Warning: Review Contains Some Spoilers

"Adventures in Care-a-Lot" is the newest revival of the popular "Care Bears" franchise that originated from the 1980s. On the whole, it's been a fun, though not perfect revival. If there's any one main complaint, it's been that some of the stories have been a bit shallow, with the characters engaging in silly behavior and a noticeable lack of truly interesting plot. So it's nice to see the program producing some material of substance, as seen in this special direct-to-DVD episode titled "Down to Earth."

In this episode, the Care Bears create a new device called the "Care Bear Transporter," which generally goes by "CBT" for short. It was actually first seen in "Emma's Dilemma," (which was also pretty good) but let's overlook that since it seems pretty obvious that they released content out of production order. In any case, Funshine Bear comes up with the idea for the device when the Rainbow Rescue Beam and Care Meter are temporarily on the fritz. He suggests combining the two, creating a device that allows the Bears to detect someone that it's need directly of caring help and then transport directly to them.

A portion of the rest of the episode focused on a subplot involving some of the Care Bears trying to chase down the CBT machine after it malfunctions and goes on a rampage. I'm not going to really cover this because most of it is just physical humor, but it did make for an amusing break at times.

The main action, however, focuses on what happens when Funshine becomes the first of the Care Bears to test out the CBT device. He transports to Earth where a little boy named Jake is feeling out of sorts because he and his family moved to a new home and he feels alone and friendless. Funshine's job is to help him to see that even though he's somewhere new, he can still find the fun. Funshine starts by showing Jake that his imagination can be a powerful tool in finding fun. Together the two create play swords out of cardboard boxes and have all sorts of fun playing various games. Later, though, when Jake stumbles upon an old album, Funshine helps him to see that even though he misses his old friends, he has the opportunity to make new ones in this new neighborhood.

One of my favorite sequences involves a part in which Jake's Mom sees Jake with Funshine. Funshine previously mentioned to Jake that it's best to not let adults see Care Bears because they don't always understand. In a very clever tactic, Funshine goes completely still, leaving Jake's Mom to believe that he's simply a plush toy left by the old owners of the house. She says that they should probably throw him in the wash. Jake is horrified at the idea, but when Funshine gets the chance, he tells Jake not to worry. Going in the laundry would be dangerous for a human kid, but for a Care Bear it's like having a good bath. That evening, while Jake is eating dinner, he sneaks peeks back at the washer, where Funshine is scene doing various amusing takes, such as scrubbing while wearing a shower cap and donning a mask and snorkel. It's truly a hoot and great animation to watch.

What's also great to watch is what happens after dinner when Jake goes back outside to play. He meets a group of three kids who are out playing. When they accidentally kick their ball in his direction, not seeing him, he returns it to them. The kids seem to hope that he'll join in their game -- it's obvious that they really want him to come over and play, but he just walks away. Funshine realizes that Jake's going to need some help and so he fashions a bright, bouncy yellow ball using his belly-badge and covertly aims it in the direction of the kids. Funshine's idea works -- the kids think it was Jake who tossed the ball, and pretty soon all of them are playing and having a fun time. A bit later, at an opportune moment, Funshine retrieves the belly-badge ball and the kids all get the opportunity to sit down and talk. They had seen Jake move into the neighborhood and were wondering when he was going to say "hi." He admits he was a bit shy and they reveal that Nicole was like that when she first arrived in the neighborhood too, but now they're all friends. As they continue to chat, Jake notices glowing insects flying around them. Jake wonders just what they are or if they might even be harmful -- there were no fireflies at his old house and he hasn't heard of them. They tell him not to worry and that they're fun to catch. They all have fun catching fireflies in a jar until Jake's parents call for him to come inside. Everyone expresses pleasure at the idea of playing again tomorrow and Jake's friends head off for home. As Jake starts to head inside, Funshine notes that he managed to make some new friends. The Care Bears finally managed to get the CBT fixed, so Funshine has to go. Jake says that he'd like to visit him in Care-a-Lot someday and gives him the fireflies he and his new friends caught as a gift. Watching from above, the Care Bears aren't sure just what Jake is giving Funshine and end up deciding that it's a jar of peanut butter. When Funshine returns, he finds Oopsy running up with a loaf of bread so that they can all have sandwiches. Grumpy expresses disbelief at the actual contents of the jar -- "He gave you *bugs*?" Funshine, however, says that Jake gave him more than that, and I think we all know what he means. He releases the fireflies, which put on quite a show.

