man and The Wasp being deemed a pseudo-romantic comedy.  

As more and more Oscar Winners and A-list celebrities join the Marvel family, it seems that the the opportunity to work within your own individual film, and potential franchise, but yet also be part of something bigger, continues to be the main draw.  An actor or actress has the ability to work on a film that might whet their personal appetite and where they can still be the star of the show, creating a fanbase devoted to their portrayal of an a comic book icon.  But as flattering and overwhelming as some of the fandom can be, it is also the opportunity to play in a bigger pond with the leads from each individual story thread, and the brotherhood/sisterhood of stars that come along with it, that is consistently driving appeal across the industry.  What Feige has been able to do is weave impactful characters in and out of stories, somewhat connecting their individual stories to other individual stories (“chapters”, if you will) or to entire over-arching narratives.  It also enables them to cross-pollinate in an effort to create more fun, buzz and excitement, or simply to draw varied audiences into one theater for their “team-up” movies.  

Recent efforts by other studios to replicate the success of the MCU have proven troublesome, with certain franchises stumbling with quality writing or directing while others struggle with a simple lack of interest in their product/characters.  It’s hard to argue that a retelling of The Mummy or the gangster-style Suicide Squad featuring characters like Deadshot, Enchantress, and Killer Croc compare to history-rich characters like Captain America, Thor, and now even Spider-Man.  What remains to be seen is if the smaller gap in quality between the MCU and the FOX franchises was only there because of Marvel Studios’ better vision, better writers, and better directors.  With the X-Men and Fantastic Four now being handed back to Feige, the word visionary would be common-place if he is able to bring those extremely popular characters into his world with the quality and success that he has shown just with the toys he’s already had.

Within the latest groupings of movies, Marvel has opened eyes to the world of magic through Doctor Stranger and other worlds through the Guardians and the most recent seasons of ABC Television tie-in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.  The possibilities for Feige to reboot and recast any individual entity, and the breadth of storylines he can now choose from, do literally seem endless.  Think of a Deadpool/Spider-Man mashup.  Or a Fantastic Four/Guardians of the Galaxy tie-in.  And of course, what is on everyone’s mind, the inevitable demand for an epic Avengers versus X-Men film.  Feige has already done something that has never been seen before, and by the time he steps away, it will be difficult not to look at a his legacy as something that may never be seen again.

UPDATED 2/23/18 c/o Mark Olsen at the LA Times:    

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-black-panther-last-jedi-artisanal-blockbuster-20180223-story.html

A Reason To Believe

After their 9th come from behind victory in their first 27 games, this one after being down 2-0 with nobody on in the ninth against the defending World Champion Chicago Cubs, it is getting harder and harder to deny that there is something special brewing in the clubhouse at 161^st Street in the Bronx.  It is easy for the casual Yankees fan and even many of the casual baseball fans in general, to jump on the excitement train steamrolling towards what was widely considered an improbable feat before that first pitch of the new season was thrown on April 2^nd.  And that feeling of improbability might have even been paired with a sense of disappointment when the Yankees began the season 1-4.

But something changed with their first win of the comeback nature, a 4-run ninth inning rally in Baltimore, something that was hard to foresee snowballing into the type of pedigree that they now display day in and day out.  The type of pedigree predicated on poise, excitement, and belief.  There’s a famous mantra that seems to be in play here – “winning breeds confidence and confidence breeds winning”.  Clearly these 2017 Yankees already believe that they are never out of a game (honestly how many teams truly believe that they are), but they scratch, they claw, they battle and now they walk to the plate with the expectation that they will be the team shaking hands in the infield when all is said and done.  

Considering their other recent late-game victories this week, being down 9-1 (then 11-4) last Friday and then spotting the Blue Jays a 4-run lead on Wednesday, it’s easy to use terms like

“special” and “magic”.  But don’t kid yourselves; the Yankees aren’t going to win 120 games.  In fact, the best regular-season team in the history of baseball even lost about 3 out of every 10.  However, there is something different about the way these Yankees play baseball and THAT can allow you to believe in the possibilities.  In other words, they are not winning like this by accident. These Yankees take pitches and wear down pitchers.  They hit for average, get on base, and find ways to get runners in.  They are bashing homeruns (come on down Aaron Judge), but are not relying on them.  They play defense and they pitch you into the ground late in the game.  And now, they are playing with a little swagger. 

