Couchtime

Sweet Home Alabama: Interview with Paige

2012-02-10T12:48:00.000-04:00

I had the chance to chat with Paige Duke again today, and she had a lot to tell me about last week’s episode of Sweet Home Alabama as well as what’s in store for us tonight!

As you probably remember, Paige had a date with NASCAR driver Danny Bopp last week and then sent him home at the next elimination ceremony. “That was very straight-forward, very black and white,” Paige says. “I like to take things slow too…I didn’t expect a kiss, but I just didn’t feel a connection.”

“He said he’s not cut out for this speed dating, and that’s sort of what we’re doing. I just didn’t feel a connection or like he was really interested in me.”

Paige didn’t feel it with Danny, but her next date with Bubba was the exact opposite. “Ever since I saw Bubba he was one of the guys who stuck out in my mind,” Paige says. They had a great date, even though Paige didn’t expect to get so emotional. “Who cries at fireworks?” she jokes. Paige says Bubba made her feel like everything was going to be OK. “It did strengthen our bond.”

And as for that fabulous date? Paige doesn’t know how much of it was planned by Bubba, but says he probably told the producers what he’d like to do just like she does sometimes. Then the producers make the magic happen – after all, Paige and the guys don’t have phone or Internet access, so it’s pretty hard to make arrangements themselves.

I’ve always thought that group dates might be awkward, but Paige tells me they’re actually really fun. “The group dates are more relaxed,” she says. “One-on-one dates can be awkward, because the cameras are right there in your face. You try to forget they’re there, but it can be hard. So the group dates are fun and relaxing. I feel like I’m seeing the guys be themselves because they’re not trying to impress me or the cameras as much.”

Of course I had to ask Paige about Andy, who she sent home last week. All the guys in the house thought Andy had a drinking problem, but how much did Paige know about that?

“When I first met Andy, I thought he was a great guy,” says Paige. “He’s from South Carolina, so it would be really easy for us, too.”

Then the guys started telling her things, but she wasn’t sure if they were just jealous. “As time went on, I started to see the problem at eliminations, when I’d show up.” Paige says the other guys’ opinions don’t matter too much, but “there had to be a reason everyone was saying stuff.”

We didn’t see this on last week’s show, but Paige had a conversation with Andy that day on the beach. That’s when she decided to send him home. And, well, you saw how that went.

“He was obviously drunk,” says Paige. “I mean, it’s fine to go out and have a good time with your friends, but I think there’s something deeper to his drinking problem. He just can’t control how much he drinks. It’s sad. My family, we’ve been praying for him.”

Paige also says the guys nicknamed Andy “Wildcard” and she didn’t know why. “He basically said he had a girlfriend in Charleston. He’d liked this girl back home for years, and she was finally going to give him a chance right before he left to do the show, so that’s what ‘Wildcard’ meant.” Sounds like Paige made a smart choice in sending Andy home!

As for tonight’s episode, Paige says we have a lot of fun and a lot of drama to look forward to! She heads to Miami with a few city boys. “I’d been to Miami once with NASCAR, it’s a fun city. There are very extravagant, very lavish dates that are a lot of fun. And you know Big Shaun…has something up his sleeve.”

However, we have even more excitement in store! “Most of the drama happens at the elimination,” says Paige. In fact, something will happen that actually causes Paige to change her mind on the spot, and send one guy home instead of the one she’d planned. I can’t wait to find out who that’ll be!

Up All Night: Old and New

2012-02-10T12:41:00.001-04:00

Valentine's Day is a tough holiday whether you're single or not, and last night's episode of Up All Night highlighted the hurdles it can present for couples. If you're a new couple, you might feel the pressure to make a big deal out of it. If you've been together forever, you might feel lousy for not making a big deal out of it. It seems no matter what, you can be setting yourselves up for failure.

Reagan and Chris went the takeout-and-movie-on-the-couch route, but it just wasn't cutting it. Food that's mediocre, not great? Come on guys, at least spring for the best takeout possible. And then there was the sex - partially clothed, and in a lazy way, not a passionate way. And then when Ava and Kevin stormed into the house in the midst of a passionate Valentine's Day quarrel, Reagan and Chris began to long for the days when their relationship was that dramatic.

I think this episode might be the first time I've ever related to Ava, but I really, really did. I know what it feels like to be insecure about your cooking, thus you ask "How do you like your meal?" 42 times and expect your dining companion to savor it and compliment you, not shovel it in without looking up. I've been there, over and over again. Of course, Ava was too wrapped up in the fact that she thought she was rocking V-Day to realize that her man had had a tough day at work and needed to vent. Sadly, I've been Ava in that situation as well.

Reagan and Chris both went out and tried to do crazy things (getting Chris's name tattooed on her butt; spray-painting Reagan's name on an overpass) to spice up their love life, but it ended up being a fight over who should get out of the car in the rain that brought the heat back to their relationship.

I don't want to write too much about this show as I think it loses something if you dissect it to much, but I really enjoyed this episode. It provided a lot of comedy for all the main characters, and there was more physical comedy than usual.

My two favorite Ava lines:

"It’s like one of those movies where my husband is gay and I pretend not to notice." - Ava
"Everyone hates flan!" - Ava (who made a flan)

What did y'all think?

The Office: Florida Bound

2012-02-10T12:17:00.002-04:00

The eighth season of The Office has been underwhelming to many, completely disappointing to others, and recent news about the show has done very little to raise my expectations for the future of the series. Mindy Kaling will almost certainly be departing, and while we don't see a lot of her character Kelly Kapoor, she's responsible for many of the series' best episodes as a writer. Then there's the less exciting, less intriguing news that Dwight Schrute might get his own spinoff. Not only do I think that show would be bad, but I think The Office without Michael Scott or Dwight Schrute would be painfully dull.

Those pieces of information make last night's episode even more intriguing than it already was. I'm surprised the writers didn't take the opportunity to send Kelly Kapoor to Florida - doesn't that seem like a good way to write off her character? She could marry some rich, old dude or something. I also find it fascinating that the Dwight spin-off would follow him on the beet farm rather than working for Sabre in Florida. From what we've seen of Schrute Farms on The Office, there isn't enough material there for a whole show. And Dwight has always been such an ambitious character, what on earth would cause him to leave the corporate sales world?

In last night's episode, Dwight finally got a promotion. He screwed up his chance at branch manager, but we know he never lost his ambitious spirit. So this is what he's been waiting for, and he seems ready and prepared to make the most of the opportunity. I actually really liked this episode, and this storyline. I don't want to see it screwed up in favor of a show about beets.

Dwight had to select a team of people to join him in Tallahassee with the task of setting up some Sabre stores, similar to the Apple stores. He gave Andy a list of people he'd like to bring, but they were too valuable. Andy instead gave him two of the people he wanted, and three losers. So Dwight tried to change that decision by revealing the news to the whole office. Now they'd start from scratch and build a team based on who made the most convincing arguments for why they should go. It was great - Florida Stanley smiles!

The final selections were basically Dwight's biggest nightmare. Jim, Cathy, Ryan, Erin and Stanley. Yet Dwight realized that even though he didn't like these people, or know them (Cathy is "a probably not totally useless enigma", which was a very meta commentary), he can work with them. I find this very, very interesting and I'm really looking forward to seeing how it works out.

There is another twist, one that I unfortunately missed in person (Boyfriend's DVR cuts off all my shows two minutes early! It's so annoying! I will never leave my house again.) but managed to catch up via Twitter and, later, a video clip. As everyone said their goodbyes - Pam will be OK without Jim because her mom and sister are visiting; Erin plans to never return - we saw Cathy outside, talking on her cellphone. "Jim?" she said. "Yeah, he's coming too. His marriage is bad - no one knows that better than I do. [Pauses] Oh we definitely will. What else is there to do for three weeks in Tallahassee."

Whaaaaa? No! I really, really hope The Office doesn't go the infidelity route, it's too easy and it doesn't feel true to the couple. And honestly, I don't think they well. If Cathy hits on Jim while they're in Florida and he feels uncomfortable or guilty, that could be an interesting storyline. If Pam feels insecure and jealous, especially since she just had a baby, that would be valid. But an affair? That will officially be jumping the shark.

Speaking of Pam, I did think the stuff with her and Angela returning from maternity leave was pretty funny. Since Jenna Fischer actually just had a baby and Angela Kinsey did not, they had some fun with the differences in their post-baby bodies, and the fact that Angela apparently finds new motherhood a breeze. Also, I thought all the time Pam and Jim spent trying to craft an appropriate text reply to Robert California was funny, and a nice reminder that the chemistry between these two can be really fun.

I'm ready for Darryl and Val to just start dating already, but instead we had a storyline where Darryl finds out she has a boyfriend, but then she says it was her mom? A deep-voiced mother named Brandon? I found that weird. I'd originally liked the storyline of Darryl trying to figure out if the hat she knit him was special or not, and aborting his mission to give her a nice gift when he realized she'd knitted hats for everyone. But the boyfriend/mother stuff just made it a little too confusing.

Favorite quotes and moments:

Erin throwing her flashing Valentine's Day pin in the garbage after misinterpreting what "gag gift" means.
"Have you ever used a chain with three weak links? I have. And now I no longer own an Arctic Wolf." - Dwight
"I’m the only person in this office that watches Burn Notice." - Stanley
"Quick question: Do you shower at night or in the morning? 'Cause I wanna shower when you're showering...save some water." - Jim

So what did you guys think?

The Big Bang Theory: Vacation Time!

2012-02-10T11:02:00.000-04:00

What does Sheldon Cooper do on a vacation? His options are limited. He can't visit family in Texas, we all know how he feels about his hometown. He can't go to Florida - a seagull once stole his hotdog during a family trip there when he was a child, so he got the message. He can't go to Hawaii, home of volcanoes and the disappointing finale of Lost. So he doesn't go on vacation at all. Until he's forced to.

The premise of last night's episode of The Big Bang Theory was a good one. After being forced by the president of the university to take a vacation, Sheldon decided to spend his free days working in Amy's biology lab. Only things did not go as he'd hoped.

I loved this storyline because Sheldon was in a situation where he was out of his comfort zone, yet he didn't actually know that he was out of his comfort zone. Biology is science, science is what he does for a living. He's a genius, a prodigy. He thought biology would be a piece of cake. But there's blood and you need precision and there are diseases everywhere! I loved that through working with Amy, Sheldon realized that he's not the best at everything. In fact, he knows far less about biology than he thought he did.

The storyline concluded with Sheldon having to deliver a genuine apology to Amy, something that I don't think he's ever done. The writers did a fantastic job of creating this breakthrough for the character without changing the fabric of who he is.

The Big Bang Theory has become a different show since the addition of Amy and Bernadette, and this episode really highlighted how those changes are most certainly improvements. Not only were Amy and Bernadette the focus of both storylines, but they were the stronger, more successful characters. Amy was superior to Sheldon in the biology lab. The B-plot revolved around Bernadette's career being more successful than Howard, thus her father pressuring her into considering a pre-nup.

Bernadette is the absolute best thing that could have happened to Howard. Before she came around, I didn't care for his character at all. Now his douchiness (shut up, spell check, that should be a word) is tempered by his love for her. So much so that, when he heard "through the nerd-vine" that Bernadette was considering a pre-nup, he reacted with reason maturity even though it clearly hurt his feelings and his ego.

It was clear that Bernadette wasn't sold on the pre-nup idea either, so Howard offered to speak with her father himself, man to man. After Bernadette rattled off a list of rules and subjects to avoid, he decided to do it via phone...from space.

What I do wish is that some of the success and confidence Amy and Bernadette have would rub off on Penny. I've been saying for a while now that it's about time her character experiences some real success (I'm talking small role on a TV show, not starring in a big-budget film) as an actress, because it feels as though her character has been in a rut for too long.

On a final note, I'll be shocked if there isn't a "Raj is gay" revelation by the end of the season. The writers seem to be inserting jokes and hints in every episode now, and that can't be all for nothing. Personally, I'd welcome this development. I want to see how his friends would react to it, how it would change his character, and I'd even be willing to sit through an appearance from Priya to know how his family would deal with the news.

Tell me what you thought of the episode in the comments, and check out these favorite quotes and moments!

Leonard singing the Black Eyed Peas in the car because Sheldon wasn't there was hilarious, but the fact that Sheldon actually WAS there made it even funnier.
Amy telling Bernadette "For example, you’re intelligent, adorable, and a good earner, I could conservatively see you going to for at least two oxen and a goose," and then turning to Penny to say "You would fetch a unicorn."
Sheldon comparing himself doing dishes in a lab to someone asking the Hulk to open a pickle jar.
Amy: "Oh ... are we nervous, Dr. Cooper?"
Sheldon: "No. What you see is a man trembling with confidence."
"If you let her go, there is no way you can find anyone else. Speaking on behalf of all women, it is not gonna happen. We had a meeting." - Penny
"And just to be safe, when you talk to him, don't bring up Jimmy Carter, gardeners, foreign people, homosexuals, Sean Penn, Vatican II, gun control, organic food, the designated hitter rule, recycling or the fact that you're Jewish." - Bernadette

Modern Family: Green with envy

2012-02-09T10:37:00.003-04:00

Wow, Manny's friend Danielle is a real piece of work, isn't she? Time to break that imaginary friendship off.

