Me and the TV....

Where are my shows? At least I know where one is!

2014-06-08T14:51:00.000-07:00

Season 2 of "Orange is the New Black" was released on Friday, June 6th. After 10 months of waiting, it was great to see Piper and the women of Litchfield Prison back. If you did as my family did, as it seems most fans did, you had yourself a marathon viewing over the weekend. One thing that I have to say that I LOVE about Netflix series' is that they release the whole season of episodes in one day. So you don't have to make a date with the TV every Friday night or whichever night a show is on to watch. In this day and age there is a lot to be said for both ways of doing things, but for Netflix I'd say this is optimum. It gives viewers time to watch at their convenience and they aren't constrained by ratings for ONE night a week. One drawback on network TV and even some cable channels, although it is a lot rarer, is that they have a habit of breaking up their seasons. In fact the breaking up is getting to be ridiculous at best and ruinous at worse. I don't know about you but I grow weary of wondering if my show is going to be on from week or if it is going to be a new one or another re-run. It used to be that TV shows would run a typical season of a certain amount of episodes, usually starting in August or September with a few weeks off for holiday programming, then they would run until the end of May or June. At that stage they'd have a summer hiatus. During the hiatus they would play re-runs or sometimes have new show they'd air to test out. The logic seemed to be that most viewers would be on vacation or doing a lot of outdoor activities, therefore they wouldn't be watching much TV.

These days it seems as though we view TV entertainment in so many different ways, some of it is our choice or a sign of the times and some of it is network dictated. For instance technology has given us new ways in which to view our favorite programs, which I covered in my last post. These "On Demand" choices are great. What worries me is how new shows are unable to find an audience these days. And old shows? Good luck finding new episodes, it's pretty much hit and miss. For example, I have a few shows that I watch that seem to air 3 new episodes in a row and then re-runs for a month. I do not understand the logic in this at all. It makes it hard to even keep up with shows that I love. And with the new way of doing things I'm no longer sure if a show's episode is a season finale or not. It is frustrating as a viewer! Of course then you have the presto-chango, the show has been moved to another night and time. I hate that! I understand that sometimes that is done to test out new shows, but at other times it just seems arbitrary. For instance FOX's "Bones" for some unknown reason was switched from it's usual Monday night time slot, which it has had for years, to Friday night. This change only lasted a few weeks, perhaps a month, for no apparent reason. Why???? Humans are creatures of habit and TV viewing is no different. We don't like it when we have to search for a show that has spent YEARS on the same night! Stop it networks, just stop it!!!!

Now new shows are interesting. This last crop of shows that have been cancelled have been confusing, you have shows that are cancelled because of low ratings that are just awful shows and then you have shows that are cancelled that may have lower ratings but are critically acclaimed. THEN you have shows that are neither critically acclaimed nor highly rated, yet are NOT being cancelled. As I happen to be a fan of a few that aren't being cancelled but have low ratings, I'm happy about those but I am also confused because none of it seems to make sense. Now admittedly some of the ones with the low ratings that aren't been cancelled are CW shows. It seems to me that in some cases the CW seems to let shows find their audience. But then again, there have been a few that haven't. Not sure where the rhyme or reason is but at least they seem to try harder at the CW.

My 30 year old son and I took a chance and watched a show on HuluPlus, that had been cancelled a few years ago. The show was called, "Flash Forward" and it ran from 2009-2010 and racked up 11 various award nominations, including an Emmy and a People's Choice Award for Best New Drama. "The Vampire Diaries" won for the PCA, "V" is the only show, besides "Flash Foward", that is no longer on the air. After watching all 22 episodes of "Flash Forward" we were stymied. It was really a great show, well acted with an intelligent premise. So with all of those things going for it, why was it cancelled? The show averaged 8.5 million viewers per episode. Not a bad amount considering all of the competition, but it was not good enough to save the show. Although I noticed that there are many shows on today that have averaged less viewers and are still on the air. Some are older shows, like "Bones" and then there are new shows like "Marvel Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.", a freshman show, also on FOX that has been renewed. In fact they are planning a spin-off. Yet "Marvel AOS" averaged LESS viewers than "Flash Forward". But every network is guilty of it, although I'd be more inclined to invest in a CW show than an NBC, CBS, ABC, or FOX show. Even TV critics have a hard time understanding what moves executives to renews shows that average less viewers and cancel shows with better numbers.

If any of you have an idea about it, I'd love to hear it. For now it makes it hard to invest in new shows, like I did with "Believe", only to have our hearts ripped out when they get cancelled. I know I'm not alone, I've heard it from friends and family. I just wish I could at least figure out their screwy formula.

RIP Believe...we hardly got a chance to know you.

I No Longer Have Cable...But There are Still Options Out There for Us!

2014-06-01T11:19:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted! Damn! It's not that I haven't wanted to, it's just that life got in the way. Anyway, lots of changes that may affect this blog but I will do my best to keep on keeping on. The biggest change and the only one that you really need to know about is that I no longer have cable. It makes it hard to write this type of blog but no longer impossible thanks to Hulu Plus, Netflix, and thanks to a family member, U-Verse online. Me without TV is like life without bacon, I know I will survive but it won't be near as much fun. So I've made adjustments because I CAN'T live without TV again in some form or another. I've lived without TV before and I DID NOT LIKE IT! Thanks to the internet and such, there is no longer a need to be completely without it. Adjustments just have to be made and sometimes these adjustments require more adjustments.

Let's see with what is available to start with...

These are the usual suspects, of course. A great place to start. Hulu Plus and Netflix are the least expensive at $7.99 per month. I have both, definitely cheaper than the almost $200 a month I was spending for internet AND "almost every channel" cable. Back when I had cable I was dividing among 4 people, so the cost wasn't that bad until things went South with a couple of my roommates...that's a whole other story! Anyway, those are your cheapest options. Unless you want to count YouTube which is, of course, free. It is a good option BUT it is hard to find full episodes of shows and if you do it is usually parsed out as Part 1, Part 2, Part 3....well you can see where I am going with this. The other issues is that unless it is put out by a network there is a chance that you may click on it and find that it has been removed. The other issue, one that isn't all that bad sometimes, is that you may get clips only. The only time I see an advantage to that, and I do, is when you prefer only to see a certain part of a show. For instance, I like the Wendy Williams Show. The best part of her show for me is the "Hot Topics" segment and the beginning of the show. Wendy has her own channel on YouTube and she uploads these segments and others within 24 hours of the show airing, usually less. So I just use my Blu-Ray Player and go on YouTube and voila, it's like I'm watching TV as usual! You can also watch monologues and special bits of The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon as well off of his YouTube channel.

Back to Netflix and Hulu Plus. Netflix? Well unless you follow their Original Series' like "Orange is the New Black" (coming back this week!), which I do, then this may, or may not, be the best option for you if you like your TV viewing to be fresh. They have older seasons of a lot of shows that you may watch, some are even last season. If you are the type, say to have just discovered a show that has been on for a few years, and want to see it from the beginning this is a great option. Plus they still have movies. Hulu Plus? Well they are my favorite. Most shows turn up on Hulu Plus the day after they air, like all of the shows on The CW, shows on ABC, NBC, and a few on CBS. The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon is always on the next day, same with The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report. So to me this is a GREAT option. They also have tons of old shows, including "The Archie's" of all things! So if you like a healthy mix I can highly recommend Hulu Plus.

Now neither Hulu Plus, nor Netflix, nor YouTube, is going to give you everything you want to watch. There are legal wranglings and such that keep that from happening. One thing that I have to say SHOCKED me while looking for ways to watch TV online...some networks online REQUIRE you to have cable or satellite in order to view content. Now "Cable" networks like Lifetime and HBO, etc, I understand as they are pay services. But ABC?!!!!! Now THAT was a shocker to me as you can watch it free over the airwaves if you have a good antenna (mine is spotty at best). HOW they can justify this I don't know. It is something that truthfully pissed me off when I realized it. And the aforementioned Lifetime? Well if you DO have a cable service like U-Verse, well you STILL can't watch it because they don't have an agreement with them yet apparently, although if you have U-Verse you can watch Lifetime at home, just not online. There are other networks as well that have the same issue. *sigh* Another "pay" option out there is Amazon Prime, from Amazon of course. It costs $99 a year and lets you stream more than 40,000 movies and TV episodes. What that breaks down to as far as current TV episodes I don't know. I don't have $99 at the moment to plunk down to see how that works, if you are reading this and have it, please comment and let me and your fellow readers know. I do know that in desperation I PAID for current episodes of "Drop Dead Diva" because it is the last season and there was no other way for me to watch it. I opted for the SD $1.99 per episode vs. the $2.99 for HD episodes. Sad that it was the only way to watch the show, but I just had to do it! If you can get someone to give you their info, which is VERY sensitive info to have so I'd say family is your best bet and you MUST be trustworthy, then you can watch a good portion of TV via their cable company online. I am watching via a family members U-Verse. With U-Verse I am also able to watch HBO Go and Showtime Anytime as well as the other pay movie channels. I am eternally grateful as without this info I would have missed this season's "Game of Thrones" and that would have been tragic! As would missing the last season of my beloved "True Blood"!!!! A great option if you can get it. If not then you will have to pay for DVD's when they come out or episodes via iTunes or Amazon.

