Watching KVille

So official word from the Writers Guild of America is that WGA members have all day Tuesday, February 12 to vote on the proposed deal to end the three-month long strike. However, as the WGA announcement mentions, the vote is only to immediately end the strike pending ratification of the new deal between the Writers Guild and the studios OR wait until the deal is ratified and then end the strike.

So my question is, let’s say they do indeed vote to end the strike, but the deal is then not ratified. Would the writers re-strike?

The LA Times reported today that the ratification process could take up to twelve days. Can the writing staff of K-Ville crank out a script in twelve days? And if so, what is the point of giving me only one more new episode, when there are so many plotlines to wrap up? The mole in the department? Cobb’s secret affair? Boulet’s etouffe recipe?

Still, the bigger question of whether K-Ville will return or not remains foremost on my mind. Well, ok, I do have other things going on in my life, but I mean foremost when it concerns this blog, right?

But really, look at the evidence. K-Ville was not winning the ratings race on Monday night by any stretch, and FOX has since replaced K-Ville in its time slot with Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles. This worries me, but also gets me thinking of a better time for FOX to air K-Ville. I am thinking Tuesday after American Idol, except I believe that is House’s time slot. Wednesday then, maybe? I honestly have no idea what is on FOX Wednesday night now…Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares? Too bad I like the BBC’s version of Kitchen Nightmares a gazillion times better, because it is more about food and less about abject filth (anyone else notice that?). But there I go again, digressing.

I just checked the FOX website’s posted schedule, and it looks like that lie detector show, The Moment of Truth, is now on Wednesday’s at 9pm. American Idol is going to be the two-hour shows for a couple of weeks, I think. I tried watching American Idol for a season or a half, and I just tend to get rather bored with it, so I am not entirely sure how long the two-hour shows continue for.

It may not matter anyway, as who really knows what the genius minds behind FOX programming have in mind for this truncated season. Will K-Ville throw us a couple of episodes before summer, or just try to pick up again next season? I think that putting out a few episodes is the best idea, to renew the public’s memory of K-Ville, before a longer summer break. Not only that, but New Orleans has been in the news lately, and with the juggernaut of Brad Pitt hanging around, doing all sorts of goodness, it might just be a good time to revisit the Big Easy during prime-time.

Writers Strike, WGA, K-Ville, House, Terminator, The Sarah Conner Chronicles, American Idol, FOX, Kitchen Nightmares, BBC, Brad Pitt

Here we go, kiddies. The first new episode of K-Ville for all of you jonesing for more adventures with Boulet and Cobb. This episode is called, yeah, look at the title above.

Please note that this is not proper script format.

Open on a dark night.

Exterior: Cobb’s trailer.

Cobb is walking up to his small trailer, presumably after a long day. His body language shows us that he is tired.

As he approaches the door, a noise comes from inside the trailer. Cobb freezes, and quickly draws his gun. He pauses and listens at the door. He hears nothing else. He storms inside, gun held out in front of him, expecting an ambush.

He looks around the room, and sees…nothing. A crash comes from behind him. He spins around, ready to fire.

Felice, his newly-adopted cat, has just knocked a pan off of the counter that separates the kitchen from the tiny living area. She jumps at him, as she is also startled by the noise. The cat flies past Cobb’s surprised, yet slightly relieved, face. The cat hops up onto the couch, and jumps out an open window.

Cobb, shaking his head, muttering something about “taking in a damn cat” slowly holsters his gun. Looking at the mess the cat has made, he bends down to pick up the pan.

Exterior: We see a dark figure slink away into the darkness.

Start Opening Credits.

Interior: NOPD Temporary Stationhouse

Cobb enters the stationhouse. The camera acts as his eyes, surveying the scene.

We see Love Tap at her desk, and an overweight man in a suit talking to her, as she is taking down some information on a pad of paper.

Boulet is also at his desk. Cobb walks over to Boulet, and says “Thanks again for guilting me into taking that damn cat home.”

Boulet, laughing, says “I just thought that you could use some feminine companionship.”