Last night's episode of Modern Family saw our favorite characters experiencing different forms of jealousy, with Manny stepping in to help work things out.

Cam and Gloria

Since their house was being fumigated, Mitch, Cam and Lily were spending a few days at Jay's house. Normally, Cam and Gloria have a great friendship even though they don't necessarily spend a lot of time together. He's gay and fabulous, she's Latina and fabulous. It's a match made in heaven, and they were excited to spend some quality time together.

Except they began to rub each other the wrong way. Since both Gloria and Cam work inside the home, they were together a lot. And they began to notice things. Cam was irked that Lily was so excited to be spending time with Gloria - and we all know that Cam can get a little insecure about Lily not having a mother. Gloria said "Oh, Lily, let me fix your hair!" and Cam flinched, later telling the mockumentary camera "I didn't know her hair was broken." And as Cam took it upon himself to clean and organize Gloria's kitchen, she began to feel insecure about her admittedly limited skills as a homemaker.

Mitch and Jay

Meanwhile, Mitch was getting annoyed at Jay's relentless lawyer jokes during their stay. Jay was having a ball with it, even going so far as to plant a book of lawyer jokes in the guest bedroom. Mitch went off for a meeting with an old radio DJ that Jay idolized, so Cam encouraged Jay to stop in and meet the guy. I'm not sure if there is ever a situation in which Mitch would have been comfortable with his dad hijacking his business meeting, but after all the lawyer jokes he certainly wasn't in the mood for it. He told Jay to leave, and the DJ was miffed - Jay was a fan and was being really nice, so why wouldn't Mitch allow him to stay? Whoops.

Phil and Claire

Meanwhile, Claire couldn't believe that Phil was oblivious to the fact that a client named Tad (Greg Kinnear) he was trying to woo kept kissing her right on the lips. It bugged her that he was bothered by it or jealous at all. In fact, he thought she was making it up for an ego boost.

Of course, Claire eventually realized that Tad kissed everyone on the lips like that, from his son to an elderly lady, and she loosened up around him. No longer worried he was hitting on her, Claire was free to laugh at his jokes - and that's what made Phil jealous. No one is allowed to make Claire laugh but him!

It was a cute little storyline, especially since Claire actually liked that Phil had gotten jealous and made a fool of himself.

Haley and Alex

After calling herself a "Big Sister" in a college application, Phil and Claire made Haley actually make good on that claim and volunteer with the organization. She actually ended up enjoying it, but Alex was less than happy. The little girl named Annie who Haley kept raving about was practically a clone of Alex. Well, Annie was black so not a physical clone, but they were both smart, and the drawing Annie made for Haley with her named signed in cursive was almost an exact replica of one Alex had done four years earlier. Haley threw Alex's in the trash (after writing "Mrs. Haley Jonas Brothers" all over it) but she planned to frame Annie's.

Danielle Saves The Day

Of course, the episode ended with everyone making up. Claire was happy Phil got a little jealous. Haley and Alex bonded by revisiting an old pastime - dressing their brother up as a girl and calling him "Betty Luke". And Manny tried to work things out in his household by making up stories about his friend Danielle.

Mitch realized he was taking himself too seriously and managed to make things right by arranging for Jay to be punked (or whatever) by the radio DJ, something he'd done on his show back in the day. It was pretty cute, and I was glad that Jay had an opportunity before it happened to tell Mitch that he really is proud of his career and accomplishments.

Neither Cam not Gloria took anything from Manny's stories at first, but eventually they realized they'd been acting out of jealousy. Cam was touched when Lily remembered they'd purchased Cam a leopard print apron to match the coats Gloria got for herself and Lily, and next thing you knew Cam and Gloria were performing a perfectly executed culinary tango in the kitchen. They cooked as though they were one.

Overall, I really enjoyed the episode. I liked that Cam and Gloria weren't merely bickering or getting under each other's skin - their little tiff was rooted in personal insecurities, and once they realized that no harm was done. What did you guys think?

Favorite quotes & moments:

"He got divorced and his whole life opened up. Guy's living the dream...[looks at Claire]...his dream, not my dream. I'm living my dream. You're my dream." - Phil
Claire: "Recently Haley got a little creative on one of her college applications and listed herself as a Big Sister."
Haley: "Technically I am a big sister."
Phil: "She capitalized the 'b' and the 's'."
Claire: "Which makes sense, 'cause it was."
"The other night when you put on makeup, I was like, 'There she is!'" - Phil (Oh, Phil...you'll never learn.)
Claire and Phil taking a picture of "Betty Luke" all dressed up.

Why I'm happy The Voice is Back

2012-02-08T17:50:00.002-04:00

Sunday night was a big night. Not only was it the night Kelly Clarkson sang the Star Spangled Banner at a football game while rocking amazing bangs. Not only was it the night NBC aired my favorite commercial of all time. It was the debut of the second season of The Voice!

I really enjoyed The Voice last year, and blogged about it pretty regularly. It's a show I like to DVR for later because I can fast-forward through things like the "social media room" (it's blowing up on Twitter!) and Carson Daly. But really, I think I enjoyed the show much more than I did the last season of American Idol. If you didn't watch but have a place in your heart for reality TV singing competitions, I suggest you check it out. And here's why:

1. The ~~judges~~ coaches are actually qualified and fun to watch. American Idol has struggled in the judging department. The judges have become repetitive and too upbeat, and when they do pick on someone it always seems to be the wrong performer. (Like Haley Reinhart last season.) While I think there's room for Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green, Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton to critique a little more, I find what they have to say more interesting. They're competitive. They give real advice when someone doesn't make the cut, like working on pitch or range. They have a vested interest in the singers on their teams and therefore put actual effort into cultivating them as artists.

2. There are no obnoxious audition rounds. The first half of the season is where The Voice shines, while I don't even tune in to those first few weeks of audition rounds on Idol. The talent has already been weeded through for us, and everyone who auditions for the coaches is actually good. That makes it more suspenseful - people who I thought were great this week didn't turn any chairs, because they weren't quite good enough.

3. Those chairs are fun! Oh come on, you've gotta love the red chairs. It's so dramatic! I think my favorite part is the relief/excitement on a coach's face when he/she turns his/her chair around and discovers that the singer is really good looking. It's part "Hey, you're attractive!" and part "Ooh, you're marketable!"

4. Cool performances. I'm sorry, but Randy, Jennifer and Stephen will never be able to do a Prince medley as well as Christina, Adam, Cee Lo and Blake. Just look at what they're all wearing! Look at Cee Lo!

5. More talent than last time. Last year, I was very pleased with the final four contestants. But there was a stage in the middle of the season where I wasn't sure The Voice was matching up talent-wise to American Idol. This season, naturally, more people have auditioned and I think the talent level is higher. We've already seen experienced folks like a backup singer for Alicia Keys, a trained opera singer (who happens to be very handsome as well)

6. I get weirdly emotional when people don't get chosen. I rarely choke up about American Idol. But when none of the coaches turned around for poor, bespectacled bow-tie donning Daniel Rosa, I felt legitimately disheartened. I know he wasn't very good, but he was so likable! Same goes for the absolutely gorgeous dude who had the courage to sing a Backstreet Boys song. Alas, that's what's good and bad about The Voice.

7. Talent really is all that matters. A hot girl butchers a Kelly Clarkson song (OK, it wasn't that bad - it was clear her nerves played somewhat of a factor in her terrible pitch) and no one turns their chairs. A middle-aged woman channels Chaka Khan and Christina and Adam fight over her. It's a beautiful thing.

8. I've saved the best for last...THIS:

This, my friends, is the best thing I've seen all week. All year. Maybe ever, I'm not sure. I can't tell you how hard I started laughing when the cameras went to Cee Lo for a talking head and there he was, stroking a fluffy white cat with an adorable smushed face. It's like he's Dr. Evil's R&B doppelganger! I mean, what? What is happening there? He's still on set! Where does he keep the cat - his dressing room? How often does he demand it come visit him? Why is it so calm, sitting there in his arms? Isn't it nervous with all the lights and loud noises? What's it's name? I have So. Many. Questions.

You don't have to tune in, but you might want to keep checking out my recaps just to keep track of the coaches' antics.

New Girl: Good Job

2012-02-08T12:51:00.002-04:00

I sincerely believe that New Girl is a funny, clever ensemble comedy. I do. A show that was originally thought to be a vehicle to display Zooey Deschanel's "adorkable" personality has, I think, quickly made it clear that that is not the case. I think anyone who stuck around for 3-5 episodes knows this.

What I love about New Girl is that it knows how to take advantage of the idea of four people with intensely different personalities all living together. The show has done a good job of developing characters so far, and while there's still some work to be done (Hi, Winston!), overall they've created something smart and cool.

Jess is an inherently sweet and optimistic person. I think this episode really showed that Jess is someone who chooses to believe people are good, rather than just walking around in a bubble of sunshine, ignorant of the world around her. We saw this in her argument last week with Julia, and I think we saw it this week when she argued with Nick about whether the landlord was a good guy or not. Jess just wants to think the best of people until she's proven wrong, and there's nothing wrong with that.

I guess Jess was fed up with Nick's DIY fix-it jobs, because she went to see the landlord about some problems in their apartment. Jess probably should have bailed when she saw he was carving a shiv from a broomstick and fermenting liquor in the basement, but hey - at least he didn't pull a Julia and say he's "not a dessert person!" So Jess stuck around, and that was a mistake - turns out there's only supposed to be three people living in the loft. The guys had a hilarious plan in place for this very situation, but they didn't do a great job of convincing the landlord that Schmidt was a visiting foreigner. (What was that accent? He did not sound Pana...manian...? Panamanian.)

But Jess is nice, so not only did the landlord, Remy, let the roommate situation slide, he agreed to fix some things around the apartment. Nick, however, was convinced Remy was simply trying to get up Jess's colorful polka-dot skirt.

Jess invited Remy for dinner as a thank you for his ~~doing his job~~ help, and Nick changed his plans just so he could be there. At first, things seemed OK - Nick's suspicions were all for naught, and he could finally loosen up and be nice to Remy. And then we got thrown a curveball - a pantless Remy revealed that he was open to a threesome!

What followed was wacky and hilarious - neither Jess nor Nick wanted to admit to being wrong, so they both pretended to go ahead with the threesome. They were dancing to music and getting neck massages from Remy, and it wasn't until Jess had to kiss Nick that she called uncle.

I think what worked about this episode was that we're not meant to believe that Jess is 100% Pollyanna. She's just someone who believes that people will be nice to you if you're nice to them. Nick is someone who thinks everyone sucks. The real world is likely somewhere in the middle.

Meanwhile, Schmidt was trying to decipher the mixed signals he was getting from his boss. This was just pure fun, and the icing on the cupcake was when Winston discovered Schmidt's list of utterly obnoxious New Year's resolutions from 2007. There were too many gems to count. Here are some:

Everything is easy when you are a battleship invading the Bay of Success.
Stop pursuing Caroline. She's Nick's girl. Deal with it.
Begin the search for the cocoon that will one day release your butterfly.
Find out where Winston gets his sparkle... and then steal it.
Only think about hot new CFO every other time I masturbate. (Schmidt said he did not live up to that challenge.)
Start floating the idea that people call me "Mr. Finish"/"Gametime Jones"/"The Hook-Up-erator."
Just pick a color of Crocs and buy them already! (My personal favorite.)

What did you guys think of the episode? Check out my favorite quotes and moments, and share your own in the comments!

Schmidt [to Cece]: "Oh, come on! Don't you ever wear jeans? Honestly, you look like you should be distracting James Bond at a baccarat table."
Cece: "I'm actually going to go meet Kyle. Jess loaned me her sea sickness bracelets. I'm going to a party on Greg Kinnear's boat."
Schmidt: "You're going to a party on Neptune's Folly?"
Cece: "Relax, he's not going to be there."
Schmidt: "I know. He's in Rio until the 16th."
Cece: "There's nothing less sexy than a dude asking if he can kiss you."
Schmidt: "Nothing? I mean, what if I ate my own hair and pooped out a wig? What if I called my mom after sex to describe it to her? What if I had a croissant blog?" (It's the way he pronounces croissant that really makes this joke - also, Up All Night shout-out?)
"Nick, be nice! How hard could it be to just open yourself up a little bit? Dip your toe in the pool of possibility." - Jess
Jess: "You guys have a lot in common. Nick went through a break-up that was really hard on him. [Whispers] Schmidt said your mom had to fly out."
Nick: "That was a scheduled trip!"
Schmidt was one "the husky kid in the mailroom."
Nick demonstrating to Jess how guys teach girls how to do things from behind when they want to sleep with them. ("Any time a man wants to show a woman how to do something from behind it's just because he wants an excuse to get real close and breathe on her neck. Watch any sports movie.")

