The Flat Hat

Critical Condition

‘Sarah Connor Chronicles’ fills void, ‘24’ still sorely missed

Well, maybe I should rephrase that. ‘The Sarah Connor Chronicles’ is the only new show on television.

Fox’s ‘House’ benefits from new medical team, fresh characters

Nine episodes, several deaths, 40 candidates and dozens of House-isms later, there’s a new diagnostic team on FOX’s medical dramedy, “House.”

One ‘Fight Club’ virgin finally reaches the promised land

No matter how inviting, slow-moving or lingering, I will always miss the bandwagon.

Lifetime’s two psychic shows give male viewers a reason to tune in

I was elated to hear that NBC’s “Medium” has been renewed for a fourth season, although I was dismayed that it won’t start until January. Where will I get my fix of psychic visions and discussions with the dead? Thank goodness for Lifetime.

TV’s best and worst commercials: underwear ads win, dessert pizza ads fall flat

Sure, commercials are a kind of necessary evil to make television possible. But they can be something more. When done properly, commercials can actually be entertaining to watch — they can aspire to be essentially short stories with a bit of product placement. When done poorly, commercials can be boring, pedantic, creepy or confusing.

Britney bombs VMA performance, continues to break hearts

Britney, Britney, Britney. What happened? What happened to that virginal Catholic school girl? That sultry space vixen? That snake-wielding Glamazon? Where did that look-but-don’t-touch girl run off to?

Addictive Hollywood socialite lifestyle proves a slippery slope

Ah, Hollywood — the coveted world of stardom filled with illustrious lights and excessive amounts of money and fame. Jay-Z calls it “the most addicting drug in the world,” and many celebrities are inhaling as much of it as they can. But it seems as though today they’re starting to feel the effects of this intoxicating drug — and the consequences are tremendous.

Foreign musicians succeed in America by virtue of not being American

The United States has always been known as a melting pot, a mixture of many cultures and ethnicities that have influenced different parts of American society and culture. Music has played a role in this, as many musical traditions imported from other countries have had a profound influence on the musical expression and identity of American music. African polyrhythms, British rock, reggae riddims, Spanish tinges — these elements of music from different parts of the world have always had a significant role in American music. Everyone knows or has at least heard of a few non-native music gods and their contribution to American popular music such as the Beatles, Carlos Santana, Bob Marley, the Rolling Stones and many more.

The age in which music television wanes horribly un-musical

I was in my room flipping through channels the other day, and I ran across a commercial about a new reality show called “Living Lahaina,” which would be airing soon on MTV. All of a sudden, I started shouting obscenities at the TV screen, my boiling anger rising to the surface as my roommate desperately tried to calm me down. Not again. Not another dim-witted, high school drama-filled, “Laguna Beach” replay that’s replacing my music.

Why the whole world should watch WWE’s Wrestlemania

While many people saw April 1 as the day to play cruel jokes on one another in commemoration of April Fool’s Day, I had a different reason to rejoice. April 1 was my Christmas. It was the day of the biggest spectacle of them all: Wrestlemania 23. Over 80,000 people jam-packed Ford Field in Detroit, shattering the attendance record that used to be held by Super Bowl XL. Over 1 million people ordered the pay-per-view show worldwide. What once started as a risky business move by a young Vince McMahon in 1984 to shake the wrestling world, has turned into an event that will earn about $100 million this year. Not too shabby.