TV – Weekly William Shatner Double "Bill": Double the Bill, Double the Thrill

If you’re as much of a Shatfan as I am, then you’ll be thrilled to know that you can watch William Shatner every Monday through Saturday in all his scenery-chewing and over-the-top gut-busting glory in two different decades in two different uniforms in two different hairstyles (or hairpieces?).

First up, Shatner’s heyday (shortly before he became a self-parodying, perpetually wealth-generating cottage industry unto himself) came in the 1980s, when—at the same time he was reprising his role as James T. Kirk in the Star Trek movies—he pounded the pavement and cleaned the streets of slimy scum as the titular no-nonsense police sergeant in T.J. Hooker, airing most weeknights at 7:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday after midnight, and Fridays at 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. on Universal HD.

Shatner as a uniformed police officer is about as high-concept as you can get, making this the best cop show of all time. Shatner often gets touted for his peerless hood jumping, but he was quite adept behind the wheel as well. He could drift (brake-skidding the car on fast turns) with the best of them, even when it wasn't necessary. And who could forget that Shatastic ‘80s perm? (Was it real or was it a hairpiece? Find out at www.shatnerstoupee.blogspot.com.) The series also stars the adorably smug Adrian Zmed, a very fresh-faced Heather Locklear, and Shatner’s fellow aging pretty boy James Darren.

Then, catch Shatner two decades earlier in his first iteration of Captain Kirk in the original Star Trek television series, which airs Saturdays at 9:00 p.m. on Me TV (Memorable Entertainment Television). Nothing beats Shatner hamming philosophic about the quandaries of mankind’s place in the universe, all the while sporting a ‘60s-style“straight-laced” coiffure (again—real or fake? Check out www.shatnerstoupee.blogspot.com). Shatner’s partners in pop cultural perpetuity include Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols, and George Takei.

So don’t forget to enjoy William Shatner in two of his most memorable TV roles. Tune in five nights (and four early mornings) a week, same Shat time, same Shat channel! (Actually, that's five different times on two different channels.)

--Raj Manoharan

TV – Retro TV Roundup

If the current slate of programming on broadcast, cable, satellite, and pay TV hasn’t caught your fancy, there are plenty of old favorites to catch up and relive the good old days with on the slew of retro television networks that are booming in popularity.

First up, you can watch William Shatner in all his scenery-chewing and over-the-top gut-busting glory in two different decades in two different uniforms. Shatner’s heyday (shortly before he became a self-parodying, perpetually wealth-generating cottage industry unto himself) came in the 1980s, when—at the same time he was reprising his role as James T. Kirk in the Star Trek movies—he pounded the pavement and cleaned the streets of slimy scum as no-nonsense police sergeant T.J. Hooker.

Shatner as a uniformed police officer is about as high-concept as you can get, making this the best cop show of all time. Shatner often gets touted for his peerless hood jumping, but he was quite adept behind the wheel as well. He could drift (brake-skidding the car on fast turns) with the best of them, even when it wasn't necessary. The series, which also stars the adorably smug Adrian Zmed, a very fresh-faced Heather Locklear, and fellow aging pretty boy James Darren, airs most weeknights at 7:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday after midnight, and Fridays at 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. on Universal HD.

Then, catch Shatner two decades earlier in his first iteration of Captain Kirk in the original Star Trek television series, which airs Saturdays at 9:00 p.m. on Me TV (Memorable Entertainment Television). Nothing beats Shatner hamming philosophic about the quandaries of mankind’s place in the universe. Remarkably, 47 years after the show’s debut, with the exception of DeForest Kelley (Dr. McCoy) and James Doohan (Scotty), the other five main cast members are still with us.

By the way, if you love classic television, Me TV should be your first and last stop on the dial. In addition to featuring scores of classic television shows, the network features brilliant commercials touting its various slogans composed entirely of expertly spliced-together clips from all of its shows. Some of the stars and guest stars of those shows even pop up in network promos as themselves or their former characters. This is the ultimate TV channel for the ultimate TV fan.

Weekdays on Me TV, Jack Webb and Harry Morgan just want the facts as Los Angeles plainclothes detectives Joe Friday and Bill Gannon on Dragnet from 4:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Then, Martin Milner and Kent McCord patrol the streets of Los Angeles as Officers Pete Malloy and Jim Reed on Adam-12 from 4:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

 

Saturdays on Me TV, Adam West and Burt Ward star as the caped-crusading dynamic duo Batman and Robin, who race in the Batmobile to save Gotham City from a comical cavalcade of costumed crackpots, with little help from a hilariously inept police force, in the 1960s pop cultural phenomenon Batman. The show airs at 7:00 p.m. and is followed by Irwin Allen’s Lost in Space at 8:00 p.m. and Star Trek at 9:00 p.m.

