boston2143

It's a shame that the Soul Train of yesteryear is gone. But that is no reason to desperately keep the current show that bears its name on the air.

With every lipsynched performance, this show grows more pitiful.

With every painfully easy Scramble Board (what could ARMY J LBGEI possibly spell?!), the intelligence of all parties involved is insulted. With every phony host who conducts a even phonier interview, I feel more and more like I'm watching an infomercial.

That show is a mere husk of what it once was. It has no cultural significance whatsoever and should be laid to rest in order to preserve the integrity of its namesake, the REAL "Soul Train" - the one with REAL singers, REAL dancers, and true artistic merit.

I really liked Ellen's sitcom and her HBO special ("The Beginning"), but in recent years it seemed like Ellen might be losing her comedic touch. NOT SO, I'm glad to say. Ellen fits perfectly into her new environment, because interacting with people of all kinds is exactly what she does best. Ellen is quick-witted, amiable, and often laugh-out-loud funny. She has a very distinctive style that I feared may get old after all these years, but it still feels fresh because it's authentic. Ellen deserved another chance to conquer television, and I believe she just may pull it off this time. Wayne Brady should enjoy those Emmy's while they last -- there's some fierce competition in town, and it's not Sharon Osbourne.

"Half & Half" is not groundbreaking, built on a standard sit-com foundation of "mismatched partners", but considering its initial lack of promise, it does a good job of staying afloat, even offering the occasional bit of unexpected hilarity. Rachel True ("CB4"), who plays lead character Mona, is a refreshing switch from the women of "Girlfriends", the show's whiny lead-in. Another noteworthy surprise is Mona's gay receptionist, partially because his brand of flamboyance is much more sympathetic than the usual snooty fops that sit-com writers like to parade around to incorporate a few played-out one-liners, but also because his delivery is on-point, and he serves as a good diversion from just how conventional this show can be at times. Chico Benymon, as the thus-far platonic buddy Spencer, is also talented and amiable, although I believe he is not as integral a player now as he may become if this show can endure its sophomore season. On the plot front, the show has been hesitant to address anything that will last longer than 22 minutes, but we have watched Mona land an A&R job (her star artist, in-the-closet R&B teen idol Dante, continues to be mentioned in dialog although the actor who played him, Merlin Santana, was tragically murdered shortly after appearing in just one episode), and most recently, we've learned that Spencer is looking at Mona in a new light, probably as a result of being picked up for another season. All in all, only time will tell if this show can tweak all the right things and stay put, or if it will dive into UPN oblivion, but here's hoping the writers stray from convention a little more often.

(Note from the future: The show did dive into oblivion, right along with UPN, as it was not picked up for the transition to the CW network. -Patrick, Oct. 2, 2006)