The final option if you want to watch TV on an actual TV is to invest in Google Chromecast, X-Box, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, or a Blu-Ray player like my son bought for us. All of these options are at various price points, the least expensive being the Chromecast at $35. Each has its own pro and cons so you'll want to research them to see what is right for you and your budget.

So there you have it, it is harder for me to watch TV these days but not impossible and I WILL NOT give it up!!!!

See you soon....

They'll Let Anyone Have Their Own Reality Show These Days...

2013-04-27T14:14:00.003-07:00

I'm baaaaack! Sorry I've been MIA for the past couple of years, I was under a lot of stress which culminated in a stroke which may effect my writing, not too much I hope. Either way I am back and ready to dish! So let's down to business shall we....

Let's talk about the new crop of reality TV shows that have descended in the past few years, as well as the most recent entries, in the reality TV race. Reality shows are my guilty pleasure and sometimes watching them is my most regrettable pastime. This subject deserves more than one blog, so we will start with the newest reality show that had my head shaking. The one that inspired the title of this blog, "What Would Ryan Lochte Do?".

Oh Ryan Lochte...you ARE nice to look at...but is that enough to carry a show? After Ryan won all of his medals at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, for swimming, it seemed as though the world was his oyster. Everyone wanted a piece of him and he seemed more than happy to give it. He started out as most medal winners do, with commercial endorsements He also made a couple of appearances here and there on a few TV shows, playing himself, of course. But those shows were scripted and, even playing himself, his acting was stiff. But hey, he's not an actor right? No harm, no foul. We've seen it before with other public figures. It seems as though Ryan wanted to do something as himself, to show off his personality. Which would have been fine if he had a magnetic personality to showcase. With all due respect to Ryan Lochte, I watched him on numerous talk shows and I thought he seemed as dumb as a box of rocks. I know it sounds cruel, I don't mean to be, but truthfully that was the first thing to come to my mind and I know I am not the only one. I do not understand why he would put himself out there on a reality show. I don't want to bash him but... He has been getting ridiculed constantly for his performance in interviews and now he is just asking for more of the same. Who is his agent? Is his agent looking out for Ryan Lochte, the man? Or Ryan Lockte, the ATM machine. I am thinking the latter. *sigh*

Currently he is out promoting his new reality show, "What Would Ryan Lochte Do" on E!, and the interviewers are having a field day. It is not a secret that he is not the brightest bulb in the drawer, I actually feel kind of sorry for him. I don't think he's playing dumb like Jessica Simpson did on "Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica", I think it is more like he's just not very deep. What did I get from the first episode of his show? That he seems like a young teenage boy instead of a man who is about to turn 29. I appreciate that he seems to love his family a lot, that they are very important to him. They all seem to have a lot of fun with each other and that is a nice thing to see. But is there anything else to like about this show? Well if you want to laugh at how "dumb" he seems, especially when he calls the old Mel Gibson movie about women, "What WOMAN Want", instead of "What WOMEN Want", or when he asks his interviewer the meaning of the word "douchebag" because he doesn't know the meaning and people keep calling him one, then this is the show for you.

Or maybe you want to hear his "Lochteisms", calling everything he does a"Lochte_____", everything in this life seems to be a Lochte something or other. Or perhaps you are a fan of his copyrighted catchphrase (catchword?) "Jeah", which makes me cringe whenever I hear it. It reminds me of Lil Jon saying "yeah", as Ryan says it in the same way Lil Jon does, but with a "j" instead of a "y". If that sounds right up your alley, then yes, this show is for you!

Do we really care what Ryan Locke would do if he were just a regular guy? I mean, so far he doesn't seem to be doing anything of note on this show and the previews aren't showing me anything interesting to make me tune in. In order for a reality show to be interesting the "stars" have to do something exciting, or at least interesting, to make you continue to tune in. Either that, or be a compelling figure, and I'm sorry, but God bless him, Ryan Lochte is a great swimmer, but a boring reality star. I know that he wanted to be on "Dancing With The Stars", I think that would have been a better fit. But an actual reality show? No, I'm sorry, there aren't many of us who have the personality for headlining our own reality show. Nor do most of us lead a life that is exciting enough to necessitate having our own show. Ryan Lochte is a regular guy, who did an extraordinary thing. But being Ryan Lochte isn't enough to save this show. My prediction is that this show will NOT be renewed.

I would be curious to know what his fans think of the show. Personally, I like him I think he's a nice guy, really sweet, and a cutie. But being a nice guy who's cute, even with world records and medals, is not enough to have your own reality show. Sorry Ryan...get back to doing what you do so well, breaking records and winning medals in the pool. Best of luck in your future endeavors.

Here is an extended super tease of "What Would Ryan Lochte Do?"

And the Emmy goes to......

2010-07-18T16:53:00.000-07:00

Sorry that I have been neglectful of my blog....I've been ill, so, let's just dive in shall we....The Emmy Award nominations were announced and it is my pleasure to announce that one of our/my favorite shows, "True Blood" has received a much deserved nomination for Outstanding Drama Series! Yay!

Since I have been gone and the Emmy's are coming up on August 29th, I thought I might devote my next few blogs to the nominees for the major categories....I mean really, truthfully, as much as it is sad to say...no one really cares who wins certain awards except for those in that field and their friends and families. Sorry, but it's true. So with that being said I'd like to start with the OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES.

Nominees: True Blood HBO, Mad Men AMC, Breaking Bad AMC, Dexter SHOWTIME, The Good Wife CBS, and Lost ABC.

This is quite the fierce category actually. I mean you have 4 cable shows going up against 2 network shows, one a fairly new show that is starting to catch on and another show that retired this year. It seems that most award shows tend to go towards sentimental favorites or the tried and true. The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has a lot to consider when they put out these nominations. For instance, here is their schedule for this year. Please note the eligibility period.
2010 PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS CALENDAR

June 1, 2009 ‐ May 31, 2010
Eligibility period Week of March 1
Online entry process begins. Rules and Procedures available at www.emmys.tv
April 16
Deadline to reinstate or apply for membership in the Television Academy and be eligibility to
vote in the primetime competition
April 30
Entry deadline for ALL entries that were originally presented 6:00 PM ‐ 2:00 AM,
June 1, 2009 ‐ May 31, 2010
June 4
Nominating ballots are posted on the Television Academy’s website
June 21, 5:00 PM
Deadline for returning the nominating ballots to Ernst & Young
July 8, 5:35 AM
Nominations are announced live from the Leonard H. Goldenson Theatre
Week of July 19
At‐home judging DVDs for Creative Arts Awards categories are mailed
Week of July 26
At‐home judging DVDs for Telecast Awards categories are mailed
August 10, 5:00 PM
Deadline for returning at‐home judging ballots for Creative Arts Awards categories to Ernst &
Young
August 17, 5:00 PM
Deadline for returning at‐home judging ballots for Telecast Awards categories to Ernst & Young
August 21
Creative Arts Awards and Ball
August 29
NBC Telecast and Governors Ball

Imagine having to go back in your mind and think of some of the shows you've watched. Which ones have made an impression? I mean there are literally tons of shows on the air at any one time. That is just for the nominations. I find it very interesting that most shows being nominated for outstanding series or actors, actresses, etc....are for shows that are on cable. But the networks are still hanging in there. I mean, c'mon Lost made it in, the last opportunity for it to do so. Lost barely made it and with acting nods to boot! So kudos to May sweeps!

OK, so opinions about the drama that deserves to win....That is really a tough one. All of these shows are excellent examples of what creative minds can come up with. Each show is unique and not necessarily formulaic. Some would say that I am "True Blood" all the way. But that is not necessarily true. I am really trying to be critical here and look at each of these shows on their own merit. Sure "True Blood" is special, it broke the "vampire show" curse. That has to mean something. Alan Ball has everything to do with that. What he did with Six Feet Under he has now managed to do with True Blood. He has created a compelling show with equally compelling characters. Because in the end most successful shows come from characters as much as any plot line. Characters that you love or love to hate. Characters with "rooting" value. But no other nods in any major category so.....it is not our year.

All of that being said I find cable shows to have the advantage because they can go places that other shows can't. Be it with sex, violence, language....you name it. So it kinda makes you wonder how fair of a competition one can have. So we are back to characters and what they do for a show as well as the writing and directing. Dexter is one that has been pretty consistent over the years with the exception of Season 2. This season's cliff hanger was insanely off the hook!!!!!! I mean who didn't scream at the TV?! Then you combine that with John Lithgow as the Trinity Killer, Arthur Mitchell.....I mean, wow! Michael C. Hall never fails to amaze me, more about him in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a drama category.

To figure out what show could possibly win this category, you have to ask yourself...Did any actors from the show get acting nods? Writers? Directors? It makes you wonder when a show, like True Blood, gets a nod for Outstanding Drama but yet no actor nods? So, sorry my Trubie friends we will not win this one. So that leaves Mad Men, The Good Wife, Dexter, Lost, and Breaking Bad. So what should we use next, writing? Then that would only leave 3 shows: The Good Wife, Lost, and Mad Men. Now if we judge by directing then we have Mad Men, Dexter, Breaking Bad, and Lost. So Dexter and Breaking Bad are back in and The Good Wife is out.

So my prediction IF we do not use the acting category would have to be LOST as it is the last time it can be nominated or Mad Men, which has won before.

OK now if we go with the acting nods then the show with the most acting nods, this includes guest actor/actress, then we are REALLY close between Mad Men and The Good Wife with Lost nipping at their heels.

