My Sofa Snark video blog has been on a bit of a hiatus these last few weeks, but with most of prime-time shuttering for the summer, I decided to wrap up the juiciest finales. I also revamped the webisode with a new look. Let me know what you think.

This week’s Sofa Snark covers the season finales of “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Gossip Girl,” “90210,” “30 Rock,” “Lost” and “Fringe.” There was plenty of drama as each of the high profile shows drew to a close, and in the case of both J.J. Abrams creations, many questions were raised. This fall season should prove quite interesting.

As the television network upfronts recently took place here in New York City, it is worth pointing out that a few shows have been dealt inappropriate sentences. Fox killed “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” while NBC buckled under nerd pressure and saved “Chuck.” Oh yes, and a show I was looking forward to getting retro with next season, the 1980’s inspired “Gossip Girl” spinoff, was axed before it even started.

The summer should prove entertaining for all of us “Pushing Daisies,” “Eli Stone” and “Dirty Sexy Money” fans, with each of the already canceled shows returning with the finale un-aired episodes. Plus, cable channels have a slew of great programming coming up. So, make sure to check back throughout the summer for brand new webisodes of Sofa Snark.

Of all the shows on Broadway this season, “Next to Normal” packs the biggest punch. It’s a heavy dramatic story line following a family’s downward spiral as it deals with a crisis. Best of all is the score. With music by Tom Kitt and lyrics by Brian Yorkey, the show explodes on stage with a rock edge, causing some to draw slight comparisons to those other rock musicals, “Rent” and “Spring Awakening.”

It certainly doesn’t hurt that “Rent” director Michael Greif also helms this production, or that Jennifer Damiano, a cast member of “Spring Awakening,” stars in this new groundbreaking show. “Next to Normal” also stars Alice Ripley, J. Robert Spencer, Aaron Tveit and Louis Hobson.

So, it was quite a thrill to join “Next to Normal” stars Jennifer Damiano and Adam Chanler-Berat to shoot a video feature for BroadwayWorld.com. I followed the duo all around Broadway’s Booth Theatre on 45th Street, getting a peak at the behind-the-scees happenings of the now Tony Award-nominated musical. We also had a chance to shoot on the stage admiring the fantastic set. Nothing like walking through a wall of vinyl.

If you are in New York, you must catch “Next to Normal.” Just be prepared for a rocking mind trip.

Check out the video I shot and edited for BroadwayWorld.com.

We don’t need another hero, but America certainly craves another pop idol. After all, the world would be a grim place without Ruben Studdard around. Simon Cowell already weighed in, on Oprah, saying Adam Lambert deserves to win. And we all know that anything said on the “O” show becomes this country’s mantra. So Adam should be sitting pretty.

The most entertaining moment of the night, besides Adam’s performances, was the cat fight between resident Diva, Simon, and the fourth wheel, Kara DioGuardi. Hey producers, you should stream a judges camera on the website. Their reactions and grimaces must make for great entertainment.

Danny Gokey brought in the funk with his Paula Abdul pick, “Dance Little Sister.” He even broke it down dueting with a saxophone. Lisa Simpson would be so proud. Sadly, Kara wasn’t feeling his gyrating hips. Nor was Simon, who referred to the moves as desperate. Hip by 1970’s standards, Danny sings better than he entertains. The voice is what sets him apart from Kris Allen. Neither are deserving of the “Idol” title, so it’s a fight for redheaded stepchild status from this point forward.

It was intriguing that Danny opted to re-arrange his second song, veering away from the traditional Joe Cocker sound of “You Are So Beautiful.” Despite the change up, he hit every note with perfection. This was the performance that gave him a shot at second place.

Kris decided it was bring an instrument to work day playing both the piano and his guitar throughout the night. First up was a song chosen by Kara and Randy Jackson, “Apologize,” by OneRepublic. Because, America was in desperate need of a second-rate cover of a song still overplayed on the radio. It’s not a big enough tune to standout with in the final stretch. Following up OneRepublic with a Kanye West song gave Kris an actual chance at competing with Danny, but only a small one.

Simon, Simon, Simon. Adam, Adam, Adam. They both walked a fine line in choosing U2’s “One.” With Bono and the gang remaining my choice for greatest band in the world, covering one of their songs is risky business. But, one should rarely doubt Adam. The kid has got something that’s far greater than “Idol.” He belted parts of the song that I’ve never imagined getting such treatment. I’m fairly certain I heard Bono clapping with approval from across Central Park here in New York. It was no classic U2 melody, but it was an Adam original.