Parenthood: Work it

2012-02-08T11:27:00.001-04:00

Another Tuesday, another fantastic episode of Parenthood. Occasionally I wish I didn't review Parenthood, because I feel like the only thing I have to say week after week is how much I love this show. But since I love talking about these characters as though I personally know them, here we are. (Speaking of loving the characters, how cute is the brief Parenthood cast appearance in this NBC musical commercial?)

Dawes-some

Let's begin with Adam and Crosby. I really enjoyed this storyline because at first I was totally on board with Adam, but then I really saw where Crosby was coming from as well...it was one of those moral grey areas, and I liked that it was an interesting storyline that was entirely work related.

After running into an old colleague, Crosby found out that a band called Dawes was in town to record a new album. Crosby mentioned that he kind of new the guys, and after researching the band a little Adam decided they should be pursuing them for the Luncheonette.

Adam's argument was a practical one. The Luncheonette is a new business, and it's up to them to make it survive. The buzz they got from local press won't last forever, so they need to promote it and get out there and really sell it. That means making awkward phone calls and pitching yourself, and maybe taking business away from your old place of business. For Adam, a business guy, this is a no-brainer. But Crosby is the creative, and this situation makes him uncomfortable. He didn't think he had a close enough relationship with the guys in the band to just call them up.

I can relate, because I'm shy and hate using the phone. I get really nervous about putting myself out there, whether it's for a new job, a romantic prospect, to make a new friend, whatever. But that's also why I'd make a terrible entrepreneur. So even though I felt for Crosby, I did think Adam was making sense.

Instead, Adam got Crosby to agree to stage a run-in at the hotel bar where he knew the band was staying. (I loved that Adam knew how to find that information via Twitter!) And once Crosby was engaged in the conversation with the band, I understood why he didn't want to do it in the first place. He was really awkward and uncomfortable, and couldn't figure out how to pitch his own recording studio without throwing his old pal under the bus. He called his old place of work "corporate" and said they're all about the bottom line - OK, that seems fair. And he wouldn't trash his old colleague, who was a pal - also fair. But he could have mentioned the Luncheonette without doing that. "Oh yeah, I left there to open up my own place with my brother. It's called the Luncheonette. It's really cool, Janis Joplin used to record there. I bet you'd love it, you should drop by tomorrow." Wouldn't that have worked?

But still, at the root of it, what Crosby had to do was a little icky and I got why he felt weird. He was still poaching a client from his pal, whether he did it in a respectful way (which he did) or not. But a guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do, and they landed the band.

I'm Movin' On In

Crosby was also a little distracted, since he was mulling over Jasmine's news that Joe asked her to move in. I've never been a Jasmine fan, but I was glad she gave Crosby an opportunity to take part in the decision. He was concerned that they'd moved Jabbar around a lot in the past year and that he'd been put through a lot of changes, and that was a valid concern. But I think he also wants Jasmine to be happy, so in the end he decided to trust her judgment.

The thing is, should he? The look on Jasmine's face when Crosby gave her the door handles made out of a ballet barre suggested that she's still not over what they had. Ugh! Jasmine! Get it together!

Not only am I worried about Jasmine and Joe, but I'm worried about Crosby and his hot cellist. She comforted him when he was drunk and feeling skeezy about poaching the band, but then when he mentioned that Jasmine would dump Joe just like she'd dumped him you could tell that Lily realized there were still residual feelings there that she might not be able to compete with. Uh-oh.

Scandal alert!

Oh, Parenthood. You make it so impossible for me to hate a storyline! All along, I've been saying that I DO NOT want Amber to hook up with Bob Little. He's her boss! And since she's been promoted from being Kristina's assistant to being his assistant, now he's really her boss. And he's older! And Kristina gave her that job - she can't screw up again, she'll run out of generous aunts!

Yet, the chemistry between them is palpable. I love them together, even though I don't want to. And man oh man, did Mae Whitman ever do wonderful things with this material. I've loved seeing Amber thrown into a professional world with so little experience, and watching her succeed by using her natural intelligence and honesty. And there's a real connection between her and Bob - that's why she's so good as his assistant, too. She wouldn't be this successful on just any political campaign, but she's good at working for him because they are good together.

So I got why Amber kissed him. (Did they do more? It was unclear.) And then I loved watching her struggle with all of that the next morning. The awkward hello in front of Kristina. The flowers that landed on her desk that were actually from her mom. (Awww!) The lingering, sickening question of whether she'd only been promoted because he wanted to get into her adorable little hipster shorts.

Amber is smart, and she knows that this would be scandalous if it were public. She has no post-secondary education, yet she has been given a position that Yale grads can't get. Even if she knows that Bob promoted her based on merit, no one else would believe that. And yet...they have a spark.

From Spring/Summer to Summer/Fall?

Meanwhile, Sarah was dealing with an opposite problem from her daughter's - the issues that arise when you have a much younger boyfriend.

Sarah was meeting Mark's friends for the first time, a situation that comes with a lot of pressure when you have a serious relationship and are having serious talks about babies and stuff. And, of course, there's the fact that Sarah has a good decade on all of them. She mentions having two teenaged kids and they say things like "Oh, my older sister just had a baby!" Older. Sister. Just. Had. A. Baby. Those are tough words to swallow, even though they weren't meant in a rude way.

The friends get-together went well, but it was still stressful for Sarah. She met Mark's ex, his only other serious girlfriend, who he'd dated all through high school and college. She spent a year training to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. First of all, what? Does that really take a year? And who has money like that? And who says "You should totally do it," like it's as simple as trying that new Thai food place across town? I loved Sarah's "Oh, I've been meaning to." As Mark talked about him and Sarah visiting Macchu Picchu and Morroco, all Sarah could think about was the fact that her clock is ticking on this baby thing.

It looked like this would be Jason Ritter's exit, because I thought there would be one even though I'd love for him to be a regular cast member. But instead of having a "I suppose the age gap can't be bridged after all" conversation, Mark said he doesn't need all that world travel and, yeah, is ready to have a baby RIGHT NOW. Or soon, or whatever. Whether this will happen, who knows - but I like seeing Sarah with someone who obviously loves her so much.

You're Having My Baby

The Zoey storyline continues to develop in a really nice way as well, especially considering it began from a place that was, you know, not everyone's favorite. But I think it's important to look past that and commend the writers on doing a really great job of depicting the anxiety that comes along with adopting a baby. Will it all work out? Will the baby be healthy? Is the birth mother going to change her mind? I can't even imagine how many questions prospective adoptive parents must ask themselves.

Zoey quit her job and moved out of Joel and Julia's house, which naturally made Julia think she'd changed her mind and was keeping the baby. But it was more complicated than that. Zoey knows she's making the right choice for the baby, but she still needs to come to terms with that decision. Baby or not, she's a rather troubled, lost young girl. She has very little, if any, emotional support. She doesn't have an education, or money, or anything. She doesn't know what she'll do when this is all over. She can't just keep living with Joel and Julia. And then we have the fact that she'd wanted a closed adoption, but changed her mind because ~~Julia convinced her~~ she liked Julia and Joel so much.

I loved that Joel was the one who tracked her down, who tried to make sure she was taking care of herself - she was supposed to be on bed rest but was instead lugging groceries home. It was a nice moment, and like I said I'm really happy with the way Parenthood has shown us the constant anxiety that can occur when you're going through the adoption process.

This was an episode that left out a lot of characters - no Max, Haddie or Drew - but I think that was for the best. There are only three episodes left (tragic - this show deserves a full season) and this episode did a great job of focusing on what the major storylines this season have been. Crosby and Adam's business, Amber becoming an adult, Sarah and Mark's relationship, Crosby and Jasmine's non-relationship, the adoption. I can't wait to see where these arcs go over the last three episodes.

Glee: How do you say "awful" en Español?

2012-02-08T10:10:00.005-04:00

Espantoso.

Ese episodio de Glee fue espantoso.

That's likely not even correct (I took one year of Spanish in high school. I loved it, but it was only available at a school around the corner and that just doesn't fly during Canadian winters.) but I bet I still know more Spanish than Will Schuester.

On the surface, it seemed like last night's episode of Glee could have been OK. After receiving complaints about his teaching, Will realized he needed to brush up on his Spanish skills. Enter Ricky Martin, a nighttime Spanish teacher named David Martinez. Born in Ohio to immigrant parents, David worked as a tooth model for many years before becoming a teacher. Now that I'd actually believe.

However, the whole episode was more painful than entertaining. So let's talk about the elephant in the room.

SUE SYLVESTER ASKED HIGH SCHOOL BOYS FOR THEIR SPERM???

I'm sorry, but is Glee just actively trying to make us uncomfortable now? That's so inappropriate! And even more offensive was the fact that it wasn't even a little funny! Look, Glee, you can be ridiculous if you're also going to be tongue-in-cheek and humorous, but you can't be so goddamn earnest about these ludicrous plotlines! Just because the kids on your show are all pushing 30 in real life doesn't mean you can keep pretending these storylines involving adults aren't creepy. Puck sleeping with Shelby, Finn acting as Will's best man, and now this? Is there no limit to what the show will do? Ewwww!

After committing what I would consider a fireable offense by asking teenagers for sperm, Sue got less creepy but still inappropriate by asking Will for his. Obviously, that didn't sit well with Will's fiancee Emma.

And really, am I really supposed to believe that everyone thinks it's a great idea for Sue to have a baby? How old is she supposed to be? Jane Lynch is 51 years old, so Sue should be somewhere in that realm. "With whose vagina?" jokes aside, are we really supposed to believe that this is a thing?

There's also a problem with the way Sue has been depicted. She's a villain, but she cared about her sister and she cares about Becky. But she still treats plenty of kids like crap. That's not exactly Mom of the Year type stuff.

Livin La Glee'da Loca

OK, back to Will. Did anyone find his lack of passion for teaching Spanish a little out of the blue? Glee has never been a show that cares about consistency, but back in season one I thought Will really liked teaching Spanish. Now he was just desperate for a tenure position at the school that had opened up - there was no indication that Will even cared about actually passing knowledge on to his students.

Will had brought David in to teach the glee kids about singing in Spanish, and he sang a bunch of songs. I thought his duet of "La Isla Bonita" with Santana was clearly the best (or only tolerable) song in the episode. When Will took the stage in a ridiculous "authentic matador" costume, it was the last straw for Santana. In what was probably the most realistic moment all season, she tore a strip off Will for perpetuating stereotypes about Latin culture without even realizing that he should be embarrassed about his lack of knowledge. A fair critique? Yes. The right time and place? Certainly not. Santana made an anonymous complaint to Figgins without even talking to Will herself first, which put his livelihood in danger - not to mention how Will losing his job could hurt the glee club she's in. Then when he tried to rectify the problem, albeit in the wrong way, she stood idly by and judged rather than helping him out. And then when he made an even bigger ass of himself with that performance, she publicly humiliated him. What a gal! I like Santana, but the scene felt too fabricated and forced.

Sue was also trying to get the tenure position, but she was out of the picture once one of the Cheerios filed a complaint against her and the synchronized swimming coach Roz tried to made a play for her job. I actually kind of enjoy NeNe Leakes on this show, but once again the show is lacking too much in consistency. Didn't Sue and the Cheerios win a bunch of awards pretty recently? It's not as though Sue hasn't won an award since the 70s or something, they've won things within the past 2-3 years.

With Will and Sue out of the running, who would get the tenured position at McKinley? Well, that went to one Miss Emma Pillsbury. Will had mocked Emma's cheesy pamphlets, but according to Coach Bieste they'd been a smashing success at helping football players understand, er...personal hygiene. Will begged Emma to forgive him and congratulated her - this was one storyline that felt like classic Glee to me. Silly, fun, ridiculous, but in a winking kind of way. And it doesn't hurt that all of Emma's outfits during the episode were faaaaabulous.

With that, Will decided to take an available job at the school teaching history and arranged for the Spanish teaching job to go to David Martinez. I like the idea of seeing Ricky Martin again, but how does this solve anything? Won't Will bring the same lack of enthusiasm to history as he did to Spanish? I always believed that Will had a passion for teaching, period. But this episode brought that into question.

She Bangs

OK, onto the rest of the drama that unfolded during "The Spanish Teacher". I liked the scene with Rachel, Kurt and Mercedes - I've always enjoyed that these three are friends, and when Rachel confided in Kurt and Mercedes that Finn had proposed, I was glad they reacted like normal people.