Cut to: Love Tap’s looks bored as she is listening to this man in a dark suit tell her that he has been receiving death threats. He expects the police to do something. She assures him that they will look into it, however, as he has no specific information, there is not a whole lot that the police can do. She asks him if he has any ideas who would be behind this. He mentions an ex-business partner, but he is a public figure so it could be any nutjob. Love Tap looks over and sees –

The Captain enters the room, and he has a stern look on his face. Boulet and Cobb stop laughing, and wait sheepishly for what they have been expecting. Captain Embry asks them to enter his office.

Cut to: Interior Captain Embry’s Office

Captain launches right into a tirade about a “mole” working in the department. He is convinced that there may be a issue, and it wouldn’t be the first time that the NOPD has had a corrupt cop in its midst.

Cobb stays silent, as Boulet assuages Captain and assures him that street gossip is usually based on another con being around while the cops talk shop, and that is how most information gets out — accidentally, nothing more. Captain is about to argue, but Boulet is adamant. There is not an issue of a mole in the department, and there is no need to bring in Internal Affairs guys to look into what will probably be nothing. Those IA guys are busy enough as it is. Boulet assures Captain that if there is a mole, he will find him. Captain looks doubtful, but sends Boulet and Cobb off with an assignment to look into a burglery at a local dock.

Shortly Later:

Cobb and Boulet are on their way to the docks. Cobb worries that Captain wasn’t convinced. Boulet tells him to not worry, and all they have to do is find the guy first and fast, so no one else has to start digging around.

A call comes over the wire. Boulet and Cobb are instructed to go directly to a private residence. They turn the car around.

Later: Exterior: House

CSI guys are entering the house. Boulet and Cobb walk up to the house, and follow them in. The house is strangely empty, except for a body in the long hallway. The body has a single gunshot into the chest, and there is very little blood on the floor around the body. Cobb starts looking around the house. Boulet puts on some latex gloves, and digs around the pockets of the body. He finds no wallet, but does find a small cache of business cards in an inside pocket of the jacket that the man has on. There are five to ten cards, all with the same name, David Sampson, Importer.

From behind Boulet, Love Tap and Glue Boy enter the house, and walk toward the body. Cobb returns from inspecting the house, and says that it doesn’t seem as though anyone was living there. Boulet tells everyone that there is no identification, but several of the same business card, so he assumes that the cards are the man’s own cards. He mentions the name. Love Tap asks him to repeat.

Boulet says, “David Sampson.” Love Tap says that is the name of the guy that she took a statement from just earlier that day. She tells them that her David Sampson was reporting death threats. Everyone looks at the body.

Commercial.

K-Ville, Boulet, Cobb, Love Tap, Captain Embry, Glue Boy

Was it just me or was last night’s episode, “Ride Along” just a series of bad cliches? I know that it was not meant to be a season finale, but the only thing that the finale had going for it was that maybe there is a mole in the department…maybe.

Cliche #1: Overzealous reporter from New York, of course. Add that she is “checking in on New Orleans” and we have a superbad cliche.

Cliche #2: Witness killed by drug dealer. No!

Cliche #3: Reporter decides to write a story called “Everyday Heroes.” No wonder she gets the “good” assignments.

Cliche #4: Reporter’s story gets re-written by editor, and someone gets killed for it. Come on! That’s just a (excuse the pun) cop-out.

I think the cat’s sub-plot was the best part of the episode.

And did anyone else notice that the question about Love Tap’s nickname came up, and dismissed as a “long story.” Dammit, I want answers. Wait, maybe that is the hook to get me to watch K-Ville again. Not the mole, not the possibility of Cobb being found out, it’s the nicknames. Genius!

Anyway, I will now have plenty of time to re-hash this weaker-than-most episode, but first let me just say how much I disliked the guest star playing the reporter. I cannot find her name, but what a crappy actress. It’s too bad because I have heretofore been impressed with most of the actors brought in for this show. I really wanted her to get shot during that scene when the team went after Caveman.

Yeah, I love it. A character named Caveman.

No, not that one. But if he showed up on K-Ville, well, that would be a great episode I am sure. Maybe the Teen Angels could show up, too.

