X-ceeding X-pectations

As I continue to play catch up, we come to last week's new release - X-Men: First Class. I'll admit I had quite a bit of skepticism going into this movie given the franchise's recent track record. After a sufficient introduction and a solid first sequel, the X-Men films fell off the rails once Brett Ratner took over directing duties on the third one. Then, they did little to ingratiate fans with a wholly unnecessary and uninspired Wolverine spinoff. To make matters worse, the promotion for this latest effort - a prequel/reboot of sorts - was rather underwhelming.

Set in 1960s, First Class looks at the early lives of the franchise's two most central figures, Professor Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr aka Magneto. The two begin on very disparate paths. Xavier thrives in academia thanks to his mind reading mutation while Erik is on a path of destruction trying to locate the man responsible for his killing mother while their family was held in a concentration camp. Of course, their paths do cross when they come across a mutual enemy - the mysterious Sebastian Shaw. Shaw is played by Kevin Bacon and has a much larger role than the previews of this film would suggest. Seeing Bacon not only in a high profile film but hamming it up as the primary villain was a wonderful surprise, one of many that the film features.

In an effort to stop Shaw, Charles and Erik round up a number of other indiduals with mutant powers. This is done through a nice montage that showcases a lot of characters and how the two of them weren't always successful at convincing some to join their cause. This is just one place where you'll find some effective cameos in this movie. Once they've amassed a group, the film does a good job of spending time with these characters and making us appreciate them, even if they weren't mutants who most people would recognize prior to this film. I really liked the fact that through both castings and choice of characters, there really isn't a dud in the group. Unlike with past X-Men films where some of the characters were either annoying or pointless, I liked all of the choices made here. And perhaps more importantly, I would enjoy seeing another film featuring them as well.

By giving the film the backdrop of the 1960s, First Class adds some credibility by infusing its story with real life events. Who knew that the Cuban Missile Crisis was merely an extension of the festering war humans were developing against mutants? All joking aside, I liked that they blended this story with real events. It gave the film some added authenticity and eliminated some of the silliness that can naturally come when telling a story about a guy who can make tornados with his hands fighting someone who can fire red laser discs from his hands.

Now that's not to say that the film doesn't have its silly moments. I felt the first 20 minutes or so of the film was too goofy in its attempt to first illustrate the different characters' powers. However, once the film shifts into its central story those moments are less frequent. On the other hand, some more silliness could have been exhibited by Emma Frost (played by January Jones). Clearly the weak link in the cast, Jones' wooden portrayal of the character hurts each scene that she's in. Both of these gripes though are minor issues that do not severely affect the film in a negative way.

I recognize that there is probably a lot of people out there who may have mutant fatigue given the number of recent poor X-Men films, but I would strongly suggest you give this one a chance. There is strong acting from the leads coupled with a very engaging story. In a summer where most films have felt like retreads that fail to offer up fresh ideas, this latest X-Men movie is in a 'class' by itself. Grade: B+

Surprise party

While everyone was (deservedly so) buzzing about Nintendo's announcement of their new Wii U console yesterday, I was stunned to also read that they announced that they are releasing a new Mario Party this year on the Wii. This is the first Mario Party in four years!! It's also the first one that was made specifically for the Wii (Mario Party 8 was originally intended for the Gamecube and converted at the last moment to the Wii). No release date has been set yet, but I'm already eagerly counting down the days. You can get a first look at what you can expect from the game in the trailer below.

Another round of shots

As I try to wrap up another school year, I've fallen a bit behind on my movie reviews, but I'll try to rectify that situation right now. Like so many others, I too saw The Hangover Part II a couple of weekends ago when it first was released. Since then the film has received some polarizing responses from critics and fans alike. The biggest complaint most have is that this film is simply a retread of the first film.

Well let's get it out of the way, this film is exactly like the first one. This time around it is Stu (Ed Helms) who is getting married and has decided to do so in Thailand. Though he wanted a simple, innocuous bachelor party Stu, along with Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Alan (Zack Galifianakis) wake up the next morning after a night of debauchery not remembering a thing that happened. What follows there after is the same course as the first film with the Wolfpack trying to piece together clues in order to figure what they did and how things went so terribly wrong.