This episode really worked well for me. It focused on a somewhat serious subject -- a child who moved to new home and felt alone and friendless, but it also added in elements of humor and joy in a fun and believable way. This is what I like to see from the show and what I've felt it's sometimes been lacking. Silliness can be good, but I look forward to seeing more like this from this program. I wouldn't mind seeing the Jake character again either -- perhaps someday they'll take him up on that offer to pay a visit to Care-a-Lot.

"Hell's Kitchen" is a top-notch reality series on FOX in which a number of aspiring chefs compete for a dream job to serve as the head chef in a lavish restaurant. Many are competing, but only one can win. The thing is -- it's no easy ticket. There's a *reason* the show is called "Hell's Kitchen."

The contestants compete each week in various challenges to prove their worth. Early on, they're split into the Blue and Red Teams (boys vs. girls), but as the numbers get worn down, they eventually "merge" (sort of like "Survivor.") The pressure is intense and demanding, while the talent required is incredible. If you either don't handle pressure well or simply aren't very good at cooking, then this is not the program for you to be on.

Gordon Ramsay is the highlight of the show. He's a real firebrand -- and, what's more, he has passion, skill and flair. He uses his sharp wit to whip the contestants into shape and call them out whenever they're performing to less than their best. He curses, he yells, he insults -- but if you can't take that heat, you shouldn't be on "Hell's Kitchen." I've read his autobiographical book, "Roasting in Hell's Kitchen." He's been through a lot and he's got what it takes. And if the contestants are willing to watch and learn, they too can have what it takes to survive in the demanding reality of running a major restaurant, or even a chain of them.

I'll be tuning in each week, hungry for more of this fantastic reality series.

"Duel" is a game show that, as of this review, is currently airing on ABC. The program began in December 2007, initially conceived as a six night event on ABC. I was drawn to the program, in part, after reading that one of the contestants was from my local area. I tuned in and was quickly drawn to the show's interesting twist on the big money game show format. The show features contestants competing in a series of head-to-head "duels." In its initial conception, they played against each other both for money won in those matches, and for a spot on the "leaderboard," which could possibly earn them a chance to go for a big prize of around two million dollars. The other big twist was that although the questions were all multiple choice with four answers, contestants were given a set of ten "chips" to place on those answers. So with each question, they could place just one chip if they were certain of the answer, or as many as four to cover all if they had no idea. Contestants were given as much time as they wanted to answer, unless they were "Pressed" -- meaning that they had to lock in within seven seconds.

It seemed like a solid and fun format to me, but it also seemed like audiences didn't agree. The ratings for the program, for the most part, were abysmal. It only averaged around 6-7 million viewers per airing and weak overall ratings. Therefore, I was very surprised, but pleased when I heard the program would be coming back...

Unfortunately, I really don't like the new changes that have been made to the show. It's now airing in a weekly format and the amount that contestants can win has been dramatically lowered. They now play individual duels for fairly low amounts of money and if they choose to continue, they risk what they've already won. If they lose even once, everything is gone. Furthermore, if they make it all the way, the top prize that they can win is only $500,000. That's hardly high stakes compared to what some game shows that don't even require much knowledge or strategy have been offering these days. When you can watch a contestant win $1,000,000 with a random spin of the wheel on Price is Right, where's the excitement in $500,000? To top it off, the quality of the contestants has been spotty. Some of them have plunked down chips on obviously wrong answers, and most of them are on the show for such a short length of time that's it's hard to really care about what happens to them.

So it's goodbye for me to another game show that seemed like it had the potential for greatness. I'm hungry for great game shows, but they seem to be few and far between these days.