K-Ville, New York, New Orleans, Caveman, Teen Angels

As I was checking out the official K-Ville site, I happened to read the recap for “Boulet in a China Shop.”

If you must know, I was trying to see if FOX listed whoever did the excellent “Blue Skies” cover toward the end of the episode that then sound-dissolved-cut into Love Tap’s screeched version of it at the kareoke bar. Anyone?

Anyhoo, the official FOX recap has more in it than the version of “Boulet in a China Shop” than I saw. Remember how I wrote that Cobb was a little too mysterious about his doin’s and transpirin’s during the episode? The recap explains that he was outside of A.J.’s trailer while the gang was at the kareoke bar the first time in the beginning, and then again, he was giving AJ the money that he tried giving her in a previous episode, “No Good Deed.”

But if you read the recaps from both “No Good Deed” and “Boulet in a China Shop,” the exact same phrases/half-paragraphs are in both, so I am inclined to see this a some weird typo on the part of the FOX site.

AJ, a lovely lass, was the girlfriend of Cobb’s old cell mate that he kind of let drown during “the storm.” Anyway, to make a long story short, Cobb tried to assuage his guilt by giving AJ the stash from one of the cell mate’s heists. This blew up in his face as AJ was arrested a short time later for trying to spend some of the ill-gotten cash. But now, the stolen cash issue is no longer an “issue” and he can finally give her the money again. Was this in last week’s episode? I had missed it due to the Oregon floods, and decided to watch it once new episodes were no longer available. A way of keeping myself busy during the Season of the Reality Show…

So, my question is, did anyone in the country see this interaction between Cobb and AJ during the December 10th episode? Because I did not see these two scenes. Why would those scenes have been cut? Hmm. Or is this simply an oversight on the FOX sight and someone screwed up with the recaps?

Here’s my evidence:

From the recap for “No Good Deed”: (the beginning)

Cobb gives A.J. the money, tells her it was Sonny’s, he won it gambling the night he was arrested. The other cops thought it was dirty but he got to the bottom of it, just took a while to sort out. He explains that before he was NOPD he was a prison guard, became friends with Sonny and as they establish this connection both missing their old friend, Cobb’s pager disrupts their moment and takes us to…

From “Boulet in a China Shop”: (towards the end, after the Boulet and Cobb scene in the locker room)

Cobb goes back to the trailer park, in uniform. He gives A.J. the money and tells her it was her husband’s. Sonny was Cobb’s old cellmate who he allowed to drown during the storm. Cobb says that Sonny won the money gambling the night he was arrested. The other cops thought it was dirty but he got to the bottom of it; it just took a while to sort out. A.J., emotional, says she doesn’t know if Sonny would want her to have this money. They were having troubles when he died. There’s an attraction between her and Cobb. She says she plays guitar most nights at Jake’s, and shyly invites him to stop by if he wants.

Here’s more from the Boulet in a China Shop: (From the very beginning)

Boulet, on a night out with his fellow cops and Ayana, whoops it up at a karaoke bar. Meanwhile, Cobb goes to a trailer park, where he lays eyes on the beautiful A.J. for the first time. He hides in the shadows, just watching her.

First time?? There was already a whole episode about AJ and Cobb. Is this oversight perhaps why the Cobb scenes were cut?

My guess: The AJ/Cobb thing was supposed to be in one episode, and then switched to another. But the recaps were obviously not updated, and that is why Cobb had no sub-plot in “Boulet in a China Shop.” Any other guesses?

And wait, to further the mystery…Amanda Righetti, who plays AJ, is listed in IMDB as appearing in “Cobb’s Webb” and “No Good Deed.”

Have you seen this woman in more than one K-Ville episode? If so, which ones?

K-Ville, FOX, Amanda Righetti, IMDB, Cobb

Just in case any FOX execs happen across this little blog…

1. The Location of New Orleans.

I am sick to death of watching New York shows or Los Angeles shows. New Orleans gives viewers a somewhat unique locale for a drama. Sure, I know that more and more shows are branching out into other US cities, but so many of them are obviously not filmed in those cities. K-Ville is filmed in New Orleans, and that is a wonderful change of pace for those of us that took that first hit of TV as kids and never bothered to get help for our affliction.