Now I will admit that I was not as enamored as a lot of people were with the first film. While I definitely enjoyed it, I also felt it lacked something that would allow it to join the list of greatest comedies of all time. This time around I didn't have that same feeling. That is not to say I think that this is a better film. I just think that the obvious comfort level that the cast now has with each other and the material enabled a lot of the rough edges that I thought the first film had to disappear.

The one major drawback to this film was the choice of location. While Bangkok is a natural choice to set a film like this is, it doesn't have the same welcoming feel as Vegas did. Everything is darker and more dangerous there and you just feel dirty watching everything that happens. I think the situations the Wolfpack found themselves in during the first film are more relatable to a larger audience.

So is this a bad film because it's a retread of the original movie. Many will say yes, but I disagree. This is one instance where I think a lot of people need to get off of their high horse and just enjoy these guys have yet another bad day. We're not talking about watering down a classic piece of cinema. This is a raunchy comedy filled with nudity, violence, and foul language. It shouldn't matter what package it comes in. If you enjoy the delivery of it, you should be happy. It's likely that the film was in a no win situation. If they had completely changed up the formula, you would have others saying they miss what they enjoyed from the first movie. In this case, there was no reason to rock the boat. I would say their only crime was having this come out so soon after the first one. There was not enough of a waiting period to allow their first adventure to be forgotten.

Ultimately, The Hangover Part II has just as many laughs, but fewer surprises. It's likely that if you haven't seen it by now, you might as well just wait to video. The few surprises that the film has have either been spoiled to you already or they're simply not good enough for you to spend the $10+ to see them in the theater. Like the first one, this too can be more appreciated on the smaller screen where you can catch some of the more subtle jokes and take a closer look at the pictures of the guys' wild night during the closing credits (or in some cases, shield your eyes). It's apropos to look at this sequel like you would a second shot of alcohol. For some, just one shot is good enough and they can ride that buzz throughout the rest of the night. For others, you can't help but take another shot. And while it may be smooth going down, you may also regret it a day later. Still others can't get enough with each one just as enjoyable as the previous one. With a high tolerance, it's likely you'll enjoy The Hangover Part II. Grade: B

Wii whoa!

Check out the new Wii controller, part of the new Wii console called Wii U that was announced today at the E3 conference. I am very impressed! Nintendo already has my money for this thing.

Tribe Watch (Week 10)

Record: 33-24

Standing: First in AL Central

We are officially in a major slump right now. While the Tribe managed to get 2 out 3 in Toronto, we got swept in the four game series against Texas. Not only did we get swept at home, but we were shutout in the last two games. There really was nothing redeemable to take away from those last four games. Right now no one is hitting well, so even when the pitching is decent, it's still not enough to give us a win. While some of the batters who aren't hitting well are likely to come around, there are some big concerns with guys like Choo and Santana, who have not hit well all season and were expected to be big producers in the middle of the lineup. I'm not sure what the answer to our problems is, but we better figure it out soon because suddenly Detroit has been winning and our once sizable lead in the division has all but evaporated. We'll get an opportunity to right the ship starting tomorrow as we begin a three game set against Minnesota. That will be an important series for a number of reasons. First, it's a divisional opponent, so you always want to do well against them. Also, Minnesota is having a terrible year, so we can't waste an opportunity to take advantage of a lesser team. Finally, after the series with Minnesota we head to New York this weekend to take on the Yankees. If we're unable to do well against the Twins, we could head into a real tailspin, which would be terrible after getting off to such a great start. I know no one wants to see that, so I hope you'll all join me in continuing to root this team on. Go Tribe!

Book review: Hell's Corner

Now that summer has arrived (I say that despite the fact that I still have yet another week before the school year is over for me) it's time to catch some rays and curl up with a good book. The first one I chose was a novel by David Baldacci that continues the adventures of the Camel Club. I believe I reviewed one of the Camel Club novels last summer, but if you're unfamiliar, the group is a ragtag bunch of guys, led by 'Oliver Stone' a former sniper for the U.S. government, who often find themselves wrapped up in conspiracies and political espionage. I was not particularly fond of the previous entry in this series called Divine Justice. That book I felt was too obvious in its plotting. I was able to call every twist and villain before they were actually revealed. It also took the characters away from Washington D.C., which I didn't care for either. Thankfully, most of those problems are eliminated in Hell's Corner. The plot is stuffed with plenty of misdirection to keep the reader guessing. This time around as the gang try to investigate a mysterious bombing that occurred in a park near the White House. As I read it, I felt like it could have easily been a season-long storyline for 24, which in my opinion is a good thing. I will say that the conclusion did suffer at times from a lack of plausibility and leaves some questions unanswered. I'm willing to dismiss those problems though as I found myself quickly turning the pages as it came to its conclusion. Certainly I wouldn't recommend you reading this book without reading the prior ones in the series, but if you're looking for something to read, I definitely encourage to start at the beginning and give this series a try. Grade: B+