You can take your pick of Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, or Christian Bale as the various Dark Knights (Keaton and Bale are my personal favorite modern movie Batmen), but no matter what the fanboys naysay, Adam West (who also played Batman on the big screen) made the most indelible and lasting mark of any of them on pop culture. He is the one Batman to rule them all.

Check your local listings or go online to learn about all the great classic shows airing on Antenna TV, Me TV, TV Land, and Universal HD.

--Raj Manoharan

CD Review – Rumbadoodle, by Arun Shenoy

Indian-Singaporean world music artist Arun Shenoy has achieved something remarkable with his debut album, receiving a Grammy Award nomination on his first try and being the first Singaporean musician to receive a Grammy nomination.

 

Listening to the CD, it’s no surprise Shenoy has garnered this accolade. The disc contains a festive mix of rhythms and sounds from around the world, with the primary influence being flamenco of the rumba variety.

 

Starting with his guitar-based compositions, Shenoy has assembled a globetrotting lineup of musicians to bring his musical ideas to vibrant life, with electric and acoustic guitars, bass, keyboards and synthesizers, violin, and drums and percussion.

 

The result is an engaging microcosm of world fusion that fans of Ottmar Liebert and The Gypsy Kings will eat up.

 

--Raj Manoharan

CD Review – Knights and Damsels, by Isaac Shepard

Isaac Shepard’s latest solo piano CD is inspired by tales of knights and damsels and derring-do and yet is refreshingly not the stereotypical kind of music that you would associate with such mythological iconography.

 

Instead of turning out a dashing type of grandiosity, Shepard opts for a more understated approach, yielding a quiet, fairy-tale lyricism that speaks more to the chivalry of character than it does to the swagger of swashbuckling.

 

This allows Shepard to bring out the tranquil beauty of his medieval muse, with tasteful, masterful playing that brings his gorgeous, elegant compositions to vivid life.

 

The evocative album art design by Shepard is also clever and snappy and adds to the feel that he is going for.

 

It must be challenging to find new and interesting things to say with just a piano. Shepard is one of those artists who manage to do so.

 

--Raj Manoharan

CD Review – Loveren, by David Arkenstone and Charlee Brooks

The latest release in David Arkenstone’s 25-year-plus recording career finds the new age legend collaborating with operatic vocalist Charlee Brooks on an ambitious musical tale set in the magical realm of mermaids.

 

Arkenstone brings his formidable multi-instrumental talents to bear on this project, which is also the basis for an original live production. Arkenstone’s hallmark sounds (guitars, bass, keyboards, and percussion, in addition to instrumentation and orchestration from other musicians) are evidenced in full force here, with a dramatic new twist: Many of the songs are sung by Brooks in a new language created just for this CD and live show – Mermish, the supposed language of mermen, mermaids, and all sorts of merfolk. The result is a musical journey unlike most, combining fantasy and folklore for an enchanting otherworldly experience.

 

The packaging is also exquisite, recalling the medieval milieu of Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. The unique art design and direction amplify the idyllic lyricism of the dreamlike world of song and music that Arkenstone and Brooks have created.

 

This album provides thrilling escape and should be of particular interest to those listeners who are fond of high-concept music.

 

--Raj Manoharan

CD Review – A Coalescence of Dreams, by Timothy Wenzel

On his second album, keyboardist/composer and molecular research scientist Timothy Wenzel conducts a fusion of musical ideas and themes – partly inspired by sojourns to Hawaii, his native Michigan, and Europe – that coalesce into a pleasant, dream-filled excursion.

 

Wenzel uses his keyboards and synthesizers to generate a variety of sounds, entrancing tones, and lush ethereal textures. In addition to gentle piano, Wenzel’s sonic palette includes strings, flutes, chimes, and percussion. The audio mix also includes the taut drums of Lenny Levesh on a couple of tracks and the scorching guitar of Denmark’s Michael Rud on one track.

 

While the recordings are complex in their intricately constructed layers, the compositions are at once simple and wide-ranging, evoking a visceral, cinematic feel.

 

This CD offers musical escapades that are both relaxing and exciting. Timothy Wenzel’s dreams are good dreams to have.

 

--Raj Manoharan