Kurt promised not to say anything, but brotherly concern trumped friendship in this case and he had a nice chat with Finn. Instead of telling Finn that he and Rachel wouldn't make it, or they were too young, he reminded Finn that he has a lot more going for him than just Rachel. That he deserves more than a lifetime of holding Rachel's purse.

Meanwhile, Mercedes continued to deal with her simultaneous feelings for Sam and Shane, but the plot didn't really go anywhere. They sought advice from Emma who recommended they stop texting and talking for a while so Mercedes can figure out her feelings, but then nothing happened. The week was up, and she went for lunch with Shane. Has she chosen Shane? The song she sang almost directly at Sam (while rocking a gorgeous pink top and embellished blazer!) suggested otherwise. I didn't mind this love triangle at first, but I just want it resolved already.

So that's the episode. I thought there were a couple bright spots (the stuff with Rachel, Mercedes, Kurt and Finn, as well as multiple Emma Pillsbury appearances) but overall I thought "The Spanish Teacher" was a train wreck. Again. I know it's probably getting old to hear me complain about Glee (granted, you don't need to read my reviews, I suppose) but it's difficult to break up with a show mid-season. I'll finish watching the rest of this season, but I don't know if I'll be a regular viewer in season four. It's just getting to be too tiresome to hate a show I used to love every week.

What did you guys think? Yes? No? Did Sue creep you out? Tell me what you think in the comments, and check out a list of a few quotes and moments from the episode that stood out to me:

I need an animated .gif of Ricky Martin dancing next to that awkward Irish chap ASAP.
Mercedes's solo was quite good, I thought, and I really liked how she was styled. Bangs work better for her than they do on Rachel.
I will give the show credit for acknowledging that Will was a jerk this week. His matador performance was intentionally terrible, and he knew he was an ass to Emma. I liked that awareness, but they need to take that attitude with Sue as well.
And that makes me wonder, if Sue's storyline had been completely eliminated from the episode would I have enjoyed it? I'd still have questions about when Will stopped enjoying teaching, but I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more.
Professor Dollface. Love it.
Can I get a Brittany storyline please? All Heather Morris did this week was dance, which I love, but she needs more screen time.

How I Met Your Mother: We only got five minutes to save the party

2012-02-07T14:46:00.001-04:00

I wanted to like last night's episode of How I Met Your Mother. I should have liked it. Yet...I can't say I really liked it.

Maybe it's because I missed the first couple seconds of the episode (thanks for simulcasting, Canadian TV - ruining my life since 1986!) and I never understood why Marshall and Lily's house was filled with bees. (Apparently Lily's dad was breeding them in the basement. What? Why?) Or maybe because the five minutes HIMYM showed us over and over again, from various vantage points, never really seemed worth focusing on. It should have been wacky and fun, but instead it just felt tiresome.

Housewarming Hot Mess

As I said, the episode showed us five minutes from a few different perspectives. It was the five minutes it took for Lily and Marshall's housewarming party to become an utter disaster, and we saw it play out three times - in the living room, the dining room and the kitchen.

Marshall's boss Mr. Cootes (played by Martin Short, who I find very funny in this role) was freaking out because someone had eaten all the vegan spring rolls. He thought it was Ted, but it was actually Barney. Ted wouldn't back down from the argument because he was in the middle of a disagreement with Robin over the merits of being aggressive vs. a pushover.

Meanwhile, Lily dropped a giant wheel of gouda cheese on the floor and it was immediately covered in mice, which they have, Barney agreed to a hot hookup with their terrifying neighbor, and Marshall quit his job because Mr. Cootes demanded they leave the party to work.

Lily's dad suggested Cootes take up a hobby like beekeeping, and next thing you knew he was donning the beekeeping suit...which was on fire, because - oh hell, if you saw the episode you know. And if you didn't, reading about it won't help you - it has to be watched. Frankly, I found the whole thing exhausting.

Mysteries Revealed

It was a little fun to watch things come together piece by piece, but I just didn't care enough about any of the storylines to really want to know why things were happening. HIMYM usually knocks episodes like this out of the park, much more so than almost any other show (save for Community) can. But this one was a dud, and my theory is that it's because nothing was accomplished. When the episode was over, we hadn't learned any important or exciting information. Marshall still had his job, Ted and Robin were still Ted and Robin, Barney had made a bad decision. What else is new? It felt like the episode was written cleverly just for the sake of being clever, not as a cool way to introduce a plot development.

So what did you guys think of the episode? Were you hoping for more, or did the unraveling of little mysteries delight you?

The Bachelor: Getting The Kiss Off

2012-02-07T12:01:00.001-04:00

The journey of The Bachelor continued this week, as Ben and his girlfriends headed to Panama for some exotic fun and some classic drama. That came courtesy of Casey S., as well as the dreaded two-on-one date.

Cast Away

The first date went to Kacie B., who was instructed to pack three things for her date. Blakeley was immediately jealous, because she hasn't had a solo date yet and Kacie has. Ben was psyched to go spend the day with Kacie, but he also worried that the beautiful, isolated island they'd visit would put a strain on their "relationship". "I really hope we can bond over an experience like this," Ben said. "My fear is that we'll have nothing to talk about."

Sigh. Oh, Ben. You won't have "nothing to talk about" during a romantic, exciting getaway in Panama with a girl you're still getting to know. You'll have nothing to talk about in 6 months when the show has finished airing, and you're sitting on the couch realizing you have absolutely nothing in common. Right now? This is a cakewalk.

Ben and Kacie pretend they're on Survivor by attempting to cut up coconuts and "catching" a fish that was likely already attached to the fish hook by a production assistant. But Ben and Kacie made it through the day, so that means they can do anything, right? Wrong. They didn't spend long enough on that island - I'm pretty sure Survivor has a better relationship success rate than The Bachelor franchise does.

Over dinner, Kacie B. confided in Ben that she had an eating disorder during high school, and that's part of why she's so mature for her age (24) now. Ready to get mean? Kacie B. edged to the front of the pack with that one! If Courtney wants to maintain her lead, she better tell Ben she had cancer or beat mold or something. Kacie B. got a rose, of course.

The Tribe Has Spoken

The next day, Ben took six women on a group date - Emily, Nicki, Lindzi, Casey, Courtney and Jamie joined him to boat down the river and then hang out with a local tribe. Everyone got dressed up in the local fashions of beaded tops and headdresses. Most of the girls left their bikini tops on under the beads, but Courtney decided to go au naturel. "When in Panama!" she joked, saying "I don't do anything half-assed." Well that's for sure, Courtney. Between this and the skinny-dipping, I'd say you do everything bare-assed, not half-assed. If this were Survivor, Courtney would be winning. That girl is all strategy and Ben is falling for every bit of it.

You do have to give Courtney some credit though, she made herself stand out on that group date and all the other women did was stand around and whine about it. I think they realize this, and at the post-tribal cocktail party everyone got a little more aggressive.

Lindzi told Ben she has a hard time knowing that her boyfriend has several other girlfriends. Courtney told Ben her room number and requested, er, room service later that night. Jamie babbled on and on about how much she likes him, but sadly all Ben did was stare at Courtney in a nearby pool and drool like a chimpanzee. Emily went the humor route, telling Ben she had another man in her life and then slowly revealing it was the chief of the village they'd visited earlier that day. I would've given Emily the rose just for that, but instead Ben handed it to Lindzi.

Ben himself didn't have to deal with a lot of drama that evening, but that didn't mean it wasn't there. After making out with Ben, Emily decided to make up with Courtney. She apologized, saying she'd rushed to judgment and had been in the wrong. Classy chick, right? Well, Courtney didn't think so. The annoying scrunched up face she made suggested that Emily hadn't been wrong. Then everything Courtney said proved it for a fact.

Overall, it was a rough night for Courtney. Not only did she not get the rose, but Ben never showed up at her hotel room, either. She just had to sit around, telling a disinterested camera guy about how boyfriends never treat her well.

Dance For Your Life

The reality show comparisons continued - instead of Survivor poor Rachel and Blakeley would be subjected to a So You Think You Can Dance type competition on the uber-awkward two-on-one date. This is always the worst date, because the nicest girl often shrinks into an uncomfortable wallflower while the more boisterous date takes over. Since Blakeley spent about two days talking about how "excited" and "pumped" she was for the date, Rachel seemed to know she was at serious risk of being the third wheel.

First, Ben met up with Rachel and Blakeley for some salsa dancing lessons. This was a great opportunity for Blakeley to remind us that even though she seems lovely, plays baseball well and is willing to highlight a gal's hair, she's also maybe possibly a stripper. Her salsa moves were equally seductive and repetitive. Poor, mellow Rachel was obviously straining to be a little more outgoing than she normally is.

I like both these girls, and I don't think either of them are frontrunners this season. But of the two, Rachel seems like a better fit for Ben. Blakeley seems very nice and fun. But she's older, has a kid, doesn't have a professional job, etc. She just doesn't seem like a good fit. Rachel and Ben haven't had much of a spark yet, but I think that's because Rachel seems laid-back and - gasp! - kind of normal, so this reality TV dating show situation isn't a scenario where she can shine. In the real world, I think Ben and Rachel would get along. On this show, I think she'll be cut within the next two rounds.

Rachel knew she had to make her feelings about Ben clear if she wanted to get that coveted rose, so she really laid it on the line when they had some alone time. Blakeley also upped her game, presenting Ben with a scrapbook cobbled together from what I can only assume are hotel pamphlets and SkyMall clippings.

Ben seemed genuinely torn, but I was pretty sure he'd give the rose to Rachel. He did, but I was surprised he did it right in front of Blakeley. Really? Couldn't he have done that in private? It's not exactly a gentle way to let Blakeley down, and she was obviously quite upset.

Trader!

Instead of jumping right into the pre-rose ceremony cocktail party, we got to see Chris Harrison pay a surprise visit to Casey S. Now, if you didn't read any spoilers and only saw the clips of Casey sobbing her mascara off, you'd think maybe he'd come to tell her a loved one had died. But no. It was the requisite "You've got a boyfriend back home" chat. I think the producers just plant one of these every season now.

What went down was very strange. Chris told Casey they'd heard from three sources that she was still "in love with someone" back home. That someone was her boyfriend, Michael, who said they're still together. Casey said no, they weren't. And then she said she still wasn't over the guy, who she dumped because he wouldn't marry her. Casey then said the most honest words ever uttered on this TV series: "Maybe I should be in therapy or something."

Casey confessed the truth to Ben - that she apparently went on the show to try and get over this other dude - and he curtly sent her packing. Just like when Ashley let him get down on one knee before dumping him, out boy Flajnik doesn't sugarcoat things. Casey ugly-cried her way home in the reject van. She sobbed that now she'll have to find someone new, but I think she should be searching for a therapist before she looks for a boyfriend.

(FYI, "Trader" is a reference to whatever it does Casey does for a living. Which she apparently does alongside the man in question.)

Kissing 101

With Blakeley and Casey S. getting the boot before the rose ceremony, Ben only had to cut one woman. After his awkward encounter with Jamie on the group date, it seemed pretty obvious who that would be. And Jamie knew it.

Jamie basically threw herself at Ben, and what followed was the most excruciatingly awkward and humiliating encounter I've ever seen. First she climbed onto Ben's lap, with as little grace as possible, almost ripping her tight mini-dress in the process. Then they kissed, and it was weird. She kept giggling, like a schoolgirl. Then they decided to try kissing again, but not before discussing every last detail of how the kiss would occur. So. Much. Detail. Eventually Ben cut her off, saying he couldn't kiss while she have him an "instruction guide". Ouch.

After getting over how mortifying the whole ordeal was, I just felt bad for Jamie. This show creates a mob mentality among the women about this one guy, and it makes them feel desperate when the connection isn't there. It seemed like Jamie was panicking, and did something that was totally out of her comfort zone and outside the norm of how she'd typically behave. It was unbearable. And predictably, Ben sent Jamie home.

Next week the gang heads to Belize, where Kacie and Nicki will follow in Emily's footsteps and warn Ben about how evil Courtney is. Do you think he'll listen, or is he too wrapped around Courtney's finger? If anyone can get through to him, I think it would be Kacie.

I'll leave you with this image: My boyfriend paused the show last night just as Ben went in for a kiss and, well, it was terrifying.

Now, head to the comments and tell me what you thought of the episode!

NBC: Brotherhood of Man

2012-02-06T14:47:00.000-04:00

OK, so I don't watch the Superbowl. I watched Kelly Clarkson kill it singing the national anthem (Canadians: I'd say 'the American national anthem, but since it's an American football game it should go without saying) and I was surprised to find myself enjoying Madonna's halftime show - to be honest, I'd expected a train wreck. But the football? No. I don't watch.

