Fox Source http://blogs.trb.com/network/foxfix/ The ultimate unofficial source for Fox news and gossip! en Copyright 2010 Wed, 10 Feb 2010 10:56:09 -0600 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=4.1 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss FOX Fans: Defend the Hottness Honor of Your Favorite Stars! fox-bracket-both.jpgHave you been itching for a chance to show your devotion to your favorite FOX characters? Now you have not one but two chances to do just that!

The fine folks at KDVR in Denver are hosting a Battle of the FOX Hotties as we speak. Right now, the Women's bracket is up, but you can still vote in the Men's bracket as well. The second phase of the Men's competition launches Friday, and the second round of Women's matches goes up on Tuesday, February 18 -- so get voting!

Then there's an all networks battle to the death over at the South Florida Sun Sentinel, where CW stars are going up against the juggernauts from the other four broadcast networks. The Bad Boys division (which includes Puck and Peter Bishop -- and Puck is currently losing) is already off the front page, but you can still vote. Keep checking this page throughout the next month to support your fave stars!

* We know, we know -- there are those among you who sneer at such things, who protest that we should focus on the content of the shows and the nuances of the acting rather than the exterior facade of the people who bring our favorite characters to life. And we like to think we do that here... but that doesn't stop us from being able to celebrate the aesthetic pleasures these folks bring to bear. Are we shallow? Maybe. But we are having fun!]]> http://blogs.trb.com/network/foxfix/2010/02/fox-fans-defend-the-hottness-h.html http://blogs.trb.com/network/foxfix/2010/02/fox-fans-defend-the-hottness-h.html 24 Wed, 10 Feb 2010 10:56:09 -0600 Bones -- "The Dentist in the Ditch" Bones_DentistDitch-Sc3_0030.jpgSPIDERS! We were twitching and itching right along with Cam when itty bitty furry creatures came pouring out of the clay surrounding this week's victim. They looked like mini-tarantulas, and "harmless" or not.... ew! ew! ew!

For some reason, we've had no problem (ok, maybe a *little*) watching Brennan mucking about corpses dissolved in all manner of substances, smushed into junker cars disguised as artwork or between pieces of cardboard, roasting like a barbecued pig, buried in compost, or torn apart in very, very gruesome ways. But this one reached right in and twanged the 'ol squick cord. Thank you Bones, for all those lovely nightmares sure to follow.

Ok, moving on. Jared's back and he's in love. He tells Seeley he's thinking of asking Padme (insert Queen Amidala jokes here) to marry him. Booth is taken aback by his little brother's seemingly impetuous decisions and wonders if the trip to India had no effect on his maturity. So, Booth does what he does: a background check on the sister-in-law-to-be. Although he discovers Padme was an "escort" a few years back, Jared's not appreciative of the info (as everyone told Booth he wouldn't be).



Is he a mite bit jealous of Jared's happiness when his feelings about Bones are unresolved? Is he trying to take the rational, logical route around the situation because, despite his "I learned it by watching you!" assertion that it's what Brennan would do, he's really just trying to rationalize the irrational? It's Bones that convinces Booth to do what she learned from him: go with his gut, his feelings. Is she maybe pushing him take that advice when it comes to admitting how he feels about her? Are we thinking about this too much...? Perhaps.

Oh yeah, the rest of the episode: the gay full-contact-football-playing dentist, killed accidentally by his thieving and homophobic contractor, the closeted football buddy in love with him, the hygienist that blamed him for contracting Hep C to cover up an affair, the Civil War battlefield, the rhubarb. Just your normal Bones fun and games.

This week's quote, courtesy of the intern currently at bat on the rotation...
Bones: "Tendonitis in his elbow, the hook of the hamate [a bone on the little-finger side of the hand] shows wear from torque, rotational force, and repeated tugging."
Vincent Nigel-Murray: "I only have inappropriate comments off the phrase 'repeated tugging.'"
]]> http://blogs.trb.com/network/foxfix/2010/01/bones-the-dentist-in-the-ditch.html http://blogs.trb.com/network/foxfix/2010/01/bones-the-dentist-in-the-ditch.html Bones Fri, 29 Jan 2010 10:04:08 -0600 Bones -- "The Proof in the Pudding" Bones-Ep511_Sc47_0013.jpgYou have to hand it to the folks over in the Bones writing room. They can certainly pack a lot into one episode. Even if there wasn't a conventional murder mystery, it took place almost entirely in the lab, and no one was arrested in the end, trust us, they threw out a few whammies. And to start it all off: Booth/Boreanaz's Michael Jackson moves. Ha!

