Every year in December or January when the fall shows go on hiatus, the networks start new or returning shows for fans to enjoy. Midseason is a time for all the current TV shows to take a break and halt production for a while. The shows tend to leave fans on edge and wanting more. There is nothing worse than having to wait to find out what happens to your favorite characters. In this season's case, shows like "The Vampire Diaries" is taking a two month break while "Glee" is taking a five month break! That is pure torture! But the "Gleeks" won't give up on the show in the mean time. I'm pretty sure.
Usually during midseason, the networks debut a bunch of reality shows, new and old. Reality are easier to start off midseason due to their shortened seasons. It only takes so many weeks to get through a competition and when that show finishes, another show can start up again. Some of the reality shows include "American Idol", "The Bachelor", "Dancing with the Stars", and "The Biggest Loser". "American Idol" is the only show out of those that airs only once a year. Other shows that usually do not come back til midseason are popular shows such as "Lost" and "24". All the anticipation builds up for these shows for the entire year. One show that is coming back this year, December 1st, is "Scrubs". "Scrubs" was supposed to be cancelled, but the show decided to come back with only two original cast members back on a regular basis. The show is essentially a spin-off, originally going to be called "Scrubs Med", but the network decided against it. Will it succeed or fail? Only time will tell.
Midseason shows offer viewers something new from what they have been watching all fall season. So check out what is coming to the networks. Maybe you want to check something new out or just use it as a distraction for your other shows being gone.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Friday, November 27, 2009
My Favorite Thanksgiving Episodes
I do not have a variety of shows that have my favorite Thanksgiving episodes. Most of them are episodes of "Friends", which had several fantastic Thanksgiving episodes. They are all very memorable and of course, I can not forget the classic of "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving".
"The One with the Football" (Friends) - The first classic "Friends" Thanksgiving episode didn't occur to season three, but it was definitely worth the wait. Finding out about Monica and Ross's past family football games is hilarious. The gang decide to start the tradition again by playing a game of touch football. Monica and Ross's teams are each trying to win the Geller cup, which was taken away when Monica broke Ross's nose during a football game when they were little. The game is a riot, with Ross not letting Rachel play and Chandler and Joey fighting over a Dutch woman who is watching the game. One of the best parts is Joey thinking the Netherlands is where Peter Pan is from. The episode ends with Monica and Ross fighting for the ball and everyone else enjoying their Thanksgiving dinner. Great episode.
"The One with Chandler in a Box" (Friends) - After Chandler kisses Joey's girlfriend, Chandler decides that to prove his loyalty to Joey, he is going to stay in a box for all of Thanksgiving. Meanwhile, Monica gets ice in her eye and invites her optometrist, her ex-boyfriend's son, to Thanksgiving. The jokes ensue about Monica dating her ex's son and about how she can tell their children she slept with their grandfather. Also, Chandler in the box is just hilarious and the makeup between Chandler and Joey is great.
"The One With All the Thanksgivings" (Friends) - Each of the friends relive their worst Thanksgiving. It ranges from Chandler's parents divorce to Joey getting a Turkey stuck on his head to awesome '80s flashbacks to Phoebe thinking of Thanksgiving in the 1800s.
"The One Where Ross Got High" (Friends) - Who can forget Rachel making an English triffle with beef. "It tastes like feet!", which is how Ross responds to it. Also, the whole story on Ross blaming Chandler for getting high and Ross and Monica's parents hating Chandler because of it. Classic.
The remaining seasons' Thanksgiving episodes had some classic moments as well such as "The I Hate Rachel Club" story with Brad Pitt and the gang being late to Thanksgiving dinner. I wish TV shows still had classic Thanksgiving episodes like this because they were pretty fantastic.
"The One with the Football" (Friends) - The first classic "Friends" Thanksgiving episode didn't occur to season three, but it was definitely worth the wait. Finding out about Monica and Ross's past family football games is hilarious. The gang decide to start the tradition again by playing a game of touch football. Monica and Ross's teams are each trying to win the Geller cup, which was taken away when Monica broke Ross's nose during a football game when they were little. The game is a riot, with Ross not letting Rachel play and Chandler and Joey fighting over a Dutch woman who is watching the game. One of the best parts is Joey thinking the Netherlands is where Peter Pan is from. The episode ends with Monica and Ross fighting for the ball and everyone else enjoying their Thanksgiving dinner. Great episode.
"The One with Chandler in a Box" (Friends) - After Chandler kisses Joey's girlfriend, Chandler decides that to prove his loyalty to Joey, he is going to stay in a box for all of Thanksgiving. Meanwhile, Monica gets ice in her eye and invites her optometrist, her ex-boyfriend's son, to Thanksgiving. The jokes ensue about Monica dating her ex's son and about how she can tell their children she slept with their grandfather. Also, Chandler in the box is just hilarious and the makeup between Chandler and Joey is great.
"The One With All the Thanksgivings" (Friends) - Each of the friends relive their worst Thanksgiving. It ranges from Chandler's parents divorce to Joey getting a Turkey stuck on his head to awesome '80s flashbacks to Phoebe thinking of Thanksgiving in the 1800s.
"The One Where Ross Got High" (Friends) - Who can forget Rachel making an English triffle with beef. "It tastes like feet!", which is how Ross responds to it. Also, the whole story on Ross blaming Chandler for getting high and Ross and Monica's parents hating Chandler because of it. Classic.
The remaining seasons' Thanksgiving episodes had some classic moments as well such as "The I Hate Rachel Club" story with Brad Pitt and the gang being late to Thanksgiving dinner. I wish TV shows still had classic Thanksgiving episodes like this because they were pretty fantastic.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Another Inspirational "Glee"
"Glee", which airs on Wednesdays on Fox, never ceases to entertain me. This week brought lessons involving unrequited love, betrayal, and being who you are. Mr. Schuester is threatened by Sue Sylvester, cheerleading coach, that she will bring the glee club down if he doesn't give her his song lineup for sectionals. Mr. Schuester suspects, however, that Sue is leaking information to the other schools about the glee club. Mr. Schuester goes to talk the coach of one of the other school's glee club (Guest-star, Singer Eve). She explains that he has nothing to worry about and that her students do not even have anywhere to practice. Will invites them to practice at their school, in which they perform a version of Destiny Child's "Bootylicious". Will's glee kids are worried, but say that the other glee club use what is called "Hairography" to distract from the fact that they are not that good. "Hairography" involves swinging your hair around while dancing to distract the audience.
Meanwhile, pregnant Quinn decides that she wants to keep her baby and not give it to Will's wife, Terri, who is pretending to be pregnant. I really hope Will finds out about this soon. It is kind of surprising that she has been able to hide it for this long. Quinn tries to see if her baby's real father, Puck, will be good father by letting him help her babysit. Turns out sending dirty text messages to his girlfriend is more important to him. Divas, Rachel and Kurt, are also at odds once again when Kurt tricks Rachel into dressing promiscuously to impress Finn. Finn, however, likes plain girls and turns Rachel down. Rachel comes to the realization that she may not ever have a chance with Finn.
One of the other competing schools demands that Will let them perform at the school like the other school did. Turns out their other competition is a school for the deaf. Will's kids perform their number for them first. Will gave them a "Hairography" routine, due to his belief that they are not good enough, to a mashup of "Hair" and "Crazy in Love". The routine was a bust. The deaf school performed a hand-signing version of "Imagine". Will's glee club joins in with them by singing the song and the result was absolutely beautiful. The two schools were signing and singing together and it was a great moment. Later, the glee club goes a little simpler with their routine by performing a beautiful version of "True Colors" , while we get flashes of Quinn deciding to give up her baby to Terri once again and Sue meeting with the other schools to leak information.
It was another solid episode of "Glee" and from the looks of it, it is going to get better and better. Only two more episodes left til it goes on hiatus.
Meanwhile, pregnant Quinn decides that she wants to keep her baby and not give it to Will's wife, Terri, who is pretending to be pregnant. I really hope Will finds out about this soon. It is kind of surprising that she has been able to hide it for this long. Quinn tries to see if her baby's real father, Puck, will be good father by letting him help her babysit. Turns out sending dirty text messages to his girlfriend is more important to him. Divas, Rachel and Kurt, are also at odds once again when Kurt tricks Rachel into dressing promiscuously to impress Finn. Finn, however, likes plain girls and turns Rachel down. Rachel comes to the realization that she may not ever have a chance with Finn.
One of the other competing schools demands that Will let them perform at the school like the other school did. Turns out their other competition is a school for the deaf. Will's kids perform their number for them first. Will gave them a "Hairography" routine, due to his belief that they are not good enough, to a mashup of "Hair" and "Crazy in Love". The routine was a bust. The deaf school performed a hand-signing version of "Imagine". Will's glee club joins in with them by singing the song and the result was absolutely beautiful. The two schools were signing and singing together and it was a great moment. Later, the glee club goes a little simpler with their routine by performing a beautiful version of "True Colors" , while we get flashes of Quinn deciding to give up her baby to Terri once again and Sue meeting with the other schools to leak information.
It was another solid episode of "Glee" and from the looks of it, it is going to get better and better. Only two more episodes left til it goes on hiatus.
Friday, November 20, 2009
"Glee" Pairs Up
In the episode titled "Ballads", the members of the glee club had to pair up and create a mash-up of ballads. Since one of the glee club members was absent, Mr. Schuester had to act as partner for one of the members. Unfortunately for him, he got paired up with super-diva, Rachel. Rachel insists they show how it is done and sing "Endless Love". While the singing was fantastic, Rachel creepily starts following Mr. Schue around and staring deeply into his eyes. Mr. Schue notices what she is doing and makes some of the funniest faces known to man. Of course, Rachel develops a crush on Mr. Schue and starts showing up everywhere. She brings him a tie and shows up at his house. Which I thought was a dream at first, honestly.
Later, we learn that a couple years before, another student had been obsessed with Mr. Schue. Mr. Schue had let her down gently, but that led her to eat the world's hottest pepper. It was a little bit of a weird reaction and sort of random, but that's waht makes "Glee" so great. Turns out the girl ended up being in a coma and had an esophagus transplant. (if that were even possible?) Mr. Schue tried to let Rachel down easily too by singing a mash-up of "Don't Stand So Close to Me" and "Young Girl". It only added fuel to the fire.
Meanwhile, Finn tells his mom Quinn is pregnant and he decides he really cares about the baby. He sings a version of "I'll Stand By You" to the sonogram photo. Again, a little weird to watch, but kind of cute at the same time. Quinn's parents find out she is pregnant when Finn sings a song at dinner with them. Who does that? Haha. Quinn gets kicked out and goes to live with Finn. The episode ends with the glee club showing their support for Quinn and singing a sweet version of "Lean on Me" to her.
In my opinion, this show is getting better and better each week. Only 3 more episodes left till a two month break!
Later, we learn that a couple years before, another student had been obsessed with Mr. Schue. Mr. Schue had let her down gently, but that led her to eat the world's hottest pepper. It was a little bit of a weird reaction and sort of random, but that's waht makes "Glee" so great. Turns out the girl ended up being in a coma and had an esophagus transplant. (if that were even possible?) Mr. Schue tried to let Rachel down easily too by singing a mash-up of "Don't Stand So Close to Me" and "Young Girl". It only added fuel to the fire.
Meanwhile, Finn tells his mom Quinn is pregnant and he decides he really cares about the baby. He sings a version of "I'll Stand By You" to the sonogram photo. Again, a little weird to watch, but kind of cute at the same time. Quinn's parents find out she is pregnant when Finn sings a song at dinner with them. Who does that? Haha. Quinn gets kicked out and goes to live with Finn. The episode ends with the glee club showing their support for Quinn and singing a sweet version of "Lean on Me" to her.