I used to complain that here in Canada we didn't get to see all the fancy Superbowl commercials. It was a bummer. But now, in the age where Kelly Clarkson's anthem performance is on YouTube minutes after it airs on live TV, you can see them all online anyway. My favorite commercial this year wasn't for a product, though, it was for the TV station airing the Superbowl.

NBC has been struggling a long time. It's kind of a joke in pop culture media, but it breaks my heart. So many of my favorite shows are on NBC! They are smart, funny shows! My smart, funny friends love these shows! The shows star likable, funny, intelligent people like my pretend boyfriend John Krasinski or my pretend best friends Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Kristen Wiig and Mindy Kaling. It's the network that gave me five seasons of Chuck, the home of my late night boyfriend Jimmy Fallon, and the network that will hopefully make sure I get to see the rest of this season of Community.

NBC knew the Superbowl would bring in new ratings, so they used it to promote the network's surprise hit reality singing show The Voice and their hopefully-gonna-be-a-hit-and-save-the-network show Smash. (Just kidding - one show can't save a network. But NBC obviously has high hopes for Smash.) But I think NBC knows it has other great shows, too, even though I am one of only about four people who watch them.

So they made this commercial.

First of all, it's a very charming video. I've watched it at least five times. Since I'm not a 30 Rock viewer, the fun for me begins at the 57 second mark when they cut to The Office. The delights thrust upon us include the way Mindy Kaling dances, Amy Poehler's enthusiastic singing, the fact that Nick Offerman isn't singing at all, getting to see the cast of Community on TV, the ADORABLE cast of Parenthood even though they appear oh-so briefly, Kristen Wiig being her effortlessly cool self with the cast of SNL and Jimmy Fallon tap dancing.

So as you can gather, I loved it. But will it work? I'm not sure that this commercial will get these amazing NBC shows any new viewers, as much as they deserve to be seen by anyone and everyone.

It's not like I have any other ideas on how NBC can market its struggling shows, or whether it's even possible to grow an audience for a show like Community or Parks and Recreation that's been airing for several years already. But damn, I wish this commercial would just make some people say "Hey, that Amy Poehler is effervescent and funny! I think I'll watch her show on Thursday night!"

Smash: Let's put on a show!

2012-02-06T11:12:00.001-04:00

So I finally got around to watching Smash last night (it premieres tonight on NBC, but has been available for a while via The Interwebs), because my plan to feast on chicken wings, nachos, mozza sticks and other deliciously unhealthy food while watching Puppy Bowl was foiled when I realized I do not subscribe to Animal Planet.

Wah-wah.

So anyway, I ended up watching Smash. Now, I think Smash will generally be a divisive show, much like Glee was before even people who love Glee began to hate Glee. So before reviewing the pilot, here's a quick guide to whether Smash is for you:

Does the commercial bother you? NBC has been promoting the hell out of this show, so chances are if you watch a lot of live TV you've seen the ad. I think they played it on E! twice every commercial break during the Golden Globes red carpet event. Smash Kardashian krap, e-harmony, repeat. Now, that will get old for anyone. But if the commercial annoyed you the first time you saw it? Then don't tune in - it's a pretty accurate representation of the show.
Would you go see a Marilyn Monroe musical? This is not a TV show about the making of "The Book of Mormon". If you watch the pilot and think "I would never, ever go see this musical," then abort! Abort now. Enjoying cheesy Broadway musicals is a requirement for enjoying this show.
Do you have a strong distaste for Katharine McPhee and/or all American Idol alums? You will be expected to think that Katharine McPhee is good. I happen to think that she is - I liked her on American Idol, I think she was robbed by that clown Taylor Hicks (oh goodie, I'll get hate mail for that!) and I thought she did a respectable job in this pilot. But some people seem to really hate her, so if you're one of them do not tune in.
When people talk about theater like it's a religion, do you cringe? This one is most important. If one thing were to prevent me from watching Smash, this would be it. Now, hardcore theater geeks will not be bothered by this. But for us normal folk, some of the characters on this show will appear to take themselves and their work far too seriously. At one point, Debra Messing actually likens Marilyn Monroe to a saint. She wants to make the musical not because she thinks it will be good, or fun, or successful. She wants to make it for poor Marilyn, who has been treated so poorly. I will touch on this more in a moment.

OK, so if you've made it past those red flags, watch Smash. While the fourth red flag bothered me a little, I did quite enjoy the pilot.

Debra Messing and Christian Borle play Julia and Tom, a musical-writing team in New York. They get the idea for a Marilyn Monroe musical from Tom's new assistant, and despite the fact that Julia is supposed to be on a break (so she can adopt a baby with her weary, put-upon husband) they begin to develop the show.

Enter Anjelica Huston as Eileen, the rich producer going through a very public divorce, and Jack Davenport as Derek, the womanizing director. Overall, I thought everyone put in good performances in the pilot, although there were a few flaws.

Julia's marriage to her husband Frank feels a tad contrived. He really expected his wife to take a YEAR off work so they could focus on the adoption process? And he doesn't work either? I'm sure theater is very demanding and she never is home when working on a play, but man did he ever feel like a caricature of the husband of a working mother. Yawn. Hopefully, this relationship gets more depth as the series progresses.

The director, Derek, had quite a Black Swan vibe about him, and the arrogant, womanizing director character feels like a bit of a cliche. Also, he's straight and doesn't get along with Tom, who's gay. That's not exactly a fresh idea.

These are minor quibbles and I really did enjoy the pilot. I cringed the most when the characters got just a tad too passionate about their work - see red flag #4, above. Look, I know theater types are VERY passionate. I'm not an idiot. But when characters are pontificating about how Marilyn Monroe is like a saint, you can't help but roll your eyes a little.

The role of Marilyn quickly comes down to two actresses, played by American Idol alum Katharine McPhee and Broadway starlet Megan Hilty. I knew the show's challenge would be trying to convince the audience that McPhee's character Karen deserves the part more than Hilty's character Ivy, and in the first episode they don't quite achieve that - but there's a lot to come.

Karen is fresh off the Greyhound from Iowa, working as a waitress and dating a handsome, successful guy. She's only 24 and full of innocent optimism. Ivy is more talented - that's just a fact. She's been working in the chorus line for years, and is dying for a real role. She looks the part of Marilyn, and Marilyn comes more naturally to her. It's difficult to understand why the casting panel would consider anyone else.

But the show does give us some reasons. Ivy is too experienced to play young, ingenue Marilyn, they say. In some ways, this is true - although Hilty is only 30 she seems older as Ivy, and although McPhee is 27 she easily plays Karen's 24 inexperienced years. If they're going for young, wide-eyed Marilyn than yes, maybe Karen has an edge. The show also quickly positions Karen as the underdog. She rejects Derek's advances even though it could help her get the role, and previews show that Ivy might not be so...moral. It will be interesting to see whether Ivy is turned into a villainous character, or just a desperate one. Previews also suggest that we're supposed to be impressed with Karen's dancing abilities.

I liked what I saw in this first episode of Smash, and I'm excited to see more. I always wished Katharine McPhee would be successful, and this is a much better place for her than the Top 40. She has a good voice, a very good voice, but she's no Kelly Clarkson. But if you combine her singing abilities with acting and dancing, she becomes a much hotter commodity.

So, have you guys seen Smash yet? Will you watch it tonight?

Allison Blogs SNL: Channing Tatum

2012-02-06T10:12:00.001-04:00

First before I start anything, we need a moment of silence for our fallen hero Paul Brittan.

Sorry I don’t mean he’s dead, he just left the show. He left the show in the middle of the season, which is really odd. According to articles he left the show “amicably” - yeah right… just like every Hollywood divorce you know there was drams involved.

Well, goodbye Wyndemere. You were too beautiful for this world.

Anyway back to reviewing the actual show. Tonight’s host is Channing Tatum. Usually I am not a huge fan of “meat head” type guys but then I saw Dear John and everything changed. Channing, (really? that’s a name?) first came to our attention in Amanda Bynes’, She’s the Man and the first of the many Step Up films.

Channing, who is a former stripper, could have gone the route of “hot guy in movie” but his career is doing really well; so well that he was recently in Stephen Soderberghs’ Haywire. Does his acting talent really match his stardom? Uhhhhhh… not so much. Channing, you need to send your agent some flowers because you are getting some good roles. I think I have seen glimpses of him being funny. For example, check out the trailer for 21 Jump Street.

My hopes for tonight’s show are moderate.

Cold Open - Newt’s 2014 Dream

So Newt Gringrich says that in 2014 there WILL be a moon base. Well maybe my high school reunion should pre-book that space. SNL had fun imagining what Newt’s moon fantasy will look like. The fantasy included a Reagan Robot, Herman Cain as his right hand man and his wife being totally ok with open marriages. This was a funny opening and refreshing that it wasn’t a single character talking to the camera. I also love how in the “future” the new salutations will be, “may de-vorce be with you.”

Monologue

Are suspenders back? Because I certainly did not get this memo. For those that poo-poo his past as an exotic dancer Channing addresses it head on in this funny monologue. First he lays the ground rules and introduces his bodyguard. Somehow his past clients are in the audience but they all mysteriously don’t recognize him. Even his top client Leslie pretends not to remember Channing. But after he shows off his moves his old client remembers.

And Channing takes off his shirt.

Gettin’ Freaky with Cee-Lo

They have tried this sketch before and I don’t think its worthy of another try, but here it is. Cee-Lo’s guest is Matthew McConaughey played by Channing. I get why he is included because I think both CeeLo and Matthew are pretty freaky. So this is Channing’s attempt at an impression? Let’s be honest my Mom could do a McConaughey impression. But this means we are treated to shirtless Channing yet again. The only thing that saved this skit, just like the last time, was the appearance of Colonel Nasty. And I love Cee Lo’s back-up band.

I should book them for that high school reunion on the moon base.

Downton Abbey

What if Masterpiece Theatre’s Downton Abbey aired on Spike TV? Here’s what the commercial would look like. I am up in the air if I want to watch Downton Abbey but after watching this parody I am not sure I could take it seriously. I would probably say to myself, “Well who is overhearing THIS conversation?” I am guessing Samberg wrote a lot of this so kudos Samberg.

Football Promo

This was nice throw back to Anchorman. You know the part when the news team looks into the camera? Oh Anchorman! The sport anchors at NBC are filming the promo and are directed to have a conversation then look in the camera. Comedy ensues.

Secret Word

Why? Why is this sketch still on? As usual, Kristen plays the dramatic fading Broadway star Mindy and Channing (still having a hard time typing that word) plays an Astronaut who has “seen things.” First I will say kudos for whoever thought Channing should play an astronaut because he really looks like he could be one. The only redeeming part was visions that the astronaut saw. And then that’s it!

Weekend Update

Seth’s first guest was Food Network’s Guy Fieri played by the overly energetic Bobbi. Guy really annoys me, it’s like he is forever in 1999, a time where spiked hair was king, fire pattern shirts were in, and Smash Mouth’s “All Star” never stopped playing. Anyway Guy shares with everyone some Superbowl football dishes. My favorite was the dish inspired by Madonna.

A weird bucket of mussels.

Seth’s next guest was Lana Del Ray, played by Kristen Wigg. So here is some background. Apparently when this girl performed it was terrible. I usually don’t watch the musical performances but I did notice Facebook and Twitter blowing up with comments related to how awful she was. When this skit started I thought they were going to tear her a new one but in the end it seems they were defending her. I just watched her performance and it wasn’t that bad it was just annoying. She swayed a lot and kept touching her hair which Kristen mimicked perfectly. Overall the skit had an anti-bullying message which I thought was nice of the show to address. Will I buy this girl’s album? No.

I wish I could give you a joke of the night but that is how quick this update was. Couldn’t find one.

Barmitzvah

I feel the writers just thought, “Let’s get Channing to dance.” And dance he did. This skit would have been a complete failure but the last line kind of pulled it together.

Exercise Commerical

Again, here is another pre-shot skit that is kind of like a digital short but it’s not. It felt so out of place. It reminded me of something from an episode of Mad TV. Channing wears tight exercise shorts so that helps a bit I guess.

Tom Brady & Janet

I usually love Bobbi and everything he does but this is not his strongest work. I wish this skit involved more Tom Brady jokes. I am not invested in this “Janet” character and I doubt the catch phrase “put one in me” will catch on soon.”

Strip Club

Wow! So the writers really ran out of imagination of what Channing can do. How was any of this dancing different from what he did in the monologue? I do like Jason Sudekis’ stripper announcer voice and I enjoy the fact that he laughs while doing it. All the male dancing were funny but it was such a waste of Channing.

This episode bummed me out. I feel the cast as a whole was not on their game. Maybe everyone at the show is suffering from Seasonal Affected Disorder?