Adam decided to channel Steven Tyler as he ended out the night with Aerosmith’s “Cryin’.” That iconic mouth is a great fit with Adam’s wail. Rock on, dog.

Only one week to go until the grand “Idol” finale. I’ve got my dialing finger ready to go.

Photos by Michael Becker/ FOX.

J.J. Abrams has stretched his theory of alternate realities to the limit with his re-imagining of “Star Trek.” The reboot of this beleaguered franchise is full of elements that have been showing up in Abrams’ cult television shows, most notably “Lost” and “Fringe.” Unlike those two intriguing network endeavors, with “Star Trek,” the Hollywood wunderkind simplifies his logic so much that the resulting product is nothing more than a rock ‘em sock ‘em space adventure.

That is not to say the new “Star Trek” film is mindless entertainment, rather it fails to live up to the now high J.J. Abrams standard. “Fringe” has just recently clued viewers in on the possible theory of alternate realities, in which multiple scenarios are played out simultaneously. The series’ character Olivia Dunham began flashing on these other possible realities in last week’s episode. And over on “Lost,” the last few episodes have been devoted to time travel and changing the course of future events.

In both cases, the intricacies and gestation periods allow for often profound analysis and careful thought. It keeps those dedicated viewers returning week after week. And Abrams, along with a skilled set of writers, knows just how much to reveal so as not to give too much away. Sadly, “Star Trek” writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman penned a simplistic script with only faint whispers of the Abrams equation.

“Star Trek” takes the most basic concept of time travel combined with alternate realities and concocts a way to change the course of Trek lore. When an elderly Spock, reprised by Trek veteran Leonard Nimoy, jumps time through a black hole, he sets in motion a course of action that trashes most of what Trekkers have closely followed for more than 40 years.

James Kirk’s father no longer survives to see his son take helm of the starship Enterprise. The planet Vulcan implodes before the Trek quest even begins. And a young Spock loses his mother far too soon. Abrams has admitted he was not a fan of “Star Trek” while growing up and that he didn’t want to make a Trek movie, rather just a good film.

Abrams should ask himself why he deiced to reinvent the Gene Roddenberry legend. Could he not have just made a kick ass sci-fli flick? After all, producers Rick Berman and Brannon Braga drove the franchise into the ground with the disastrous 2001 series “Enterprise.” Their criminal handling of “Star Trek” is the single reason Abrams should have tackled this latest film. But, somewhere along the line he missed the mark.

It’s great seeing a young and sexy cast kicking things up a notch in space. Chris Pine as Kirk is that James Dean rebel with just enough heart to earn some compassion. “Heroes” star Zachary Quinto is everything a young Spock should be, emotionally conflicted and often deathly shrewd. Simon Pegg’s Scotty is a riot as is Karl Urban’s take on Dr. McCoy. And Zoe Saldana steams up the screen as a spicy Uhura. Even John Cho and Anton Yelchin turn in pleasing enough performances as Sulu and Chekov, respectively.

“Star Trek’s” visual stunts and graphics are hot. The only thing lacking in this new film is the story line. Abrams is a skilled director, and as such must take on the sequel. Paramount would be foolish to skip out on that opportunity. However, when that time comes, Abrams must be urged to adopt more of what made fans create the most powerful cult following in Hollywood. Bask in the slick glory of the first venture, but add a little more than a wink and a nod to all those Trekkers out there next time around. The future depends on it.

I randomly flipped on “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” the other day and quickly recalled a gathering I attended a few years back where Andreas Deja, a Disney animator, spoke about bringing the zany rabbit to life. Deja had joined the Disney animation department in 1980, where he actually had a chance to meet many of the “Nine Old Men,” that historic group that set the standard for all animated films to follow.

Throughout his career Deja had the opportunity to create such memorable characters as King Triton in “The Little Mermaid,” Gaston in “Beauty and the Beast” and Jafar in “Aladdin,” just to name a few. Besides the classic nature of those often fantastic creations, they shared one extremely important quality. They were all hand-drawn creations. Something the future crop of Disney films can’t claim to have. That is, until now. Deja and the Disney gang have brought to life another classic story, “The Princess and the Frog,” in full hand-drawn glory.