I mean, sure, a show like Grey’s Anatomy takes place in Seattle (right?), but you can tell that they did not film there. There is one or two exterior shots of that hospital, and we are to believe that poof, they are in Seattle. But it seems to me the only place they ever go outside of that hospital is to that bar across the street (At least not in the three episodes I have bothered to watch — that show is like a high school soap opera, but then even high school soaps seem more mature). ER did/does the same thing. There is no authenticity in the location, and today’s television viewer is more savvy than that. We want a sense of realism in our cop shows. K-Ville gives us that, in spades.

And one more point, K-Ville provides jobs and maybe a sense of pride for New Orleans, and hey, what US city can use the help more than NOLA?

2. The Dynamic of the Two Leads.

Not to get into a whole discourse on race relations in Television History, but it is refreshing to see an African-American Actor not only carrying the show, but carrying the cop team. In Miami Vice, the show centered heavily on Crockett and Tubbs was there to make it seem progressive. Add Edward James Almos and we have a cross-section of the American population — what, no Asian-Americans or Native-Americans, come on, it was the 1980’s.

Anthony Anderson is entirely watchable. His Marlin Boulet is a complex hero. He doesn’t have those cop superpowers that make him always right and know exactly which lead to follow, and he drinks on the job, and he tricks people into letting him steal evidence, and he bullies people into telling him what he wants. The flaws are as good as his strengths.

Cole Hauser’s Cobb is an equally strong and flawed character. He’s an escaped convict, for pete’s sake. What made him want to be a cop; couldn’t he have done just starting “doing good” by teaching kids or fighting fires? And what makes him such a good cop? Is it that he spent so many years on the wrong side of the law, and he can think like a criminal? Either way, I am digging it, and I want to see his character grow.

3. FOX, It is Not Like You Have Anything Better.

House is on its last season, face it. Bones just cannot be bringing in the viewers. Prison Break is so over, and the choice to put them back in prison, is well, pardon the pun, criminal (and lazy). What else ya got, Fox?

Give K-Ville a chance to grow. Maybe find a better night. Maybe start programming it after that insidious American Idol. Isn’t that how you turned House into a hit?

K-Ville, Fox, New York, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Seatle, Grey’s Anatomy, ER, Miami Vice, Edward James Almos, Anthony Anderson, Cole Hauser, House, Bones, Prison Break, American Idol

Now, here is a true fan. Give it up for her. She created her own Cole Hauser wallpapers and not only that, she is giving them away for FREE!! That’s right, folks, get your own Cole Hauser for your desktop.

here’s some of the examples of what you could have…

oh, he’s pretty hot there, huh?

But in this one, you can see a little chest action!

Oh, yeah, Cole was also in the Vin Diesel vehicle, Pitch Black, which really wasn’t as bad as you’d think. Cheese factor of seven, but decent action.

And no, I cannot find any Anthony Anderson wallpaper that isn’t a movie poster from, oh, for example, Kangaroo Jack. I think he’s cute. Maybe I’ll make up my own wallpaper.

I just have to figure out how to get Jerry O’Connell out of the picture. By the way, he has a new sitcom, Carpoolers, which is funnier than I expected. It was created by former Kid in the Hall Bruce McCulloch, so maybe that has something to do with it. The guy that plays Marmaduke is a real scene stealer. I think I have a new boyfriend.

Also, more on last night’s episode…Does everyone from Cobb’s past have to die? YES. And that could make the show interesting.

cole hauser, anthony anderson, jerry o’connell, pitch black, carpoolers, bruse mcculloch

I had a meeting run late, so I missed the first half of K-Ville last night, but I had my BF takes notes, and isn’t that sweet? I walked into Boulet trying to get the C4 plastic explosives out of the evidence room without the lame white guy from Minnesota knowing what he was doing. I’m glad that K-Ville wants to inject a little humour into the show every now and then, but does it have to be so cliched ALL the time? And I am getting a little sick of the gumbo-as-a-prop issue. Just because it’s New Orleans doesn’t mean that gumbo is the only food stuff consumed? Where’s the alligator?