In my opinion, this show is getting better and better each week. Only 3 more episodes left till a two month break!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Why People Should Watch "The Soup"
"The Soup" is a hilarious clip show hosted by Joel McHale (NBC's "Community"), which plays the most interesting and funny clips that aired on TV in the previous week. Joel comments on the clips with the help of his staff of interns. Most of the clips come from reality shows, but there are quite a few news, talk show, and even some home shopping network clips. The clips are broken into popular categories like "Chicks, Man", "Reality Show Clip Time", "Tales from Home Shopping", "Chat Stew", and of course the "Clip of the Week". Most of the clips show the most ridiculous moments that happened on TV. Most of the time, it is hard to believe that people actually watch some of this stuff. The show has running gags that viewers will catch on to after a few viewings of the show. For instance, Ryan Seacrest is often made fun of for his height, but it is all in good fun. It never fails to bring laughs. Sound bytes also appear quite frequent whether it is Kate Gosselin screaming,"Come and get some popcorn!" or Spencer Pratt saying, "That's the problem". They just add to the humor of the show and regular viewers can not get enough of them.
The E! network, in which "The Soup" airs, is also a frequent target. If you are a fan of those ridiculous shows like "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" or "The Girls Next Door", "The Soup" is probably not for you. These shows are on the show pretty much every week. Basically, unless you watch scripted network shows, none of your shows are safe. But even some of those shows get made fun of. "The Soup" is all in good fun and it never fails to bring laughs. So many people that I know have gotten hooked on it just like I have. Joel McHale is just hilarious and the clips never cease to amaze me with their stupidity. Check out "The Soup" on the E! network on Fridays at 9 PM. Also, check out "The Soup" specials which usually air after the new episode. They are equally hilarious and allow you to relive some of your favorite past clips!
The E! network, in which "The Soup" airs, is also a frequent target. If you are a fan of those ridiculous shows like "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" or "The Girls Next Door", "The Soup" is probably not for you. These shows are on the show pretty much every week. Basically, unless you watch scripted network shows, none of your shows are safe. But even some of those shows get made fun of. "The Soup" is all in good fun and it never fails to bring laughs. So many people that I know have gotten hooked on it just like I have. Joel McHale is just hilarious and the clips never cease to amaze me with their stupidity. Check out "The Soup" on the E! network on Fridays at 9 PM. Also, check out "The Soup" specials which usually air after the new episode. They are equally hilarious and allow you to relive some of your favorite past clips!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Some of my Favorite New Fall Shows
This fall has a had a few good shows. I haven't been able to watch all of them, unofrtunately, but there are a few that have me hooked and keep getting better each week.
"Glee"
It was said to be "one of the most anticipated shows of the fall season" and it definitely lives up to the hype. Some people may not like it because it is different, but that is the reason why I think it is so great. It is not like anything that has been on TV before. Yes, there have been musical shows on TV before, but their execution was all wrong and they ended up failing. "Glee" not only has fantastic singing, but it has a great storylines that make you really care about the characters. Plus, it has some hilarious moments. The best part has to be the music, though. The cast is uber-talented and the music is a must-listen. I would definitely check out some of their renditions. Some are better than the originals!
"The Vampire Diaries"
"The Vampire Diaries" was named one of the best shows of the new season. Every week it has not failed to entertain. In fact, I think each episode is even better and more gripping than the last. The storylines keep you on the edge of your seat and leave you wanting more. Honestly, I do not want this show to go on hiatus. The characters are just very likable. The sibling interaction between vampire brother, Damon and Stefan, is a lot of fun. Especially when they try to size each other up or imitate each other. Also, flashbacks of when they became vampires are interesting. Damon is also just hilarious. The show has a lot of great scenes and one-liners. The Stefan and Elena romance is just so touching and I'm curious to see where they take it. Plus, the new characters and plot twists are bound to keep fans entertained. The show is very good and it keeps you guessing. It will be great to see what happens in the future.
"Community"
"Community" is a show that was not as impressing to most critics as they thought it would be. In my opinion, though, it is pretty funny and is definitely worth watching. The chemistry between the characters is awesome and they just play off of each other so well. eachc character is also funny in their own way. I especially like movie-lover, Abed. His character is eccentric and his scenes with football player, Troy, are some of the best parts of the show. Check out their Spanish rap on YouTube. It is genius!
"Glee"
It was said to be "one of the most anticipated shows of the fall season" and it definitely lives up to the hype. Some people may not like it because it is different, but that is the reason why I think it is so great. It is not like anything that has been on TV before. Yes, there have been musical shows on TV before, but their execution was all wrong and they ended up failing. "Glee" not only has fantastic singing, but it has a great storylines that make you really care about the characters. Plus, it has some hilarious moments. The best part has to be the music, though. The cast is uber-talented and the music is a must-listen. I would definitely check out some of their renditions. Some are better than the originals!
"The Vampire Diaries"
"The Vampire Diaries" was named one of the best shows of the new season. Every week it has not failed to entertain. In fact, I think each episode is even better and more gripping than the last. The storylines keep you on the edge of your seat and leave you wanting more. Honestly, I do not want this show to go on hiatus. The characters are just very likable. The sibling interaction between vampire brother, Damon and Stefan, is a lot of fun. Especially when they try to size each other up or imitate each other. Also, flashbacks of when they became vampires are interesting. Damon is also just hilarious. The show has a lot of great scenes and one-liners. The Stefan and Elena romance is just so touching and I'm curious to see where they take it. Plus, the new characters and plot twists are bound to keep fans entertained. The show is very good and it keeps you guessing. It will be great to see what happens in the future.
"Community"
"Community" is a show that was not as impressing to most critics as they thought it would be. In my opinion, though, it is pretty funny and is definitely worth watching. The chemistry between the characters is awesome and they just play off of each other so well. eachc character is also funny in their own way. I especially like movie-lover, Abed. His character is eccentric and his scenes with football player, Troy, are some of the best parts of the show. Check out their Spanish rap on YouTube. It is genius!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
"Glee" Just Keeps on Rolling....
This past Wednesday on the latest episode of "Glee", the glee club learned valuable lessons and took fans on an emotional ride. The episode titled "Wheels" dealt with the glee club trying to raise money to get a wheel-chair accessible bus for fellow glee club member, Artie, so they can all ride to sectionals together. However, the other glee kids do not want to do the fundraiser. Mr. Schuester in turn tells the club that they have to spend the next week in wheelchairs for three hours a day so they can feel waht Artie goes through on a daily basis. It was a really cool thing that he made the kids do that. I guess you never really know what someone has to go through unless you are put in the same situation. Here is the other requirement: the glee club has to perform a whole musical number in wheel chairs! They performed a fantastic version of "Proud Mary" with some really cool choreography.
The whole Artie storyline brought the characters on a whole emotional journey. It borught them back to reality a little bit. It brought confessions, like how Tina confesses she does not actaully have a stutter! Totally did not see that one coming! It also made three characters, Finn, Quinn, and Puck, realize that they need to grow up and deal with Quinn's preganancy.
Also, during the episode, divas Rachel and Kurt had a sing-off of Wicked's "Defying Gravity" to decide who would sing the lead. While Lea Michele kind of resembles original Wicked star, Idina Menzel, and sings the song really well, I kind of was rooting for Kurt. After all, does Rachel need more solos? Plus, Kurt sang the song really well as well. Also, the sing-off allowed Kurt and his father to bond and for Kurt to realize that he wants to protect his dad from the criticism he gets at school for being gay.
The most touching part of the episode was Sue Sylvester. She is forced to be more diverse when choosing cheerleaders for the Cheerios. She holds try-outs and accepts a girl named Becky who has Down's Syndrome. Mr. Schuester thinks Sue is up to something and doesn't want Becky to get hurt. Turns out, though, that Sue has an older sister with Down's Syndrome that is in an institution. Sue brings out her softer side in her interaction with her sister and when she pays to get wheelchair ramps installed at the high school.
Overall, it was a very touching episode of "Glee" that was very enjoyable. I suggest if you haven't tuned in already, start now! It just keeps getting better and better.
The whole Artie storyline brought the characters on a whole emotional journey. It borught them back to reality a little bit. It brought confessions, like how Tina confesses she does not actaully have a stutter! Totally did not see that one coming! It also made three characters, Finn, Quinn, and Puck, realize that they need to grow up and deal with Quinn's preganancy.
Also, during the episode, divas Rachel and Kurt had a sing-off of Wicked's "Defying Gravity" to decide who would sing the lead. While Lea Michele kind of resembles original Wicked star, Idina Menzel, and sings the song really well, I kind of was rooting for Kurt. After all, does Rachel need more solos? Plus, Kurt sang the song really well as well. Also, the sing-off allowed Kurt and his father to bond and for Kurt to realize that he wants to protect his dad from the criticism he gets at school for being gay.
The most touching part of the episode was Sue Sylvester. She is forced to be more diverse when choosing cheerleaders for the Cheerios. She holds try-outs and accepts a girl named Becky who has Down's Syndrome. Mr. Schuester thinks Sue is up to something and doesn't want Becky to get hurt. Turns out, though, that Sue has an older sister with Down's Syndrome that is in an institution. Sue brings out her softer side in her interaction with her sister and when she pays to get wheelchair ramps installed at the high school.
Overall, it was a very touching episode of "Glee" that was very enjoyable. I suggest if you haven't tuned in already, start now! It just keeps getting better and better.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Check out my TV Show Reviews!
When I first started this blog, I wanted to review every new TV show of the fall season. However, due to time constraints and endless amounts of homework, that did not happen. I did review a few of them and also some other shows as well. Here are the reviews I have written so far.
Glee Review - In this review, I described the first episode of new fall season sensation "Glee". The review is of the very first episode of "Glee" that aired in May of 2009 after the season finale of "American Idol". The review describes all the characters on the show and the general storyline. It will give you a very general premise that will hopefully help in deciding whether to check out the show or not. Links to the websites containing episodes are also provided.
"The Vampire Diaries" Review - If you are into the whole vampire craze, check out my review of "The Vampire Diaries". The review, again, gives a general outline of the story as well as what heppens in the first episode. It is actually a really good show, so check out the review and decide for yourself!
"Modern Family" and "Cougar Town" Review - "Modern Family" and "Cougar Town" are two half-hour comedies currently airing on Wednesdays on ABC. Check out the link to my review of both shows. In the post, you find character descriptions, plot summaries, and my opinion on whether the shows will be a hit.
"Community" Review - "Community" is a show that stars Joel McHale from E!'s "The Soup". It follows his character Jeff and his study group in community college. If you are a fan of half-hour comedies and love NBC's Thursday night line-up, this may be the show for you. The review summarizes the show's first episode. If you like the story, check out the show.
Jim & Pam's "Office" Wedding - The following is a review of Jim and Pam's big wedding episode on "The Office". The post tells the story of how Jim and Pam fell in love. Then, there is a review of the wedding itself. Some favorite moments are also described and links to the episode and the original Youtube wedding dance to Chris Brown's "Forever".
So check out these reviews and look for more reviews in the future!
Glee Review - In this review, I described the first episode of new fall season sensation "Glee". The review is of the very first episode of "Glee" that aired in May of 2009 after the season finale of "American Idol". The review describes all the characters on the show and the general storyline. It will give you a very general premise that will hopefully help in deciding whether to check out the show or not. Links to the websites containing episodes are also provided.
"The Vampire Diaries" Review - If you are into the whole vampire craze, check out my review of "The Vampire Diaries". The review, again, gives a general outline of the story as well as what heppens in the first episode. It is actually a really good show, so check out the review and decide for yourself!
"Modern Family" and "Cougar Town" Review - "Modern Family" and "Cougar Town" are two half-hour comedies currently airing on Wednesdays on ABC. Check out the link to my review of both shows. In the post, you find character descriptions, plot summaries, and my opinion on whether the shows will be a hit.
"Community" Review - "Community" is a show that stars Joel McHale from E!'s "The Soup". It follows his character Jeff and his study group in community college. If you are a fan of half-hour comedies and love NBC's Thursday night line-up, this may be the show for you. The review summarizes the show's first episode. If you like the story, check out the show.
Jim & Pam's "Office" Wedding - The following is a review of Jim and Pam's big wedding episode on "The Office". The post tells the story of how Jim and Pam fell in love. Then, there is a review of the wedding itself. Some favorite moments are also described and links to the episode and the original Youtube wedding dance to Chris Brown's "Forever".
So check out these reviews and look for more reviews in the future!
Happy Halloween from Prime-Time!
