The constant in both of these occurrences was the creepy villain, a mad scientist Nazi.  The Nazi connection may have been strange in any other show, but the geniuses at Fringe made it work.  As the team soon comes to find out, the weaponized toxin that caused the deaths was the finished product of one of Walter’s father’s research projects.  Robert Bishop served as a scientist for the Nazis while also serving as a spy for the Allies.  This connection really hit home for Walter, and he worked with a special fervor to solve this case.

In the end, Walter is the one that twists the toxin to kill the Nazi villain.  It was an unnecessary death, seeing as Peter had saved the day by finding the source of the toxin at the World Tolerance Conference.  This act showed a different side of Walter, one that was willing to go to any lengths to protect his family and their reputation.

This was again, a very good episode.  We got classic Walter moments that every Fringe fan loves, while also giving us a further look into the Bishop family and their relationship.

“The Bishop Revival” was a great episode to lead into next week’s winter finale.  It’s definitely a great time to be a Fringe fan!  Hopefully answers about the alternate reality lie ahead as well. I don’t know about you all, but I can’t wait. You might say I’m sitting on the “fringe” of my seat!!

Leave Your Comments Below!

Thanks, and

Until Next Time…This Is

Michael Queenstown

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Season 6; Episode 14

“The Glamorous Life”

(Originally Aired: 1/31/10)

Lynette doesn’t like that Dr. Graham always sides with Tom. Tom convinces her to attend a play the doctor is in. She’s terrible, which Lynette tells her, but Tom lies and says she was “Great.” Tom admits he likes to be the good cop, forcing Lynette to always be the bad cop. Tom finally admits he hated the play too, and the therapist orders them both out.

Bree is puzzled by Orson’s new found happiness, until she finds his suicide letter! She vows to watch him 24 hours a day.

Angie and Gaby clash over Ana and Danny. Angie convinces Gaby that it’s time for a safe sex talk, but when Carlos sees Gaby’s bought condoms for Ana, he threatens to kill Danny. He tells her that if Ana gets pregnant, she’ll be the one taking care of the baby.

Gaby writes Ana an unsigned check, which she’ll sign if Ana graduates high school without having had sex. But as Ana sees it, her promise not to have sex doesn’t include Danny. Carlos catches Danny with Ana and threatens to kill him. Angie barges in and shouts, “You ever touch him again, you’re dead.” Carlos and Gaby come over the next night to apologize and overhear Nick telling Angie that soon the truth about them will come out. I think Gaby will be keeping a closer eye on the Bolens from here on out.

As Susan is signing her self out of ownership of Double D’s she meets stripper Robin, who she tells that it’s never too late to change your life, so she quits! And shows up at her house the next day. Now Susan feels responsible for her, so she hires Robin as her assistant at school. One of the students’ fathers, who just so happens to be one of the schools’ biggest financial supporters, recognizes her and she’s fired on the spot. Susan talks Mike into letting Robin move in until she finds a job.

Orson dares Bree to say she loves him and she can’t do it. She forces him to attend an anniversary celebration for an elderly couple and leaves him by the pool. She sees him about to wheel himself in and she runs to stop him. He asks what he’s got to live for her, if she doesn’t love him anymore, and she says, “I loved you once. I can’t recapture that if you’re not here.”

What Did YOU Think?

Let Me Hear From You!

And Until Next Time

Michael Queenstown

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Fringe

Season 2; Episode 13

“What Lies Below”

(Original Air Date: January 21, 2010)

We all know Walter Bishop is brilliant, but coming up with a cure for a 75,000-year-old virus?

Just go with it, I guess!

You get Walter and Astrid in a room together, and who knows what he’ll come up with!

Well, anyway, in this episode, we had a mystery man wandering into a petroleum company, bleeding (some pretty good special effects, I might add) from the nose and turning into that guy made of rocks from Fantastic Four.

So, kiddies, what did we learn from this episode? Without Walter’s awesome science skills, people plagued with an ancient virus would have died, thanks to clueless government agencies.  As Walter pointed out, “I was chairman of biochemistry at Harvard and have little patience for small minded bureaucrats.”  Anyone else reading this besides me wishing Walter was their Dad right now, sane or not?

It was good to see more of Agent Broyles, but what a waste. He needs more to do. We need more episodes with Broyles in it.

And another thing, was it just me, or did it look like for a minute there, Peter was going to lay a big wet one on Olivia, during their little talk about her not telling her sister what was going on: “I thought that was the point of having people who care about you in your life,” he said. “To have someone to talk to when you’re scared.” Right after that little speech was where I would have sworn he would have laid one on her.

Personally, I am going to be keeping a close watch on Walter and Astrid’s relationship. She knows Peter died at some point in the past. “Some things are meant to be left alone,” Walter told her.  Not if Astrid has anything to say about it.

And finally…

Can anyone tell me the name of the classic sci-fi movie Peter was watching on the computer?

Love reading your thoughts and comments as always!!