All in all, I have to give it up to the writing department (and I never anticipated doing this), but it was a fairly solid script in that I came in half-way and I didn’t have a hard time figuring out what was going on. Cole Hauser got to act a little, although the clutching the sailboat necklace at the end was hokey. I like Cole Hauser, and I finally figured out that I have seen him before in among other things, Tigerland. Great movie if you haven’t seen it. Well, ok, pretty good.

Hurray for K-Ville using the underworld connections of Cobb to 1) develop a plot and 2) give us more Trevor Cobb backstory.

And is it just me or is this guy ever going to get laid?

And I liked the “Gardenia Affair” of Boulet’s wife. Though I didn’t quite get how that guy (who was kinda hot) accused Boulet of abandoning his family because he sent them to Atlanta. Even if he didn’t “send” them, who was paying their bills? Give the guy a break. New Orleans was devastated, it’s his home town, he got his wife and child to safety, and he stayed behind to help, rather than jump ship. Seems like the right thing to do to me. If anything, it’s the lecherous elementary school teacher that hits on married women that comes across as a jerk to me. Beware those teaching lotharios, ladies…even if they do pay attention to what your favorite flower is.

K-Ville, Cole Hauser, New Orleans, Tigerland, Gumbo, Alligator

k-ville

The character of Trevor Cobb, played by Cole Hauser, was a prisoner in Orleans Parish Prison (OPP) and almost drowned when Katrina struck. His cell mate did drown. In episode 2, three prisoners escape from OPP and the show centers around that facility.

There is a good possibility that people may believe that prisoners drowned in real life. To set the record straight and provide some additional background for the series, I thought I would share a little bit of real life information about OPP. Just a note, my dad was NOPD and as a kid I used to hang out at central lockup and the court house. I even got a personal tour of a small part of OPP. I know quite a few people who know it a lot more intimately than I do. heh

So, I wanted to share something I read on Java Joe’s Journal Jive, Trouble over ‘K-Ville’: Nothing bad happened at prison!. Apparently, the OPP Medical Director is not happy about what transpired in the K-Ville pilot. I bet he really hates episode 2. ;-O

“No one died in the OPP,” says Inglese. “Fiction or not, this depiction is an affront to the medical staff and deputies who, for five harrowing days, risked their lives for the inmates and civilians in their care. They’re among the many unsung heroes of Katrina—as are many inmates—who will never receive the recognition they deserve. Minimally, however, their heroism should not be undermined. Unfortunately, since so many factual depictions make up the back story of K-Ville, viewers nationwide are left with the impression that prisoners under our care drowned.”

That should set the story straight. No one died as OPP during Katrina. It should be noted that Dr Inglese has a book, No Ordinary Heroes: 8 Doctors, 30 Nurses, 7,000 Prisoners and a Category 5 Hurricane, about his experiences.

Having said that, I am sure OPP was not a pleasant place after Katrina hit. From one inmate present at the time (quote provided by the ACLU):

Breakfast on August 29 was the last meal that the inmates ate at the prison—from that point on they had no food or water. Inmate #52 reports that escaping prisoners were shot at, and that “deputies did assault prisoners.” Inmate #52 reports the inmates could not breathe, and he “thought we were going to sufacate [sic].” Some inmates found a pipe and started to break windows to get oxygen. After 48 hours on F Side, Inmate #52 was brought to the bridge early Wednesday morning, before the sun came up. The inmates were “told to leave everything behind, and walk out with our hands on our heads. The water was so deep I had [two] small prisoners holding on to me. One on each shoulder.” The inmates were taken to the bridge in small boats carrying approximately 8 to 10 prisoners at a time. Once on the bridge, Inmate #52 still did not receive food or water.

Definitely not a pleasant experience. I’m sure the experience wasn’t much better for the cops or the guards either, though.

I’ll provide some additional information about OPP over the coming days.

LewisC

kville, k-ville, crime drama, orleans parish prison, opp