This past week, a few shows celebrated Halloween on their latest episodes. I only got a to watch a few, but what I saw was pretty great. NBC shows such as “The Office”, “Parks and Recreation”, “Community”, and “30 Rock” all had Halloween-themed episodes at least for a portion of the episode. Also, on the CW, “The Vampire Diaries” had a Halloween episode. These are always quite fun, especially the comedy shows, because the costumes are always great and the episodes seem more fun.
On “The Office”, the cold open featured Dunder Mifflin throwing a haunted house. The costumes were just fantastic. Jim had another classic costume by writing BOOK on his face and being “Facebook”. Another funny moment was Creed dressed up as a normal vampire while office temp, Ryan, was dressed up as vampire Edward Cullen from “Twilight”, exclaiming to Creed, “That’s just not the trend in vampires right now.” It is so true and so hilarious. Other memorable costumes were Paul Blart, Jigsaw from the “Saw” movies and Princess Fiona from “Shrek”. Michael Scott, however, had to ruin the haunted house by fake hanging himself in front of a bunch of kids and telling them that suicide is bad. It definitely would have been nice to have an entire Halloween episode, but what we got was funny.
The episode of “Community” was also pretty great. It centered around a Dios de los Muertos party and everyone trying to get main character Jeff to come to the party. The episode had some great moments, such as Abed dressing up in Batman and talking in a super low voice. He definitely wins for best Batman impression. Also, Chevy Chase still trying to prove that he is not that old is just too funny.
Television Without Pity posted a blog that lists their Top 10 Halloween-themed TV episodes. Some of my personal favorites including Buffy’s “Halloween”, Bones’s “The Mummy in the Maze”, and The Office’s “Halloween”. Check it out here:
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/telefile/2009/10/the-best-halloween-themed-tv-e.php
On “The Office”, the cold open featured Dunder Mifflin throwing a haunted house. The costumes were just fantastic. Jim had another classic costume by writing BOOK on his face and being “Facebook”. Another funny moment was Creed dressed up as a normal vampire while office temp, Ryan, was dressed up as vampire Edward Cullen from “Twilight”, exclaiming to Creed, “That’s just not the trend in vampires right now.” It is so true and so hilarious. Other memorable costumes were Paul Blart, Jigsaw from the “Saw” movies and Princess Fiona from “Shrek”. Michael Scott, however, had to ruin the haunted house by fake hanging himself in front of a bunch of kids and telling them that suicide is bad. It definitely would have been nice to have an entire Halloween episode, but what we got was funny.
The episode of “Community” was also pretty great. It centered around a Dios de los Muertos party and everyone trying to get main character Jeff to come to the party. The episode had some great moments, such as Abed dressing up in Batman and talking in a super low voice. He definitely wins for best Batman impression. Also, Chevy Chase still trying to prove that he is not that old is just too funny.
Television Without Pity posted a blog that lists their Top 10 Halloween-themed TV episodes. Some of my personal favorites including Buffy’s “Halloween”, Bones’s “The Mummy in the Maze”, and The Office’s “Halloween”. Check it out here:
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/telefile/2009/10/the-best-halloween-themed-tv-e.php
Friday, October 30, 2009
Buying TV Show DVDs
When at Best Buy last weekend, I was looking at various TV seasons trying to decide which one I wanted for my birthday. They have basically any TV show you can think of. Yes, they can be quite expensive, especially considering some of them have very few episodes in a single season, but they are so worth it in the end. If you are a TV junkie like me, you like to watch your favorite episodes of your favorite shows over and over again. When shows aren’t in syndication or are just not on the air anymore, it is more convenient to buy the individual seasons. Plus, you get a ton of extras. Most TV season DVDs contain fun extras such as gag reels, commentary, cast interviews, deleted or extended scenes, and behind-the-scenes featurettes. The best parts, in my opinion, are gag reels and commentary. Not only do you get to see the making of episodes, but you also get great insight into what it was like shooting certain scenes and how the actors really are off camera.
When looking among the DVDs, there was also a whole entire section for shows that are not on the air anymore and have released their entire series on DVD. These sets are quite a bargain for all that you are getting. Plus, you have the pleasure of having the entire collection of “old” favorites in your own home. I saw shows like “Freaks and Geeks”, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, “Angel”, “Little House on the Prairie”, “Friends”, and “Full House”. Those are just to name a few of the many complete series that fans can now buy. These sets may seem like they are quite expensive, but if you add up how much each individual season costs and then factor in the nice packaging it comes in the countless extras, it is worth it. For example, when I considered buying the “Angel” series, it cost $120 for the whole set compared to $190 when buying each individual season.
So check out local stores to see if your favorite past TV shows have their complete series on DVD. You will be glad that you did!
When looking among the DVDs, there was also a whole entire section for shows that are not on the air anymore and have released their entire series on DVD. These sets are quite a bargain for all that you are getting. Plus, you have the pleasure of having the entire collection of “old” favorites in your own home. I saw shows like “Freaks and Geeks”, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, “Angel”, “Little House on the Prairie”, “Friends”, and “Full House”. Those are just to name a few of the many complete series that fans can now buy. These sets may seem like they are quite expensive, but if you add up how much each individual season costs and then factor in the nice packaging it comes in the countless extras, it is worth it. For example, when I considered buying the “Angel” series, it cost $120 for the whole set compared to $190 when buying each individual season.
So check out local stores to see if your favorite past TV shows have their complete series on DVD. You will be glad that you did!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
"So You Think You Can Dance" Top 20
On Tuesday night, “So You Think You can Dance” began its real competition as the Top 20 were broken up into 10 couples. For those people who have watched SYTYCD in the past, it is usually as summer show, each couple is taught a dance by choreographers on many different styles of dance. They usually pick the style of dance out of a hat each week. The dance styles that were featured on the show this week were hip-hop, smooth waltz, Broadway, cha cha, contemporary, disco, jive, and foxtrot.
The thing about the contestants on SYTYCD is that they can actually dance and they are extremely good. Each person has their own different style and is great to see them dancing out of their comfort zone. It was really great to have the show back earlier than expected. The Top 20 show really delivered.
Some of the performances were a little lackluster and lacking chemistry between the couples, but that can be worked on throughout the weeks. The show started out with a Jive routine performed by Channing and Peter. It was definitely not my favorite dance of the night. They definitely lacked that chemistry and definitely could have made their dance moves sharper. Also, the hip-hop performance performed by Ariana and Peter also lacked chemistry and performance. The choreography was great, but the actually dancing was not so much.
My favorite performances of the night had to be the contemporary routine choreographed by Travis Wall, who choreographed my favorite routine from last season, and a hip-hop routine. The contemporary routine had the dancers, Victor and Bianca, in character. Victor was treating Bianca like she was invisible to him and brushing her off. The emotion was definitely there and it was a beautiful piece. The hip hop routine was unique and fun. Dancers Kathryn and Legacy played the roles of cave people who hear music for the first time. They begin doing hip hop moves and it was if their bodies were taken over by the music. They hit all the moves and they portrayed the characters so well. Unfortunately they also had to kick two people off: Ariana and Brandon. It is unfortunate that two people had to go already.
SYTYCD is a fun show to watch. If you are going to watch any dancing show, it should be this one. SYTYCD currently airs on Tuesdays on Fox with the results show on Wednesdays.
The thing about the contestants on SYTYCD is that they can actually dance and they are extremely good. Each person has their own different style and is great to see them dancing out of their comfort zone. It was really great to have the show back earlier than expected. The Top 20 show really delivered.
Some of the performances were a little lackluster and lacking chemistry between the couples, but that can be worked on throughout the weeks. The show started out with a Jive routine performed by Channing and Peter. It was definitely not my favorite dance of the night. They definitely lacked that chemistry and definitely could have made their dance moves sharper. Also, the hip-hop performance performed by Ariana and Peter also lacked chemistry and performance. The choreography was great, but the actually dancing was not so much.
My favorite performances of the night had to be the contemporary routine choreographed by Travis Wall, who choreographed my favorite routine from last season, and a hip-hop routine. The contemporary routine had the dancers, Victor and Bianca, in character. Victor was treating Bianca like she was invisible to him and brushing her off. The emotion was definitely there and it was a beautiful piece. The hip hop routine was unique and fun. Dancers Kathryn and Legacy played the roles of cave people who hear music for the first time. They begin doing hip hop moves and it was if their bodies were taken over by the music. They hit all the moves and they portrayed the characters so well. Unfortunately they also had to kick two people off: Ariana and Brandon. It is unfortunate that two people had to go already.
SYTYCD is a fun show to watch. If you are going to watch any dancing show, it should be this one. SYTYCD currently airs on Tuesdays on Fox with the results show on Wednesdays.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Flashbacks in "Bones" 100th Episode
A show reaching its 100th episode is such a big milestone that it has to be celebrated in the best way possible. I have seen some pretty great 100th episodes and it seems that most shows go all out when it comes to this particular episode. In early 2010, "Bones" will be celebrating its 100th episode and will be providing flashbacks that fans have been dying to see. A lot of "Bones" fans have probably wondered how Angela Montenegro, facial reconstruction extraordinaire came to be friends with forensic anthropologist, Temperance "Bones" Brennan. Apparently their meeting will be shown in the 100th episode, which is just extremely exciting.
Also on the menu for the 100th episode is a flashback to the first case that Booth and Brennan ever worked together. Many references have been made to this case within the show. Apparently the case went very bad, causing them to hate each other and vowing never to work with each other again. In the pilot episode of the series, Brennan has just returned from Guatemala after that first case and bickers with Booth the whole episode about working cases with him. It will be really interesting to see them completely hate each other when now their characters are on the verge of being in a romantic relationship. David Boreanez and Emily Deschanel always play off of each other so well, that they should be able to make this fantastic.
This episode does raise a lot of questions though. Is it going to be all flashbacks? If it is, we will lose beloved characters such as Cam, Sweets, and the Jeffersonian interns. However, I guess it does bring the possibility of bringing back fan favorite, Zack Addy (Eric Millegan) and even possibly Dr. Goodman (Jonathan Adams), the boss of the "squints" in season one. Also, the characters have gone through some physical changes since then. Are they going to bring back Angela's bangs or Hodgin's afro? I guess we will have to see what they come up with. For now, I am very excited and can not wait for this episode to air.
“Bones” currently airs on Fox on Thursdays at 8/7 central.
Also on the menu for the 100th episode is a flashback to the first case that Booth and Brennan ever worked together. Many references have been made to this case within the show. Apparently the case went very bad, causing them to hate each other and vowing never to work with each other again. In the pilot episode of the series, Brennan has just returned from Guatemala after that first case and bickers with Booth the whole episode about working cases with him. It will be really interesting to see them completely hate each other when now their characters are on the verge of being in a romantic relationship. David Boreanez and Emily Deschanel always play off of each other so well, that they should be able to make this fantastic.
This episode does raise a lot of questions though. Is it going to be all flashbacks? If it is, we will lose beloved characters such as Cam, Sweets, and the Jeffersonian interns. However, I guess it does bring the possibility of bringing back fan favorite, Zack Addy (Eric Millegan) and even possibly Dr. Goodman (Jonathan Adams), the boss of the "squints" in season one. Also, the characters have gone through some physical changes since then. Are they going to bring back Angela's bangs or Hodgin's afro? I guess we will have to see what they come up with. For now, I am very excited and can not wait for this episode to air.
“Bones” currently airs on Fox on Thursdays at 8/7 central.
Photo: tv.yahoo.com
Monday, October 26, 2009
How to Survive the "Fall" Hiatus
Every October, TV fans have to deal with the some of their favorite FOX shows going on hiatus. This is also the time where other TV shows on other networks will take a week break to catch up with filming or to set up the episodes for November sweeps or the upcoming holiday season. No matter what the reason, fans may feel a little lost when they realize their show is a repeat.
There are several ways to keep yourself busy and not go crazy with the anticipation for the next episode of your favorite show.
1) Fans can watch past seasons of the show. If you have the seasons on DVD, maybe have a mini-marathon to relive great moments that the show has had. Fans can also check out clips or go to the TV network's website or sites like HULU to watch episodes of the current season. Either way, fans will be kept busy and excited for the next episode.
