IAmATVJunkie.com is a Torchwood Spoiler Free Zone Until July 20

2 Clips -- Breaking Bad DVD Contest Friday, Only Slightly Used; Also, "Tuco" Asked to Be Killed

Friday, Friday, Friday ...

I figure if I start posting on these contests earlier maybe I'll get more zazz out of them.

This time, it's a just very slightly used copy of the Breaking Bad season one DVD package thanks to Sony and Shawn at Wiredset (thank you, Shawn). And it's used because I never saw episode seven of the first season and I wanted to catch up.

Now that I've current with the show you get a chance to win. And, for this event ... first person to take a photo of themselves naked in a grocery store's frozen food section, as Walt was Sunday night, wins. That's no biggie, huh?

Okay, I'll come up with something else, I have until Friday.

Now, about the show ... was Tuco Salamanca the scariest motherfucker you've seen on TV in a while? Because he scared the bejeebees outta me. Tuco's the kind of guy who shouldn't be doing very pure biker-process methamphetamine cooked by a very underemployed Chem teacher and his former student.

And what about Aaron Paul. I know Cranston gets a lot of great notices (and the Emmy) and it's certainly deserved, but in these first three eps of the season Aaron Paul has matched him at every turn. Great young actor, I hope he gets lots of offers via this role.

That scene two episodes ago when he killed No-Doze ... how effective was that? Freaked me totally out.

The AMC Breaking Bad blog talked to Raymond Cruz who played Tuco and it turns out they wanted the character to go on for another eight episodes but he turned them down:

I asked them to kill me. Honestly, I wasn't looking forward to coming back and doing the part. [Laughs]. It's really difficult to pull off. They were like, "We want you to come back and do eight more episodes." And I said, "No. I'll do one more and that's it. You guys have to kill me." They're like, "We never heard of an actor that wanted to die." And I'm like, "You don't understand. This part's really hard."

Cruz was outstanding. I know I don't think much of the whole awards thing but this is a performance that really should be singled out.

More about the show and the Friday contest (did I mention the contest on Friday?) as the week progresses.

Behind the scenes clips from episode three, with lots of creator Vince Gilligan and the cast, after the jump.

Breaking Bad Clips to Refresh Your Mind Before Tonight's AMC Season Premiere

Because I love you guys I'm posting the recap to last season's final episode and a preview of tonight's premiere.

Of course, last September Bryan Cranston won the best dramatic actor Emmy for this series, despite it's WGA strike-shortened season.

I would pay particular attention to the scene in the episode seven recap (the first clip) where Walt and his DEA agent brother-in-law Hank talk about the Cuban cigars that he pulls out.

If Mr. DEA can compromise his principles as much as that, is looking the other way or even helping Walt out with covert meth ops in the cards?

Tonight's episode is called Seven-Thirty-Seven. The second clip is the preview. After the jump.

Breaking Bad Creator Vince Gilligan: "You Can Laugh At It Or Be Disgusted"

 

Or, I find, a little of both.

Though Vince Gilligan was referring to a particular scene in the first season of Breaking Bad, the same can be said for the whole shebang, though I find myself somewhere in the middle.

Your favorite chemistry teacher turned meth cooker dramedy, with 2008 Emmy winning Bryan Cranston leading, comes back a week from tonight on AMC at 10, and their site is at this link.

Of course, that scene is the one where Aaron Paul, playing Walter White's criminal colleague Jesse Pinkman, is liquifying the body of the guy that Walt killed in the basement by choking him with the bicycle U-lock that attached the guy to a pole by his neck and the solution he uses liquifies the floor as well and it all comes careening into the first floor.

Gross, yes, but a critical plot point in the first season.

For those who don't know, this exchange from the Times interview explains the title:

Q. What exactly does the title of your show mean, anyway?

A. Honestly, when I named our show “Breaking Bad” I thought everyone was aware of this bit of slang, and it turns out nobody is except for the people in my hometown. But to break bad, when I was growing up, was to raise hell. “Jim was down at the bar the other weekend, and he got really drunk and he really broke bad. He totaled his car.” The show might as well have been named “Raising Hell,” but it would have sounded like a Clive Barker thing. A detective who sends people to hell or something.

Click over to the AMC site linked above for webisodes in advance of the season two debut and sometime this week (after I rewatch the season one DVD lovingly supplied by Michelle and Shawn at Wiredset -- THANKS!!!) I'll be giving it away to some lucky SOB.

Free, just viewed once. Kinda like being driven on a Sunday only to church by your great auntie.

Season two behind the scenes feature after the jump.

Emmy Winner Bryan Cranston On Location in New Mexico Razzed By Costars

Dan Mayfield in the Albuquerque Journal (with a hat tip to Liz in New Mexico, thanks honey!):

Things have changed on the set of "Breaking Bad" since Bryan Cranston won his Emmy Award for Best Actor in a Drama last week.

"He just sits in his trailer and polishes it. He touches up the Emmy more than his makeup," his co-star Anna Gunn, said. "He wants me to call him Bri-Emmy, but I refuse to."

Of course, Gunn was joking. Cranston, the star of the show and the first to win an acting Emmy for a New Mexico-made production, has a reputation for being the nicest guy in TV, and it shows on the set. He jokes, eats bagels with mounds of cream cheese and sings Bonnie Tyler songs with the crew.

He let all the cast and crew members take pictures with his Emmy earlier this week. He keeps it in his trailer and will pull it out at the drop of a hat, like a kid with a new toy.

You see, it would have been all well and good if Jon Hamm would have gotten the Emmy for Mad Men, but Bryan Cranston has been entertaining us for over 26 years.

And, honestly, I think that's why he got the Emmy. The voters have seen Cranston do a lot of things before, but he's never played anyone like Walter White.

