Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Scene Stealer - Carmine the Puppy

It's hard to upstage Mark Valley, but this little guy did it in the first clip.  In the second clip, I think Mark wins!


If you are receiving this as an email update, please click on the title and view the video on the web.
From S1E12, Christopher Chance.

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Location: West Georgia Street/Hudson's Bay Building

from Marshall Pucci, S2E13
I'm trying not to get started writing about this whole scene, because I adore it on so many levels, not the least of which was the *snow*!



It appears that Chance is dangling Ilsa over West Georgia Street.  The building to the left of Ilsa's back is the Hudson's Bay Company Building in downtown Vancouver at Granville and Georgia.  If you watch it in HD you can read part of the word "Company".





The Bay is a department store and outfitted the Canadian Olympic team last year.  They are famous for the red Maple Leaf mittens and for the Hudson's Bay Blanket!





 Now I'm trying to wrack my brains - I'm sure I recall a scene where Chance sits on a chair that has a Bay blanket drapped over the back... or was that on Fringe..... uh-oh.  Well! I guess I'll have to re-watch a bunch more episodes and see if I can un-earth the mystery.

So what building are they dangling from?  It's the Hotel Vancouver. But more about that another time.....  hmmmm reminds me of a pub rally during first year at UBC and a clue we had to get from the penthouse of the Hotel Vancouver.....

Thursday, May 19, 2011

V - Jack and Erica - Faithful (Video)

So far, the only connection I've found with V to Human Target is that they are both filmed in Vancouver and that Joel Gretsch looks freakishly like Mark Valley.  I got over that pretty quickly as their characters are nothing alike!  The music was so suited to V that I really strayed!
I hope you enjoy it anyway. 

If you are receiving this as an email update, please click on the title and view the vid on the web.  Kinda smug that I figured out a way to make the tears glint.



Jack Landry is faithful to God, to fighting the Visitors and to Erica Evans. Erica is faithful to her son Tyler, to fighting the Vs and ultimately to Jack.

Jack Landry is a fascinating character with a strong moral compass who speaks his mind. He is sensitive, caring and empathetic. He is the perfect feminine counterpart to Erica's masculine-tough, determined and in-control exterior. They are a wonderful pairing with a joint goal and enormously complimentary skills. He keeps her grounded, she pushes him to his moral limits and circumstances push him even beyond.

The Jack and Erica relationship is electric at times. There is a good reason Hobbes quips about The Thornbirds in the boxing scene. There exists a huge bond of trust between the priest and the FBI agent. They disagree -- Erica gets right in Jack's face numerous times - but they always come back to each other.

The biggest shake up to their relationship is after Joe dies and Tyler leaves. Erica becomes emotionally shut down to everything but anger and pushes Jack away. In her devastation and numbness Erica physically turns to Hobbes. Jack understands the kind of man Hobbes is and is crushed that Erica chooses Hobbes. After 12 years as a priest, he is poorly equipped to intervene on his own behalf. If Jack had shown up on Erica's doorstep instead of Hobbes that night or if he'd answered Erica's phone call, we'd have a different story. (Relax Jack, Erica called Hobbes the "break" she needed from real life, not exactly the basis for a deep lasting relationship.)

About the quote at the end: We'll leave it for Anna to figure out, since she's so hung up on finding the human soul....

As for Hobbes. Yes, he is a glorious hunk of masculinity. But he has an agenda, mixed loyalties and is basically responsible for Erica's ex-husband's death. He came as a paid mercenary and late to the party. Like Ryan, he was not up-front with his conflicting issues and betrayed Erica and Jack although at the end of Season 2 they are not aware of that yet. He also took advantage of Erica when she was vulnerable. He is not a good guy.

Thanks to my friend tjara for introducing me to this song. It is brilliant. It is so powerful and I thought it suited this pairing perfectly, although she is not a V fan so will not realize the gem she sent my way!

This vid is for my friend Susan E. -- a fellow V fan! -- who is having back surgery in a few days. I hope this takes her mind off it for approximately 4 minutes!

To enjoy this vid, Criminal Intent fans will have to get over that Joel Gretsch who plays Jack Landry also played the philandering obnoxious husband to Brooke Shield's character in Siren Call (S6E2) -- this character couldn't be more different and if you watch the V series, you forget him quickly.