The Yankees are still at least one top-end starting pitcher away from being a true contender, but the surprising start and  potential sustainability could push General Manager Brian Cashman to use some of the draft picks he’s stockpiled away to give these Yankees a chance to compete for the ultimate prize.  They, as strange as it may sound, are built and managed to be this good.  It’s just that no one knew if and when, and everyone still might not know, how good.

What Lies Beneath

Through the years, they are best known for their legendary rock anthems, sold out arena tours, and even the occasional pop ballad that is recognizable to the general public. But what Bon Jovi (and main writer/lead singer now known as Jon Bon Jovi) are not generally applauded for is the lyrical depth to their music and the range and harmonies in their vocals. With their new album The House Is Not For Sale due out October 21st, you won’t hear a drastically different overall sound, but a more intellectual music fan should once again be able to appreciate some creative and smart lyricism, specifically considering many of the words written describe the recent break-up then make-up with Mercury Records and sort of rebirth as a different band. Certainly some of the changes were simply personnel adjustments after Richie Sambora (co-writer of most of the aforementioned classics like “Livin’ On A Prayer”, “Wanted Dead Or Alive”, and “It’s My Life”) left the band after 30 years.
     But Bon Jovi serves its die-hard fans with a combo platter of big hits, popular “B-Sides” like “Lay Your Hands On Me” or “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead” or “Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen From Mars”, and some lesser known emotionally-driven songs that, as one lyric states, were more than music/They were pictures from the soul. It is a bit too easy to declare many artists a great singer-songwriter and maybe some of the credit that is commonly doled out is given because of the ability to write a radio hit. But a deeper look at some of the work from those folks tells a different story. Pull up the lyrics to you-know-who’s “Bad Blood” or “Shake It Off” and reconsider your expectations for next-level songwriting.
    Then take a look at some songs that describe life in a way that feels like the artist is painting a picture for you that you didn’t know how to necessarily envision. Bon Jovi’s “While My Guitar Lies Bleeding In My Arms” talks about depression or loneliness by writing Misery likes company/I like the way that sounds/I've been trying to find the meaning/so I can write it down/Staring out the window, it's such a long way down/I'd like to jump, but I'm afraid to hit the ground. Or their song “Dry County” that speaks of hope and determination with I came here like so many did to find a better life/To find my piece of easy street/To finally be alive/And I know nothing good comes easy/All good things take some time/I made my bed I'll lie in it/To die in it's the crime. But love songs are loves songs with any superstar 80’s born hair-then-rock band and even some of their most famous ballads offer a little depth like in “Bed of Roses” and 'Cause a bottle of vodka/Is still lodged in my head/And some blonde gave me nightmares/I think that she's still in my bed/As I dream about movies/They won't make of me when I'm dead.
     Not only can the band write songs that might reach fans and listeners more than the average rock hit, but the underrated range and natural emotion in Jon’s voice brings an additional element to the foundation that is the writing and production of some of their catalog. Some might actually feel the pain of someone trying to find anyone to fill the loneliness after a night at the bar in “These Arms Are Open All Night” or maybe the fears of someone hearing the truth when he feels that he can’t provide for his partner in “Lie To Me” is something one can relate to. Or for the quieter folk, “Amen” tries to to share the short story of a man that feels blessed to have found the one he has.
     It seems that over the last three decades this man, and this band, has had something worth saying and they continue to try to do so with new albums and new tours every couple of years. Many know them for something you can hear on your local pop rock station, but few know them for being top-notch writers and singers. A quick look below the surface tells a much different story, sort of like the different one they’ve been telling throughout their career.

The Voice

In the Pop Culture and Sports world, there are a few industries that have a hard time differentiating some of their major personalities or talents from one another. In many cases there is almost nothing separating the ones at the pinnacle of their respective fields, as once you reach a certain level in Hollywood or in the Arena, everyone can tend to fall into easily categorized buckets.  In recent pasts it’s been small comparisons the likes of Letterman vs Leno, Brady vs Manning, Pacino vs De Niro, or for the comic book fans currently obsessing over the next Marvel movie - Team Cap or Team Stark.  Each pick comes with extremely subtle differences that separate the two, with no right or wrong answer, when it comes to success in their respective roles.  In the television broadcaster arena the difficult differentiation is just as evident, as it would be surprising if the majority of people could tell you who the current lead news anchor for ABC,NBC, or CBS is.  But in the sports broadcaster segment specifically, where there are tens of thousands of radio stations nationwide, there comes a point where almost every single one of the “talking heads” eventually all sound the same.  Sure there are a few polarizing personalities that garner some national attention, but most continue to be lost in the white noise of the sports broadcasting and more specifically, the sports talk radio, universe.  In what some might call a bit of irony, the one voice that does do it a little different, a little smarter, and is just simply a little better than the rest, is one that helped build the sports journalism industry when coming up through the ranks of the ESPN lore. 