A breakdown of the ep's two major threads:

The Positive Pregnancy
Cam finds a positive pregnancy test in the trash at the office. First, who digs through the trash, especially at work?! Second, in that big of a lab/office, Cam, Angela and Bones are the only women who use that bathroom? While it may have heightened Angela's bombshell confession, and, as a still relatively new parent, Cam's entitled to worry and freak out a bit more than usual, the "is Michelle pregnant" setup seems a little artificial.

Angela wouldn't have told Brennan? If she'd already confessed to Cam, because of her worry over Michelle, and to Hodgins, because he was there when Cam appeared with the pregnancy stick... wouldn't she have told her best friend? And shouldn't Brennan have wondered after Cam asked her?

Three big, waving flags to fans of an Angela/Hodgins reunion:
  • She tells him, "This isn't the right time. This isn't the right guy." -- while looking right at him.
  • Hodgins' declaration of love and support. "I love you. I love you! And I want to help you in whatever way you can. If you want to move into together. If you want to get married. I'm here for you."
  • When she discovers the test was a false positive (lame!), she tells Hodgins she'll never forget what he said/was willing to do for her, and they walk off arm in arm.

The Negative Conspiracy
  • A conspiracy theorists' dream come true: modern forensics takes on the assassination of JFK. Booth refuses to believe it could be the former president, as that would mean a government cover-up. As a sniper, he trusted his country when they ordered him to take out a target. If they're culpable for covering up what really happened with JFK, how often could they have lied to him?
  • Brennan sacrifices her need to find the truth when she declares there is no way the remains are those of JFK, due to proof (literally in pudding) of a disease he never had. There actually is the possibility he developed the disease in an unconventional manner, but Brennan chooses to restore Booth's peace of mind instead. What haven't these two done for each other?!
  • Booth's ancestor is John Wilkes Booth -- have they mentioned this before?
  • Happily, Sweets repeatedly stated throughout the episode he thought it was all a test. Good, because that was our first thought!
  • The GSA? Really... Mr... White? That's like saying FEMA is The Secret Government. Either the writers don't have a lot of confidence the audience can read between the lines or it was supposed to be obvious the agents were working for a different agency all together.
  • Hacker's (welcome back Diedrich Bader, we love you!) outspoken concern over Booth's heroics preventing him from making any progress with Brennan, and his hilarious entrance with an FBI SWAT team added some nice comedy. We don't want him dating Brennan, but keep him coming back anyway!

]]> http://blogs.trb.com/network/foxfix/2010/01/bones-the-proof-in-the-pudding.html http://blogs.trb.com/network/foxfix/2010/01/bones-the-proof-in-the-pudding.html Bones Fri, 22 Jan 2010 10:01:05 -0600 Bones -- "The X in the File" Bones_XFile-Sc19_0078.jpgFBI, scientist, creepy theme music... is this 1993? In a fun homage to Mulder, Scully and their legacy of investigating the unknown and unexplained, Booth and Brennan head to the desert to find the truth behind the discovery of an "alien" body on this week's Bones.




  • The victim's cell phone playing "The X-Files" theme song is maybe a bit overt in referencing the episode's inspiration, but hilarious nonetheless.
  • Nice touch, including Dean Haglund (Richard "Ringo" Langly of "X-Files" and "Lone Gunmen" fame). Not only that, but he was the murderer!
  • This is the second time we've seen Sherry Palmer this week (Penny Johnson played the scheming wife of President Palmer on "24") - first as the State Department liaison on "NCIS," and now as the toxic-waste dumping battery company executive who tried to buy off the alien-hunting victim Ursula Lupine. Although, the company's name, Innatron, made us think of Innatrode/Penatrode from "Office Space." Heh, heh. (Sorry, juvenile moment.)
  • Wendell's too sweet. When he confessed his relationship with Angela and Hodgins suggested the three of them have lunch, big 'ol screaming warning bells should have gone off in his head. Angela knew better. Can you say "awkward"? Sweets knew better. He tried to call them on it, for their own good, but no dice. Does this really spell the end for Angela and Hodgins? Not sure, but Hodgins blowing up Wendell's skull in a cathartic scientific experiment was pretty funny.