2) Check out message boards on various sites such as the network website and places like FanForum. These are great places to talk to fellow fans and discuss favorite episodes or characters. Even episode discussion of the current episodes and speculation about upcoming episodes can also be fun. Fans on the boards also usually post pictures or news items that everyone can discuss.
3) Fans can check out fan videos that have been uploaded to YouTube or read Fanfiction. If you go on YouTube and search your favorite show in general or maybe a favorite couple, you can probably find a ton of fan-made videos. There are a lot of good ones out there that are very creative and enjoyable to watch. Fanfiction also allows you to immerse yourself in the world of your favorite TV characters. There are so many different settings and character pairings that a person could never get bored.
4) Keep checking TV blogs for up-to-date information on your favorite shows
It can be hard waiting for your favorite show to come back from a break. By trying some of the provided suggestions, maybe the wait won't be so bad. And, the wait will probably be worth it.
There are several ways to keep yourself busy and not go crazy with the anticipation for the next episode of your favorite show.
1) Fans can watch past seasons of the show. If you have the seasons on DVD, maybe have a mini-marathon to relive great moments that the show has had. Fans can also check out clips or go to the TV network's website or sites like HULU to watch episodes of the current season. Either way, fans will be kept busy and excited for the next episode.
2) Check out message boards on various sites such as the network website and places like FanForum. These are great places to talk to fellow fans and discuss favorite episodes or characters. Even episode discussion of the current episodes and speculation about upcoming episodes can also be fun. Fans on the boards also usually post pictures or news items that everyone can discuss.
3) Fans can check out fan videos that have been uploaded to YouTube or read Fanfiction. If you go on YouTube and search your favorite show in general or maybe a favorite couple, you can probably find a ton of fan-made videos. There are a lot of good ones out there that are very creative and enjoyable to watch. Fanfiction also allows you to immerse yourself in the world of your favorite TV characters. There are so many different settings and character pairings that a person could never get bored.
4) Keep checking TV blogs for up-to-date information on your favorite shows
It can be hard waiting for your favorite show to come back from a break. By trying some of the provided suggestions, maybe the wait won't be so bad. And, the wait will probably be worth it.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Joss Whedon Directing "Glee" Episode
Yesterday it was reported that the very talented Joss Whedon will be directing an upcoming episode of “Glee”. He will be directing one of the back nine episodes or remaining season one episodes. Joss Whedon is the creator of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, “Firefly”, “Angel”, and more recently “Dollhouse”. He has written and directed many episodes of each of these series. Whedon has also written for other shows and screenplays such as, “Toy Story”. He also has directed the popular musical episode of “Buffy”, “Once More, With Feeling” as well as the internet sensation “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” starring Neil Patrick Harris, Felicia Day, and Nathan Fillion. Both of these episodes are brilliant in my opinion which makes him a good choice in directing an episode of “Glee”.
Whedon is such a talented guy that there is no doubt that the episode he directs will be great. Hopefully, he will bring something great to the table and maybe even a guest star. It would be amazing if he did, but that it only wishful thinking.
“Glee” follows a teacher, Will Schuester, who starts up the glee club again at the high school he works at. He recruits students from all different cliques to come together and win sectionals. The coach of the Cheerios cheerleading squad, Sue Sylvester, tries to sabotage the glee club by having some of her Cheerios join glee club and spy for her. It is definitely a must-watch show with fantastic music and great guest-stars, including Kristin Chenoweth of “Wicked” and “Pushing Daisies”. Here is to hoping Whedon directs a great episode, which I am sure he will.
Look for the Whedon-directed episode in the spring TV season. Also, watch the latest episodes of “Glee” on www.fox.com or www.hulu.com and download the songs from each episode on iTunes!
Whedon is such a talented guy that there is no doubt that the episode he directs will be great. Hopefully, he will bring something great to the table and maybe even a guest star. It would be amazing if he did, but that it only wishful thinking.
“Glee” follows a teacher, Will Schuester, who starts up the glee club again at the high school he works at. He recruits students from all different cliques to come together and win sectionals. The coach of the Cheerios cheerleading squad, Sue Sylvester, tries to sabotage the glee club by having some of her Cheerios join glee club and spy for her. It is definitely a must-watch show with fantastic music and great guest-stars, including Kristin Chenoweth of “Wicked” and “Pushing Daisies”. Here is to hoping Whedon directs a great episode, which I am sure he will.
Look for the Whedon-directed episode in the spring TV season. Also, watch the latest episodes of “Glee” on www.fox.com or www.hulu.com and download the songs from each episode on iTunes!
Picture: www.choralnet.org
Monday, October 19, 2009
Why Thursday Night TV is Great
In my honest opinion, Thursday night is the best prime-time TV night during the week. It offers so many good shows for people to check out. Each network has at least one really popular show that airs on Thursday nights.
Here is a breakdown of what each network has to offer viewers:
NBC:
Community - It is the latest half-hour comedy to hit NBC. It joins a time-slot that popular shows like "Friends" once filled. It is a solid show. Every episode is filled with great jokes, the cast is great and work with each other well. Besides, Joel McHale is just awesome and you can never get enough of the "Ryan Seacrest" jokes.
Park and Recreation - Another half-hour comedy on NBC. I have never watched an episode, but I suppose it is pretty good.
The Office - A genius show. It never fails to make me laugh.
30 Rock - Another genuinely funny show. I mean, c'mon, did you see how many Emmy's it was up for?
CBS:
Survivor - Classic reality show.
CSI - Doesn't everybody at least love one forensics show?
The Mentalist - From what I hear, this show is worth checking out.
ABC
FlashForward - It is said to be one of the best new shows of the fall season.
Grey's Anatomy - It is still very popular for a reason.
Private Practice - Nevr watched it, but people should check it out.
Fox
Bones - It is seriously a great show. Great chemistry between the cast and interesting cases.
Fringe - I have never watched it, but I hear it is pretty interesting.
The CW
The Vampire Diaries - A fun and exciting show. It has a great story and gets kind of intense.
Supernatural - Fans love this show. It needs to get more recognition so start watching!
I mean, Thursday nights have so much to offer. There are so many fantastic shows that have gotten great reviews from fans and critics. It is easily one of the most exciting nights in television. SO, get those DVRs set and start watching some Thursday night TV.
Here is a breakdown of what each network has to offer viewers:
NBC:
Community - It is the latest half-hour comedy to hit NBC. It joins a time-slot that popular shows like "Friends" once filled. It is a solid show. Every episode is filled with great jokes, the cast is great and work with each other well. Besides, Joel McHale is just awesome and you can never get enough of the "Ryan Seacrest" jokes.
Park and Recreation - Another half-hour comedy on NBC. I have never watched an episode, but I suppose it is pretty good.
The Office - A genius show. It never fails to make me laugh.
30 Rock - Another genuinely funny show. I mean, c'mon, did you see how many Emmy's it was up for?
CBS:
Survivor - Classic reality show.
CSI - Doesn't everybody at least love one forensics show?
The Mentalist - From what I hear, this show is worth checking out.
ABC
FlashForward - It is said to be one of the best new shows of the fall season.
Grey's Anatomy - It is still very popular for a reason.
Private Practice - Nevr watched it, but people should check it out.
Fox
Bones - It is seriously a great show. Great chemistry between the cast and interesting cases.
Fringe - I have never watched it, but I hear it is pretty interesting.
The CW
The Vampire Diaries - A fun and exciting show. It has a great story and gets kind of intense.
Supernatural - Fans love this show. It needs to get more recognition so start watching!
I mean, Thursday nights have so much to offer. There are so many fantastic shows that have gotten great reviews from fans and critics. It is easily one of the most exciting nights in television. SO, get those DVRs set and start watching some Thursday night TV.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
The Era of the Vampire
Stories about vampires have been written for long time, such as Bram Stoker's "Dracula", Anne Rice's "The Interview with the Vampire", and more recently "The Vampire Diaries" and "Twilight" series. It is not hard to fall in love with these stories because they take us to another world. But this vampire obsession is starting to get out of hand. Before "Twilight", people read these stories and watched TV series and movies about vampires, but they were never quite as big as they were now. I mean, can you imagine series such as "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" coming on TV now? They were very popular when they were on, but I think they would have a whole new group of fans who would watch just due to the vampire craze. Nowadays, we have so many different vampire book series and now we have those series being turned into TV shows. Look at “True Blood”. People became obsessed with it. Its ratings kept increasing and caused more and more people to call their local cable company to get HBO just so they could watch it. More recently, “The Vampire Diaries” premiered on the CW Network. It is also based on a book series by L.J. Smith. It is getting great ratings considering that it is on the much-neglected CW. I think people hear “vampire” nowadays and have to check it out.
A couple weeks ago, I was searching on iTunes and found a link to a preview of a new web series called “I Kissed a Vampire”. It is a rock musical starring Lucas Grabeel from “High School Musical”, Drew Seeley from “Another Cinderella Story”, and newcomer Adrian Slade. From what I have seen in the preview, it will probably be popular among tween and teenage girls. The songs are definitely “pop” and the acting looked pretty bad, but if it looks like something you might enjoy, check it out.
In my opinion, there definitely better vampire stories and series out there. Here are a few suggestions:
1) Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris (“True Blood” is based off of)
2) “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel” (both are excellent)
3) “True Blood”
4) “The Vampire Diaries” (both the book series and TV series)
5) “Twilight” series (It’s not for everyone, but check it out!)
6) Anne Rice novels
7) Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”
A couple weeks ago, I was searching on iTunes and found a link to a preview of a new web series called “I Kissed a Vampire”. It is a rock musical starring Lucas Grabeel from “High School Musical”, Drew Seeley from “Another Cinderella Story”, and newcomer Adrian Slade. From what I have seen in the preview, it will probably be popular among tween and teenage girls. The songs are definitely “pop” and the acting looked pretty bad, but if it looks like something you might enjoy, check it out.
In my opinion, there definitely better vampire stories and series out there. Here are a few suggestions:
1) Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris (“True Blood” is based off of)
2) “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel” (both are excellent)
3) “True Blood”
4) “The Vampire Diaries” (both the book series and TV series)
5) “Twilight” series (It’s not for everyone, but check it out!)
6) Anne Rice novels
7) Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Jim and Pam Tie the Knot....Finally!!!
Many fans of "The Office" have been doing a lot of waiting when it come to Jim and Pam. For three whole seasons, there was innocent flirting and unrequited love. It was heartbreaking at times, but also very cute. Jim and Pam were always friends, especially since Pam was engaged to someone else. They were best friends and thought that was all they ever could be, even though there was always a "spark" between them. They have had their ups and downs from Jim getting shot down by Pam to Jim transferring to another office to Pam finally realizing her feelings when Jim has a new girlfriend. Fans waited and waited till finally at the end of the third season, Jim asked Pam out and then found out in the fourth season that they had been dating since then. For the past two years we have gotten to see them in a loving relationship. They got engaged, found out Pam is pregnant, and more recently, married. As a long time fan of this couple, I could not be more excited that one of my favorite TV show couples finally made it official.
Of couse, since it is "The Office", Jim and Pam just could not have their perfect wedding. First off, everyone in the office was given off just to go to the wedding, which was in Niagra Falls. Having the whole staff there just spells disaster. You just expect that crazy things will happen. When everyone arrives in Niagra, they are on strict orders not to mention Pam's pregnancy because her grandmother is old-fashioned. Of course, by this point, a viewer may be expecting someone like Michael Scott to spill the beans. However, it is Jim who tells. During his toast at the rehearsal, which was probably one of the most adorable speeches ever, Jim asks everyone to raise their glass, except Pam for obvious reasons. Hilarity ensues when Jim tries to fix his mistake and Michael jumps in and makes things so much worse. Another highlight was the dance party that Andy had in his room with all the people from the office. He rips his scrotum trying to do the splits and Pam has to take him to the hospital in the middle of the night.