Dan Patrick, host of The Dan Patrick Show simulcast on DirectTV’s Audience Network, not only rises above the fray on a daily basis, but he manages to set the bar of success and professionalism significantly higher than any other mover or shaker in the industry has done.  Eventually every show in the sports talk show market is going to have some overlap with content, and even more commonly with their opinions.  However, listening to Dan cover the same subjects, sometimes with an even broader and varied take, is not like listening to just another show talking about the same thing.  A lot of the time, it’s more like listening to someone debate a sports topic with family at a holiday dinner or overhearing a bar-room argument amongst a group of drinking buddies.  But most commonly it’s hearing Dan facilitate a discussion in a round table-esque context with “The Danettes” about sports stories and news, and their thoughts on it.  Dan has the ability to speak the opinion he gets paid handsomely to share in the context of talking out his humble analysis with someone else, instead of trying to impose his opinion as fact to the public.  Framing things for an audience that way gives the show a credibility that also enables it to have moments when it can get serious with sports controversy, commentary on the actions/behavior of athletes, and even deal with tragedy in a manner that can certainly have the ability to reach listeners in a completely unexpected way (i.e. the show after the Boston Marathon horror). 

Even listening to Dan interview a guest gives you something different than almost any other host in the industry (Howard Stern being one of the few exceptions).  The fun that he has with his guests and his ability to get them to let down their guard has been earned by the personal brand he’s spent years building for himself and the show.  Sometimes there are guests that he takes a journalistic approach to (almost in the likes of a 60 Minutes interview) or often it is a light-hearted interview like when he had Jordan Spieth tapping the phone against his brand new US Open Trophy.  And as you can imagine, Dan also has the professional reputation and brand that gives him the ability to push back on non-answers and he is far from being afraid to ask the direct, difficult questions when there is a story to be told. You can find the same scripted questions and answers on every other show, and certainly the guests appear to even appreciate the difference with The Dan Patrick Show.  However, as one would imagine, there are times when pointed conversation evolves into a little bit of heated debate, like in some rare cases with an analytical guest or somewhat regularly with the Head of the Bowl Championship Series Bill Hancock.  But the importance of the way everything is handled by the host is exemplified by the fact that said guests still continue to come back or also in the fact that a NBA personality from ESPN, who simply differed in an opinion that easily had two sides, felt their conversation get loud enough to where he half-seriously asked if they were actually yelling at either.  But it was done in a mutually respectful, tip-the-cap sort of way that made for great radio.  It was brushed off by both parties as good fun and in the nature of that good fun, they proceeded to joke that there will definitely be a newsflash coming about their new feud because the guest just happened to be from ESPN. 

Dan’s track record and history in the rest of the sports industry certainly helps him in getting access to difficult “gets” in the sports field, but his ever-growing friendship with Adam Sandler has been a big help to whatever doors were only slightly open to him in the Hollywood realm prior.  It is rare that the show will ever shy away from conversation about pop culture – yes all that is movies, music, and television – sometimes carrying out a conversation for an entire segment.   You’ll often even see them delve into what a normal everyday conversation about a big TV finale or concert from the night before might sound like behind closed doors.  Or maybe another time they give you a little bit of a peak behind the curtain in Hollywood like when giving a review on the latest blockbuster that they just happened to be at the Premiere for over the weekend.  If you do want to say that the show has one imperfection, one might point to the fact that Dan and his Danettes might get a little childish with some of their gags.  Sometimes there can be a fraternity brother type humor as they torture each other with wheels of punishment (spin for your penalty) and Mitch Kupchak bouts.  Yet, most people probably couldn’t imagine favoring the show just as much without these “sidebars” that actually often make one laugh out loud even while they’re only listening.  Even his man caves (not only the main hub in Milford, CT but now the ones in New York City, Los Angeles, and the mobile man cave at each Super Bowl), put most people’s in the world to shame. 