(Frankly, I never saw Jon Hamm in my life until Mad Men debuted.)

Plus, doesn't he deserve something for listening to his TV wife scream at him for years on Malcolm? Just for the hearing loss he should get something, dontcha think?

You can see him in action on the show by clicking over to the Breaking Bad website at AMCTV.com and watching the pilot. I would bet before season two starts they will run the seven eps that they made before the strike last season. And it's also running right now on Sundays at midnight, so get the DVR working for another option.

Or, just lay off the Ambien. That's probably a good idea anyway. Wouldn't wanna wake up laying in front of the fridge with a chocolate cake smeared all over you face.

Or would you?

The Big Surprise? Bryan Cranston in Breaking Bad & You Can Watch the Pilot Right Here Now

I was very very surprised. I was sure that Jon Hamm would be sauntering up to the stage in that Don Draper way he has, replete with Don's hair (which he borrowed for the evening, I actually prefer Jon Hamm's hair to Don Draper"s).

But it was Bryan Cranston, from that other show on AMC, Breaking Bad, the lovely heartwarming tale of Walter White, a chemist who could have been someone but who instead is living on a high school teacher's salary, with a cancer diagnosis and a kid with Cerebral Palsy.

(And he had no hair at all yesterday. What's up with that? Maybe shooting some chemo scenes for season two?)

So Walter decides to finance his troubles by cooking up some really potent crystal methamphetamine.

Yeah, I know, it sounds heartwarming, huh.

But it's a very well done show. And granted, it's at times hard to watch but so compelling, which great performances on top of Cranston's and some very creepy things that go on.

Like the guy who was bicycle chained to the post in Walter's cellar. Yeah, that was weird, and it ended badly.

Still, I thought Hamm had it locked up, especially with the episode he entered that had this wonderful sequence where he comes up with the name for the carousel that runs the slides through the Kodak slide machine. I posted that clip a while back and it's at this link.

You can watch the entire first episode of  Breaking Bad online right here, and it's after the jump.

And you can read all my Mad Men posts at this link and all my Breaking Bad posts at this link.

Of course, Basket of Kisses is the best indie Mad Men blog out there, go visit Deb and Roberta there.

They must be enjoying this at AMC. It would be nice if more people would ...

... WATCH THEIR SHOWS!!!

Okay, So I'm An Episode Behind on Breaking Bad ...

... but I will be catching up this week.

Actually, I'm not quite an episode behind, more like half an ep. I was running up against an appointment when I sat down to watch episode five and got to the point where the Whites were outside the very very well appointed home of their rich friends that offered to pay for Walt's treatment.

And although I knew that scene would soon be followed by Walt doing some frustration cooking (imagine a life where in frustration you cook up a batch o'meth, not a life I would want to be dealing with, certainly) and that would more than likely be followed up with some of that hard to watch yet hard not to watch stuff with him and Jesse getting involved with the dregs of the earth, I had to go.

And tonight, I'll be watching the premiere of Dirt live as it airs, but I'll also immediately catch up on Breaking Bad.

Because I had a previous relationship with Dirt and you don't cheat if you can help it.

Preview clip that I haven't watched (so beware, it is not pre-screened) after the jump.

Breaking Bad Director's Cut Tonight on IFC

Yes, boys and girls, that means uncensored.

Gotta wonder what they've been shooting for the international market that they couldn't put on air in the US, because that's where I think this footage comes from.

IFC will run the first two eps of our meth cooker drama tonight, so you have a chance to check that out, and also there's a new episode on Sunday at 10 on AMC.

Honestly, I have not caught up with ep 4 yet, so I have some viewing to do this weekend, but that also means that I'm not gonna watch the clip that I'm embedding after the jump.

So, if the clip isn't working or turns out to be part of the Kardashian sextape by some freak of Internet nature (I know, it's a longshot) please let me know.

So I'm Slightly Pissed at AMC

I was all ready to click over to the VOD channel and watch Sunday's ep of Breaking Bad. It's a show I can't watch at night, it disturbs my sleep. I like it a lot, but it's tough to sleep after.

Well, it's not up on the VOD channel yet, and I have a sneaking suspicion that that's because they're running it again on Wednesday and they want the eyes for the ratings numbers.

If I had known that, I would have recorded the show.

So, I'm a little pissy.

But, if you wanna catch the first three all in a row, they'll be on Wednesday starting at 8. I'll join you at 10, I guess.

But I had already gotten a drink and a snack. What am I supposed to do now?

There's an interview with Bryan Cranston on the AMC show blog that's pretty interesting, check that out at this link. 

Catch Up With Your Favorite Show About Chem Instructors & Methamphetamine Cooking

Don't forget.

Sunday.

10 eastern and pacific, and the next day on your VOD channels if you got 'em.

AMC.

I already ran the preview clip and it's at this link.

And now, you can watch all of episodes one and two online. In fact, I can embed the shows after the jump, and you know what? I'm gonna, because I can.

But they're after the jump because your kids shouldn't watch this show, it's really for the older crowd. Really. NO, REALLY!

The video is served by Brightcove, they have a great full screen mode and the streaming is pretty solid technology, so have at it.

Video -- Breaking Bad: Only Show on TV This Week To Liquify a Body With Acid

I think, anyway.

And you know, Walter White is only falling back on what he knows best. Chemistry. You gotta dead body? You gotta get rid of it (and never have the body reappear)? You gotta go with the hydrofluoric acid.

But damn, use the right plastic receptacle, please. Because it'll burn right through your bathtub, your flooring, and you don't wanna know what happens after that. I guess Jesse should have paid more attention to Walter in chem class. But he was probably high.