The best part of the whole episode had to be the ending, though. Not only was it sweet and the moment that Jim and Pam fans have been waiting for, but it funny as well. Pam freaks out because she ripped her veil, which prompts Jim to cut his tie. They decide to run off and get away from the big wedding and all the craziness. They come back about an hour later and the wedding party and office staff dance down the aisle to Chris Brown's "Forever". It pays homage to the popular YouTube video which you can watch here. Jim and Pam don't mind, which is surprising. Turns out they ran off and got married on the "Maid of the Mist" by the captain. It gave us some sweet moments between the two of them. It was a great episode that every fan of "The Office" should definitely watch. If you would like to watch the episode, check it it out here: "The Office" -Niagra
Photo: Just Jared
Thursday, October 1, 2009
"Community"
“Community” is a new show on NBC. I am a little late in reviewing it, but I have been a little busy. “Community” was one of the most anticipated shows of the fall season. It stars Joel McHale as a lawyer named Jeff Winger who has to go to community college because his original bachelor’s degree was not legitimate. The first scene finds Jeff at a community college. He convinces a professor, a friend of his, to help him get through college because as he says, “If I wanted to learn, I wouldn’t have gone to community college. Jeff tells him he wants all the answers to the tests he has to take. Jeff is also interested in this girl in his Spanish class named Britta (Gillian Jacobs), who does not seem as interested in him. He offers to help tutor her in Spanish by saying he is a Board Certified Tutor in order to get colder to her. However, when he meets her, turns out more people were invited to this tutoring group. Jeff seems like he can make everything go the way he wants it to and can lie his way out of sticky situations. I mean, he lied his way into a career as a lawyer. One of the guys, Abed, compares them to “The Breakfast Club”, which kid of makes sense. These are people of different ages coming together.
Jeff runs into trouble, though, when everyone shows up to his tutoring special expecting him to tutor them in Spanish. The people in the group start arguing because of the differences among them. Jeff gives them a speech on how they should accept each other for who they are and create emotional bonds with each other. However, he completely made it up and he is called out on it and asked to leave. Later, they say the group isn’t the same without him.
I thought the first episode was good, it did not blow me away, but I think I will keep watching it. The episode was much better and funnier the second time around. It will be interesting to see Chevy Chase in this kind of role. He is a very talented comedian and it will be interesting to see how he is in the role. All the characters are very likable, especially Abed, who seems to be clueless about most things. And Joel McHale is a very funny guy, who people should check out on “The Soup” as well. Check out “Community” because it is a show that I think will get better over time and has the potential to succeed.
Jeff runs into trouble, though, when everyone shows up to his tutoring special expecting him to tutor them in Spanish. The people in the group start arguing because of the differences among them. Jeff gives them a speech on how they should accept each other for who they are and create emotional bonds with each other. However, he completely made it up and he is called out on it and asked to leave. Later, they say the group isn’t the same without him.
I thought the first episode was good, it did not blow me away, but I think I will keep watching it. The episode was much better and funnier the second time around. It will be interesting to see Chevy Chase in this kind of role. He is a very talented comedian and it will be interesting to see how he is in the role. All the characters are very likable, especially Abed, who seems to be clueless about most things. And Joel McHale is a very funny guy, who people should check out on “The Soup” as well. Check out “Community” because it is a show that I think will get better over time and has the potential to succeed.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Check Out These Other Great Sites/Blogs!
For television fans, there are a ton of really good websites and blogs that will provide you the information you are looking for.
A really good, informative blog is OfficeTally. It is a great and really popular blog for fans of “The Office”. It is so popular that even cast members of “The Office” read it. The blog features episode descriptions, spoilers, and pictures. They also post videos such as, promos, cast interviews, and videos that appear on NBC.com. An episode discussion is also available right after an episode. There are also posts about where cast members are going to be appearing. A link to the newest episode on Hulu is usually also posted, as well as deleted scenes. The creator of the blog is always looking for people to send her news and links that may have been missed. I really like when there are set visit reports, though. The blogger has an opportunity to go to the set of “The Office” and always brings back great video, pictures, and scoop.
OfficeTally
Another blog that is a good source for TV scoop and news is The Ausiello Files on EW.com. Michael Ausiello used to work at TV Guide and would provide scoop on the current TV shows by answering questions that fans wanted to know. The Ausiello Files is kind of an extension of that, but now it is in blog form. He still provides the latest scoop, such as casting and casting changes, ratings, promos, exclusive behind-the-scenes information, and then has the fan-asked questions on spoilers. It is a great source that is always an enjoyable read.
The Ausiello Files on EW.com
FanForum is a great place to interact with fellow fans. The website is broken down into categories where you can even talk about your old favorites that are not on the air anymore. You can also talk about your favorite actor/actresses and even your favorite couples and episodes!
Fan Forum
A really good, informative blog is OfficeTally. It is a great and really popular blog for fans of “The Office”. It is so popular that even cast members of “The Office” read it. The blog features episode descriptions, spoilers, and pictures. They also post videos such as, promos, cast interviews, and videos that appear on NBC.com. An episode discussion is also available right after an episode. There are also posts about where cast members are going to be appearing. A link to the newest episode on Hulu is usually also posted, as well as deleted scenes. The creator of the blog is always looking for people to send her news and links that may have been missed. I really like when there are set visit reports, though. The blogger has an opportunity to go to the set of “The Office” and always brings back great video, pictures, and scoop.
OfficeTally
Another blog that is a good source for TV scoop and news is The Ausiello Files on EW.com. Michael Ausiello used to work at TV Guide and would provide scoop on the current TV shows by answering questions that fans wanted to know. The Ausiello Files is kind of an extension of that, but now it is in blog form. He still provides the latest scoop, such as casting and casting changes, ratings, promos, exclusive behind-the-scenes information, and then has the fan-asked questions on spoilers. It is a great source that is always an enjoyable read.
The Ausiello Files on EW.com
FanForum is a great place to interact with fellow fans. The website is broken down into categories where you can even talk about your old favorites that are not on the air anymore. You can also talk about your favorite actor/actresses and even your favorite couples and episodes!
Fan Forum
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
TV Squad Blog
If you are looking for another TV blog, a really good one to look at is TV Squad. It is a blog that is associated with AOL television. It is run by 19 different bloggers, who are featured on a page called "Meet the TV Squad". TV Squad covers pretty much everything to do with TV. The blog offers TV news, reviews of episodes, top 10 lists, links to videos, links to other blogs, and so much more. The set-up allows easy navigation for visitors.
When you go to TV Squad, you realize that the site contains a lot of content. It would be easiest to start with the latest posts. The first thing you see are moving pictures that give you links to selected coverage that has be written in the blog. These are some of their main stories that they want readers to check out and comment on. For example, in honor of "Mad Men"'s new season, the blog provides a link to all the latest news and post on "Mad Men". Looking at the main page alone, TV Squad literally posts everything that is going on in television right now. A couple of reviews were posted, the latest news and scoop on some TV shows, and even a clip from "The Colbert Report".
The blog also contains "Featured Stories", which are different from your regular posts. They contain top 10 lists, which I love to read because I love to see what other people's favorites are compared to mine. Also contained in this section was an interview, which allow you to get a feel for what the actor is about and get scoop on a particular show. It also had an article written on a show gone to soon. I thought this was a great feature because there were so many fantastic shows on TV that were cancelled before they should have been. I want to have more of these kind of posts on my own blog. TV Squad even had extensive coverage of the Emmy's!
TV Squad is also very well-structured. The blog provides links to blogs written about certain genres. It is broken down into categories such as Features, Comedy Shows, Drama Shows, etc. It also features links to the blogs that were most commented on in the last 7 days. Obviously, people thought these posts were pretty interesting so it provides visitors with good posts to read. Links to other popular television blogs are listed, as well as some major network blogs like PopEater. At the top of the blog, visitors also have the option of visiting links to TV listings, celebrity news, info on hot shows, and more. It just provides visitors with so much to explore. I only wish my blog could be as good as this one.
I think TV Squad is a great source for television. If you need any information on TV, it is one of the top places to go. Plus, some of the other blog posts make very interesting reads and the blog is just very easy to navigate. Check out TV Squad!
When you go to TV Squad, you realize that the site contains a lot of content. It would be easiest to start with the latest posts. The first thing you see are moving pictures that give you links to selected coverage that has be written in the blog. These are some of their main stories that they want readers to check out and comment on. For example, in honor of "Mad Men"'s new season, the blog provides a link to all the latest news and post on "Mad Men". Looking at the main page alone, TV Squad literally posts everything that is going on in television right now. A couple of reviews were posted, the latest news and scoop on some TV shows, and even a clip from "The Colbert Report".
The blog also contains "Featured Stories", which are different from your regular posts. They contain top 10 lists, which I love to read because I love to see what other people's favorites are compared to mine. Also contained in this section was an interview, which allow you to get a feel for what the actor is about and get scoop on a particular show. It also had an article written on a show gone to soon. I thought this was a great feature because there were so many fantastic shows on TV that were cancelled before they should have been. I want to have more of these kind of posts on my own blog. TV Squad even had extensive coverage of the Emmy's!
TV Squad is also very well-structured. The blog provides links to blogs written about certain genres. It is broken down into categories such as Features, Comedy Shows, Drama Shows, etc. It also features links to the blogs that were most commented on in the last 7 days. Obviously, people thought these posts were pretty interesting so it provides visitors with good posts to read. Links to other popular television blogs are listed, as well as some major network blogs like PopEater. At the top of the blog, visitors also have the option of visiting links to TV listings, celebrity news, info on hot shows, and more. It just provides visitors with so much to explore. I only wish my blog could be as good as this one.
I think TV Squad is a great source for television. If you need any information on TV, it is one of the top places to go. Plus, some of the other blog posts make very interesting reads and the blog is just very easy to navigate. Check out TV Squad!
Monday, September 28, 2009
"Bones" Spoilers Blog
My favorite show right now is “Bones”. It is great show that I think more people need to get in to. It is another crime show, but it is different. “Bones” follows Dr. Temperance Brennan, A.K.A. Bones, who works as a forensic anthropologist at the Jeffersonian Institute in Washington D.C. She teams up with F.B.I. partner, Special Agent Seeley Booth, to solve murders. The reason I like this show is that Brennan only solves crimes with bodies where only bones are remaining. It is really cool how Brennan and her “squint squad”/team take human remains and analyze bone markings or materials left on the bones in order to solve a murder. I especially think it is interesting when they create a face for the victim in their high-tech computer system or the experiments they do. Also, the chemistry between the cast is amazing and Booth and Brennan are definitely two people you hope get together in the end. On top of that, it has its funny and heartwarming moments as well.
A blog that I always go on for some information about upcoming episodes, cast interviews, news, and filming updates is Bones Spoilers Blog. It is run by four different bloggers. It is a really good blog because they update everyday, several times a day. They always have the latest scoop and articles posted on the blog. They also post reviews of the latest episode of “Bones”.
One of my favorite parts of this blog is when they post pictures for upcoming episodes. It gives you a little taste of what is going on in a particular episode, but not enough to spoil it for you. Twitter updates about filming by actors, producers, and creators are also posted to keep fans up to date about how far into the season they are. I absolutely love that they post cast interviews and appearances. It is a great cast and they seem to really care about the characters. The blog also includes links to their affiliates, which includes another “Bones” blog, as well as links to multiple fansites. I thnk people should check out the fansites that this blog supports as well because there are some really good ones. Their labels also allow for easy navigation. If you need to find something specific, chances are you can find it. So check out Bones Spoilers Blog!
A blog that I always go on for some information about upcoming episodes, cast interviews, news, and filming updates is Bones Spoilers Blog. It is run by four different bloggers. It is a really good blog because they update everyday, several times a day. They always have the latest scoop and articles posted on the blog. They also post reviews of the latest episode of “Bones”.
One of my favorite parts of this blog is when they post pictures for upcoming episodes. It gives you a little taste of what is going on in a particular episode, but not enough to spoil it for you. Twitter updates about filming by actors, producers, and creators are also posted to keep fans up to date about how far into the season they are. I absolutely love that they post cast interviews and appearances. It is a great cast and they seem to really care about the characters. The blog also includes links to their affiliates, which includes another “Bones” blog, as well as links to multiple fansites. I thnk people should check out the fansites that this blog supports as well because there are some really good ones. Their labels also allow for easy navigation. If you need to find something specific, chances are you can find it. So check out Bones Spoilers Blog!