Dan is still probably most recognizable for his 17 years at ESPN, but his re-birth with the still under-appreciated “DP Show” has scored him gigs as the Studio Host for both Sunday Night Football, the NBC Olympics, and most recently as the founding face of Sports Jeopardy!. While The Dan Patrick Show has received critical acclaim and is mostly regarded as the best national talk show, not many people realize what a trailblazer might truly be currently underneath their noses.  There is still plenty of favoritism towards the local ESPN Radio stations and even most local sports talk, unfortunately with some of the household names having been born out of controversy (i.e. Steven A. Smith).  But as everyone recently celebrated Chris Berman’s well-deserved induction into the Broadcaster Hall Of Fame, most people are still missing out of the ever-growing legacy that will undoubtedly be joining Mr. Berman one day in the near future.    

Defining Adele

It was about January of 2012 when I had the first realization, but it wasn't something that I'd be able to completely put my finger on until this past November. It was almost four years ago when it was as much a fad or just what was popular or the talk of the town for that particular time. But on October 23rd, 2015, what was once just popular became a phenomenon. "Hello" was released as the first single off of the much-anticipated third studio album from 10-time Grammy Aware winner Adele.

     In 2011 and 2012, Adele's 2nd album 21 certainly made her a star. She was nominated for a plethora of awards for songs like "Someone Like You", "Rolling in the Deep", "and "Set Fire To The Rain". But there have been plenty of artists to come and go who rack up a few #1 hits and sometimes even an award or two the way the depth of the music industry has declined in recent years. But on that January 2012 day, I began to understand that their MIGHT be something a little different about this particular flavor of the week. 

     As a result of my parents blessed me with the ability to appreciate ANY type of musical talent, I even found myself listening to the album regularly throughout a weekend trip north for a hockey tournament. But then I walked into the rink before one of our games and see a kid, no more than 12 years old, rocking out in the corner of the glass with his headphones on. Sure enough, when I walked buy I could unmistakably hear him mouthing the words from "Set Fire To The Rain". It is extremely rare for any artist in the industry to have fans that range from 12 year old boys to 30 year old men, but when you combine that with the fact that this music seemed to be crossing the gender line as well, something was starting to feel uncommon about it. So it shouldn't have been as surprising when my 26 year old friend that spends all of his time playing baseball, working on cars, and raising his seven year old son was also raving about the music. There was something about Adele's album that was transcending demographics and it was just hard to pin-point exactly why. Or maybe more aptly, why her?

     And then there was the record-breaking, or more accurately, record-shattering 25 that was released on November 20, 2015. And so my suspicions of there being a special nature to this specific artist and the universal appreciation for her music all began to resurface. I began to wonder all over again how she is able to transcend genders and demographics better than anyone I could think of. As I listened to the new songs that most people hadn't heard yet, there was something about this voice, something in this music, something about just her. Her voice has a unique purity and sharpness to it that just hits a person. There was a haunting and piercing feeling. It's hard to ignore and it certainly has an over-powering emotion to it. And now, it has resonated with all types of listeners in all types of ways, something that is very different than almost anything we've seen before.

     So just to solidify my theory one last time, I saw an opportunity at a lunch with a healthy sample of different demographics, including my Director who is the first person to pick on someone for having "cheesy" interests. I mentioned that I read that Adele tickets were selling for 10 times their face value online (which by the way is epic in an of itself). Surely enough, on cue, our Director proceeds to rant about how amazing she is and how it's not a surprise to him in the least. And yes, of course he will be getting tickets for him and his wife.

     It is definitely too early to make the inevitable comparisons to the Barbaras, Celines, Whitneys, Mariahs, and such from recent years, however the demand for her albums and concert tickets is undeniable. Right now she is still just a hot topic and the subject of the water cooler chatter. The phenomenon, the excitement, and what lies ahead is all perfect for her right now. Everything is Adele right now and one day she may be one of the greatest female artists to come along, but the reason that one day may happen is because she reaches almost every demographic in our society. Jimmy Fallon may have set it best so far, we can at least call her "a once in a generation artist".