So there you have it....a VERY close race no matter how you look at it. I'm going to say that it is a 3-way (if we go by acting) between Lost, Mad Men, and The Good Wife. Hey, I didn't say who I thought would win....I'm not a psychic.....just a viewer who would vote for ALL of these shows to win, like the kids in soccer who ALL get trophies for participation.

But, if you were to ask me who I thought SHOULD win, my personal choice would have to be Dexter. But that's just me....I like the show, so shoot me! LoL

See ya later with more nonsensical ramblings about who is going to win the Emmy Award for.....Outstandingness in something! :)

Stunt Casting? For Real!

2010-07-06T16:08:00.000-07:00

OK I think that most of us are aware of the concept of Stunt Casting. Just in case you are unfamiliar with the concept, let me explain. In short, stunt casting is when you get a, usually, big star to guest on your show. Now many times Stunt Casting is done during sweeps with the idea being that more people will turn in to see said "star" on the show. Can't say that it doesn't work. But the flip side of stunt casting is when it is done to "save" the show. It also can mean that the show is thisclose to "jumping the shark".

With that in mind it came as a shock to me that as show such as "GLEE" would be stunt casting, not just anyone, but an Academy Award Winning Actor, Javier Bardem. Now I would expect a singer on this show. One of my favorite stunt casting done on this show was Neil Patrick Harris, I mean he's an actor and a singer, in case you didn't see some of the awards shows this past season. Apparently Mr. Bardem watching the whole first season of Glee in one night and said, "Hey, I want to be on that show". So he contacted Ryan Murphy, the co-creator, and according to Entertainment Weekly, it's a done deal! Thankfully it seems that he is going to be helpful to Artie, the kid in the wheelchair, so we won't be seeing the scary bad haircut guy that won him the Oscar! Whew!

I cannot talk about stunt casting without mentioning the greatest stunt casting of all time. I'm talking about Elizabeth Taylor on General Hospital. She appeared as Helena Cassadine and came to put a curse on Luke and Laura at their wedding. It was a BIG DEAL back in those days to have a star of her caliber on a daytime soap. It even made the cover of major magazines.

Of course since that time there has been a multitude of stunt casting, believe it or not many of them have been on Soap Opera's. Back in the day Carol Burnett played a decent roll on All My Children. And General Hospital as a major role for Ms. Taylor, but she also appeared on All My Children as a "scrubbing woman". One Life to Live used to be the king of stunt casting. Sammy Davis Jr. played a character that appeared many times over the years. One Life to live now boasts the majority of musical groups that appear on soaps. Now if you want to call One Tree Hill a nighttime soap then you can count Kevin Federline as a stunt casting, but then again he also appeared on CSI. This was of course back when he was relevant. His actor left alot to be desired, but of course all he was required to do was to be a "thug" and he seemed pretty good at acting life a self-centered thug, not sure if that was good acting or if he was being natural.

Normally the best stunt casting comes when the "star" has a character created FOR them, rather than them appearing as themselves. I'll give you an example of that later.

I have to mention 2 guest starring gigs, both Law and Order:SVU, that were amazing and made you forget that it was the "star" on the show. It was just great acting. The first was the "Fonz" Henry Winkler and the second was Robin Williams, whose character was totally playing psychological games with Christopher Meloni's character of Elliott. Robin William is really great at playing creepy. I remembered how good after watching that episode.

The best stunt casting recently was probably not intended to be a stunt casting. That was the pivotal role John Lithgow played in this past season's Dexter, on Showtime. His portrayal of the Trinity Killer was top notch as always. Left us with a hell of a cliffhanger as well. Great "casting" there.

I have to say that 2 of my favorite stunt castings appeared on the same show, "Friends". They were masters of the Stunt Cast and none of these were jump the shark moments. I mean come on, we had Bruce Willis and Alec Baldwin! In a longer term arc we had Giovanni Ribisi and Tom Selleck! And two of the funniest stunt castings were Brooke Shields and Julia Roberts. Wait, I can't forget Jean-Claude Van Damme....oh yeah and wait what about the great casting of Reese Witherspoon as Rachel's sister. Looks like I could go on and on.

As you can see the best stunt casting is the using of great actors playing good characters. Even if they're singers. One of THE BEST portrayals of recent times is one I NEVER expected to fly and it flew so well, they had the character back. Oh yes, I am talking about the surprise success of Britney Spears on "How I Met Your Mother"! Her character was crazy, not so hard to play I guess. In fact I would have thought it was fun to play, it certainly was fun to watch.

Now I have to get to the stunt casting of people pretending to be themselves. It's usually politicians, athletes, or singers that come in under this category. One of the best
examples of ridiculousness that results in some of this stunt casting is when you have someone like Snoop Dogg who is NOT an actor. Don't get me wrong, I love me some Snoop, I truly do. I think he is funny just being himself. But he, like many of his predecessors, is a fan of soaps which is why he has made repeat performance on "One Life To Live" where he plays himself and is a friend of a main character. I have a hard time with that one, it just looks silly. But, what can you do? When Snoop asks to be on your show, you say "when".

Now lately Snoop has become a fan of True Blood one of my most favorites shows. Now it would not do for him to be on this shows. Many have asked, including Lindsay Lohan, I know...ewwww.......Thankfully Alan Ball is a smart man and casts mostly unknown or little knowns for roles on the show. But Snoop has found a way to get in there! I present to you. "Sookie" Snoops ode to the show and his favorite human on it! See ya all later, I am thinking of stunt casting myself in my own life......save some Tru Blood for me!

Well, it's officially July..you know what that means...Big Brother 12

2010-07-03T15:19:00.000-07:00

Mark you calendars Big Brother fans, July 8th is the premier of the 12th season of Big Brother. As has been the practice for the past few years the cast is full of attractive and mostly young players. Still not sure how I feel about that being on the higher end of the age scale. The way things have been going I could never be on the show. Though I did notice a 32 year old who "seems" to have hair plugs. The things you do to remain youthful I guess. And I have to admit that I feel like a very dirty old lady after spying hunky looking 24 year old college student Hayden from Tempe, AZ.

Of course after the show starts he might turn out to be a douche. It's been known to happen....and besides he's young enough to be my son....but I can still look. However, if he turns out to be a jerk I will quickly turn on him.

We also have the oldest contestant this season, a 40 year old (gasp!) sheriff from Texarkana. She is a cancer survivor who was fighting cancer along with her mom, while watching Big Brother, she promised mom that she would apply for the show when she got better. Daughter got better, mom did not. So there is a very sentimental contestant with rooting power.

Now I have to admit that I didn't watch all of the episodes of Big Brother last season. Too much going on in my life to devote the massive amount of time to this show. Seriously, this is the only show on TV that requires a lot of work to stay in the loop. I mean it's on 3 nights a week, but so was American Idol you might say. But there is also Showtime's BB After Dark which shows what goes on after the end of the episode you just watched. And then you have the Live Feeds that you have to subscribe to...or do what I used to do and go to the official Big Brother Message board and read the forums about the Live Feeds, they seem to be pretty accurate and give you a good idea of what is going on. Dedicated fans, those watchers.

I also have to say that the last Big Brother turned me off with the return of Muscle Head Jessie. I truly could not watch this dumber than rocks guy hanging with other muscle heads that were barely as smart as the rocks. Seriously, it brought my IQ down a few points just watching them so I gave up and moved on.

This year will be a challenge for me since I no longer have TV, however I have been able to watch pretty much everything on Hulu and on tvshack.net so I think I'll be fine, IF the cast doesn't bore me too much. That is always a danger. I think about all of the seasons I've watched and only a few casts jump out at me, the one with the evil Dr. Will, Hardy, and the chick who became Will's girlfriend (can't remember her name). Chicken George, just because of the name...reminded me of "Roots", his silly tee shirts, and he was the oldest contestant. And of course my favorite Evil Dick. The tattooed winner who was reunited with his estranged daughter on the show, talk about drama. So we will see how this season goes. See if it can keep my interest.

As with every season of Big Brother there is a twist. Be it a mole or an ex-lover or a twin. This season it is called the Saboteur, a player who is playing NOT to win. Not only that but this player is playing to sabotage all of the other players. The player is there to wreck havoc on the group so let the drama ensue. Of course we all know that drama is Big Brother's bread and butter so this should be an interesting season. I will be making every effort to keep up, unless they bring muscle head Jessie back again, in which case you will find me in a corner with a bottle of Tequila trying to make it all go away!

If you want to meet the cast, click on this video.

Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery?

2010-06-30T22:35:00.000-07:00

Can you believe that it has been 6 years since new Friends episodes have graced our TV screens? Unarguably one of the funniest cast ensembles of all times. The show eventually became the first show to unite a cast in contract negotiations, headed by Lisa Kudrow, to make sure that all of the cast members got what they were worth, TOGETHER. I don't think we will ever see a cast with more chemistry than this one.

Since that time there have been many shows attempting to recreate the winning formula of 20-30 something single friends making their way in the world. Characters starting careers, helping each other out and looking for love, or at least a good time, until love came along. No shows since have created the buzz or duplicated the formula. Whenever you have a successful show like this you will notice that in the fall, usually, there will be a glut of shows so similar that it is obvious what is happening. Instead of doing this right away and half-assing it, I propose that the networks and show developers wait for awhile before going for it. Give it some time and make sure you have the best writer and the best ensemble cast, one with great writing and killer chemistry. Too often that is what turns people off, bad writing and no chemistry between the actors.