In 2006, Walt Disney Studios triumphantly announced it would resurrect the lost art form. Up until then, such practices had all but faded away as Pixar and other studios segued into the land of computer-generated “animation.” It was Edwin Catmull, Disney Feature Animation and Pixar president, that touted such a return.

No matter how advanced CGI technology gets, the human eye, or at least my eyes, can always tell where the pen stops and the keyboard kicks in. Computer graphics remain cold, starkly contrasting the warm fantasy land created in such landmark films as “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and “Beauty and the Beast.” I do realize “Beauty” featured some computer work, but the film itself was a hand-drawn masterpiece. Then came “Chicken Little” and “Bolt.” Two CGI films that did not appeal to my Disney sensibility. When you’re raised on filet, it’s hard to start eating a microwave dinner.

While “Wall-E” stands out as an enjoyable treat, it still fails to connect with me as “Dumbo” or “The Lion King” continue to do. No matter how hard I try, there is little feeling in this heart for a hunk of metal. Even if they pull at my show-tune loving heart with “Hello Dolly.”

Disney has released the full trailer for “The Princess and the Frog,” and with such talents as Oprah Winfrey, John Goodman, Terrence Howard and Anika Noni Rose attached, here’s hoping for a smash success. Because, if this film can succeed in drawing out audiences, old and young alike, then there remains hope that Disney will keep up the great tradition that Walt capitalized on all those years ago.

Published on TheWrap.com May 12, 2009.

Adam Lambert hit rock bottom last week, or at least the bottom three, as America proved it is still incapable of voting with any sense of logic, mostly. It’s about as big of an accident as the one Ryan Seacrest alluded to during the opening of Tuesday’s “American Idol.” The set was falling, and it fit right in with the rock vibe this week. Slash was in town, attempting to kick ass with the top four.

Wails. Riffs. Leather. The only thing missing that could have authenticated a true rock and roll theme was some type of drug binge. It was the era of Woodstock, Hendrix and Joplin, after all. Of course, that wouldn’t be safe family fare, so that scenario will have to remain a pipe dream.

Adam kicked off the night with a high-octane Led Zeppelin classic, “Whole Lotta Love.” There was some major glam going on and Adam easily shot down the competition. He’s no Robert Plant, at least not the Plant of the Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham era, but I’d pay to hear Adam tear down the walls of any venue if he keeps up the energetic performances. The big question is, can he top that intensity next week? I’m thinking so.

This was also the week for Allison Iraheta to shine since she always looks the rocker part. There was no fooling around as she kept the classic train chugging along with Janis Joplin’s “Cry Baby.” The problem is, when thinking of Janis, it’s hard to separate the iconic voice from the songs, and Alison hasn’t chugged enough booze to cut up her vocals enough. Copycat is not the way to go, but something fierce needs to happen when channeling the iconic rock chick, and it wasn’t happening for Alison this week.

And then there were two, on stage at the same time. Danny Gokey and Kris Allen knocked out a duet, 1980’s style. It was a milk toast take on “Renegade,” but kudos for picking Styx. Adam and Allison’s tag team of “Slow Ride” fared much better, but not enough to warrant any further duet segments. “Idol” producers need to ditch the new format. It’s far too cheesy.

Slash and Kris came together and tried putting a hard edge on the Beatles, but seeing Kris try rocking out bordered on bizarre. He can’t escape the adult contemporary label. Instead of trying to shake things up, he should stick with light tempo tunes. That’s where he works best. Leave the hard-edged stuff to the real talent, like Adam.

Big and loud were the missing factors from Danny’s take on “Dream On.” The song starts out with a simmer but quickly swells to a full-blown boil and is topped off by that classic Steven Tyler scream. Danny opted to throw a random scat in the middle, which was just awkward. But, he did yelp at the end. That’s something, at least, but not enough to come off as credible. Danny’s a soul man, like Kris is an acoustic kid. It’s not always wise to defy music logic.

Save for Adam’s always-stellar performance, “American Idol” failed to capture that classic rock energy it was shooting for. America would be better served by heading to Broadway’s now Tony Award nominated “Rock of Ages” for a true taste of all things electric guitar and big hair.