What is "Strawberry Shortcake?" Is it a cute show for kids in which a nice girl named Strawberry goes on adventures with her cat, dog, and cute little sister throughout Strawberryland? Is it about Strawberry Shortcake and her friends foiling the sinister plots of the Pompous Purple Pie Dude of Porpoise Point? (Or whatever his name is.) Is it a program about a group of teeny-boppers who drive cars and travel to new lands? If you're just as confused as I am, then welcome to the new "Strawberry Shortcake," a world in which the basic premise of the program seems to be increasingly up for grabs.

I first found out about the new "Strawberry Shortcake," (I won't be focusing on the old one here, as I haven't seen much of it.) oh, maybe sometime around the middle of the "first season" of the new version series, as such. I was immediately attracted by the colorful and eye-catching quality of the animation, cute characters, and the generally fun stories and songs. I quickly established some favorite characters, including Strawberry Shortcake's baby (little?) sister, Apple Dumplin', her two pets Custard and Pupcake, as well as the horse Honey Pie Pony. I generally tried to watch all the new videos/DVDs and listen to the music albums as they became available.

But... something is happening to the series. It's always seemed a bit like this, but lately it's more so. The show no longer seems to be sure what it wants to be. First, the Purple Pieman shows up. I can live with this -- I'm not totally against villains, and his sidekick sister also seems to add some comic relief. But now Apple Dumplin' seems to be all but gone (where the heck is she? -- she's your *sister*, Strawberry!), and the horses and pets really aren't being given much at all to do. They've also completely revamped the look of the characters. I actually like some of them, but others I would definitely prefer the younger, cuter versions.

Of course, change isn't always bad. Sometimes, change can lead to big improvements. I have enjoyed some of the chapter books, and the "World of Friends" special wasn't awful. The merchandise -- it's scattershot, though a lot of it is good. But it seems to me like they're juggling stuff around in an attempt to keep the series fresh when they already had a cast of great characters. I say return the series to its roots and spin-off Apple Dumplin' into her own show as well. I'd pay to watch the Apple Dumplin' and Friends hour.

Note: The 8.0 rating is a weighted average for the series as a whole. I'd probably rate the stuff they're currently putting out closer to a 6.5-7.0, dipping down to a 5.0 at its very worst.

Danny Elfman is an astounding composer who has been in the business since the late 70s. He has worked for major films, television shows and video games. His music spans everything from "The Nightmare Before Christmas" to the show "Desperate Housewives."

I know Elfman best for four of his scores -- "Men in Black," Charlotte's Web," the music for the "Spiderman" films and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."

"Men in Black" is a film that's dear to me and the score does a lot to enhance it. It gets you from the beginning to end, drawing you into the intrigue of the film, as well as its more tender moments, and never lets go. I love the opening theme in particular.

"Charlotte's Web" (the live-action version) is a probably underrated film once again featuring a great soundtrack. As you certainly know if you've seen it, or read the books, there was a series of words that was used to describe to describe the pig character - "Radiant," "Humble," "Terrific," "Some Pig." Imagine trying to convey the essence of these in two-three minute music pieces -- yet this was exactly what Elfman did with his score. He also did a great job with the "Main Theme," as well as the vocal piece "Ordinary Miracle."

I don't normally watch "superhero" films, but I've made an exception for the "Spiderman" series. These films have a lot of action, and the soundtracks have a bit more rock than I would prefer, but Elfman did an excellent job on the whole.

Finally, there's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." This film was a real head-trip, and Elfman's music was just the style for it. By far the best track was "Veruca Salt." Very psychedelic, fun to listen too --- "Aw aw, aw aw aw! Veruca Salt, the little brute / Has just gone down the garbage chute / And she will meet as she descends / A rather different set of friends!" And what's more is that these words are Roald Dahl's work, yet Elfman managed to set just the right music to them.

Generally, if it's music, and it's Elfman, it's worth your time. Anything his work is featured in is generally enhanced by his musical genius.