One of the perfect examples of waiting is Roseanne. Roseanne was one of those shows that was the "talk of the television industry" until they "jumped the shark" and ended up being canceled. Years later "Everybody Loves Raymond" came along and attempted to fill the void, instead they took some of the best parts of Roseanne and added their own twist. Now we have a show called "The Middle" which is spot on in the "Roseanne" department. I mean the stuff with the kids is soooo much like Roseanne and they are middle class and live in Ohio. So there you go. I enjoy the show myself but I don't know if it will ever be a hit like Roseanne.

Now back to "Friends". Now that we're past the 5 years off the air mark I am actually seeing a few shows that are using the formula, with a twist. One that you will probably think is a strange twist, which is what makes it successful, I think, is "The Big Bang Theory". The friends are mainly guys, smart scientists who are nerdy, so it's like a bunch of "Ross's" running around! Plus their neighbor across the way Penny, is the "Rachel" of the show mixed with a little "Phoebe". Eventually Penny does get involved with her "Ross", a character by the name of Leonard. They seem to be having a very Ross and Rachel romance complete with their current break-up. It really is a great show, mainly because of it's quirks....the cast. Check it out if you haven't. Bzinga!

Now I cannot talk about Friends without mentioning the show I TRULY thought was going to be THE Friends, "Must See TV", and a chance for Alyssa Milano to show off her comedy chops. My family enjoyed it a lot. It had a very likable cast. Sadly they shot 6 episodes and only 4 aired. Why? I don't know, maybe no one knew about it....I only knew about it because I think Alyssa Milano was plugging it on "The View". The show was called "Romantically Challenged" and it had it's own twist with Alyssa's character Rebecca having been divorced with an older child. And they did hang out at a pseudo "Central Perk". *sigh*

Here is a promo for it. You can still catch the episodes online. *sigh*

And last, but not least, we have a show that is currently on the air called 100 Questions. On the left is the original cast, on the right is the replacement, Collette Wolfe, for the blond in the picture on the left. Much better choice, very good comedic timing. Remember what I said about twists. Formula + Twist = Better chance for success. Well there is still hope for this show I believe. This one stars a British actress who is trying to find her "soulmate" and so she joins a dating service called Soulmates. Anyway, each episode starts with her being asked one question out of the 100, the twist. Each week when she answers the question it is with a story that involves her friends in a flashback. This is a likable attractive cast with chemistry, much like Friends.

I leave you with the Promo for 100 Questions, with Spanish subtitles (copyright forbids the English version), and if you look fast you will see my new crush from True Blood, Joe Maganiello (Alcide), proposing to the lead character....she said no.....she's safe, I will not be forced to kill her. LoL If you've seen any of these shows, please let me know what you think! Ciao!

I Think I Must Be Jaded and Meet My New Crush!

2010-06-28T16:32:00.000-07:00

Why do I feel like I should re-name this blog, Me and True Blood?! Seems as though it is all the rage to be a Trubie. It just seems to be the most interesting show on TV right now, what with Alan Ball trying to push the envelope and all. True Blood season 3 was already promised to be jam packed full of sex, sex, and more sex. More than ever before, although I don't know if it could top last season with the Minaed who made everyone have sex with each other. lol

Well the thing is, last nights infamous Episode 3 promised to be "The" episode to shock and freak people out. The actors had talked about how hard it was to do. I was prepared for something violent, which it was....involving Bill and his maker Lorena (as I predicted in this blog) and it was. If you haven't watched it and don't want to read a spoiler then perhaps you should stop reading, because I am about to reveal the shocking "twist". Arr Arrr Arrrrr.

It was Bill having angry sex with Lorena. Now, the thing is that there is a lot of controversy about what happened. First of all, some are calling it rape although Lorena pleaded with him to "make love" to her. As one astute viewer put "it was a grudge **** plain and simple". The controversy stems mostly from consent and being compelled. That is what most of the message board arguments are focusing on. Some say that because she asked him to do this, that he HAD TO because she is his maker and he was "compelled" because of it. Others feel as though Lorena "released" him so he shouldn't be "compelled" by her. Now if I remember correctly via the books, compelling had a lot to do with it but also his attachment to Lorena. So who knows. Now the TWIST of the evening, which I felt was the "grudge ****" part of it, was the fact that he twisted Lorena's head around while he was doing the deed. It was kind of funny to most viewers and pretty shocking to others. Me? I think I was more on the "funny" side of it, because of the look of her twisted head. But I "got it" he was angry and he didn't want to see her face and if she compelled him then there was more reason for him to deny her the right to see him. His anger at himself it seemed also made me think he was compelled. Makes sense to me. I feel jaded, I expected something more heinous. I mean, I guess it is....ok yeah it is pretty heinous, but it was hardly "groundbreaking" in my opinion. I think I've seen too much in movies and on TV to truly be shocked anymore. Not to mention the fact that these are VIOLENT creatures. Shouldn't we expect that?

OK on to my new crush. Now I have seen this actor before, but in a totally different way. I saw him recently on 100 Questions in a suit (which is how I've normally seen him in the past), but he came to my attention when he was on "One Tree Hill" where he played Owen Morello, the bartender who was Brooke Davis' boyfriend or wanna be boyfriend....I can't really remember. That's when I warmed up to him and thought, "wow this guy is kinda hot". Flash forward to last night where he debuted on True Blood as Alcide Hevereaux and I am in LOVE....ok maybe lust. Now I don't know if it's the long hair, as a child of the 70's I am a sucker for guys with long hair, or the beard. I normally am not a fan of guys with beards, although I'll admit my ex-fiance and some other men I know actually look better WITH a beard. But as a rule....no beard.....but damn if Joe Manganiello doesn't look super fine and super sexy, beard and all!!!! And after reading a quick biography of him, well that settles it, the man is 6 foot 5 of hunk! Eric aka Alexander Sarsgaard is gonna have a little run for his money and I LOVE me some Eric! But the way I look at it....there's enough hunks on that show for EVERYONE! Yum!

It's funny how I didn't even realize these are the same two guys. I truly didn't recognize him in 100 questions as being the same guy, I mean I knew I'd seen him before but I never would have guessed he was the same guy! The many faces of Joe Manganiello aka Alcide on TB.

Welcome to True Blood Joe, hope you don't mind a few stalkers, cuz I have the feeling that once this storyline gets going more woman are gonnna fall all over you!

As for you readers, pick your favorite character, I'd love to see who you are finding fascinating on the new season. So many new faces to go with the regulars! Who do YOU like this season so far?

Vampires, Werewolves, and Demons...oh my!

2010-06-25T16:12:00.000-07:00

So, has the Twilight movie franchise brought about a resurgence in the Vampire/Supernatural glut of TV shows about the subject? I originally started thinking about this when I watched the new arrival, ABC's "The Gates". This show so far has vampires and a group of teenage werewolves. Sound familiar? "The Gates" just started so I have to reserve my judgment on this show. Other than the fact that the vampires appear to be adults and the werewolves are teenage boys, who knows what more is in store for viewers. However, given the premise, this place called The Gates seems to be a self-contained town, as well as a gated community, reminiscent of Syfy channels Eureka, only with gates. What I mean to say is that this seems to be more of a mysterious place kind of show, with a new police chief and his family, who seem to be normal. Kind of like Eureka. Where weird things happen and the powers that be would rather the chief kind of look the other way. So as I said it remains to be seen if this show will last a season. I'll give it a try, I always do.

The cast seems to have the right variety of attractive mature adults and teenagers, something for everyone. I'll keep you posted on this one.

When I contemplated this whole Vampire craze, I thought...wow, everyone now loves what I've always loved. The classic tortured soul of the vampire. I mean, I grew up with Dark Shadows the granddaddy of them all. Dark Shadows ran from 1966-1971 and had some successful films afterward. The attempt to revive the franchise back in 1991 failed I am sorry to say. I feel as though my daughter and I were the only ones who watched it. How sad.

Barnabas Collins, played by Jonathan Frid in the original show was the original TV tortured vampire character. He was what he was, but he tried to protect his family. That seems to be the sign of humanity with vampires, the
ennui of being alive so long and the longing to be a part of humanity somehow.

When thinking about some of the shows in this genre that have been on in the past, I noticed something striking. None of these shows has lasted more than 6 years. Most last either 1 year or 5-6, with very few 2 year exceptions. Buffy, the Vampire Slayer made it to 6 years where she now rules. Currently there are quite a few Vampire/Supernatural shows on. Some have really struck a chord with viewers and seem as though they may go the distance. Now how far that distance is remains to be seen. For instance we have the CW's "The Vampire Diaries", one of my absolute favorites. It combines hot vampires, of course, with gothic dimensions of an historic eastern town rife with witch and vampire lore, founding families, and a city council that is more of a "find and destroy the vampires" club. Of course we have the tortured vampire, Stefan who is in love with Elena (a human, whose mother was turned into a vampire before Elena even knew who she was) and then we have his very hot brother Damon who enjoys the hell out of being a vampire! But lo and behold if Elena, a dead ringer for his true love Katherine, isn't touching this bad boy vampire's heart. So you've got the supernatural elements plus a classic love triangle. Can't go wrong with this combo, we are going into a second season of this show so there is hope that this show will last.