Going ape

I can't say that I've ever been a fan of the Planet of the Apes franchise, but damn if this movie doesn't look entertaining, with a solid cast and some impressive visual effects.

NMR: Little Fockers

I talked last week about how unnecessary of a film the latest Pirates of the Caribbean film felt, but that goes double for this third entry in the Fockers franchise. It was clear watching this that the people behind these films have nothing left to say. This movie, if you can even really call it that, is a hodgepodge of random ideas, none of which are particularly fresh. Part of the disjointed feel that this film has is due to the cast. While they can be credited for bringing back all of the primary cast members from the previous films, it was clear that not everyone was available at the same time. As a result, the movie goes from one scene to the next with whoever was available leaving no internal consistency to the story. Given that the film is called Little Fockers, you would think the primary focus would be on the new kids, but they are more of a sideshow here. Instead, we revisit played out storylines like Jack's (Robert DeNiro) intimacy problems and Kevin's (Owen Wilson) inability to get over Pam. If the film had been a simple retread, it would have been unfortunate but understandable. But this movie also tries to shoehorn new characters like Jessica Alba's Andi, who may be one of the most unrealistic characters in a film in a long time. No one in real life behaves the way she does in this film. What had been so appealing about the first film was the way it rooted its comedy in uncomfortable realism. The laughs here, of which there are few, are anything but realistic. I really wanted this to be good, but there's just nothing here to warrant a recommendation. Rating: ** 1/2

Tribe Watch (Week 9)

Record: 31-19

Standing: First in AL Central

This has certainly been the roughest week thus far in the season for the Tribe. Managing only one win against both Boston and Tampa was less than encouraging considering either one of those teams could be playoff contenders. Right now the offense seems to be in a funk. With the exception of Asdrubal Cabrera, no one seems to be hitting with any consistency at the moment. It's good that Grady has returned to the lineup, but thus far he's struggled like everyone else to get on base. The good news amongst our recent struggles is that virtually everyone else in our division continues to play just as poorly, if not worse. Looking ahead to this week, the Indians continue their road trip by heading up to the Great White North to take on the Toronto Blue Jays for three games. Then it's back home for a four game set against the Texas Rangers. Both teams have good offenses, so even if our pitching is good, we can't rely solely on it. Let's get those bats going and I'll be there every step of the way to see what happened. Go Tribe!

Gal(ifianakis) pal

Just in time for The Hangover Part II, Zack is back with another installment of Between Two Ferns with special guest Will Ferrell.

Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: Will Ferrell from Will Ferrell

Caribbean cruise control

Like many others, I opted to set sail once again with Captain Jack Sparrow last weekend for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the fourth installment in the popular franchise. For me and this series of films, it's been a long, strange journey. When the first film came out, I initially scoffed at the idea of a pirate film. That is, until I actually saw it and was instantly won over by the film's fun nature and Johnny Depp's engaging performance as Captain Jack. With the second and third films, my anticipation led to fatigue as I saw Disney become greedy and over-ambitious as they tried to stretch a confounding narrative over the course of two films.

That leads us to this new film that I came into with some trepidation. On one hand, this was an opportunity, ala Ocean's 13, to be a make-good for the previous ill-received two films. However, this entry was being made without two of the previous films' primary leads. Neither Keira Knightly nor Orlando Bloom are seen or even mentioned in this outing. The end result here is a middling affair that isn't as bad as it could have been, nor does it offer much hope that this franchise has much left in the way of sealegs.