Next week is Zooey Deschanel. I am not a huge fan of her, but Jill I promise to keep an open mind.

Thanks for reading!

@AlliTweeds

Ed Note: I actually liked this episode, but I might be blinded by the pretty. Channing is Just. So. Handsome. Although I agree with Allison, that last strip club sketch was too much of the same and a waste of Channing Tatum, who I do think is actually quite funny. I’m so psyched for next week! Zooey has a strangely divisive persona, but I adore (adork? Ugh.) her so I hope she does well.

Sweet Home Alabama: Fireworks

2012-02-05T23:25:00.000-04:00

When you're on a show called Sweet Home Alabama, and you're in the South trying to win the heart of a Southern belle, it's prooooobably not a good idea to spend your time mouthing off about how much you hate the South, how you think people from the South are rednecks and hillbillies, and how you can't find a good place to get your eyebrows waxed.

OK, I could maybe deal with that last one - but from what we saw on Sweet Home Alabama this week, "Big Shaun" is not only a Grade A jerk but a jerk who's 100% not there to actually date Paige. Now, I'm pretty sure anyone watching the show from the beginning saw this development from a mile away, so I wasn't surprised when the previews for next week showed Shaun confessing that he's about to dump Paige. But I'm really curious to find out exactly how all that goes down. But until then, let's talk about Friday night's episode.

Go Kart, Go Home

The first date of the week went to Danny, the NASCAR racer. He's a handsome dude, and considering his career and Paige's past experience with NASCAR, I thought they'd hit it off a lot more than they did. In fact, I actually felt pretty bad for poor Danny.

At first, everything seemed like it was going fine. The two went go-kart racing, and even though Paige crashed her car they were laughing a lot and seemed to be having a great time. Then they had a few glasses of wine in the bed of a pickup truck, which is a pretty classic SWA date. Danny was moving slow, though - really slow. Now, I felt like Danny seemed like a sweet, respectful guy and I was really hoping he'd manage to let Paige know that he liked her. But the message never seemed to get across, and the date ended with Paige wondering if he was playing hard to get or just not that into her. She forgot the third option - shy!

Poor Danny. It seemed quite obvious that he'd be going home, and in truth it seemed like Danny probably isn't cut out for reality TV dating shows. Which, you know, is a perfectly acceptable thing to not be cut out for.

Baby, You're a Firework

The next date went to another country guy, Bubba the cowboy. Bubba has stood out as a favorite for a lot of other viewers, and I'm not sure why he hasn't for me. It might be the name - Bubba. I can't imagine calling someone Bubba for the rest of my life. But maybe that's because I'm from the city and haven't ever met a guy with that nickname. (It is a nickname, right? God, I hope it's a nickname.)

Bubba had the luxury of planning his own date with Paige, and I'd like a little more information on this. Did he just lay out a plan and the producers made it happen? Was there a budget or any restrictions? Those fireworks seemed expensive!

First Bubba and Paige rode horses along the beach, which seems like a pretty romantic date. I mean, ponies?! Everyone likes ponies! Then they sat on the beach by the campfire, and you could tell that they really had a connection. I'm still rooting for Jeremiah, but Bubba is a clear frontrunner. When Bubba revealed Paige's surprise - fireworks! - she was excited...and then cried. It turns out that she was fired from NASCAR the week of July 4th (and had to deal with the world seeing naked photos of her) and it reminded her of that difficult time. It may sound awful, but Paige having a breakdown on her date with Bubba kind of gave him an edge. He's the guy that comforted her and didn't care that she got mascara on her shirt, and they connected even more. The other guys better up their games!

Beach Day

The next day Paige brought all the guys down to the beach for a get together. And Paige in that white fringed swimsuit? Well, that's how you can convince your boyfriend/husband/male roommate to watch this show with you. She looked smokin' - seriously, I'm pretty sure I saw at least four of those guys drool.

Everyone hung out playing volleyball or throwing the football around, and Paige got to spend a little alone time with a few of the guys. No one really stood out, and the most drama came when Landon pulled Paige aside so he could show her photos of his daughter. Since he'd already gotten time with Paige before and some other guys hadn't, there was a lot of bickering over what's fair. Sigh. Sometimes these guys act like such girls.

You Booze, You Lose

More proof that Jeremiah is a standup guy? He took Andy's liquor away when his drunkenness was beginning to get embarrassing. After all, he's representing the country guys and they're all about pride. Unfortunately, it didn't really seem to work - Andy was still a slobbering mess when it came time for the elimination, and he was still holding a glass of red wine the whole time.

First Paige sent Danny and Ryan home. Neither elimination was a surprise, really. Danny's date was a dud, and Paige didn't seem to connect with Ryan when they spoke on the beach. He's a professional poker player living in Vegas, and that just doesn't seem to be a lifestyle Paige is interested in having.

Next Paige talked to Andy, and I'm dying to find out how all this really went down. Andy was incoherent as they spoke, and it was obvious he was smashed. Had she been planning on sending him home the whole time, or did she make that decision based on their conversation? Did one of the guys or a producer on the show tip her off about his drinking problem, or did that become obvious to her during the group outings? And what about this tweet?

For those of you not familiar with Twitter, someone mentioned to Paige that Andy made a snide comment about her having 22 boyfriends, and Paige responds that Andy told her he had a girlfriend. So when did she find that out??? So much to know.

Next week Paige will take Christian, Jeremy, Shaun and Todd to Miami for a hot city date - they're the four city guys left who haven't gotten dates, and it'll be interesting to see if Paige has chemistry with any of them. Plus, we've got the Big Shaun big drama to look forward to. So, what did you guys think of Friday's episode. Have you all got big crushes on Bubba now, or do you have other favorites? Tell me in the comments!

Grey's Anatomy: Bizarro World

2012-02-04T10:50:00.002-04:00

Thursday night's episode of Grey's Anatomy seems to be a rather polarizing episode, but for what it's worth I quite enjoyed it.

"If/When" explored the fantasy possibilities of what would have become of everyone at Seattle Grace had Meredith's mother not gotten Alzheimer's. Sure, yeah, there's no way to know exactly how things could play out and with only a one hour episode you had to suspend disbelief and just take the writers' word for things. But it was fun to watch the characters we've gotten to know so well over the years be thrown into completely new storylines.

Meredith was living at home, with her mother and her (step)father, Dr. Webber. In fact, she was Meredith Webber. She was cheery. She wore pink. She was engaged to Alex Karev. And her "person" was April, who was actually sleeping with Alex. Yikes.

Derek and Addison were still together, but with a baby on the way - a baby that, as I expected, was actually Mark's. Having Ellis Grey around didn't change everything.

Bailey still had her long braids and glasses and was a bumbling, mumbling mouse. In what might have been the weirdest development, Callie and Owen were married with three kids - when would that have happened? How long was Owen even around Seattle Grace? Charles was still there, since I guess the shooting never happened? I had to chuckle when he said "Oh, someone just shoot me" after he realized he didn't have a chance with April. Lexie was a drug addict, her and Meredith's biological father had killed himself.

Stylistically, some changes made more sense than others. Meredith was all shiny and pink because she was constantly trying to please her mother. Cristina was a bigger bitch than usual because she didn't have Meredith to befriend, and therefore no one told her those bangs weren't working for her. Why did Alex look like Clark Kent, though? Other characters had almost no changes. Arizona was basically herself, though not married to Callie. April wasn't all that different, and same went for Avery. Since Ellis Grey had won three Harper Avery awards, I would have expected her to be more buddy-buddy with the dude's own grandson.

There were a lot of winking moments regarding departed characters. Dr. Burke left the state after an affair gone wrong with Cristina. George failed the intern exam and never returned. Izzy was that crazy intern who stole a heart for the patient she was sleeping with, and then Meredith went to her mom and got her fired. So brave, right? Barf. Man, I'm glad Ellis Grey is dead. Ellis was an overambitious, ruthless fame whore. She had "Mandy" Bailey fired for seemingly embarrassing her. She encouraged her daughter to steal surgeries and berated her for the smallest of failures. She was horrible.

The lesson, of course, was that even under other circumstances some things never change. Derek and Meredith still ended up in a bar together, but not before she formed something of a bond with Cristina. Alex looked cute in glasses and had a sunny disposition on the surface, but was still a self-destructive douchebag. My least favorite storyline was Owen and Callie's strained marriage, because there was no context for it. He had stronger connections with Cristina, who was helping him with PTSD outbursts, and Teddy, who Callie thought was some dude he Skyped with. Bailey gave a classic Bailey speech ("Do you see me crying?" Never!) after getting axed.

I knew going into the episode that this would likely be a one-off, rather fruitless kind of experience. I enjoyed the trip into fantasyland, but it certainly didn't progress the real plot at all. But you know what? I'm OK with that, because I thought it was fun. Grey's has taken risks before and they don't always pay off (collective shudder as we all remember the musical episode) but I'm glad they did this, if only because I enjoyed watching it. Now we can get back to reality (well, OK, it's TV so it's still fantasy) next week with a romantic Valentine's Day episode.

What did you guys think? Were you a fan? Did you think it was a waste of time? Which character had the worst new life?

The Big Bang Theory: Roommates Without Benefits

2012-02-03T10:24:00.001-04:00

Remember that episode of The Big Bang Theory when we learned why Leonard puts up with Sheldon? Because Sheldon not only saved Leonard's career, but his life? (At the expense of the elevator.) It was a great episode because it finally answered the question we'd all been asking: "Why are these two friends?"

Well, it turns out that the gratitude Leonard felt over that incident has a limit. And that limit came when Sheldon woke him up in the middle of the night for a safety drill and then demanded to be driven to the dentist the following day. Enter "Clause 209", a facet of the roommate agreement that would eliminate Sheldon and Leonard's friendship and reduce them to purely roommates, whose responsibilities to one another only consist of bills, rent and a courteous nod ("sup?") when they pass each other in the hallway.

With Leonard out of the picture, Sheldon had to face the harsh realization that his friends' lives do not revolve around him - even Amy declined the opportunity to chauffeur him around. Sheldon couldn't just admit to Leonard that he is a 30 year-old man who can't get by on his own, so instead he stages a power outage in an effort to regain his friendship.

Originally, it didn't look like it would work. Leonard chose wine, bubble wrap and Penny over Sheldon, glowsticks and s'mores - a decision that someone like Sheldon just wouldn't be able to understand. Eventually, Leonard's guilt took over and he went back to the apartment to try and reconcile things with Sheldon. He'd drive him around if Sheldon would just show a little appreciation. Of course, things aren't that simple in Sheldon's world, so instead of making a mental note to say "thank you" once in a while or buy his pal the occasional coffee or dinner, Sheldon created "Leonard's Day". Leonard would have no extra rights or privileges, but he'd get a card!

Most of the episode focused on the Leonard/Sheldon tiff, but the stuff with Howard and his astronaut nickname was great. "Crash" as a nickname for an astronaut? Raj only associating the name "Buzz" with Toy Story? Finally, ~~Brown Dynamite~~ Raj went to great lengths to plant the "Rocketman" seed in Howard's fellow astronauts' minds, but thanks to Mama Wollowitz his nickname will be "Froot Loops".

What did you guys think of "The Friendship Contraction"?

The Office: Shirking Duty

2012-02-03T10:08:00.002-04:00

Well hey there Jim Halpert, nice to have you back!

It seems as though ever since Steve Carell left The Office, there hasn't been a good Jim Halpert storyline. Pam's been away on maternity leave, and Andy doesn't need to be babysat the same way Michael Scott did. There's been a little pranking with Dwight, but without Pam there to laugh it just didn't feel the same.

Well, this week we finally got what we were waiting for. A good episode, with Jim Halpert front and center.

I think what I liked most about "Jury Duty" was that for once Jim was in the wrong. I mean, don't get me wrong - I'd probably lie about how long jury duty actually took to get a week off, too. But Jim obviously felt guilty once he realized that his absence from the office had actually made the lives of his coworkers a little more difficult.

Dwight suspected that Jim was lying, and tricked Andy into saying that he would fire Jim if it were true that he'd faked the jury duty. Of course, that was before Andy knew that Dwight was right and after Jim confessed the two had to try and cover up the truth.

Meanwhile, Angela had her baby and Oscar immediately realized something was off - the baby was supposed to be premature, but it was huge. Oscar delight as he said the baby wasn't premature, and Angela's husband is gay and "I don't know which thread to follow!" had me cracking up. As soon as Dwight came to visit, he recognized the baby as a Schrute. We never definitively knew that Angela had slept with Dwight around the time of conception, but enough of a seed was planted during earlier episodes that I knew it would be a possibility. Personally, I'm intrigued by where this is going - Dwight was so thrilled to be a father that he abandoned his mission to get Jim fired, but Angela is still married to the (State) senator. Who also happens to be gay. The show has a lot of options here, and I just hope they follow up rather than letting it all linger until we forget about it.