Another show from the CW that has had a lot of success is "Supernatural", two brothers fighting demons. Now I have not watched this show myself, although my son does. I just got too confused, the actor who plays Sam is the same actor who played "Dean" in "The Gilmore Girls" and the other actor plays a character names "Dean". TOO confusing for me! It's just not right, you'd think someone would have figured this out and threw the name Dean out and replaced it with something else, maybe Joe, that's a good name....brothers Sam and Joe. Works for me. Anyway, the show has been on for a few years now and seems to be hanging in there. The CW seems to have pretty good luck with these kinds of shows. ABC does not, they cancelled "Moonlight" one of my most favorite Vampire shows ever! So perhaps the actors on "the Gates" should think before making any large purchases.

I cannot write anything about this genre without including one of my top 5 vampire/werewolf/ghost shows, "Being Human". It is a BBC show that you can watch on BBC America. I believe the 2nd season is getting ready to start airing in America. This show is about 3 roommates living in a flat in London, the gorgeous and brooding Vampire (what did I tell you, always brooding these vampires!) Mitchell, George the reluctant Werewolf, and poor ghost Annie....Annie being the only one that no one can see besides Mitchell and George and the only one who really can't leave the house. Although she was able to leave to sort out some things with another ghost. There is some great acting and angst about losing their human side, not to mention the comedy that the Brits are known for. I love this show and can't wait to watch the second season. If you haven't watched it, I highly recommend getting the DVD of the first season or finding a way to watch it online, I believe it is on tvshack.net. It's really a phenomenon in Britain and although they are talking about an American version, I hope they don't. I love this show the way that it is.

Of course there's no way that I could write about Vampires on TV and not mention the TOP DOG in this genre, HBO's True Blood. Being a show on HBO means they can get away with a lot more than "regular" TV can....they can and they do in a major way. A show that is loaded up on sex, violence, necrophilia, and bestiality....of course I'm kinda joking about the last 2 unless you want to count sleeping with a vampire necrophilia and sleeping with a shapeshifter bestiality. And of course you could also call blood drinking a form of cannibalism, which we won't go into. Ew! This show is based on a series of tamer books by Charlaine Harris. I am sure that Ms. Harris doesn't mind the treatment of her characters as I know her books are selling better than ever, thanks to the show. They deserve to, the books are really good in my opinion. Of course that's off the subject, I wrote a lot about this show 2 blogs ago so you might want to check it out.

Before I end this blog I must give a shout out to a couple of dead shows that I knew and loved....I still miss you both! I hardly knew you....Blood Ties you actually broke the mold when you aired for 2 seasons!!!! Congrats! Wish I could have found out what happened.....I mean I read the books so I know Vicki you become a vampire and Henry has to stay away from you....but damn! And Moonlight, sooooo many unanswered questions! I have your one season on DVD and it pains me to see the last show and know that I will NEVER have the answers to so many questions. Arrggh! Damn the networks!!!! Buh bye my beautiful vamps. Mick (aka actor Alex O'Loughlin), I will watch you on Hawaii 5-0! Count on it. Now, I need to get a drink.....Type O positive sounds lovely!

Sexual Orientation equality in TV and Movies. Possible? I think Yes.

2010-06-23T15:24:00.000-07:00

Not too long ago there was an article in Newsweek, by a gay writer no less, stating that gays cannot play straight roles. What???? What I found funny was that not only have they been doing it, but they've been doing it well. One of the actors he mentioned, Jonathan Goff, is on one of my favorite shows, Glee. I guess I have no gaydar because I had no idea the actor was gay. It seems to me that when you make a big deal is when it may become an issue for some viewers. Personally, there are many actors that I KNOW are gay who play straight VERY well, for instance Neil Patrick Harris' character on "How I Met Your Mother". He plays womanizer Barney and I find his portrayal pretty funny, I believe the character.

TR Knight played George, a straight character, on "Greys Anatomy" that seemed to resonate with viewers. On the female side Portia DeRossi played straight characters on "Aly McBeal" as well as "Better Off Ted". In fact both characters were pretty busy in the straight bedroom. Hell, I didn't even know the actress was gay until she hooked up Ellen Degeneres.

Would YOU have guessed these actors were gay? BEFORE, you heard they were? 20/20 hindsight makes a lot of people say, "Oh yeah, I knew they were gay." Well I don't always believe that. In fact we can go all the way back to the 60's and 70's when gays were not accepted at all. Two of the biggest stars of the day, Richard Chamberlain and Rock Hudson, were portraying leading men in movies and on TV. Richard Chamberlain played the charming but dedicated doctor, Dr. Kildare. Rock Hudson portrayed the equally charming husband and private detective on McMillan and Wife.

Rock Hudson was deathly afraid of his secret life coming out, so much so that when he became the first celebrity afflicted with AIDS, he still refused to "come out". Thankfully times have changed to a certain degree. It is sad that so many famous actors are STILL in the closet and terribly afraid that their careers will be ruined if they "come out". There are many more actors and actresses out these days. It seems that it is much easier for the females to come out. Most of the time they plead bi-sexuality. Much easier for men to fantasy about that I think. All out lesbian women have a harder time I think unless they are beautiful to men, like Portia DeRossi. Right now there is a lesbian on the soap opera "Young and the Restless", she is "playing it straight". In fact she is part of a triangle. That would be Clementine Ford, daughter of Cybil Shepherd. Although, from what I understand, there isn't a lot of chemistry between her and her co-stars. Many would use that as a reason why gays shouldn't play straight. But, chemistry fails between straight couples as well. Otherwise we'd all have chemistry with each other!

Movie actor Rupert Everett claims that he doesn't get anymore good roles since he "came out". I don't think he can blame his being gay is the reason. Perhaps television is more accepting, maybe he needs to change genres, I don't know. All I know is that TV seems to be the place to be whether you are gay playing straight or straight playing gay. I mean it worked for Sean Hayes, being gay and playing gay, as well as for his Will and Grace co-stars Eric McCormack being straight and playing gay and Megan Mullaley being gay and playing straight. I know, confusing, isn't it?!

Movies have Brokeback Mountain and many other films that have straight men playing gay and gay men playing straight....but I don't know if I've seen any gay men playing gay, that I know of....now that would be a novel idea.

Well time for me to go kiddies....wonder if I'll have chemistry with someone at the grocery store. ;-)

True Blood from HBO is sex on a stick and a bite in the neck!

2010-06-20T17:24:00.000-07:00

When those of us of the female persuasion think of the HBO show "True Blood", we think of either Eric Northman the sexy vampire, pictured on the left, played by Swedish hunk Alexander Skarsgard or some of us think of Bill Compton, the southern gentleman vampire played by Stephen Moyer. Or maybe your tastes run toward the shapeshifter Sam Merlotte, played by Sam Trammell, who turns into a cute little dog (awwww!) or if you're into humans, Ryan Kwanten, an Aussie actor who plays the dumb but lovable hound dog Jason Stackhouse, brother of lead Sookie. The point here is that there is plenty of man meat to chose from on this show.

And for the men, well there is always Sookie Stackhouse, the character for whom the books were written, played by Oscar winner Anna Paquin. Maybe you like your women a little feistier, there is always Pam, the right hand vampire of Eric's or the newly turned, barely legal, vampire Jessica. I have to say that I am a fan of most of the characters, love Lafayette and Pam. Not really crazy about Arlene or Tara. But hey, that's a pretty good average in this large cast. Especially when you have a couple of high profile guest vamps like Evan Rachel Wood as the Queen, Sophie-Anne and Zeljko Ivanek as the Magistrate.

I REALLY look forward to seeing Joe Manganiello as Alcide. Now maybe I'll know how to pronounce Alcide correctly!

Whatever your pleasure you will find it on True Blood. Going into Season 3, the sex on the show has been thrown into hyper overdrive. From what the big dogs are saying it seems as though a very shocking, over the top, sex scene is due to rock the 3rd episode of this season. The buildup is pretty intense. I personally get the feeling it is a sadistic romp featuring Bill Compton who is now in the hands of the Vamp who turned him and is obsessed with him. Having read all of the books by Charlaine Harris, on which the series is based on, I am not sure. The series and the books have diverged in some places and taken off to parts unknown in others. So your guess is as good as mine.

The sex in this show is not for everyone, lots of nudity, blood drinking, you know...the usual for a vampire. Vampires have had a reputation over the years of being nasty and scary like Nosferatu and then sexy as hell like Brad Pitt's turn as Louis in "Interview with the Vampire". In "Interview" Louis comes off as brooding and seemingly trying to ave what is left of his humanity, trying to BE or at least act as human as possible. In True Blood I would have to say that Bill Compton is the only vampire looking to maintain as much of his humanity as he can. The rest of the vamps LOVE being a vampire!!! A man who is secure in who he is, what a turn on, even if he is a bloodsucker!

It is quite funny how the show is going on it's 3rd season and is getting a lot more press than it ever has. Could it be the amping up of the sex last season? Or perhaps the "celebrity" fans that are coming around wanting to be on the show, like Lindsay Lohan (Oh please god NO!). Or the new song Snoop Dogg wrote for Sookie, called....wait for it......"Sookie". Or maybe it's Oh Sookie. That is the only part that I remember. Gotta love the dee oh double G. As many fans as True Blood is attracting, it also seems to be turning off some fans. Especially, I suspect, some fans of the books. The novels were not so graphic, but hey we ARE talking about HBO here, a cable network that showcased Californication and Hung. So those who are shocked at the sex should maybe stick to the books or go see Twilight. Some feel as though the sex is a substitute for a plot/storyline. Do those of you who watch the show agree? I would really like to hear your opinions!