The Best Show That No One Watched

There's a great, great television show out there that has already come and gone, under the radar - one that not a single person in your telephone's contact list has probably ever even heard of. There are plenty of TV Series' that don't find the audience they deserve (think Firefly, Sports Night and Fringe), or only find critical praise when looked upon after the fact (think The Wire, Friday Night Lights, and Pushing Daisies), but Flashpoint survived for five of the most consistently quality seasons on Cable TV while bouncing around in obscurity once airing on CTV, then CBS, and eventually on ION Television. It is a show that never getting any of the recognition that it truly deserved.

As Flashpoint releases its Final Season on DVD, it's impossible not to look back at the show, as a whole, and appreciate its ability to take the best aspects of all of the shows that most people DO watch and blend them into an hour-long, emotional thrill ride each and every week. Think the science and technology of a CSI: Crime Scene Investigation mixed with the intensity and suspense of a 24 mixed with the “weight of the world on your shoulders” feel of Blue Bloods, but then add a very unique extra element that takes the show to the next level. Take said elements from some of those better written, acted, and produced shows on television, then add the dynamic that a “bad guy” isn't really a bad guy and now you have a roller coaster of a ride both intense and emotionally draining.

Team One, as they are referred to in the show, is an elite Strategic Response Unit (SWAT-like) task force that deals with crisis situations – mostly hostage negotiations, but also the occasional bomb threat, shooter terrorizing the city, child abduction, or suicide attempt – and the show focuses mainly on the case of the week without bringing too much of the character's personal lives into the matter, ala the early days of The X-Files. The difference here is that each “subject” is not necessarily an evil-doer or villain, and in the majority of the cases the culprit and/or situation isn't all that it or he appears to be when the team gets the call. Within the first few episodes of the very first season, Flashpoint made it clear that it wasn't always going to have a happy ending. First, Ed Lane (High Dillon) had to shoot (via sniper) and kill a man who was a danger to others in the middle of a courtyard, right in front of his teenage son. Next, Team One had to talk down a subject in a hospital waiving a gun around and holding a surgeon hostage, but all that he wanted was to get a new heart for his daughter who had taken a turn for the worse after she was removed from the transplant list at the beginning of the episode. A couple of weeks later, it's a shootout in the mall, but the subject is a troubled girl who snapped after being bullied and was ready to leap from the roof of the building as the SRU tries to talk her down.

What Flashpoint does as well as anyone on television, is humanize these stories. It makes them something you can relate to, if not sympathize with. The SRU Team, led by Greg Parker (Enrico Colantoni) and Lane, bring a humility to these situations as their first goal is to relate to the subject and avoid any further unnecessary violence. Naturally, this doesn't always work and Team One's bottom line is to shoot to kill, not wound, when the circumstance reaches that point. But it's the aftermath that is what usually tugs at the heart-strings. If it isn't one of those weeks when one of the SRU members are struggling with the life they took or the righteousness of the subject they took down, then it could be the empathy a viewer could feel for one of the many subjects. The show continually drums up the age-old notion that the “road to hell was paved with good intentions”, then twists it, chews it up, and spits it back out in the context of that week's crisis. And just to tie all of the emotion up with a little bow, the producers and directors choose a melancholy, lyric-appropriate song for a heavy montage at the end of each and every episode.

If, and it is a big if, there was one episode that put all of the best aspects of the show together for one hour, it would have to be the Season Premiere to Flashpoint's last season, “Broken Peace”. It begins with the end of the story, as all but a few episodes do, where we see an abusive ex-husband holding a gun to the former wife's head and then it spins back to hours before where we learn that the daughter has managed to stay away from her father for quite some time. The father wants to see his daughter and grabs the mother while the SRU team scoops up the daughter so that she can help talk the aggressor down. Team One does their background investigation and uncovers the rest of the story and how much hate the daughter has for the father, but of course not until she is standing on the same rooftop screaming at her father that still has the gun to her mother's head. Ed Lane, with his sniper rifle, has the father lined up for the “kill shot”, and with the daughter screaming and the father coming down from his escalation, the daughter pulls a weapon out of her bag and rushes across the rooftop towards the father. Lane has no choice but to reclassify the daughter as the danger and as she shows no sign of calming, is given the “Scorpio” command to take the shot. Cue the aforementioned roller coaster of emotions, the intensity of the situation, the fact that the subject is not a “bad” person, and the weight of what Lane and the Team had to do and you've got a taste of what this show was. Well, at least what it was to the few people that were lucky enough to catch it while it was on.