Quotables
Booth: "You know, I won't say anything about the scream, if you don't say anything about the gun. "
Brennan: "Those terms are satisfactory."

Brennan: "It's very satisfying to use an insulting colloquialism, even when it isn't accurate."
Booth: "Right, it's even better when they resist arrest and you get to hit 'em."

Little chills from that whistling theme music aside, Mulder and Scully can take a rest. Booth and Brennan are keeping us plenty entertained. ]]> http://blogs.trb.com/network/foxfix/2010/01/bones-the-x-in-the-file.html http://blogs.trb.com/network/foxfix/2010/01/bones-the-x-in-the-file.html Bones Fri, 15 Jan 2010 10:54:08 -0600 Bones -- "The Goop on the Girl" Bones_GoopGirl-Sc7_0020.jpgThere was a Santa robbing a bank with a bomb strapped to his bowlful o' jelly, a conveniently nearby Booth who stopped him in his tracks, and then an unfortunately timed radio signal and lots of Santa bits all over the pavement. This is by way of introducing tonight's Bones mystery... but let's get to the good stuff.

It's bad enough to be within shouting distance of a suicide bomber, but when the human confetti ends up all over your Cocky belt buckle, etc. you're now evidence. This leads to a heart-palpitating scene of Brennan undressing Booth so she can collect the Santa bits and then... qjiothgeb fjdonvprnaryrena.....zzzzt. Oh, terribly sorry. We must have... um... experienced a slight brain freeze at the sight of Booth in his boxers. Excuse us a moment while we clean the drool off the keyboard. Ahem.


But wait, there's more!]]> http://blogs.trb.com/network/foxfix/2009/12/bones-the-goop-on-the-girl.html http://blogs.trb.com/network/foxfix/2009/12/bones-the-goop-on-the-girl.html Bones Fri, 11 Dec 2009 10:43:29 -0600 Bones -- "The Gamer in the Grease" Bones_GamerGrease-BTS_0009.jpgFunny... we didn't know Bones was meant to be just the pretty wrapping around the infomercial of the week. And we have this odd compulsion to see James Cameron's latest multi-gazillion dollar spectacle. What's the name again?... Avian?... no...Avarice?...not quite right... oh, yeah...AVATAR.

We feel a little bit betrayed. By wrapping the episode's retro video game-centric murder mystery around Hodgins, Sweets and Fisher's fanboy glee in camping out for the premiere of Avatar, the show lost a little bit of its soul. We don't want to use the words "sold out" but... really? In today's modern TV landscape, with the current economy making it hard for everyone to make a buck, blah-de-blah, product placement has been firmly woven in. That's ok. A well-placed can of Coke here, or a "hey, we're driving a FORD to the crime scene" there, and you just accept the not-so-subliminal advertising and move on.



But wait, there's more...!]]> http://blogs.trb.com/network/foxfix/2009/12/bones-the-gamer-in-the-grease.html http://blogs.trb.com/network/foxfix/2009/12/bones-the-gamer-in-the-grease.html Bones Fri, 04 Dec 2009 10:05:05 -0600 Bones -- "The Foot in the Foreclosure" Bones_FootForeclosure-Sc16_0002(2).jpgAnyone else remember the episode of CSI where Sara and Warrick dress a pig in a nightgown and light it up? The corpses (or ash, really) on Bones have experienced the same phenomena -- the wick effect. And no, not the effect chatterbox intern and Sweets lover Ms. Daisy Wick has on our blood pressure.