Photos by Ray Mickshaw/FOX

My knees are quite sore. I might just have a permanent crick in my neck. And I couldn’t be more pleased. No, it’s not a latent masochistic side of my personality surfacing. Although I’m sure something like that lurks deep within. But this fractured sensation can be thankfully blamed on Broadway’s latest British import, “The Norman Conquests.”

Under the artistic direction of Kevin Spacey, this Old Vic production is split into three plays, “Table Manners,” “Living Together” and “Round and Round the Garden,” all playing back to back on select weekends. Now, three plays in one day should typically be reserved for only us most dedicated theatre geeks, but from the response I was hearing amongst the blue-haired ladies Saturday, everyone is getting something out of the trilogy experience.

See them separately, out of order, or all together. “The Norman Conquests” is guaranteed to get you on your feet by story’s end. The plot of this 1970s period British comedy, simple as it is, found a way to impress no matter how tired I was feeling, especially around hour five or six. In short, three siblings (Ruth, Annie and Reg) end up at their mother’s country home with a few spouses in tow, including the title character, Norman. It is in fact Norman, played by Sacha Baron Cohen look-alike Stephen Mangan, that is the root of nearly all the sexual escapades that befall the household.

Imagine “August: Osage County” mashed up with an Oscar Wilde farce, and you might get the gist of “The Norman Conquests.” A painfully awkward do-gooding neighbor, Tom, who in the end turns out to be the glue that just couldn’t hold everything together, joins this fractured family throughout all three plays. In fact, the six-person ensemble makes appearances in each of the shows, which is a cause for much applause simply because they have quite a bit of dialogue to master.

To go into all of the sordid details that make up “The Norman Conquests” would be cruel, as many of the punch lines would lose their luster. But, don’t be fooled into thinking these Alan Ayckbourn tales are mere jokes. The laughs are indeed abundant, but so are the painfully delicious character studies, thanks in part to the sharp group of actors, under the direction of Matthew Warchus.

Man is broken down into three primal parts in the plays, with each of the leads representing a splintered aspect of its personality, unless it’s just me that can relate. Either way, there’s a little bit of us all in the male trio. Mangan tackles the testosterone oozing Norman with comic brilliance, not caring a bit about his looks, rather focusing all of his energy on being the great lothario. Not only does he woo his wife, Ruth (Amelia Bullmore), but Norman also gets frisky with both of his sister-in-laws, Annie (Jessica Hynes) and Sarah (Amanda Root). It’s not too hard of a task, seeing how one is married to man’s weakest nerd-like persona, Reg (Paul Ritter). And Tom, a character that thinks to death without ever taking any action, is courting the other. Ben Miles tackles the role, which is a perfect fit for the former star of BBC’s “Coupling,” seeing how Tom appears a direct extension of Miles’ iconic television character, minus his luck with the ladies.

All three plays focus on the same three-day weekend in July, with each taking place in a different area of the house. “Table Manners” happens in the dining room, “Living Together” in the sitting room and “Round and Round the Garden” in, where else, the garden. It might be a stretch to ask every theatregoer to endure the more than 6 ½ hours needed to take in all of “The Norman Conquests,” but there might not be a better excuse to get out of the schizophrenic weather befalling New York City at the moment than sitting in the Circle in the Square Theatre for this must-see experience.

Photos by Richard Termine

As a big U2 fan, it should come as no shock that I find most of what Bono does extremely fascinating, be it his straight forward music work to championing causes for the third world. His activist role causes some frustration amongst the music-only crowd, with “fans” yelping at concerts anytime Bono breaks into a stump speech in between songs. The ones complaining are often those middle aged trucker types with a receding hair line and hairy beer belly. So, if you are one of those types, steer clear of this CNN video of an interview between Bono and George Clooney.

Clooney sits down with Bono for nearly 40 minutes on a dimly lit stage to talk about everything from world causes, Darfur, journalism, sex appeal to the movie industry. Quite a varied set of topics, but these are two well rounded gents. Obviously I respect what Bono has to say on many issues.

After watching this CNN video interview, I’ve come to respect Clooney more so than before. My opinion of the actor and director started rising last year when he joined Tom Hanks on a public campaign to thwart a then possible SAG strike. An actors’ strike would have been disastrous for an already fragile film industry, and more actors need to be responsible rather than greedy when it comes to contract negotiations. So, kudos to Clooney for taking a stand.

And kudos to CNN for joining these two fascinating characters for a lengthy chat.  If you have trouble viewing the video, click here.