Even though the Jim storyline was tied up a little too easily for my taste, overall I enjoyed the episode. The cold open was hilarious, and I liked the little moments we saw from everyone in the office, from Kevin guessing the "right month, wrong year" for Angela giving birth to Phyllis asking for "American Mexican food" to Gabe's creepy, creepy love of maternity wards.

Up All Night: Oh, Brother...

2012-02-03T09:52:00.002-04:00

I've been watching Up All Night since it debuted in the fall, and it has remained one of my favorite new comedies. (The other is New Girl.) There have been a few ups and downs, but even as the show finds itself I've been a fan of the chemistry between Christina Applegate and Will Arnett.

"Preschool Audition" was one of the best episodes I think the show has done. Not only was it a great showcase for the Reagan and Chris relationship that I love so much, but it gave them ways to shine individually and allowed for funny moments from Ava and Missy.

Chris's brother Casey was coming to visit for the first time in about a year, and Reagan was urging Chris to try and move beyond their typical rivalry and try and form a closer relationship with his brother. I loved seeing Reagan as the more sane one in this situation, because there have been a few episodes where her Type-A personality got a little over the top. When Casey arrived, he and Chris immediately fell back into their one-upping and could only talk about how they're both "killing it" at work. Only Chris gave up his job as a lawyer to stay home with Amy and, as Reagan soon discovered, Casey had lost his fancy banking job a year ago and was desperately trying to find something new.

Meanwhile, Reagan's Type-A personality found a place to shine when she volunteered to organize a charity auction for the fancy preschool where she wanted to send Amy. "Little Nudge Academy Preschool" would put their daughter on the fast track to Harvard! Reagan recruited Ava, who was hesitant to take part but couldn't resist helping out little, adorable Amy.

Ava was allowed to be funny - she showed up to the auction drunk and rambled her way through it - but not in a way that made her annoying or an impediment. I was worried the show would go the predictable route of having Ava ruin Amy's chances of getting into the preschool, but instead Ava was allowed to speak the truth when it became obvious that the head of the preschool was just interested in what other celebrities Reagan might know. "They’re starf---ers, huh?" Well put, Ava. Reagan realized Amy would be better off at a more normal preschool, where she would be the star attraction.

At the auction, Chris and Casey continued to try and one-up each other by bidding on crazy expensive guitar lessons, until Reagan finally had to take their paddles away and force them to actually speak to one another. It was a simple, sweet resolution to the storyline - the brothers talked and became closer, but still could have a friendly, competitive game of basketball.

So I thought "Preschool Audition" was a great episode - what did you guys think? Here are some other funny bits and quotes:

Ava: "I hate speaking fast."
Reagan: "You used to rap."
Ava: The room is always too hot.
Reagan: "You endorse a line of space heaters."
Ava: "I don't like to be on when I'm away from my set."
Reagan: "You give away head shots to strangers."
Reagan and Casey teasing Chris about his days as a husky model!
"It’s tough to sell a psychedelic houseboat in this market." - Ava
Missy remembering her days at a tough Oakland public school were pretty great.
Ava throwing a "mamase mamasa mamakusah" into the auction.

Parks and Recreation: Haaaaave you met Tom?

2012-02-03T09:33:00.002-04:00

I need to get something off my chest: Ann! If you're trying to meet a dude, why did you show up to the Valentine's Day dance looking so frumpy? What was that dress? You usually look awesome! Come on, Ann! Get it together!

OK. Now that I have that out of the way, let's talk about last night's Parks and Recreation. It opened with "Galentine's Day", Leslie's gal-pal celebration on February 13th that totally should be a national holiday! Everyone at the brunch had a man to celebrate V-Day with - Leslie has Ben, April has Andy, Donna had a guy waiting in her car (she rolled the windows down!), Leslie's mom has some guy from the Interwebs - except for poor Ann. So Leslie decided to make it her mission to find Ann a Valentine's Day date. She instructed everyone in the Parks Department to bring an eligible bachelor to the dance. It went as you could expect - I don't know what was funnier, Jerry accidentally bringing a male escort or April bringing Oren. He's so weird!

The dance was less than romantic, because Chris was in charge of music - and the music reflected his mood, which was incredibly depressed. Ann leaves, and Leslie is totally bummed out that she failed to find Ann a date - until she sees Ann in her car, putting on lipstick and curling her hair. She was going to a date! And she kept it a secret! And the music had gotten better! She had to be meeting Chris.

Leslie desperately wanted to go confront them, because Ann and Chris dating would be breaking the rule that had cost Leslie her reputation and Ben his job. But April, of all people, convinced her to leave Ann alone. So instead, Leslie went to meet Ben.

Ben was waiting for Leslie at a memorial statue of Little Sebastian, a spot that was revealed to him after solving 25 intricate clues in a scavenger hunt Leslie had put together. And who solved most of those clues? Well, that would be one Ron Swanson. I loved seeing Ron gleefully solve Ben's scavenger hunt, with a little help from Andy and, of course, Ben himself.

When Leslie told Ben about her Ann/Chris suspicions, he immediately agreed that they should find them and confront them. It was a little moment, but I loved the camaraderie between Ben and Leslie there. Everyone thinks it's a terrible idea, but WE don't! It's the stuff great relationships are built on. Or something.

But when Leslie found Ann, she wasn't sitting with Chris. She was sitting with TOM. April had set them up, after realizing that the only person who'd made Ann laugh all night was Tom. I really liked this storyline, because it acknowledged the two dueling sides of Tom Haverford. There's the ridiculous guy with the fake swagger who cries when his "fingy" gets stuck between bowling balls. And there's a really funny guy who will treat his lady like a queen because he knows he's lucky to have her. While Tom was helping Ann reject weirdos at the dance, he was funny and natural. Then when they went for a drink, "Suave" Tom came out, possibly crushing any chance he had of having chemistry with Ann. We don't know for sure that the date ended badly, but I'm not sure the show really wants to explore these two in a relationship.

What did you guys think of "Operation Ann"? Check out some of my favorite quotes and moments below:

Leslie calling Ann a "beautiful spinster".
Martin Starr! That was a fun treat for Party Down fans.
Ron at the gay bar was just delightful.
Andy accidentally breaking that glass case.
Tom telling Chris the music sounded like the end of a movie where a monk kills himself.
Ron sheepishly telling Leslie that he wants a scavenger hunt for his birthday? Amazing.

Sweet Home Alabama: Campy

2012-02-01T13:26:00.001-04:00

My apologies for the late review, guys! Sometimes it's hard to get this one done over the weekend, and I was busy drying the tears from my eyes following the heartbreaking series finale of Chuck.

But I did watch Sweet Home Alabama and I've got a lot to say about the episode, so let's get to it!

Camping Time

I was really looking forward to seeing the city guys have to camp, and it didn't disappoint. Most of them were very uncomfortable with their overnight living conditions. Now, I'm no fan of camping - and plucking feathers out of a chicken is definitely not something I could do - but knowing that Paige loves it, the guys needed to put in at least some effort. And Shaun the New Yorker? Well that guy just needs to go home. He hates everything about the country and he hates everything Paige likes! What is he even doing there?

Dustin won some alone time with Paige by arranging some rocks into the shape of a heart, and while they hung out in her tent he sang a song he'd written about her. I'm sure he's lovely and all, but he doesn't seem even remotely right for Paige. Also, his music is a little too cheesy 90s pop star for my taste.

Drunk Drama

Back at the house, Andy continued to take a lot of heat from the guys for being a drunk and hot mess. It seems as though most of the country guys know Andy has a problem, but they also get that it's not really any of their business and they're not in a place to intervene or give him a hard time about it. But the city guys? It's almost all they talk about. The worst was when one of them (~~I think it was Shaun, which is not surprising~~ it was Joey, so he's in my bad books now) said "Raise your hand if you like Andy." Oh my god, are you a twelve year-old girl? Jeremiah continued to solidify his position as my favorite when he spoke up and told the guys to stop acting like they're in high school.

I Want to Ride My Bicycle

The first solo date of the episode went to Joey, the Jersey guy. Joey's a good looking guy (the forehead shaving is weird, though), but I don't know what a personal trainer from New Jersey could possibly have in common with Paige. The date they went on? Basically my dream date. (OK fine, my actual dream date is New York in the fall, walking around all the places they go in You've Got Mail and then being handed a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils in Riverside Park, which I will later put in a vase/vase.)

But a bike ride and then a picnic in a cotton field is also good. I had no idea cotton fields were so pretty, but it was very picturesque and romantic. Now, I'm a city girl. I live in a very small city, but it's a city nonetheless and I grew up in the downtown core. And I like to ride bikes. I have ridden my bike to the park with a picnic in the basket. This is something I do. Joey, however, found the whole thing quite rustic. Anyway, it seemed like Paige really liked him.

A Romantic Combine-ation

The next date went to Jeremiah, my favorite. Well, he was my favorite until we discovered that he needs to be reminded to put on deodorant and brush his teeth before a date. Buddy! Personal hygiene is important for farmers too!

Jeremiah is very quiet, but very sweet. It was hard to tell how strong of a connection he and Paige had. I really like Jeremiah, but I'm not sure he's exactly right for Paige - is it possible that he's too country? We'll have to wait and see.

When Jeremiah got back from his date, the guys gave him a lot of crap for taking Paige on a tractor. Sure, yes, it was not the most romantic thing. But they had a picnic or something too, didn't they? Besides, don't the producers have a hand in planning the dates? I don't think that would have been entirely Jeremiah's call, and on top of that the guy had a point when he said he needs to figure out if Paige is OK with his lifestyle. The city guys were WAY too hard on him, and I hated how they just stood around pontificating about their thoughts on his date. Shut up and mind your own business! I know they don't have a lot to do in that house, but as my mom suggested, perhaps they should find a deck of cards. Then they won't sit around talking all day long.

Speaking of guys who were hard on Jeremiah, what's up with Todd? He was quickly becoming one of my favorite city guys, and then he had to go bashing poor Jeremiah. It was so rude! I get it, it's funny to make tractor jokes. But Jeremiah got the date, so there must be something about him that Paige likes.

Heading Home

Paige sent one city guy and one country guy home this week. Marcello, the ~~race car driver~~ actor/model who just couldn't believe that Paige wasn't into him, and Chance, the rom-com loving bull rider who struck me as a little too young for Paige.

If you haven't yet, be sure to check out the interview I did with Paige last week. Before we chatted, I was told by someone from CMT that she is absolutely in love, so I can't wait to see how the rest of the season plays out. (And as always, no spoilers please!) What are your thoughts on the episode? Was the combine a bad idea? Do you like any of the city guys? Tell me in the comments!

Raising Hope: Know When to Fold 'Em

2012-02-01T12:09:00.002-04:00

I won't say too much about last night's episode of Raising Hope, but I found it delightful. Burt's foray back into gambling, and the fact that both Jimmy and Virginia followed him there, provided a lot of comedy gold. From Burt's crazy twitches to Virginia's beloved Porchester collection to the group "Gamblers Incognito", I thought it was all hilarious.

Back when Burt was gambling in the 90s, Virginia got him to quit by pretending like she and little Jimmy had been beaten and tied up by bookies who wanted money. But since Burt was winning so much she couldn't try that this time, and before you knew it the whole family was gambling - on little kids footraces! Sabrina stepped in, making the whole Chance family think they'd missed the play she'd written about Hilary Clinton that was starring baby Hope in a hilarious wig. It worked, even though Virginia did realize Sabrina had tricked them.

Overall I thought the episode was funny - what did you guys think?

New Girl: The Anti-Jess

2012-02-01T11:48:00.002-04:00

New Girl has quickly become a hilarious ensemble comedy, and by adding Lizzy Caplan temporarily to the mix as Nick's new girlfriend and Jess's polar opposite, the writers have even more to play with.

Caplan's character Julia offers a commentary on Jess's character that mirrors a commentary often heard on Zooey Deschanel herself. There are people who don't like Zooey because she has large eyes, or wears girly clothing, or tweets about kittens and cupcakes. There are people who think that that makes her stupid, or infantilized, or weak. As a Zooey Deschanel fan and a fan of ribbons, dresses and cupcakes, I obviously do not belong to this particular school of thought. I liked that the show addressed this without getting too meta or self-aware. Sure, the problems Julia has with Jess are very similar to the problems many people have with Zooey, but it was also a pretty accurate representation of problems that can arise when two very different people are thrown into the same room.

Sure, Julia is a little threatened by Jess. But she also just doesn't really care for her. She sees Jess's personality as a schtick, and probably a demeaning one at that. And Jess doesn't really care for Julia either. She's not a dessert person and doesn't believe in braking for birds! But they have Nick in common, so they have to make the best of it.