This time out, Capt. Jack is on a quest to find the Fountain of Youth. He's not alone though. The English, led by Barbosa (once again played by Geoffrey Rush) and the Spanish are searching for it. And so is Blackbeard (played by Ian McShane) and his daughter (Penelope Cruz), who also happens to be a former loved of Sparrow's. With so many parties involved its inevitable that there will be plenty of swashbuckling and swordfights between them, and sometime amongst them, along the way. If it all feels like familiar territory, you're not wrong. The film is set up in such a way that you sit patiently waiting until they all arrive at the fountain since you know that nothing of significance will occur until then. In fact the film does sag in the middle as it takes longer than you would like for them to actually arrive at the desired location.

While the action offers nothing new, I did appreciate the addition of Penelope Cruz. While she doesn't really have to try to exude sexiness, she still gives it her all here and the scenes that she shares with Depp offer up the film's few special moments. The same can't be said for the rest of the characters. I like Rush's Barbosa, but he doesn't bring anything new this time to his portrayal of Barbosa. As usual, his character continues to play all sides preventing anyone from knowing his true intentions. As for McShane, he's disappointing as Blackbeard. He never seems to find the right level of menace to make him an engaging villain. Worse of all though is a ham-handed subplot involving a hunky missionary and a mermaid. Their sole purpose in the film appears to help fill the void left by Bloom and Knightly's absence, but they add nothing to the movie. You could excise their entire subplot and have the film be just as entertaining.

Of course, all of these characters take a backseat throughout the film to Jack Sparrow, which probably isn't a good thing. With Depp's original performance of the character, the appeal came from the fact that the character was such a wildcard. Full of energy, with just the right amount of crazy. As the character became more of the central figure of this franchise, that mystique has been stripped. I'd imagine a similar problem would occur if they had made a Star Wars film that featured Han Solo, but didn't have Luke and Leia. By now, we know exactly how Capt. Jack will handle each situation. Depp still appears to be having fun playing the character, but I'm not sure the same can be said for the audience watching it.

Though the franchise may appear a bit weathered, a post-credits scene would lead you to believe that they're leaving the door open for the possibility of another entry. My suggestion would be to stop now before this franchise sinks to the depths of Davy Jones' locker. With the way things stand now, they don't go out on a high note, but they don't completely embarass themselves either. On Stranger Tides can be fun at times, but on the whole feels redundant and unnecessary. You'll have wished that the franchise had found the fountain of youth, because their routine is getting old fast. Grade: B-

Puppet master

I'm sure most of you have seen this already, but if not, check out how a trailer can go from awful to awesome in a matter of seconds.

NMR: Tangled

Even though this isn't in my wheelhouse of films I typically watch, I'm, in general, a sucker for animated films, so I gave it a look. This modern telling of Rapunzel comes from Disney and their fingerprints are all over it. You have cute animal sidekicks. You have a princess. You have a female villain. You have big musical numbers. It's all there, yet its still missing some of its magic. For some reason, the Disney formula, which worked for so many years dating back to Snow White lost something once they transitioned to computer animation. None of it feels fresh anymore. Other studios like Pixar have surpassed them at being able to tell compelling stories with engaging characters. In many ways, Tangled feels like a used car that has a fresh coat of paint on it. My comments may seem a bit harsh and I certainly don't want them to sound that way. In many ways I was entertained by the film. The musical numbers are solid and there are a few decent characters. I just wish Disney could have been a bit more innovative. Younger children who have not seen a lot of the original Disney animated features will likely love this, but older audiences are better off just sticking with the originals. Rating: *** 1/2

Ghost Crichton

News on a new Michael Crichton novel coming out this fall, despite passing away back in 2008. From Dayton Daily News:

A new, posthumous story of science gone wrong is coming in November from the late Michael Crichton, with help by Richard Preston.

Crichton, author of such blockbusters as "Jurassic Park" and "The Andromeda Strain" died in 2008 and had written one-third of "Micro," a thriller about a biotech company in Hawaii and the graduate students who end up stranded and endangered in a rain forest. Preston, known for his best-selling nonfiction work about the Ebola virus, "The Hot Zone," used Crichton's outline, reference materials and notes to finish the book.

Publisher HarperCollins announced Sunday that "Micro" would be "a high concept thriller in the vein of 'Jurassic Park.'" In a statement released by HarperCollins, Preston said he was immediately captivated by Crichton's manuscript.