Modified Challenge
A couple days ago, I said that I was going to try to fulfill my challenge of watching every show of the new season. Unfortunately, I fell behind. Now, I am just going to recap the shows that I thought looked pretty interesting. Just because I thought they looked promising, doesn't mean that they are going to be good. I am going to give my thoughts on the following shows:
Community
FlashForward
Eastwick
The Good Wife
The Middle
Hank (maybe)
V
Three Rivers
With all my classes, I just have not had the time to watch a couple hours of TV a day, without the reviews being very delayed. I did not accomplish what I hoped to do, but I watched a majority of the new prime-time shows. My next review will be of "Community" and then "The Good Wife".
Community
FlashForward
Eastwick
The Good Wife
The Middle
Hank (maybe)
V
Three Rivers
With all my classes, I just have not had the time to watch a couple hours of TV a day, without the reviews being very delayed. I did not accomplish what I hoped to do, but I watched a majority of the new prime-time shows. My next review will be of "Community" and then "The Good Wife".
Sunday, September 27, 2009
"Modern Family" and "Cougar Town"
So, I am now going to give my thoughts on "Modern Family" and "Cougar Town". Both are comedies airing on Wednesday on ABC.
"Modern Family" airs on Wednesdays on ABC. "Modern Family" follows what you think is three different families: an older man who has recently married a younger woman and adopted her son, a family with three kids, and a gay couple who have recently adopted a baby girl from Vietnam. I thought the show was great. I was laughing the whole time. One family followed is a mom named Claire, her husband, and three kids. She deals with her teenage daughter who is bringing a boy over for the first time. It brought a lot of laughs, especially when her mom races her daughter to answer the front door and then tries to nonchalantly burst in on her daughter and the boy. My only thought was "What mother lets their 15-year-old daughter have a boy in their room with the door closed?" Maybe it does happen, but not a lot. Claire's husband, meanwhile, tries to act like the cool dad and is very lenient on the kids. He tries to act like he knows all the current trends, but just ends up embarrassing his kids.
Jay Pritchett is an older man who recently married a younger woman named Gloria and adopted her son, Manny. My favorite part was when Jay and Gloria were at Manny's soccer game and someone asked if Jay was Gloria's father. The whole plotline around this storyline involves the age difference between Jay and Gloria and the antics of Manny. Jay sees things different from Gloria, since he is so much older than her and toward the end of the episode he tries to look younger by dressing in baggy clothes. Meanwhile, Manny is trying to woo an older girl while getting differing advice from Jay and Gloria.
Mitchell and Cameron are a gay couple who have just adopted a baby from Vietnam. They were just really entertaining together. For example, when they were on the plane back from Vietnam, a woman says " Oh, look at that baby with those creampuffs." Mitchell stands up and gives a whole speech about how gay men aren't creampuffs, but Cameron nudges him and shows the baby holding creampuff pastries. The big thing is that Mitchell hasn't told his family that they adopted a baby. When Mitchell's family shows up for dinner, Claire and Jay's families walk in the door. I guess I should have suspected that they were one big family, but I totally did not. When the families finally come together, you see that no matter how different they are, they really love each other. They are a really close family who enjoy each other's company no matter what their individual lives are like.
"Modern Family" airs on Wednesdays on ABC. "Modern Family" follows what you think is three different families: an older man who has recently married a younger woman and adopted her son, a family with three kids, and a gay couple who have recently adopted a baby girl from Vietnam. I thought the show was great. I was laughing the whole time. One family followed is a mom named Claire, her husband, and three kids. She deals with her teenage daughter who is bringing a boy over for the first time. It brought a lot of laughs, especially when her mom races her daughter to answer the front door and then tries to nonchalantly burst in on her daughter and the boy. My only thought was "What mother lets their 15-year-old daughter have a boy in their room with the door closed?" Maybe it does happen, but not a lot. Claire's husband, meanwhile, tries to act like the cool dad and is very lenient on the kids. He tries to act like he knows all the current trends, but just ends up embarrassing his kids.
Jay Pritchett is an older man who recently married a younger woman named Gloria and adopted her son, Manny. My favorite part was when Jay and Gloria were at Manny's soccer game and someone asked if Jay was Gloria's father. The whole plotline around this storyline involves the age difference between Jay and Gloria and the antics of Manny. Jay sees things different from Gloria, since he is so much older than her and toward the end of the episode he tries to look younger by dressing in baggy clothes. Meanwhile, Manny is trying to woo an older girl while getting differing advice from Jay and Gloria.
Mitchell and Cameron are a gay couple who have just adopted a baby from Vietnam. They were just really entertaining together. For example, when they were on the plane back from Vietnam, a woman says " Oh, look at that baby with those creampuffs." Mitchell stands up and gives a whole speech about how gay men aren't creampuffs, but Cameron nudges him and shows the baby holding creampuff pastries. The big thing is that Mitchell hasn't told his family that they adopted a baby. When Mitchell's family shows up for dinner, Claire and Jay's families walk in the door. I guess I should have suspected that they were one big family, but I totally did not. When the families finally come together, you see that no matter how different they are, they really love each other. They are a really close family who enjoy each other's company no matter what their individual lives are like.
"Cougar Town" was a show that I wasn't sure I would enjoy. I ended up really enjoying it though. I thought it was hysterical. Courtney Cox-Arquette portrays a newly divorced woman named Jules Cobb, who is taking care of her teenage son. She is dealing with her younger co-worker who is trying to get her to start dating again, but is taking her to places with younger men. It is hilarious when she actually hooks up with a younger man and then her co-worker puts up signs for Jules' real estate business with a suggestive picture of Jules. Jules' son is embarrassed by the fact that his mom is out dating younger men and by the fact that guys he goes to school with are stealing his mom's real estate signs. I really feel bad for him, especially when his dad also comes into the picture and gets a job at his high school. Jules also wonders why it is so easy for her neighbor to get younger women when it is so hard for her to date. I am thinking "Possible couple in the future?" Who knows, but I am going to tune it to find out.
I thought both "Modern Family" and "Cougar Town" were highly entertaining. I suggest you tune in or set your DVR because I think these ones are here to stay for a while.
Also, here's a great article that I found on both shows from Entertainment Weekly.Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Update on Challenge
Okay, about the little challenge I gave myself. To remind you, I said I was going to try and watch every show of the new season. I am not backing out of this challenge, but a few reviews are a little delayed. Starting tomorrow, I will begin reviewing all the new shows. After tomorrow, I am going to have about 21 shows to watch over the course of the weekend. I really did not expect this to be this hard. But, nevertheless, I will try to review every show by Monday.
My posts are going to combine 2 or 3 shows at one time. If I wrote an individual review for each one, that would just be too much.
"Modern Family" and "Cougar Town" are the first shows up.
Wish me luck!
My posts are going to combine 2 or 3 shows at one time. If I wrote an individual review for each one, that would just be too much.
"Modern Family" and "Cougar Town" are the first shows up.
Wish me luck!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Check out My Site!
In addition to this blog, I also have a website! Exciting, right? Well, I am just getting started on the website so it is a work in progress. Hopefully in the the future it will be a great source for info on TV. However, I am still learning the ropes of building a website so it going to take some time. Right now, I have just a few things. I have some info on myself, some TV shows I recommend, as well as some of my favorite websites and some advice on how to pick which fall shows you should watch.
My hopes for the future of website are quite high. Here are all the pages I hope to have developed in the future.
1) First, I want to have a complete recommendations page. As of right now, it just includes a few links to my favorite shows. It will be a place, though, filled with links and hopefully more extensive show information. I cannot be an expert on all shows, although that would be cool if I was, but it will have quite a few. I will even include shows that are not even on the air anymore.
2) A few more informational/"How to" articles are in the works. It just comes down to me finding the time to write something that is meaningful and that I have a little bit of expertise. I want the articles to be helpful to people who visit my site.
3) Reviews/ Recaps of TV show episodes are something I also hope to do. I can have a conversation for hours with friends and family about TV episodes that we watched. I think it would be fun to give my thoughts on a particular episode of a show I watch.
4) Expect more pictures and videos to show up. I am hoping to have some links to sneak peeks of upcoming episodes, recap videos, episode clips, promotional pictures, etc. sometime soon.
5) I am also going to start adding some scoop/spoilers of shows. These will have to be read at your own risk as not everyone likes to read spoilers. If you don't, good for you. I only wish I was so strong. I also want to include links to articles other people have written that I think are interesting and relevant to what I am talking about.
Like I said, my website is a work in progress. It is getting updating a little bit everyday. I'm hoping to have some good content up over the weekend! It the mean time, check out what I have so far!
My Site: For the Love of Television!
My hopes for the future of website are quite high. Here are all the pages I hope to have developed in the future.
1) First, I want to have a complete recommendations page. As of right now, it just includes a few links to my favorite shows. It will be a place, though, filled with links and hopefully more extensive show information. I cannot be an expert on all shows, although that would be cool if I was, but it will have quite a few. I will even include shows that are not even on the air anymore.
2) A few more informational/"How to" articles are in the works. It just comes down to me finding the time to write something that is meaningful and that I have a little bit of expertise. I want the articles to be helpful to people who visit my site.
3) Reviews/ Recaps of TV show episodes are something I also hope to do. I can have a conversation for hours with friends and family about TV episodes that we watched. I think it would be fun to give my thoughts on a particular episode of a show I watch.
4) Expect more pictures and videos to show up. I am hoping to have some links to sneak peeks of upcoming episodes, recap videos, episode clips, promotional pictures, etc. sometime soon.
5) I am also going to start adding some scoop/spoilers of shows. These will have to be read at your own risk as not everyone likes to read spoilers. If you don't, good for you. I only wish I was so strong. I also want to include links to articles other people have written that I think are interesting and relevant to what I am talking about.
Like I said, my website is a work in progress. It is getting updating a little bit everyday. I'm hoping to have some good content up over the weekend! It the mean time, check out what I have so far!
My Site: For the Love of Television!
Monday, September 21, 2009
And the Emmy Goes To....
Last night was the annual Primetime Emmy Awards, a night to honor the wonderful performances of actors and the shows that they are on. It is one of the biggest nights for television. I watch the Emmy Awards every year and the past couple of years have not been that great. Sure, they had some memorable parts, but the overall shows themselves were lacking something. Maybe it was set-up, like when they chose to have a circular stage so everyone could only see parts of the show or maybe it was the weirdness of having multiple reality show hosts hosting the show together. I have no idea what it was, but I think it may have had to do with both. This year the Emmy’s were hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, who is really talented. It is a shame that they didn’t have him host the Emmy’s sooner. I mean he is on the popular “How I Met Your Mother”, which he has been nominated for an Emmy three times. Also, he is especially hilarious in the “Harold and Kumar” movies and Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-long Blog. He is a naturally funny, talented actor who can sing too. The show began with an opening number that showcased NPH’s vocal talent. I thought it was really impressive when he sang all the television network names. I can’t even imagine how much practice that took. The Stage set-up this year was also much better than previous year’s. They had a normal stage, but they had the show control room and the band actually on the main stage. It is nice to recognize and see the people who keep the show running.
The really interesting part of this year’s show was that they split the show into five different categories: Comedy, Reality, Mini-series/Made-for-TV Movies, Variety, and Drama. The show ran a lot smoother with this new structure and the show did not feel all over the place. They did, however, leave the awards for Best Comedy and Best Drama till the end of the show. Each show was able to have their moment that way and I thought it worked very well. One of the things I wish they would try to modify would be the presenting of the awards. Some of the banter between presenters is just so awkward that is uncomfortable to watch. I guess that is what is expected at these award shows though. I think the show was great overall. It was way better than previous years and I say that they should have Neil Patrick Harris host again in the future.