Faithful Lyrics
(as best tjara and I could figure out!) -- by Cherine Nouri

There´s a whisper in this place
Like a prayer
Something sacred something true
It´s happening here
We are being blessed

We are now the chosen ones
You and I
as a silver thread winds down
on the moonlight
Tying me to you

I will be the one you know
You will be the one to know me
This is love that´s born to be
Forever faithful

We have touched but never touched
Skin on skin
But I´m closer to you now
Than I´ve ever been
Ever in this love

I will be the one you love
You will be the one to know me
We will give the love to be
Forever faithful

Everyday to me is drowned to
The light that´s in your eyes

Tonight

And you will be the one I love
The one I love
To know me yeah
And I promise you to be
Forever faithful

(You will be the one I love)

You will be the one to know me
And I promise you to be
Forever faithful

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Human Target Cancelled by FOX



I’ve never had to write this kind of a blog post. My experience with Criminal Intent was quite different and incredibly rewarding. Far beyond any dreams I could possibly have had. I’m sorry I didn’t have the same amount of time to devote to trying to save Human Target because hard work does seem to have an impact at some level.

My deepest sympathies go out to the cast and crew who worked so hard to make Human Target the amazing production it was. I wonder if they are all in mourning? Or are they already in negotiations and signing contracts for their next endeavors? I’m in mourning, but comforted by the fact that I’ve got episodes to re-watch and examine – because there is lots still there to analyse and enjoy! So it’s not the end of this blog!







What are the reasons for the cancellation? I can only speculate.

If they are looking at the ratings – I’m certain they would have had more viewers if FOX had shown it consistently in the same timeslot. It wasn’t Where’s Waldo?, it was Where’s Human Target? It’s like they were deliberately sabotaging the show by moving it all over hell’s half acre. It became a target easy to miss.

Expense? Yes, I bet Human Target isn’t cheap to make. It’s filmed in Vancouver and the Canadian dollar is very high right now, so the exchange rate doesn’t improve the cost of the show.

Demographics? That would be an interesting study. When I first uploaded my Chances vid, the biggest group of viewers was guys 35 and under. That switched to women later and remains that way. Big Canadian viewings!

In Season 2, HT added the ladies as regular cast members and I became devoted to the show. I’m guessing a lot more women watched regularly now. That was a smart move on the part of the producers. After all, we’re the ones with the death grip on the household purse strings and who just might pay attention to the advertisers….. (Did the prime advertisers for HT change from beer in S1 to household cleaners in S2?)

I’d love to know what they pitched for a Season 3. Sigh. Whatever it was, it didn’t work….

And now I’m without Lie to Me, as well. FOX has not won any brownie points with me this week. The one bright spot is the public recognition of the Criminal Intent Binder Project by Kathryn Erbe.

Stay tuned! I’m not done with this blog yet!  I'm just side-tracked with finishing a V vid!

Friday, May 6, 2011

Human Target Season 1 Music

Throughout the first season of Human Target, the music was all composed by Bear McCreary, consisting of, as he puts it "... a dynamic adventure score in the language of classic cinema."  Bear worked with a full 60-piece symphonic orchestra every week.  It's a truly amazing feat. Visit Bear's site to see a list of all the other fabulous scores he has created. (You will definitely recognize them.) You have to be a very special kind of person to do this. Amazing man. "Amazing" seems to be the best word I can come up with to describe him and his accomplishments!  He received an Emmy nomination for the Human Target Main theme.

Opening Credits for Human Target Season 1




Bear McCreary
All Bear's music from Season 1 has been produced on a 3 CD compilation with over 3 hours of music.  It is a Limited Edition of 2000.


Bear maintains an up-to-date blog which surprised me.  All that talent and time to blog....

You can see him perform on YouTube here.  I see he's really new to YouTube.  Lucky us.  I'll be subscribing to his channel!



Well, it was my very lucky day when a package arrived from my friend Susan.  It was my birthday present, held captive by postal services and customs until yesterday.  In the package was the Human Target Season 1 Soundtrack.  WAAAAHOOOOO! 

Thank you so much Susan! I bet you can guess what I'm listening to right now!

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Semi-Automatic

This is an awesome song.  It was used in Communication Breakdown as Chance rushes to Ilsa - he is sure Hector Lopez will kill her. The quiet urgency of this song contrasts beautifully with the violence and fear.  But I can't listen to it with comfort yet, as in my mind it's completely integrated with these riveting clips.  It's one of my favourite sequences in all tv viewing, exquisitely played by Indira Varma and Mark Valley and it features prominently in both my Human Target fanvids.

Here is a short clip as the song starts - Semi-Automatic continues in this amazing scene for over two and half minutes.

from Communication Breakdown, S2E8


This song is by The Boxer Rebellion and you can listen to it complete here

Buy it on iTunes here
Buy it on Amazon.com here