Until Next Time

This is

Michael Queenstown

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The year is 2154, a scant 44 years from now. The place is the Planet Pandora, a moon in the Alpha Centauri Star System. Human Marines are mining Pandora for a precious mineral called “Unobtanium”, probably because it’s so hard to obtain. The only thing standing in the way of this process are the planet’s inhabitants, called the “Na’vi, part human, part alien, and look like 7 foot tall smurfs. The film’s title refers to the genetically engineered “Na’vi” bodies, developed by the U.S. Military and used by a group of humans in the film to interact with the Na’vi, in order to gain their trust and convince them to relocate so the “Obtanium” can be mined.  Among those volunteers is paraplegic Marine Jake Sully, who in exchange for spinal surgery that will fix his legs, agrees to gather information for the unit led by Colonel Quaritch, while at the same time attempting to fit in with the Na’vi people by using an “avatar” identity. While Jake begins to bond with the native tribe and quickly falls in love with the beautiful alien Neytiri, the Colonel moves forward with his ruthless destruction of Pandora, forcing the Jake to take a stand – and fight back in a battle of all battles for the future of Pandora.

Starring  Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez and Stephen Lang, and directed by the legendaryJames Cameron, is a stunning film, both visually and emotionally and one I would highly recommend.  Avatar has already taken home numerous awards, including Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture (Drama) as well as Best Director, and is already a front-runner to take home the Oscar for Best Picture.

Until Next Time

Michael Queenstown

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Desperate Housewives

Season 6; Episode 12

“You Gotta Get a Gimmick”

(Originally aired 1/10/10)

Family members gather to hear the details of Karl’s last will and testament. Much to her surprise, Susan receives ownership in a business. And what “very successful” business could Karl have been part owner of ? A strip club, of course! Susan meets the man who co-owned the place with Karl, when a stripper named Destiny introduces her self to Susan and mentions that she knows a Mike Delfino, and that he’s a regular customer. This is not going to go well for Mike.

Carlos and Gabrielle present Lynette and Tom with a new 60-inch TV. It’s the least they can do for saving their daughter from death. Tom offers to fill in for Lynette going to work for Carlos to take some of the workload off of him while Lynette is indisposed due to her pregnancy.  Of course Lynette hates the idea. Bree confesses to her reverand that she had an affair with dead Karl, and the guilt is killing her because she blames herself for Orson being paralyzed from the plane crash. The reverand urges Bree to take care of Orson — even if it’s the last thing she wants to do.Gabrielle, Juanita and Carlos meet with the principal of a private school for Juanita. This is where Juanita finds out she’s Mexican, even though she was born in America.  Bree meets wheelchair-bound Orson at the hospital and offers to bring him home. He would rather be taken care of by a “helper monkey”, but Bree insists.  Susan confronts Mike about the strip club, and he explains that the strip club is one of his accounts. She forbids him from going to the club. He doesn’t take it well.  Tom returns home from work and shows his wife a proposal he wrote. She volunteers to “fix it,” but it turns out that Tom doesn’t need the help. Carlos called the proposal “the best he had ever read”, which makes Lynette see red.

Bree discovers that Mrs. McCluskey has volunteered to take in Orson, claiming that “Once he gets the divorce settlement, he’s writing me a big, fat check!”  Bree forcibly wheels her not-yet-ex out of her home and into her own. And there’s nothing Orson can do about it. Or is there?? We’ll have to see how he plans his revenge.  Lynette goes to work to visit Carlos and make it clear that Tom is only a temporary fix and she is coming back to work after she has the baby. Carlos reassures Lynette that she can have her job back anytime she is ready. Turns out Tom told Carlos that Lynette was planning to be stay at home Mom to take care of the baby. This is not going to go well for Tom.

Ana wants to get closer to Danny, but “There’s not a lot of room to be into to you, because of how much you’re into you,” he explains.  Ouch.  Ana throws his overdose back in his face. At first he is furious at her, then suddenly interested in her.

Back at home, Gabrielle is preparing to celebrate the fact that Juanita got accepted into the private school.  Carlos has second thoughts and wants to send her to a public school with a large Latino population instead, forcing Gabrielle to face her Mexican Heritage.  At the strip club, Mike shows up to fix a bathroom under false pretenses. It was all a set-up by Susan who appears onstage as “Ms. Fix It” and begins dancing seductively on a pole.  Mike apologizes and swears to never come back to the club if Susan will stop gyrating, which he does, thank God!

Back at home, Orson has taken a new tactic with Bree: He is demanding EVERYTHING, including re-heated soup and dessert made from scratch. “I would get it myself, but …” he trails off as he gestures to his wheelchair.

So, what did you all think of the episode? I would love to hear from you!

Until Next Time!