But wait, there's more after the jump! ]]> http://blogs.trb.com/network/foxfix/2009/11/bones-the-foot-in-the-foreclos.html http://blogs.trb.com/network/foxfix/2009/11/bones-the-foot-in-the-foreclos.html Bones Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:27:38 -0600 Bones -- "The Dwarf in the Dirt" Bones_DwarfDirt-Sc33_0027.jpgFirst Stewie Griffin from Family Guy stopped by Bones... now Homer Simpson! Ok, just Dan Castellaneta, the voice behind the Simpsons patriarch. Any Simpsons fan worth their salt would recognize the actor (and if you're playing Fox's Simpsons Scavenger Hunt, that's a big blinding clue). Castellaneta plays a fellow law enforcement officer who just happens to find a green skeleton at the bottom of a sinkhole.



What do you get when you put a little green man, gold coins and a rainbow together? That's right kids! A leprechaun... or, in this case, a midget wrestler who's persona is a leprechaun and who broke into a gold exchange to nab enough money to win the heart of his "normal" size twin brother's wife. Yeah, we know. It's a head spinner. Ah, what some men wouldn't do when blinded by love.

Speaking of: Booth's still off his game. He's practicing to re-qualify as a sharpshooter and it's not going well. The former sniper for the Army Rangers is barely hitting the target. Desperate, Booth turns to Dr. Gordon Wyatt (that's CHEF Wyatt now, thank you very much), for advice. He suggests that all the little things such as forgetting his "cocky" belt buckle or which hand he uses to hold a cell phone are not symptoms of the brain surgery, but manifestations of his angst in loving Brennan. Chef Gordon advises Booth to give her some time to come around on her own (Noooo! You're killing us!). In the meantime, bring her to the range when takes the qualification test, he can't miss.

Booth: "I just need you to help me aim my gun."
Chef Gordon Gordon Wyatt: "That sounds desperately phallic. Is it a... sexual problem?"

]]> http://blogs.trb.com/network/foxfix/2009/11/bones-the-dwarf-in-the-dirt.html http://blogs.trb.com/network/foxfix/2009/11/bones-the-dwarf-in-the-dirt.html Bones Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:57:17 -0600 Bones -- "The Tough Man in the Tender Chicken" Bones_TenderChicken-Sc12_0110.jpg"Pluck you!" said the murderer who wrung the chicken man's neck on Bones. Booth and Brennan find themselves tarred and feathered (ok, corn syrup and paper feathers) when they investigate the murder of a chicken farmer and encounter angry residents protesting the animal cruelty and gawdawful stench associated with such establishments.

It's been at least several episodes since we've heard the status of Angela's celibacy, and she informs Hodgins it's been five months and 14 days. Someone call the National Guard! When she questions her friendship with Brennan after an argument over saving a cute piglet -- Brennan's rational, Angela's emotional -- Sweets points out she may be channeling all that sexual frustration into other areas. Gettin' hot and sweaty and saving Babe the pig. Sure... same thing.

Wendell Bray -- the intern most likely to make us go "awwww" -- admits to loving bacon, ribs, steak, you name it, but gives Angela all the money in his wallet anyway. That's enough to have her breaking out of the nunnery and planting a few big ones on the surprised, and very pleased, Wendell. We have to say: didn't see it coming, but don't really object either. We'd probably plant a few wet sloppy ones on him too.
There's more -- read on!

]]> http://blogs.trb.com/network/foxfix/2009/11/bones-the-tough-man-in-the-ten.html http://blogs.trb.com/network/foxfix/2009/11/bones-the-tough-man-in-the-ten.html Bones Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:12:22 -0600 Bones -- "A Night at the Bones Museum" Bones_BonesMuseum-Sc10_0010.jpgNow they're just being mean. It's one thing to tease a potential romance between two characters as they get closer and more intimately involved in each other's lives -- as Booth and Brennan have done through the course of their partnership. But it's quite another to take that sexual tension to the brink of a relationship-changing act (usually that first explosive kiss) so often the audience refuses to believe the writers will make good on the promise. People: Bones is messing with us.



