HBO Cancels "John From Cincinnati," Fate of "Flight of the Conchords" Unknown

HBO's drama John From Cincinnati may have wrapped its first season last night but that hasn't stopped the pay cabler from enacting a swift blow to the series.

That's right, folks. John From Cincinnati is dead. Just don't expect the convoluted metaphysical surfing drama to rise from the dead any time soon.

HBO has confirmed that it has canceled the series, which failed to connect with critics and viewers alike.

In the meantime, the pay cabler hasn't yet decided whether it will renew comedy Flight of the Conchords for a second season. On that front, I have to beg for some mercy and only hope that HBO sees the merit of keeping the quirky comedy around for a while longer. Pretty please?

What's On Tonight

8 pm: NCIS (CBS); America's Got Talent (NBC; 8-9:30 pm); Gilmore Girls (CW); Just for Laughs/Just for Laughs (ABC); On the Lot (FOX)

9 pm: Big Brother 8 (CBS); The Singing Bee (NBC; 9:30-10 pm); Beauty and the Geek (CW); Primetime (FOX); House (FOX)

10 pm: The Unit (CBS); Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC); I-Caught (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

9 pm: Eureka on Sci Fi.

Season Two of Eureka continues tonight with "Noche de Suenos," in the good residents of Eureka find themselves sharing one another's dreams after a toxic-waste spill; too bad Carter keeps dreaming that he's, er, naked in public.

10-11:02 pm: Damages on FX.

FX's new legal drama Damages continues. On tonight's episode ("Tastes Like a Ho Ho"), Patty brutally preps Katie for her deposition, Greg withholds a valuable piece of evidence, Patty proves her dislike for desk clutter, and Ellen and David's relationship is put to the test after an incident at the office.

10 pm: Flipping Out on Bravo.

Okay, I know this is unexpected but I can't help but watch the crazy people in this topsy-turvey world. In this week's episode, Jeff and Ryan wager on who will land a multi-million dollar etate while Jeff considers bringing in a psychic to perform a blessing ceremony.

Separated at Birth: Kenneth the Page and Mel?

It's no secret that my love for NBC's comedy 30 Rock knows no bounds and I've been shouting from the rooftops whenever possible about getting people to tune in to HBO's new musical-comedy series Flight of the Conchords.

In watching this past week's Flight of the Conchords (and several episodes of 30 Rock saved on my TiVo and iPod), I couldn't help but be struck by some similarities by the series' respective scene-stealers, Kenneth the Page and Mel the Fan. (Am I alone in thinking this?)

Were these two separated at birth? Let's compare and contrast the two lovably bizarre and tragically misunderstood naifs.

Name: Kenneth Ellen Parcell (30 Rock)
Occupation: NBC Page
Marital Status: Single (though was pressured into making a move on Cirie)
Likes: Attending church at Eighth Day Resurrected Covenant of the Holy Trinity, knitting woolen bikinis for his granny, sandwiches, Jack Donaghy, ChapStick, starting every day with a smile.
Dislikes: The "evil kids" in the film Footloose, swearing, adultery (especially when it involves Pete), losing at poker, shotguns.
Hobbies: Creating imaginary television shows (like Gold Case), dancing, acting as "gay bait" while in the employ of NBC.
Favorite Facial Expressions: Wide-eyed awe, upward glances of devotion, psychopath's smile.
Celebrity Crush: Tracy Jordan; after all, he risked his life to get him to the finale on time.
Most Cherished Item: His NBC Page jacket, natch.

Name: Mel (Flight of the Conchords)
Occupation: President/Secretary/ Treasurer, Flight of the Conchords Fan Club
Marital Status: Married (to Doug, though open to relationship with FotC band member)
Likes: Flight of the Conchords, waiting in Mr. Lee's stairwell, stalking, make-your-own t-shirts, Jemaine's lips, the mating rituals of fish, fantasizing about Jemaine, use of the word "Adonis."
Dislikes: Any woman who dates Bret or Jemaine, aquarium ads that don't use proper fonts, getting interrupted in her FotC love by hubby Doug.
Favorite Facial Expressions: Wide-eyed awe, overeager smile, nervous laughter.
Celebrity Crush: Um, duh, Flight of the Conchords' Bret and Jemaine.
Most Cherished Item: Photograph of Jemaine's lips kept in her wallet.

What do we think? Are Kenneth and Mel separated at birth... or just two freaky sides of the same maladjusted coin? You decide.


On the next Flight of the Conchords ("Sally Returns"), Sally, the woman who broke both Bret and Jemaine's hearts, re-enters their lives unexpectedly and connects with Jemaine, while Murray finds investment opportunities in the stars.

Is Anyone Else Watching HBO's "Flight of the Conchords"?

Hiphopapotamus? Rhymenocerous? Do these names ring a bell?

I'm just wondering if I'm the only one who's hooked on HBO's newest surreal comedy masterpiece, The Flight of the Conchords. I'm a little surprised that no one seems to be talking about this quirky, compelling, and hysterical series that, like Lost, rewards repeat viewing again and again. Okay, so there aren't any smoke monsters or cursed numbers or anything, but there are hilarious musical numbers that you might miss because you're laughing so damn hard.

This week's installment of Flight of the Conchords ("Mugged") was no exception as I found myself choking on my laughter (not an easy feat, mind you). Worried that Bret and Jemaine will get lost or injured during their tenure in Manhattan, band manager/New Zealand consul Murray gives the boys some tools to help them navigate their way--reflective belts, fold-out maps, I Heart NYC gear--and, er, blend in. Sure enough, the guys are mugged in an alley and the thugs take Jemaine's homemade camera-phone (courtesy of Bret) and their bikes. The Conchords run, the thugs in pursuit, only Jemaine gets his corduroy sleeve caught on the fence they're climbing over... and Bret leaves him there ("I'm too scared!") to fend for himself.