Here are my Top 5 Moments of the 2009 Emmy Awards:
1) The Opening Number – It was a lot of fun and showed off NPH’s talent
2) Kristin Chenoweth’s Acceptance Speech – She was so grateful and happy to win that award and it is about time someone got recognized for the wonderful show that was Pushing Daisies
3) Pro dancers Maks and Karina from “Dancing with the Stars” and former contestants of “So You think You Can Dance” performance – Just so much talent and really fun to watch
4) Dr. Horrible skit about how TV is dead and watching TV on the internet is in – If you haven’t watched the original, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-long Blog, I highly recommend it
5) Neil Patrick Harris and the show changes – He was funny and the show was a million times better
For a list of winners check out E! Online at eonline.com.
The really interesting part of this year’s show was that they split the show into five different categories: Comedy, Reality, Mini-series/Made-for-TV Movies, Variety, and Drama. The show ran a lot smoother with this new structure and the show did not feel all over the place. They did, however, leave the awards for Best Comedy and Best Drama till the end of the show. Each show was able to have their moment that way and I thought it worked very well. One of the things I wish they would try to modify would be the presenting of the awards. Some of the banter between presenters is just so awkward that is uncomfortable to watch. I guess that is what is expected at these award shows though. I think the show was great overall. It was way better than previous years and I say that they should have Neil Patrick Harris host again in the future.
Here are my Top 5 Moments of the 2009 Emmy Awards:
1) The Opening Number – It was a lot of fun and showed off NPH’s talent
2) Kristin Chenoweth’s Acceptance Speech – She was so grateful and happy to win that award and it is about time someone got recognized for the wonderful show that was Pushing Daisies
3) Pro dancers Maks and Karina from “Dancing with the Stars” and former contestants of “So You think You Can Dance” performance – Just so much talent and really fun to watch
4) Dr. Horrible skit about how TV is dead and watching TV on the internet is in – If you haven’t watched the original, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-long Blog, I highly recommend it
5) Neil Patrick Harris and the show changes – He was funny and the show was a million times better
For a list of winners check out E! Online at eonline.com.
Friday, September 18, 2009
What I Thought of "The Vampire Diaries"
"The Vampire Diaries" is a new show on the CW network that premiered on September 10, 2009. "The Vampire Diaries" is based on the popular book series by L.J. Smith. The story follows a girl named Elena (Nina Dobrev), who just lost her parents in a car accident. She comes back from a summer trip and comes back to school still mourning the loss of her parents. On the first day back, a mysterious new student shows up and runs into Elena. They have a connection and start hanging out together. When watching the premiere, my roommate and I both said that we could have felt more emotion from the Elena character. I mean, this is still a transition period for her and it does not seem to be affecting her as much as her younger brother, who has turned to drugs. Anyway, we learn that the new student is named Stefan (Paul Wesley) and he lives with his uncle. Mysterious attacks keep happening in the town of Mystic Falls, though, and people do not know what is causing these attacks. The viewer learns that Stefan is actually a vampire who came to town so he could meet Elena, who looks exactly like a girl from his past named Katherine. As of yet, you do not know who Katherine was to Stefan. Were they involved or did they have another kind of relationship? That was one of my big things about the pilot episode. I would expect a lot of unanswered questions. I am sure they will be answered throughout the season, but it is going to take them a while to hit all of them and develop the storylines.
The story also involves Stefan’s brother Damon (Ian Somerhalder). His trademark is a crow and he kind of has a thing for creepy fog. You learn he is behind the mysterious attacks that are occurring in Mystic Falls, due to said trademarks. Damon lives his life as a vampire a little bit different than Stefan. He does not understand why Stefan does not just give in and act like the average vampire. It makes me wonder what really went on in their past. Why is Stefan the way he is? I have no idea, but I kind of like that he is a “nice” vampire. I really can’t wait to see how the story unfolds, though.
I know the first episode was kind of laying down the foundation of the show, but it kind of left me a little indifferent. However, I loved the second episode. I just hope the show consistently makes me want to watch from week to week. I would check it out to see if it appeals to you. The first two episodes should be up on the CW network website right now!
The story also involves Stefan’s brother Damon (Ian Somerhalder). His trademark is a crow and he kind of has a thing for creepy fog. You learn he is behind the mysterious attacks that are occurring in Mystic Falls, due to said trademarks. Damon lives his life as a vampire a little bit different than Stefan. He does not understand why Stefan does not just give in and act like the average vampire. It makes me wonder what really went on in their past. Why is Stefan the way he is? I have no idea, but I kind of like that he is a “nice” vampire. I really can’t wait to see how the story unfolds, though.
I know the first episode was kind of laying down the foundation of the show, but it kind of left me a little indifferent. However, I loved the second episode. I just hope the show consistently makes me want to watch from week to week. I would check it out to see if it appeals to you. The first two episodes should be up on the CW network website right now!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Review of "Glee"
The challenge has already started, but I am little behind. Hopefully, I will catch up on the few shows that have aired this coming weekend. The first show I am going to be reviewing is “Glee”.
“Glee” first aired on May 9, 2009 after the American Idol season finale. It acted as a preview for the upcoming fall season. I remember seeing all the commercials for “Glee” leading up to the American Idol and thinking “That looks really good”. I did not watch the first episode until two weeks ago and I am glad I did. It was a breath of fresh air and much different from most of the other shows that have been developed. The music is also awesome. The music is one of the many reasons I got hooked on that first episode. The wonderfully talented “Glee” cast took on covers of “Rehab” by Amy Winehouse, “On My Own” from Les Miserables, and of course, “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey. The first episode introduced an interesting group of characters ranging from the vocally-gifted star quarterback of the football team to a guidance counselor who is a germaphobe. The premise of the episode was a teacher, Will Schuester, a former glee club member, wanted to create the glee club at the school once again. He tries to recruit people from the football team with no luck, until he hears the star quarterback, Finn, singing a rendition of REO Speedwagon’s “Can’t Fight This Feeling” in the locker room. Mr. Schuester also recruits a wannabe star named Rachel, a paraplegic electric guitar player named Artie, a gothic girl with a speech impediment named Tina, a diva named Mercedes, and a singer who is bullied named Kurt.
These kids come together and at first they have their differences and their performance is a little off. Mr. Schuester, after being put down by both the principal, the head cheerleading coach, Sue Sylvester, and finding out his wife is pregnant, quits coaching the glee club. It is one of those moments where you know that is not what he really wants and thinks he is a jerk for abandoning this talented group of kids. The best part of the episode is when all the kids come together and keep the glee club running. It was so refreshing to see people from different backgrounds and cliques come together because they all share the same talent and vision of how far the club could go. The students came up with a brilliant rendition of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” that leaves you with chills. The hard work of the students really paid off and you could see hints of a possible romance between Finn and Rachel. I guess we will see how that story ends up. Overall, I thought the first episode of “Glee” was really good and think the show is promising. It is a little different that I expected. Don’t watch it expecting an innocent, cute show. The story involves a lot of sex jokes and even an abstinence meeting that involves balloons.
I would really suggest watching “Glee”. The second episode was just as good as the pilot and it introduces new characters and rivalries that will unfold as the season goes on. If you missed the first couple episodes, I would suggest heading over to Fox.com or Hulu.com to watch them.
“Glee” first aired on May 9, 2009 after the American Idol season finale. It acted as a preview for the upcoming fall season. I remember seeing all the commercials for “Glee” leading up to the American Idol and thinking “That looks really good”. I did not watch the first episode until two weeks ago and I am glad I did. It was a breath of fresh air and much different from most of the other shows that have been developed. The music is also awesome. The music is one of the many reasons I got hooked on that first episode. The wonderfully talented “Glee” cast took on covers of “Rehab” by Amy Winehouse, “On My Own” from Les Miserables, and of course, “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey. The first episode introduced an interesting group of characters ranging from the vocally-gifted star quarterback of the football team to a guidance counselor who is a germaphobe. The premise of the episode was a teacher, Will Schuester, a former glee club member, wanted to create the glee club at the school once again. He tries to recruit people from the football team with no luck, until he hears the star quarterback, Finn, singing a rendition of REO Speedwagon’s “Can’t Fight This Feeling” in the locker room. Mr. Schuester also recruits a wannabe star named Rachel, a paraplegic electric guitar player named Artie, a gothic girl with a speech impediment named Tina, a diva named Mercedes, and a singer who is bullied named Kurt.
These kids come together and at first they have their differences and their performance is a little off. Mr. Schuester, after being put down by both the principal, the head cheerleading coach, Sue Sylvester, and finding out his wife is pregnant, quits coaching the glee club. It is one of those moments where you know that is not what he really wants and thinks he is a jerk for abandoning this talented group of kids. The best part of the episode is when all the kids come together and keep the glee club running. It was so refreshing to see people from different backgrounds and cliques come together because they all share the same talent and vision of how far the club could go. The students came up with a brilliant rendition of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” that leaves you with chills. The hard work of the students really paid off and you could see hints of a possible romance between Finn and Rachel. I guess we will see how that story ends up. Overall, I thought the first episode of “Glee” was really good and think the show is promising. It is a little different that I expected. Don’t watch it expecting an innocent, cute show. The story involves a lot of sex jokes and even an abstinence meeting that involves balloons.
I would really suggest watching “Glee”. The second episode was just as good as the pilot and it introduces new characters and rivalries that will unfold as the season goes on. If you missed the first couple episodes, I would suggest heading over to Fox.com or Hulu.com to watch them.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
New Challenge
Over Labor Day weekend, I was thinking about how I could make my blog more current. I could not really come up with anything that would be different from other things posted on the internet. Over that same weekend, I went and saw the movie "Julie and Julia" with my mom. This woman, Julie Powell, blogged about how she was cooking her way through Julia Child's cookbook "Mastering the Art of French Cooking". She had a unique idea for her blog and she gained so many followers who were anticipating her feedback on the next recipe she tried. I started thinking that maybe I should try something different for a little bit. I came up with my own challenge.
The challenge is to watch each of the 19 new shows that are premiering this fall on the major networks. After I watch them, I will give a brief review of them and decide whether they are a hit or miss. I was a going to watch a few of these shows anyway and I think it will be fun. Most of the shows do not start for another week and a half, but a few have already premiered and I will write reviews about those as soon as possible.
The shows:
Melrose Place (CW)
Glee (FOX)
The Vampire Diaries (CW)
Community (NBC)
Cougar Town (ABC)
Eastwick (ABC)
Modern Family (ABC)
Mercy (NBC)
Flashforward (ABC)
Brothers
Accidentally on Purpose (CBS)
The Good Wife (CBS)
NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS)
Three Rivers (CBS)
Hank (ABC)
The Middle (ABC)
The Cleveland Show (FOX)
Trauma (NBC)
V (ABC)
The first shows I am going to review are Melrose Place, Glee, and The Vampire Diaries, as they premiered last week. I will review as soon as possible.
The challenge is to watch each of the 19 new shows that are premiering this fall on the major networks. After I watch them, I will give a brief review of them and decide whether they are a hit or miss. I was a going to watch a few of these shows anyway and I think it will be fun. Most of the shows do not start for another week and a half, but a few have already premiered and I will write reviews about those as soon as possible.
The shows:
Melrose Place (CW)
Glee (FOX)
The Vampire Diaries (CW)
Community (NBC)
Cougar Town (ABC)
Eastwick (ABC)
Modern Family (ABC)
Mercy (NBC)
Flashforward (ABC)
Brothers
Accidentally on Purpose (CBS)
The Good Wife (CBS)
NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS)
Three Rivers (CBS)
Hank (ABC)
The Middle (ABC)
The Cleveland Show (FOX)
Trauma (NBC)
V (ABC)
The first shows I am going to review are Melrose Place, Glee, and The Vampire Diaries, as they premiered last week. I will review as soon as possible.
Monday, August 31, 2009
How Many Reality Shows Do We Really Need?
It seems that there is always a new reality show coming on. Not only do we have the major networks (NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX) promoting their new reality shows, but there are also reality shows popping up all over other cable networks. I always wonder what stupid idea they are going to come up with next. Whenever I see commercials now, I usually remark something like "Are they serious? People are actually going to tune in to watch this?" And people do. It is sad really. There are much more intelligent shows out there.
