'GOING' A CLICHE TOO FAR.Byline: David Kronke TV Critic ``Going to California'' is an aimless road movie stretched improbably to series length, but at least tonight's installment offers the unlikely spectacle of Lawrence Taylor
Lawrence Julius Taylor (born February 4, 1959 in Williamsburg, Virginia), nicknamed L.T., is a retired Hall of Fame American football player. playing a transvestite trans·ves·tite n. One who practices transvestism. transvestite Sexology A person with a compulsion to dress as a member of the other sex, which may be essential to maintaining an erection and achieving orgasm. See Transsexual. . Creator Scott Rosenberg's previous credits include such lousy movies as ``Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead,'' ``Con Air For other uses, see . “Cyrus The Virus” redirects here. For the professional wrestler who used this name, see Don Callis. “Garland Green” redirects here. For the singer, see Garland Green (musician). ,'' ``Gone in 60 Seconds,'' ``Armageddon'' and ``Disturbing Behavior.'' The series is semi-autobiographical, concerning two 20-something friends (Sam Trammell plays the clever ladies man, Brad Henke the emotional oaf) and their sojourn from a tiny Massachusetts town to, eventually - well, consult the title. Tonight's 90-minute premiere is virtually all filler leading up to the meat of the series, with agonizingly long driving montages (the music - Journey, Cheap Trick Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, that gained popularity in the late 1970s. The band consists of Robin Zander (vocals, guitar), Rick Nielsen (guitar, vocals), Tom Petersson (bass guitar, vocals), and Bun E. Carlos (drums, percussion). , Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd (pronounced 'lĕh-'nérd 'skin-'nérd) (or IPA pronunciation: [lɛ'nɝd skɪ'nɝd]) is an iconic U.S. Southern rock band. - is clearly from a 30- or 40-something's perspective, not the characters who are ostensibly os·ten·si·ble adj. Represented or appearing as such; ostensive: His ostensible purpose was charity, but his real goal was popularity. listening to it). The first 10 minutes establish all the usual buddy cliches in a wedding, setting up the flimsy impetus for the trip. The guys meet desperately drawn eccentrics on their way to Memphis (somehow, they manage to miss every major city between New England and Memphis). Bar fights, gals on the make, jealous boyfriends, male (and transvestite) bonding, etc. - Rosenberg's copy of ``1001 Narrative Cliches'' must be well thumbed-through. The show opens with a weary tailor at a tuxedo rental store (he should have his own show over these other dullards) sarcastically opining o·pine v. o·pined, o·pin·ing, o·pines v.tr. To state as an opinion. v.intr. To express an opinion: opined on the defendant's testimony. of some customers' tiresomely predictable behavior, ``No one's ever done that before.'' He could be commenting on the whole production. And anyway, how can you root for these characters, knowing that once they reach California, they're just going to spawn mediocre entertainments such as this? ``Going to California'' debuts at 10 tonight on Showtime. ``GOING TO CALIFORNIA'' What: Series about two friends in their 20s. The stars: Sam Trammell and Brad Henke. Where: Showtime. When: 10 p.m. Thursdays. Our rating: Two and one half stars CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Sam Trammell, left, and Brad Henke star in the new Showtime series ``Going to California,'' premiering tonight. |
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