What follows is a hysterical meditation on trust and betrayal as Bret finally tells Murray (two days later) what happened to Jemaine, who is in fact stewing in a jail cell alongside his mugger (who was also left behind by his partner). Some rewind moments: Dave pouring out some of his forty for the possibly-dead Jemaine; the "Hiphopapotamus" rap number (see below), which includes lyrics like "There ain't no party like my Nana's tea party"; the awful impression of Jemaine that the policewoman gives (before Dave asks if she's bringing up the body); and, of course, Mel's description of what she'd do to Jemaine if she was a convict.

What other series would have Jemaine bond with his attacker in a jail cell, only to learn that the mugger hasn't actually killed anyone? Well, other than a monkey, that is. A monkey that once belonged to his best friend and fellow mugging accomplice. (I told you this series was surreal.)

If it's subtle and wicked humor you're after, look no further than Flight of the Conchords, which over the last three episodes has managed to make me laugh more this summer than any other television series. Lastly, if that's not incentive enough for you to tune in to this utterly unique and uproarious series, I'll be even more blunt: if you're looking for a comedy replacement until 30 Rock returns this fall, it would be this series.

You'll thank me--and Hiphopapotamus--in the morning.

Next time on Flight of the Conchords ("Yoko"): Murray is upset when Bret cancels a band tour of building rotundas to instead be with new girlfriend Coco. But when Jemaine starts tagging along on Bret and Coco's dates, everything falls apart.

HBO Soars with "Flight of the Conchords"

I'll keep this short and sweet, rather like HBO's Flight of the Conchords itself.

If you've never seen New Zealand folk parody band Flight of the Conchords in action, you're in for a real treat. I've seen the duo--comprised of Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement (as "New Zealand's fourth most popular digi-folk parodists")--several times, most notably at the HBO US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen and right here in Los Angeles at a little place called Largo. They always manage to make me roar with laughter, with their understated comedic stylings and their hilarious pop/folk/parody songs.

So imagine my surprise when I learned last year that the duo would be shooting a 12-episode series for HBO entitled (quelle surprise!) Flight of the Conchords. Conchords the series kicks off on Sunday night with a brilliant pilot episode that I've rewatched about a dozen times since I first saw it in early January. (Can't wait for Sunday to watch it? You can download it on iTunes or catch the premiere episode on the show's HBO site.)

So what exactly is Flight of the Conchords about? The band, natch. Bret and Jemaine play two adorably goofy versions of themselves, a struggling New Zealand folk parody band who moves to Manhattan in an effort to find international super-stardom, but they find themselves sharing a tiny one-bedroom apartment (they sleep in matching twin beds) and fighting over the same girl (Peep Show's Rachel Blanchard). That is, when they're not making hilarious music videos directed by their lousy band manager Murray (Rhys Darby), who doubles as a New Zealand consul, for such memorable songs as "The Humans Are Dead" (in which they play futuristic robots from the year 2000; see below), "The Most Beautiful Girl in the Room," or--my personal favorite--"I'm Not Crying," which has such memorable lyrics as "I'm not crying/it's just raining... on my face" and features rollicking/gorgeous black and white imagery of Bret and Jemaine, you know, not crying.

The effect is rather like HBO's own Curb Your Enthusiasm: understated comedy from comedians not afraid to look more than a little ridiculous. Bret and Jemaine, like Scrubs' J.D. and Turk before them, are two heterosexual male life partners, perfect for one another except for that one, unchangeable thing. When they're not working on Bret's hair helmet (a bike helmet that looks exactly like--and is made from--his own hair), they're pursued by Mel (Kristen Schaal), a relentlessly obsessive fan (their only one) who stalks them even at their cancelled shows. Such as the pilot's aquarium gig, which was really a misunderstanding when Murray misinterpreted a flyer's request for sand as an open invitation for, well, a band.

It's an off-kilter world that Flight of the Conchords' Bret and Jemaine live in and I'm dying with anticipation to see just what happens to them next. If you're a fan of subtle, surreal humor (whether British, American, or Kiwi), prepare to clutch your stomach after laughing too hard.

"Flight of the Conchords" launches Sunday, June 17th, at 10:30 pm on HBO.



What's On Tonight

8 pm: Creature Comforts/Creature Comforts (CBS); Deal or No Deal (NBC); Hidden Palms (CW); The Next Best Thing: Who is the Greatest Celebrity Impersonator? (ABC); So You Think You Can Dance (FOX; 8-10 pm)

9 pm: Criminal Minds (CBS); Last Comic Standing (NBC; 9-11 pm); One Tree Hill (CW); American Inventor (ABC);

10 pm: CSI: New York (CBS); Traveler (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

8 pm: Hidden Palms.

On the third episode of this eight-episode teen thriller/relationship drama ("Party Hardy"), Greta is steadfastly silent on the matter of Eddie's death, while Bob and Karen spend a less than enchanting evening at the club with Tess and boytoy Travis.

10 pm: Top Chef on Bravo.

It's the third season premiere of Top Chef ("First Impressions"), in which fifteen new contestants gear up for the culinary challenge of their lives as they compete for restaurant seed money and the dubious title of Top Chef in Miami. Bring it on!

10 pm: Traveler.

On tonight's episode ("The Out"), Tyler and Jay head to Maine to search for Will Traveler in his alleged hometown while the FBI discover some new evidence in the Manhattan bombing.