On the upside: Watching Booth's obvious pain as Brennan unwittingly (or so it would seem) tramples all over his heart by skipping off to a date with his boss's boss (Hi Diedrich Bader, we love you!), is just good TV. For a smart woman, she can be pretty oblivious. Or, is she? As Angela smacks her in the face, metaphorically, with the idea that she could be getting down and dirty with Booth instead of Assistant Director Hacker, Brennan doesn't look so surprised by the idea. It comes across more like a stubborn refusal to acknowledge the elephant in the room. Booth becomes about as blatant as he can be when it comes to his feelings for Brennan when he shows how hurt he is by her casual sharing of a story with Hacker that Booth had only told her -- what's between them is special, in other words. All good stuff.

On the downside: ARRRRGGGH! Take a stand people! Are they going to get romancey or remain platonic partners and friends? Booth and Brennan have made up their minds -- if all we go by is the unspoken signals bouncing between them. Make it happen, we say. And soon, or... we'll go on a Bones strike (ok, not really, but stop being mean!).

Oh, and there was a murder, a mummy, a giant ruby and the return of Daisy Wick, in a not-as-annoying capacity. Yay.

What do you think? Is the Booth/Brennan to be or not to be romance driving you slowly insane or could you care less? Speak up in the comments!]]> http://blogs.trb.com/network/foxfix/2009/10/bones-a-night-at-the-bones-mus.html http://blogs.trb.com/network/foxfix/2009/10/bones-a-night-at-the-bones-mus.html Bones Fri, 16 Oct 2009 09:07:02 -0600 Bones -- "The Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" Bones_BeautifulHood-Sc3_0064.jpgOK kids, today's lesson: the suburbs are eeeeeeevil. And, apparently, so are luaus (even if you're not the pig). The resident non-conformist -- and, it turns out, adulterer, extortionist and sex toy entrepreneur -- is found roasting right along with Wilbur during the neighborhood's Hawaiian-themed block party. So, the Bones crew must bravely venture into the land of ruthless homeowner's associations to ferret out the murderer(s).

]]> http://blogs.trb.com/network/foxfix/2009/10/bones-the-beautiful-day-in-the.html http://blogs.trb.com/network/foxfix/2009/10/bones-the-beautiful-day-in-the.html Bones Fri, 09 Oct 2009 07:39:46 -0600 Bones -- "The Plain in the Prodigy" Bones_PlainProdigy-Sc21_0004.jpgMichelle still exists! And I'm not just saying that because I have a natural affinity for the name, I swear. Cam's 16-year-old foster daughter -- they were reunited when the girl's dad, and Cam's former love, was murdered -- not only gets a mention on this week's Bones, but she even appears in more than one scene! All snark aside, it's nice when a show doesn't just invent a new character handy to a particular storyline, but continues weaves that character into show on occasion.


As Cam struggles with the potential loss of Michelle's innocence (that'd be missy gettin' it on with boyfriend Perry), the Yoder's deal with the news that their son Levi ended up spread all over the railroad tracks. The young Amish (Cam -- "You mean buggies and hats Amish?!") piano prodigy arrived in D.C. on during his Rumspringa -- a tradition in which Amish youth explore the outside world in order to make an informed decision about whether to commit themselves to their faith as adults. Both situations prompt the inevitable religion and sex discussions between Booth and Brennan.

Haven't we covered this ground before? There really isn't anything new here (we're pretty sure it's already been noted that Brennan lost her virginity at age 22), and even the Amish storyline -- which admittedly pulls some heartstrings, seeing a young, talented man killed over a little bit of money and a fake medal -- has been covered on several other TV shows. Even the science-y end of things barely makes an appearance. Hodgins nails down the timeline through kudzu, Clark reluctantly tramps all over the railroad routes looking for bones and Angela does her magic (it seriously must be magic because she conjures 3-D simulations in seconds people!) to find Levi's apartment.

There's more after the jump -- read on!
]]> http://blogs.trb.com/network/foxfix/2009/10/bones-the-plain-in-the-prodigy.html http://blogs.trb.com/network/foxfix/2009/10/bones-the-plain-in-the-prodigy.html Bones Fri, 02 Oct 2009 11:37:49 -0600 Bones -- "The Bond in the Boot" Bones_BondBoot-Sc2_0061.jpgWe have a bone to pick (sorry, you know the pun had to happen at some point) with Bones. They need to decide if they're going to lean towards the lighthearted slapstick (e.g., "The Double Death of the Dearly Departed") or gut-wrenching and serious (e.g., "The Girl in the Mask").
 