For now I am going to continue to watch the show, I have no problem with the sex....although it is a little awkward watching the show with my 21 year old son after I introduced him to the first season. He likes the show too now. It doesn't seem to bother him that I'm there so it's just me being a mom and turning red. Later I will watch it alone so I can DROOL over Alex Skarsgard. Yum! Let me know what you think Truebies!

For now I think I'm going to see if I can find Bon Temps on the map....I may need to make a road trip.

ABC Family Channel. Is this for families? Seems a little risque for the whole family.

2010-06-18T21:49:00.000-07:00

Last night I had the opportunity to catch up with a couple of shows on ABC Family channel. The more I watched the shows the more I wondered WHY does this channel call itself ABC Family. I mean when I heard ABC Family I thought of wholesome shows like "Little House on the Prairie" or "7th Heaven" or if they wanted to get a little racy, maybe some "Dawson's Creek". When I hear Family Channel, I think of shows that the whole family could watch. I'll bet I'm not the only one. But lo and behold the two biggest hits are shows that are big on the sex lives of teenagers. The original series, "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" would be better off and more descriptive of the show if they had called it, "The Sex Life of the American Teenager". I have NEVER heard the word sex so many times in my life. Seriously, I'm going to count how many times they say it in an episode and post it here on my blog. My kids don't talk that much about sex now, much less when they were in school. Not to say that there aren't a lot of kids talking about what they are doing in that area. They are, but this show only seems to focus on that. All of the kids are either doing it or thinking about doing it. The one girl who was a purity ring wearing virgin had sex one time with her boyfriend, that she'd been in love with for years, then her father dies in a plane crash and she blames it on the fact that she had sex. She said that to her mother and boyfriend so many times in the episode that it ended up on "The Soup"!

The not so funny thing is that the "lead" character on the show, Amy, started out the first season being pregnant from having sex one time. Her parents were very upset, but tried to be supportive. She hid the pregnancy from them for awhile, probably typical of most teenagers in her situation. Her friend Ben, who became her boyfriend, was also supportive even though he was not the father and she wouldn't have sex with him. OK how many of you know a teenage boy like that? Really?! In any case, the show focused on all of the different teenage characters and their race to have sex or their moral issues of not having sex, of course eventually they all do. So OK the teens are allowed to be a certain amount of dumb on this issue, but THEN you have Amy's MOTHER getting pregnant as well and she isn't sure if it's her soon to be ex-husbands baby or the man she'd been seeing after hubby moved out...oh yeah, he moved next door. How convenient. So now we have irresponsible adults who lectured their teens about protection. Of course Amy jumped on that one. Hey, the parents are hypocrites after all. So again I have to ask, "Secret Life" or "Sex Life"? on the FAMILY channel....this does not compute! Then you add the show Greek, which I don't watch, about college fraternities and sororities, I don't HAVE to watch to know what happens on that one!

Now, we have the newest addition to the lineup at ABC Family called "Pretty Little Liars". The title alone could give you an idea of what this might be about. So far I have seen the only two episodes to air to date. It is already very popular. I actually kind of like the show, it has Lucy Hale on it and I've been a fan of hers since "Privileged". So far, we've had one character get caught shoplifting, now her mother is sleeping with the cop so that she won't get charged. Then we have another character who sleeps with a man who turns out to be a new teacher of hers...she tries to get out of the class but can't and the chemistry between the two ends up with her sleeping with him again. We also have a girl whose older sister's fiance has kissed her and would like to do more with her. Then we come to another girl who seems to be confused about her sexuality and has met a new girl who seems intent on helping her explore her lesbian side. Cue the token gay. There is a gay friend on Secret Life as well. He hasn't gotten to have sex on the show yet. One of the only ones on the show who hasn't.

Now the show is ostensibly about a girl who disappeared a year ago, and was the leader of this group of "Queen Bees", whose dead body was discovered towards the end of episode 1. Meanwhile, the girls have been getting texts from someone who seems to know an awful lot about them and who signs the texts "A". which happens to be the first letter of Ali's name, the girl who is dead. Weave in a newly arrived blind Jenna who has moved back to town after a year. Jenna has a motive that the girls don't want to share as it will implicate them in the accident/prank that they pulled on Jenna that left her blind. In their defense the girls, with the exception of Ali, didn't know what was going to happen and Jenna was not the target, as far as they know. Secrets, Secrets, Secrets.....again ABC FAMILY. What FAMILY is gonna watch this together. Unless you are talking about parents and their teens, which probably won't happen in a lot of households. In fact, my kids don't like "The Secret Life..." which is funny since I sense this is geared towards them. I think my daughter will probably like "Pretty Little Liars". So are these characters lives something that some kids might compare their own lives to? I don't know, I just still find myself wondering why this channel is called ABC Family. Without family programming it seems like a silly name. I would think they'd call it ABC Teen or something like that.

Oh well....I guess I'll just have to keep wondering. I'll see you later, I have some shoplifting to do and a cop to have sex with so that my kids can stay out of jail. See ya!

The Reality of Real Housewives and other "reality" shows.

2010-06-17T14:33:00.000-07:00

The Real Housewives of New York reunion shows are coming to a close tonight with Part 3 of the explosive get-together. Thankfully, we still have the Real Housewives of New Jersey, where we switch out Psycho Kelly for Psycho Danielle, FUN! RHONJ is less one housewife now that Dina has quit the show. But never fear, the Real Housewives of DC is due to start Aug. 5th and the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is still in the works. From the way it looks there will never be a need for a Real Housewives fix, the franchise is growing almost daily. The way it's going we will always a Real Housewives show running constantly.

So can I say, what the heck is happening here? What is our fascination with these shows. The original OC version is still going strong and has continued to reproduce this formula at an increasing rapid rate. As an avid watcher of this guilty pleasure I can say that part of it is seeing how the other half lives. These women are usually pretty well off or at least pretty comfortable. I like the fashion and surface stuff like that. But I also like to see how other people act. I am a consistent "TV Yeller" as I call myself. I will talk back to the TV all of the time. There is ALWAYS an opportunity to do that when watching these shows, like when someone is talking from the other side of their face. It kind of makes you look at your own friends. In my case I thank god that none of my friends are like some of these women. Sheesh!

Reality shows came about mainly because of a writers strike 20 years ago and they seem to have become the norm these days. Reality shows fall under several different classifications. It used to be "challenge" shows like "Survivor" and "The Amazing Race". Then we have the granddaddy of all reality shows, "The Real World" which pretty much started as a psychological study on putting a variety of people with different backgrounds under the same roof and seeing what they could teach each other (having them fight certainly didn't hurt), then you have "Big Brother" which is the psychological experiment combined with the "challenge" show, only on lockdown. Each of these shows, including the "real housewives", is a study in human behavior. Truly fascinating when you get beyond the obvious drama. You see how many people see the same exact things differently. You can also see the variety of people from good to bad to ugly to downright delusional. The backstabbing is truly sad, but it is also truly sad to see how many seriously mentally ill people are out there, who are not getting help, and don't see how badly they need it...I'm talking to you Kelly Bensimon and Danielle Staub!

So what IS the reality of Real Housewives and other reality shows? That each of us in our own way are people watchers, we like to see how other people handle things in our lives, how they interact with THEIR friends, their problems or situations, and truthfully in many ways to see how our lives compare to theirs. Maybe ours aren't so bad after all. Maybe we don't get to take a yacht cruise to St. John's and stay at a villa, but then again most of our friends don't think they can sing and get an opportunity to cut a sucky record that your dog will howl to...."Money can't buy you class"..but maybe it can buy you some singing lessons Countess. Oy Vey! I prefer to keep it real and enjoy "watching" the real housewives as an escape and an opportunity to yell my opinion at the TV.

I'm outta here, gotta catch my yacht to St. Lucia to cut my new single. Ciao!

Premiere of Bethenny Getting Married?

2010-06-12T20:06:00.000-07:00

OOK so how cute are these two? Well Thursday night was the season premiere of "Bethenny Getting Married" and what a premiere it was! Over 2 million people tuned in, it was the highest premiere in Bravo TV's history. Wow, combine that with the good reviews and you've got a winner here. Who knew when RHONY premiered 3 seasons ago that Bethenny would be the breakout star who would get her own show? I have to say that watching this show is much less stressful than watching this past season RHONY, let me tell you. The premiere episode had a guest appearance by Alex McCord and her husband Simon Van Kempen and they appeared, as Bethenny said, normal. It is so true. This show is closer to what reality should be. This is a successful businesswoman who is trying to have it all. Whether she can have it all for a long period remains to be seen, she is off to a good start.

This show is, at this point, about Bethenny planning her wedding, running her multi-product business, and expecting a new baby. She is a first time mother, second time bride. Her fiance Jason Hoppy is a stable influence on her, that is obvious after this first episode. Bethenny is a bit neurotic, as all self respecting New Yorkers seem to be. Her humor is sarcastic and snarky. But she had me laughing so much. I suspect that much of that humor is masking a lot of pain. Which we actually get some peeks at during her therapy session. She has agreed to have all of her session filmed, in fact that was her idea which I think is really brave and could be very helpful.