Michael Queenstown

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Desperate Housewives: Season 6; Episode 11

“If…” (originally aired 1/3/10)

In the hospital after the plane crash Carlos, Gaby, Lynette, Tom, Nick, Angie, Bob, and Susan are waiting for news on those hurt in the accident. Bree was banged up but will be okay. Karl, Mona, and Orson are all still in surgery. Celia has a concussion, but Carlos quickly points out that they have Lynette to thank for her still being alive.  Lynette suddenly experiences pain in her belly, and fears that there’s something wrong with the babies. As Lynette is taken to see a doctor, each housewife experiences a “what if” scenario:
Susan wonders what would have happened if she had stayed married to Karl. He promises to change and she promises to swallow her rage, so she gets fat. Mike arrives to fix the sink, and tells Susan if she’s unhappy she should do something about it. Fast forward three years later: she loses the weight but Karl leaves her anyway and Mike is married to someone else.  As Susan snaps out of it, the doctor tells her Karl is dead.

Bree is lying in a hospital bed, and dreams about what her life would’ve been like with Karl. He says being with her will make him into a changed man. But, of course, it doesn’t. He cheats on her and she kicks him to the curb. Seven years later, Orson dies of a heart attack and she’s called by his land lady to go clean out his apartment. It is full of pictures of Bree and the landlady says she thinks he died of a a broken heart. Bree awakes and the doctor says Orson’s out of danger, but there were complications and he may be paralyzed.

Angie and Nick wait to hear about Mona’s condition. She’s in a coma, but the nurse says she’s a fighter. Angie imagines Mona awakening and calling the police and pictures a future in which she gets life in prison without possibility of parole.  Back in reality at the hospital, Angie gets the word Mona is dead.

In Celia’s hospital room, Gaby says she thinks God saved Celia because she has a special gift. She’s not sure what yet, but knows it will be amazing. Gaby climbs in with Celia and falls asleep and dreams of what Celia’s amazing life will be. Gaby decides she’s meant to be an actress, even though she sucks at it. Carlos wants to send Celia to camp so she can have a normal life. Gaby won’t allow it, and Carlos leaves her. Many more years pass and a gray-haired Gaby, living in a dilapidated house is still pushing 25-year old Celia to be an actress. Gaby says she has to since she doesn’t want her life to have been for nothing. Gaby awakes a bit wiser knowing Celia doesn’t have to do anything amazing to be special, she just is.

A doctor looks over Lynette who has a tear in her placenta. One baby is fine but the other is at risk of being born developmentally challenged if they don’t operate. During surgery, Lynette imagines a life with a disabled child from the difficult physical therapy and lack of discernible progress, to watching him graduate from law school many years later and pay tribute to her for being where he is today. She awakens from surgery and Tom informs her they lost one of the babies. They were going to name him Patrick and he was going to be amazing!

Comments??  Tell me about em!

Until Next Time

Michael Queenstown

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FRINGE: SEASON 2; EPISODE 12

“JOHARI WINDOW”

After an attack involving disfigured humans, the Fringe team visits Edina City, a small town in upstate New York, to uncover leads surrounding the bizarre case. When it’s determined that these disfigured people have managed to hide themselves for a while and they’ll do just about anything to keep it that way, the investigation takes an unexpected turn.

The episode begins with 3 state troopers gunned down by some very disfigured men. The team investigates Edina, New York, and there is clearly something wrong. Someone tries to kill Peter and Olivia, and is shot and killed.   It turns out that the townspeople aren’t shapeshifters. They were a victim of a military project called Operation Elephant years ago that left them disfigured.

How did you like the episode?

Comments are always welcome!

Until Next Time,

Michael Queenstown

Follow Me On Twitter!!

FRINGE: SEASON 2; EPISODE 11

“UNEARTHED” (unaired episode from season One. Air Date: 1.11.2010)

This Episode was from season 1 of Fringe, but never aired. It aired on January 11, 2010.

A teenage girl is pronounced brain dead, so her mother takes her off life support, but when doctors operate to remove her organs, the deceased girl shockingly awakens screaming and talking in code. Not only is she resurrected,  but she is now somehow able to speak Russian! She also knows classified information only a high-ranking soldier would know.  Walter looks at some old lab videos and hypothesizes the unthinkable, sending Olivia and Peter to investigate the bewildering case.

Another great episode!  Stay Tuned For More Episodes to come!!

Until Next Time

Michael Queenstown

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It’s not that I don’t like Sex Therapy, it’s just that I’m no longer feeling a music progression from him. In a way, a lot of what’s on the album is the kind of sound found on pretty much any urban radio station in the country. And while Robin has a beautiful head-voice, at times in his career I wish I’d hear more of his powerful mid-register. There’s still a lot of head-voice, but it does have some better lower to mid-register vocal material on it.

The thing is, I actually like the record. I guess he’s becoming a guy who puts out a record that you’re expecting him to release, and that’s not necessarily always the worst thing in the world. He still has a very good voice, he still writes a very good lyric, and still writes accessible songs, while getting some good guest stars to stop by (Kid Cudi, Jay-Z, and Estelle, to name 3 from this album). So, I think this is actually worth checking out.

And as the host of your favorite down-tempo night time show on WAGM, “Dial It Down,” I can tell you that there’s more of a collection slower to mid-tempo tracks than faster tunes. I’d expect to be hearing some of this record on the show in the coming weeks.
3 out of 5 stars.

Mark Massi