"Michael was writing at the top of his game, with a grand sense of adventure, into an eerie world that seems almost beyond imagining," Preston said. "For me, it was an irresistible challenge to finish the novel, and I was driven by a desire to honor the work and imagination of one of our time's most visionary and creative authors."

"Michael was exhilarated by his concept for this novel," Crichton's agent, Lynn Nesbit, said in a statement. "He felt he was breaking new ground by introducing his readers to a fascinating, almost unimaginable landscape with real scientific underpinnings."

Crichton is one of many authors whose publishing output has continued after his death. David Foster Wallace's "The Pale King," a novel assembled from notes the author left behind after his suicide in 2008, came out last month. The "Wheel of Time" fantasy series by Robert Jordan, who died in 2007, is being completed by Brandon Sanderson. Crichton's "Pirate Latitudes," a novel he had finished before his death, was released in 2009.

Tribe Watch (Week 8)

Record: 29-15

Standing: First in AL Central

This was certainly a week that featured a lot of highs and low. On the high side, we swept both the Royals and Reds. The Royals series featured a lot of offense, but doing that against the Royals has been commonplace for a while now. Sweeping the Reds was huge because they are a playoff contender too. The first two games were close ones that showed the Indians 'never-say-die' attitude. Today's game was an awesome blowout that put a great exclamation point on this series. As for the lows, we looked absolutely awful losing both games of the two-game series against Chicago. Normally I wouldn't get too worked up over losing two games, but I absolutely loathe the White Sox and hate whenever we lose to them. But for now, they've at the bottom of the division, so I'll try not to worry about them too much. The other low came from the mounting injuries the team has suffered. Grady Sizemore, Travis Hafner and rookie pitcher Alex White all went on the DL. Thus far they haven't been too critical since the offense has remained hot and Mitch Talbot is expected to come off the DL to replace White. All in all, I'd say this was a positive week. We're now at the quarter point of the season and things continue to look good. We have no signs of this being a fluke or hot start and we also hold the biggest lead within our division (up on Detroit by 7.5 games currently). Let's hope that continues to hold. But things won't get any easier this week as the resurgent Boston Red Sox come into town tomorrow for a three game series and then we head down to the ugliest stadium in the major leagues, Tropicana Field, to play the AL East leading Tampa Bay Rays. As usual, I'll be watching and I hope all of you will too. Go Tribe!

Bane of our existence

Courtesy of a new viral campaign which began on TheDarkKnightRises.com, here is the exclusive first look at Tom Hardy (Inception) as Bane in Christopher Nolan's third Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises, which is set to be released next summer. I'm already more excited about that film than I am about anything coming out this summer.

RIP Macho Man

I don't write a whole lot about wrestling on here, but this was too big of a story to ignore. Earlier today, it was announced that Randy "Macho Man" Savage had passed away from an apparent heart attack while he was driving with his wife. He was only 57. This news comes as a shock to so many wrestling fans who idolized him for so many years. Without question, he was one of the best. He had a tremendous mix of both charisma and atheletic ability. Anyone who was or is a wrestling fan can immediately tell you their favorite match of his, but you'll likely get a different answer from each person you ask. He had memorable feuds with all the greats from Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Ultimate Warrior, Ricky Steamboat, Jake "the Snake" Roberts and numerous others. He made it look so effortless to get you sucked into his matches, whether it was through his manic pre-match promos or the way he displayed his vicious side or show his vulnerability by selling his opponents attack. I had the fortunate opportunity to meet Macho Man when I was 12. It was the first pro wrestler I had ever met in person and he seemed larger than life. Truly a moment I'll never forget. I really wish that the he and the WWE had been able to get past their differences, whatever they were, in order for him to have been inducted in their Hall of Fame while he was still with us. Now, though, he'll likely automatically be in next year's class. It's a shame it had to take this happening for him to get that recognition. But while the WWE may have been petty, fans certainly have not. You'll likely see an outpouring of positive sentiments and fond memories being shared over the next few days and they come to the realization that yet another great pro wrestler has left us. I'll do the same here as I've embedded one of my favorite moments of his - the reunion with Miss Elizabeth (sadly, also deceased) from Wrestlemania VII. The way things played out there didn't just create a great moment in wrestling history, it created a great moment in television history. The emotion surrounding their on-screen reconciliation was something you could have found in any great TV drama. As we mourn the loss of this great star, feel free to share your own memories. Randy, you will be missed. Ooohhh Yeahhh!

