By Mark Trammell
1. The Lost Symbol- Dan Brown’s latest Robert Langdon novel hits the shelves today, hopefully putting an end to the mass reading slump that’s been bedeviling booksellers for some time, all those vampire novel series notwithstanding. Ron Howard, who did the movie honors for the previous Langdon novels, “Angels & Demons” and “The Da Vinci Code,” is already prepping the movie version.
2. The Beatles Remasters- Personally, I’m more of a Stones fan- their own remasters set hit shelves earlier this year with (sadly) far less fanfare—but then, they didn’t have their own “Rock Band” videogame to promote, did they? No matter. Either way you go, you can’t lose with these exquisitely-packaged remasters, which are also available in mono for the uber-geeky traditionalists out there.
3. Behind the Music- The granddaddy of all pseudo-trashy bio-shows returned this week to VH1, with the ubiquitous Lil’ Wayne as its first subject. Further installments will include Bobby Brown, Bret Michaels, T.I. and 50 Cent. Next up is Pink, which premieres Thursday at 7pm, right before the first airing of the latest “Divas” special, which gives newly-unemployed Paula Abdul her first post-Idol gig as hostess.
4. Ellen DeGeneres- Speaking of “Idol,” unless you’ve been hiding out beneath that Stones Remasters set, you’ve no doubt heard that Ellen will be filling Paula’s none-too-stable shoes as a judge on the popular glorified karaoke fest. Not too sure about those heretofore unknown musical judging capabilities, but she should at least good for some intentional laughs to make up for Paula’s unintentional ones.
5. Glee- Far more entertaining than it probably has a right to be, producer Ryan Murphy combines the high school setting of his underrated “Popular” with the harsher snark of “Nip/Tuck” for this amusing show that features performances whose inventiveness put the average “Idol” contestant to shame. If you were blown away by the premiere’s show-stopping renditions of “Rehab” and “Don’t Stop Believin’,” you won’t want to miss the show’s takes on Salt ‘n’ Pepa’s “Push It” and Kanye’s “Gold Digger,” among others.
6. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia/Sons of Anarchy- Speaking of snark, no one quite does it like “Philly,” which is like an even darker “Seinfeld,” with one of the quickest—and best—comedy ensembles on TV, including old-hand Danny DeVito and a cast of up-and-comers that bring the funny like no one else quite dares. The decidedly less-funny “Anarchy” also takes no prisoners in its take on the wheeling-and-dealings of a corrupt motorcycle gang. New recruits to the second season include Adam Arkin and former Black Flag singer Henry Rollins as the leaders of a white supremacist gang that challenges the Sons for control of a small California town. FX continues to make what is among the most challenging and rewarding works on cable, and that definitely includes the likes of pay-cablers HBO and Showtime.
7. Bones and Fringe- Okay, so these shows are pretty much comfort food in the vein of “The X-Files” and “CSI,” but that doesn’t mean they’re not well-done and somewhat challenging in their own way. “Bones” took a leap into the surreal for its last episode, which left star cop Booth (David Boreanez) in a coma and fans in a tizzy over the faux-coupling of him and Dr. Brennan (the engaging Emily Deschanel), while “Fringe” knocked everyone for a loop with its Leonard Nimoy co-starring time-warping finale, with a reconstructed Twin Towers and the resurrection of the late President Kennedy. Can’t wait to see what happens next, especially with Emily’s sis Zooey popping up in a future ep of “Bones,” and Nimoy back for the sure to be out there “Fringe” premiere.
8. American Werewolf in London: The “Full Moon” edition- Forget vampires! Released today, one of the best horror-comedies ever gets the deluxe treatment with all-new features and improved sights and sounds, including new commentaries and the like. They don’t make ‘em like this anymore, but don’t be surprised if they try to re-make this one. Forget that, and check out the original before someone screws it up in Hollywood.
9. SNL Weekend Update- Boy, did they miss a lot of good material this summer—ditto you, too, “Daily Show” and “Colbert”—but everyone’s fave faux-news this side of those shows is back in primetime, starting this week on Thursday as part of NBC’s most durable comedy line-up in many a moon, including “The Office,” “30 Rock,” and the promising “Community,” featuring the legendary SNL vet Chevy Chase and “The Soup” host Joel McHale. Reportedly, SNL vets Amy Poehler and Tina Fey will be popping by “Update” as well, with the latter no doubt reprising her Emmy-nominated Sarah Palin impression.
10. The Simpsons Season 12- The latest DVD release features cooler-than-thou packaging of the famed Comic Book Guy, and some of the best episodes ever in the history of the show, including the ones where Bart starts a boy band, Homer has a crayon removed from his head and becomes a genius (!), Burns pays Homer to embarrass himself for his amusement, and the one where Homer becomes a proto-“Gossip Girl” type. Okay, so the Eleventh Season marked where the show started to lose its luster, but I’ll take a subpar “Simpsons” ep over the best “Family Guy” has to offer any day of the week. I guess it depends on whether your sense of humor is smart or undemanding.