I will say that there are some good reality shows out there. I, myself, watch American Idol, Dancing With the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, and occasionally a season of the Bachelor. The reason is that, with the exception of the Bachelor, are that these shows are not trashy in any way. Most of them include people wanting to reach their dream or compete for the enjoyment of learning something new. There are other competitions out there that continue to entertain their audience, like the Celebrity Apprentice and Survivor. People who watch these shows like to see people go head to head in fierce competition. I find them entertaining also and I think they will continue to be successful.
There is one group of reality shows where I absolutely do not understand the appeal. These reality shows are on either MTV or Vh1. The people one these shows are so unappealing and desperate that I do not understand how people can sit through an episode. Yes, they do some things that make us laugh, but it is because their actions are ridiculous. The challenges that they make these contestants do are insane. I find myself thinking, "Wow, you have to be really desperate to do this". I wish people would not add to the ratings of these shows so that they would keep coming back.
My Suggestions for Reality Shows:
American Idol
The Biggest Loser
So You Think You Can Dance
Survivor
The Amazing Race
Dancing with the Stars
The Celebrity Apprentice
Hell's Kitchen
I will say that there are some good reality shows out there. I, myself, watch American Idol, Dancing With the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, and occasionally a season of the Bachelor. The reason is that, with the exception of the Bachelor, are that these shows are not trashy in any way. Most of them include people wanting to reach their dream or compete for the enjoyment of learning something new. There are other competitions out there that continue to entertain their audience, like the Celebrity Apprentice and Survivor. People who watch these shows like to see people go head to head in fierce competition. I find them entertaining also and I think they will continue to be successful.
There is one group of reality shows where I absolutely do not understand the appeal. These reality shows are on either MTV or Vh1. The people one these shows are so unappealing and desperate that I do not understand how people can sit through an episode. Yes, they do some things that make us laugh, but it is because their actions are ridiculous. The challenges that they make these contestants do are insane. I find myself thinking, "Wow, you have to be really desperate to do this". I wish people would not add to the ratings of these shows so that they would keep coming back.
My Suggestions for Reality Shows:
American Idol
The Biggest Loser
So You Think You Can Dance
Survivor
The Amazing Race
Dancing with the Stars
The Celebrity Apprentice
Hell's Kitchen
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Where Have All the Sitcoms Gone?
There was a point in time when prime-time television was filled with half-hour sitcoms, a lot of which are in syndication now. Nowadays, there seems to be a decrease in sitcoms, especially on the major networks. I found a current list of all the sitcoms currently on television or that are going to be on television in the upcoming fall season. The majority of the list contains shows that are on cable networks, such as FX, TBS, or HBO. I wonder why the major television networks are steering away from sitcoms. When past sitcoms were still on the air, such as Friends or I Love Lucy, they were very successful. Do networks think that sitcoms won't be as successful anymore? It is ridiculous, I think, to believe that they wouldn't be. Shows such as Entourage, How I Met Your Mother, and even the Simpsons, are doing very well for themselves. Also, sitcoms make even more money since a lot of them eventually go into syndication on another network or even several other networks. People who watch these shows do not find them boring or the storylines tired out. I have watched all three of these shows and some of the other sitcoms currently on TV. They still make me laugh and they still are interesting to me.
One of my guesses is that maybe people do not think that popular sitcoms from the past could be replaced. The truth is, though, is that a lot of the sitcoms that we used to watch in the 90's and early 2000's would not survive on TV today. People want more inventive shows. They want shows that steer away from the usual setting and that are more realistic. I think some of the old sitcoms are some of the best shows that have ever been on TV so why should we want them to start going away?
Some of my favorite TV sitcoms:
Friends
The Office
I Love Lucy
Scrubs
Will & Grace
The Wonder Years
Bewitched
Saved By the Bell
And that is just some of them. I would suggest checking out some of the ones currently in syndication.
One of my guesses is that maybe people do not think that popular sitcoms from the past could be replaced. The truth is, though, is that a lot of the sitcoms that we used to watch in the 90's and early 2000's would not survive on TV today. People want more inventive shows. They want shows that steer away from the usual setting and that are more realistic. I think some of the old sitcoms are some of the best shows that have ever been on TV so why should we want them to start going away?
Some of my favorite TV sitcoms:
Friends
The Office
I Love Lucy
Scrubs
Will & Grace
The Wonder Years
Bewitched
Saved By the Bell
And that is just some of them. I would suggest checking out some of the ones currently in syndication.
Friday, August 28, 2009
When Movies Become TV Shows
I know only a a few movies off the top of my head that have become television shows. Apparently, though, there are a lot more that I didn't even know about or that failed so badly that I forgot about them. I researched a little bit online and found a couple lists of movies turned television shows. Here's one of the sites:
http://www.listology.com/list/movies-became-television-shows
People would be surprised by movies that were recycled and put on the small screen. It makes me wonder of the creators thought the TV show would be successful just because the movie was. There are only a few of the listed shows that did not get cancelled after a short-time, like M*A*S*H. Out of this particular list, I have only seen two of these shows. I am guilty of watching the "Clueless" television series, simply because I loved the movie. However, it just didn't live up to the movie for me. My favorite show from the last, though, has to be Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I recently started watching it because I love the spin-off Angel, which I also highly recommend.
If you are in to the whole vampire craze at the moment, I would recommend Buffy. It's not really recent, but the story is great and the episodes are thoroughly entertaining. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was first a movie that came out in 1992 and starred Kristy Swanson and Luke Perry. It was created by Joss Whedon who also created the TV series as well as other TV series. The movie was only mildly successful. Whedon said that the TV series was more of what he wanted the story to be. It starred Sarah Michelle Gellar as the title character. It follows Buffy Summers, who is chosen to be the vampire slayer of her generation. She fights vampires with her friends and Watcher and deals with her vampire boyfriend, Angel. The show had great ratings and was very successful despite being on the smaller WB network.
More recently, ABC family developed a series based on the movie "10 Things I Hate About You". Being a big fan, I have not watched the series. I could not think of anyone else in Heath Ledger or Julia Stiles roles'. A reviewer, Kelly West, on cinemablend.com say that ""the show" shows a lot of promise". If you like the movie, maybe you'll want to give the TV series a chance. The following link has more information about the series: 10 Things I Hate About You.
http://www.listology.com/list/movies-became-television-shows
People would be surprised by movies that were recycled and put on the small screen. It makes me wonder of the creators thought the TV show would be successful just because the movie was. There are only a few of the listed shows that did not get cancelled after a short-time, like M*A*S*H. Out of this particular list, I have only seen two of these shows. I am guilty of watching the "Clueless" television series, simply because I loved the movie. However, it just didn't live up to the movie for me. My favorite show from the last, though, has to be Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I recently started watching it because I love the spin-off Angel, which I also highly recommend.
If you are in to the whole vampire craze at the moment, I would recommend Buffy. It's not really recent, but the story is great and the episodes are thoroughly entertaining. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was first a movie that came out in 1992 and starred Kristy Swanson and Luke Perry. It was created by Joss Whedon who also created the TV series as well as other TV series. The movie was only mildly successful. Whedon said that the TV series was more of what he wanted the story to be. It starred Sarah Michelle Gellar as the title character. It follows Buffy Summers, who is chosen to be the vampire slayer of her generation. She fights vampires with her friends and Watcher and deals with her vampire boyfriend, Angel. The show had great ratings and was very successful despite being on the smaller WB network.
More recently, ABC family developed a series based on the movie "10 Things I Hate About You". Being a big fan, I have not watched the series. I could not think of anyone else in Heath Ledger or Julia Stiles roles'. A reviewer, Kelly West, on cinemablend.com say that ""the show" shows a lot of promise". If you like the movie, maybe you'll want to give the TV series a chance. The following link has more information about the series: 10 Things I Hate About You.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Critically Acclaimed Shows That Ended Too Soon....
Before each new television season, critics from various entertainment sources write reviews of the new, upcoming shows. They usually pick their favorites and suggest that people check them out. However, in recent years, this has not been happening. Brilliant, original shows have been getting the ax due to their low ratings. My question is: Why isn't anybody watching these shows? Why do people want to watch the same old tired storyline again while there are shows with more creative ideas out there? If something is too different, do we veer away from it? I think that is definitely part of the reason. In the past year alone, there are at least six critically acclaimed shows that have gotten cancelled.
These shows include:
My Name Is Earl (NBC)
Samantha WHo? (ABC)
Pushing Daisies (ABC)
Dirty Sexy Money (ABC)
Eli Stone (ABC)
Prison Break (FOX)
The worst part about it is that these shows did not even get to have a proper send-off, leaving fans disappointed and wanting closure. On ABC, for example, the remaining, filmed episodes of some of the shows weren't aired till at least six months later. In my opinion, it was torture. I was fan of Pushing Daisies and on occasion, Samantha Who? The writing on each of these shows was phenomenal and had unique stories. Matt Roush, from TV Guide, wrote that Pushing Daisies "restores my faith in TV's ability to amuse, enchant, and entertain." Maybe the shows ended up being too eccentric for some, but that is part of their brilliancy. I think people need to do is try, just try a new and different show. Unfortunately, these shows are gone too soon, but I do recommend people to check out any new shows that are said to stand out from the rest. Also, the DVDs for the cancelled shows mentioned are in stores now and I highly recommend them!!!
These shows include:
My Name Is Earl (NBC)
Samantha WHo? (ABC)
Pushing Daisies (ABC)
Dirty Sexy Money (ABC)
Eli Stone (ABC)
Prison Break (FOX)
The worst part about it is that these shows did not even get to have a proper send-off, leaving fans disappointed and wanting closure. On ABC, for example, the remaining, filmed episodes of some of the shows weren't aired till at least six months later. In my opinion, it was torture. I was fan of Pushing Daisies and on occasion, Samantha Who? The writing on each of these shows was phenomenal and had unique stories. Matt Roush, from TV Guide, wrote that Pushing Daisies "restores my faith in TV's ability to amuse, enchant, and entertain." Maybe the shows ended up being too eccentric for some, but that is part of their brilliancy. I think people need to do is try, just try a new and different show. Unfortunately, these shows are gone too soon, but I do recommend people to check out any new shows that are said to stand out from the rest. Also, the DVDs for the cancelled shows mentioned are in stores now and I highly recommend them!!!
Monday, August 24, 2009
From the Page to the Small Screen
A popular trend in television and movies at the moment is bringing popular book series' to life. Why has this become so popular? Are the creators running out of original ideas or do they see it as an easy way to make money? In my opinion, if you re-create a popular book series on television, you are pretty much guaranteed to have viewers. People want to see their favorite characters come to life. They want to compare their mental image of the characters and settings to the ones on the television show. It is kind of exciting in a way. One of the most popular book series that has made the jump to television is the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris.
The novels follow a telepathic waitress, Sookie Stackhouse, in the small town of Bon Temps, Louisiana. The series tell the story of how Sookie assists vampires and other supernatural creatures by using her telepathic. The series currently has nine books. In 2008, the books were developed into the television series, True Blood. The first season of the series follows the first novel of the Sookie Stackhouse series. However, several changes were made to develop stories for minor characters in the novels. I highly recommend both the book series and television show, but do not expect the show to be exactly like the novels!
The novels follow a telepathic waitress, Sookie Stackhouse, in the small town of Bon Temps, Louisiana. The series tell the story of how Sookie assists vampires and other supernatural creatures by using her telepathic. The series currently has nine books. In 2008, the books were developed into the television series, True Blood. The first season of the series follows the first novel of the Sookie Stackhouse series. However, several changes were made to develop stories for minor characters in the novels. I highly recommend both the book series and television show, but do not expect the show to be exactly like the novels!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
And Let the Show Begin....
Television. The perfect escape. It allows you to invest yourself in characters and storylines no matter how unrealistic they can be. Our favorite television shows allow us to throw our worries out the door for maybe an hour or two and just relax. We become so interested in fictional lives and become so worried about what is going to happen that it is almost as if the show is "real". We have long discussions and debates about what was on the most recent episode of a show. It is not just the content of the shows that I watch that grab my attention, though. I am interested in everything and have been thinking about certain things involving the television industry. For example, I have been wondering about the remakes of old shows or making a book series or movie into a television show. Are they just running out of original ideas or is that what the people want? There are so many topics that interest me and I would like to try to cover as much ground as possible in upcoming blogs.
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