Meta cheese

I'm sure you're sick of the TV talk for a while, so let's get back into some good ol' movie reviews. A few weeks ago, I caught Scream 4, the latest in the popular horror movie franchise. When the first Scream came out in 1997 it generated a lot of interest because it attempted to say something about the horror genre and turn some of the genre's conventions on its ear. As the franchise went on, the films became even more meta as we saw them do a film in a film that depicted the events of the first film.

However, it's now been 10 years since the last Scream and a lot of has happened in the horror genre in that time. We've seen the prominance of the torture porn genre with franchises like Saw and Hostel. More recently, there's been the trend of the documentary style filmmaking for horror films, seen in movies like Paranormal Activity. Yet, Scream 4 arrives as if the franchise has been in a bubble of sorts. The characters have aged and the technology has been updated, but it's efforts on making commentary on the horror genre seem a bit antiquated. Writer Kevin Williamson seems more intent on mocking teen culture rather than horror films.

In Scream 4, Sydney Prescott (played by Neve Campbell) returns to her hometown of Woodsboro to do a book signing for her autobiography and wouldn't you know it, Ghostface decides to show up at the same time murdering people around town. Of course, Sydney is once again joined by the other surviving cast members of the previous films, Courtney Cox and David Arquette, as Gail Weathers and local cop Dewey, respectively. But along with our trio is a whole host of fresh young blood including Emma Roberts, who plays Sydney's cousin Jill and Hayden Panitierre as her friend. The amount of screen time the young actors get is problematic though. Fans of the franchise will want more of a focus on the core trio, but the studio clearly felt the need to include these teens in order to appeal to a wider, newer audience.

I think what bothered me most wasn't the screen time that they received, especially since most of them are just there to be fodder for Ghostface. Rather it was the film's decision to devote so much of the story and commentary on the teen lifestyle as a way to justify their prescence that frustrated me. Without giving too much away, this problem is connected with who they chose to be the film's killer. For me, one of the greatest appeals of this franchise is that it's been as much about being a whodunnit as it has been about the killings. And this time around, the choice for the killer was a letdown. I felt the choice should have been based on one of two things. Either let the killer have not only a strong connection to Sydney, but a deep reason to hate her or they should have chosen a character who's motives would have been more strongly connected with a larger social commentary. There's a point early in the film where someone mentions tough economic times. It would have been completely plausible to have the killer be someone who in their twisted mind was attempting to boost Woodsboro's economy because the Ghostface killings always generate a larger interest in the town.

So when the killer is revealed and it's a letdown, the rest of the film doesn't look as good either. Most of the action leading up to the reveal is redunant from any of the chase scenes we saw in the first three films. If you're going to pull this franchise out of the mothballs then you better have a good reason to do so. Sadly, I didn't see that here. Yes, there are definitely some funny moments and clever lines sprinkled throughout. The opening sequence in particular is the height of meta commentary with several fake-out moments. However, for as funny and clever as the dialogue is at times, none of it felt needed or enlightening. And instead of feeling timeless, this just felt like an unnecessary rehash.

I'm giving Scream 4 a mild recommendation because the quality of the film isn't that different than any of the other previous entries. If you enjoyed the first three films, you're likely going to appreciate another go round involving these familiar characters. I just wish they had made an effort to freshen things up a bit more. This feels in many ways like it could have come out in 2001, not 2011. With the violence and scares being amped up with today's modern horror films, this franchise is going to have to scream a little bit louder in order to get some recognition. Grade: B-

Fall TV Schedules (CW)

And we wrap up the week with the announcement of the CW's fall schedule.

MONDAY
8 pm Gossip Girl (New Time)
9 pm Hart of Dixie (New Series)

TUESDAY
8 pm 90210 (New Night)
9 pm Ringer (New Series)

WEDNESDAY
8 pm H8R (New Series)
9 pm America’s Next Top Model

THURSDAY
8 pm The Vampire Diaries
9 pm The Secret Circle (New Series)

FRIDAY
8 pm Nikita (New Night)
9 pm Supernatural

Blah. From my perspective, nothing to see here. Same teen-skewing junk that they put out every year.

New CBS shows

There aren't many, but here are the videos previewing CBS new fall shows.