I also really enjoyed the introduction of Jess's friend Sadie, even though it was a little out of the blue. Sadie is a lesbian gynecologist, which gives Schmidt even more opportunities to make a total ass of himself, and her presence also means that Jess has another person in her corner, vouching for her character. Jess has always had CeCe, but it's nice to see she has some other friends outside of her roommates as well. Friendships are a funny thing, and you don't always know why some people will click so well and others won't. It was nice to see CeCe come so strongly to Jess's defense.

Jess and Nick argued over Nick and Julia's refusal to "label" their relationship. It didn't make them sophisticated or straightforward, because Julia had tried to weasel information about whether Nick was sleeping with other women out of Jess the previous night. If they were so straightforward with each other, then why didn't Julia just come out and ask Nick herself?

Cut to the bar where Nick works, Julia had confrontations with Nick and then Jess that resulted in tears all around - even Nick was crying in the men's room, which meant poor, tearful Jess had nowhere to go. At court the next day, Jess accidentally plead guilty and landed herself an $800 fine, and then blew up at Julia when she joked about how her office had a pool going on whether the bird defense would work. I loved seeing Jess stand up for herself again, just like she did when she retrieved her TV from her ex-boyfriend early in the series. This exchange pretty much sums up Jess and Julia's conflict:

Julia: "I see what you're doing. I know that I'm the mean lawyer girl who wears suits and works too much. And you, you're the really fun teacher girl with all the colorful skirts, and you bake things, and eventually Nick is going to come running to you, and you'll tuck him in under blankie."
Jess: "What is it with you and the blankie thing? I never said the word blankie! I don't talk like Teddy Ruxpin!"
Julia: "If I acted like you act when I'm at work, nobody would listen to me."
Jess: "Well if I acted like you at work, my students would turn in really weird, dark dioramas, so..."

Later, Jess and Julia managed to work things out with a little crochet therapy, and Nick and Julia decided to go ahead and label their relationship. All is right in the world, for now. I mean, we all know Lizzy Caplan won't be around forever, and eventually the Nick/Jess relationship will happen. But I like seeing Nick in a relationship with someone who is so similar to him for now.

Amidst all the Jess/Julia drama, Schmidt was freaking out about the presence of all the women in the apartment and how that contributed to the dampness of his towel. In a hilarious twist, it turned out that Schmidt and Nick had both been using the same towel for a really long time. AND, Nick does not believe in washing towels, washing the shower, and thinks it's OK to wear his roommates' underwear. Oh, Nick. Gross.

The weakest storyline unfortunately went to Winston, who realized he doesn't have much game with women now that he's not playing ball. The storyline went OK and I loved seeing Kahlua from Bridesmaids make an appearance, but at some point the show needs to give Winston something to do other than wonder what to do with his life post-basketball. The well is almost dry there.

Other thoughts and favorite quotes:

"Ugh! Damp towel! It's like a really big Wet-Nap. I feel like I'm being licked by a Golden Retriever. There should not be two girls in this bathroom. You're too humid, you make everything damp." - Schmidt
When Julia made a snide comment about birds helping Jess get dressed in the morning, I was reminded of Paris Gellar and Rory on Gilmore Girls.
Julia mocked Jess's giant eyes, but she has pretty big ones herself. She just isn't using them right.
Nick: "What did Julia do wrong?"
Jess: "It's just how girls fight sometimes. There's a lot unsaid. Like, one time a girl said to me, 'Jess, you rock a lot of polka dots.'"
Sadie: "How did she say it?"
Jess [in a snotty voice]: "'Jess, you rock a lot of polka dots...'"
Cece: "That is diabolical!"
Jess: "And it ruined our friendship. I couldn't get over The Polka Dot Incident."
(Note: This couldn't be more true.)
"Okay, hey! I have something to say to you, man! I brake for birds. I rock a lot of polka dots. I have touched glitter in the last 24 hours. I spend my entire day talking to children, and I find it fundamentally strange that you're not a dessert person. That's just weird, and it freaks me out! I'm sorry I don't talk like Murphy Brown. And I hate your pantsuit, and I wish it had ribbons on it -- or just something to make it slightly cuter. And that doesn't mean I'm not smart and tough and strong! Now I'm about to go pay this $800 fine, and my checks have baby farm animals on them, bitch!" - Jess
"Hey, anyone? My towel! Can someone please get my towel? It's in my room next to my Irish walking cape. The bigger towel. Do not touch the smaller one!" - Schmidt
"Six months ago, I thought getting a girl roommate would mean sex all the time. Definitely with her friends and probably with her! Are there women here? Yeah, sure, more than ever. But you [points at Jess], not gonna happen. You [points at Cece], I will NEVER give up! And you [points at Sadie], well you sample from the gumbo pot. I am a damp bathroom full of naked women every day, and I HATE it! It's like a nightmare. I'm in a watermelon-themed apron with a [reaches into the pocket] a tampon? Why would you need this for cooking???" - Schmidt
Jess telling Julia "If you’re making a hat for a baby—it is done" after Julia freaks out over her sucky crocheting abilities.

Glee: I Wanna Rock Salt With You (All Night)

2012-02-01T10:55:00.001-04:00

If the highest praise I can give Glee these days is "Well, I didn't hate that", then consider last night's Michael Jackson tribute episode a success. While much of it made me groan or cringe, there were quite a few songs I really enjoyed. That's probably thanks to the fact that I'm a big Michael Jackson fan, but let's applaud Glee for not ruining everything, shall we?

I Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' (and it's a new gig on Broadway)

So, did Blaine take that rock salt filled slushie to the eye because he needed to jet off to New York for How to Succeed in Business? If so, I'm OK with that. Darren Criss deserves Broadway. His performance of "Wanna Be Startin' Something'" was one of the highlights of the episode.

So, Blabbermouth Blaine accidentally told The Warblers (specifically, Sebastian) that New Directions planned on performing Michael Jackson at Regionals. But The Warblers wanted to cover the King of Pop too! Time for a sing-off, or a duel, or whatever.

So the singing duel did not take place in a boxing ring, a la The Voice. It took place in an empty parking lot, a la the "Bad" video. Or the "Fat" video, depending on who you ask. I, for one, was really hoping someone would throw out a "Shamu" during the song. The performance of "Bad" was rather weak, I thought, and lip-syncing seemed more obvious than usual.

Then Blaine took a bad slushie to the eye (it scratched his cornea and he'd need eye surgery), and the rest of the gleeks were very, very angry. Particularly Artie, so he and Mike sang "Scream". I don't know what to tell you about that, y'all, other than I thought it was terrible. Perhaps I'm just not the biggest Kevin McHale fan out there, but I do not understand why Artie is front and center every time this show covers MJ. I found his performances lacking throughout this whole episode.

Not such a Smooth Criminal

Since Kurt was feel glum rather than vengeful, Santana - oh sorry, just let me go throw up before I type the words "Auntie Snix" - took avenging Blaine's injury upon herself. But not with violence, because that would be wrong. Instead they had another sing-off! Because it went SO WELL the first time. Who judges these sing-offs, anyway? Don't they just always end with both sides yelling "We were better!"? Do the musicians decide? Anyway, Santana and Sebastian sang "Smooth Criminal" with a couple of cellists for backup, and I would have loved it had Santana been singing by herself, or with anyone other than Sebastian. I can deal with his presence as a villain, but I don't care to hear him sing.

Santana's true motive, though, was to secretly record Sebastian admitting to tampering with the slushie which he told her had been meant for Kurt. But when Santana went back to Kurt with that information, he didn't want to take it to the police. What? Why??? By Kurt's logic, the doctor who killed MJ shouldn't have been convicted, he should have just been taught a lesson through song. It was all kinds of ridiculous.

Say Goodbye

Meanwhile, Quinn discovered that she'd been accepted to Yale through early admissions. I've had millions of problems with Quinn over the last couple seasons, but I think her storyline in this episode went as well as it could have given the character's inconsistent history. I was glad Quinn admitted with somewhat of a smirk that her sob story essay about maintaining straight A's while dealing with teen pregnancy was what got her in, and I liked most of the advice she gave Rachel about moving forward into a bright future free of any past anchors. The writers have been all over the place with Quinn, but I've always preferred Smart, Wise Quinn and in the spirit of not harping over past mistakes, I liked Quinn this episode. Does that mean Quinn won't be a part of Glee next season? I certainly hope so. I love Dianna Agron and I think she's done the best she can with such scattered, bizarre material, but I think she's better than this show. I'm happy to see her character get a happy ending, and I don't need to follow up with her next season. Let Dianna Agron go make movies.

Quinn's performance of "Never Can Say Goodbye" was great. It was sultry and thoughtful and brought out all the best qualities that Dianna Agron has portrayed in Quinn over the years.

Speaking of things I liked, I really enjoyed Mercedes and Sam's duet on "Human Nature". It was a little disconnected from the rest of the episode, but I've always been in favor of the couple rekindling their romance and I thought their voices sounded great together. Sam and Quinn always seemed perfectly matched when it comes to vocals, but he brought out a softness in Mercedes' voice that we don't often hear. I was a fan.

Ben, the two of us need look no more

Speaking of college admissions, Kurt found out that he was a finalist for NYADA. There were some complaints on Twitter, but it's pretty commonplace for arts schools to have audition rounds, and you had to know that there would be some kind of big moment where Kurt and Rachel travel to New York for their auditions. Kurt was thrilled to get his letter and Rachel was happy for him, but devastated that hers had not arrived yet - and, she still had Finn's proposal looming over her head.

Oh, the proposal. There was so much wrong. Like Finn telling Rachel they should get married because otherwise they might break up after they move to New York. Or Finn singing to Rachel because it's the only way she'll listen to him - that sounds like healthy communication to me! And then there's the fact that Rachel eventually said yes to Finn, because she can't follow any of her dreams but AT LEAST she can have ONE thing she wants, her boyfriend. Finn = Chopped Liver. At the end of the episode Rachel got her letter and discovered that she also is a NYADA finalist, so you know that this whole engagement thing won't last long.

While Blaine awaited his eye surgery, Kurt, Finn and Rachel serenaded him with the song "Ben". First of all, why didn't they change the lyrics to "Blaine"? Come on guys, it's like you're not even trying. Second of all, did they know it's a song about a rat? If so, did they select it because Blaine was a rat for spilling the MJ beans to The Warblers? Harsh, guys. Or did they choose it because in the movie "Ben" the rat protected the boy from bullying, and Blaine had been bullied? Whatever. No matter what, it was kind of weird. Also, Finn really dragged down those vocals. And it was too sappy. Speaking of Finn dragging down vocals and songs that are too sappy, that pretty much sums up my thoughts on his and Rachel's rendition of "I Can't Stop Loving You".

So in the end, Kurt decided that the way to get back at The Warblers was to surrender performing MJ at Regionals, but to show them up by performing MJ really well in the privacy of their own auditorium. It was basically exactly what they did in season one's episode "Funk" to intimidate Vocal Adrenaline. I'd like to take this opportunity to point out that it didn't stop Vocal Adrenaline from winning Regionals that year.

The song Kurt selected to teach The Warblers a lesson? "Black or White". So, like, was this about race the whole time? Did I miss something? What the hell. I have three thoughts on this performance:

I cannot believe they missed the opportunity to have the Macaulay Culkin look-alike do the rap. Once again, IT'S LIKE THEY'RE NOT EVEN TRYING.
I know people complain a lot when Schuester raps, but Artie is no better. I think I'll write Ryan Murphy an email with the subject line "We need to talk about Kevin".
That face mash homage was cute, but it was more like "It's black, it's white, it's white again...it's several white people in a row, actually."

There weren't too many quotes from the episode that stood out to me, but I did laugh at the beginning when Santana said "I'd throw this mocha in your face, but it's not nearly scalding enough," after Rachel said she didn't like Michael Jackson, and again when Kurt asked if Sebastian lives at the coffee shop since he's always there.

OK, that's all I've got folks. What did you guys think of the episode?

Wow, people like me!

2012-01-31T13:23:00.000-04:00

So, time for a little selfish bragging.

I won something!!!

More specifically, this morning I found out that I placed first in the Pop Culture and Entertainment category in the Best Canadian Weblog Awards. Me - little old me!

Suffice to say, I am thrilled. This blog is really a labor of love, and I have a lot of really exciting plans for it this year, from doing more video to upgrading the design. There are so many great blogs out there and there was some stiff competition in my category, and I'm really floored that I was selected among such fantastic choices.

Also honored were fellow East Coast bloggers Ben of No Ordinary Rollercoaster, the gang at East Coast By Choice and Kelly Neil. They are only a few of the talented bloggers we have in our little corner of the world!

This feels like enough bragging, so I just want to say thanks to y'all for reading, and thanks to the folks at Ninjamatics for putting this all together!