This premiere episode had her searching for a new assistant, preferably a gay male. She ended up with a very straight Max, who fiance Jason Hoppy wasn't too happy about until they bonded over sports and gave each other a fist bump which drove Bethenny to distraction. We also saw Bethenny and Jason fight about having his friends that she only met once, staying the night after their housewarming party. I think Bethenny's reluctance to open her home to people that Jason trusts (he's known his best man for 20 years) for an overnight stay is maybe a bit over the top. Yet I think this has something to do with her solitary life as well as her upbringing, which was NOT good. Jason is from a calm, normal, close knit family. Bethenny likens her upbringing as being brought up by wolves.

Between planning her wedding and this housewarming party, Bethenny was pretty stressed and of course she has to be hormonal. But then you see her and Jason picking out their wedding bands and it is so obvious how much the two love each other. You can see that Bethenny feels safe with him and Jason for his part is learning to be patient with her, which probably isn't easy at times. When Jason is stuck in Florida on a business trip on the night of the housewarming party, you think Bethenny is going to have a meltdown, but it turns out that things do work out. It is obvious that she is uncomfortable entertaining Jason's friends by herself, but she is the hostess with the mostess and manages to have a great evening. She almost tries too hard to make sure that the conversation is lively and that everyone is entertained. I doubt that she noticed that she cut off Jason's best man while he was talking. I think half of that is the man was kind of soft spoken, especially when compared to our lively and loud Bethenny.

I have to say that I am really happy with this show so far and plan to keep on watching. I feel almost a kinship with Bethenny. She reminds me a little of myself, someone who uses humor to cover up deep pain. Always trying to keep it going. I laughed a lot and after watching some of the stuff that is going to happen this season, well I think it's gonna be hella funny. She is what she is and tells it like it is and we love her for that. You go Bethenny! We're right behind you!

Glee and The City.

2010-06-10T01:24:00.000-07:00

Sorry it took so long to get both of these shows up and I KNOW I'm missing the Real Housewives of New Jersey update. But I thought it important to get the Glee season finale posted. I would have done The City sooner as well, but I had a death in the family.

So here goes....OMG! What a great season finale! Believe it or not, despite the 3 month or so hiatus, this is the finale for season 1. I know that there is a DVD out of season 1, but obviously this must not be included on those discs. Apparently this is either going to be Vol. 2 or an additional special. First off, if you haven't watched it yet...do not read this blog, get to Hulu or Fox and watch it! Then come back here.

This episode was the culmination of McKinley High's New Directions glee club's hard work all year. Boy did the characters, and the brilliant cast, deliver at Regionals! They decided to do a medley of Journey songs since "Don't Stop Believin'" kind of became their theme song for keeping glee club alive. The poor kids were under so much pressure and of course the multi-talented Jane Lynch's character of Sue Sylvester was on Mr. Schu's case about all of them being losers. He was almost ready to give up but in true heartwarming fashion, he didn't. He pushed the kids to get out there and do their best.

Matthew Morrison, who plays Mr. Schuster aka Mr. Schu, had another opportunity to sing on this episode which is always a treat. His rendition of "Over the Rainbow" is one I've heard, thanks to a commercial, but I really enjoyed it just the same. I have to say that those kids on that show must be the hardest working "kids" in show business today. They have to learn songs, record them, then learn the choreography, learn their lines and then bring it all together in a cohesive show. They deliver every single time. I am in awe of their talent. I know that some people think this show is stupid, and of course they are welcome to their opinion, but I have to say that this show is just the right mix of fun and seriousness. I won't go into all of the details about what happened on this finale, because I want you to watch it! There was a lot of heart, a lot of hurt, and a lot of Joy. Hint: Beth. But the highlight for me, personally, was the singing of "To Sir, With Love". Wow, it was such a great tribute to any teacher and it seemed more than appropriate in this context when the kids sang it after pouring their hearts out about how important the glee club is to them and how it has changed their lives. They talked about how they, and their lives, were like before glee and what they are afraid will happen without it. So touching. From what I've read, none of the actors in this scene used any false methods to cry, the tears were real for all of them. That my friends is called really getting into your character. Not to mention the fact that, especially for the young people, this has been a life changing experience....just like the glee club. I can't wait until it is back in September!

Now it's on to a guilty pleasure...MTV's, The City. This spin off of The Hills, which in turn spun off another of my favorite GP's "Kell on Earth", is snarky and backstabbing and all of the other things that you expect young 20-something fashionista's living in THE City to be! But this is also a show about friendship and making your way in the world. This is a "reality" show that also makes us privy to the inner working of ELLE Magazine, a premier fashion magazine, as well as People's Revolution, a PR firm run by the incomparable Kelly Cutrone. Kelly is my idol I have to say. She's tough, she can be a bitch, but she is fair and really cares about the people who work for her. A great role model for these girls.

Whitney Port, formerly of The Hills, also shows what it is like to start a fashion line. Kelly has taken her under her wing and is guiding her new career. Sometimes Whitney takes the advice that Kelly gives her and sometimes she doesn't. When she doesn't it is usually because of her friendship with Roxy, who she knew in LA and whom she also works with. It has been nice to see Roxy progress from a kind of a flake, who means well, to a more confident woman on her way to a successful career if she continues to listen to Kelly. Tonight she had an opportunity to shine at the David Delfin show and she made Kelly proud. Kelly truly didn't think she had it in her, remember I said she was kind of a flake for awhile there. Good for Roxy! Next week Whitney has the opportunity to show her line at Miami's Fashion Week and it will only be her and Roxy. Judging by the preview, it looks like the girls are in for a rude awakening in the cutthroat world of fashion!

Then we go over to Elle Magazine where we have Erin, who does PR for Elle and Olivia who is supposed to be the accessories editor, as well as the reporter for elle.com. Now this is the relationship that I find the most fun to watch. Olivia, who REALLY doesn't like Whitney...long history there....is the bitch of the show, IMHO. Erin has tried in vain for months to get Joe Zee, the creative director, to get rid of her. Erin and Olivia have clashed from Day 1 and it hasn't been pretty. Olivia won't listen and just acts like she is better than everyone. The only thing keeping her there is that Joe Zee thinks she has a good eye for accessories and she knows a lot of important people. Well that thought got challenged BIG TIME on the last episode. Olivia supposedly had an "in" with Marc Jacobs. This was Fashion Week in NYC and Joe asked her many times if she was sure that she could get an interview with him for elle.com and she said "no problem". Well guess what? BIG PROBLEM. They wouldn't let her back there to do an interview so she didn't deliver, AGAIN. Well Olivia has just gotten some competition. Erin met with Louise Roe, who has done fashion reporting in the UK, and asked her if she would be interested in working at Elle, doing the elle.com reporting. Of course she did this without asking Joe, but she did talk to him about it before the Marc Jacobs show. Lo and behold the night after the failed Marc Jacobs interview, Louise, who had been invited to sit with Joe and Erin at a show the next day, had an opportunity to show her stuff when Olivia woke up late and was late for the Badgley Mischka show. Joe asked if Louise wouldn't mind doing the interview and she jumped at the chance. Talk about a pro! No prep at all. She had no problem getting in there and talking to the designers. The next day Erin was instructed to go ahead and talk to the Editor-in Chief of Elle, Roberta Meyers, about bringing Louise aboard as the "face of elle.com". Oh boy.

Well to say that I can't wait for next week is an understatement. I am hoping that Olivia gets fired! I think that she is spoiled and doesn't work as part of the Elle team. She thinks that her "knowing people" means that she can do her job when she wants and if she wants. She tried to sabotage Whitney at the magazine, but thankfully Erin saw Whitney's "Look Book" and passed it on to Joe. She was using her position to torpedo someone just because they have a history. Joe Zee has given her too many chances in my opinion, but I think the Marc Jacobs debacle has FINALLY made him realize that this is NOT working. Well, one can only hope this is not another false alarm and that Olivia finally gets the Jimmy Choo boot out the door!

Until next time......

Drop Dead Diva is back! Yay!

2010-06-07T19:46:00.000-07:00

Yay, one of my favorite shows is back on! The season 2
premiere of Drop Dead Diva was on Lifetime last night, of course without having TV right now I had to rely on TV Shack and after a rough start (bad feed) I got to watch it just a few minutes ago. I have to admit that I forgot a lot of what happened at the end of last season. That is a major problem when networks wait so long between seasons. In any case, thanks to TV Shack I can watch all of the episodes of Season 1 whenever I want to catch up and now that Season 2 is up and running I have no fear of having to wait forever for the next episode to be posted. They are right on it over at the TV Shack I have to say.

Now back to the show. I love this show, if you haven't watched it give it a chance. It stars Brooke Elliott as a woman, whose character starts the beginning of the show as a thin, blond, sweet, airhead of a model (played by Brooke D'Orsay), whose soul is placed into a plus size, intelligent, brunette lawyer named Jane. I know it's confusing, but I would liken it to a female "Heaven Can Wait" crossed with "Dead Like Me". The first season deals mainly with Deb (the blonde) getting used to being in Jane's (the brunette) body. She experiences what it is like to being ignored, to not have people fawning all over her, and in some cases being despised because of how she now looks. Complicating matters is her fiance is now working at the same law firm. You can feel the chemistry and connection between the two, but yet the physical is not there yet. The beginning of the season was heartbreaking to see poor Deb/Jane wanting so badly to comfort Grayson (her fiance) but not being able to because she is not allowed to tell him that she is really Deb. Only her best friend Stacey and guardian angel Fred know who she really is. I would be remiss if I didn't add that it is also great to see Margaret Cho back on a weekly show as Terri, Jane's secretary. We've missed you!