It's hard to discern which path they intended to take with this Bond-inspired plot -- the obligatory "Bond, James Bond" imitations or the more dramatic "CIA analyst-turned-superspy killed trying to do the right thing". As fun as episodes such as "Double Death" have been, we'd prefer they keep the crimes serious and the humor -- which they do very well -- contained to interactions between characters we know and love.

In the Plus Column

Ok, so the roundabout way (which any viewer who has ever seen a TV show before saw coming) in which they ensured an "anonymous" donor coughed up enough money to keep super-cuddly lab tech Wendell Bray on scholarship was a little silly, but sweet. And, it led to an awesome old Brennan/new Brennan moment: in classic cold, logical style, she tells Wendell his scholarship has run out of money and it's been nice working with him and, almost in the next breath, realizing how deeply the news is affecting her soon-to-be-ex-but-not-really intern, the distanced façade fades and Brennan looks kicked in the teeth by what she's just done. Very nice.

In the Minus Column

For those keeping score at home, the Booth/Brennan issue resolved this week: income disparity. As in, Brennan's Ms. Moneybags and Booth... works for the government and is reluctant to pay a plumber to fix his leaky pipes. It does lead to two "awww" moments: 1) Booth explaining to Brennan that the things which truly make him happy -- solving a case with her or getting a hug from Parker -- aren't dependent on money;  2) Booth "teaching" Brennan how to fix a sink, which leads to the proverbial inadvertent shower with wrench in hand.  

But this all felt a little forced - the "look how honest we are with each other... right? RIGHT?!" How many other issues do they need to check off their list? Let's see, they've covered (in no particular order) love, marriage, sex, money, religion, children, childhood, mommy/daddy issues, sibling issues, and logic vs. emotion. It came off like the writers throwing us a "furthering their relationship" bone without actually accomplishing anything.  

What do you think? Was this episode a little uneven in both overall tone and Booth/Brennan romance or are you still in the "Bones is Back!" afterglow? Talk in the comments!
]]> http://blogs.trb.com/network/foxfix/2009/09/bones-the-bond-in-the-boot.html http://blogs.trb.com/network/foxfix/2009/09/bones-the-bond-in-the-boot.html Bones Fri, 25 Sep 2009 11:09:54 -0600 Bones -- "Harbingers in the Fountain" Bones_HarbingersFountain-Sc8_0035.jpgBones is back and we couldn't have been happier to hear the funky Crystal Method intro wafting from the TV at 8pm. Did they renew the faith of loyal fans dismayed by last season's trip down the rabbit-hole alterna-universe finale? Yes, and no. They answered a lot of questions up front and kept the character count to a minimum to concentrate on cleaning up some of the mess. But don't expect closure.

Get our take on the 5th season premiere after the jump.

]]> http://blogs.trb.com/network/foxfix/2009/09/bones-harbingers-in-the-founta.html http://blogs.trb.com/network/foxfix/2009/09/bones-harbingers-in-the-founta.html Bones Fri, 18 Sep 2009 08:02:34 -0600 Bones... Meet Bardot! 80317571.jpgFinally! We know the Bones man himself, David Boreanaz, was sweating it out alongside wife Jamie Bergman as they awaited the arrival of their second child. He even went so far as to miss ComicCon (c'mon, you know it has to be important if he's willing to miss the fan event of the year) and keep within a 20-mile radius of the house.

Guess daughter Bardot Vita was just choosing the right time to make her debut, weighing in at 7 pounds, 14 ounces, and joining the Boreanaz family along with big bro Jaden, 7. TV Guide.com reports she was born on Monday, so she just made it into August.

Now, the real question, is there a diaper-changing station on-set, 'cause we don't want to miss a minute of the new season. (Kidding!)

Congrats David, Jamie and Jaden!
]]> http://blogs.trb.com/network/foxfix/2009/09/bones-meet-bardot.html http://blogs.trb.com/network/foxfix/2009/09/bones-meet-bardot.html Bones Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:11:42 -0600