This season looks to be off to a great start. Deb is still getting used to Jane's body but Jane seems to have secrets that pop up at the worst time. Oh yeah, in case you don't watch....Deb has none of Jane's memories, except that she seems to know things, smart things that make her head hurt. This show is great fun, but it also has a great heart. I am also so happy to see Jane's guardian angel Fred back! Yay!

So if you haven't ever watched this show, give it a try. It's on Lifetime on Sunday Nights. If you missed Sunday's episode you can check it out here:
http://tvshack.net/tv/Drop_Dead_Diva/season_2/episode_1/a:1083042/
And if you want to watch the first season, you will find all 13 episodes of the first season on TV Shack. Enjoy!

Jane (Brooke Elliott) and Deb (Brooke D'Orsay)

I'm Baaaaack!

2010-06-06T16:59:00.001-07:00

Well, I know it's been 2 years since I've posted anything, so much has happened that I could write 10 blogs about it, but I am not....so here I am to tell you what's happening NOW!

Sad to say that two things happened that will make this blog a little harder to write but no where near impossible. First off, my Direct TV has been shut off. *sad face* I am on disability and couldn't pay for it anymore so down it went and my favorite pastime was in serious danger. However, the good news is that these days many of our favorite shows are now posted online. Some are easy to find, like GLEE! (Thank you FOX!) and some are a little more difficult (BOO CBS!). I have found many programs on www.hulu.com and on http://tvshack.net/.
So between those two and Fancast, which I haven't really had to use yet, I can still watch most of my favorite programs. I am saving Fancast for True Blood, which is an HBO show and Fancast is an HBO site. Some of these programs you have to wait a few days to a week for, and a couple of shows are on the same or next day. GLEE is available on fox.com and hulu, usually the next day. Makes me so happy! The Real Housewives franchise usually takes a couple of days and the most recent episodes are on TV Shack. The City can also be found on TV Shack within a day or two. Same with The View! And if you are a Soap Opera fan, those are on there, usually on the same day. :0

My other sad news is that my beautiful 42 inch Flat Screen TV has blown something, I have sound and no picture. Seems that according to the TV guy I talked to on the phone, from the Geek Squad, said that it will cost between $250-$500+ to fix....well for that price I'll buy a new one, an LCD this time instead of the Plasma TV I opted for originally. Big regrets there. So depending on what the exact part is that went out, which it will cost me a $150 visit just to find out, will determine what I have to pay. Well I don't think I'm going to go there. Especially since the technician thinks it's the higher priced problem. So anyway, at first I ended up watching a 19" TV which I haven't had as a main TV in like 30 years! Then, thankfully, my friend had an older TV that she used to have in her bedroom and that one is more like a 30"-32". The color isn't pure, runs a little on the green side...but it is definitely watchable and I appreciate it so much! So lately me and the fam have been watching DVD's, thankfully I re-watched True Blood season 1, just in time to get True Blood season 2, that I had pre-ordered months ago. Now my son is addicted to True Blood. :-) I love DVD's of TV shows! DVD movies are cool, but they are over too soon, but DVD TV series are the best and last a long time!

So this week will be pretty exciting with a couple of finales that I have been waiting for, like GLEE and The Real Housewives of New York City, as well as the season premiere of Drop Dead Diva, which is a new show that I LOVED last year! Not sure how long it will take for it to show up on either Hulu or TV shack, but I will be looking for it! Also, if you are looking for CBS shows, it is tough...they usually only release clips. However, if you are a big fan of some CBS shows, my personal favorite is Criminal Minds, you can watch most of them on TV Shack. I was so happy that my son turned me on to that site, I was going to cry if I didn't get my last glimpse of Dr. Spencer Reid for the season! So check it out. Also, a little hint when watching shows on computer. Let the show load a bit before you start watching so that you can get the full show without a bunch of starting and stopping, which face it is hella annoying. Also you can watch it full screen but many times that can be a problem on some computers. All in all it's great though if you are like me who would die without my TV....or my computer. LoL

Tune in tomorrow....cuz I'm back!!!!!

All My Children and the "Real" Greenlee.....

2008-01-14T19:46:00.000-08:00

OK, seriously....what the hell is this whole, "the real Greenlee is coming back" to All My Children??!!!!! OK for those who are not familiar with the daytime drama, All My Children", Greenlee Smythe is a character on the show. Now a couple of year's ago the actress who originated the role, Rebecca Budig, left the show. The writers had the character leave, angry at everyone in her life....OK fine.....then the character returned last year, played by another actress, Sabine Singh. Originally I was not happy about that....anyone who watches daytime knows that we become attached to the actors who play these characters, they are almost one in the same to us. It is like having the part of your Grandma Smith now being played by your Aunt Bea. I resisted the new actress, as did most people I'm sure....but over time I have come to enjoy the actress and believe her in the role of Greenlee. They have become one in the same....as it is supposed to be. Well now for some reason the original actress, Rebecca Budig, has become available and the "powers that be" obviously want her back.

OK, I get that part.....I don't have to like it, but I get it. It has been done before, they brought back the original "Ashley" on Young and the Restless, they brought back the original "Billie" on Days of our Lives, and there are several others on the different shows. It is not the fact that they are bringing Rebecca Budig back....I enjoyed her portrayal of Greenlee, I never thought another actress could take on the role and do it justice. BUT, what I object to is the way that the PR machine is touting her return. Spot after spot they are trying to whip the audience into a frenzy, stating "The Real Greenlee is coming back!" Stay tuned and all of that! What a slap in the face to the actress who took on this role after Rebecca left. It is my understanding that Sabine Singh was not treated well by the PTB (Powers that be) regarding her firing. I doubt that she saw it coming. I for one certainly didn't. Truthfully, there are two actresses right now that are on the show that have taken over for "original" actresses in front burner storyline's and I can safely say that they are replacing the wrong one! I have not been able to warm up to the actress now playing the role of "Babe"....not her fault, but I just can't seem to see her in the role....the chemistry with others on the show just doesn't mess in my opinion....nor in other fans' opinion's as far as I can tell.

I don't know of anyone personally who is happy with this turn of events. It is one thing to replace the actress with the role's original actress, it is quite another to denigrate the hard work the replacement has had to do by basically calling her a "fake". Not the "real" Greenlee. That my friends is just not fair. There is no going back now, but my heart goes out to Sabine who in my opinion, and many others', she did a fabulous job and made that role her own. Kudos to you Ms. Singh and I hope that you find another job where the PTB appreciate all of your hard work, I for one have found you to be very "real".

Give the Writer's What They Want and Deserve!

2008-01-07T17:41:00.000-08:00

Did anyone watch "Desperate Housewives" last night? I know that I didn't. I was going to, had my Direct TV primed to click to ABC at 9:00....but then I thought about it and decided not to. One of the biggest reason's? Marc Cherry. I was already debating watching it as I knew there was only going to be that one episode until the end of the writer's strike. Then I saw a brief Q & A with Marc Cherry and he said that fans would be really upset, too many things were still unresolved. That is exactly what I was afraid of. I love the show, but I knew that my frustration level would likely be very high so I opted out of watching.

This has been a frustrating season for TV with the strike going on. Just when you get into some shows they pull them because there are only a few episode's in the can. I know that "Lost", another of my favorite shows, is supposed to come back next month for about 8 un-aired episode's. Does anyone feel the same frustration that I do with "Lost" as it is. I mean, the network keeps moving the show around and for awhile they would air about 3 episode's and then be off for 2 or 3 months before airing anymore. With a show like this, you just can't do that. It breaks up the continuity and makes people lose interest when they can't remember what happened in the last episode that aired months ago. Critics were saying that the ratings were down....well of course they were, nobody new half the time when it was on and by then many fans were invested in other shows. The same thing happened with "Heroes" and I kept thinking, "Has NO ONE figured out the obvious reason?". Seriously it doesn't take a brain surgeon, bu then again it may take someone who has the pulse of the people watching the show. The executive's at the major networks do not seem to understand something as basic and as simple as, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." and "leave well enough alone". It isn't that hard to figure out why ratings on former hit shows are down. We, the viewer's, need consistency. We desire some respect. You cannot expect loyalty from us when you keep jacking our shows around. I mean, who wants to invest in a show that may or may not be where you last left it? We are creature's of habit, many of us schedule things around our favorite shows. God knows we are loyal, give us something we like and we will watch it until it's over....but don't make us think it's over by putting on the shelf for two months, expecting us to not find an alternate in the meantime. If you are not careful you will lose us to the alternate. I know that I got hooked on another network's show while waiting for "Lost" to come back and now I am not sure if I am going to be able to choose between the two if they are up against each other...The "other" show is a good one too, "Criminal Minds" anyone?

That being said, we need the Writer's back, doing what they do so well. Is losing THIS much money worth it? Obviously there are some shows, not to mention film studio's, that have been able to work out a deal with the writer's. It's time to stop being stubborn and start being practical. I can tell you that the last time there was a writer's strike it played a critical role in the downturn in the classic format of the Daytime drama, also know as the Soap Opera. Between the OJ Simpson trial and the Writer's strike, Daytime drama's have not recovered. Something that has become a tradition in many household's is about to go the way of the Dinosaur and I for one will be sad to see them go. They can't afford another hit like this. This strike is affecting a lot of people and it's just ridiculous. Give the writer's their due! They deserve it, without them what do you have.....